Memorable Debuts – Round 13

Welcome to Memorable Debuts, a feature of LeagueUnlimited.com where we take a look at the upcoming matches of the round and see which players debuted in the same game all those years ago.

Brisbane Broncos v Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Suncorp Stadium - Friday 7:35pm

He may have struggled to break into the Manly backline lately, but back in 2008, David Williams experienced tremendous success starting off with a 30-12 win over the Broncos on debut. Scoring a try in the Sea Eagles 40-0 Grand Final win over the Storm, Williams followed up with appearances for Australia and New South Wales before a string of injuries plagued his career. Enjoying an injury-free 2013 season where he topped the NRL try-scoring ranks (20), the player dubbed "The Wolfman" has worked his way back into the Manly first grade side and will be hoping to replicate his match-winning try over the Broncos in 2012 on Friday night if selected.

Wests Tigers v Gold Coast Titans
Leichhardt Oval - Friday 7:35pm

Brett Hodgson may have had the final laugh in the Tigers 28-12 win over the Titans in 2008, but for Selasi Berdie, his first game in the NRL proved just as sweet as Hodgson's last. Playing off the bench, the Ghanaian forward only managed one further appearance in the top grade, before retiring to focus on his studies in Exercise Science and Sports Management.

Newcastle Knights v Canberra Raiders
Hunter Stadium - Saturday 3:00pm

For many sides, scoring 32 points should be enough to run out victors. But in 2006, a defenceless game saw the Raiders go down 70-32 to Newcastle in the highest-scoring match in premiership history. Making his debut at fullback, William Zillman crossed for a double, but was powerless to stop an Andrew Johns inspired Newcastle side. While Zillman's time in the nations capital was cut short by a series of long-term injuries, he has been a mainstay of the Titans side since joining the Gold Coast in 2009, racking up over 100 games and 39 tries.

South Sydney Rabbitohs v Warriors
nib Stadium - Saturday 5:30pm

While he was unable to play a part in South Sydney's drought-breaking 2014 premiership, Nathan Merritt does hold a historic place in Rabbitohs history. Coming off the bench for his debut in 2002, Merritt crossed for the first of 146 tries for the Red and Green's, making him the most prolific try-scorer for South Sydney. While he did spend two seasons with Cronulla in 2004-05 (19 games), Merritt will be best remembered as a Rabbitohs fan-favourite, finishing up as the second-most capped player with 218 appearances across 11 seasons in first grade.

Penrith Panthers v Melbourne Storm
Pepper Stadium - Saturday 7:30pm

The final scoreline may have read 42-10 in favour of Melbourne, but for Penrith junior Trent Waterhouse, the end result was of little consequence in his maiden NRL appearance. Coming off the bench, Waterhouse featured in the Panthers 18-6 Grand Final win over the Roosters in 2003, before representing Australia (11) and New South Wales (5) on numerous occasions. Leaving the Panthers at the end of 2011 to take up a contract with Warrington in the English Super League, Waterhouse featured in two Grand Final losses with the Wolves before returning to Australia to take up a contract with Thirroul in the Illawarra Coal Rugby League.

Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks v Sydney Roosters
Remondis Stadium - Sunday 4:00pm

After suffering a humiliating 56-0 thrashing at the hands of Manly a week earlier, Roosters legend Brad Fittler was appointed interim coach in the hope the struggling side would avoid the wooden spoon. Coming up against the Sharks in his maiden game, Fittler inspired the Roosters to a 23-12 victory, with Joel Monaghan crossing for a treble of tries. With the Eastern Suburbs club winning five of their last eight matches, Fittler was appointed head coach for the next two seasons before a disappointing 2009 season saw him replaced by Brian Smith.

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs v St. George Illawarra Dragons
ANZ Stadium - Monday 4:00pm

His time in first grade may have been limited, but Wise Kativerata managed to pave the way for the wealth of Fijian flyers currently in the NRL. Coming off the bench in the Dragons 26-14 win over Canterbury in 2001, Kativerata enjoyed his best season with South Sydney in 2003 where he scored six tries in nine games, including a hat-trick in the Rabbitohs 41-14 win over Melbourne. Signing with Parramatta a year later, Kativerata finished his professional career with 16 games across four years.

Parramatta Eels v North Queensland Cowboys
Pirtek Stadium - Monday 7:00pm

While the Round 8, 2009 meeting between the Eels and Cowboys is best remembered for Jarryd Hayne's move to fullback, a young James Tamou made a try-scoring debut in Parramatta's 28-18 win. Coming off the bench, Tamou played 12 games in his rookie season, before establishing himself as one of the premier forwards in the NRL. Representing Australia on 11 occasions, the Palmerston junior has also been a mainstay of the New South Wales side in recent seasons.

That's all for this week, stay tuned for next week's edition of Memorable Debuts where we'll look at Dylan Farrell's first-up hat-trick, the Titans prolific try-scoring winger and some classic Melbourne Origin moments.