Roar Guru
Joined August 2020
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Rugby League. History. Culture. @themessengerrl on Instagram and Twitter.
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In selecting a side of the best players to make their NRL debut in the first decade of the new millennium, the temptation is…
New millennium. New faces. Same old selection debates. After naming a side of debutants from each season of the noughties, it’s time to decide…
Blake Ferguson and Josh Dugan haven’t shared a dressing room since they thought the ideal preparation for the 2017 Origin decider was an eight-hour…
As rugby league celebrated its 100th anniversary in Australia, the cake was decorated with new candles that burned brightly but fizzled fast. The class…
Like the 99 premierships that came before it, the 2007 campaign introduced a new generation of players that went on to entertain, enthral and…
The class of 2006 is the weakest team named in this series so far. I don’t mean to disparage any of the names on…
While Benji Marshall was flick-passing his way to the Wests Tigers’ first premiership, this generation of bruisers were just beginning their NRL careers. This…
The class of 2004 will be a favourite of tabloid editors, though less popular with the integrity unit. Booze, bubblers, bikies and Bra Boys……
The class of 2003 is the first in this series to feature a player still running around in the NRL today. The ageless Benji…
There are three names in this squad — two on the team sheet, and one in the coaches box — that make the class…
The 2001 season was a good one for rookies. Wayne Bennett named ten debutants in Queensland’s successful Origin campaign, first-year coach Michael Hagan lifted…
After crowning a champion team of the 1990s, it’s time to assess the various rookie classes that emerged in the first decade of the…
Naming a team of the best players who made their NRL debut in the 1990s feels like an exercise in indulgence. Lobster or sirloin?…
Welcome to the pointy end of the rugby league rookie cup, part of an ongoing series when the strongest debutant class of the 1990s…
While the number of NRL teams shrunk in 1999, the quantity of debutants who went on to forge top-class careers didn’t. This vintage of…
With Super League and ARL calling a truce and the new re-unified comp kicking off, 1998 whiffed of renewal. And a quality crop of…
The Super League War-ravaged 1997 season gave us the Adelaide Rams, the Hunter Mariners and another crop of rookies to mould into a 17-man…
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…
With four new teams in the comp and the Super League War breaking, first-grade debuts were handed out as easily in 1995 as sin-binnings…
When Queensland went on their eight-series winning streak between 2006 and 2013, the NSW selectors had plenty of decent players to choose from. But…
Good call. Coote as the utility, then Packer in place of McCullough, would offer better balance.
Rugby league rookie cup: The class of 2008
Yeah it really heightens the sense of what might have been for a few of these players, who feel like they’ve been off the radar for an age while some of their contemporaries remain productive first-graders.
Rugby league rookie cup: The class of 2008
I suspected the coach wouldn’t be too popular with Saints fans!
Rugby league rookie cup: The class of 2008
Thanks for the kind words — plenty of contradictions of my own sneak into the articles, which is why I really appreciate people’s feedback in the comments.
Dan’s comment about Sika Manu below is a good example. Does Manu get the nod for his more explosive 150 games, including plenty of good Test footy, or does Mitch Aubusson deserve to be rewarded for his longevity?
Are we rewarding a larger body of work, or are we picking a team to win a single game (like picking blokes lined up against the schoolyard wall)? That’s the tricky one for me.
Rugby league rookie cup: The class of 2007
Hundred per cent. Although my eligibility criteria fall over thanks to the Broncos in particular — it would be difficult to argue Allan Langer only made his top-grade debut in 1988 when he’d played for Ipswich and Queensland before that, let alone seasoned veterans like Wally Lewis and Gene Miles.
Rugby league rookie cup: The class of 2007
Yeah, the ’90s shapes as a stronger decade. Slightly more stars as well as battle-hardened first graders.
Rugby league rookie cup: The class of 2007
I have them pencilled in around the fringes of the top five.
Rugby league rookie cup: The class of 2007
That’s fair, plus Aubusson’s versatility would be a particular asset off the bench.
Rugby league rookie cup: The class of 2007
I was tempted to select Taylor in the halves, given he often played like a frustrated half trapped in an enforcer’s body.
Rugby league rookie cup: The class of 2006
Good shout. One of several players in this team who enjoyed their best footy in England.
Rugby league rookie cup: The class of 2006
I’m a dedicated follower of Queensland off-spinners.
Rugby league rookie cup: The class of 2005
True. No shortage of effort or toughness though. Hopefully they can lay the foundation for Inglis.
Rugby league rookie cup: The class of 2005
Fair call, you’re right about Soliola. Tough players across the park.
Rugby league rookie cup: The class of 2005
One of the great characters. Has to be in this dressing room.
Rugby league rookie cup: The class of 2004
Agree, struck me as one of the good guys.
Rugby league rookie cup: The class of 2008