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
Grant — the premier hooker, now a game back from his hamstring layoff. He was understandably quiet on return with a 23 last week, but he's the best dummy-half going, averaging 51 across the year with a high of 86 and a genuine try threat. With a full game back in the legs, expect him to climb towards his best.
Middle
Lindsay Smith — a middle whose ceiling is all about minutes, and he's holding the lock role now. When he plays at lock he's averaging 67 a game, and he's backed that with a 67 and a 57 in his last two. If the workload holds, the upside is significant.
Haas — no overthinking this one. He's arguably the best middle forward in the game and you pick him on that alone. He's averaging 62 and coming off a season-high 90 last week, so he's in prime form. Set and forget.
Toby Couchman — a strong middle with a good base, though there's been a notable drop-off lately. He's averaging 58 for the year with a high of 83, but setting aside the Dolphins game he left with an HIA, his last two have brought a 51 and a 48 for an average around 50. It's not really a minutes issue, he's still getting close to his usual 60, so it looks more like the long season starting to catch up with him. He's still a firm inclusion for me, but he may not quite hit the heights we saw earlier in the year.
Edge
Olakau'atu — the premier edge forward of the season, and he still starts despite a couple of quieter weeks. He's averaging 65 with a monster high of 101, but the attacking stats have tailed off lately, just seven tackle breaks, one try and one line-break assist across his last two, where earlier in the year he was piling up seven to nine tackle breaks a game and scoring tries for fun. The matchup is worth a note too. On the surface the Dragons are leaking 54 to right edge forwards this season, but with Hamish Stewart stationed on that left edge they've allowed just 46, so it's a tougher draw than it first looks. There's an argument to fade him, but the ceiling is simply too high, you'd be watching through your fingers if you left him out. Some risk, but I'm still starting him.
Ryan Couchman — a strong edge with a big recent peak. He's averaging 60 with a career-high 98 to his name and 71 across his last five. The output's dipped a touch with a 45 last week, but the base from his lock role is excellent and the ceiling is proven.
Halves
Cleary — the easiest lock in the squad. He's averaging 75, comfortably the best half you can pick, with the goal kicking giving him a floor nobody else can match. He's cleared 90 plenty of times this year with a high of 100. Auto pick.
Fogarty — a fairly uninspired selection, if we're honest, but the halves options are thin this week. He's the goal kicker, and he lines up in a game where the Sea Eagles will be chasing a result against the Dragons to keep their faint top-eight hopes alive and reel in the Cowboys. If Manly attack the way they'll need to against a Dragons side that looks to be planning for next season already, there's genuine goal-kicking upside. The downside is the form, he's only cleared 50 once in his last seven, and like a few of the Manly players he's been hit and miss. Still, he should be good for a solid 40-plus here.
Centre
Crichton — a nice positional edge here. He's classed as a centre in GDS but he's playing five-eighth for the Bulldogs, and he kicks goals, which lifts his floor. He's coming off a 61 last week and owns an 82 in that role, so a goal-kicking playmaker in a centre slot is a real advantage.
Meaney — a very risky pick, and he only gets the nod on his goal-kicking upside. He's averaging 35 and has cleared 50 just three times all year, though two of those have come in his last six. There's not a lot else on the board at centre this week, and the appeal is the game itself, the Broncos have been leaking points lately and the Storm are out of finals contention, so this shapes as a potential high-scoring affair. If it opens up, his goal kicking gives him a path to a score. A punt, but the upside is there.
Wing
Jenkins — the boom-or-bust winger with a big ceiling. He's averaging 54 with a high of 97, but he's gone quiet lately with a 29 in each of his last two. You're picking him for the upside, and it's still there, but the recent form is a concern.
Faalogo — in cracking touch, and the fact he's getting the fullback job for the Storm is exactly why he scores like this. He's averaging 62 with a high of 100, and a 75, a 69, a 65 and a 58 across his recent games. The big run metres, line breaks and try involvement come week after week.
Fullback
Edwards — a reliable fullback anchor, albeit in a lean patch. He's averaging 56 with the huge run metres every week doing the heavy lifting, and a high of 100. He's had a quiet couple with a 35 and a 33, but he rarely stays down long and the base is dependable.
Bench
Preston — the boom edge with real try-scoring upside, and he's in consistent form with a 78, a 68, a 60, a 61 and a 58 across his last five. His overall average of 52 undersells it, because in games where he plays 65 minutes or more he averages 55, and he owns a high of 83. There's variance in his game, but the ceiling makes him worth it.
Utoikamanu — one of the more explosive middles going. He's averaging 56 off around 50 minutes, with a high of 88 in recent weeks and 61 across his last five. The tackle breaks and the ceiling off limited minutes make him a strong option.
Hughes — set to return from a hamstring injury, so there's a real element of risk here. Coming back off a soft-tissue issue he could be a touch laboured, and he's no lock in the side at this stage. That said, he's a quality playmaker with a big ceiling when he's right, averaging 51 with a high of 75, and he's my preferred option of the remaining halves outside Fogarty and Cleary. With halves likely to decide who wins the week, he's worth the gamble, though keep an eye on his fitness.
Trbojevic — big risk here, and Manly fans know the story. His year's been interrupted by hamstring trouble, as it so often has been over the years. He's been quiet since his first injury against the Cowboys in Round 7, and in the five games of 70 minutes or more he's managed since, he's scored between 37 and 60 with only two clearing 50. He even looks a touch laboured in his movement at times. But with the options available this week, he more or less picks himself, and the talent and ceiling are still there if he's right.
Faulalo — a risky POD option, but one with real attacking upside. The projection has him up in the high 60s this week, which is higher than I'd rank him. That figure leans on his previous work at five-eighth, but he's only played there once, scoring 65 in the role last week. It's flagged as a strong matchup for five-eighths against the Dragons, and that's the appeal. He's good at taking on the line, finding the gap and racking up tackle busts, and against a Dragons side that's leaked defensively this year he should find room to move. He showed the upside with a big play in there last week. Plenty of risk, but the attacking ceiling against this opposition is worth a look.
