NRL 2020: The Cowboys young guns to keep an eye on at the Nines
The Cowboys have always enjoyed an NRL Nines tournament, taking out the inaugural competition and unearthing young talents such as Kyle Feldt and Kalyn Ponga. Now check out their next crop of exciting young stars.
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THE NRL Nines squads are out and a number of big name stars are heading to Perth this weekend to battle it out for pre-season glory.
But, as exciting as the Cameron Munsters and the Shaun Johnsons of the NRL are, what is just as intriguing are the up-and-comers among the squads.
The NRL Nines will provide an insight into who could be pushing for a first grade berth in 2020 and the potential they have for your club in the future.
We have crunched the numbers and analysed who are the players to watch from the three Queensland clubs, plus the Brisbane Broncos NRLW team.
Here’s who to keep an eye out for when the Cowboys run on to play:
HAMISO TABUAI-FIDOW
Former Cowboys flyer Gideon Gela-Mosby lit up the 2017 Auckland NRL Nines was rewarded with an NRL contract and Tabuai-Fidow could easily do the same. The lightning fast outside back is on a development contract with North Queensland and is a handy player for Paul Green to call upon if the club suffers an injury crisis this year. He represented the Australian Schoolboys last year and scored an incredible 13 tries in six games for the Blackhawks in the Mal Meninga Cup last year.
MICHAEL BELL
Bell heralds from the small mining community of Moranbah, west of Mackay, the hometown of former Cowboys greats Josh Hannay and Travis Norton. The 20-year-old outside back is on a junior contract with North Queensland at the moment and has impressed the club’s coaching staff with his fast pace and willingness to learn. Even though he is outside the club’s top 36 roster, he had the chance to train with the NRL squad in the first 11 weeks of the preseason.
CONNELLY LEMUELU
The New Zealand product was picked up by the Cowboys during the offseason in a handy addition to their outside backs depth. The 21-year-old went to school at Keebra Park on the Gold Coast, before going through the West Tigers and Canterbury Bulldogs systems in New South Wales. He is highly-regarded by the club as his versatility can slot him in any position in the backline.
DAN RUSSELL
The tall, rangy redhead is one of the Cowboys more versatile players. Russell is a quality centre and impressed many fans with his strong showing, and solo chip-and-chase try, in last year’s World Cup Nines, when he represented Papua New Guinea. He has joined North Queensland’s top 30 roster for 2020 and could feature in the backs or make a move into the backrow if required.
REECE ROBSON
The Cowboys have bolstered their dummy-half stock with one of the most highly-regarded young No.9s in the competition. Robson has played just nine NRL games for the Dragons before making the move north in the offseason and is fighting it out with Jake Granville for the starting Cowboys No.9 spot. His dummy-half running game will be a huge string in his bow for Paul Green to weigh up his options for the hooking role.
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