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.
While some players are more known to fans than others, the list includes quotes from several individuals and players associated with rugby league, as well as which former or current player is the individual's best comparison.
RANKINGS LIST
16. Onitoni Large (Manly Sea Eagles)
Considered one of the most talented prospects in either rugby league or rugby union at his age level, Onitoni Large is coming off a fantastic pre-season earlier in the year which saw the Sea Eagles try and plead their case to let him play in the NRL Pre-Season Challenge at the age of 17.
Previously with the Wests Tigers, Large and fellow youngster Joey Walsh have been considered the future of the Sea Eagles' halves and he is a freakish talent in attack with a wicked step.
RELATED >> Reason behind Onitoni Large's exit revealed
"It's been great to watch him run around," Manly skipper Daly Cherry-Evans told Zero Tackle.
"He's got some attributes that are going to hold him in really good stead for a footy career.
"Talent's not a problem for him. The biggest part for any young kid coming through is just how you manage everything - your mindset, how ambitious you are with your goals and how much work you're willing to put in."
Wests Tigers co-captain Apisai Koroisau said in 2024, "He's not afraid of anything."
"(Even when it's) bigger bodies, he's getting his body in front, body on the line, and he's actually doing really well in terms of the way he carries himself.
"I think he's got a really big future ahead of him."
Age: 17
Team:Â Manly Sea Eagles
Position:Â Five-Eighth
Contract Status: 2027
COMPARISON: Jarome Luai
