There’s a new Tiger on the block and rugby league fans are chomping at the bit to see Benji Marshall’s rookie prodigy make his debut.
A Rabbitohs rising star has also skipped the queue and has been handed Jai Arrow’s starting backrow spot in a big show of faith.
Meanwhile, Wayne Bennett has swung the axe in brutal fashion, dropping two players after a Round 1 disasterclass.
Read below for all the big talking points to come out of the Round 2 Team Lists!
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THE NEW TIGER ON THE BLOCK
There’s a new teenager set to burst onto the NRL scene – Lachlan Galvin.
The 18-year-old has been given the nod ahead of veteran playmaker Aiden Sezer and will start at five-eighth alongside halfback Jayden Sullivan.
Galvin has an impressive resume which includes captaining the 2023 Australian Schoolboys team and impressed when given an opportunity off the bench in a pre-season trial.
The Campbelltown junior was actually in the Eels’ system a couple of years ago and played for their Harold Matthews side. He was, however, let go because there was a belief that he was too small.
Galvin, who is now 193cm tall and weighs 91kg after a growth spurt, then decided to trial for the Tigers’ Harold Matthews team and went on to win the premiership in 2022.
He’s been regarded a special talent ever since and will get his opportunity up against a five-eighth, who is also still in the very early stage of his career – 19-year-old Raider Ethan Strange.
It’s a bold call by rookie head coach Benji Marshall, but if anyone is going to back a teenage playmaker it’s him given he made his NRL debut at 18-years old too.
“Just because you’re 18 means nothing. If you’re good enough you’re old enough. He’s a really good kid,” Marshall told The Sydney Morning Herald last month.
SEZER’S SHOCK RETURNING ROLE
The Tigers’ decision to sign veteran playmaker Aidan Sezer was a bit of a head-scratcher given he hasn’t played in the NRL since 2019.
But take into account the lack of experience the Tigers have in the halves and it makes much more sense.
Sezer played 156 NRL games before making the move to the Super League, where he played 62 games over four seasons.
It was assumed he’d partner Jayden Sullivan in the halves and his experience would ease the pressure on hooker and captain Api Koroisau.
But surprisingly coach Benji Marshall will roll the dice on 18-year-old Lachlan Galvin and has named 32-year-old Sezer on the bench for the Tigers’ first game of the season.
It’s a fairly new role for Sezer – he’s only played six of his first grade games off the bench – so it will be interesting to see how Marshall uses him.
He could jump in at dummy-half to give Koroisau a spell, or perhaps Marshall has a whole reshuffle in mind and will play Sezer at halfback when – or if – if he gets on and move Sullivan to hooker given he has spent a little bit of time there at the Dragons.
Regardless, it’ll be a special moment for Sezer when he runs out at GIO Stadium. He previously told News Corp he feels like he has “unfinished business” in the NRL. The opportunity to change that all starts with a clash against the Raiders – the club he last played for before moving to the UK.
‘The game has failed’ – JT slams NRL | 00:59
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BENNETT SWINGS THE AXE
Wayne Bennett has wasted no time making changes to the side which was thrashed 43-18 by the Cowboys in Round 1.
Former Bulldog Jake Averillo will make his debut for his new club, replacing Tesi Niu, who had won the battle between the two in the pre-season for the other centre spot alongside Round 1 lock Herbie Farnworth.
Niu was disappointing both in attack and defensively against the Cowboys, with opposition centre Zac Laybutt running riot. Based on that game alone, a change had to be made, especially with a player like Averillo waiting in the wings.
Averillo is more dynamic and possesses game-changing pace that Niu does not.
In a more surprising switch, halfback Sean O’Sullivan has been dropped to the reserves for young gun Isaiya Katoa.
Katoa was pretty inconsistent in his first season of NRL last year, but at just 20 years old, shouldn’t be judged too harshly.
With another pre-season under the belt, he is expected to take big leaps this season and will get his first chance against the Dragons on Sunday.
DUNCAN SKIPS THE QUEUE
Tallis Duncan wasn’t even in the Rabbitohs starting 17 in Las Vegas.
But now following a potentially season-ending shoulder injury to Jai Arrow, he’s earnt a start under Jason Demetriou.
Arrow is awaiting surgeons advice and if he needs to go under the knife he will be out for the season in a huge blow for the South Sydney club.
Now Duncan, who had a breakout season in 2023, had been handed the reins and has a chance to become a regular starter.
The 21-year-old has played seven NRL games since emerging as a talent in last year’s pre-season challenge.
He can play in both the backrow and at lock, with many pundits drawing comparisons between him and skipper Cameron Murray.
Demetriou clearly has faith in the young gun, picking him ahead of Jacob Host and Michael Chee Kam.
So now it’s up to Duncan to cement his spot and emerge as a regular starter for the Rabbitohs.
Such is his talent Rugby Australia were reportedly keen on recruiting him despite his current contract running until the end of the 2025 season.
He signed that deal back in June 2021, putting pen to paper on a contract that was a big show of faith.
Rugby league fans will also remember his interview with rugby league legend Gorden Tallis, who he was named after by his parents.
Cleary labels Panthers “little brother” | 00:53
MORE NRL NEWS
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‘HIGHLY UNUSUAL’: Debate over secret Mam statement as NRL’s move questioned
WHISPERS: How Bennett plot could trigger three-club switch; Tigers star’s exit clause
HOW LONG DOES HUTCHISON LAST
While expectations for the Bulldogs weren’t sky high against a loaded Parramatta team in Round 1, many would have thought they’d at least offer more than they did in attack.
The Dogs didn’t score a point until the 65th minute, where they put on two quick tries, but by that stage, it appeared a little too late.
One of the team’s new acquisitions was former Rooster Drew Hutchison, who was handed the reigns to the No.7 jersey by coach Cameron Ciraldo after an up-and-down Pre-Season Challenge.
Hutchison, who is considered more of a utility instead of a natural halfback, won the job over the more specialised No.7 in Toby Sexton.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs lacked direction and creativity from Hutchison and their attack suffered.
It poses the question whether Hutchison playing alongside five-eighth Matt Burton is the right fit.
NRL 360’s Braith Anasta said during the pre-season that his “concern is I think they have got two five-eighths playing in the halves”.
Sexton has his faults, but he’s more likely to make things happen and relieve some pressure of Burton. The former Titan was excellent in the NSW Cup over the weekend.
Hutchison and the Dogs will face Cronulla this weekend and if they struggle to put points on the board again, you’d have to think Ciraldo will be seriously considering a switch.
DRAGONS’ BALANCING ACT
The Dragons were excellent in their first hit-out under new coach Shane Flanagan.
After being battered in the forwards last year, they needed to bolster their stocks and went about recruitment in a savvy manner.
They signed Hame Sele, Tom Eisenhuth, Raymond Faitala-Mariner and Luciano Leilua to overhaul their pack and two of these names starred in Round 1.
Eisenhuth was impressive at lock and Faitala-Mariner was dangerous on an edge, but both couldn’t keep their spot with the return of Blake Lawrie and Leilua in Round 2.
It’s an interesting move, but Eisenhuth has shifted to the backrow, winning the edge spot over both Leilua and Faitala-Mariner.
Eisenhuth mainly played in the backrow during his time at the Storm, but did feature at different stages in the middle.
However he’s now become a favoured player under Flanagan over a man the club recruited and paid $600,000 per-season in Leilua.
Leilua was signed as a marquee player from the Cowboys and was expected to forge a scary partnership with Jaydn Su’A in the backrow.
But instead he’s been resigned to a role off the bench and looks like he will join the middle rotation alongside Jack de Belin, Lawrie, Francis Molo and Michael Molo.
Leilua did come off the bench at times for the Cowboys, but he’d locked a spot on an edge under Todd Payten before his release.
What complicates matters even more is inclusion of Hame Sele who is still battling a hamstring injury. He will likely take Michael Molo’s spot off the bench.
What Flanagan’s forward pack headache now proves is that the Red V have depth to cover all positions and players ready to come into first grade.
Alec Tuitavake, Viliami Fifita, Ben Murdoch-Masila and the Couchman brothers all have the quality to play first grade and could be called upon this season.
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