The NRL Round 14 teams have been revealed, and the Broncos have made headlines by selecting Karmichael Hunt for his first match in nearly 12 years.
The 34-year-old Hunt, who has played for the AFL’s Gold Coast Suns, the Wallabies and Super Rugby’s Reds and Waratahs since his last Broncos appearance, has stunningly been named at five-eighth for Brisbane for their Saturday night clash with the Raiders.
He’ll line up against Jack Wighton.
The Broncos have also moved Herbie Farnworth to fullback and banished Jamayne Isaako from the 21 altogether after a poor showing against the Dragons.
Elsewhere, Des Hasler is expecting his Origin trio to back up 48 hours after Game 1 for Friday night’s crucial clash with the Cowboys, who have named Tom Dearden for his club debut at halfback. Most other clubs have named six-man reserves lists as they wait on the fitness of their Origin stars.
CHECK OUT THE FULL TEAMS
Friday, 6pm at Lottoland
| Sea Eagles | No. | Cowboys |
|---|---|---|
| Tom Trbojevic | 1 | Valentine Holmes |
| Jason Saab | 2 | Kyle Feldt |
| Brad Parker | 3 | Javid Bowen |
| Morgan Harper | 4 | Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow |
| Reuben Garrick | 5 | Murray Taulagi |
| Kieran Foran | 6 | Scott Drinkwater |
| Daly Cherry-Evans | 7 | Tom Dearden |
| Taniela Paseka | 8 | Tom Gilbert |
| Lachlan Croker | 9 | Reece Robson |
| Martin Taupau | 10 | Jordan McLean |
| Haumole Olakau’atu | 11 | Shane Wright |
| Karl Lawton | 12 | Coen Hess |
| Jake Trbojevic | 13 | Jason Taumalolo |
| Interchange | ||
| Dylan Walker | 14 | Jake Granville |
| Moses Suli | 15 | Peter Hola |
| Ben Trbojevic | 16 | Lachlan Burr |
| Toafofoa Sipley | 17 | Francis Molo |
| Reserves | ||
| Kurt de Luis | 18 | Justin O’Neill |
| Cade Cust | 19 | Ben Condon |
| Christian Tuipulotu | 20 | Daejarn Asi |
| Jorge Taufua | 21 | Corey Jensen |
| Tolutau Koula | 22 | Kyle Laybutt |
Friday, 7:55pm at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium
| Sharks | No. | Panthers |
|---|---|---|
| Will Kennedy | 1 | Dylan Edwards |
| Connor Tracey | 2 | Charlie Staines |
| Will Chambers | 3 | Stephen Crichton |
| Jesse Ramien | 4 | Paul Momirovski |
| Ronaldo Mulitalo | 5 | Robert Jennings |
| Matt Moylan | 6 | Matt Burton |
| Shaun Johnson | 7 | Tyrone May |
| Aiden Tolman | 8 | Moses Leota |
| Blayke Brailey | 9 | Apisai Koroisau |
| Aaron Woods | 10 | James Fisher-Harris |
| Briton Nikora | 11 | Viliame Kikau |
| Wade Graham | 12 | Scott Sorensen |
| Toby Rudolf | 13 | Matthew Eisenhuth |
| Interchange | ||
| Braydon Trindall | 14 | Mitch Kenny |
| Siosifa Talakai | 15 | J’maine Hopgood |
| Jack Williams | 16 | Spencer Leniu |
| Andrew Fifita | 17 | Izack Tago |
| Reserves | ||
| Teig Wilton | 18 | Isaah Yeo |
| Chad Townsend | 19 | Nathan Cleary |
| Franklin Pele | 20 | Liam Martin |
| Mawene Hiroti | 21 | Jarome Luai |
| 22 | Kurt Capewell | |
| 23 | Brian To’o | |
Saturday, 3pm at Cbus Super Stadium
| Titans | No. | Roosters |
|---|---|---|
| AJ Brimson | 1 | James Tedesco |
| Greg Marzhew | 2 | Daniel Tupou |
| Brian Kelly | 3 | Josh Morris |
| Patrick Herbert | 4 | Joseph Manu |
| Phillip Sami | 5 | Matt Ikuvalu |
| Ashley Taylor | 6 | Lachlan Lam |
| Jamal Fogarty | 7 | Sam Walker |
| Jarrod Wallace | 8 | Jared Waerea-Hargreaves |
| Erin Clark | 9 | Benjamin Marschke |
| Moeaki Fotuaika | 10 | Sio Siua Taukeiaho |
| Kevin Proctor | 11 | Angus Crichton |
| David Fifita | 12 | Sitili Tupouniua |
| Tino Fa’asuamaleaui | 13 | Isaac Liu |
| Interchange | ||
| Tyrone Peachey | 14 | Adam Keighran |
| Jaimin Jolliffe | 15 | Egan Butcher |
| Sam McIntyre | 16 | Daniel Suluka-Fifita |
| Esan Marsters | 17 | Fletcher Baker |
| Reserves | ||
| Sam Stone | 18 | Tuku Hau Tapuha |
| Joseph Vuna | 19 | Ben Thomas |
| Jai Whitbread | 20 | Brad Abbey |
| Jayden Campbell | 21 | Joseph Suaalii |
| Anthony Don | 22 | |
| Mitch Rein | 23 | |
Saturday, 5:30pm at Stadium Australia
| Rabbitohs | No. | Knights |
|---|---|---|
| Latrell Mitchell | 1 | Tex Hoy |
| Alex Johnston | 2 | Enari Tuala |
| Braidon Burns | 3 | Kurt Mann |
| Campbell Graham | 4 | Bradman Best |
| Taane Milne | 5 | Brayden Musgrove |
| Cody Walker | 6 | Jake Clifford |
| Adam Reynolds | 7 | Phoenix Crossland |
| Mark Nicholls | 8 | Jacob Saifiti |
| Damien Cook | 9 | Jayden Brailey |
| Tevita Tatola | 10 | Daniel Saifiti |
| Keaon Kolomatangi | 11 | Brodie Jones |
| Jacob Host | 12 | Lachlan Fitzgibbon |
| Cameron Murray | 13 | Mitchell Barnett |
| Interchange | ||
| Benji Marshall | 14 | Connor Watson |
| Jaydn Su’A | 15 | Sauaso Sue |
| Hame Sele | 16 | Josh King |
| Tom Burgess | 17 | Jack Johns |
| Reserves | ||
| Liam Knight | 18 | Gehamat Shibasaki |
| Patrick Mago | 19 | Jirah Momoisea |
| Blake Taaffe | 20 | Matt Croker |
| Josh Mansour | 21 | Dominic Young |
| Tautau Moga | 22 | |
| Peter Mamouzelos | 23 | |
Saturday, 7:35pm at GIO Stadium
| Raiders | No. | Broncos |
|---|---|---|
| Bailey Simonsson | 1 | Herbie Farnworth |
| Semi Valemei | 2 | Xavier Coates |
| Sebastian Kris | 3 | Dale Copley |
| Matthew Timoko | 4 | Jesse Arthars |
| Jordan Rapana | 5 | Selwyn Cobbo |
| Jack Wighton | 6 | Karmichael Hunt |
| Sam Williams | 7 | Albert Kelly |
| Josh Papalii | 8 | Matthew Lodge |
| Josh Hodgson | 9 | Jake Turpin |
| Dunamis Lui | 10 | Payne Haas |
| Corey Harawira-Naera | 11 | Alex Glenn |
| Elliott Whitehead | 12 | Tevita Pangai Jr. |
| Ryan Sutton | 13 | Thomas Flegler |
| Interchange | ||
| Tom Starling | 14 | Kobe Hetherington |
| Emre Guler | 15 | John Asiata |
| Iosia Soliola | 16 | Keenan Palasia |
| Joseph Tapine | 17 | TC Robati |
| Reserves | ||
| Elijah Anderson | 18 | Tesi Niu |
| Hudson Young | 19 | Cory Paix |
| Matt Frawley | 20 | David Mead |
| Harry Rushton | 21 | Jordan Riki |
Sunday, 2pm at Central Coast Stadium
| Warriors | No. | Storm |
|---|---|---|
| Roger Tuivasa-Sheck | 1 | Nicho Hynes |
| Marcelo Montoya | 2 | George Jennings |
| Euan Aitken | 3 | Reimis Smith |
| Rocco Berry | 4 | Justin Olam |
| Edward Kosi | 5 | Josh Addo-Carr |
| Kodi Nikorima | 6 | Cam Munster |
| Chanel Harris-Tavita | 7 | Jahrome Hughes |
| Jamayne Taunoa-Brown | 8 | Jesse Bromwich |
| Wayde Egan | 9 | Brandon Smith |
| Leeson Ah Mau | 10 | Nelson Asofa-Solomona |
| Bayley Sironen | 11 | Kenneath Bromwich |
| Tohu Harris | 12 | Felise Kaufusi |
| Josh Curran | 13 | Dale Finucane |
| Interchange | ||
| Jack Murchie | 14 | Harry Grant |
| Kane Evans | 15 | Tui Kamikamica |
| Bunty Afoa | 16 | Christian Welch |
| Ben Murdoch-Masila | 17 | Aaron Pene |
| Reserves | ||
| Jazz Tevaga | 18 | Dean Ieremia |
| Sean O’Sullivan | 20/19 | Tom Eisenhuth |
| Ken Maumalo | 21/20 | Marion Seve |
| Addin Fonua-Blake | 22/21 | Chris Lewis |
| 22 | Trent Loiero | |
| 23 | Cooper Johns | |
Sunday, 4:05pm at Bankwest Stadium
| Eels | No. | Tigers |
|---|---|---|
| Clint Gutherson | 1 | Daine Laurie |
| Maika Sivo | 2 | David Nofoaluma |
| Tom Opacic | 3 | Adam Doueihi |
| Waqa Blake | 4 | Tommy Talau |
| Haze Dunster | 5 | James Roberts |
| Dylan Brown | 6 | Moses Mbye |
| Mitchell Moses | 7 | Luke Brooks |
| Reagan Campbell-Gillard | 8 | James Tamou |
| Joey Lussick | 9 | Jacob Liddle |
| Junior Paulo | 10 | Alex Twal |
| Isaiah Papali’i | 11 | Luke Garner |
| Ryan Matterson | 12 | Luciano Leilua |
| Nathan Brown | 13 | Joe Ofahengaue |
| Interchange | ||
| Marata Niukore | 14 | Stefano Utoikamanu |
| Shaun Lane | 15 | Shawn Blore |
| Oregon Kaufusi | 16 | Tom Amone |
| Bryce Cartwright | 17 | Alex Seyfarth |
| Reserves | ||
| Will Smith | 18 | Michael Chee Kam |
| Blake Ferguson | 19 | Billy Walters |
| Jakob Arthur | 20 | Kelma Tuilagi |
| Nathaniel Roache | 21 | Jake Simpkin |
Monday, 4pm at Stadium Australia
| Bulldogs | No. | Dragons |
|---|---|---|
| Dallin Watene-Zelezniak | 1 | Matt Dufty |
| Nick Cotric | 2 | Cody Ramsey |
| Will Hopoate | 3 | Brayden Wiliame |
| Aaron Schoupp | 4 | Gerard Beale |
| Nick Meaney | 5 | Mikaele Ravalawa |
| Brandon Wakeham | 6 | Corey Norman |
| Jake Averillo | 7 | Ben Hunt |
| Jack Hetherington | 8 | Blake Lawrie |
| Jeremy Marshall-King | 9 | Andrew McCullough |
| Luke Thompson | 10 | Paul Vaughan |
| Adam Elliott | 11 | Josh Kerr |
| Matt Doorey | 12 | Jack Bird |
| Josh Jackson | 13 | Jackson Ford |
| Interchange | ||
| Sione Katoa | 14 | Talatau Amone |
| Dylan Napa | 15 | Poasa Faamausili |
| Avu Seumanufagai | 16 | Daniel Alvaro |
| Joe Stimson | 17 | Jack de Belin |
| Reserves | ||
| Kyle Flanagan | 19/18 | Adam Clune |
| Corey Waddell | 20/19 | Kaide Ellis |
| Tuipulotu Katoa | 21/20 | Tariq Sims |
| Chris Smith | 23/21 | Billy Burns |
All times AEST (Sydney/Melbourne).
jimmmy
Roar Rookie
Ah, Max perhaps someone from Mensa, like you ,can enlighten poor old me.
Joey
Guest
C’mon Alfie, lace ‘em up. Lace ‘em up one more time. Suncorp’s baying. They’ll change the old Lillee slow clap to Alfie. Please do it. Will be bloody hilarious.
Adam
Roar Guru
Yeah the role as a 14 would probably suit him
Nico
Roar Rookie
Good question Adam, I looked at the NRL stats, most halfbacks worth their salt ie Cleary, Reynolds, Hughes, Moses, Brooks, Fogarty, DCE are all at 80% or above, Sam Walker is a bit of an outlier, top 8 halfback but only 71%
no one in particular
Roar Guru
It doesn't matter what position they play, if you sign a player to a multi-year, 7 figure contract, and you are out of contention for the year, you find a way to play him
matth
Roar Guru
I'm happy with these moves from Brisbane. Not because I think Hunt will transform the team in some way or that this is a winning combination. It's because he has to set a standard and send a message to the young fellows in the team. That's why it's good that he has left Milford out, excellent that he hooked Isaako and now gives him a stint in reserves, tells Gamble that having one good game and then generally being a pest is not enough to succeed in the NRL. The next challenge is how to rehabilitate these players, or move on. So far Walters has not presided over significant improvement in any player, except maybe TPJ and Arthurs
matth
Roar Guru
Did he ever play for Hook? I think they are more likely to entice Glenn out of retirement next year.
matth
Roar Guru
I actually think that Gamble is a bit of a loose cannon and doesn't really have the skills as a starting half. I'd like him to play for impact off the bench.
matth
Roar Guru
Hunt wouldn't have the legs for fullback anymore and he never played at the back in Union.
matth
Roar Guru
Except they don't play number 6. They have Milford - no thanks, Dearden - why develop him for the Cowboys, and Gamble, who despite his enthusiasm has shown he's more of a bench player. They have Reynolds for next season to probably at this stage partner Kelly or Staggs (which isn't great but there you go). A better question is why Glenn is in the team as that is the spot you are looking at. If it was to go to a young fellow, I'd think TC Robati has shown more than the two you mention so far.
Adam
Roar Guru
One of these days I might even have a good one!
Tony
Roar Guru
Yeah, but at least he built his stats up :happy:
Tony
Roar Guru
You've always been an ideas man Adam
Adam
Roar Guru
Or the Dragons...Hunt played FB you know and the Dragons refuse to sign their current one...
Adam
Roar Guru
He only answers the call from Bennett
Adam
Roar Guru
Both Hunt and Lodge have showed contrition? I'm not looking to get involved, just my perspective...
Adam
Roar Guru
The Tigers are sure to make the top 9
Adam
Roar Guru
Genuine question, is that tackle efficiency much lower than other players in the same position across the league? All good I found the stats…He’s at 83% apparently on FoxSports, but could be wrong
Max power
Guest
Your comprehension is rather limited
Maxtruck
Roar Rookie
Albert Kelly , in a losing side, is playing better than a few other highly paid halfbacks in the comp Bulldogs ? Raiders ? Knights?