Rugby league journeyman and current Parramatta Eels player and coach Jordan Rankin has named two players to keep an eye on this season.
Having made his debut in 2008 at 16-years-old, Rankin has been around the rugby league world for over a decade with stints in both the NRL and Super League. Due to all this experience, the utility back knows what it takes to play first grade.
Speaking exclusively to Zero Tackle, Rankin has named two players that the NRL community should keep an eye on this season.
One is a fullback and winger who has played three games in first grade, while the other is a young promising prop coming from the Jersey Flegg competition.
"Sean Russell's obviously played a little bit of first grade there but didn't get quite the trajectory that he wanted to last year with that ribs injury he got in Round 1," Rankin said.
"I'm really excited to see him play."
Russell has had an unfortunate start to his NRL career. However, if the pre-season match against the Panthers is anything to go by, he could be continuously featured in the team.
Debuting in 2021, he scored two tries against the Bulldogs. His great performance in that game earned him a two-year contract extension. After playing one more game that year, he was selected for the starting team for Round 1 in 2022.
After scoring a hat-trick in the opening round, Russell's season came to an abrupt end after he fractured ribs and suffered a punctured lung following a collision with Jayden Campbell, ruling him out for the entire season.
After naming Sean Russell as a player to watch, Rankin provided Zero Tackle with another name to keep an eye on. Impressed by his performance in the pre-season game against Penrith, he named Jontay-Junior Betham-Misa as a player who could be 'The Next Big Thing'.
"I think Jontay. (He) played off the bench for us tonight, he came on with about 10 minutes to go, he's a kid that's really hungry for it."
"He loves the contact side of the game, so I'm looking forward to seeing him. He's still only Jersey Flegg eligible, so he did a really good job for us at the back end of the game
Playing as a middle forward, Betham-Misa has been around the Parramatta Eels system since 2020 as a 16-year-old- the same age Rankin was when he debuted.
Having played in the Harold Matthews and SG Ball competition, the forward now finds himself in the U21 Jersey Flegg squad.
A rampaging tank in attack and a brick wall in defence, Betham-Misa is certainly one for the future.