We managed to find a bit of value last week so we’re back for more in Round 1 of the 2025 NRL Pre-Season Challenge. Here’s a few things I’ve got my eye on across the trial games this week.
It’s our first look at Blayke Brailey & Addin Fonua-Blake and I don’t want to miss out on any value. We know AFB can find the line and I’m hoping Brailey can help him find the smaller body of Tom Starling in good-ball, too.
Where Will Kennedy positions himself in yardage is another key watch. The Sharks played very direct last week and we can expect more of the same here. Kennedy getting involved in the second-phase or on a quick play-the-ball can add a new element to how Cronulla work downfield this season.
For the Raiders, I want to get a better read on Trey Mooney. He and Ata Mariota appear to be the next guys up in Canberra’s forward rotation but the emergence of Myles Martin gives Ricky Stuart another option in the middle. I want to see how Matty Nicholson handles the Sharks left-edge attack in this one, too.
Canberra will try to make it ugly but the Sharks should be more efficient with their good ball attack here.
Fletcher Sharpe named at five-eighth is the obvious watch for Newcastle fans. How does he handle the positional transition and how do he, Jack Cogger and Kalyn Ponga (Will Pryce, here) share the field in attack?
It doesn’t even need to look good on Friday night; we just need to finally see some evidence of a plan for this Knights spine. Putting Kai Pearce-Paul into more offload situations on that left edge wouldn’t be a bad place to start…
On the other side of the field, we get our first look at a Jason Ryles coached NRL team.
Defence is the focus for Parramatta fans in this one. There’s a few names on this team list who were regular spots for opposing teams last year and I’m curious to see what improvements they’ve made – individually and systematically – over the summer.
Kristian Woolf and Todd Payten have both named fairly unfamiliar sides but there will be key takeaways for Dolphins & Cowboys fans, respectively.
For North Queensland, Kai O’Donnell is suddenly a big-minute candidate on the edge this year following Heilum Luki’s unfortunate injury layoff. Returning home after three years in the Super League, I want to get a better idea of O’Donnell’s qualities.
There’s a few more peculiar selections with potential first-grade implications in Redcliffe’s line up. Junior Tupou and Max Feagai will make their club auditions and can feature at different times this year but The Dolphins spine makeup here is interesting;
1. Kurt Donoghoe
6. Jake Averillo
9. Harrison Graham
13. Mason Teague
Is Woolf simply trialling guys in different positions or are these genuine back-up options for the Dolphins in key positions this season? We’ll know more come Friday night.
Luke Metcalf’s audition in a primary playmaker role last week produced mixed results. We saw some promising signs but the Metcalf – Te Maire Martin partnership is still in its infancy and New Zealand have some growing pains to work through first.
It won’t get any easier with James Fisher-Harris and Mitch Barnett sitting out this week, but at the very least we’re going to get a better idea of who might support New Zealand’s star props through the ruck this season. Keep an eye on Demetric Vaimauga; named to start on an edge in this one but equally capable in the middle-third.
For Melbourne, all eyes will be on Stefano Utoikamanu wearing the purple-and-gold for the first time. Lazarus Vaalepu starting in the frontrow beside him is another key watch, particularly given the sudden retirement of Christian Welch.
The two key narratives for South Sydney here involve Lewis Dodd at halfback and Pete Mamouzelos at hooker. There is plenty of competition for both positions at Redfern this year and the pressure is on two relative NRL unknowns to handle the step up.
With so many new faces at the Rabbitohs, I also want to get a better idea of where guys like Jamie Humphreys, Lachlan Hubner & Fletcher Myers fit into the squad.
Manly are a club I’m very high on this season and the wealth of experience they boast in the pack is evident on paper. They’ve worked hard to move away from ‘Turbo Ball’ and season 2025 might be the year it starts paying dividends.
We can read between the lines here to get some idea of what Michael Maguire’s Broncos might look like in NRL Round 1. Brendan Piakura & Jack Gosiewski appear to be in a shoot-out for a left edge position while Delouise Hoeter & Deine Mariner jostle for a centre role. We’re hopefully going to get a better idea of Brisbane’s dummy-half rankings in this one, too.
I like the Broncos to bounce back under Madge but it might take time and it will take blood, sweat and tears. Kobe Hetherington starting at lock personifies this mentality.
There’s plenty of moving pieces on the Gold Coast too. Their pack is one of the best in the business and I’m keen to see what a healthy Sam Verrills can do behind it. With Kieran Foran at halfback and so much firepower through the middle, this is the Titans to lose.
Benji Marshall’s star new recruits won’t feature here but that doesn’t mean we can’t look for changes in how Wests approach their football on the field. Expect a little more structure from Lachlan Galvin and Latu Fainu in attack; getting to spots on the field and setting up for a shot rather than trying to attack on any and every tackle.
For Canterbury, it’s more about individuals than systems in this one. We know what to expect from the Bulldogs this time around but guys like Blake Wilson, Tom Amone, Jack Todd or Zyon Maiu’u can add a point of difference to Canterbury’s roster in NRL 2025.
Shane Flanagan naming a near full strength side for this trial embodies how I see St George navigating this season. They might’ve lost their two most productive attacking players but this Dragons side will compete, complete and rarely beat themselves.
I’m interested to see how Kyle Flanagan and Lachlan Ilias share touches in attack. Do they hold an edge while Clint Gutherson plays both sides? Does Damien Cook’s role change at all in a new side? And how prominently does Luciano Leilua feature in this Dragons attack? His offloading ability around Gutherson and Val Holmes is appealing on paper.
The big takeaway from Trent Robinson’s teamlist is Victor Radley on an edge. I love it. Radley was superb there defensively last year and ‘Robbo’ picking one of his best players in one of the most important defensive positions on the field speaks volumes about the Roosters mentality.
It might be a slow burn for Easts to begin the year but I’ve got them in the mixer come finals time.