We always have an eye on the future.
Each week the nib Newcastle Knights will identify the best performers from the Canterbury Cup and Jersey Flegg competitions so the supporters can get a feel for who is consistently performing in the lower grades.
These are the players to keep an eye out for as they climb the ranks or knock on the door for a future NRL debut.
BRADMAN BEST
Having turned 18 a little over a week ago, the centre made a successful return from a foot injury.
A powerful player, Best produced a man of the match performance with a hat-trick of tries in the 24-10 Jersey Flegg win over North Sydney.
But 20s Coach Scott Dureau admits, he probably should’ve scored a couple more.
“He scored three tries. It was his first game in six weeks,” Dureau said.
“He was very strong in defence and attack. He was a real handful.
“He scored three tries but to be fair, he probably could’ve had a few more if we’d played a bit smarter.”
CHRISTIAN MAANAIMA
The prop joined the Knights two years and started the 2019 season in SG Ball.
At the conclusion of that competition, he made the jump to Jersey Flegg.
Having played 10 games for the 20s side, the youngster returned after a freshen up and made an impact.
“It was his first game back in a couple of weeks,” Dureau said.
“He had a bit of a dip in his energy levels, so we gave him a rest for a couple of weeks.
“He was very strong for us of the bench.”
ELIJAH RASIAG
The winger was a member of the 20s side in 2018.
An Armidale product, Rasiga had a breakout game according to his coach.
“Elijah had his best game for us all year,” Dureau said.
“He scored a try but he just did all the little things right.
“He’s played just about every game in the 20s this year. He had his best game, had some tough carries and just did his job really well.”
