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.
270-61
The following ten players include a member of the 2024 Australian Schoolboys team, an up-and-coming Wests Tigers forward and a hooker being groomed as Reece Robson's replacement at the North Queensland Cowboys.
70. Mason Barber (North Queensland Cowboys)
Age: 19
Team: North Queensland Cowboys
Position: Fullback
Contract Status: N/A
COMPARISON: Brett Mullins
69. Lachlan Broederlow (Wests Tigers)
Age: 21
Team: Wests Tigers
Position: Second-Row
Contract Status: 2026
COMPARISON: Liam Martin
68. Hugo Peel (Melbourne Storm)
Age: 20
Team: Melbourne Storm
Position: Fullback
Contract Status: N/A
COMPARISON:
67. Zach Lamont (Penrith Panthers)
Age: 21
Team: Penrith Panthers
Position: Halfback / Hooker
Contract Status: 2025
COMPARISON: Ben Hunt
66. Wilson De Courcey (Newcastle Knights)
Age: 19
Team: Newcastle Knights
Position: Wing / Centre
Contract Status: 2026
COMPARISON: Dane Gagai
65. Kayliss Fatialofa (New Zealand Warriors)
Age: 20
Team: New Zealand Warriors
Position: Second-Row / Centre
Contract Status: 2025
COMPARISON: Tyrone Peachey
64. Thomas Dellow (Cronulla Sharks)
Age:
Team: Cronulla Sharks
Position: Lock / Second-Row
Contract Status:
63. Zac Herdegen (North Queensland Cowboys)
Age: 19
Team: North Queensland Cowboys
Position: Halfback
Contract Status: 2026
COMPARISON: Tom Dearden
62. Xavier Kerrisk (North Queensland Cowboys)
Age: 19
Team: North Queensland Cowboys
Position: Hooker
Contract Status: N/A
COMPARISON: Jake Friend
61. Kade Reed (St George Illawarra Dragons)
Age: 18
Team: St George Illawarra Dragons
Position: Halfback
Contract Status: N/A
COMPARISON: Mitchell Pearce
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 ?