Over the next fortnight, Zero Tackle will unveil the next crop of young players coming through the ranks who have 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, Zero Tackle 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.
380-71
The following ten players include an up-and-coming hooker for the Parramatta Eels who was named in the 2024 Australian Schoolboys side, one of the best prospects coming out of New Zealand and the younger brother of a Gold Coast Titans outside back.
80. Carter Mareko (Central Coast Roosters)
Age: 17
Team: Central Coast Roosters (Sydney Roosters)
Position: Five-Eighth
Contract Status: N/A
COMPARISON: Shaun Johnson
79. Christian Taupau-Moors (Wests Tigers)
Age: 17
Team: Wests Tigers
Position: Prop
Contract Status: 2027
COMPARISON: Frank-Paul Nuuausala
78. Tyson Sangalang (Penrith Panthers)
Age: 18
Team: Penrith Panthers
Position: Second-Row / Lock
Contract Status: 2025
COMPARISON: Frank Pritchard
77. Lachlan Coinakis (Parramatta Eels)
Age: 19
Team: Parramatta Eels
Position: Hooker
Contract Status: 2027
COMPARISON: Cameron Smith
76. Chris Vea'ila (Cronulla Sharks)
Age: 22
Team: Cronulla Sharks
Position: Centre / Wing
Contract Status: 2026
COMPARISON: Jesse Ramien
75. Bishop Neal (New Zealand Warriors)
Age: 16
Team: New Zealand Warriors
Position: Prop / Second-Row
Contract Status: N/A
COMPARISON: David Fifita
74. Aaymon Fitzgibbon (St George Illawarra Dragons)
Age: 19
Team: St George Illawarra Dragons
Position: Five-Eighth
Contract Status: 2025
COMPARISON: Luke Keary
73. Alex Conti (Canterbury Bulldogs)
Age: 18
Team: Canterbury Bulldogs
Position: Five-Eighth / Hooker
Contract Status: N/A
COMPARISON: Cooper Cronk
72. Haizyn Mellars (South Sydney Rabbitohs)
Age: 21
Team: South Sydney Rabbitohs
Position: Wing
Contract Status: 2025
COMPARISON: Jack Bostock
71. Tupou Francis (Brisbane Broncos)
Age: 17
Team: Brisbane Broncos
Position: Lock / Prop
Contract Status: 2028
COMPARISON: Isaah Yeo
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 ?