NRL’s fastest man: Newcastle’s Dominic Young tipped to run down the Foxx

Josh Addo-Carr is the fastest man in the NRL - and has been for some time. But could 2022 be the season when his reign comes to an end? There are certainly a host of flyers hot on his tail.

He’s the towering young winger who is hot on the heels of the NRL’s fastest man, and it’s not Jason Saab.

Newcastle winger Dominic Young is already the tallest man in rugby league – so what chance he now becomes its fastest too?

A dreadlocked flyer boasting Jamaican bloodlines, Young is being tipped to set the NRL Telstra Tracker ablaze in 2022 while also doing what many think impossible – move quicker than The Fox.

Apart from standing 2m tall, or weighing almost 107kg, Young’s pre-season training efforts have seriously impressed new high performance coach Hayden Knowles.

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Dominic Young has all the physical gifts required to outpace Josh Addo-Carr. Picture: Shane Myers

While the Knights are yet to have players hit top speed in training, Knowles has no doubt the Englishman would be right there in any foot race with the likes of Josh Addo-Carr, Saab and Xavier Coates.

In his debut NRL season this year, Young recorded a top speed of 37.4km/h – placing him fourth best among all players.

A strong effort given he played only six first grade games.

However Knowles, who has worked with the likes of Addo-Carr, Tom Trbojevic and James Tedesco inside the NSW Origin camp, insists the Knights youngster will only get quicker again next year.

2021 Telstra Tracker NRL speedsters

1 Josh Addo-Carr 38.1km/h
2 Jason Saab 38km/h
3 Xavier Coates 37.6km/h
4 Dominic Young 37.4km/h
5 Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow 37.3km/h
6 Herbie Farnworth 36.7km/h
7 Dallin Watene-Zelezniak 36.3km/h
8 Selwyn Cobbo 36.2km/h
9 Jack Hetherington 36.1km/h
10 Mitchell Moses 36.1km/h

“Dom blows everyone away up here,” Knowles revealed this week.

“And we haven’t even got the boys hitting top speeds yet.

“Physically, he boasts the type of attributes you could train 10 years for and never have. Just his size, his stride length, and of course he has those Jamaican bloodlines.

“They’re resources others just don’t have.

“So when you’re talking about that mythical finals race for NRL fastest man, Dom has to be in it.

“In terms of top speed, nobody has seen him at his best yet.”

Currently, Young is locked in a tough battle to be part of the Knights Round One side, with Enari Tuala and Hymel Hunt the early wing favourites.

However, SuperCoach players looking for bargain buy may do well to snap up the UK speedster who is impressing the Knights coaching staff with his efforts.

Josh Addo-Carr is still the fastest man in the NRL. Picture: Albert Perez/Getty Images

Importantly, Knowles says the 20-year-old has been working overtime in preparation for his second NRL season.

Earlier this week, the winger finished fourth in a 1.2km time trial, and just one second behind winners Kalyn Ponga and utility Chris Randall.

“And normally the fast twitch guys, they don’t enjoy that test,” Knowles continued.

“So it’s rare for any winger to finish so high, let alone a 6’7’’ monster.

“But Dom, we’re absolutely rapt with his work ethic and the way he is competing in sessions.”

According to Telstra Tracker data, Addo-Carr remains the fastest man in rugby league.

Knowles compared Young to the long striding Jason Saab.

However, Manly Sea Eagles flyer Jason Saab was less than a blink behind, at 38km/h.

“And Dom has the same long stride length as Saab,” Knowles continued of the Huddersfield Academy product.

“Most other players, they just can’t match that.

“But while he has tools most athletes can only dream of, he is also really impressing with his work ethic at training. For a winger to go top five in your fitness tests, that rarely happens.

“Then even in the (limited) sprint work we’ve done, nobody else is close.”

During a 2019 match against North Queensland, the Stormer was clocked at a blistering 38.5km/h.

This season, Fox also again had the best time, 38.1km/h.

When it comes to other players topping that Telstra Tracker data this year, third place belonged to recent Melbourne recruit Coates (37.6km/h), followed by Young, then Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, aka ‘The Hammer’ (37.3km/h).

Others set to be in the mix for any ‘Fastest Man’ footrace include NSW Origin stars Tedesco and Trbojevic, plus Penrith winger Charlie Staines, Canterbury’s Matt Dufty, Warrior Dallin Watene-Zelezniak and young Broncos Herbie Farnworth and Selwyn Cobbo.