Pre-season is well-and-truly underway and this four-month training block could make or break a player’s career.
For some it’s all about building on what they achieved in 2023 but for others it’s so much more.
Bronson Xerri is eyeing a return to the NRL after a four-year ban, while Josh Schuster is ready to prove his critics wrong.
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Aidan Sezer has been assigned one of the toughest jobs after four years in the Super League and Jack Wighton has kicked off a new era in his new colours.
Jayden Campbell is gunning for the Titans’ No.1 jersey and then there’s youngsters Deine Mariner and Ethan Strange, who both have a major opportunity in front of them.
Don’t forget about Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Chanel Harris-Tavita though, who have returned to the game via the Warriors or Stephen Crichton, who has Blake Taaffe to battle with for the Bulldogs’ fullback spot.
Here are the players with the most to gain from this pre-season.
Madge pleas for buy in at first presser | 15:56
BRONSON XERRI
No one has more to gain from this pre-season than Bronson Xerri. The 23-year-old has re-entered the NRL world via the Bulldogs after a four-year doping ban. He has a lot to prove next year, but first he has to force his way into the Dogs’ 17 — and that starts in pre-season. Xerri was once a teen sensation at the Sharks tipped for big things… until he tested positive to performance-enhancing drugs. He was banished from the game until Bulldogs supremo Phil Gould arranged a meeting and decided to roll the dice on Xerri and offer him a two-year deal. Xerri began training with the Bulldogs at the start of November and although he’s kept in good shape, he has a lot of catching up to do. The game has changed a lot since Xerri last played due to some tweaks including the six-again rule. Every day of pre-season is crucial for Xerri as he eyes a spot in the backline for the Bulldogs’ Round 1 clash with the Eels on March 9.
JOSH SCHUSTER
Season 2023 was a seriously disappointing campaign for Josh Schuster. Manly moved on veteran five-eighth Kieran Foran to make room for Schuster to play his preferred position but he failed to deliver. He battled niggling injuries and fitness issues throughout the season and was dropped from the NRL side twice. Despite this he was re-signed on a three-year extension — but the new deal comes with a positional change. With Luke Brooks joining the Sea Eagles to play five-eighth Schuster will return to the second row in 2024, which is where he played his best footy in 2021 and 2022. There was a lot of criticism thrown Manly’s way for offering Schuster a new deal so the 22-year-old is going to need to put in the hard yards over the summer to prove his doubters wrong.
BLAKE TAAFFE
The Bulldogs swooped on Blake Taaffe quickly after an impressive stint this year replacing Latrell Mitchell at fullback for the Rabbitohs. The 24-year-old revealed in October that Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo told him he’s joining the club to battle marquee recruit Stephen Crichton for the No.1 jersey — and he intends on winning it. Taaffe has played 20 of his 31 NRL games at fullback and the remaining 11 off the bench.
STEPHEN CRICHTON
Like Taaffe, Stephen Crichton has an opportunity to nail down the No.1 jersey in 2024. Crichton has become one of the best centres in the game after winning three straight premierships with the Panthers and starting for New South Wales in five of his six Origin games. But the Bulldogs lured him to the club with the intention of playing him at fullback. The 23-year-old has had a taste of the position having played six of his 100 NRL games there but is going to need this pre-season to successfully transition. Crichton is the Bulldogs’ marquee signing for 2024 and is set to earn over $800,000 a season. No doubt the club’s passionate fans will be hoping he slots in seamlessly.
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JACK WIGHTON
He’s one of, if not the biggest transfer for 2024 and no doubt all eyes will be on the former Raider come Round 1. Jack Wighton found a home at five-eighth in Canberra and even won a Dally M in the position but his move to the Rabbitohs also comes with a move to the centres. It’s not unfamiliar territory given he’s played majority of his representative footy at centre and did (strangely) finish the 2023 season there, but he’s known as a six in clubland. The deal ruffled some feathers among both Raiders and Rabbitohs fanbases so the pitchforks could come out if he doesn’t gel with his new teammates immediately.
TYRELL SLOAN
It’d be hard to find a player that’s had a tougher initiation to the NRL than Tyrell Sloan. He burst onto the scene as a slender 19-year-old debutant in 2021 that had carved up in SG Ball. After scoring six tries in five games in his rookie season, Sloan started 2022 as the Dragons’ first-choice fullback only to be controversially dropped after three games. He managed five more games that year either at fullback, on the wing or off the bench. The Illawarra junior put a tough campaign — and a release request that he later backflipped on — behind him to enter 2023 with a completely new outlook. It paid off as he went on to lock down the No.1 jersey. But he’s got fresh competition heading into 2024 with new coach Shane Flanagan revealing Zac Lomax will get an opportunity at fullback too. An ankle injury followed by a thumb injury has set Sloan back but he’ll be wanting to rip in once he gets back on the training paddock.
Ponga ready to recreate Dally M form | 01:05
JAYDEN CAMPBELL
New Titans coach Des Hasler is now facing the same conundrum former coach Justin Holbrook had last season — how to fit Jayden Campbell and AJ Brimson into the starting side. Campbell spent time at fullback, five-eighth and in a roaming bench role last season but the 23-year-old has declared No.1 is his “best position” and he wants to “lock that spot down.” He’s up against incumbent fullback AJ Brimson though and young gun Keano Kini is on the rise, making this an intriguing fight for Campbell. He’s got the rest of the summer to prove to Hasler that he should be the Titans’ fullback next season.
ETHAN STRANGE
He’s been likened to Jack Wighton and now the 19-year-old is set to fill his shoes. Ethan Strange is one of the names that’s been floated to fill the No.6 jersey next season after Wighton’s departure for the Rabbitohs. While Strange made his NRL debut in the centres last season and represented NSW in the under 19s Origin at centre, five-eighth is said to be his preferred position. He has the versatility like Wighton and is built similarly too. Coach Ricky Stuart has already revealed that Strange will “get an opportunity to take over as No.6” — and a solid pre-season will likely give him first crack.
TAYLAN MAY
The Penrith junior was all set to build on his rookie season only to suffer an ACL injury in the World Club Challenge loss to St Helens. It ruled him out for all of 2023 and opened the door for Sunia Turuva to not only cement his spot in the first grade but also be crowned Dally M Rookie of the Year. May is expected to be available for Round 1 but that wing spot is all but a lock for Turuva. However there is a vacancy in the centres following Stephen Crichton’s departure — and May has his eye on that. The 22-year-old said in August that he sees himself as a centre going forward but Crichton’s position will be hotly contested. Along with May, there’s the versatile Jack Cole, young gun Jesse McLean and new recruit Paul Alamoti that will be pushing for the spot.
PHOENIX CROSSLAND
Fresh off his career-best season, Phoenix Crossland is now in his most important pre-season to date. Crossland was a breakout star for the Knights in 2023 after filling in for injured hooker Jayden Brailey for the second half of the season. The 23-year-old has quickly developed a reputation as Newcastle’s Mr. Fix It but he now feels most at home at hooker and wants to make the No.9 jersey officially his. He’ll get a slight jump on Brailey, who is off to Philadelphia in December to work with renowned reconditioning specialist Bill Knowles, and could use that time with the squad to his advantage.
TYSON GAMBLE
Tyson Gamble spent majority of last season in the halves but is now fighting for a spot in the Knights’ 17 after the club decided to sign former Panther Jack Cogger. It’s expected that Cogger will get first shot at partnering Jackson Hastings in the halves, leaving Gamble in a very vulnerable position. Working in his favour is the fact he did play three games off the bench in 2023 and coach Adam O’Brien said part of the reason behind switching Kalyn Ponga back to fullback was to get Gamble back into the run-on side. But with a Cogger-Hastings partnership likely, the 27-year-old may have to settle on that bench utility role — and beat someone like Phoenix Crossland to it.
Bulldogs land Sharks utility Tracey | 00:26
ISAIYA KATOA
The teenager playmaker was thrust into the NRL — and spotlight — in Round 1 last season after a highly-publicised move from the Panthers to the Dolphins. But eventually the rigours of playing first grade week-in, week-out caught up with Isaiya Katoa and the 19-year-old was dropped to the bench late in the season and was even 18th man for one game. Katoa now knows what it takes to get through a full season in the top grade and can use this pre-season to ensure he’s ready to cement his spot in the halves for all of 2024.
BILLY SMITH
In an up-and-down season for the Roosters, Billy Smith was a real shining light. The 24-year-old’s horror luck with injuries has been well documented — three ACL ruptures forced him to consider retiring from rugby league at just 22. But he returned to the first grade footy in May and made up for lost time by playing the best footy of his career — and consistently being one of the Roosters’ best — before suffering a jaw injury. But the arrival of towering winger Dom Young could have a major impact on Smith. Roosters coach Trent Robinson could shift Joseph Suaali’i back to the centres to make room on the wing for Young, meaning Smith will drop out of the 17. Smith has the pre-season though to prove to Robinson that he needs to stay in the side.
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ROGER TUIVASA-SHECK
RTS is back in the NRL and while he may be a former Dally M medal winner, the dual international has admitted recently: “I have to prove myself all over again.” Tuivasa-Sheck made history in 2018 when he became the first Warriors player to win the Dally M. But he walked away from the game mid-2021 to chase the goal of representing the All Blacks. He made three appearances in the international arena but has returned to the Warriors on a three-year deal. The 30-year-old owned the No.1 jersey before leaving the club but he won’t be walking back into it. Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad played some of his best footy this year at fullback, which is why Tuivasa-Sheck is tipped to play in the centres next season. He hasn’t started there in any of his 195 NRL games so this pre-season is going to be crucial for his preparation.
CHANEL HARRIS-TAVITA
Not one but two former Warriors have returned to the club with Chanel Harris-Tavita back from his year off. The 24-year-old made the shock decision to step away from the game but in May signed a two-year deal with the Warriors to seal his comeback. Harris-Tavita was a regular in the Warriors’ 17 before walking away but he has a fight on his hands to force his way into it after the team’s impressive 2023 campaign. The Samoan international’s versatility may work in his favour though — he can cover five-eighth, halfback, fullback and hooker.
AIDAN SEZER
New Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall has made the bold decision to bring Aidan Sezer back from the English Super League and entrust him with the task of steering the embattled club to brighter days. Sezer played 155 NRL games for the Titans and Raiders before making the move to the UK, where he’s spent the last four years. Marshall pointed to Sezer’s experience and the quality person that he is as some of the reasons why the Tigers signed him on a one-year deal. But at 32-years old and four years out of the NRL, there’s naturally some doubters. Sezer also knows the pressure that comes with wearing the No.7 jersey so every second of this pre-season is crucial.
Nat Butcher signs three-year extension | 00:25
JOEY LUSSICK
Joey Lussick is almost a certainty to start at hooker for the Eels next season following the early retirement of Josh Hodgson. It will be the first time in his NRL career that he will be a first-choice No.9 and 2024 has the makings of a defining season for the 27-year-old if all goes to plan. Lussick returned to the NRL late last season after an 18-month stint in the Super League and finished the year as starting hooker. The fact the club hasn’t recruited any other hookers yet is a vote of confidence for Lussick but he does have the versatile Brendan Hands vying for the No.9 jersey too. A strong pre-season should not only cement his starting spot, but also convince Eels coach Brad Arthur that he is the answer going forward.
DYLAN LUCAS
Dylan Lucas captured attention with a few big performances in Newcastle’s second row late in the 2023 season and now he has an opportunity to cement a starting role following the departure of Lachlan Fitzgibbon. This is just his first full pre-season with the NRL squad but he’s already played seven first grade games with the Knights — something that will likely help him get the nod over English Super League recruit Kai Pearce-Paul, who is set for foot surgery.
DEINE MARINER
Herbie Farnworth’s move to the Dolphins has opened up a spot in the Broncos’ backline and Deinie Mariner is in the mix to fill it. The 20-year-old is regarded a star of the future and got a taste of NRL with two games in 2022 and four more this year. In those four games he scored five tries, set up three, record a total of four linebreaks and 18 tackle busts while averaging 119 running metres a game. Three of those games were on the wing with the other on the bench but he has played majority of his reserve grade footy in his preferred position of centre — the hole left by Farnworth. Mariner was singled out by some of his teammates last pre-season as one to watch and another big summer could get him first crack at the vacant centre role, or on the wing as part of a backline reshuffle.
