NRL 2021: Who has been the best recruit this season?
The best buys of the year are already starting to emerge in the NRL — some are justifying their big pay packets, while others slipped under the radar. HAVE YOUR SAY
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We’re a quarter of the way into the NRL regular season and the best buys of the year are already starting to emerge.
The right recruit on the right money can transform a club’s fortunes, be it a million-dollar man or an unheralded player making the most of their chance.
Heading into Round 6, we’ve run the eye over the entire NRL and found the best transfers in both categories — some are justifying their massive pay packets, others slipped under the radar in pre-season.
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BEST BIG-MONEY BUYS
DAVID FIFITA (Titans)
The Titans are paying Fifita $1.2 million a season, ludicrous money for a backrower, but he’s been worth every penny so far. At 21, Fifita is one of the most destructive forwards in the game, a nightmare for any defender to try to mark with his power, speed, size and footwork being used to great effect as the Titans surged to a promising start to the season.
“It took him one game to find his feet and he’s still getting combinations with the players around him but his football has been outstanding, it’s been great to watch,” dual premiership winner Luke Lewis said.
“Six tries in five games for a backrower — you could say he’s a generational player, you won’t ever find too many other players like David Fifita. You have to give a little bit of credit to Justin Holbrook as well, he’s done a great job in getting the best out of him.”
KEY STAT: Fifita is second in the league for tackle busts (35), equal third for line breaks (six) and fourth for tries (six).
TINO FA’ASUAMALEAUEI (Titans)
Incredibly, Fa’asuamaleaui has flown under the radar a little due to Fifita’s spectacular work on the edge. The Maroons enforcer has thrived under the extra responsibility afforded to him at Gold Coast — he’s averaging 148 metres per game, the most of any Titans forward. Any other year, he’d be a runaway choice for buy of the season.
“He’s probably grown as a footballer outside the Melbourne system,” Lewis said. “He’s lived up to the hype and I think the players around him have so much trust in him he brings the best out of them. He’s even making veteran guys like Kevin Proctor play better as well.”
KEY STAT: Fa’asuamaleauei’s 148 average metres per game is the second-highest of any forward in the NRL.
TYSON FRIZELL (Knights)
Frizell is off to a great start at the Knights — his 165 metres gained in his Newcastle debut was one of the best single-game returns of his career and his power and size on the edge has been a weapon for Newcastle. The Test and Origin forward has struggled the past couple of weeks as injuries have decimated his side, and he lost his head-to-head battle with Fifita last week, but he’s still an important player on the field for Newcastle and good influence off it for some of the team’s less experienced forwards.
“What Frizz has enjoyed is the camaraderie between the boys, he’s fit in really well,” backrower Mitch Barnett said. “Personally, I love having him here, he’s someone I can learn off because he’s the ultimate professional. I’ve hung around him and picked his brain about a lot of stuff.”
KEY STAT: Frizell has broken the most tackles (16) of any Knights forward.
JAI ARROW (Rabbitohs)
Arrow joined South Sydney as an incumbent Queensland forward but the change of scenery has done him a world of good after an underwhelming final season with the Titans. Reuniting with Wayne Bennett has proved to be just what Arrow needed and he’s become a crucial part of South Sydney’s forward rotation in the opening five weeks of the competition. But the best sign for Arrow, and for Souths, is Lewis believes he can hit even greater heights as the season goes on.
“He probably needed that little change — he signed the contract pretty early, and it might have been a distraction for him last year,” Lewis said. “Wayne Bennett puts a lot of trust back into you as a player, and I love how they’re using him. They brought him off the bench, just to get him used to the style and his footy has been spot on. From the outside looking in I think there’s still a lot of improvement in him, which is a great sign for Souths and for Jai Arrow.”
KEY STAT: Arrow is currently averaging a career-high 139 metres gained per game this year.
BEST VALUE BUYS
DAINE LAURIE (Tigers)
The Tigers have had some misses on the transfer market in recent years but in Daine Laurie they have hit the bullseye. The former Panther has been a standout at fullback for Michael Maguire, even though the joint venture has struggled for consistency to begin the season. At 21, the sky is the limit for the Grafton product.
“Wests Tigers have got that one right. He’s dynamite with ball in hand, he’s so elusive and looks so sharp,” Lewis said. “He’s only young and he has so much growing to do, he can be anything he wants to be.”
KEY STAT: Laurie leads the Tigers for line breaks (four) and tackle busts (23) so far in 2021.
RYAN JAMES (Raiders)
James was never going to be a poor purchase for the Raiders — his influence around training and his leadership abilities were always going to make him an asset. But after missing two seasons due to knee injuries, it would have taken a brave man to expect James, who narrowly missed out on State of Origin honours during his final years at the Titans, to be such a valuable contributor on the field. Amid a host of top shelf Canberra forwards, James has been excellent with ball in hand and excels at all the little things that fans can miss but coaches love — like kick chase, doing extra decoy runs and producing second efforts in defence.
“He had those years away with injury and to go down there and earn a spot through a big pre-season is probably something he needed,” Lewis said. “He might have needed a change, it’s revamped him, he looks like a real leader.”
KEY STAT: James has run for the fourth-most metres of any Canberra forward this season.
ISAIAH PAPALI’I (Eels)
One of the NRL’s best kept secrets before he lost his mojo a little in his final year at the Warriors, Papali’i has been exceptional since joining Parramatta. Capable of playing middle and edge and getting through a mountain of work all the same, the 22-year-old has proved to be invaluable for Brad Arthur’s side this season and his 130 average run metres per game are second only to Fifita and Angus Crichton.
“He’s a beast, an absolute beast,” Lewis said. “I love the way he plays, he runs a beautiful line and he’s big, strong and loves getting involved. I think he’s bringing a lot to the Parramatta side, there’s so many pluses when it comes to Papali’i. He’ll get better and better, and playing in a good side I think he’s been learning a lot.”
KEY STAT: Papali’i is averaging 130 metres per game, almost double his best previous season (72 per game in 2018).
ANDREW MCCULLOUGH (Dragons)
Eyebrows were raised when McCullough, coming off a serious hamstring injury, joined his third club in less than a year as a replacement for outgoing Dragons skipper Cam McInnes.
But the 31-year old has been a key contributor for St George Illawarra’s sterling start to the year with his leadership and experience proving invaluable, especially for the rest of the spine.
“He’s very experienced, and really calm and composed. When something goes wrong, say the other team gets a try, he’s a really good voice to listen to because everyone really respects him and listens to what he has to say,” said Dragons halfback Adam Clune.
“That calming nature is one thing I’ve really noticed from him, he’s bringing a lot with and without the ball as well.”
KEY STAT: McCullough’s 245 tackles are the most of any player in the league.
Originally published as NRL 2021: Who has been the best recruit this season?
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