NRL trials 2022: Big names set for early test, Fox Sports, Kayo to televise every match

His grandfather was a high-profile player and administrator, his father is a current CEO. Manly will unearth a bright new prospect this weekend.

Dean Ritchie

10 min read

February 16, 2022 - 9:47PM

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

NRL

Don't miss out on the headlines from NRL. Followed categories will be added to My News.

He has the bloodline of a Tiger but could hold the punch line for Manly.

The Sea Eagles will name young Jamie Humphreys — son of club CEO Stephen — in its extended squad for Friday night’s trial match against Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval.

Jamie will become the third generation of Humphreys to run onto the famous Mary Street venue.

Stephen and grandfather Kevin are former Tigers players who played their best footy on Leichhardt.

Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-days free now.

Jamie Humphreys, father Stephen and grandfather Kevin.

Jamie, 20, is a goalkicking halfback who also trained at hooker over the off-season. He came through the Cronulla junior system but played under 19s and under 21s for the Sea Eagles last year.

Stephen played 41 games for Balmain between 1983 and 1987, scoring 12 tries, while Kevin contested 43 games for the Tigers between 1953 and 1956, scoring nine tries.

Kevin was later appointed Balmain secretary before securing senior roles with the NSWRL and ARL while Stephen was Wests Tigers CEO between 2009 and 2014 before becoming the Brookvale boss in 2019.

Manly is yet to formally release its team but The Daily Telegraph has been told Humphreys will secure some valuable game time through the trial, which will kick off at 8pm.

“Jamie is a halfback and goalkicker. He played in the under 19s and played very well,” said Manly recruitment manager, Scott Fulton.

“He is a very strong kid who is quite fast and is also a good defender who should handle the transition.

“He definitely has a big future like many of the kids but they still have to learn their trade.

“A lot of clubs push kids in there too early whereas we feel if they get a bit of experience like this, ease them into it, then they have a longer career.

“But Jamie has the ability to go a long way in the game.”

Tigers legend Ben Elias played with Stephen.

“It keeps the flame alive,” Elias said.

“It must be very exciting for the parents. ’Pixie’ (Stephen) would be in raptures. He would have mixed feelings I guess, loving Balmain but being the CEO of Manly.

“But at the end of the day, it’s all about his kid and what a great milestone for the young man.

“Stephen was a Balmain man through and through and reached the highest level as an administrator at the club. And Kevin was also a famous one-man, one-club Tiger.”

Jamie spoke about his family’s passion for rugby league.

“I’ve always loved being around the game. My older brother, Aaron, and I were once Wests Tigers ball boys when Dad was the CEO,’’ he told Seaeagles.com.au.

“We were only young but I remember the NRL team was warming up in the sheds and Benji Marshall was passing the ball to me. His passes were so hard, I just kept thinking don’t drop the ball. I loved every minute of my days as a ball boy.”

Manly stars Tom and Jake Trbojevic - along with halves Daly Cherry-Evans and Kieran Foran - are expected to play limited minutes in the match.

Young gun in match-race for Raiders fullback spot

— David Riccio

The Raiders entire backline is up for grabs with rookie star Xavier Savage and Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad locked in a match-race for the fullback jersey.

Savage will be given first crack to claim the fullback jumper after being named to start in the No.1 jersey for the first-half of Canberra’s pre-season trial against the Roosters at Leichhardt Oval on Friday night.

The more experienced Nicoll-Klokstad will then get his shot at impressing the Raiders coaching staff at fullback in the second-half.

The suspension of representative back Jordan Rapana for the first two rounds of the season, the patient recovery of co-captain and centre Jarrod Croker from stem-cell surgery on his knee and the loss of wing/centre Harley Smith-Shields for the entire year due to an ACL injury has left coach Ricky Stuart with huge decisions to make in his backline ahead of round one.

Nick Cotric, Sebastian Kris, Matt Timoko, Semi Valemai and Albert Hopoate are also part of the backline jostle.

Meanwhile, former Bulldogs backrower Adam Elliott will make his club debut in the trial against the Roosters.

Elliott hasn’t played in the NRL since being let go by the Dogs last August. The Raiders will use Elliott specifically on the edge.

Elsewhere, the Sharks are set to include several NRL players in their trial against the Panthers at Commbank Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Teig Wilton, Siosifa Talakai, Royce Hunt and Braydon Trindall are set to be named.

Rising prospect Kade Dykes will also feature in the trial.

Sea Eagles to unleash another speedster on NRL

— Brent Read

At Newington College, they still talk about the final leg of the under-17 relay at the GPS national championships a few years back.

Tolutau Koula was handed the baton in fourth place with plenty of ground to make up on the runner from Riverview College over the final 100 metres.

In the blink of an eye, Koula reeled him in and then surged ahead with a lunge at the line, showcasing the blistering speed that has had rugby league and union scouts salivating over the potential of the Manly teenager.

The wider rugby league world is expected to see what the inner sanctum have been privy to on Friday night as Koula and the Sea Eagles open their pre-season against the Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval. Blink and you may miss him.

The Tigers were among the clubs keeping an eye on Koula.

The Daily Telegraph understands another club offered him a three-year deal worth in excess of $1.3 million late last year, only for the 19-year-old to commit his future to Manly until the end of 2024.

Tolutau Koula has speed to burn.

Good judges insist he will play first grade this year, most likely in the centres where Brad Parker and Morgan Harper will have their hands full keeping him at bay.

But first, back to that race and the run that has Cameron Black - head of athletic development at Newington — in raptures.

“He did the under 17, 4 x 100mts, which is hands down the best race I have ever seen,” Black said.

“He got the baton two metres behind the Riverview open runner and mowed him down. He also did hurdles - he didn’t do them well but he was so fast he had the ability to jump over the hurdles and still place.

“I think if Tolu was able to focus on his speed he would be faster than most likely anyone in the game. But he has genuine football speed as well which makes a huge difference.

“He can decelerate, he can change direction, he can jump. He has it all.”

Young Manly speedster Tolutau Koula. NRL Imagery

Koula found his way into the Manly system thanks to the club’s recruitment guru Scott Fulton, who acted on a tip from one of his rugby union contacts. One training session was all it took to convince Fulton he was onto something special.

“I went and watched a union game, then he got a scholarship at Newington and I pounced,” Fulton said.

“He was always a standout but he needed to be taught the finer arts. He came to his first training session and this is the thing that really got me.

“Albert Hopoate was a big gun playing in the 18s. He made a break - it was a fairly heated session between the under 16 and 18s.

“Albert made a break and everyone thought he was going to run over the top of Tolu. Tolu lifted Albert and put him on his backside.

“I just went this gets better this.”

Tolutau Koula in action for Manly in an SG Ball clash last year.

Rugby union wanted to keep him — he was a member of the NSW Waratahs academy and played alongside Sydney Roosters sensation Joseph Suaalii in the Australian schoolboys outfit that ended a long losing streak to New Zealand in 2019.

Athletics would have made sense — both his parents represented Tonga at multiple Olympic Games and Koula ran 10.58s for the 100 metres in high school on a limited preparation of six weeks in year 11.

Black has little doubt that Koula would have been an outstanding sprinter had he put his mind to it.

“During that six weeks to turn around and run a 10.58s on the track just goes to show if he invested full time in athletics that he could have been something pretty special,” Black said.

“He is very respectful and quiet. He is just a nice kid and a pretty good communicator for someone who was being pulled left, right and centre.

“I think when I got to the school, he knew his pathway was going to be professional sport of some description and most likely rugby league.

“He was just a freak. As an athlete he is the whole package.”

NRL trials early mail: Recruits and big guns rolled out

— Brent Read, David Riccio and Michael Carayannis

Wests Tigers fans are expected to get their first look at English import Oliver Gildart on Friday night as coach Michael Maguire prepares to roll out some of his big guns for the club’s opening trial at Leichhardt Oval.

Halfback Luke Brooks is also expected to get some minutes against Manly as both clubs step up their preparations for round one as part of a double header which will also feature Canberra and the Sydney Roosters.

Gildart was one of two high-profile Tigers signings over the off-season from Super League — supporters will have to wait to see Jackson Hastings as he works his way back to full fitness after a minor lower leg injury.

However, Tigers fans can take solace in the fact that Tyrone Peachey is likely to pull on the club’s jersey for the first time.

Oliver Gildart has joined the Tigers (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Manly are likely to field a host of their biggest names as they seek to avoid a repeat of their disastrous start to last season.

The Sea Eagles wrapped their big names in cotton wool in the preseason 12 months ago but the move backfired as they opened the year with four successive defeats, including a 40-point drubbing at the hands of the Sydney Roosters in round one.

The likes of Daly Cherry-Evans, Kieran Foran and the Trbojevic brothers, Tom and Jake, will get game time against the Tigers.

In other trial team news:

* The Bulldogs prized-recruits will pull on the club colours for the first time with coach Trent Barrett wasting no time rolling out his biggest guns. The official NRL pre-season trial period launches this week with a host of the game’s headline acts set to step out for the first time in 2022. None bigger though, than Canterbury’s one-two punch in 2022, Paul Vaughan and Tevita Pangai Jr.

The duo, alongside British prop Luke Thompson, will all play in the club’s first trial match against Newcastle in a Monday night hit-out on February 21 at McDonald Jones Stadium.

For the first time, every trial match will be televised live on Fox Sports.

Vaughan is on a mission to repay the Bulldogs faith after St George-Illawarra tore-up his contract in July last year due to repeated Covid breaches. Vaughan is only contracted to the Dogs for the 2022 season, needing every minute of game-time to prove he’s worth a new deal.

The powerhouse Pangai Jr is widely considered a major coup for the Dogs following a brief stint with premiers Penrith halfway through last year after six-seasons with the Broncos.

Although the trio are likely to play about 30 minutes each, Barrett’s motivation to play his star pack members is driven by a focus to provide them with important match fitness.

Paul Vaughan will make his club debut for the Bulldogs in their first trial against Newcastle. Picture: Bulldogs Digital

* Up against the Bulldogs, Newcastle’s Adam Clune will get first crack at Mitchell Pearce’s vacant No.7 jersey. The St George Illawarra recruit is locked in a battle with Phoenix Crossland to partner Jake Clifford in the halves. But it is expected Clune and Clifford will start against the Bulldogs.

Adam Clune (left) will get first crack at the No.7 jersey at Newcastle. Picture: Knights media

* Dragons prop George Burgess will play his first game in Australia since leaving South Sydney at the end of 2019. Burgess is on the comeback from hip surgery that threatened to derail his career with an important first-run scheduled against the Eels next Sunday. The Dragons hope their All-Stars contingent of Josh Kerr, Tyrell Fuimaono and Tyrell Sloan will also play. Moses Suli and Francis Molo are also a chance to play in the Red-V for the first time.

George Burgess during pre-season training. Picture: St George Illawarra

* Eels coach Brad Arthur is eager to get some minutes into several of his first-grade starting pack against the Dragons. Warriors-bound Marata Niukore, Ryan Matterson, Shaun Lane and Ryan Matterson are all set to feature in the trial match. Hugely impressive at training since switching from the Raiders in December, wing-recruit Bailey Simonsson will also play for the first time in blue and gold. Jake Arthur and Jordan Rankin are likely to steer the team in the halves.

* Similar to the intentions of Barrett and Arthur, Raiders coach Ricky Stuart will use his club’s first trial of the year against the Roosters at Leichhardt Oval on Friday night to run several of his big boppers. NRL pack members Emre Guler, Corey Harawira-Naera, Corey Horsburgh and Harry Rushton will play. Important halfback recruit Jamal Fogarty is likely to saved for the club’s second trial.

* Premiers Penrith step-out for the first time since winning the 2021 title against Cronulla at CommBank Stadium next Sunday afternoon. Not surprisingly, Panthers coach Ivan Cleary is saving his biggest weapons for the club’s second trial against the Eels. However, with doubt over halfback Nathan Cleary (shoulder) availability to start round one, Cleary is likely to give Warriors-recruit and playmaker Sean O’Sullivan valuable game-time against the Sharks.

* Similarly to Cleary, the Sharks new-era under coach Craig Fitzgibbon will also commence with a patient approach. Cronulla’s trial team is likely to feature the club’s best rookies including Kade Dykes, Franklin Pele and Jonaiah Lulalua. Royce Hunt is a chance to back-up from the All Stars. One to watch for the Sharks is 2021 Intrust Super Cup Player of the Year, Jayden Berrell. The attacking dummy-half will launch his NRL career against the premiers.