Young Guns

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Reviewing young players who have had a breakout season in the NRL

Every NRL season a new crop of hopeful future superstars emerges, all of whom have the potential to become breakout stars as they adapt to first grade sports like a duck to water. Harry Grant, Stephen Crichton, and Eliesa Katoa, to name a few, were great rookies who took the NRL by storm last year. This year has been no exception, with some exceptionally gifted young guns pounding on the door for a chance to shine.

Every year in the NRL, many new players explode onto the scene with a sensational debut season. This was the case for last year's Dally M Rookie of the Year, Harry Grant, who managed to get his hands on the famous trophy with an unparalleled season. As a result, he earned a call-up to the Queensland Origin side and played an integral role in their triumphant 2020 series. Penrith's standout centre Stephen Crichton, who scored 17 tries in the Panthers Minor Premiership-winning season last year, was another of last year's rookies who took the game by storm. Now, let's look at some of the new breed of stars in 2021 and place a bet on which will take the world by a storm this year.

Nicho Hynes - Melbourne Storm

Since his debut in 2019, this Storm player had only three tries in 12 games, and he was cruelly denied a spot on the bench in Melbourne's 2020 Grand Final victory. However, due to the injury troubles of starting fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen, his understudy has been able to take full advantage of his opportunity in the No. 1 jersey and hasn't looked back. After 15 rounds, the 25-year-old late bloomer leads the NRL boards with a whopping 19 try assists, (tied with Mitchell Moses) while also scoring four tries and making ten line breaks. Hynes has agreed to a three-year deal with the Sharks starting next season, but he will be hellbent on departing the Storm on a high with a second consecutive premiership.

Brodie Jones - Newcastle Knights

This season, as Tex Hoy has struggled to replace the injured Kalyn Ponga, Brodie Jones has emerged as one of the Knights' finest players in 2021. The 23-year-old had only played seven games prior to the current season, but has appeared in 12 of the Knights' 15 games this season, scoring three tries while stepping in at various positions. Jones has stood in for the injured Tyson Frizell in the back row and has even played in the centres, racking up 690 yards, 11 tackle busts, and four line breaks in the process. The Knights are pushing to quickly secure his services and avoid potential interest from NRL rivals.

Reece Walsh - New Zealand Warriors

This Warriors' breakout star wasn't even on their roster during the preseason, but Reece Walsh, who joined from the Broncos in the middle of the season, is now without doubt one of the league's best loved and most valuable players. The 18-year-old had yet to play a game when he signed a three-year agreement with the Warriors, but he has already scored four tries in seven games. In 2021, Walsh had 29 tackle busts, seven line breaks and seven try assists, earning him a call-up to Queensland's Origin II squad. Unfortunately, Walsh could not play in the Origin series due to a hamstring injury, but the young gun will have plenty of opportunities to serve his country in the future.

Josh Schuster - Manly Sea Eagles

The Sea Eagles star had only played one game before the 2021 season, but his opponent in that game, Benji Marshall, considered it one of the best debuts he had ever seen. In 2021, Schuster had two tries in ten games for Manly, finding a home in the back row with Kieran Foran in the prized No.6 shirt. However, Schuster's early-season form was such that he was only denied a Blues debut in Origin I due to an unfortunate injury at training. This season, the 20-year-old has 24 tackle busts, four line breaks, and five try assists. He also appears to be on track for a long career at club and representative level as a five-eighth or in the back row.

TC Robati - Brisbane Broncos

Tesi Niu has been good in seven games for the Broncos, cementing his spot at fullback, but TC Robati has been the real surprise package at Red Hill. Admittedly, it's a small sample size for the 19-year-old New Zealander, who entered the season with no first-grade experience, but since then he's already scored two tries in four games. Robati has established his spot in the Broncos' starting lineup in recent weeks with five tackle busts, two line breaks, and 182 yards in just four games, with much more to be expected in the second half of the season.

As you can see, the future of the NRL is in safe hands, and three are but a few of the breakout stars lifting us off the edge of our seats. It will be interesting to see how these players finish the season as no doubt the pressure will intensify towards its conclusion.