Are You Ready For Some Football?

Greg Inglis on the fly last season

We are just over a week away from the start of the NRL season and to me the offseason has felt like a lifetime. Of course rugby league is once again in the news for reasons besides the actual game, as yet again the face of the NRL season launch has found himself in an off field situation, however I am not going to be discussing that particularly issue while we don’t know all the facts. It’s not entertainment and it’s not worth speculating publicly about.

There is so much to look forward to in the 2013 NRL season and I thought I’d share my thoughts on what I’m excited about:

• OK so this first one isn’t exactly the footy itself, but for the first time I will be playing Fantasy NRL in the draft format traditionally associated with American fantasy sports. It has existed in Australia before this year, but for the first time that I know of it is available for free (because who in their right mind would pay to play fantasy sports?) and if you know how obsessive I am about my Fantasy NBA, I am going to be just as bad when it comes to Fantasy NRL. Although I must admit, in light of recent developments, I’m glad we postponed our draft date.

• For the first time since I wasn’t a toddler the Rabbitohs go into a season with legitimately high expectations. A top four finish with a rookie coach and rookie halfback in 2012 has Rabbitohs fans excited and expecting the club to challenge for the premiership in 2013. It’s a bizarre feeling for a fan not used to success, at least in this sport and after attending the Charity Shield last Friday, my excitement levels to watch the Rabbitohs in 2013 could not be higher.

• A new era in State of Origin. Ricky Stuart is no longer the coach of the Blues and after being very critical of his decisions as coach in 2012, I am hopeful that the Blues will have a real opportunity to end the drought. Queensland is still going to be just as competitive and won’t hand it over, but hopefully Laurie Daley can become the NSW version of his old Canberra teammate Mal Meninga. I know I’m biased but it’s not in the interests of State of Origin for this domination to continue as it has as if one horse always wins in a two man race, eventually the race itself is no longer interesting.

• The new era in refereeing. Harrigan and Raper are out and Daniel Anderson is in and by all accounts, fans and pundits have been impressed during the preseason so far. Refs have been given more licence to make decisions, which should empower them and give them confidence and also they are now required to give an opinion when referring to the video ref. It remains to be seen how it goes, but it can’t be much worse and if it is a noticeable improvement then it will do wonders for the game.

• This one is less excitement and more general interest, but how will the league go without the shoulder charge. Players are bound to do it on occasion almost out of muscle memory and instinct and how they are punished will be of note. Also worth following is how TV networks respond to big hits them they happen, as historically they love promoting the big collisions, both during the game and in their promos and now those big collisions aren’t even legal. Will the game actually suffer like many predict? Or will it simply be a topic of conversation for a few weeks and then no one will care anymore?

• The rookies. Every year I love watching the kids I’ve seen dominating the Toyota Cup (now the Holden Cup, which is going to take some getting used to) coming up and taking the NRL by storm. My favourite young gun who I’m hoping gets plenty of NRL game time this year is Edrick Lee of the Raiders. He debuted in first grade against my Rabbitohs last year, but if he gets his chance in a pretty deep Raiders backline, he is going to be a big-time fan favourite and excitement machine.

• The inevitable controversy. This is weird, but sometimes it can be fun to get angry or worked up about a particular issue in footy. Whether it’s refereeing or rules or a team or whatever else, there will surely be something that gets us debating and arguing over the course of the season and whilst in the moment it might be frustrating, it’s part of what makes us love sport too.

• My team has Greg Inglis. You know… in case you forgot.

What are you excited about heading into the 2013 NRL season?

Blue Chips: Predicting the Next NRL Stars

Get used to seeing Edrick Lee doing this in 2013

So with it being the off season I’ve decided I’m going to get in early and tell you about players you either haven’t heard of yet or at least haven’t seen all that much of who could make an impact in 2013. There does seem to be a consensus now that the Toyota Cup is overall quite a large step down from the NRL and even the NSW and QLD Cups, however sometimes there is talent that is clearly ready to play at NRL level.

Some of these guys have already debuted at NRL level, some have been in the Toyota Cup Team of the Year, so I’m not breaking news to those who really follow the under 20’s competition, but most people aren’t as obsessed as some of us. They have lives outside of this stuff. Not me though.

This list isn’t in any sort of rankings order and may end up being part 1 of a series.

•  Luke Keary and Jordan Tongahai (South Sydney Rabbitohs) – So I have to start at the club I know the best. It was hard to leave off Tyrone Phillips but as he is playing fullback, I find it hard to see him breaking into first grade in 2013. Luke Keary is a halfback who was named on the bench for the Toyota Cup Team of the Year and long term I think he and Reynolds will be halves partners with Sutton moving to the forward pack. Keary is a smart player with a good kicking game, takes the line on and can throw a good long pass, which is something we don’t yet see Reynolds do all that much. Tongahai is a left centre, who has shown defensive abilities usually not on display at NYC level, not to mention a strong finisher. With Matt King in his last year and not a lot of centre depth, I can see Tongahai getting his chance if there are injuries or if King’s form isn’t up to scratch.

• Kane Evans (Sydney Roosters) – This guy is a beast. He was named in the 2011 Toyota Cup Team of the Year and whilst he didn’t make the 2012 team, he is going to be a gun for the Roosters. He was captain of their NYC team and style-wise reminds me of a young Willie Mason. He has played for the Junior Kangaroos and I’d be shocked if Trent Robinson didn’t give him his chance in 2013.

• Edrick Lee and Michael Chee Kam (Canberra Raiders) – Quite simply Edrick Lee looks like he doesn’t belong on a rugby league field and should rather be playing shooting guard in the NBA. He played a bit of first grade on the wing in 2012 but in Toyota Cup he played centre and that is where I believe he should play due to his passing skills to put his winger outside him away. I’d say he is the best pure athlete I’ve ever seen in rugby league and could probably be a star at whatever sport he chooses to play. Chee Kam played for the Raiders this year but is actually off the Manly next year. He is a second rower/centre although I think he will stick to the back-row long term. Runs hard, hits hard type.    

• Korbin Sims (Newcastle Knights) – If footy worked the same way as horse racing, the stud fees for the Sims parents would probably only be second to the Burgess family at this point. Honourable mention to Slippery Morris too. Korbin Sims looks exactly like his brothers and that’s almost all you need to know. Tariq looks like he will end up better than oldest brother Ashton, but Korbin looks like he will be a damn good player too. Oddly he has pledged allegiance to Queensland, whilst Tariq will play for NSW.

• David Klemmer (Canterbury Bulldogs) – So I can’t make this list and not include the Toyota Cup Player of the Year. This guy is basically Sam Kasiano 2.0. The only question is where do the Bulldogs fit him in their ridiculous forward pack that will gain another monster in Tony Williams next year? The test for Klemmer, much like Kasiano, is how he handles the pace of NRL and whether his size becomes a defensive liability.

• Carlos Tuimavave (NZ Warriors) – The Warriors lost a lot of the players who were in their successful Toyota Cup sides but were desperate to keep their young playmaker. They lose James Maloney next season but gain Thomas Leuluai to partner Shaun Johnson, but I think Matt Elliott will look to find a way to get Tuimavave into the side in 2013. Not to mention Johnson himself needs to work hard to get his form back.

• Harry Siejka (Penrith Panthers) – Siejka is probably the player on this list with the most NRL experience already but I’m including him anyway as he only played a few NRL games. Between Siejka and Blake Austin, the Panthers should be able to replace Luke Lewis as a player and local hero, at least in the long term. Siejka is just one of those players that really draws your eye when he plays and seems to have not only talent but the intangibles to become a quality NRL halfback or five-eighth.

• Jacob Miller (Wests Tigers) – Miller is a player who has been on the radar for a few of years already but to this point hasn’t been able to fully breakthrough at NRL level. At Toyota Cup level he clearly looks too good as a halfback, but in his few first grade games he hasn’t done enough to grab the spot in what has been a bit of a revolving door to partner Benji Marshall. I feel like 2013 is make or break for Miller at least in terms of at the Tigers. If he doesn’t cement a spot next season, I’m sure another team would gladly take a chance on him.

So there you have my initial list of young guns to watch in 2013 in the NRL. There are several others who are worthy of being on this list and I may well follow up with more. Feel free to recommend players in the comments section and go on record with who you think will breakthrough in 2013.