NRL 2024: Top 10 fastest NRL players revealed, Josh Schuster to make return under Wayne Bennett at Rabbitohs | Saint, Sinner, Shoosh
Amid growing hype around a potential race between the NRL’s fastest on grand final day, official GPS technology date has revealed the top 10 fastest speeds clocked by players this season. All that and more in Saint, Sinner, Shoosh.
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It’s official … the fastest man in rugby league is Manly Sea Eagles flyer Jason Saab.
The verdict comes from the official Telstra Tracker data and GPS technology from the devices players wear in a sealed pocket on the back of their jerseys.
Dolphins fullback excitement machine Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow and Panthers centre Paul Alamoti were the next quickest.
Saab has been clocked this year at 37.8 km/h – faster than Cronulla Sharks winger Ronaldo Mulitalo, who was quickest in the game last year at 37.18 km/h.
The new speed figures have been released as the NRL continues to plan for a sprint race at Accor Stadium on grand final day.
All clubs not involved in the grand final will be invited to nominate a starter.
Players would receive an appearance fee and a cash prize for winning the event.
Judging by the way Manly played at Leichhardt Oval against the Wests Tigers on Friday night, Saab will be available for the dash for cash.
The fastest man in the game had an unhappy night on Manly’s right wing, spilling the football on a couple of crucial occasions. In fairness, the lead-up passes were not great.
Saab was asked last week about the sprint race.
“If you ask around you’ll get a common answer,” he said.
“If a race happens, I’ll let the legs do the talking.
Roosters star Dominic Young and Titans winger Alofiana Khan Pereira came in fourth and fifth.
Bulldogs winger and renowned speed man Josh Addo Carr, who was rounded up and bundled into touch by ‘The Hammer’ in Bundaberg last week, has scraped into the list in 10th spot.
It’s interesting that minor premiers Melbourne Storm don’t have a top 10 starter.
They have all the skills and power – plus three great wingers in Will Warbrick, Zavier Coates and Grant Anderson – but not the explosive speed of some of their rivals.
SCHUSTER LIFELINE
Supercoach Wayne Bennett is about to undertake his next restoration job with former Manly star Josh Schuster.
Schuster has signed a one-year contract to join South Sydney Rabbitohs on a budget contract worth only a fraction of the money he was on at Manly.
He will be on slightly less than $300,000 compared to the four-year $3.2 million deal that he was previously on at the Sea Eagles.
Once considered a future superstar, Schuster, 23, quit the northern beaches club earlier this season to take a complete break from rugby league.
The opportunity to play under Bennett — renowned for getting the best out of struggling and down-and-out footballers — was too good a chance for Schuster to knock back.
Bennett loves taking on this sort of player. Even this year he gave Tevita Pangai Junior another shot at NRL when most other clubs wouldn’t.
Back at St George-Illawarra he lifted Jamie Soward from a much-maligned five-eighth to a premiership winner and Origin star.
Schuster has been working hard on his fitness and will join Souths in October for a full pre-season.
SAINT
SINNER
There is not a worse advertisement for Australian sport than tennis brat Bernard Tomic, who refused to shake hands with his opponent after being bundled out of the quarterfinals of an event in the Dominican Republic. He was then chucked out of the venue for sledging Ecuadorean Andres Andrade from the grandstand during the final. Seriously, this bloke is such an embarrassment.
SHOOSH
Which ex-Test opening batsman is telling anyone who’ll listen that he’s the ideal candidate to replace Nick Hockley as the chief executive of Cricket Australia. Self-belief is a great quality, but I’m not sure it will set our man apart from the hot field lining up for cricket’s biggest job — headed by former NRL CEO and current Australian Cricketers’ Association boss Todd Greenberg.
SPOTTED
An interesting table at Grappa restaurant in Leichhardt– Knights heavyweights Phil Gardner and Blake Cannavo, former Wests Tigers bosses Lee Hagipantelis and Justin Pascoe, senior player agent Mario Tartak and businessman Dorry Kortahi, the former owner of the Illawarra Hawks and Sydney Kings.
SPOTTED I
The eighth immortal Andrew Johns and NRL 360 co-host Gorden Tallis having lunch in Bondi. We’re tipping Joey would have paid the bill.
SPOTTED II
The NRL is on fire this year with crowds and TV ratings … but what about the NFL in the United States. The Denver Broncos played the Green Bay Packers in a pre-season trial match last week – and 65,000 fans turned up.
SPOTTED III
NRL Head of Football Graeme Annesley on a train from NRL HQ to the referee’s base at Sydney Olympic Park. There’s certainly no largesse at the NRL these days under the watchful eyes of Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo, not like the good old days of John Grant and his chauffer driven hire cars.
CHOOK FIGHT FOR FITTLER JR
The Roosters are refusing to enter a bidding war with Rugby Australia for the son of rugby league legend Brad Fittler.
Zach Fittler, 18, has been playing SG Ball in the Roosters pathways and rugby union at Scots College.
Weighing 105kg, he plays centre in union and as an edge forward in rugby league.
The teenager has been approached by both the Waratahs and a Japanese rugby union club.
There is a feeling there will be less expectations on the teenager in union without the comparisons to his famous father.
Roosters boss Nick Politis is a huge fan but won’t put pressure on the youngster, who is doing his HSC this year. The Roosters will leave the door open if he wishes to return in the future.
ROOSTERS HONOUR BONDI HEROES
Luke Keary’s last home-and-away game for the Roosters against the Canberra Raiders next weekend will be as emotional as it gets.
Not that it’s his final regular season premiership game, but that the club is honouring the brave men and women from the police force and emergency service first responders.
“It is really important that we recognise these great people,” Keary said.
“The Westfield Bondi Junction incident was so close to home. Our wives and children use the shopping centre weekly.
“The work of police and first responders shows what they do in the community in the most difficult times. It is really important we can recognise them and reflect on their work.
“I’ve had friends in the police force and they have faced horrible situations. They are all selfless people who put others before themselves. The same with the ambos, the SES workers and the Fireys.”
Senior police officer Amy Scott, who shot Joel Cauchi during April’s stabbing rampage at Westfield in which he killed six people, will fly into the venue on the police helicopter, PolAir, to deliver the match ball.
GET OVER IT, JOEY
It’s scary that some people in the media like Andrew Johns are so out of touch.
Joey said on his podcast last Monday: “I didn’t even know another Immortal was being inducted.” He then banged on about how disrespectful it was that he wasn’t consulted.
The judges met on July 10 to pick the next batch of Hall of Famers and an Immortal.
It’s been reported on and debated in public almost every day for six weeks. Should it be Ron Coote, Cam Smith, Kenny Irvine or even Brett Kenny?
That Joey didn’t know about it would suggest he’s been living under a rock. The negativity from Nine Entertainment personalities can never take away from what was one of the most memorable occasions in rugby league history.
For two weeks we’ve had to cop 2GB Continuous Call commentator Darryl Brohman whinging about Les Boyd’s induction into the Hall of Fame. That he couldn’t get over something that happened FOUR DECADES ago.
And then Joey spat the dummy.
For goodness sake, get over it.
Both of you.
Was the judging system perfect this time around?
Last time I sat on a judging panel with Immortals Johnny Raper and Graeme Langlands they both spoke against Joey being inducted because of his off-field dramas.
Fortunately, everyone else in the room that day closed them down and judged him as the champion footballer that he was.
I only write this to prove filling a judging panel with Immortals is not necessarily the right way to go.
Probably next time Mal Meninga should be included. Maybe even Wayne Bennett or Craig Bellamy as well. It will no doubt be discussed.
In the meantime, let’s just celebrate and honour those who were inducted on Wednesday.
MADGE’S DATE IN DUBAI
Blues Origin coach Michael Maguire and boxing legend Jeff Fenech are long-time close friends.
They caught up in Dubai last week while Fenech was on the way home from a holiday in Europe and Maguire was on his way to Paris.
“Madge is a legend for what he did with NSW this year,” Fenech said.
“It was great to catch up for dinner and listen to some of his Origin stories.
“To come back from one-nil down was a sensational effort.”
BRUISE BROTHERS RE-UNITE
Old bruise brothers Paul Gallen and Greg Bird will reunited this afternoon on the football field in the name of charity.
Together they terrorised opponents of Cronulla, the NSW Blues and Australia with their no-holds-barred footy.
Today they’ll play for Cronulla in the Tynan Old Boys Cup alongside Sharks legends against ex-St George-Illawarra players at halftime at WIN Stadium.
Luke Lewis will captain the Sharks alongside Ben Ross, Andrew Fifita, Todd Carney, Wade Graham, Gallen and Bird.
The Dragons will have Jeremy Latimore, Jason Nightingale, Dan Hunt, Ben Creagh, Beau Scott and Kyle Stanley with Bill Harrigan as referee.
Signed jerseys will be auctioned after the game of touch with proceeds going to Southern Cancer Care and the University of Wollongong’s Molecular Horizon medical research.
AXE TO FALL ON NRL BOSS
I mentioned in this column from Las Vegas in March that an NRL club CEO was facing the axe. He’s since survived for five months … but not for much longer. We’re hearing he’ll be gone in the next few weeks. The club will advertise for a replacement. One very good operator has indicated he is interested.
ALL-AUSSIE AFFAIR
Years of bad-blood is about to boil over in an all-Aussie mega fight between rising superstar Nikita Tszyu and the bad-boy of Aussie boxing, Michael Zerafa.
No Limit promoters George and Matt Rose have been trying to keep it quiet ahead of Nikita’s fight at Darling Harbour on Wednesday against Koen Mazoudier … but the deal is done.
Sydney, Newcastle, the Gold Coast and Melbourne are in the mix to host the biggest domestic bout since Tim Tszyu dethroned Jeff Horn in Townsville in 2020.
Nikita Tszyu must first get through his old NSW amateur teammate Mazoudier, while Zerafa takes on Tommy Browne in the co-main event.
The fight is exclusive to Foxtel’s Main Event and Kayo.
A date in November has been earmarked should both fighters come through unscathed.
The build up to this fight will be massive, such is the animosity between the Tszyu family and Zerafa, who’ve been going at each other for years.
The tipping point in the feud came with Zerafa pulling out of a 2021 showdown with Tim in the week of the fight, citing Covid-19 lockdown concerns.
It’s now left to the younger Tszyu to step up and fight for the family.
Nikita is a bona fide star and the second highest selling pay-per-view fighter in the country behind brother Tim. His fight on Wednesday night is on the verge of selling out.
MITCHELL ON THE DOWN LOW
Latrell Mitchell’s been lying low since the ‘white substance’ photo surfaced a fortnight ago.
The Nikita Tszyu v Koen Mazoudier fight will probably be his first public appearance.
Latrell’s a huge boxing fan and is close to No Limit’s Matt Rose.
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