Teen sensation gunning for Brisbane Broncos spot
Jamayne Isaako has been unveiled as Brisbane’s new No.1, but the New Zealand Test star will have a young gun breathing down his neck as the NRL season approaches.
NRL
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Jamayne Isaako’s NRL apprenticeship on the wing is over with the Kiwi Test star to be unveiled as Brisbane’s new fullback next season as the Broncos begin planning for life after Darius Boyd.
Broncos coach Anthony Seibold confirmed his brief backfield experiment with Anthony Milford has been scrapped, with Isaako and teenage young gun Tesi Niu to spearhead a new era in the decorated Brisbane No.1 jumper.
Skipper Boyd has been Brisbane’s pre-eminent No.1 since his return to the club in 2015 but the baton has been passed to Isaako, who will oppose Valentine Holmes in a superb fullback duel in the Broncos-Cowboys season opener in 2020.
While Milford played 11 games at fullback last season, Seibold has shown his hand at Broncos training this week.
Isaako has consistently trained at fullback in pre-season, with Milford operating alongside Brodie Croft and Tom Dearden in the halves and Boyd appearing at left centre.
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Since his NRL debut in 2017, Isaako has amassed 44 appearances on the wing and four games at fullback and Seibold believes the goalkicking ace is ready for a full-time promotion to Brisbane’s playmaking spine.
Isaako will be supported by Queensland under-18s sensation Niu, who made his senior Test debut for Tonga against Great Britain six weeks ago and has tormented rivals at fullback in the junior grades.
“We are going to give Jamayne an opportunity at fullback,” Seibold said.
“Jamayne was signed to the club as a fullback and it’s time to look at him and see how he progresses in the position.
“He and Tesi Niu, who recently made his debut for Tonga, they are both really talented players who we want to have a good look at during the pre-season.
“Tesi is still on our development list so he isn’t eligible to play (NRL) until the end of June, but he is also a player that we see with real NRL potential.”
Isaako joined the Broncos in 2016 from Cronulla and was being groomed to succeed Boyd by former coach Wayne Bennett, before Seibold rolled the dice with Milford at fullback midway through the 2019 season.
But Isaako is now Brisbane’s undisputed fullback. The 23-year-old has the speed and fitness to handle the aerobic demands of fullback play, but the jury remains out tactically and whether he can execute in a way that made Boyd a peerless three-on-two exponent.
The best fullbacks in the game today, such as James Tedesco, Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Tom Trbojevic, have supreme athletic engines and Seibold believes Isaako has the dynamic running to succeed.
“Jamayne has the potential to be elite fit,” Seibold said.
“The best fullbacks in the competition are elite fit and he has that potential. Jamayne is not there yet but he can be elite fit.
“Jamayne showed some real signs when we did train him at fullback over the past 12 months that he can be a real threat carrying the footy, whether it’s in the backfield or on the back of (attacking) shape.
“That’s what we like about him, so we are giving Jamayne the first shot.”
Originally published as Teen sensation gunning for Brisbane Broncos spot