NRL 2022, Fantasy winners and losers from Round 20, Nathan Cleary, Jacob Kiraz, Jeremiah Nanai score updates

Author: Lone Scout NRL Fantasy guru
Timestamp: Mon 1 Aug 2022, 08:29 AM

The Bulldogs turned entertainers once again to produce several big winners for Fantasy coaches while strong wins from the Cowboys and Raiders also saw a number of players soar up the charts.

But the big talking point from the round is certainly the season-ending suspension to Panthers star Nathan Cleary, while Patrick Carrigan's tackle on Jackson Hastings will also likely see both players miss the rest of the regular season.

Round 20 Winners

In a week where several highly-owned players performed, it was Bulldogs winger Jacob Kiraz who sensationally stopped the charts with 98 points in Canterbury's strong win over the Knights. Owned by eight percent of coaches, Kiraz wasn't the only Bulldog to score well, either, with Jackson Topine (63), Aaron Schoupp (60), Braidon Burns (56) and Paul Vaughan (55) all posting strong scores.

Cowboys young gun Jeremiah Nanai continued his breakout season with a late flurry of attacking stats boosting him to 91 points against the Dragons on Sunday.

His score was topped only by Kiraz and Raiders forward Joseph Tapine, who scored 93 despite being penalised and sin-binned in his side's win over the Titans.

Kiraz hat-trick against his former club

Canberra were the big winners from the week, with Tapine joined in the top 10 players of the round by teammates Hudson Young (80), Sebastian Kris (75) and Jack Wighton (72). The Raiders suddenly have a favourable run home into the finals with a Nathan Cleary-less Panthers outfit at home next week followed by games against the Dragons, Knights, Sea Eagles and Wests Tigers.

Departing Eels forward Isaiah Papali'i churned out 77 points as the Eels toppled the Panthers; Rabbitohs pair Cameron Murray and Tevita Tatola (both 77) tried their hardest (albeit unsuccessfully) to get South Sydney home against the Sharks; while Wests Tigers' upset over the Broncos saw Alex Seyfarth (71) and Adam Doueihi (70) reward owners with some much-needed points.

Doueihi dynamic in Brisbane

Round 20 Losers

Let's start with the obvious. Nathan Cleary will miss the rest of the regular season after being sent off and charged with a Grade Three Dangerous Throw after he managed just one point against the Eels — a crushing blow for the 35 percent who own and an even tougher break for those that captained the Blues half.

He wasn't the only big name to suffer from the round, however, with Patrick Carrigan also facing a lengthy suspension for his tackle on Jackson Hastings that ruled the Wests Tigers utility out for the rest of the year. Carrigan's 29 points could be all that he scores for the rest of the year depending on how the judiciary unfolds, while Hastings (55) will need to be sold as his regular season is also over.

Elsewhere, Talatau Amone managed just seven points as the Dragons were put to the sword by the Cowboys, while Will Kennedy (10) also disappointed.

Carrigan on report for hip drop

Murray Taulagi produced his lowest score of the year after scoring just 14 against the Dragons, while Aaron Booth — who was a potential differential purchase this week — also scored 14 points as the Titans went down to the Raiders.

Popular cheapie Jojo Fifita scored just 15 as Joseph Suaalii had a quiet night against Manly — scoring just 16 points for his lowest score of the year aside from an injury-affected game against the Sharks back in Round 12.