Rugby league rookie cup: The class of 1996

The next time someone tells you rugby league isn’t an international sport, show them this team.

The rookie class of 1996 features players born in Lebabon, Zimbabwe, the Soviet Union, South Africa, New Zealand and even one or two here in Australia.

The coach’s current job? A glamour gig in the Serbian league.

Whether they hail from Orange or Odessa, Temora or Tripoli, Casino or Christchurch, this cosmopolitan crew forms one of the most even 17-man squads that will contest the rugby league rookie cup.

So, how does this veritable United Nations line up?

Fullback: Clinton Schifcofske
Born in Moranbah to Polish parents, Crushers rookie Clinton Schifcofske blossomed into a prolific point-scorer at Parramatta and Canberra.

He might have played more than two Origins if he wasn’t stuck in a queue of quality Queensland custodians, including Darren Lockyer, Rhys Wesser, Matt Bowen, Billy Slater and Karmichael Hunt.

Wingers: Hazem El Masri and Darren Albert
Schifcofske will have to surrender the kicking tee to Dogs debutant and Lebanon international Hazem El Masri, who’s joined on the wing by Newcastle highlight reel Darren Albert.

Centres: Matt Gidley and Nigel Vagana
Another Novocastrian, Matt Gidley, makes a potent centre partnership with Auckland’s Nigel Vagana. Apologies to Balmain’s Bubba Kennedy, father of current Sharks fullback Will, who’s still running around in Group 10 bush footy at the ripe old age of 52.

Five-eighth: Scott Hill
A 19-year-old Scott Hill made his first-grade bow beside 35-year-old Terry Lamb, and the budding five-eighth bagged two tries on his dream debut.

Another Canterbury icon — Storm coach Chris Anderson — soon gave Hill a more permanent gig in Melbourne, where the apprentice ended up tallying more Kangaroos caps than his old master.

Halfback: Trent Barrett
Temora’s Trent Barrett — who debuted for Illawarra aged 18 — fills the number seven jersey in this side, with Hill occupying the six and another great half capable of deputising at dummy-half.

(Photo by Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images)

Props: Martin Lang and Ian Rubin
Cronulla’s Martin Lang — memorable for his writhing efforts to speed up the play the ball, like a fish squirming out of an angler’s grasp — represents a quality class of Queensland hard men, including John Buttigieg and Mark Tookey.

Todd Payten (Canberra) and John Skandalis (Wests) might deserve the second prop spot more, but I’m choosing USSR-born enforcer Ian Rubin for the international flavour. The Rabbitohs rookie captained Russia at the 2000 World Cup, alongside another member of this side below.

Hooker: Craig Gower (captain)
Penrith’s Craig Gower is perhaps the best half in this side, and certainly the only one to win a grand final (with the Panthers in 2003).

But he began his rep career at hooker, and he’ll do the same here. Bonus points for representing Italy in rugby union — twice on Australian soil against the Wallabies in 2009 — but not his chequered off-field rap sheet.

Second row: Ben Kennedy and Awen Guttenbeil
Canberra’s Ben Kennedy and Auckland’s Awen Guttenbeil team up in a destructive back row that’s as brutal as it is bald.

Lock: Tonie Carroll
Balmain’s Glenn Morrison was the 1996 Dally M rookie of the year, but it’s impossible to look past Brisbane’s Tonie Carroll for two reasons.

One, he’s the only man in the past century to represent both Australia and New Zealand, which must miff Ronaldo Mulitalo. And two, he’s the owner of rugby league’s greatest ever chin — sorry, Nathan Cleary.

Bench: Royston Lightning, Robert Campbell, Andy Marinos, Tiaan Strauss

Canberra’s Royston Lightning is the first sub picked, for the best sporting moniker until Usain Bolt.

Russia international Robert Campbell (common name in Moscow?) is the second, for a Test career that reportedly crossed paths with the Russian mafia.

Andy Marinos — the Zimbabwe-born new CEO of Rugby Australia — played a single game for Canterbury in 1996, joining South African Kevin Schraader.

Our union cousins were clearly eager to recruit another administrator with a Bulldogs connection following the unbridled success of the Raelene Castle era.

And Tiaan Strauss was another league-playing South African, who Cronulla helped naturalise to Australia before he made the Wallabies squad that lifted the 1999 World Cup. Whoever said league does nothing for their cross-code cousins?

Coach: Phil Economidis
Gold Coast’s Phil Economidis was the only man to begin his top-grade coaching career in 1996, so he gets this job by default. Today, the moustachioed cult figure apparently helms Red Star Belgrade in the Serbian league. Really.

Verdict
Straddling some far-flung corners of the rugby league universe, the 1996 side is literally world-class. With wild forwards, three silky playmakers and piles of points in the back line, this ’96 outfit is playoff material.

As the Super League War rages into 1997, let’s see whether the dual competitions continued to churn out such promising rookies.