The players and coaches from each club who are in for a big year
AS the NRL season ticks closer and closer, new stars are preparing to reveal themselves and established names are looking to take it to the next level. Here’s who is in for a big year.
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THIS list is made up of brilliant youngsters, cagey veterans looking for one last ride and even a former jailbird.
But the one thing they all have in common is the ability to make the NRL stand up and take notice in 2016.
As the season ticks closer and closer towards its explosive beginning at Parramatta Stadium new stars are preparing to reveal themselves and established names are looking to take it to the next level.
Coaches and players alike will look to light up their clubs as they march the road towards premiership glory
We’ve cast an eye over all 16 clubs.
These are the men who will be in for a massive year.
WESTS TIGERS: MITCHELL MOSES AND LUKE BROOKS
The local juniors now have a full season under the belt and should be about ready to deliver on the hype.While they were stifled by Taylor’s structures last season, they’ve now been given more licence by their coach to do what they want in attack.
The pair have held off activating a 2017 option until midway through this season, and expect rival clubs to queue up if they stand up and deliver. Such is the faith in these two that the Tigers have already offloaded the likes of Blake Austin and now boom Penrith halves recruit Te Maire Martin.
BRISBANE BRONCOS: ANTHONY MILFORD
As much as the heat will be on Hunt early, watch for Milford to take his game to another level. If it wasn’t for Johnathan Thurston’s match-clinching field goal, Milford would probably own a Clive Churchill Medal for his effort in the grand final. His recent involvement in the Emerging Origin camp controversy has cost him any hope of breaking into the Queensland side this year.
But at some stage in the future Milford will get his shot and when he does, look out NSW. At the start of last season many predicted he would struggle to handle the No.6 role after the Broncos were lapped by the Rabbitohs in the opening round. But by the end of the year, Walters went as far as to label the 21-year-old the “complete five-eighth”.
MANLY SEA EAGLES: TRENT BARRETT
Brought in controversially as Manly favourite Geoff Toovey’s coaching replacement, Barrett faces a testing time to win over the Eagles’ supporter base. You can almost hear the Brookie faithful now pleading for Toovey’s return should all not go to plan for Barrett in his debut season.
But there seems little doubt the former Dragons captain has the football smarts to thrive as a coach and if his lower-grade experience and successful stint as Country Origin coach are anything to go by, he should quickly dispel any doubts about his ability to handle the pressure of his latest role. One of his early tests will come in how successful he is in turning former South Sydney centre, the talented Dylan Walker, into a five-eighth who can fill Foran’s big shoes.
SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS: ADAM REYNOLDS
After the highs of 2014, many predicted Reynolds would take that next step and force his way into the Blues’ Origin side last season. Instead, injuries and a loss of form meant he dropped off the radar, and by season’s end there was speculation he wanted out of the club.
It amounted to nothing and he is still there but, clearly, he needs to step up again if the Rabbitohs are to be genuine premiership contenders. He still possesses one of the best kicking games in the competition and if Sam Burgess again has the impact Souths fans will be hoping for, Reynolds and halves partner Keary should finds themselves on the front foot far more often than they were last year.
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS: RUSSELL PACKER
It shapes as one of the great redemption stories if it isn’t already. This time two years ago, Packer had just started serving a two-year jail sentence for a vicious assault. He was released on parole after 12 months a changed man, free of alcohol and drugs and the built-up anger that his addictions brought on.
Now he is ready to relaunch his NRL career, motivated by the support of a loving family who stood by him through all the bad and a club which opened its doors and provided just the right guidance after giving him a second crack at the big time. Full of remorse and determined to make the most of this opportunity, don’t expect him to let anyone down.
NEW ZEALAND WARRIORS: SHAUN JOHNSON
An outstanding talent, Johnson’s influence on the Warriors has been immense. They were sitting in the top four last year with two thirds of the season done and dusted when the brilliant halfback suffered a broken ankle. They didn’t win another game and finished 13th.
All too often the Warriors have looked to the former Golden Boot winner to spark something and get them out of trouble. Now the pressure to always be the linchpin has gone somewhat with the arrival of stars Luke and Tuivasa-Sheck. With that burden lifted, it wouldn’t surprise to see Johnson become an ever greater threat than he has been in the past provided he comes back strongly from his ankle surgery.
NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS: JARROD MULLEN
The sort of unfair scrutiny Mullen has faced since bursting on to the scene as a teenager in the shadow of Andrew Johns has left some mental scaring. But he remains one of the club’s most influential players and a potential match-winner.
The question is: can the arrival of Trent Hodkinson, who will ease the burden on Mullen to always run the show, be the catalyst for the five-eighth to consistently take his game to the next level? What price another Blues jumper if the combination clicks?
PARRAMATTA EELS: KIERAN FORAN
When an Eels legend like Peter Sterling labels you the “most important signing in the club’s history”, you know you have a player of rare quality. Foran will carry enormous responsibility and expectation into the season but he has the game and the mental aptitude to be able to handle it. He is a far cry from the, at times, brilliant but, more often than not, erratic Sandow.
His sheer competitiveness and will to win are among his greatest attributes, alongside his undoubted ball-playing skills. Expect him to slot effortlessly into the role alongside halves partner Norman and their combination could easily develop into something that rivals what he had with Daly Cherry-Evans at Manly. Don’t be surprised if Jennings and try-scoring machine Semi Radradra are the biggest beneficiaries.
CRONULLA SHARKS: JACK BIRD AND VALENTINE HOLMES
In just his first season in the NRL, Bird’s performances at five-eighth had him being spoken about as an Origin smoky, while Holmes’ pace and athleticism on the wing have him earmarked for greater honours. Just where Flanagan decides to play them to get the best out of both will be interesting. With Maloney and Townsend on board in the halves, a shift to fullback has been touted for Bird but many believe that could well be Holmes’ best position down the track.
Ben Barba may also have something to say about that. Given his versatility, Bird could find a home in the centres but both youngsters will be in the starting line-up somewhere. In a good sign for the Sharks, Holmes showed plenty of maturity to front up and admit he did the wrong thing during the recent Emerging Maroons camp.
SYDNEY ROOSTERS: BLAKE FERGUSON
Tuivasa-Sheck broke every running record in the game playing fullback for the Roosters last year. He’s going to be a massive loss. But who isn’t looking forward to seeing how Ferguson goes wearing the No.1 jumper? Think back to when Souths shifted Greg Inglis to fullback. It would surprise no one if Ferguson doesn’t have a similar type of impact with the extra room at his disposal.
But as Anthony Minichiello explained recently, there is a lot more overall running involved in playing fullback compared to centre, and how Ferguson handles that and the role defensively is going to have a big impact on the Roosters’ overall success. While Robinson maintains Ferguson is only a stop-gap until young Latrell Mitchell eventually takes over, as the coach commented to us: “If he excels like we think he is going to, you never know.”
NORTH QLD COWBOYS: MICHAEL MORGAN
He set up the miracle play that saved the Cowboys in the grand final when his one-handed flick to Kyle Feldt sent the match into golden point. Now, with a premier-ship and an Origin series in the bag after playing off the bench last year, Morgan says the next step is to make good on his green- and-gold ambition.
At 24, Morgan is a footballer going places fast, and about to run into his best years. While Thurston and Cooper Cronk own the Queensland and Kangaroos halves spots for now, Morgan has positioned himself to be next in line.
CANBERRA RAIDERS: BLAKE AUSTIN
With Mitchell Pearce no longer in contention for Origin, the NSW No.6 jumper is up for grabs. If Austin has another year like the last one, he will be hard to ignore. He was a standout in the City-Country game and after that performance there were even calls for the Blues to find him a spot.
Austin then finished the season as the Dally M five-eighth of the year, although the Raiders still fell short of the playoffs. His partnership with Aidan Sezer has the potential to lift the Raiders to the next level.
MELBOURNE STORM: BILLY SLATER
There is no better sight in the game than Slater in full flight. He is arguably the most complete fullback we have seen. But for all his brilliance, Melbourne somehow unearthed a worthy replacement in Munster to soften the blow of losing Slater for an extended period and Queensland won another Origin series with Greg Inglis playing an integral role in the No.1 jumper.
Fully fit, though, Slater walks back into any side and Storm fans will be excited about the prospect of Slater back at fullback with Munster in the centres to give their attack a more lethal feel. Cronk will also be counting the days until he renews his almost telepathic on-field relationship with Slater.
CANTERBURY BULLDOGS: DAVID KLEMMER
At just 22, is there a more exciting young forward in the competition than this bloke? Possessing a real no-fear attitude and the ability to terrorise opposition defences, Klemmer has already played for his country three times and has shown he is made for the intensity of Origin. But given his age, you reckon he is only going to get better.
Hasler has purposely brought him on slowly, using him off the bench more often than not to take advantage of his explosive impact. But with the new interchange rules, Klemmer is likely to be afforded more minutes this season, so his ability to sustain his effort is going to be tested. NSW coach Laurie Daley will be desperately hoping he keeps himself free of injury in the build-up to Origin because he will be a central figure in the Blues’ hopes of knocking over Queensland.
PENRITH PANTHERS: BRYCE CARTWRIGHT
This bloke has star material written all over him and, after a big 2015, many predict he could easily be ready to take that next step towards a Blues jumper, even though he is still only 21. Cartwright possesses just about everything you want in a modern-day back-rower. He’s big and mobile with great footwork and has the ball skills of a playmaker.
And there is no question he is one of the young up-and-comers, along with the likes of Moylan, who NSW coach Laurie Daley will be taking more than a passing interest in during the early part of the season leading into Origin. If the Panthers are to surge again, expect Cartwright to be at the forefront.
GOLD COAST TITANS: TYRONE ROBERTS
Squeezed out by the Knights because of a perceived inability to consistently steer his team around the park, Roberts arrives at the Titans with a job description of having to do exactly that. The loss of Elgey for the season only adds to the weight of expectation on his shoulders. The Titans will be desperately hoping whatever confidence issues that held him back while he was at Newcastle will dissipate in a new environment and with more responsibility.
If coach Neil Henry can harness the best of his qualities, he will be an asset. He is an accomplished goalkicker, which only adds to his value. But it is his ball-playing capabilities that will be needed most if the Titans are to surprise this season.
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