One thing Parramatta are actually a chance of winning this year is the NRL rookie of the year award with Blaize Talagi.
Talagi looks set to go head-to-head with another leading first-year contender, Melbourne’s Sua Fa’alogo, on Friday night.
NRL rookie-of-the-year contenders: Sua Fa’alogo, Blaize Talagi and Ethan Strange.Credit: Jamie Brown/SMH
Arguably the only player who stands in the way of Talagi and Fa’alogo is Canberra’s Ethan Strange.
Wests Tigers rookie Lachie Galvin would have been favourite for the award, but a two-match suspension in round four ruled him ineligible for the gong.
Talagi has made plenty of headlines after attracting interest from St George Illawarra and Newcastle, and interim Eels coach Trent Barrett said on Thursday he could certainly appreciate the interest in the 19-year-old local junior.
While Talagi has been touted as a future fullback for the Eels, Barrett maintains he would be better suited to five-eighth or centre, and potentially – and eventually – at lock forward.
“Blaize is a tough kid, a really good defender, and he’s doing it all on natural ability – he’s going to be a very good player,” Barrett told this masthead.
“I think he’ll be a good No.6 or centre. He could even end up a lock forward because of his size.
“You get a kick out of working with rookies like him, especially when things aren’t going well [on the ladder]. It’s just exciting for him and his family. It keeps you motivated when you can try and help kids like Blaize.
“From an attacking point of view he would handle fullback on his head, but there is a lot of work to do defensively in that position. It takes years to learn. I’ve also got ‘Gutho’ [Clint Gutherson] there. He’s so important for us on both sides of the ball.
Blaize Talagi will play against Melbourne on Friday night.Credit: Getty Images
“You have to be careful with these kids and not just throw them to the wolves.”
Barrett was aware of the threat Fa’alogo posed when coming off the bench. He only played a few minutes against the Roosters last weekend and scored.
“Sua is so dangerous, so fast – he’s scary,” Barrett said.
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy was grateful to work with Fa’logo, and said of his season to date: “We’ve seen how dangerous he is. He has an innate ability to know where space is.
“He’s one of those players everyone loves watching because of how quick he is – he’s as quick as any player I’ve seen, not so much in a straight line, but how he changes direction.”
The NRL rookie of the year was won by Penrith’s Sunia Turuva last year, North Queensland’s Jeremiah Nanai in 2022, and Sydney Roosters half Sam Walker in 2021.
Harry Grant (2020), Payne Haas (2019), Luke Brooks (2014), George Burgess (2013), Adam Reynolds (2012), Daly Cherry-Evans (2011), Israel Folau (2007), Jarryd Hayne (2006), and popular Parramatta prop Michael Vella (1999) are some of the other notable victors.
Rookies cannot have played five or more games in the previous two seasons, which ruled out Brisbane’s Deine Mariner and Gold Coast flyer Keano Kini this year.
This masthead ran the rule over some of this year’s other contenders.
Ethan Strange (Canberra): Who thought the Raiders would unearth such a handy No.6 following the departure of Jack Wighton?
Coach Ricky Stuart said: “For a young player who has had so much pressure on him when his experienced No.7 [Jamal Fogarty] has been out for 90 per cent of the season, he’s shouldered the load, and taken the challenge on really well.”
Daniel Atkinson (Sharks): The utility single-handedly won Cronulla a game against Melbourne earlier in the year when there was no Braydon Trindall and Nicho Hynes was a late scratching.
Atkinson, an Italian international the club unsuccessfully tried recruiting in 2022, has stood in admirably for the Sharks when Trindall missed games due to drug driving charges and Hynes was unavailable through injuries.
Jack Bostock/Max Plath (Dolphins): Former Dragons flyer Bostock has been all class on the left wing for the Dragons, scoring 15 tries, and out-leaping plenty of rivals with his rangy frame. Plath has also been a workhorse in the middle, and displayed solid dummy-half work for the injured Jeremy Marshall-King.
Liam Henry (Panthers): The giant Panthers prop has been excellent replacing Spencer Leniu in a bench forward role. Leniu was known for his explosive, while Henry, has a reputation for relishing hard work and running.
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