One of my favourite aspects of every new season are the seeing which players will make their debut and hit the ground running.
Last year we saw Jacob Preston provide hope to an entire fanbase.
We saw Sunia Turuva emerge as the Rookie of the Year after being called in to replace Tyrone May after a season-ending injury looked like it may weaken the Penrith backline.
Jahream Bula showed signs of possessing talent that could be a major contributing factor in his side finally ending a decade long finals drought.
Who will step up in 2024 and provide similar stories?
Below is a look at 10 rookies I would certainly be keeping an eye on in 2024.
Of course I can't name all the players I believe will mak their debut. Nor can I promise the ten below even will. They're just players I expect to make a big impact, one way or another in the coming season.
Please note: To qualify for this list you need to have played five games or less in the top grade. So the likes of Tallis Duncan and Tom Jenkins won't appear.
Super League players won't be considered, if they've played more than five games in the Super League.
With that said, below are ten of the best rookies to look out for in 2024:
10. Samuel Hughes (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs)
I saw enough in Hughes in his five appearances last season to suggest he's going to be a mainstay in the Dogs pack for 2024 and beyond.
The 23-year-old will surely see both his minutes and role within the team increase with his experience.
Standing over 190cm and weighing in at 111kgs, Hughes is exactly what the Dogs need to refresh a less than stellar few years in the engine room.
I'd be shocked if he wasn't named on the interchange bench from round one. He is a player the Dogs need to priortise due to his tremendous upside.
Hughes won't produce the highlight reels of others on this list but he is a player the Bulldogs fan base should be very excited about.
Zero Tackle's 2024 NRL Season Guide is now live, and this year, it's FREE! Over 120 pages of content, with every player profiled, full team lists, stats and expectations for every team. Get your FREE DOWNLOAD now.
