NRL 2024: Pre-season trials best teams and players, Blog with James Hooper

The sight of a Steeden launching back into orbit in the NRL’s official pre-season trials is always a highlight on the summer sporting calendar.

Big shots, blistering tries and an off-season of hard yakka were all on show as the NRL kick-started what’s going to be a history-making season.

Of course you don’t win premierships in February or March and we’re yet to see premiers Penrith in action, but there was still a multitude of talking points out of the opening weekend of officials trials.

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The Broncos looked electric through the middle of the field early in the second half as superstar fullback Reece Walsh and Selwynn Cobbo, playing left centre, put a clinic on against the North Queensland Cowboys.

The Sydney Roosters look to be on course to get back to being a top four team with a star-studded roster given the inclusions of Dominic Young and Spencer Leniu.

While Leniu didn’t play against the Manly Sea Eagles there’s some quality youth primed to go to the next level at the Chooks with halfback Sam Walker, backrower Siua Wong and Joseph Suaalii showing signs they’re in for big seasons.

South Sydney will field one of the most lethal left edges the NRL has seen once Jack Wighton, Latrell Mitchell and Cody Walker are back to combine with Keaon Koloamatangi, who has been shifted from the right edge to the left.

This means halfback Lachlan Ilias now has a new bodyguard in the form of Queensland Maroons enforcer Jai Arrow over on the Bunnies’ right side.

The Bunnies’ recruitment of front row forward Sean Keppie also looks like a winner with the club clearly boasting a premiership roster once all the big guns are back on deck.

Canterbury-Bankstown showed it’s been a busy off-season with the Bulldogs new recruits of Jaemon Salmon, Bronson Xerri and Blake Taaffe producing some quality touches.

Salmon’s ball-playing through the middle of the ruck – similar to the role Isaah Yeo plays at Penrith – showed coach Cameron Ciraldo has been busy fine-tuning the way the Bulldogs will attack over the summer.

The return of powerful speedster Xerri has also given Ciraldo plenty of think about in terms of his most dangerous backline. The prospect of Stephen Crichton and Xerri in the centres with Josh Addo-Carr and Jacob Kiraz on the wings has plenty of appeal.

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The Canberra Raiders showcased grit mixed with enough second-phase to suggest they can surprise some bigger-name sides this season.

The grandson of champion Roosters winger Bill Mullins and nephew of club legend Brett Mullins – James Schiller – was particularly strong defensively and then was rewarded with an 80m try as the Raiders ran away with it against the Eels.

Missing representative forwards Joe Tapine, Josh Papalii, Elliott Whitehead and Hudson Young, the Raiders generation next of Pasami Saulo, Ata Mariota and Mitchell Spencer looked super fit and more than capable of pushing for more minutes in the NRL this season.

Parramatta also looked in tip top condition physically with new recruit Kelma Tuilagi the pick of the Eels forward pack.

It was a tough watch seeing rookie hooker Matt Arthur knocked out with his first involvement in the game but the good news was he was up and about in the dressing rooms afterwards.

Don’t read too much into the final scoreline, once the Eels get all their best talent back on deck they should be another side who improve immensely this season.

The Dolphins have recruited better than any other side with the inclusions of Tom Flegler and Herbie Farnworth from the Broncos and the old fox Wayne Bennett should have this side playing in the finals come September.

Congratulations to the Wests Tigers on a gritty win over a 12-man Warriors side to kick off the Benji Marshall era with some positivity.

Sure the Warriors only had 12 men for 60 minutes but the Tigers showed enough to suggest they’ve done a lot of hard work around how they want to play over the summer with Api Korisau and Isaiah Papali’i primed for strong seasons.

The Warriors are another side who’ve recruited extremely well with the additions of Roger Tuivasa-Scheck, Kurt Capewell and Chanel Harris-Tevita coupled with the return of five-eighth Luke Metcalf.

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What were your likes or dislikes from the opening weekend of NRL trial matches?

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