Memorable Debuts - Round 16

South Sydney Rabbitohs v Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
ANZ Stadium - Friday 7:35pm

Having made his name as a second-rower, few would remember a time when Chris McQueen started off as a longhaired winger. Coming into the Rabbitohs side for the Round 22, 2009 fixture; McQueen acquitted himself perfectly in the top grade, scoring a try in South Sydney's 36-22 victory at Brookvale Oval to keep the Bunnies hopes of September football alive. While he struggled to cement a place in the NRL following a series of injuries, the arrival of Michael Maguire saw McQueen establish himself in the back row, represent the Maroons and claim the Rabbitohs first premiership since 1971.

Brisbane Broncos v Newcastle Knights
Suncorp Stadium - Friday 7:35pm

Having debuted for the Warriors as a 17-year-old in 2004, Cooper Vuna secured mid-season switch to the Knights in 2007, however it wasn't quite the result the Tongan winger was expecting. Taking his place in the Newcastle line-up only days after signing on; Vuna was powerless to prevent the Broncos from delivering their biggest ever win, as well as the Knights greatest ever defeat, with the home side enjoying a 71-6 victory at Suncorp Stadium. While his introduction to the Knights was less than stellar, Vuna quickly became a crowd favourite in Newcastle, forming a deadly combination with fellow winger Akuila Uate. Opting to link up with the new Melbourne Rebels rugby franchise, Vuna departed the Knights at the end of 2010, but not before making amends against the Broncos, scoring four tries to ensure Brisbane missed out on the finals for the first time in two decades.

New Zealand Warriors v Canberra Raiders
Mt Smart Stadium - Saturday 3:00pm

Having scored the match-winning try in extra time during the inaugural Under 20's decider in 2008; Jarrad Kennedy had to wait four years for a call up to first grade, but the second rower was keen to make up for lost time. Coming off the bench in Canberra's 32-12 victory at home in 2012, Kennedy initially struggled to cement a spot in the Raiders squad, but with the arrival of Ricky Stuart in 2014, the versatile forward soon became one of the unsung heroes of the Green Machine's resurgence.

North Queensland Cowboys v Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks
1300SMILES Stadium - Saturday 5:30pm

A regular feature of Memorable Debuts; Arana Taumata made one of several debuts in the NRL for the Cowboys in Round 16, 2010. Having secured a release from Wests Tigers mid-season, the talented playmaker came off the bench for North Queensland in their 20-19 extra-time loss to the Sharks. Playing seven matches in 2010 in the centres and alongside Johnathan Thurston at five-eighth, Taumata knocked back the chance to secure a regular position at the embattled club, instead signing a deal with Penrith.

Parramatta Eels v St. George Illawarra Dragons
Pirtek Stadium - Saturday 7:30pm

More than 45,000 fans turned out to farewell the Parramatta point-scoring prodigy, compared to his debut crowd of in-excess of 100,000 supporters, Luke Burt can boast playing to sell-out crowds among his career highlights. Coming off the bench as a 17-year-old, Burt quickly developed into one of the most proficient backs in the NRL. Featuring in two unsuccessful Grand Finals (2001 & 2009), the Country Origin winger featured in 264 matches for the Blue and Golds, scored 124 tries and finished only behind Michael Cronin as the highest point-scorer in the Eels history (1,793). While the Dragons were able to come away winners in Burt's debut and farewell appearances in the NRL, he will go down as one of the greatest ever players in Parramatta's illustrious history.

Sydney Roosters v Gold Coast Titans
Central Coast Stadium - Sunday 2:00pm

With the Roosters unable to secure any momentum throughout 2012, coach Brian Smith decided to blood a number of future stars during the closing rounds of the season. Among those to make the jump up to the NRL was Roger Tuivasa-Scheck; coming on to the wing for the final six games of the year, the New Zealand flyer was unable to thwart the Gold Coast from coming away with a 36-16 win on debut, but quickly found himself starring under Trent Robinson's coaching. Featuring in the 2013 Premiership winning side, Tuivasa-Scheck then became a star at the World Cup for the Kiwis, before opting to return home in 2016 to join the Warriors.

Wests Tigers v Penrith Panthers
Leichhardt Oval - Sunday 4:00pm

For a player who endured a 141 game scoring-drought from 2006-2013, it's surprising to think that Bryce Gibbs crossed for a try on debut. Coming off the bench as a 19-year-old in the Tigers 44-28 loss to Penrith in 2003, the City Origin prop experienced tremendous success during his tenure at the merged venture, scoring in the 2005 Grand Final win over the Cowboys before linking up with Cronulla in 2012. Suffering a series of injuries during his time at the Sharks, Gibbs finished up in the NRL with 197 games.

Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs v Melbourne Storm
Belmore Sports Ground - Monday 7:00pm

With Greg Eastwood pulling out in the warm-up, future representative forward Josh Jackson pulled on the Bulldogs jersey for the first time at an unlikely venue. Coming off the bench in the 20-4 win over Melbourne in Mackay, Jackson went on to become a starting player for Canterbury in two Grand Final defeats in 2012 and 2014. While the heartache of going down twice in October remains, the versatile back-rower has experienced considerable success in the representative arena; featuring for Country, New South Wales and Australia in less than 100 first grade matches.

That's all for this week, stay tuned for next week's edition of Memorable Debuts where we'll look at three Cowboys to debut on the same night, Jeff Robson's connection with Manly and Cronulla, plus the final installment of the Origin trilogy: Deciding Debuts.