The opening week of the Pre-Season Challenge gave fans their first proper taste of club action for 2024 and for some players provided a platform to put their case forward ahead of the season kicking off.
Pint-sized Rabbitohs utility Jye Gray punched well above his weight in the Charity Shield, while a much larger counterpart on the Gold Coast strengthened his claim to join his brother as a permanent member of the Titans pack.
Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett already had a healthy selection of backline talent to choose from before Jack Bostock impressed on the wing, while a couple of Round 1 positional openings got closer to being filled thanks to impressive showings in other matches.
Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui (Titans)
The Titans have a very strong starting pack which is likely already locked in, but there is a battle on to see who makes the bench. The younger of the Fa’asuamaleaui brothers did his chances of snaring a spot no harm, running for the most metres by a forward in his squad (100) after taking some tough carries, while throwing in a couple of offloads and tackle breaks to go with it. He more than held his own against a Dolphins pack which included Origin-tried forwards like Tom Gilbert, Thomas Flegler and Jarrod Wallace.
Dolphins v Titans - Pre-Season 2024
Jack Bostock (Dolphins)
After finishing the season on the wing for the Dolphins last year Bostock has not put a foot wrong this pre-season in the fight to stay there. After setting up tries on the left edge in trial against the Capras earlier this month, he scored one himself against the Titans in a strong overall performance. With Jamayne Isaako locked in on one side, Bostock is set to fight it out with Tesi Niu for the other spot for Round 1.
James Schiller (Raiders)
If Sebastian Kris is used at fullback again in 2024 then Jarrod Croker's retirement has created an opening at centre for the Raiders, which Schiller is now right in the mix to fill. The 22-year-old, who has played 10 NRL games over the past two seasons, did a sound job on experienced opposite number Bailey Simonsson in defence and all up had 13 tackles with just one miss. In attack he laid on a classy try assist to Jed Stuart minutes before he went the length off the field on a kick return himself.
James Schiller stakes a claim at centre
Jaxon Purdue (Cowboys)
No better way for a young hopeful to leave his mark than sprinting 90 metres to score on the final play of the game. That's what 18-year-old Mackay product Purdue did on Sunday as he snapped up a rolling ball and put a space on the Broncos chasers to take his tally to 203 run metres, to go with six tackle breaks. A graduate of St Patrick's Mackay, Purdue looked right at home at fullback and showed great speed and evasive skills after snaffling a Tristan Sailor grubber just 10 metres out from his own line. The Cowboys are well served for outside backs but watch for Purdue to hone his skills in 2024 and be ready to step up should Todd Payten need to call on him.
Jaxon Purdue Try
Jye Gray (Rabbitohs)
At just 77kgs and 170cms tall, Gray looked very similar to Blake Taaffe out on the field on Saturday night and if he can play like he did against the Dragons on a regular basis then he is a good chance of snaring the No.14 jersey made vacant by Taaffe’s departure to the Bulldogs. The 19-year-old performed well at fullback, registering a game-high 171 run metres, and the fact that he provides cover across the whole backline means he could be a valuable bench addition. While he would be among the smallest players in the NRL, his leg speed and invasiveness in traffic would likely allow him to handle a limited-minute roving middle role if required too.
Sam Hughes (Bulldogs)
Plenty is still to be decided in the Canterbury-Bankstown pack and while he's unlikely to command a starting spot, Hughes made a compelling case for inclusion on the bench with his performance against the Storm. Busy on the ball with 15 carries that resulted in 140 metres gained, 55 of which came post contact, he was a lively addition to a pack with plenty of NRL experience in it. The 23-year-old played five games last year and is a good shot of at least doubling that if he can keep dishing up showings like this one.
