NRL Young Guns To Look Out For In 2019

The NRL season is only just around the corner and with so many young stars ready to make their mark in 2019, we thought we’d fill you in on who to look out for.

15. Isaiah Papali’i (Prop) – New Zealand Warriors

With Simon Mannering hanging up his boots the Warriors were looking for a suitable replacement and to our eye it looks like they’ve found one. Papali’i has gone from a promising 1st XV rugby player to a Warriors’ constant in the space of just two years. 

14. Alexander Brimson (Fullback) – Gold Coast Titans

Brimson burst onto the NRL scene last year at five-eighth but found a home at fullback in the latter stages of the season. He has the ability to create something out of nothing which saw him cross the line for seven tries last season.

13. Lachlan Lewis (Five-Eighth) – Canterbury Bulldogs

Lewis burst on to the scene in style, making his NRL debut in round 16 against the Newcastle Knights. The talented half showed composure and class in his first NRL season and impressed everyone with his toughness on the field.

The five-eighth finished the season with 9 games, 9 forced dropouts, 322.5 average kicking metres per game, 3 try assists, 3 line-break assists, 4 offloads, 210 tackles, 52.6 average running metres and a tackle efficiency of 83%. The 22-year old capped off his first year in the NRL by claiming the Bulldogs’ Rookie of the Year award. He also extended his contract with the Bulldogs until the end of 2020.

12. Albert Hopoate (Fullback) – Manly Sea Eagles

Albert is the son of former Tiger and Sea Eagle John and brother of Bulldog Will so it’s fair to say he is bred to be good.

The Sea Eagles have lost Brian Kelly, Akuila Uate and Matt Wright over the off-season. Furthermore, Dylan Walker was recently stood down from training following an assault charge so there is room for the young man to take up a full-time role in the team if he can prove he deserves it.

Hopoate has impressed for NSW under-16s and Manly under-16s in 2017. Unfortunately, he missed most of the 2018 season rehabbing an ACL injury. If Dylan Walker’s off-field indiscretions see him miss any NRL action, expect Hopoate to be in the mix for selection.

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11. Chanel Harris-Tavita (Halfback) – New Zealand Warriors

A clever ball player, Chanel was named the club’s 2017 NYC player of the year and with Shaun Johnson no longer at the club it is vital that the Warriors find a suitable replacement.

Chanel and Hayze Perham have been nominated by Kearney as the frontrunners to replace Shaun Johnson. Harris-Tavita looms as the more likely starter in Round 1 given Perham played all of last season at Fullback in NSW Cup. Chanel was also impressive for the Junior Kiwis, producing a remarkable ‘scorpion kick’ try assist for the highlight reel.

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10. Kyle Flannagan (HalfBack) – Cronulla Sharks

He carries the expectations of many as a coach’s son, however Kyle Flanagan has so far put aside the pressure and produced the goods during the early stages of his footballing career.

Flanagan, a member of the Emerging Blues squad in 2018, made his debut in a win over the Knights last season and looked anything but nervous. A natural leader who is bound to make his mark in 2019.

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9. Dylan Brown – (Halfback) – Parramatta Eels

Dylan Brown hasn’t played a game of first grade yet, but that didn’t stop him from being an off-season transfer target. Following Shaun Johnson’s departure from the Warriors, the media reported that they were set to offer him a six-year, multimillion-dollar deal. This never transpired, with speculation that the Eels issued a ‘hands off’ warning. 

Brown is currently training with the Eels first-grade squad and occasionally lining up with Corey Norman or Mitchell Moses in opposed sessions. He impressed in New South Wales Cup last season after debuting in Round 19, with his running game being his greatest asset.

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8. Cameron Murray (Lock) – South Sydney Rabbitohs

Cameron made his NRL debut in Round 8 of the 2017 season and hasn’t looked back since, playing a further 9 games and scoring a try in the process. A Souths Junior who has held many leadership roles, including captaining the NSW under 20’s side last season, Cam will be looking to build on his first-grade experience and cement a place in the Rabbitoh’s backrow.

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7. Brandon Smith (Hooker) – Melbourne Storm

An incredibly tough and hard-nosed youngster not afraid to take on the opposition line. His first three games at NRL level showed Smith has the game awareness and passion to enjoy a bright future in Melbourne.

Melbourne’s hooker-in-waiting is learning from the best in Cameron Smith and he made his Kiwis debut in the recent win over the Kangaroos. The exciting playmaker re-signed with Storm midway through 2017 for a further five years.

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6. Zac Lomax (Wing) – St. George Illawarra Dragons

Blues coach Brad Fittler has labelled Lomax as ‘the gifted one’. Lomax was impressive for a victorious NSW under-18s side under Fittler in 2017. Moreover, despite having just two regular season NRL games under his belt, Paul McGregor showed confidence in the youngster by playing him in the Dragons’ finals matches.

Lomax is a versatile backline player, having logged games at both centre and wing in the NSW Cup last season. Although he is expected to start on the wing, don’t be surprised if he ends up at centre or fullback by season’s end if injuries strike.

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5. Nick Cotric (Centre) – Canberra Raiders

Nick Cotric had a sensational season in 2017 as he played in every match and amassed 16 tries for the season. He also finished second overall for tackle breaks and line breaks.

The 19 year old won plenty of praise for his performances during the season and became the first Raiders to be named as NRL Rookie of the Year since Mark McLinden in 1998.

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4. Joseph Manu (Centre) – Sydney Roosters

Following a breakout 2018 season, Joseph Manu continues to grow in what’s been an impressive young career so far at the Sydney Roosters.

He has a major list of accomplishments with the Roosters at such a young age, including an S.G. Ball Championship, Holden Cup Championship, Auckland Nines Championship and now an NRL Premiership in 2018.

Although the centre’s look to be tied up at the Roosters we expect Manu to show his quality at some point during the season.

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3. Dylan Edwards (Fullback) – Penrith Panthers

Edwards progressed through the junior grades at Panthers and was a member of the premiership-winning Panthers NYC side in 2015. The following year he represented the Junior Kangaroos and made his first-grade debut on the wing. His breakthrough season came in 2017 as he established himself as the club’s first-choice fullback and was named co-winner of the Ben Alexander Rookie of the Year Award. Sadly a serious shoulder injury ended his 2018 season after only eight games.

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2. Matthew Dufty (Fullback) – St. George Illawarra Dragons

Dufty’s speed and acceleration are enough to have any team worried. His 2018 season was impressive and with some confidence and experience under his belt we’re excited to see this young fullback light up the field this season.

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1. Kalyn Ponga (Fullback) – Newcastle Knights

There was plenty of pressure from hype and expectation on the young shoulders of Ponga coming into 2018. But the kid with the big step lived up to it all, and then some, finishing second in the Dally M voting.

His elusiveness and his speed make him a threat to every player in the NRL. There is talk that he will switch to the halves this year in an attempt to make him the complete player and if what we’ve seen so far is anything to go by we can’t see why he wouldn’t dominate games in any position.

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