Vegas by the Numbers: The Hero's and the Heartache

Two games in Las Vegas. 45,719 fans. One golden point finish, every GDS score, every selection %, and what it all means heading into Round 1 proper this week.

The Headline: Ponga at 13%

Kalyn Ponga posted 96.30 GDS points. The highest individual score of the entire Vegas weekend. That is a brutal miss for 87% of the competition. The man returned from a foot injury, ran the show behind a back five that combined for 778 run metres and 29 tackle breaks, kicked 4 from 5, and created tries at will.

Winners: Delivered When It Mattered

Player	Team	GDS	Sel %	Verdict
Kalyn Ponga	Knights	96.30	13%	435 days away. Came back and topped the weekend. Massive POD win.
Damien Cook	Dragons	92.20	16%	92 points in a losing side. Elite hooker ceiling. Low ownership gem.
Heilum Luki	Cowboys	71.70	3%	First NRL game since 2024 finals. ACL return. 3% ownership. Unreal.
Viliame Kikau	Bulldogs	71.50	6%	71.50 at just 6% ownership. Bulldogs' best forward by a mile.
Lachlan Galvin	Bulldogs	65.77	4%	4% ownership. Looked like Bulldogs' No.1 playmaker all night.
Dominic Young	Knights	64.50	2%	Two tries, 78m, 5 tackle breaks. Only 2% had him.
Trey Mooney	Knights	63.20	2%	Club debut. 63.20 GDS. 2% ownership. Cheat code.
Tom Dearden	Cowboys	60.73	7%	60.73 from base stats alone. No try. Pure halfback output at 7%.

The coaches who zigged while everyone zagged had a monster weekend. Ponga, Cook, Luki, Kikau, Galvin, Young, Mooney, and Dearden were all under 16% ownership. All scored 60+ GDS.

Luki's 71.70 at just 3% ownership deserves its own paragraph. He had not played NRL since the 2024 finals after an ACL wiped his entire 2025. He outscored every single Cowboy by over 10 points. At 3%, almost nobody benefited.

The Template Held

Player	Team	GDS	Sel %	Verdict
Jacob Preston	Bulldogs	75	43%	Massively over-delivered. 75 GDS is a top-3 weekend score.
Jacob Kiraz	Bulldogs	58.43	45%	Solid. 118m at halftime from 12 runs. Did exactly what 45% needed.
Dylan Lucas	Knights	61.10	40%	40% got a 61-point return. No complaints.
Toby Couchman	Dragons	54.70	22%	Decent output. 54.70 from a midforward role.
Fletcher Sharpe	Knights	47.57	18%	Started hot then went down injured. Nervous wait for scans.

Preston at 75 GDS and 43% ownership is the template story of the weekend. Third-highest scorer across both games and nearly half the competition had him.

Sharpe's injury is the story to watch. He was electric before going down with a knee issue. If he misses time, that 18% is suddenly scrambling for cover.

Losers: The Coaches Who Got Burned

Player	Team	GDS	Sel %	Verdict
Scott Drinkwater	Cowboys	21.07	29%	Biggest loser. 29% selected him. Rib cartilage issues. Looked lost.
Valentine Holmes	Dragons	23.10	27%	23.10 at 27% ownership. Leg injury. Missed field goals.
Bradman Best	Knights	32.40	12%	Quiet night despite Knights putting up 28 around him.
Braidon Burns	Cowboys	31.70	10%	31.70 from a winger in a side that scored 18. Underwhelming.
Stephen Crichton	Bulldogs	36.70	8%	Kicked winning FG but 36.70 GDS. Output mostly from goalkicking.

Drinkwater at 29% and 21.07 GDS is the number that will sting the most. The 75.23-point gap between him and Ponga at fullback is the biggest positional gap of the weekend.

Holmes at 27% and 23.10 is almost as bad. A leg injury sapped him completely. Multiple failed field goal attempts in golden point capped a night to forget.

Full GDS Scores: Both Games Combined

Player	Pos	Team	GDS	Sel %
Kalyn Ponga	FB	Knights	96.30	13%
Damien Cook	HOK	Dragons	92.20	16%
Jacob Preston	EDG	Bulldogs	75	43%
Heilum Luki	EDG	Cowboys	71.70	3%
Viliame Kikau	EDG	Bulldogs	71.50	6%
Lachlan Galvin	HLF	Bulldogs	65.77	4%
Dominic Young	WNG	Knights	64.50	2%
Trey Mooney	MID	Knights	63.20	2%
Dylan Lucas	EDG	Knights	61.10	40%
Tom Dearden	HLF	Cowboys	60.73	7%
Jacob Kiraz	WNG	Bulldogs	58.43	45%
Ryan Couchman	EDG	Dragons	58.20	—
Daniel Atkinson	HLF	Dragons	57.57	—
Murray Taulagi	WNG	Cowboys	55.80	2%
Toby Couchman	MID	Dragons	54.70	22%
Reed Mahoney	HOK	Cowboys	53	6%
Matt Burton	HLF	Bulldogs	53	4%
Phoenix Crossland	HOK	Knights	51.63	—
Sam McIntyre	MID	Cowboys	50.40	—
Jacob Saifiti	MID	Knights	50.30	—
Greg Marzhew	WNG	Knights	49.90	2%
Setu Tu	WNG	Dragons	48.80	—
Marcelo Montoya	WNG	Bulldogs	48.40	1%
Max King	MID	Bulldogs	48.30	6%
Jaydn Su'A	EDG	Dragons	48.20	3%
Fletcher Sharpe	HLF	Knights	47.57	18%
Hamish Stewart	MID	Dragons	46.60	—
Harry Hayes	EDG	Bulldogs	45.10	—
Jaeman Salmon	EDG	Bulldogs	44.20	—
Tom Chester	CTR	Cowboys	43.30	—
Emre Guler	MID	Dragons	42.40	—
Bailey Hayward	HOK	Bulldogs	41.90	—
Kyle Flanagan	HLF	Dragons	41.80	1%
Connor Tracey	FB	Bulldogs	40.60	1%
Luciano Leilua	EDG	Dragons	39.50	1%
Jake Clifford	HLF	Cowboys	39.43	1%
Dane Gagai	CTR	Knights	37.90	4%
Coen Hess	MID	Cowboys	37.40	—
Stephen Crichton	CTR	Bulldogs	36.70	8%
Jason Taumalolo	MID	Cowboys	35.40	—
Kai O'Donnell	EDG	Cowboys	35.30	—
Moses Suli	CTR	Dragons	34.30	—
Bronson Xerri	CTR	Bulldogs	34.30	2%
Jermaine McEwen	EDG	Knights	33.70	1%
Bradman Best	CTR	Knights	32.40	12%
Kurt Mann	MID	Bulldogs	32.10	—
Mat Croker	MID	Knights	32	—
Braidon Burns	WNG	Cowboys	31.70	10%
Reuben Cotter	MID	Cowboys	30.80	2%
Hame Sele	MID	Dragons	30.70	—
Dylan Brown	HLF	Knights	29.37	5%
Sitili Tupouniua	EDG	Bulldogs	29	—
Christian Tuipulotu	WNG	Dragons	28.63	2%
Josh Kerr	EDG	Dragons	25.70	—
Clinton Gutherson	FB	Dragons	25	—
Valentine Holmes	CTR	Dragons	23.10	27%
Tyson Frizell	MID	Knights	23	—
Jaxon Purdue	CTR	Cowboys	22.80	2%
Pasami Saulo	MID	Knights	21.90	—
Sandon Smith	HLF	Knights	21.13	1%
Scott Drinkwater	FB	Cowboys	21.07	29%
Thomas Mikaele	MID	Cowboys	20.10	—
Matthew Lodge	MID	Cowboys	17.30	—
Samuel Hughes	MID	Bulldogs	15.70	—
Josh Curran	MID	Bulldogs	11	2%
Thomas Cant	EDG	Knights	10.80	—
Griffin Neame	MID	Cowboys	9.20	—
Mathew Feagai	WNG	Dragons	9	—