Mixer PODs to target on the run home

The final stretch of the Bundy Mixer season is upon us, with the next four weeks to determine whether your season was a roaring success or one full of "what ifs". 

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It gets progressively more difficult as teams drop out of the race in both the NRL and NRLW, while that also means the remaining big guns become even more heavily leaned on across the competition. 

That's why identifying point of difference (POD) players is so important, particularly if you are further down the pecking order than you'd like and need to make up ground fast. 

Here we're looking over some of the best male and female options who sit in under 10 percent of teams that coaches should target from here. 

Mixer PODs to target on the run home

Jacob Preston (EDG, Bulldogs)

An overwhelming number of coaches (66 percent at the time of writing) are opting to take up an NRLW spot at EDG by picking the excellent Olivia Kernick, which means there's a heap of potential for PODs at the position. Preston is at the top of that list, with a 55.3 point average this Mixer season and less than five percent ownership. Outside of a 27 that came when he got just 48 minutes against the Warriors earlier in the year, he's been a reliable top tier scorer who has gone over 60 three times already.

Julia Robinson (WFB, Broncos)

She's the NRLW's most prolific metre eater, joint leader for line breaks and sits fifth among WFBs in Mixer scoring. So why is Julia Robinson being widely ignored so far? The prolific Brisbane wing has six tries to her name already and on her good days the ceiling is 60+. Picking a winger over a fullback in this spot is always a huge call, but Robinson, who has tended to sit below 6 percent ownership this year, is the exception. 

Daly Cherry-Evans (HLF, Sea Eagles)

Almost 85 percent of HLF selections are going to Jahrome Hughes or Nathan Cleary ahead of Game Week 8, and while there's a tendency to pick them in order to avoid getting burnt by one of their big weeks (and that is a real risk) you're also going to struggle to move up the rankings if you pick a player as popular as them. Cherry-Evans has real potential if you want to zag, with half of his six games so far in Mixer ending in 60+ scores. He has a favourable match-up in Finals Week 1 against the Bulldogs who he hit 60 against a fortnight ago. 

Alexis Tauaneai (MID, Dragons)

With most of the MID attention going the way of Isaah Yeo or Georgia Hale, the fact that Tauaneai has gone above 60 points in four of seven games this year has been lost on all but a handful of Mixer coaches (only 1.5 percent enjoyed her 73 in Game Week 7). The workaholic Kiwi has been excellent, with some massive base stats and, bar a couple of exceptions, a locked in 70-minute role. The Dragons won’t be playing finals, but for the next couple of weeks she’s an excellent MID pick.

Briton Nikora (EDG, Sharks)

With Nicho Hynes back on deck you can expect Nikora’s scores to shoot back up consistently through the finals, which Cronulla are assured of having at least two games in. A high-ceiling EDG who comes off a mammoth 87, Nikora has a higher probability of scoring tries and making line breaks than most in his position and can quickly go from a decent score to an excellent one. In Game Week 7 just 1.3 percent of coaches enjoyed the Kiwi Test star's points haul. Don't be one of those who misses his next points explosion. 

Shannon Mato (MID, Titans)

The MID position is so stacked that Mato, who is averaging a touch under 50 this Mixer season, is almost not even featuring among selections, with her representation in teams at the time of writing being 0.8 percent. She's not a consistent elite scorer like Isaah Yeo or her teammate Georgia Hale, but on her day Mato is capable of racking up massive numbers. Already this Mixer season she's had two >200-metre games (and one at 198) and if you have her on a busy week then she's more than capable of hitting 60s and giving you an edge.

James Tedesco (WFB, Roosters)

While others embrace the love being thrown around for Kalyn Ponga and Evania Pelite, turn your attention to James Tedesco. His 57.7 point average heading into Game Week 8 puts him third among WFBs, but given one of those who sits ahead of him is the wounded Tom Trbojevic, he's likely actually second on the list if it was done in real time. Guaranteed to play at least two finals matches, and if the Roosters are to do anything in the post season you can bet your bottom dollar Tedesco will be featuring heavily in the assists and tries. 

Tamika Upton (WFB, Knights)

Statistically Upton has had a very quiet season in 2024 when compared to her last few. But champion players tend to the rise to the occasion at this time of the year and Upton, who basically has a mortgage on every major individual award in the women's game right now, is indeed a champion. With Newcastle playing for their finals lives right now I expect their star No.1 to explode over the next fortnight in what are very winnable clashes against the Titans and Cowboys. She averaged 56 in Mixer across her past two seasons and has 60+ scores in her if she can find the tryline.