SuperCoach 2021: Your quick guide to FNQ’s NRL players
There will be 11 FNQ talents in contention for selection this NRL season, ranging from guaranteed starters to development players vying for an opportunity. SEE THE LIST HERE >>
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THE countdown to season 2021 has reached the last few hours and KFC SuperCoach coaches will be hard at work tweaking their lineups up until the first whistle.
There will be 11 Far North Queensland talents in contention for selection this season, ranging from guaranteed starters to fringe and development players vying for an opportunity - at a range of coach-friendly prices too.
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Javid Bowen (North Queensland Cowboys)
SuperCoach: CTW, $186.800
Bowen was the last player to join this list after new Cowboys coach Todd Payten threw the 27-year-old a lifeline following an impressive train-and-trial stint at the club this pre-season.
The Hope Vale product, who is the nephew of Cowboys legend Matty Bowen, was at the club from 2016-19 and adds depth to the 2021 roster in the outside backs.
Unwanted by the Cowboys and then coach Paul Green at the end of 2019, Bowen was named captain of the Northern Pride for the 2020 Intrust Super Cup campaign before returning to the Cowboys.
Jake Clifford (North Queensland Cowboys)
SuperCoach: 5/8 / HFB, $383,500
The Tully product is into his final season at the Cowboys, and given first crack at the No. 7 jersey.
Once touted as Johnathan Thurston’s successor, Clifford hasn’t made the halfback position his own in the past few years, but has the trust of coach Todd Payten to steer the Cowboys in their season-opener.
He has already signed a contract to join Newcastle in 2022, so this is his chance to farewell his home region with a season to remember.
Thomas Flegler (Brisbane Broncos)
SuperCoach: FRF, $399,300
The Tully firebrand will be looking to get back to his best after a tough 2020 season in which he only managed 13 games before undergoing a shoulder reconstruction.
Flegler has been named to start on the bench but could take on a more crucial role as the Broncos kick off their season without prop Payne Haas, who is suspended until Round 4.
The 21-year-old was a joint-winner of the Broncos’ Rookie of the Year award in his breakout 2019 debut season, and has been touted as a future Maroons representative forward.
Ben Hampton (North Queensland Cowboys)
SuperCoach: CTW/5/8, $223,500
The Mareeba junior can play anywhere in the backline or at hooker, but that versatility and utility might have actually counted against Hampton over the years.
The new playing conditions, in particular the six-again rules, could open the door for a man of Hampton’s versatility, speed and playmaking nous.
But he’ll have to fight his way from the Queensland Cup after missing out on selection in Todd Payten’s first 17-man squad.
Heilum Luki (North Queensland Cowboys, development player)
SuperCoach: 2RF, $173,700
The second-rower is regarded among the leading talents but he the second-rower is some way down the pecking order at the Cowboys.
He’s got good speed, outstanding offload ability, a quality step and is dependable in defence.
Luki is another player who will start the year at the Northern Pride, but would likely need a few injuries before getting the nod from Payten.
Nene Macdonald (Cronulla Sharks)
SuperCoach: CTW, $248,000
The Cairns Brothers junior is hoping to make the most of his second chance in the NRL after the Sharks handed him a lifeline last year.
While he sits down the pecking order at Cronulla, Macdonald will be hoping for an opportunity to showcase his skills and push his case for a permanent starting spot.
The PNG international has been at five clubs since making his NRL debut for the Roosters in 2014 and, following stints with the Titans and the Dragons, was released by the Cowboys midway through 2019 after a string of off-field incidents.
Jeremiah Nanai (North Queensland Cowboys, development player)
SuperCoach: 2RF, $173,700
The hype train for this Cairns product has hit full gear after some outstanding seasons for Kirwan State High in the Aaron Payne Cup.
The teenager will start the season in the Queensland Cup, where he’ll be tested against men for the first time in his budding career.
You’ll be more likely to see Nanai in the NRL later in the season, provided he performs for the Northern Pride and Cowboys coach Todd Payten wants to give the young lad a run.
Xavier Savage (Canberra Raiders)
SuperCoach: CTW, $173,700
The 18-year-old has signed a deal with the Canberra Raiders which could see the club unleash one of the fastest players in the NRL.
Savage came through respected rugby league nursery Palm Beach Currumbin before the Green Machine snatched him from under the Titans’ noses.
The Cairns product recorded a blistering 10.95 seconds in the 100m sprint at the Queensland Junior Athletics Championships when he was 17-year-old — Storm speedster Josh Addo-Carr clocked at 10.6 seconds at the same age.
Darryn Schonig (Melbourne Storm)
SuperCoach: FRF, $219,300
The 185cm, 112kg prop is into his second season with the NRL’s reigning premiers and will be looking to improve on the six appearances he made in 2020.
The Cooktown product moved to Cairns at the age of 12 and played junior footy with the Edmonton Storm and Cairns Brothers before attending Kirwan State High School.
Schonig made a name for himself as one of the toughest forwards in the Intrust Super Cup, first with hometown club the Northern Pride, and then the Sunshine Coast Falcons, on his way to earning an NRL contract.
Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow (North Queensland Cowboys)
SuperCoach: CTW/FLB, $339,800
The lightning-quick Cairns Kangaroos product set the NRL world on fire in his debut season, but a new position could reveal a new side to Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow.
Tabuai-Fidow has gained muscle, shed fat, but could be even faster after Cowboys coach Todd Payten decided to shift the former fullback to centre.
Early ball could allow the flyer to showcase his footwork, and a left-edge partnership with Valentine Holmes could turn him into a more dangerous attacking threat.
Enari Tuala (Newcastle Knights)
SuperCoach: CTW, $414,500
The Edmonton Storm junior was rarely given a chance to perform by the Cowboys, but the 22-year-old has locked down a starting centre spot at the Knights.
He played 20 games for Newcastle in 2020, more than what he managed in three seasons at North Queensland, and scored 11 tries in his best NRL campaign to date.
If Tuala can stay injury free for a second straight year, there’s no reason to expect anything less from the deceptively strong, swift centre.
Originally published as SuperCoach 2021: Your quick guide to FNQ’s NRL players
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