NNRL Top 10 Players to Watch at the NRL 9s
The 2015 Auckland NRL Nines kick-off the NRL season this weekend. Something else that also kicks off this weekend is us! NNRL is back bitches! If you haven’t already heard that, then well, we question your love of the game.
So with the Nines atmosphere in full swing, we thought we would line up not necessarily the 10 best players of the tournament to watch, but rather the most exciting, and most questionable players taking part this weekend. Let’s get it on!
10. Tony Williams
That’s right, Tony Williams has been selected to play for the Bulldogs in the 9s. Perhaps it could be a ploy from Dessy to get the big fella fit. Or Williams may have been on some sort of radical diet over the summer and dropped 30kgs.
9s doesn’t really favour the bigger gents of the game. They struggle with the speed and in Williams case he will struggle to hide behind his other team mates.
9. Dave Taylor
The second big man on the list. Dave Taylor is an oddball. The size of a freight train he has the agility of a Kenyan runner, more so a sprinter than a long distance though.
In the off season, Taylor has spent a lot of time in the hyperbolic time chamber, much like Goku before he had to fight Majin Boo and save the world all over again. He is probably not quite up there with Goku, but it sure will be super to see Taylor take a few runs from the back fence wont it?!
8. Feleti Mateo
He only just left Auckland for Sydney’s hot and sweaty norther beaches and now he is back. Rumour has it he left a couple of boxes in the safe-room of his Parnell home and begged Mr Toovey to let him come back to retrieve them.
Not too pleased with his current playing weight, Toovey said he could return but before he gets back to Manly he needs to have lost 6kgs. Something that shouldn’t be too hard in the NZ sun.
7. Pat Richards
Old man river, Postman Pat Richards seems to be getting younger the older he gets. Does that even make sense? Probably not, but it’s early in the season, so we’ll leave it be ay.
Richards’ towering kick-offs will be worth the price of admission this week alone. Try and keep count of how many people fumble and or drop his ball under the sun this weekend.
6. Jarrod Mullen
The Newcastle captain tore this comp up this time last year, he also tore his hamstring off the bone. The time is now for Mullen to step up and show everyone he can make it through two days of footy and not get hurt.
Luckily for Newcastle Kurt Gidley isn’t playing, cause it always seems like when Gidley goes down with a concussion, Mullen loses the ability to make it through a game too.
5. Jason Taumalolo
The Cowboys other JT, Taumalolo is a massive piece of human being. He as a massive part of the Kiwis Four Nations win and could well be the most massivist and most destructive person in the game in 2015.
Taumalolo will be doing all he can to help his Cowboys back up their 2014 championship.
4. Chris Sandow
From the biggest man in the game to the smallest, Chrissy Sandow had a better then good season in 2014. Along with a better than good weekend Sandow will be hoping for a better than good return at the Casino on Saturday night.
Look out for the late shoulder charge and pumped up celebrations whenever it comes off. We can over look the penalty, because it is a beauty to watch.
3. George Burgess
The biggest Burgess on the field and definitely the biggest off it, Burgess beings his career this weekend as the new leader of Burgess Bros Inc.
Most likely he will be used in 2 – 3 min bursts by Michael McGuire, but lets be honest, 2 – 3 mins from big George in any sense of the game, or life is probably more than enough!
2. Benji Marshall
Benji has come out this week saying he wants his Kiwis jersey back. To do that he will have to show up current incumbents Kieran Foran and Shaun Johnson this weekend.
Marshall has the ability to tear any team a new one with his speed off the mark, but he also has the ability to tear the Dragons weekend apart with thoughts of leaving the Blues probably not that far away. Just in the dressing rooms in fact.
1. Shaun Johnson
Magic Johnson tore this competition a new one last year. The Warriors lost to the Cowboys in the semi-finals however Johnson was still named player of the tournament.
Having just been named the best player in the world and asked to be the face of the NRL, a 9s trophy wouldn’t look out of place in Johnson’s trophy room at home this weekend. The Warriors arguably have the best team on the park, so if you have a house, re mortgage it and put it all on Johnson and the home team!