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Even if only subconsciously, I imagine we’ve all been watching the opening rounds of the National Rugby Championship with an eye on the next young superstar.
We all know what effect the ARC in 2007 had on the likes of Kurtley Beale, Luke Burgess and David Pocock so it’s natural we’d be on a similar lookout with the new competition.
It’s early days, obviously, and being able to spot talent has been made more difficult by the disappointing lack of live coverage.
It’s all fine and good for Australian Rugby to be “unleashed” as the token marketing slogan says, but is it really unleashed if it can’t be easily seen?
Nevertheless, for those prepared to put in a bit of an effort, the talent is certainly there. Here are a couple that have stood out for me.
Jack Debreczini – Melbourne Rising
We got to see a little bit of Debreczini at fullback toward the end of the Melbourne Rebels’ Super Rugby season, and he looked handy, but now that he’s getting the chance to steer a team around from flyhalf we’re getting a proper idea of just how talented he is.
There’s no doubt that his job for the Rising has been made easier by virtue of the dominant platform laid out for him by his forwards, but when you see two Melbourne outside backs in the top three NRC try-scorers, it’s not hard to see what the Rising are doing well with that platform.
And indeed, Debreczini is front and centre in all their attacks. Though he appears on the rangy side, he’s certainly not afraid to take on the defensive line himself, but his passing game is top notch and his game management looks good too.
And to be fair, the man playing one spot inside Debreczini – scrumhalf and Rising skipper Nic Stirzaker – is playing very well, too. I don’t think there’s a lot of doubt that the Rebels see these two as their long-term halves pairing.
Jed Holloway – Greater Sydney Rams
Holloway’s been something of a lone hand in two fairly heavy losses for the Rams so far, but it’s still been obvious that he has a bit of class about him.
I’d seen him in the odd cameo for the Waratahs earlier in the season, where they seem to believe he’s a potential lock, but having watched him leading from the front from the Rams’ backrow, it seems pretty clear to me that that’s his natural place.
As either a blindside flanker or number eight, where he’s been playing in the NRC, Holloway is a genuine lineout option as well as being a more than useful ball carrier. He’s even got a bit of a link game in him, which isn’t something we see a lot of in Australian number eight. And he’s got a bit of toe about him, too, as his intercept and 60-metre run last Thursday against the Canberra Vikings proved.
I’ve been impressed by his captaincy, too. He strikes me as a quiet sort of guy – and that’s not surprising given he’s still only 22 – but he certainly leads by actions on the field. I’ve not seen any detailed stats for the competition, but my perception is that Holloway carries the ball a lot, and also hits plenty of rucks. A real ‘follow me, boys’ type of captain.
Sam Windsor – NSW Country Eagles
So first up, I probably should concede that Windsor perhaps might not fit into the ‘young’ category as well as he once did – he turned 27 in July – but he’s been a major reason why the Eagles are sitting in equal top spot on the NRC ladder.
I’ve been trying to work out why he sounds familiar to me, and that’s because until joining Eastern Suburbs in Sydney this year, the Bungendore product had been playing for Queanbeyan in the ACT club competition. He trained with the Brumbies over the 2012/13 off-season, and again last year when injuries and Wallabies call-ups left them a bit short on the ground in the lead-up to matches against the British and Irish Lions, and the resumption of Super Rugby afterwards.
As I mentioned on Monday, Windsor and his Eagles halves offsider Mick Snowden (who’s also 27 this year) just seem to have time on their hands, something all the really good players have.
NSW Country have a really well balanced side, and play a very solid forwards game before unleashing some more than useful backs. Windsor is key to the unleashing. The pass he threw for Andrew Kellaway’s first try against Queensland Country was outstanding, while his cross-field kick for Paddy Dellit was pretty handy, too.
Windsor’s game management and ability to read play is what’s really driving the Country boys in these opening rounds.
Notable mentions
There have been good players in every game, but here’s a few more to go with the three I’ve mentioned.
Perth Spirit fullback Dillyn Leyds, Canberra Vikings lock Tom Staniforth, NSW Country openside Will Miller and Reds and Brisbane City scrumhalf Nick Frisby.
And keep an eye on young Queensland Country outside centre Campbell Magnay, too – the youngest player in the NRC. Magnay didn’t look out of place when he came on in the second half on Saturday at Bond University. He’s not hard to spot, either, the redhead is 195 centimetres and 98 kilograms. And he isn’t 18 until November.