NRL & NSW Cup Team
So for the purpose of this blog I am going to assume our full strength NRL and NSW Cup side is something like this.
Firstly, before I name the Jersey Flegg team the following players; Sam Tuivita (20), Joash Papalii (21), Richie Penisni(20) and Charlie Guymer(21) are the only 4 from these two lineups that could play in Jersey Flegg. Obviously with injuries many more players under 21 have/will be given the chance to play NSW Cup. Twiddle, Lewis, Nanva, Hunter, & Lokeni have all played a few games of cup this year already. Alamadine, Lynn, Brown, Neemia, De Stradis & Spence have played NSW Cup last year or played one game this year.
Jersey Flegg Team
The Jersey Flegg team is very hard to pick. The coaches have a key decision to make on developing vs winning the competition. The players listed beyond 18 are ordered by position and pecking order if spots become vacant in Jersey Flegg due to injuries/suspensions/promotions of first choice players. So this also gives you a good idea of players pushing to be a part of the playing 17 in their relevant position. However this was difficult to order 100% accurately as the team has been rotated around a lot due to injuries/suspension/form/giving younger players a go. I tried making the extended team list as small as possible so I refrained from adding any SG Ball players who have not made their Jersey Flegg debut.
Player Analysis
As you can see there is an influx of talent coming through the grades. Lot of these players are 21 years old so will not be eligible for Jersey Flegg next year. It is a make or break year for many of these players if they want to have a future at this club. So I hope the club has a strong focus on this development by pushing these players through the grades and giving them more chances in the NSW cup. This means players who have already reached their ceiling need to be moved on whilst having experienced heads to guide these players on their journey in becoming better players. In the current Jersey Flegg team the 21 year olds that we should persist with are Twiddle, Lewis, Nanva, Hunter, Brown, Neemia and De Stradis. Give them an NRL pre-season on train and trial contracts so they can fight for a spot in NSW Cup. Need to remember that there are 30 players on Top 30 contracts and 6 on development contracts. Thats 36 players and only 34 spots in NSW cup and NRL playing 17. Obviously injuries and suspensions happen but the main point is that there is not much space in developing players over 21 years old when there is no guarantee of them being good enough for the NRL. So it is critical that we choose the players to develop as some of the names listed above in this paragraph actually have good potential.
Replies
Bamblett is very talented. He has a trait that is so desirable in that he creates time and space. To do this, you need to have awareness of your opposites. Ability to ' count ' numbers quickly is vital to fullbacks throughout the NRL. Has a nice passing game with the ability to select the correct runner to use and when to run. Whilst he played 5/8 and fullback, his best position is the No 1. Riley DAVIS is another kid that has just blossomed into a try scoring fullback. the HM fullback is a weapon through the middle. He has scored 6 tries in 3 games for his school. Only small too but oozzing with talent. Talen RISATI will play SG ball in 2026. He is a very direct runner at 5/8. He straightens up the attack andd has a high quality catching and passing game.
Finally Sam POLLEY is a eel version of Cameron MURRAY. Never stops and huge motor. Good future I believe.
Yep I compared Polley to Murray a while ago. I think his best position will be at lock even though he played both lock and backrow this year (primarily to accommodate Bell).
Davis reminds me of Walsh.
Steven Nunn is doing well to play front row at that age. Well done young man.
He is from HM so u17 comp. Not sure if he is 16 or 17. He is playing in the schoolboy comp right now
Chris Petrus, seen on fb. He is a PNG
Petrus and Bamblett made the Australian Schoolboy team. Apparently the team selection is very BS as usual in schoolboy footy with too many 'politics.'
It explains why so many Australian school boys fail to make it in the NRL. The best players who should make the team do not due to the bullshit.
Isaac Jim (19)has now jumped many of these rookies and is on the nsw cup bench. Apparently he's something like 196cm and 110kg + and could be the next big thing.
What are your opinions on him guys
Chief,
Isaac JIM is a big boy still growing. He has that puppy fat still on him. Over the next 12 months, he should really define is body and I am seeing a TINO type of player. Finds his feet fast, very reliable on the crash plays scoring a lot of tries in Cup doing this. He is a 20-25 minute opening stint player, so given RYLES likes his middle to play longer minutes he needs to get this area up and fast. Defensively he folds blokes. He can get lazy and will throw an arm out which attracts penalties. However, he is very competive and has that good old ' mongrel ' in him. Closer to NRL than many others at the club IMO.
Interesting PT. I don't rate him much. As you said need to wait a year to get a better understanding on him. He has relied on size a lot in SG Ball as you allude to his crash plays. Needs to work on the other parts of his game this pre season and loose that baby fat
I agree. I don't really rate him much either. Very big but not very athletic. Lumbers around the field rather than moves. The coaches obviously see something I don't so am happy to trust their judgement
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