Rugby league rookie cup: The class of 1993

Any team containing Andrew Johns is tough to beat. The calibre of his fellow 1993 debutants makes this rookie class even tougher.

The 1993 side to contest the rugby league rookie cup features a distinctly Pacific flavour — six Kangaroos are joined by a Fijian on the flank and four Kiwis in the pack — as well as three Indigenous icons in the back line.

With so much on-field ability, their greatest challenge might be keeping their off-field exploits out of the newspapers. Good thing they played in the pre-social media age.

Here’s how they line up.

Fullback: Matt Seers
Norths’ Matt Seers is another fullback whose greatest obstacle to selection is the integrity unit, following 1991’s Julian O’Neill and 1992’s Robbie O’Davis.

Wingers: Wendell Sailor and Noa Nadruku
Brisbane’s Wendell Sailor and Canberra’s Noa Nadruku both exploded on the scene in 1993 then racked up more than 200 tries between them. Pace merchants Shane Whereat (Easts) and Jack Elsegood (Manly) made fast starts to their careers but didn’t deliver as much in the wash-up.

Centres: John Hopoate and Matt Sing
John Hopoate (Manly) and Matt Sing (Penrith) played most of their footy on the wing, but shift to centre to accommodate the two blockbusting flankers above. Sing was one of 15 debutants Penrith blooded in 1993, alongside 15 recruits from rival clubs, making an eye-watering 30 new players just two years after winning the comp.

Five-eighth: Anthony Mundine
The things St George rookie Anthony Mundine has done (or more specifically, said) over the ensuring 28 years distracts from how brilliant a player he was. In a golden era for five-eighths, Mundine belongs in the conversation alongside Brad Fittler, Laurie Daley, Kevin Walters, Matthew Johns, Cliff Lyons and the like.

Halfback: Andrew Johns (captain)

One word: GOAT.

Andrew Johns (Tony Feder/Getty Images)

Props: Quentin Pongia and John Lomax
Canberra loaded up with another ten debutants in 1993 after blooding 16 the season prior, replenishing their playing stocks for a tilt at the 1994 title. Four ’93 rookies — John Lomax (New Zealand), Quentin Pongia (New Zealand), David Westley (Papua New Guinea) and Ruben Wiki (New Zealand) — became international front-rowers, not to mention the giant Steve Trindall from slightly less exotic Wee Waa.

Kiwi combo Pongia and Lomax get the nod here, while fellow 1993 first-gamers Jason Lowrie (Easts) and Terry Hermansson (Souths) contribute to a standout vintage of NZ enforcers.

Hooker: Jason Hetherington
The rep experience of Gold Coast’s Jason Hetherington — eight Origins and two Kangaroo caps — shades St George’s Nathan Brown. Although the golden-locked Brown did boast a superior head of hair to the Seagulls and Bulldogs rake… at least in his playing days.

Second row: Steve Menzies and Ruben Wiki
Wiki teams up Manly’s Steve Menzies in back row that boasts a dizzying 660 games and 252 tries between them. Any fears that Menzies might struggle minus Lyons inside him should be allayed by the genius wearing the number seven.

Lock: Kevin Campion
While Gold Coast collected their second straight wooden spoon, their strong rookie harvest included Kevin Campion — a fearless lock who received more stitches than a patchwork quilt — alongside Hetherington and the the versatile Adrian Vowles, who saved his best work for the English Super League.

Bench: Adam Ritson, Andrew Pierce, Danny Williams, Tyran Smith
Adam Ritson was a 16-year-old prodigy when Cronulla coach Artie Beetson threw him his debut in 1993. But his burgeoning career screeched to a halt when he retired just three years later, after a high tackle from fellow ’93 debutant Lomax led to a routine scan that revealed life-threatening brain cysts.

A couple of bench specialists take the next two spots. Sharks prop Andrew Pierce played 101 of his 180 games off the interchange, while hot-headed Norths product Danny Williams made 155 of his 212 appearances from the pine — surely a record. Just keep him away from Mark O’Neill.

Rounding out the 17 is Tyran Smith — one of Souths’ 14 debutants in 1993, and the comp’s second seven-club journeyman. No wonder he became a player agent.

Vowles or Broncos rookie Chris McKenna would also offer versatility in reserve.

Coach: Peter Louis
Bears coach Peter Louis — who tallied more than twice as many wins at the helm of North Sydney as any other coach in club history — takes the class of ’93 clipboard.

Verdict
Pace and power out wide. Muscle and mongrel in the middle. Generational talent in the halves. This 1993 side has their eyes on the coveted rugby league rookie cup.

Can the ’94 team stop them? Spoiler alert: probably not.