NRL Rookie Watch: Which Dragons are worth keeping an eye on in 2023?

With the 2023 NRL season nearing, we list the crop of rookies from each club worth keeping tabs on as they aim to join the elite list of budding stars with a Rookie of the Year award to their name.

As per the NRL, “players are eligible for the Rookie of the Year in their debut season and the subsequent two NRL seasons … Once a player plays five (5) NRL Premiership matches (or English Super League matches), he becomes ineligible for the Rookie of the Year in any subsequent seasons”.

Connor Muhleisen

The starting nine of Illawarra’s 2019 S.G. Ball premiership-winning side, Muhleisen has looked on the cusp of an NRL debut for some time now and, with Andrew McCullough no longer at the club, the 21-year-old will look to make the most of his 2023 campaign. Muhleisen started 20 games at hooker for the Dragons’ NSW Cup side last season scoring six tries, assisting on four others, and making 701 tackles at 95 per cent efficiency. He played the full 80 in eight of those 20 games and made 40-plus tackles in six of them. A workhorse dummy-half, Muhleisen may find himself competing with Haele Finau for NSW Cup minutes and potentially NRL minutes as the season progresses. He played five-eighth in the Dragons’ trial against St Helens making a game-high 35 tackles and linking up with his outside men on several occasions.

Jackson Shereb

Another member of Illawarra’s successful S.G. Ball side, Shereb will look to continue improving after earning NSW Cup nods over the past two seasons. A crafty and versatile forward, Shereb made 19 Jersey Flegg appearances last year for the Dragons and progresses to a development deal for 2023. The 21-year-old ran for 105 meters and made 25 tackles in his opening NSW Cup hit-out of last season and will be eager to cement his spot in the side and beyond this upcoming season. St. George Illawarra’s edge forward stocks are ultra-thin with Jaydn Su’A the only player established as a second-rower in the squad. Ben Murdoch-Masila and Billy Burns are expected to fight for the vacancy on the left edge along with Jack Bird perhaps once he is fit. A strong start in NSW Cup could prove invaluable for Shereb who will look to make the leap up to the big leagues this season under head coach Anthony Griffin.

Haele Finau

A Melbourne product, Finau is fresh off a breakout Queensland Cup season and will look to earn an NRL debut this season at the Red V. A scheming dummy-half, Finau scored eight tries in 18 games last year for the Brisbane Tigers and finished with 40 tackle breaks and 11 line-breaks. In the side’s Round 15 win over Souths Logan, he scored a try, broke five tackles, ran for 116 metres and made 31 tackles. The 22-year-old will be targeting a first-grade berth this season and may be at the club do so. McCullough’s offseason retirement left the Dragons scrambling to replenish their hooking stocks and, whilst former Wests Tiger Jacob Liddle is set to start the season at nine, a strong NSW Cup campaign could earn Finau a shot at a later stage of the season.

Savelio Tamale

The Dragons have high hopes for 18-year-old Tamale after recruiting the highly-touted athlete from the Waratahs this offseason. Dragons fans caught their first glimpse of Tamale two weekends ago when he made his S.G. Ball debut for the Steelers before being fast-tracked into their extended squad for their trial against St Helens where he bagged a late four-pointer. Able to play in both the centres and the back-row, Tamale has been named among the reserves again this weekend for the Charity Shield. Whilst an NRL debut may seem a distance away, the Dragons are less than two years removed from promoting Talatau Amone straight from S.G. Ball to NRL so Tamale’s opportunity could come sooner than expected. He will be eager to earn an under-19s NSW jersey midyear and continue making strides across whichever grade he finds himself in as the season progresses.

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