Clubs in race for 'brilliant' English young gun

1 year ago 70

Brilliant young St Helens fullback Jack Welsby volition beryllium playing for a batch much than silverware successful Saturday's World Club Challenge against Penrith.

Several NRL clubs person their eyes connected signing the 21-year-old, who was a standout successful past weekend's triumph implicit St George Illawarra successful Wollongong.

Youngster Welsby is already a proven large lucifer player, lasting retired successful some the Super League expansive last and the World Cup past year.

He present has 3 Super League premiership wins to his sanction and whitethorn beryllium tempted to trial himself successful the NRL.

Fullback is the caller ace spot successful the NRL, with clubs hopeless for prime No.1s.

But determination are lone truthful galore genuine people fullbacks successful Australia, forcing immoderate clubs to look to the UK.

Welsby is connected a semipermanent woody with St Helens and the nine could bid a immense transportation interest for his services.

But with transportation fees not counted successful the wage cap, affluent NRL clubs person shown they are prepared to wage up to motion the champion players successful Super League successful caller years.

Welsby won a caller instrumentality successful erstwhile Test halfback Cooper Cronk, who said aft the triumph implicit the Dragons, "I deliberation helium has that quality to foretell wherever the shot is going to be. There was a enactment interruption done the mediate wherever helium knew the play was coming backmost this mode and helium deed the accelerator".

"The feline has been unbelievable successful Super League and had a truly bully World Cup.

"He has that uncommon quality arsenic a fullback to make tries done his passing crippled but besides bob up for the offloads arsenic well. He is precise impressive."

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TWIST IN CROFT'S SUPER LEAGUE DEAL

Former Broncos and Storm halfback Brodie Croft made headlines past week by signing a woody with Salford successful Super League for a staggering 7 years.

But there's nary warrant that 25-year-old Croft volition beryllium hanging astir successful the UK for anyplace adjacent that long.

In the good people of the woody is simply a get-out clause - astatine the extremity of each 1 of those 7 seasons.

Only weeks ago, Croft was linked with the Dragons but opted to enactment successful Super League to enactment connected his skills and crippled management.

With a deficiency of prime halves successful the NRL, don't beryllium amazed if 1 oregon 2 Aussie clubs travel knocking connected his doorway again for 2024.

BRONCOS POUNCE ON TEEN STAR

The Broncos person signed an breathtaking 15-year-old fullback from New Zealand.

Tomu Cook, who plays for Mark Graham's aged nine Otahuhu, has enactment pen to insubstantial connected a three-year woody with the Broncos.

He'll enactment successful Auckland for the adjacent mates of years to decorativeness his schooling but volition walk clip astatine the Broncos successful academies and camps to make his game.

A speedy youngster who has ever played against opponents a twelvemonth older than him, Cook is rated a existent endowment and volition beryllium 1 to ticker successful coming years.

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CONTRACT LOOMS FOR KIWI TALENT

Former New Zealand nether 18 hooker Vaka Sikahele's vocation was successful uncertainty erstwhile helium severely tore his Achilles aboriginal past year.

The fullback-turned-hooker made a tentative comeback precocious successful the play for Burleigh Bears and showed capable to triumph a bid and proceedings declaration with the Titans.

The speedy No.9 didn't get a batch of crippled clip successful past weekend's proceedings against the Broncos - but the 21-year-old Kiwi made the astir of it.

Sikahele scored an eye-catching 50-metre solo effort and it volition beryllium astonishing if the Titans don't motion him up successful coming days.

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