The new and much anticipated reality TV show, The NRL Rookie, is coming soon with the first episode going to air at 7.30pm on Tuesday 31st May on the Nine Network's free-to-air channel GO!.
Hosted by The Footy Show's Erin Molan, The NRL Rookie is an authentic, entertaining, educational and moving reality series. It's about The Dream - the dream millions of boys and girls around the world grow up with – to play professional sport, whatever their game might be.
It's about the journey of 14 men, lifted from all walks of life and all points of the globe who want to give it their best shot at becoming professional athletes.
We find out what it takes to become elite and whether they have it. As the show progresses we will witness the creation of a professional athlete to play at the game's highest level – the NRL.
Each week the Rookies participate in an off-field challenge to determine who will captain the team that week. From jumping off skyscrapers to herding sheep, there is no shortage of entertainment! Entertainment aside however, the outcome of the challenge is important as the winner not only earns himself immunity for the week, but also gains the ability to influence who Head Coach, Brad Fittler, will cut from the squad.
On the field the NRL Rookie team come up against a variety of opposition ranging from the Melbourne Storm U20s side to a collection of former NRL legends playing for the Men of League who are keen to teach the Rookies a lesson or two!
Each week we also get a sneak peek into The War Room, where Freddy and his trusty coaching team, Origin legends Adrian Lam and Mark Geyer, assess and analyse the contestants' progress and are forced to make some difficult decisions along the way. Tensions rise as the coaches don't always find themselves in agreement with one another.
Whilst this is occurring we also get some insight into the team politics as the boys are forced to provide open and honest feedback to one another in The Sheds. Team psychology coach Kate Baecher encourages the boys to speak up and confront the issues they would all prefer to leave unspoken about. Sparks fly between the players on several occasions!
The final episodes of the 10-part series will see Brad Fittler present his top three players to an audience of all 16 NRL Clubs who will then determine who the ultimate NRL Rookie winner is. As the episode unfolds we will learn which club is eager to give the winning Rookie the chance he's been waiting for all his life as he signs an NRL contract live on television.
The show will be aired across the Nine Network on channel GO! and Channel 9 with full catch-up episodes and exclusive online extras available at nrlrookie.com. The full broadcast schedule will be available soon.
