NRL Fantasy is back for another season, with a couple of key rule changes improving the best fantasy game in the business.
If you're new to fantasy footy the concept is pretty simple: assemble your squad of 21 players while staying under the league's $9.8million salary cap. Then watch on as your team receive points each week of the season based on how your players perform on the field.
One of your players makes a tackle? That's one point. Makes a line break? That's four points. Scores a try? That's eight. (See the full scoring system at the bottom of this article.)
Join a head-to-head league and pit your team against your friends each round, with the best in the league advancing to a finals series and an eventual grand final winner.
Plus there are monthly prizes up for grabs, end-of-season prizes for the best performing teams and club champions, plus a chance to win the early-season prize just for creating a qualifying league.
2021 NRL Fantasy point-scoring system
You can pick a team right now on web or mobile via fantasy.nrl.com, with the NRL Fantasy app to become available in early February.
What's new in 2021
New scoring category: Forced turnover
The art of the one-on-one strip has become a key weapon for crafty players in recent years and it'll be rewarded in 2021 with four points.
Four points will also be awarded for every intercept and turnover tackle – i.e. a tackle that forces the ball-carrier to lose possession.
Vunivalu picks off a Cleary pass
It's a big reward for a big play and creates an extra incentive for picking up savvy footballers at the start of the season.
The rest of the scoring system will remain the same as last season, with field goals worth five points regardless of whether a player kicks a one-point or two-point field goal in a match.
New positions for forwards
The era of "front-rowers" and "back-rowers" is officially over.
With the lines being blurred between locks and props in recent years, this season NRL Fantasy has merged the two roles into a new "middle forward" position, with genuine second-rowers now classed as "edge forwards".
The change means Fantasy line-ups will more closely reflect actual NRL teams, with each team to include three middle forwards and two edge forwards along with a hooker, two halves, two centres and three wingers/fullbacks.
And more ...
Check out the What's New section in the game guidelines or the Notice Board in the Help section in NRL Fantasy for the latest details.
Best finishes: Strength of Uele steals win against Brisbane
NRL Fantasy scoring system
- Try: 8 points
- Try assist: 5 points
- Line break: 4 points
- Line-break assist: 2 points
- Tackle break: 3 points
- Forced drop-out: 2 points
- Forced turnover: 4 points (new)
- Goal: 2 points
- Offload: 2 points
- Tackle: 1 point
- Kick defused: 1 point
- Run metres: 1 point for every 10 metres
- Kick metres: 1 point for every 20 metres
- Field goal: 5 points
- Try save: 5 points
- 40/20 kick: 4 points
- Missed tackle: -2 points
- Error: -2 points
- Penalty conceded: -2 points
- Sin bin: -5 points
- Send-off: -10 points
