One of my favourite aspects of every new season are the seeing which players will make their debut and hit the ground running.
Last year we saw Jacob Preston provide hope to an entire fanbase.
We saw Sunia Turuva emerge as the Rookie of the Year after being called in to replace Tyrone May after a season-ending injury looked like it may weaken the Penrith backline.
Jahream Bula showed signs of possessing talent that could be a major contributing factor in his side finally ending a decade long finals drought.
Who will step up in 2024 and provide similar stories?
Below is a look at 10 rookies I would certainly be keeping an eye on in 2024.
Of course I can't name all the players I believe will mak their debut. Nor can I promise the ten below even will. They're just players I expect to make a big impact, one way or another in the coming season.
Please note: To qualify for this list you need to have played five games or less in the top grade. So the likes of Tallis Duncan and Tom Jenkins won't appear.
Super League players won't be considered, if they've played more than five games in the Super League.
With that said, below are ten of the best rookies to look out for in 2024:
1. Kayal Iro (Cronulla Sharks)
Let me be frank here. The fact that Kayal Iro hasn't yet played 20 NRL games is a major miss on the Sharks behalf.
Iro was the NSW Cup Player of the Year in 2022 and the centre of the year in 2023 and routinely makes opponents look a far distant second best.
I was shocked he turned up for Sharks training given the reported interest both here and abroad. I dare suggest that if he doesn't receive the First Grade footy his talents deserve then this will be his last year in the Shire.
Iro made his NRL debut in 2022, on the wing via a very late call up. He ran for 188 metres and made 12 tackle breaks.
Sifa Talakai himself has described Iro as having "most potential out of all of us (in) our whole back line".
Once he debuts, that left centre spot is his. Screenshot this statement!
Zero Tackle's 2024 NRL Season Guide is now live, and this year, it's FREE! Over 120 pages of content, with every player profiled, full team lists, stats and expectations for every team. Get your FREE DOWNLOAD now.
