Spy Talk: Players to watch across NRL trials

G’day all,

As we edge ever closer to kickoff we get another look at teams this weekend and therefore a look at some of the key figures dominating Supercoach headlines in the pre-season.

Below I am going to list and drop some notes on who I personally will be keeping a close eye on. Names that could shake up my initial squad in terms of not just who I pick but squad formation/setup. In next weeks article I will recap and rate each player listed below and give my consensus to help guage who should make and miss our round 1 lineups. Lets get into it.

Isaiah Iongi

He remains the key to our initial sides. I have flip flopped between a squad with and without Iongi and whilst I am generally happy enough to start him I want to see how involved he is, how he goes in contact (Tackle Bustability) and general ballplaying.

It’s a shame he doesn’t have his halves playing but I do trust Volkman to put him in some good positions. My hesitation in starting Iongi is that he comes up against Melbourne in round 1 and The Bulldogs in Round 3 who in theory could be in the top 3 or 4 defensive sides come end of season.

This leaves those who opt for an elite triple up at FB with a chance at a fast start. There is off course the obvious downside though in that anyone with an elite triple FB lineup will be much shallower in other positions. Will Iongi average sub 40 or potential 50+ in the opening 3 rounds? Hopefully the trial helps give some idea.

Sandon Smith

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Honestly I think he is a lock in sides but it never hurts to keep a close eye on things. My main question will be whether or not he should be part of playering 18s or not come round 1. I think yes and I’m a big fan of the kid. Let see if the trial changes anything as there is always the option to bench him and just let him grow in cash without relying on his score.

Rob Toia

As per Sandon above my main question sits on whether or not he good enough to be a starting centre in our teams. If so we could look to free up bulk cash or at least rely on him as a super solid 5^th centre and give confidence in depth and a playable option rather than simply a non-playing money maker.

Greg Marzhew

This is a big one because he has a new spine inside him and it looks as though Fletcher Sharpe last week will be a running threat on the left edge which will in turn open up space for his outside men as he will attract so much attention.

Combine this with Dylan Lucas’ hole running ability and Marzhew could cash in as defenses collapse inwards. My confidence in Sharpe basically leads to extra confidence in Marzhew.

Lets how they all look together in their first real hit out inclusive of Kalyn Ponga at the back because the Knights style of play had my exciting last weekend after coming near dead lack in attack for season 2024.

Tyrone Munro

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My big watch here is workrate and tackle busting ability as well as how much space Latrell can create for him without his usual halves inside him (no Cody Walker). This is really critical again in order to determine if we start with Tyrone in our sides. Same goes for Isaiah Tass the other edge.

Jaxon Purdue

This kid can play and he might help fill a playing/pointscoring bench position in the early parts of the season. As with some of the guys above I want to get a look at work rate but also how he looks in contact and how likely he seems to be able to create attacking points.

Alternatively if he looks ok but not overly SuperCoach points conducive it might be harder to play him in the early parts and will stretch our bench depth a little more.

Jack Gosiewski

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Named on an edge for Brisbane he could be supercoach gold at the price. The common theme is whether not he would be a playable option in the early rounds. If yes then we can free up cash at 2FR and if not we may need a fourth reliable option with Gosiewski dropping to 5^th choice in the position. This will differ as per team structure but for me if I do opt for triple elite FB then I would love to slot him into 2FR4 (1^st bench option).

Tino Fa’asuamaleaui

This one is easy, if he looks anything close to his normal self he is in my side. It’s been a long time so first game back will be an interesting watch.

Terrell May

Will he be offloading/looking to offload? That’s all I’m really looking for. Even without it I pick him anyone but it would be nice to see and really sure up that decision.

Thanks for having a read and lets dive into some analysis next week of the games and players mentioned as well as any other relevant talking points that come out of the trials because as always there are sure to be many but a reminder we should take trials with a grain of salt because the real stuff is a different beast! Next week analysis will certainly consider this.

Cheers all.