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Opinion

My top five NRL rookies so far

Roar Pro
29th May, 2021
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Roar Pro
29th May, 2021
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We have seen a lot of rookies this season like Joseph Suaalii, Jakob Arthur, Sebastian Kris and plenty more, but I will be rating my top five in 2021 in this article and I won’t be basing them off the hype they get, but their statistics and how well they play.

5. Charlie Staines
Starting at number five is Charlie Staines or the Forbes Ferrari from Penrith, who scored five tries in his debut game and two tries in his second. I’m classifying him as a rookie because this is his first full-time NRL season.

Staines has played 12 games this season, has scored ten tries and is currently averaging 91 run metres but I feel he goes unmentioned because he is in basically an NRL All-Stars team as the Panthers currently sit undefeated this season.

4. Daine Laurie
Sitting in the fourth position is Daine Laurie, who has been great for the Tigers but it’s a shame the rest of his teammates can’t play with the same energy because the Tigers currently sit 11th on the ladder.

The Wests Tigers fullback has played every game this year and has scored four tries, forced two goal-line dropouts, has five try assists, has assisted in six linebreaks and is currently averaging 146 run metres with a total of 1757 run metres. Laurie has been fairly consistent in a consistently losing side.

Daine Laurie

Daine Laurie is the Tigers’ most promising young talent. (Photo by Speed Media/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

3. Reece Walsh
Sitting in third place is New Zealand Warriors player Reece Walsh and I know he is good looking, but unfortunately this isn’t a model competition otherwise he would be first. The 19-year-old has such a bright future that Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has given up his fullback position so that Walsh can get a full-time starting spot.

Walsh has scored four tries, forced one goal-line dropout, has an excellent eight try assists with seven linebreak assists and is averaging 123 running metres in just six games he has played this season, which is off the charts.

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2. Josh Schuster
Next is Josh Schuster from the Manly Sea Eagles who has spent most of his time out of his original position, five-eighth, and has been playing as an edge forward. The 20-year-old has played ten games and has scored two tries, set up five tries, assisted in four linebreaks and has a 91 per cent tackle efficiency rate.

1. Sam Walker
Sam Walker is in first place and well, if you’ve been watching his highlights, it’s understandable why he’s first not only in my rookie list but others as well. The 19-year-old has played eight games this year and has scored four tries, forced two goal-line dropouts, set up ten tries and has assisted in 11 linebreaks with an 81 per cent tackle efficiency rate which is great for a halfback of his size.

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