Final trials recap: NRL Fantasy winners & losers

There were a lot of NRL Fantasy lessons to be learned out of the weekend's final batch of trial games ahead of the start of the 2019 Telstra Premiership season. Here's a breakdown of the key points from each match.

Warriors 26, Wests Tigers 16

Whichever rookie half earns the right to partner Blake Green this season is likely to add goal-kicking to their Fantasy scoring repertoire, with both Chanel Harris-Tevita and Adam Keighran kicking goals in the win over the Tigers.

For the visitors Luke Garner got the nod at second row over the injured Chris Lawrence (broken jaw) and scored a try to boot. Elijah Taylor is still to return to the Tigers' back row after being rested from the match with a pectoral injury. Paul Momirovski (quadriceps) was also rested.

Sharks 30, Knights 6

An injury to Josh Dugan is not as bad as first feared, with the veteran centre given the OK by coach John Morris after the game having suffered a head knock in the first half.

No Knights players scored more than 40 in this game with Newcastle beaten soundly and everyone playing limited minutes, while Andrew Fifita continued his strong pre-season with a try and a display worth 61 Fantasy points.

Eels 20, Panthers 0

Dylan Brown was again very solid for Parramatta while fellow cash cow Reed Mahoney made 48 tackles.

James Fisher-Harris was Penrith's best in a lopsided result with 107 metres and 32 tackles, while starting rake Sione Katoa seems to have ended rival hooker Wayde Egan's chances of being an early-season cash cow.

Sea Eagles 38, Roosters 20

In a game dominated by fringe players Manly prevailed with Brendan Elliot starting at fullback in place of the injured Tom Trbojevic, who will miss the opening few rounds of the season. Youngster Albert Hopoate didn't make an appearance while fellow cheapie Reuban Garrick played on the wing.

Broncos 25, Titans 22

Matt Gillett made his return at lock but Alex Glenn was the star of the show with a hat-trick and four line breaks, all but cementing his starting position in the second row (bad news for those who were hoping David Fifita would emerge as a cut-price keeper). Kodi Nikorima also had an excellent game, with a couple of try assists in a game worth 52 Fantasy points.

For the Titans, Kevin Proctor scored twice but it was his fellow second-rower Bryce Cartwright who caught the attention, making 40 tackles with just four misses (an impressive return by his usual standards). Garth Brennan has been talking up Cartwright's defensive improvement this pre-season, although Ryan James and possibly Keegan Hipgrave could still jump ahead of Cartwright in the pecking order when fit.

Rabbitohs 36, Dragons 24

Rabbitohs rookie Corey Allan scored a hat-trick on the wing in a performance worth 54 Fantasy points while Sam Burgess was strong on the edge (49 points in 67 minutes) although a high tackle was a reminder of his troubled judiciary record. Cameron Murray scored 47 in 44 minutes at lock. Adam Reynolds missed the game as he recovers from a shoulder injury but is rated a certain starter for round one, while Greg Inglis is on his way back from a knee injury.

Cheapie Jacob Host started in the second row with Tyson Frizell moving to lock in place of Jack de Belin, which is bad news for Luciano Leilua's prospects of being a high-scoring bargain.

Cowboys 14, Storm 6

Jason Taumalolo was unsurprisingly strong for the Cowboys in this one, making 160 metres and five tackle breaks. Jordan Kahu provided a try assist after starting at fullback and kicked a goal, although neither he, Michael Morgan or Ben Hampton finished with more than 20 Fantasy points.

The big news for the Storm was a torn pec to Billy Slater's replacement Scott Drinkwater, with the potential gun facing a long stint on the sidelines. Jahrome Hughes is now likely to start in the No.1 jersey in round one, having scored 38 points a game at fullback last season. Cameron Munster was Melbourne's best scorer with an assist and 21 tackles.