5 players to make an impact in 2014

Will Hopoate – Eels

He’s only 21, he hasn’t played in the NRL for two seasons, and yet he’s already won a premiership and played State of Origin where he scored a try on debut as the second youngest player to ever play for NSW. Now after his two year Mormon mission, he returns to the NRL having left a Manly outfit that was on top of the NRL he now joins a team that has claimed back to back wooden spoons and last made the top 8 when Hopoate had not even entered first grade. For Elder Will Hopoate, he was unable to watch the horrid last two seasons the Eels have endured, accessing media isn’t permitted throughout his mission. But according to the Eels strength and conditioning team, it’s all systems go for Hoppa. He has the potential to be one of the truly elite players in the game, big, strong, fast, skilled, a great leader and he has his head very firmly screwed on. The Eels are going to be turning to him often so he’s going to be seeing plenty of ball and plenty of opportunities to show his skill surrounded by a young and improving Eels backline cast.

Elijah Taylor – Panthers

After three seasons and 67 appearances for the Warriors, the 23 year old Kiwi international makes his way to Penrith to join past coach Ivan Cleary and the Panthers. Taylor’s 2012 campaign got off to a rocky start playing at hooker in place of the injured Nathan Friend and also doing a stint off the bench, but once he was shifted back to a more natural spot of lock, Taylor blossomed. A fantasy NRL players dream, Taylor has a huge motor and eats up a tremendous number of tackles while also having a good level head and a few nifty skills with the ball to go with it. Taylor brings a no nonsense, workman like approach to the field and should continue to improve if he is afforded some stability in his selection to make the Penrith 13 jersey his own. If that happens, expect a lot of people to start taking a lot more notice of Taylor than they have in the past with Penrith likely drawing a lot of spotlight this season. He is a player that you can trust to bring it all every week, a former Toyota Cup captain, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see Taylor grow into a great captain in first grade as well.

Adam Reynolds – Rabbitohs

I’ve chewed many peoples ears about this guy and that won’t be stopping anytime soon. As far as I’m concerned, Adam Reynolds is already the third best player wearing the number 7 in the NRL behind only Cooper Cronk and Daly Cherry-Evans. The 2012 NRL rookie of the year and leading points scorer, Reynolds made an immediate impact in the top grade helping lead the Bunnies resurgence to being one of the elite teams in the competition. Reynolds toolset is excellent, his short and long range kicking is precise and he’s a master of helping the Bunnies earn repeat sets. He’s not a big bloke at 173 and 85kg but he’s as hearty and tough as anyone else on the field. For years NSW have cried out for a long term solution in the halves, making futile changes year after year with no success, it’s time for Reynolds to be given the keys. In this his third year I expect him to continue to evolve, to continue to prove that he should be mentioned whenever the top halfbacks are being discussed and to show that he is the Blues halfback of the future.

Ben Barba – Broncos

We all know the ability of Barba. 2012 leading try scorer, Fullback of the Year, Provan-Summons medal winner, Peter Frilingos headline moment of the year and, most importantly, the Dally M medal winner. In 2012 Ben Barba was the toast of Rugby League, playing the best football we’d seen since Jarryd Hayne’s magical 2009 season, every minute he was on the field was can’t miss football you never knew what was going to come out of his bag of tricks next as he helped lead the Bulldogs to the Grand Final. Fast forward to 2012 and Barba’s radiant light was reduced to a mere flicker. Stood down indefinitely to begin the season while he entered a facility to assist him with gambling and alcohol issues, his family life fell apart in the public eye amongst plenty of rumour and speculation, and to make matters worse when Barba returned to the field he was hampered by injuries. At just 24, Barba now joins the Broncos, closer to home with presumably a clearer head and hopefully recovered from his injury woes. He may not quite hit the dizzying heights of 2012, to play at that level was never going to be sustainable, but I expect Barba to spring back to being one of the real treats to watch in the NRL. 

Greg Inglis – Rabbitohs

Well everyone will predict this one, but this is the man I see winning the Dally M unless injuries get in his way. Greg Inglis is the LeBron James of the NRL, he’s the prototype of what the perfect Rugby League player should be, scientists are trying to engineer another one of this guy. 195cm 105kg, lean, mean, fast, powerful and yet so talented that he’s won both Five-eighth of the year and Fullback of the year while being the Queensland and Australian centre and having the most tries in Origin history. At 27, we may still be yet to see the peak of GI’s powers, and he’s no doubt going to have a point to prove after his Rabbitohs flamed out in the playoffs. Whether you like the Bunnies or not, whether you like Queensland or not, whether you like Australia or not, try to enjoy the spectacle that is possibly the greatest athlete to have ever played Rugby League.

5 youngsters to watch out for in the 2014 NRL season

Toka Likiliki –  Prop Knights

If you haven’t seen Likiliki on the field, you’ll notice him pretty quickly the first time you watch him as the guy that’s 186cm tall and 127kg. A monster with the ball in hand, Likiliki is deceptively skilled and versatile for such a mountain of a player with fantastic explosiveness that can be used off the bench in short, brutal dosages but has even been used on the wing at times throughout his Under 20s career. A member of the junior Kiwis and former Warriors junior, it’s a beauty watching this big boy in action, don’t be surprised to see him very quickly become a fan favourite once he brings his hulking frame and destructive runs to first grade.

Luke Keary – Halfback/Five Eighth Rabbitohs

A member of the 2012 Toyota Cup player of the year squad, Keary has already became a familiar face to many NRL fans having played 10 games for the Rabbitohs in 2013. But many of these games came off the bench as the Rabbitohs sought to slowly blood the young half behind their top pivots Adam Reynolds and John Sutton and so has yet to really be able to show his wares. From what we have seen of him, Keary hasn’t looked out of his depth at all in first grade and will give the Rabbitohs a real conundrum this year trying to find a place for him with two such classy halves already on deck. Keary has a fantastic all around skill set that would be great for an off the bench utility role if the Bunnies desired, but Keary’s talent demands much more.

Michael Chee Kam – Second row/centre Sea Eagles

Big things were expected of the Kiwi born, Australian School Boys junior Michael Chee Kam in 2013 having been snatched up by the Eagles from the Raiders system. Another from the 2012 Toyota Cup team of the year, fans were hoping that the 189cm 103kg youngster would help fill the void of the departing Tony Williams. Unfortunately, injuries robbed Chee Kam of his 2013 season and all of the pre-season hype was left unfulfilled, but at just 22 years of age there’s no reason to think that with a strong build up to 2014 that Chee Kam can’t bounce back and make the impact that so many were expecting from him last year. Chee Kam has plenty of strength and the potential to be very damaging with the ball in hand, with Manly he’ll need to put in a lot of work to earn minutes at such a deep club, but they have a fantastic culture for a young talented player like this to play with.

David Klemmer – Prop Bulldogs

The 2012 Toyota Cup player of the made 4 early season appearances for the Bulldogs in 2013 and quickly showed he was more than up for it. So high are the wraps on Klemmer that the Dogs locked him up to a 3 year extension last year worth nearly $1 million as a 19 year old who was yet to make a first grade appearance. A towering 200cm tall and tipping the scales at 120kg, Klemmer has shown an incredible engine, capable of carting his huge frame around the park for the best part of 80 minutes.  In the 2012 Toyota Cup campaign, Klemmer ate up 4208 metres for an average of 180 per game, while making 137 tackle busts and 55 offloads. It’s a big step up from the Under 20s to the NRL, but his gigantic size makes almost everyone else in the competition look like his junior.

Luke Brooks – Halfback Tigers

Granted a one off exemption by the NRL due to salary cap constraints, the Tigers unveiled wonder-kid Luke Brooks to the Rugby League in round 24 at the Sydney Cricket Ground and Brooks proved worthy of the hype, turning in a try scoring man of the match performance as the Tigers took care of the Dragons. Brooks is deemed by many to be not only a superstar, but one of the generational talents to come through the sport, drawing several comparisons to the legendary Andrew Johns. Brooks has a great short and long range kicking game, knows how to steer a team around the park and doesn’t shy away from the tough stuff on defence. Heading into 2014, no youngster brings with him higher expectations than Luke Brooks.

Early tips for the 2014 NRL season

Top 8 finish – Titans 3.25 @ Bet365

The Titans finished 2013 in 9^th places, missing the playoffs by just 2 points with the 8^th best attack in the competition and 9^th best defence but injuries to several key players hamstrung them throughout pivotal points of the season. On paper the Titans are a much better team than a lot of people give them credit for. Their halves pairing lacks experience, but on talent the combination of Aidan Sezer and Albert Kelly is matched by few other pairs in the competition. During their first season together they meshed incredibly well with the calculated kicking game of Sezer beautifully complimented by the gamebreaking ability of Kelly. Up front the Titans pack is led by three of the best representative forwards of recent years in Nate Myles, Greg Bird and Ash Harrison. They pack plenty of size and muscle in the likes of Big Dave Taylor, Ryan James, Luke Douglas, Luke Bailey, Matt White while young hooker Matt Srama has shown he can punch well above his weight during his time in first grade. In the backs while they’ve just lost the enigmatic monster Jamal Idris, they’ve added former Storm strike weapon Maurice Blair who they’ll be hoping doesn’t suffer the same fate as so many others who have departed Melbourne. They also possess one of the fastest pairs of backs in the competition in David Mead and Kevin Gordon while Will Zillman is a very talented and versatile option who flies under the radar. This team has a lot going for it, if they can stay healthy then I have them pencilled in to my top 8.

Dally M – Greg Inglis 8.00 @ Bet365

The hot tip of many to walk away with the award last year, Inglis claimed the Dally M Fullback of the Year and Provan-Summons award in 2013 but fell short of the top prize. Prior to his late season knee injury, Inglis was unquestionably the most destructive attacking weapon in the competition. A former five-eight of the year, Origin and International centre and now playing at fullback and deemed the best in the competition there, Inglis has all the talent in the world and a herculean build to match. At just 26 with a birthday around the corner, the strapping Rabbitoh won’t likely be slowing down this year surrounded by a star studded Bunnies team. Inglis is arguably the greatest athlete the game has ever seen and looks to be at the height of his powers, it’s going to take an incredible effort for anybody to beat him this year.

Grand Final Winner  - Rabbitohs 6.50 @ Bet365

Many, including myself, thought 2013 would be the year the Bunnies went all the way. The third ranked attack and fourth ranked defence led Souths to finishing the 2013 tied at the top with 40 points winning 75% of their games. After flaming out in 2012 after star halfback Adam Reynolds picked up an injury against the Dogs, things were shaping up nicely for the Bunnies as they took down the Storm in their qualifying final but Manly put a halt to proceedings in the preliminary final sending them home 30 to 20. While the Bunnies certainly had a few old heads at the club, this team still has plenty of room to grow with key players like Adam Reynolds and George Burgess just 23 and 21, the Rabbitohs also spent last year blooding boom young half Luke Keary into the first grade side and they’re lead by some of the truly elite talents in the world with Sam Burgess, Greg Inglis and Issac Luke who show no signs of slowing down. The perfect script for 2013 that so many spoke of was a Bunnies vs Roosters final, the Bunnies could not do their part but so often in sport we see teams need to lose like that before they can cross the final hurdle, now is the time for Souths to finally bring the glory back to South Sydney.

Early tips for the 2014 Super Rugby Season

Winning Nationality – New Zealand $1.90 @bet365

Call me a biased Kiwi but since the conception of Super Rugby, New Zealand teams have accounted for 12 championships compared to just 3 each for Australia and South Africa and New Zealand Rugby showed little sign of slowing down throughout the 2013 year. The back to back champion Chiefs come in favourites once again and with good reason with several core players still young and developing despite having already achieved such great success. Players like Aaron Cruden (25) Ben Afeaki (25) Ben Tameifuna (22) Tawera Kerr-Barlow (23) Sam Cane (21) are already world class talents who still have plenty of room to grow. It’s scary to think that this Chiefs outfit that has already won two titles in a row could still just be scratching the surface, but they account for a significant portion of what is looked to be the future of the All Black side. But you aren’t just betting on the Chiefs, you’re betting on the always threatening Crusaders and with the talent at the Blues, Hurricanes and Highlanders there’s always a chance they put all the pieces together as well.

Top Australian Team – Reds $3.50 @bet365

In an up and down year for the Wallabies, it came as no surprise to me that when the Australian side once again opened their arms to Quade Cooper that things started to head in a better direction. One of the most polarising players in the Southern Hemisphere, there’s little debate that when he puts it together he’s a world beating talent, and combined with Will Genia in the halves they have the potential to be as good as any halfback/first five combinations out there. It was only 2011 that we saw this tandem help lead the Reds to a Super Rugby title with an exhilarating brand of Rugby that left defences clueless and fans out of their seats. Well supported by the likes of Mike Harris, James Horwill and the Fainga’as if Cooper and Genia continue their march back into form then there’s no reason why they couldn’t once again set Super Rugby alight.

To make the top 6 – Cheetahs $3.50 @bet365

Since their return to the competition in 2006, the Cheetahs had failed to finish any higher than 10^th on the ladder, until last year when they dashed in to 6^th place and earned themselves their first post season appearance. While they were lost in that qualifier, it was a huge accomplishment for a team that for so long had been one of the running jokes of the competition. Despite a 10 win 6 loss record, many pundits failed to acknowledge the improved play of this young Cheetahs outfit after being acclimatised to seeing them as the easy beats for so long. The Cheetahs represent an exciting outlook for the future of South African Rugby, determined to move away from the confined, 10 man style game that the South Africans have grown accustomed to. The Cheetahs, led by dynamic young five eight Johan Goosen, have plenty of flair and love to toss the ball around, an exciting attacking game that countless Super Rugby teams have proven can be very successful at this level. After an injury riddled 2013 campaign, Goosen, who at 21 has already notched 4 caps for the Springboks, will be desperate to stamp his authority quickly in his quest to make the South African number 10 jersey his own. The Cheetahs play in such a positive fashion and have proven they’re capable of being amongst the top of this competition, this year the pressure is on for them to show they can do that consistently and I expect them to rise to the challenge.