Representative footy is the pinnacle of rugby league.
The State of Origin series is always casting a shadow over the NRL while the end of year World Cup has players auditioning for spots in a big way.
There are often arguments about what constitutes an "Origin or rep player" but the simplest way of putting it is the best players play rep footy.
Today we are going to look at seven players who are certain future rep players.
Whether that be Origin or international (often both), each of the below players will be running out at the top level before too long.
Below are seven, certain future representative players:
Tallis Duncan
The inspiration behind this list, Tallis Duncan screams future Origin player.
His future absolutely remains in the back row but his performances at centre have him primed to become the ultimate bench option, at minimum.
For all the talk of the likes of Victor Radley being an "Origin player" Tallis is the player I think of when I hear that reference.
The 24 year-old now had 67 NRL games to his name (at time of writing). He's 186cm and listed at 95 kilos. I dare say he'd be closer to 98 currently.
For comparison, Victor Radley is 182cm and 92kgs. Just to silence those "oh he's too small" voices, that admittedly grow fainter by the round.
I would not be shocked at all to see him named in the 24 man squad for the Kangaroos come the World Cup at the end of the year.
My guess is he'll eventually become a nailed on second row starter but right now his versatility, and skills, make him the ultimate bench utility option.
