Why coaches are switching to GDS Rugby League
Most fantasy rugby league games hand you a prize table full of merch and a leaderboard that resets after the grand final. We do it differently. GameDay Squad Rugby League is free to play, pays real cash every single round, and the player cards you collect are yours to keep. The squad you build this season is the one you start with next season, just stronger.
Real money, every round. Cash prizes across 27 regular-season rounds, 4 finals rounds, a QLD vs NSW series and a $5,000 Sunday Showdown grand final in 2026.
Free to play, free to win. Every coach gets 153 Bronze cards in starter packs, and the Contender competition pays cash to the top three without you spending a cent.
Your cards, forever. Pack a Gold Nathan Cleary once and he's in your reserves for as long as you play.
Eight competitions from one collection. Starter, Contender, Classic, Challenger, Champion, plus three Weekly Specials new this season.
Cards you can collect
Every card is yours to keep. The higher the rarity, the bigger the score multiplier. A few of the cards coaches are chasing right now:
How GDS Rugby League works
Open your packs. Download the app, sign up free, and you'll get starter packs of Bronze player cards straight away. That's enough to field Starter, Contender and Classic squads on day one.
Set your 18. Thirteen on the field (1 HOK, 3 MID, 2 EDG, 2 HLF, 2 CTR, 2 WNG, 1 FLB) and five on the bench (2 forwards, 1 half, 2 backs). Bench players score exactly the same as field players.
Beat the lockout. Rugby League runs a rolling lockout. Each player locks one minute before his team's game kicks off, so you can keep tinkering with your Sunday players after the Thursday game has started.
Win cash and cards. Round prizes land every week, seasonal prizes at the end. Cash goes to your wallet, packs go to your collection, and better cards unlock harder competitions.
The 2026 prize pool
We're putting cash on the line in every round of Rugby League this season, from Round 1 of the Weekly Specials right through to the finals, and topping it up with a Prize Card Draft at the end. Here's what the top spot pays each round.
Competition | Round winner | Season winner |
|---|---|---|
Starter | 5 x 9 Player Common Packs + 4 Starter Packs | 9 Player Common All-Star Pack (top 10) |
Contender | $75 + packs | 2026 Prize Card + All-Star Player Card |
Classic | $250 + Elite Legend Hunter Pack + packs | 2026 Prize Card (top 10) |
Challenger | $500 + Elite Legend Hunter Pack + 9 Player Rare Pack | 2026 Prize Card (top 10) |
Champion | $750 + Elite Legend Hunter Pack + 9 Player Unique Pack | 2026 Prize Card (top 10) |
Primetime | $750 + Elite Legend Hunter Pack | 2026 Prize Card |
Under 24s | $125 + Elite Legend Hunter Pack | 2026 Prize Card |
Fantasy Bros Sunday Showdown | Playoff qualification + 9 Player Unique Pack | $5,000 |
Prizes run deep, not just to the winner. Classic pays cash to the top three and packs to the top 500 every round, and the QLD vs NSW competition pays $1,000 to each round winner. The full round-by-round breakdown is in our Rugby League prize table.
Pick your competition
Every coach starts in Starter and climbs from there. Your squad's combined salary decides which competitions you can enter, and salary is set by card rarity, never by how well a player is going. A Bronze card costs $500k all season, even if he's leading the try-scoring.
Competition | Salary cap | Cards allowed | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
Starter | $9m | Bronze only | Brand new coaches. Pack prizes, level playing field. |
Contender | $10m | Bronze, Silver, Gold | First taste of the cap, first shot at cash. |
Classic | $11.5m | Bronze to Platinum + 2 Special Cards | Everyone. The biggest comp and the one the cups are built on. |
Challenger | $14m | Gold to Legend + 5 Special Cards | Coaches with real depth. Bronze and Silver locked out. |
Champion | $16m | Platinum, Diamond, Legend + 5 Special Cards | The top of the ladder. Biggest cash of the season. |
New this season: three Weekly Specials
Primetime (no cap): only Thursday and Friday night games. Bring everything you own except Bronze, build from one slate, and chase a $750 prize before the weekend starts.
Under 24s ($12.5m cap): only players born in or after 2002. Know who's getting minutes before the rest of the platform does.
Fantasy Bros Sunday Showdown ($12m cap): only Sunday and Monday games. Win a round in the first 22 and you're into a 24-coach playoff bracket for a $5,000 grand final.
All three are free to enter all season. Run in partnership with the Fantasy Bros, the Sunday Showdown is the biggest single prize in GDS Rugby League.
How scoring works
Your round score comes from what your players actually do on the paddock, then multiplied by the rarity of the card you own. Tries are worth more than anywhere else, tackles add up fast for your forwards, and errors and missed tackles cost you.
Stat | Points |
|---|---|
Try | 10 |
Try assist | 5 |
Goal | 3 |
Field goal (1 pt / 2 pt) | 4 / 6 |
Line break | 4 |
Tackle break | 3 |
Offload | 2 |
Tackle | 1 |
Metres gained | 1 per 10m |
Kicking metres | 1 per 30m |
40/20 or 20/40 | 5 |
Try save | 6 |
Missed tackle / Error | -3 / -3 |
Penalty / Sin-bin / Send-off | -4 / -6 / -12 |
New for 2026: your lowest scorer each round is dropped automatically, so only your best 17 of 18 count. That's your emergency cover without having to name one. Full table on our scoring page.
The card multiplier
This is the bit no other platform has. The same player on a better card scores more.
Card | Multiplier | Salary hit |
|---|---|---|
Bronze | 1.0x | $500k |
Silver | 1.1x | $600k |
Gold | 1.2x | $700k |
Platinum | 1.3x | $800k |
Diamond | 1.4x | $900k |
Legend | 1.5x | $1m |
Two knockout cups, one Classic squad
Set your Classic squad every week and you're automatically in the running for both cups. No extra entry, no extra work.
The 2026 Classic Cup: 512 coaches, head-to-head survivor format from Round 2. Lose and you're out. Every week you survive earns a bigger pack, and the last coach standing picks in the Prize Card Draft.
The 2026 GDS Cup: the top 80 Classic coaches after Round 17 go into 16 seeded groups of five, then a straight 32-coach knockout to the final in Round 27. Live group draw on stream.
Built for Australian coaches
Every lockout is shown in your local time, Primetime is built around Thursday and Friday night footy, and the Sunday Showdown comes with live Fantasy Bros shows leading into lockout. Our community lives on Discord where coaches trade cards, argue about projections and post their squads before kick-off. In-app you'll also see player status (active or inactive), a projection for every player every round from The Stats Lab, and real-time selected-by percentages across all five standard competitions.
Ready to build your squad?
It takes about two minutes. Download GameDay Squad, open your starter packs and set your first 18 before the next lockout. Your cards are waiting, and so is this round's prize money.
Frequently asked questions
Is GameDay Squad Rugby League really free to play?
Yes. Sign-up is free, you get 153 Bronze cards in starter packs free, and free packs keep coming. Cash prizes are paid in Starter (packs), Contender, Classic and every comp above without any entry fee. A monthly membership gets you more packs and perks, but you don't need it to win.
Can I win real money playing fantasy rugby league in Australia?
You can on GameDay Squad. We pay cash every round of the 2026 Rugby League season, from $75 for a Contender round win up to $750 for a Champion or Primetime round win, and $5,000 to the winner of the Fantasy Bros Sunday Showdown. Cash lands in your GDS wallet and you can withdraw it.
How is this different from the official fantasy game?
Three ways. We pay cash, not merch. Your team doesn't reset each season because the player cards are yours to keep. And the same player can score differently depending on the rarity of the card you own, which makes collecting and trading part of the game.
How does scoring work in GDS Rugby League?
Players score from real match stats (tries, try assists, line breaks, tackles, tackle breaks, metres gained and more), then that score is multiplied by your card's rarity, from 1.0x for Bronze up to 1.5x for a Legend. Your lowest scorer each round is dropped automatically, so your best 17 of 18 count. The full table is above.
When does my squad lock?
Rugby League uses a rolling lockout. Each player locks one minute before his team's scheduled kick-off, shown in your local time in the app. Players from later games in the round stay open, so you can swap a Sunday player right up until Sunday. Anyone swapped in or out after their game has started scores zero.
How many players do I need?
Eighteen scoring players: a hooker, three middle forwards, two edge forwards, two halves, two centres, two wingers and a fullback on the field, plus two forwards, a half and two backs on the bench. Bench players score exactly the same as field players. Miss a slot and you score zero for the round, so always fill the full 18.
What does the monthly membership include?
Members get a monthly pack drop and access to the card exchange, which is the fastest way to build a Challenger or Champion squad. The competitions and cash prizes are open to everyone regardless.
How and when are cash prizes paid?
Round prizes are settled after each round is finalised and credited to your GDS wallet on the following Tuesday. Seasonal prizes are paid after the final round. You can withdraw or spend on the marketplace.
Do I need to be 18 or over?
Yes. GameDay Squad is for coaches aged 18 and over, and it's Australian owned and operated.
Which competitions can a new coach enter?
Starter, Contender and Classic from day one, and your starter packs are built to field all three. Challenger needs Gold-or-better cards and Champion needs Platinum-or-better across all 18 positions, so they come once your collection has depth. The three Weekly Specials and the QLD vs NSW competition are open to everyone.