NSW Cup 2026

Kickitoverhere said:
The real question is who went the best at hooker yesterday?
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Harrison Graham from what I saw hands down. Why he’s not rolling dice right now in Vegas as a back up hooker option is beyond me. Matt Arthur just didn’t seem to fire when he came on. Tried a few things on the line that didn’t hit the mark and has some defensive errors. Jacob Davies has been in the last two trials at hooker and I think lock and he’s looked strong but I’m pretty certain i saw him at centre yesterday. He’s a reliable utility.
Be interested in anyone else’s opinion who watched the game yesterday
 
Best guess for reserve grade after seeing the NRL team:

1. Fletcher Hunt
2. Wilson De Courcey
3. Connor Votano
4. Kyle McCarthy
5. James Schiller
6. Tyson Gamble
7. Matthew Hunter
8. Lachlan Crouch
9. Harrison Graham
10. Elijah Salesa-Leaumoana
11. Francis Manuleleua
12. Asu Kepaoa
13. Cody Hopwood

14. Matt Arthur
15. Brodie Jones
16. Peter Hola
17. Jacob Taulani

Reckon 18th/19th man will still get 40-60 minutes of reserve grade when scheduling allows for it so included Hunt and Manuleleua, but on the weeks where they’re unavailable there’s a few outside backs ready to step in (D’Acre, Aoake, Latu).

Think the game time/development of Hopwood and Salesa-Leaumoana is the priority in the middle and then don’t have a strong preference between Crouch, Jones and Hola, but Crouch is the youngest and signed for the longest (and Jones is apparently on the outer).
 
2-5 are all capable of playing centre or wing and could me mixed and matched but Hunt has pretty clearly been preferred at fullback over Votano through the trials
 
Owey said:
Absolutely, but I'd like to see him stay on an edge. I think he could be Kikau style devastating.
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Yeah think he can be devestating on an edge for sure, just think our edge depth and starters are pretty secure with Lucas and McEwen starting and ESL, Cant plus Maun in the depth ranks
 
Henderson was one of our best in all the trials at 7.
He was a bit disappointing when he returned from Canberra last year, but has looked good so far.
I don't think it will be long till Gamble, Hunter or both are in the 19 for firstgrade and we'll need Hendo to run the side in reserve grade.
 
How do we see Votano progressing? He seems to have fallen down the ranks in the fullback stakes (Hunt/Gagai), and may not have the physical attributes to play regular first grade in the outside backs. I can also see players like Latu, De Courcey and eventually Gow and the like pulling past him in that respect. Plus Fullbacks coming up like Winter.

Is he better served playing another year in Flegg at Fullback?

I genuinely don't know.
 
KriKri said:
How do we see Votano progressing? He seems to have fallen down the ranks in the fullback stakes (Hunt/Gagai), and may not have the physical attributes to play regular first grade in the outside backs. I can also see players like Latu, De Courcey and eventually Gow and the like pulling past him in that respect. Plus Fullbacks coming up like Winter.

Is he better served playing another year in Flegg at Fullback?

I genuinely don't know.
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He was playing under 16s two years ago.
They rushed him into reserve grade and then firstgrade last year when he could have been playing SG Ball.
Some of the guys he came through the juniors with are training for their first year of Flegg right now.
Honestly, if we were to release him from his contract, he'd have 6 deals on the table before close of business today.
 
He is still only 19, still has time to grow into his body with a few NRL pre-seasons but he definitely looked a bit deer in headlights didn't he. After the wraps he was getting in the junior grades. Needs to keep at it, either going to see him flourish in the next year or two of consistent reserve grade, or fizzle out.
 
Billy said:
He was playing under 16s two years ago.
They rushed him into reserve grade and then firstgrade last year when he could have been playing SG Ball.
Some of the guys he came through the juniors with are training for their first year of Flegg right now.
Honestly, if we were to release him from his contract, he'd have 6 deals on the table before close of business today.
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This is the one thing that really shocked me. He's less than a year older than Winter, and still only 19.

He seems to perfectly fit the bill for a player we let go who goes onto big things elsewhere, but i'm not sure what his path to first grade would be. Do we see him as a replacement for KP if he was to leave after 2027? Will Votano want to wait that long, and will others pass him by in the mean time.
It's great that we've had a nursery of talented fullbacks come through the ranks, but it'd be greater if they were spaced out a bit more.. haha.
 
KriKri said:
This is the one thing that really shocked me. He's less than a year older than Winter, and still only 19.

He seems to perfectly fit the bill for a player we let go who goes onto big things elsewhere, but i'm not sure what his path to first grade would be. Do we see him as a replacement for KP if he was to leave after 2027? Will Votano want to wait that long, and will others pass him by in the mean time.
It's great that we've had a nursery of talented fullbacks come through the ranks, but it'd be greater if they were spaced out a bit more.. haha.
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He's played every number from 1 to 6 in the lower grades and he's tall and big enough for wing or centre.
We'll find somewhere for him.
 
KriKri said:
This is the one thing that really shocked me. He's less than a year older than Winter, and still only 19.

He seems to perfectly fit the bill for a player we let go who goes onto big things elsewhere, but i'm not sure what his path to first grade would be. Do we see him as a replacement for KP if he was to leave after 2027? Will Votano want to wait that long, and will others pass him by in the mean time.
It's great that we've had a nursery of talented fullbacks come through the ranks, but it'd be greater if they were spaced out a bit more.. haha.
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and yet Winter looks twice the player then him in speed, power, ball play and footy IQ. I like Votano but I don't think he has the ability to impact at FB. He'd be a great winger or center but he isn't displacing Latu or Gow on wing. Be happy to see him replace McCarthy at center though
 
I was a Votano believer a couple of years ago, and even 18 months ago it seemed plausible that another club would scoop him up to play fullback (there were rumours of the Bulldogs trying) but he's just completely plateaued as a player. Not a good athlete compared to what you see from fullbacks in the NRL and elite juniors (decent size but not particularly fast, strong or agile), low workrate/involvement (think he averaged less than 100m per game last year which is almost impossible as a fullback), and not particularly good as a passer/playmaker. If you ask me what his strength is at this stage I genuinely do not know how to answer that. I think back to the Harold Matts game against the Bears where he scored three long range tries and looked like Tom Trbojevic with headgear streaking away, and now it seems like maybe he was just the bigger/faster kid and eventually the rest of them caught up.

I included him in the team because he's on the development list while Latu and Aoake aren't but you could easily convince me they should be there over him (and I'm not even particularly high on Aoake). As mentioned Hunt has clearly been preferred at fullback from what they're showing us, Toby Winter is a much better prospect at fullback/centre at this stage and there's several other outside backs that I'd say have higher upside, too. Hard to see where he really fits in here going forward.

Regardless of where he plays he's off-contract and will be needing a much better season than he had last year. If I were him I'd be trying to follow his younger brother to Melbourne and hoping they can turn me into their new Meaney. Said before I think that being a solid utility back is more in line with his skillset than the elite player we hoped he would be a few years ago.
 
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