NRL 2025, NRL Fantasy, cash cows, bargain, money makers, Isaiah Iongi, Owen Pattie, Jack Cole

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Author: Corey Rosser NRL Reporter
Timestamp: Thu 27 Feb 2025, 02:01 PM

Round 1 of the NRL Telstra Premiership season is almost upon us and for Fantasy coaches it can be easy to talk yourself into every rookie named being a potential cash cow.

History tells us that certainly won't be the case and when it's all said and done there's more traps than trophies when it comes to new faces and how they might stack up in the game.

Here we bring you five of the must-have cash cows to start the year.

The must-have cash cows to start 2025

Isaiah Iongi (WFB, $350k)

Anytime you can get a (presumed) starting fullback at this price you’re going to take him. There’s no firm evidence to suggest what type of Fantasy player Iongi might be on a consistent basis this year, although his Witzer Pre-Season Challenge tally of a 13 and a 55 might be fairly accurate examples of his best and worst. You don't open the door for a veteran like Clinton Gutherson to walk out unless you're pretty confident in the other players you have in his position, so Iongi looks a safe bet to get plenty of game time for Parra in 2025.

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Isaiah Iongi Try

Jack Cole (HLF, $250k)

Following on from earning nine games in the top-flight last season, Cole has been given first shot at replacing Jarome Luai in the halves at Penrith and is now automatically one of the top cash cow prospects in the game. While Nathan Cleary is going to take most of the attacking stats and Fantasy points on a week-to-week basis, there's enough evidence now from over the years that his second-in-charge can still be a serviceable Fantasy HLF. Cole averaged 33 last season, so provided he can fend off the challenges for his job which will come from Blaize Talagi and Brad Schneider, he looks like a decent money maker.

Peter Mamouzelos (HOK, $319k)

Following four seasons as Damien Cook's understudy – the first three of which saw him get just seven chances in the top grade – Mamouzelos finally gets his chance as the Rabbitohs' starting hooker. His average of just under 24 points across 18 games last year was hardly inspiring, but bigger minutes and stats almost certainly await him this time around, with new recruit Jamie Humphreys the only obvious challenger for reps at dummy-half right now. A solid defender who has never dipped below the 92 percent efficiency mark in an NRL season, Mamouzelos is unlikely to rack up many demerits in Fantasy, so he doesn't exactly need to set the world on fire in order to produce decent scores and make some cash.

Owen Pattie (HOK, $230k)

Unless you are a hardcore fan of the Green Machine, there’s a good chance the name Owen Pattie wasn’t on your radar to start this year. But a two-try effort in the club’s opening Witzer Pre-Season Challenge game, which led to 45 Fantasy points, quickly changed all that, and now he’s been named to come off the bench for the Raiders in Las Vegas after being elevated to the club's top 30 squad. The energy and enthusiasm Pattie plays with lends itself to tackle breaks and run metres, which should be very good news for his Fantasy prospects.

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Owen Pattie talks about his elevation to the top 30

Mark Nawaqanitawase (WFB, $350k)

We got a glimpse of the cross-code flyer late last year when he scored a try on debut as part of a 43-point Fantasy showing. Now he’s set to become a permanent – and important – part of the Roosters’ backline following the off-season departures of Joey Manu and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii. Performances during the Witzer Pre-Season Challenge suggest the Tricolours are going to struggle in attack early on, but I’m not convinced that will stop Nawaqanitawase from registering some decent scores, whether he’s playing on the wing or at centre. At $350k to start the year he doesn’t have to be amazing to achieve some good price rises through the first month. It's worth keeping an eye on the NRL Casualty Ward though as Nawaqanitawase battles a calf issue ahead of Round 1.