Ahead of the new Bundy Mixer season kicking off, we look over the top players who need to be part of your team come Game Week 1.
David Fifita (EDG)
Fifita fires in close game
So much of what the Titans do in attack goes through Fifita this year, and to date he has nine try assists and six four-pointers of his own. There's plenty of strike around him too, which translates well into line break assists, and we haven't even mentioned his huge appetite for tackle breaks and run metres yet. Averaging 64 Mixer points so far this year, he's the elite EDG option for Mixer 23.
Harry Grant (HOK)
HOK shapes as being a tricky position to get right this Mixer season, with the traditional big guns when it comes to racking up stacks being a little more inconsistent in 2023. But Grant's high work rate and scope for producing dynamic plays in attack makes him the pick of the bunch. Based off his stats this year the Storm rake would have averaged 50 Mixer point per game, with five games in which he would have scored 70+.
Isabelle Kelly (CTR)
A tackle-breaking, line-break making machine who should score plenty of tries this season on the end of a potent Roosters backline. Her ability to stack up dynamic stats means she is a good Boost option most weeks, and in the notoriously tricky CTR spot Kelly is arguably the best round-to-round option in the NRL or NRLW. Last season Kelly had a 49-point average across six games.
Millie Boyle (MID)
Boyle built for Origin
There is no better ball carrier in the NRLW right now and her stats from last year prove it. Boyle topped the competition for runs, metres gained and post-contact meters for the Knights in 2022 and there is no reason to think her output will drop at all now she's part of the Roosters. The 25-year-old prop's Mixer scores have got better with each season she has played so far and last year she averaged 53.9 per game.
Nathan Cleary (HLF)
The most reliable goalkicker around who plays in a side that, more often than not, score plenty of points. Cleary has been among the best statistical performers for several years now, with a very high floor and the ability to hit triple digit scores in Mixer. Averaging almost 70 Mixer points a game this year, when Game Week 1 comes around Cleary will be fresh back from a layoff with a hamstring injury and raring to go.
Nicho Hynes (HLF)
Hynes at it again
If you were to design an ideal Mixer prospect in 2023 it would look a lot like Nicho Hynes. The Cronulla No.7 generates points across so many different stat categories that an off day in one part of his game (which he doesn't have many of anyway) doesn't mean his scores drop much at all. This season he's averaging what would be 77.1 Mixer points and his high ceiling – which has seen him hit scores in the 90s three times and 80s four times – means he's a brilliant boost option most weeks.
Payne Haas (MID)
Everything that we said about Millie Boyle translates to Haas in an NRL sense. He's been the best performing MID in terms of Mixer points this year, and more often than not can be relied upon to score in the 60s. He has the edge over other good MID options like Isaah Yeo because come Game Week 1 he should be available again after a couple of weeks out injured, and in theory will be refreshed and ready to go for the run home.
Simaima Taufa (MID)
A workaholic in the middle of the park who should churn out big base stats again in 2023. With a fairly inexperienced pack around her at the Raiders, Taufa will likely play big minutes most weeks and have a key role in the side. Across her past two seasons Taufa would have averaged 58 Mixer points per game and at 29 years of age there's no reason to think she will drop off at all this year.
Tamika Upton (WFB)
Upton loves the big stage
Last season the Newcastle custodian averaged a shade under 200 run metres per game, which gave her a nice base before she added in five tries in as many games and seven line breaks. The Knights have committed to Upton being a pillar of their franchise after handing her a deal through until the end of 2027, so it's safe to assume much of their play will be based around the skillset she brings from the back. As good as she was last year, averaging 58.4 Mixer points per game, there is still room for improvement given she didn't have a single try assist in 2022.
Tarryn Aiken (HLF)
It's almost always a good idea to have the chief playmaker in a side you expect to play well, and Aiken ticks both those boxes. The Jillaroos representative had a strong season with Brisbane in 2022, averaging 45 Mixer points per game, and at the Roosters her scores should make a jump, with her role likely to be more hands-on than it was alongside Ali Brigginshaw in Brisbane, and with more opportunities for try assists.
