In the wake of the crowd-less Tokyo games, former Rugby League sharpshooter and current SEN contributor Joel Caine has revealed who he believes are the game's top-three youngsters from this season.
Using the Olympics awardment method of gold, silver and bronze medals, Caine has signaled that Warriors, Roosters and Sea Eagles fans should be excited about the present, as well as the future.
Claiming gold on the 42-year-old's list was excitement machine and Origin debutant, Reece Walsh.
during a QueenslandMaroons State of Origin training session at the Cbus Super Stadium on June 22, 2021 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
The nod comes in the wake of a season that began on the sidelines with the Broncos before flourishing under the watchful eye of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck at the Warriors.
After a year that has so far seen the teenager cross the chalk nine-times from 13-starts, Caine was of the belief that only Kalyn Ponga and Benji Marshall could realistically boast about enjoying brighter starts to their careers than Walsh.
Caine continued by naming Sydney's Sam Walker as his silver medalist.
There are unlikely to be many that disagree with the man that laced the boots for 97 first-grade games, as Walker has outshone many of the game's more experienced halves in his debut season for the Chooks.
Rounding out Caine's list of precocious kids was Manly's Josh Schuster on the bronze medal portion of the podium.
Caine lauded the 20-year-old for his "versatility" and "supreme skills" before claiming that the nephew of former All Black and Newcastle Knight John Schuster was a lock to play 200 first-grade games.
Walsh, Walker and Schuster will have further opportunities to bolster their burgeoning reputations when their sides face the Broncos, Dragons and Raiders respectively this weekend.
