NRL Rookie Watch: Which Eels 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”.

Sean Russell

Having made three NRL appearances over the past two years and notching five tries, Russell looks primed for a big 2023 as the Eels look to go one further after a Grand Final defeat at the hands of the Penrith. Russell started on the left wing for Parramatta last year with Maika Sivo and Haze Dunster both unavailable and snagged a first-half hat-trick in Round 1 against the Gold Coast before a stray cover tackle fractured his ribs and punctured his lung. He returned to Parramatta’s NSW Cup team after close to two months off and spent the remainder of the season on the wing for the side. In 15 appearances, he scored 12 tries and averaged 97 run metres. In his final five games of the season, he scored seven tries and ran for 100-plus metres in four of them. The 20-year-old has been named at fullback in Parramatta’s preseason clash against Penrith this weekend as he looks to cement himself as Clint Gutherson’s understudy.

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Samuel Loizou

Loizou made his NRL debut off the bench against Penrith in Round 25 of 2021 but did not feature in first-grade at any stage in 2022. He did, however, make 19 NSW Cup appearances scoring nine tries and averaging 100 run metres per game. In his penultimate outing of the season, he notched a try double, broke four tackles, and ran for 113 metres. He spent close to the entirety of the season in the centres and has been named to start there in Parramatta’s preseason clash this weekend. The youngest member of the 2019 Australian Schoolboys, Loizou will hope to come across some more NRL action this season. With Marata Niukore, Tom Opacic, and Hayze Perham having departed the club, the 20-year-old will like his chances of proving himself as a valuable depth piece in the outside backs for head coach Brad Arthur.

Toni Mataele

A hulking edge forward, Mataele is on a development deal with the Eels this season and will push for an NRL debut towards the backend of the season. Mataele made the move back to Parramatta from Newcastle last year appearing in eight NSW Cup games and averaging 117 run metres. In the side’s Round 20 loss to Penrith, he scored a try, broke three tackles, ran for 145 metres and made 27 tackles. Mataele has been named in the reserves for Parramatta’s trial this weekend and could be one to keep an eye on depending on his minutes distribution. With Isaiah Papali’i, Marata Niukore, Oregon Kaufusi and Ray Stone all now elsewhere, Mataele will hope to shoot up Parramatta’s depth chart and earn an elusive NRL debut.

Blaize Talagi

A highly-touted five-eighth from Wentworthville, Talagi is on a development deal with the Eels this season and, whilst an NRL debut may not be on the immediate horizon, looks a killer prospect. Talagi has been named in Parramatta’s S.G. Ball squad for this season but will hope to push for Jersey Flegg and NSW Cup time as the season progresses, although, he would not be the first player to make the leap straight from under-19s to NRL. With Dylan Brown recently reupping with Parramatta long-term, Talagi’s path towards an NRL debut may come through an avenue outside of the halves; perhaps, the centres where he has spent time as a junior.

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