The Stats Lab Primetime is a brand new GameDay Squad competition for 2026, where coaches can only select players from the Thursday and Friday night games each round. We're proud to partner with GameDay Squad on this one and the unique challenge it brings every week.
Quick word on every call, position by position.
Hooker
Lussick — the hooker spot is thin this week and Freddy gets the nod. He's averaging 42 across his last five, all in the starting role, and the work-rate is the draw with tackle counts of 45 and 48 in there. The ceiling turned up in R14 when he crossed for a double and posted 64. It can dip when his minutes get trimmed, but he's first-choice No. 9 now and a safe enough play at a position with few options.
Middle
Smith — the one I'm most excited about in the middle, and it all hinges on the lock role. As a bench prop he's a 35-point player, but the two times he's started at No. 13 he's gone 46 and a monster 92, the second off 44 tackles and a try against the Titans. He's averaging 54 across his last five and the upside is enormous if he gets the lock minutes.
Leota — a set and forget for a modest base. He's averaging 35 and you know exactly what you get, around 40 minutes, a tidy 25 tackles and his metres through the middle. The ceiling is capped by those minutes, so he won't go boom unless he crosses, but the floor is steady and he rarely lays an egg.
Hubner — the spicy one in the middle, and it's all about minutes. He's averaging 28, but that's dragged down by plenty of short bench stints. When he's been handed a starting shift he's looked the part, including a 47 at lock against the Broncos. If he lands a bigger role this week there's a tidy score in him, but the floor comes with real risk if he's back to a 25-minute cameo.
Edge
Duncan — flying, and an easy inclusion. He's averaging 55 for the season and 59 across his last five, with the kind of versatility that keeps the points coming whether he's at second row or in the centres. He's off the back of a 67 against the Eels with two tries, plays the full 80, and has a 100-point ceiling in him. One of the best forwards you can pick this week.
Koloamatangi — trending nicely and a reliable pick. He's averaging 43 for the year and 52 across his last five, coming off a big 68 against the Eels built on 210 metres and 33 tackles. The base is excellent and he's playing his best footy of the season, so there's a high floor here with the odd big one mixed in.
Halves
Ward — the steady option in the halves. He's averaging 35 and his game is built on volume, with huge kicking metres and a solid tackle count giving him a dependable base. The ceiling is modest because the points come through his boot and his assists rather than line breaks, but he's locked into the halfback role and won't burn you. A safe, low-variance pick.
Cogger — the coin flip of the squad, and it lives and dies on whether he starts. His season average of 21 looks ugly, but that's all the bench cameos. The two times he's started at halfback this year he's posted 55 and 47, so the real range is much higher than the headline number. If he's named in the No. 7 jumper he's a sneaky play. If he's back on the bench, fade him.
Centre
No real decision to make here. There are only two players with the centre designation in GDS this week, so Tago and Wighton are both straight set and forget for Primetime. You're not picking them on form, you're picking them because they're the only two centres going.
Tago — the centre spot picks itself, but I'd temper expectations. He's averaging 32 and his last two outings at centre have been quiet, a 16 and a 6, with the attacking stats drying up. The talent is there for a big one if Penrith click, so I'm hoping for a bounce-back. Either way, he's in by default.
Wighton — the other forced centre, with a question mark on him. He hasn't played since R9, when he left early after 19 minutes, so a lot rests on him being back and on the field. When fit he was a modest 24-point player this year, more creator than scorer. Not much choice but to roll with him.
Wing
Jenkins — the highest-output player in the whole squad, and a genuine try machine. He's averaging 60 for the season with a remarkable 22 tries, and 61 across his last five with a 97 and an 85 in there. He can go quiet, like the 24 in R10, but the ceiling is as high as anyone's and the try-scoring keeps turning up. If he crosses, you're in for a huge week.
To'o — the boom or bust winger, and the swings tell the story, a 6 in R4 against two games of 95-plus in R8 and R14. He's averaging 41 on the season but 60 across his last five, and the metres are absurd, regularly over 200. When he scores he goes massive. The floor can sting, but in a primetime competition he's exactly the type you don't fade.
Fullback
Edwards — the auto pick, and a true set and forget. He's averaging 58 for the season and 56 across his last five, and he's a model of reliability with a ceiling to match, just look at the 100 he dropped on the Knights in R8. The metres are elite, often north of 250, so even on a quiet day the base carries him. Lock him in and forget about him.
Bench
Henry — even better news this week with him named to start, which only sharpens the case. He's averaging 44 across six games as a rotation forward, and the tackle counts have been outstanding even off limited minutes, 39, 38 and 34 in there, with strong metres on top. Bump that work-rate up to a full starter's workload and the base gets seriously safe, with more ceiling than he's shown so far.
Fifita — the spicy bench play, and it's all about the ceiling. He's averaging 43 across eight games and brings the big-play threat through his offloads, line breaks and tackle breaks. He's coming off a 48 against the Eels, and if one of those breaks turns into a try he can post a number well beyond the projection. A high-variance pick with real upside.
Talagi — the upside swing on the bench, and he's volatile. He's averaging 38 at five-eighth with a range that runs from a 0 all the way to 70, and he followed a 56 in R16 with a 14 in R17. If you remove his zero against the Bulldogs back in round 6, Talagi would be averaging 42 points. He plays the full 80 in the halves, so the minutes are there, but you're picking him for the ceiling and accepting he can lay an egg. A genuine point of difference.
Gray — averaging 44 and trending up, with 38, 55 and 51 in his recent run. There's a real tackle-break threat in his game and a ceiling as high as the 78 he posted in R3. A reliable weapon.
Siegwalt — the POD I like most on this bench, and the goal kicking is what carries him. He's averaging 50 across his last five, and he's banking around 14 a game off the tee alone, including an eight-goal haul against the Broncos. He's yet to score a try or make a line break all year, so the attacking output is thin, but that kicking gives him a floor most can't match. Cross for one try and you're suddenly looking at a 60-point game.