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.
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