NRL 2023 roster rater: Every club’s best and worst buys of the year revealed
If the NRL’s best buy of the year was named today it would be a three-way tie, while one unhappy Rooster is a clear standout for the season’s biggest flop, writes Paul Crawley.
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If the NRL’s best buy of the year was named today it would be a three-way photo finish between Reece Walsh, Reed Mahoney and Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.
But at the other end of the spectrum one unhappy Rooster is unfortunately the standout for the season’s biggest flop so far, and you don’t need to be a genius to work out who that is.
While they may not have landed the best buy, the Panthers are certainly contenders for the best value purchase, getting excellent bang for their buck from Zac Hosking.
At the halfway point of the season, Paul Crawley puts every club’s new recruits under the blowtorch to deliver his rankings.
BRONCOS:
Early season rating: A-
Midway mark: A+
2023 recruits: Reece Walsh (Warriors), Jock Madden (Tigers), Martin Taupau (Sea Eagles), Jesse Arthars (return from loan to Warriors)
Hits: Walsh returned to the Broncos on a reported $400k-a-season three-year deal. And four tries and 15 try assists later he could probably fetch in the vicinity of $1 million on the open market today.
Taupau is also doing a rock-solid job off the bench, while Arthurs has nailed down a wing spot in Corey Oates’ absence.
Jury’s out: It was always going to be a tough job for Madden to get a crack ahead of Adam Reynolds and Ezra Mam.
RAIDERS:
Early season rating: C+
Midway mark: C-
2023 recruits: Danny Levi (Huddersfield), Pasami Saulo (Knights)
Hits: Saulo didn’t arrive as a big name recruit but the former Knight has played 12 games in a very competitive pack.
Jury’s out: Ricky Stuart identified Levi as his starting hooker after an impressive pre-season but a fractured jaw ruined that. While Levi is back playing he has dropped down the pecking order.
BULLDOGS
Early season rating: B
Midway mark: B+
2023 recruits: Reed Mahoney, Hayze Perham (Eels) Jacob Preston (Roosters/Bears), Viliame Kikau (Panthers), Ryan Sutton (Raiders), Andrew Davey (Sea Eagles), Franklin Pele (Sharks), Josh Reynolds (Hull FC), Karl Oloapu (Broncos)
Hits: Even though the Bulldogs sit 14th on the ladder Mahoney has been absolutely enormous, proving that the Eels made a huge mistake letting him go.
Young backrower Preston is the other standout with the former Roosters lower grader emerging as one of the contenders for rookie of the year, while Oloapu also has a huge future.
Jury’s out: No doubt when Kikau finally returns from a pectoral injury he will make a huge difference. But until then it’s like having a top-of-the-range Hummer sitting in the garage and you can’t even take it for a spin. Former Raider Sutton was the other significant signing who has had eight games due to injuries.
SHARKS
Early season rating: B
Midway mark: B
2023 recruits: Oregon Kaufusi (Eels)
Hits: We already knew Kaufusi had huge potential and the former Eel certainly has had some strong performances, notably in his club starting debut against the Roosters.
Misses: None
DOLPHINS
Early season rating: A-
Midway mark: A+
2023 recruits: Felise Kaufusi, Jesse Bromwich, Kenny Bromwich (Storm), Ray Stone (Eels), Brenko Lee, Tesi Niu (Broncos), Edrick Lee, Anthony Milford (Knights), Jamayne Isaako, Jarrod Wallace, Herman Ese‘ese (Titans), Euan Aitken (Warriors), Jeremy Marshall King (Bulldogs), Isaiya Katoa, Robert Jennings, Sean O’Sullivan (Panthers), Mark Nicholls, Kodi Nikorima (Rabbitohs), Tom Gilbert, Connelly Lemuelu, Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (Cowboys), Oliver Gildart (Tigers), Valynce Te Whare, Harrison Graham, Michael Roberts, JJ Collins, Ryan Jackson, Jeremiah Simbiken
Hits: Take your pick here. Tabuai-Fidow will challenge Walsh and Mahoney for buy of the year, while Isaako and Marshall-King aren’t far off the pace. Throw in the former Storm trio of the Bromwich brothers and Felise Kaufusi who have provided great leadership, while Wayne Bennett has compared former Cowboy Gilbert to Gorden Tallis, which is about as big a rap as a young tearaway forward could get. As for rookie of the year, Katoa is the standout.
Jury’s out: Milford really let himself down to get dropped before the season kick-off because of a poor attitude. To his credit he’s back in the mix (albeit through injury), but has backed it up with some pretty impressive performances that makes it too early to call him a good or bad signing just yet.
TITANS
Early season rating: B+
Midway mark: B
2023 recruits: Kieran Foran (Sea Eagles), Sam Verrills (Roosters), Chris Randall (Knights), Joe Stimson, Aaron Schoupp (Bulldogs), Kruise Leeming (Leeds Rhinos)
Hits: Even though Foran is now sidelined with a toe injury the veteran has already done enough to show why he was exactly the right buy for this young Titans spine. Randall, Stimson and Schoupp do their jobs.
Jury’s out: There’s not a player in the NRL who deserves a change of luck more than Verrills who has just returned from a fractured collarbone.
SEA EAGLES
Early season rating: C+
Midway mark: D
2023 recruits: Kelma Tuilagi (Tigers), Ben Condon (Cowboys), Cooper Johns (Storm), Aaron Woods (Dragons), Jake Arthur (Eels)
Hits: None
Jury’s out: Tuilagi has had his moments in his nine games before suffering a facial fracture, while Johns has been a handy pick up playing eight games. Young Arthurs has only had the one game off the bench while Woods’ in-season switch suffered a setback from a broken thumb.
STORM
Early season rating: A
Midway mark: B+
2023 recruits: Tariq Sims (Dragons), Joe Chan (Catalans), Eliesa Katoa, Aaron Pene (Warriors)
Hits: Everyone was hoping the rampaging Katoa would take his game to the next level under Craig Bellamy and the former Warrior certainly hasn’t disappointed, playing 11 games, averaging 74mins with 12.1 runs for 107m.
Jury’s out: Sims had a pre-season interrupted by injury and has played five games without making a significant impression.
KNIGHTS
Early season rating: A
Midway mark: C
2023 recruits: Lachlan Miller (Sharks), Jack Hetherington (Bulldogs), Adam Elliott (Raiders), Tyson Gamble (Broncos), Jackson Hastings (Tigers), Greg Marzhew (Titans)
Hits: Watching Marzhew in action is just about the highlight of any Knights game, with the former Titan averaging 19 runs for 174m including 10 tries and a whopping 73 tackle busts.
Jury’s out: Hastings has been solid without starring, while Gamble is now back in the starting team. Miller started like a house on fire but was really struggling before Ponga’s shock return to fullback. And while Elliott was enormous for the Raiders last year he has been hampered by injury with only four appearances so far. Hetherington’s numbers don’t exactly light up the board, averaging 26mins and 45 runs metres.
COWBOYS
Early season rating: C
Midway mark: D
2023 recruits: James Tamou (Tigers), Jack Gosiewski (Dragons)
Hits: Gosiewski was basically brought in as back-up and has earned his keep through injuries and suspensions to some of the Cowboys’ bigger names, playing seven games so far.
Misses: Tamou returned to the Cowboys to add experience but picked up a toe injury after two games that sidelined him indefinitely.
EELS
Early season rating: B+
Midway mark: C-
2023 recruits: Josh Hodgson (Raiders), J’maine Hopgood (Panthers), Jirah Momoisea (Knights), Jack Murchie (Warriors), Matt Doorey (Bulldogs)
Hits: Hopgood has been one of the season’s best value-for-money buys, rocketing from Isaah Yeo’s understudy last year to getting serious mentions in Queensland’s Origin debate.
Jury’s out: It’s not Hodgson’s fault he was brought to replace Mahoney coming off an ACL knee injury. And while we don’t know whether the 33-year-old will ever get back to his best, he certainly deserves more time before he is judged too harshly. Momoisea, Murchie and Doorey have all provided depth, but let’s be fair dinkum here, they just don’t fill the void left by Marata Niukore, Isaiah Papali’i and Ray Stone.
PANTHERS
Early season rating: C
Midway mark: B
2023 recruits: Luke Garner, Tyrone Peachey (Tigers), Zac Hosking (Broncos), Jack Cogger (Huddersfield)
Hits: When it comes to getting bang for your buck the Panthers hit the jackpot with Hosking. The 26-year-old only debuted last year at the Broncos, but has now nailed down a spot with the back-to-back premiers. Peachey has also provided valuable depth in his return.
Jury’s out: Garner was tipped to take over from Viliame Kikau but to date has only made three appearances, while Cogger is yet to debut for his new club.
DRAGONS
Early season rating: C-
Midway mark: D
2023 recruits: Jacob Liddle, Zane Musgrove (Tigers), Ben Murdoch-Masila (Warriors), Nick Lui-Toso (Northern Pride), Paul Turner (Titans), Alec Tuitavake, Viliame Fifita (Sea Eagles)
Hits: None
Jury’s out: Liddle has shown glimpses of what he is capable of even though the coaching staff have shown little faith in him so far. Murdoch-Masila always puts in, while Musgrove has had only four games. We haven’t seen the others at NRL level to make judgment.
RABBITOHS
Early season rating: N/A
Midway mark: N/A
2023 recruits: None
Verdict: The Bunnies were confident they could take last year’s roster to the next level and so far so good.
ROOSTERS
Early season rating: B-
Midway mark: E
2023 recruits: Brandon Smith (Storm), Jaxson Paulo (Rabbitohs), Jake Turpin (Broncos), Corey Allan (Bulldogs)
Hits: None
Jury’s out: Paulo has had his moments while dummy-half back-up Turpin has done enough to leapfrog Brandon Smith into the starting team.
But without question there has been no bigger disappointment on the recruitment front in 2023 than Smith, who has literally gone from a Kiwi Test star every club was chasing to a bench player at the Roosters before he was injured. We all know Smith is too talented to write him off yet, but the early signs are certainly extremely worrying for all involved.
WARRIORS
Early season rating: A
Midway mark: A+
2023 recruits: Marata Niukore (Eels), Luke Metcalf (Sharks), Dylan Walker (Sea Eagles), Mitchell Barnett (Knights), Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad (Raiders), Te Maire Martin (Broncos), Jackson Ford (Dragons), Brayden Wiliame (Perpignan)
Hits: Niukore, Nicoll-Klokstad and Ford have all done themselves proud in a team not many expected would be legitimate top eight contenders. Walker was also playing extremely well before suffering a neck injury.
Jury’s out: Metcalf has only just returned from a hamstring injury suffered in pre-season training, while Barnett only played the first three games before suffering a neck injury and is due back next round.
TIGERS
Early season rating: C
Midway mark: A
2023 recruits: Isaiah Papali’i (Eels), Api Koroisau, Charlie Staines (Panthers), John Bateman (Wigan), David Klemmer (Knights), Brandon Wakeham (Bulldogs), Triston Reilly (rugby union), Will Smith (Hull FC), David Nofoaluma (Storm, returning from loan).
Hits: As tough as the start to the season was for the Tigers you certainly can’t knock the efforts of their four biggest signings, Koroisau, Papali’i, Bateman and Klemmer. In fact, I’d go as far as to say Bateman has been one of the most inspirational buys despite being limited to eight games, while Koroisau was playing well enough to get Blues selection ahead of Damien Cook, and Klemmer is playing his best footy in years.
Jury’s out: Staines has been overshadowed by some extremely talented emerging youngsters, while Wakeham played his best game in the record win over the Cowboys but needs to deliver consistently.
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