Jayden Brailey's Road to 100 NRL Games

Author: Newcastle Knights
Timestamp: Fri 12 Aug 2022, 11:34 AM

He's our Club Captain, a fan favourite and one of the game's best rakes, and this weekend Jayden Brailey will also notch his 100th appearance in the NRL.

Spending 69 games at Cronulla and 30 with the nib Newcastle Knights, Brailey has become one of the game's most respected No.9s.

Having Captained the Club on numerous occasions and overcome two significant injury setbacks, it's certainly a well earned milestone for 'The Sherrif'.

With that in mind, here's a look back on Brailey's journey so far.

2017

- After rising through the junior ranks as a local junior in Cronulla, Brailey was anointed as the Club's long-term replacement for retiring premiership winning hooker Michael Ennis.

- Brailey made his senior debut in the World Club Challenge clash with Wigan. The Sharks lost 22-6.

- He made his NRL debut just a few weeks later in Round 1 of the season, with the reigning premiers downed 16-18 by Brisbane.

- Brailey scored his first try just a week later, crossing in the 42-16 win over Canberra.

- After finishing the regular season in 5th place, the No.9 played his first finals game in the 15-14 Elimination Final loss to North Queensland.

- Brailey finished the season with four tries, 694 tackles and 580 total run metres from his 19 games.

2018

- 2018 was a breakout season for Brailey, with the rake missing just one game as Cronulla marched back into the top four.

- The Sharks ultimately fell just one match short of a Grand Final appearance, with Brailey starting in all three finals games for his Club. He won his first finals game in a 21-20 win over Penrith. The Sharks went down 22-6 to Melbourne in the preliminary final.

- The No.9 finished the year with 26 games, three tries, 780 tackles and 698 run metres, all increases on his debut season.

2019

- Brailey played his 50th game in Round 5 of the season, with the Sharks going down 30-16 to the Roosters.

- Showing his durability, Brailey again missed just two games all season, scoring two tries and starting all his games at hooker.

- With his side finishing 7th, Brailey featured in his fifth finals game, with the Sharks going down 28-16 to Manly in the Elimination Final.

- In a huge career move for the young hooker, Brailey inked a three-year deal to shift up the M1 to Newcastle for the 2020 season.

- His personal numbers continued to rise, with Brailey making 929 tackles and running for 931 metres out of dummy half.

2020

- Arriving in Newcastle ahead of pre-season, Brailey put in a solid Summer period, winning the respect of players and staff in the Hunter.

- He made his Knights debut in Round 1, with the Knights beating the Warriors 20-0 at McDonald Jones Stadium.

- In a devastating blow for 'Brails', the No.9 suffered a torn ACL in the Round 2 win over the Tigers, ending his season in the process.

- Despite his on-field absence, Brailey still played a major role in leading the Knights to their first finals appearance in seven years and was often spotted in Adam O'Brien's coaching box.

2021

- After a long season on the sidelines, Brailey was back to his unstoppable self in 2021.

- Before a ball was kicked, Brailey was named in a five-man leadership group and captained the side on many occasions throughout the year.

- Brailey missed just two games all season and made 1,092 tackles at an incredible 96.4% efficiency. He also ran for over 1000 metres out of dummy half.

- With the Knights making back to back finals series for the first time since the early 2000s, Brailey was the sole skipper of the team which fought bravely in a 28-20 loss to Parramatta in the Elimination Final.