Overย the next fortnight, Zero Tackleย will unveil the next crop of young players coming through the ranks who haveย yet to play NRL first-grade.
Every NRL star was once just a name on a team sheet, a promising kid waiting for the right moment to shine.
As players age and legends retire, the next generation of the competition's future superstars are slowly making a name for themselves in the lower grades.
In the past 18 months, Blaize Talagi, Lachlan Galvin and Isaiah Iongi are just three players who have earned their debuts and taken the rugby league world by storm... so who's next?
After hours of watching matches from the Harold Matthews Cup to the Mal Meninga Cup to the NSW Cup and QLD Cup competitions,ย Zero Tackleย has compiled a list of the 'Top 100 young players yet to play in the NRL'.
This list will be updated every three months - four times a year - as players continue to progress through the ranks and make their NRL debuts while others continue to impress at their respective clubs and for their schools.
5100-91
The following ten players include a Brisbane Broncos front-rower likened to Payne Haas, a Fijian flyer and a New Zealand Warriors outside back who arrived at the club this season after coming through the Sydney Roosters pathways system.
100. Taj Alvarez (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
Age: 19
Team: South Sydney Rabbitohs
Position: Five-Eighth
Contract Status: N/A
COMPARISON: Terry Lamb
99. Va'a Semu (Brisbane Broncos)
Age: 21
Team: Brisbane Broncos
Position: Prop
Contract Status: 2027
COMPARISON: Payne Haas
98. Reece Foley (Sydney Roosters)
Age:
Team: Sydney Roosters
Position: Five-Eighth
Contract Status:
COMPARISON: Tom Dearden
97. Peter Taateo (Wests Tigers)
Age: 22
Team: Wests Tigers
Position: Prop
Contract Status: N/A
COMPARISON: Spencer Leniu
96. Lachlan Metcalfe (Sydney Roosters)
Age: 16
Team: Sydney Roosters
Position: Halfback
Contract Status: 2025
COMPARISON: Sam Walker
95. Ratu Rinakama (Canterbury Bulldogs)
Age: 19
Team: Canterbury Bulldogs
Position: Wing
Contract Status: 2027
COMPARISON: Blake Ferguson
94. Kahu Capper (New Zealand Warriors)
Age: 19
Team: New Zealand Warriors
Position: Centre / Second-Row
Contract Status: 2026 (PO for 2027)
COMPARISON: Joseph Manu
93. Cooper Bai (Gold Coast Titans)
Age: 19
Team: Gold Coast Titans
Position: Lock
Contract Status: N/A
COMPARISON:
92. Jesse Milin (Canberra Raiders)
Age: 17
Team: Canberra Raiders
Position: Prop
Contract Status: N/A
COMPARISON: David Klemmer
91. Taj Ford (Cronulla Sharks)
Age: 20
Team: Cronulla Sharks
Position: Five-Eighth / Fullback
Contract Status: N/A
COMPARISON: Nicho Hynes
Ethan, this is a pretty ambitious project !
Tell me, please, about the rankings.
Do they represent Zero Tackle’s assessment of how good these kids may _eventually_ be, or how good they _currently_ are, or which are the closest to getting picked for a game in first grade ?