2026 predicted line ups

BlackWhiteGold · Sep 12, 2025

Opinions sought?

I'm going to work on a club depth chart over the coming weeks as it comes to light who our Train & Trialists are for the pre-season and who is definitely departing.

A quandry I've got and maybe Benji has as well is who will be our NSW Cup fullback in 2026 - who could be our 3rd string fullback behind Bula & Turuva.

I think we can assume it's between Heath Mason & Luke Laulilii (or a bolter is Krystian Mapapalangi).

Mason
- Was the preferred option leading into this season.
- Seemed to stifle our sweep plays when played at fullback in NRL.
- A few games later in the NSW Cup season this year he did very well at the back with his tackle-busting, good yardage and some good cover defence.
- Still very susceptible under the high ball & making front-on tackles especially close to the try line.
- He himself said he sees his future as that utility type.
- Will he develop at dummy half over the pre-season and moreso back in his former position of 5/8?

Laulilii
- Has been a representative fullback since about U15s. Captained Magpies Harold Matts in '23 from fullback in year he made Australian Schoolboys on the wing
- Moved to wing more permanently last year and made his NRL debut there with the strength & powerful running his big assets.
- Dominated a few NSW Cup games at fullback this season with his support play & strong running a feature.
- Is ok under the high ball, better than Mason.

Other factors include how quickly the club sees the development of Javon Andrews & Logan Brookes.

If the club wants to play Andrews & Madden in the halves in NSW Cup, then Mason's only options are fullback or bench. If Logan Brookes takes off & is regarded as our long-term fullback deputy to Bula, then maybe it's best to develop Mason back in the halves with Madden and then Luke develops as a winger. So many questions!

bptiger 0 · Sep 12, 2025

Tucker said:
I don’t want him relegated to the bench. He needs a mentor to learn from as he practices in Reggie’s.

If latu is put at 1/

bptiger 0 · Sep 12, 2025

bptiger 0 said:
If latu is put at 1/2 , when he’s not ready and we lose 5-6 games it will be hard on the club to make the 8 , play AD at 1/2 and if we are winning games with a good margin, throw him in to 1/2 back , even if it’s only for 10-15 minutes, there’s no hurry as he’s still very young

TheEnz · Sep 12, 2025

I get some ppl showing love for AD at halfback, however, other than his kicking I have not seen a solid 7 in his attacking game. To be fair we don't have a great deal of performances at 7 to judge him on. What I can say is I saw more glimpses of Latu as a genuine 7 than I did AD. Don't get me wrong, AD has delivered more at 7 this season than Latu has, however most of his great work was not really pure halfback play. I would love AD to take on the 13 role and be that ball playing lock that we have not had for a very long time.

Odessa · Sep 12, 2025

TheEnz said:
I get some ppl showing love for AD at halfback, however, other than his kicking I have not seen a solid 7 in his attacking game. To be fair we don't have a great deal of performances at 7 to judge him on. What I can say is I saw more glimpses of Latu as a genuine 7 than I did AD. Don't get me wrong, AD has delivered more at 7 this season than Latu has, however most of his great work was not really pure halfback play. I would love AD to take on the 13 role and be that ball playing lock that we have not had for a very long time.

Is there and reason why he can not play 13 and kick on the 5th

I think he will train the off season in 13 and will be asked to add some size

Odessa · Sep 12, 2025

BlackWhiteGold said:
Opinions sought?

I'm going to work on a club depth chart over the coming weeks as it comes to light who our Train & Trialists are for the pre-season and who is definitely departing.

A quandry I've got and maybe Benji has as well is who will be our NSW Cup fullback in 2026 - who could be our 3rd string fullback behind Bula & Turuva.

I think we can assume it's between Heath Mason & Luke Laulilii (or a bolter is Krystian Mapapalangi).

Mason
- Was the preferred option leading into this season.
- Seemed to stifle our sweep plays when played at fullback in NRL.
- A few games later in the NSW Cup season this year he did very well at the back with his tackle-busting, good yardage and some good cover defence.
- Still very susceptible under the high ball & making front-on tackles especially close to the try line.
- He himself said he sees his future as that utility type.
- Will he develop at dummy half over the pre-season and moreso back in his former position of 5/8?

Laulilii
- Has been a representative fullback since about U15s. Captained Magpies Harold Matts in '23 from fullback in year he made Australian Schoolboys on the wing
- Moved to wing more permanently last year and made his NRL debut there with the strength & powerful running his big assets.
- Dominated a few NSW Cup games at fullback this season with his support play & strong running a feature.
- Is ok under the high ball, better than Mason.

Other factors include how quickly the club sees the development of Javon Andrews & Logan Brookes.

If the club wants to play Andrews & Madden in the halves in NSW Cup, then Mason's only options are fullback or bench. If Logan Brookes takes off & is regarded as our long-term fullback deputy to Bula, then maybe it's best to develop Mason back in the halves with Madden and then Luke develops as a winger. So many questions!

I would have Mason training a few sessions at 9 in the offseason and play him in a trial at 9 I think it's a possibility that he could become a good 9

Demps · Sep 12, 2025

Odessa said:
I would have Mason training a few sessions at 9 in the offseason and play him in a trial at 9 I think it's a possibility that he could become a good 9

100%

mtd#2 · Sep 12, 2025

Odessa said:
I would have Mason training a few sessions at 9 in the offseason and play him in a trial at 9 I think it's a possibility that he could become a good 9

I can see it in attack, but his defence is a huge concern...

bbobb · Sep 12, 2025

Demps said:
100%

He would need a LOT of work. I was at he game last week and his passing on both sides while in the line was slow and disjointed. Asking him to pass from the ground on both side to bring his forwards on to the ball would be a large ask in my opinion.
His defensive technique would need some work but he seems ok front on. His decision making on an edge wasn’t great. He’d probably have less decisions to make in the middle.

Tiger Stripes · Sep 12, 2025

BlackWhiteGold said:
Opinions sought?

I'm going to work on a club depth chart over the coming weeks as it comes to light who our Train & Trialists are for the pre-season and who is definitely departing.

A quandry I've got and maybe Benji has as well is who will be our NSW Cup fullback in 2026 - who could be our 3rd string fullback behind Bula & Turuva.

I think we can assume it's between Heath Mason & Luke Laulilii (or a bolter is Krystian Mapapalangi).

Mason
- Was the preferred option leading into this season.
- Seemed to stifle our sweep plays when played at fullback in NRL.
- A few games later in the NSW Cup season this year he did very well at the back with his tackle-busting, good yardage and some good cover defence.
- Still very susceptible under the high ball & making front-on tackles especially close to the try line.
- He himself said he sees his future as that utility type.
- Will he develop at dummy half over the pre-season and moreso back in his former position of 5/8?

Laulilii
- Has been a representative fullback since about U15s. Captained Magpies Harold Matts in '23 from fullback in year he made Australian Schoolboys on the wing
- Moved to wing more permanently last year and made his NRL debut there with the strength & powerful running his big assets.
- Dominated a few NSW Cup games at fullback this season with his support play & strong running a feature.
- Is ok under the high ball, better than Mason.

Other factors include how quickly the club sees the development of Javon Andrews & Logan Brookes.

If the club wants to play Andrews & Madden in the halves in NSW Cup, then Mason's only options are fullback or bench. If Logan Brookes takes off & is regarded as our long-term fullback deputy to Bula, then maybe it's best to develop Mason back in the halves with Madden and then Luke develops as a winger. So many questions!

Maybe Tavana to fullback or centre?
Needs to get the ball more often IMO.

Red88_Tiger · Sep 13, 2025

BlackWhiteGold said:
Opinions sought?

I'm going to work on a club depth chart over the coming weeks as it comes to light who our Train & Trialists are for the pre-season and who is definitely departing.

A quandry I've got and maybe Benji has as well is who will be our NSW Cup fullback in 2026 - who could be our 3rd string fullback behind Bula & Turuva.

I think we can assume it's between Heath Mason & Luke Laulilii (or a bolter is Krystian Mapapalangi).

Mason
- Was the preferred option leading into this season.
- Seemed to stifle our sweep plays when played at fullback in NRL.
- A few games later in the NSW Cup season this year he did very well at the back with his tackle-busting, good yardage and some good cover defence.
- Still very susceptible under the high ball & making front-on tackles especially close to the try line.
- He himself said he sees his future as that utility type.
- Will he develop at dummy half over the pre-season and moreso back in his former position of 5/8?

Laulilii
- Has been a representative fullback since about U15s. Captained Magpies Harold Matts in '23 from fullback in year he made Australian Schoolboys on the wing
- Moved to wing more permanently last year and made his NRL debut there with the strength & powerful running his big assets.
- Dominated a few NSW Cup games at fullback this season with his support play & strong running a feature.
- Is ok under the high ball, better than Mason.

Other factors include how quickly the club sees the development of Javon Andrews & Logan Brookes.

If the club wants to play Andrews & Madden in the halves in NSW Cup, then Mason's only options are fullback or bench. If Logan Brookes takes off & is regarded as our long-term fullback deputy to Bula, then maybe it's best to develop Mason back in the halves with Madden and then Luke develops as a winger. So many questions!

My pick is Luke. If he is any chance of being considered a winger in first’s he needs more exposure ( more touches/catches) at fullback.
But didn’t they just play musical chairs at training this year to see who got the 1

Vicious · Sep 13, 2025

BlackWhiteGold said:
Opinions sought?

I'm going to work on a club depth chart over the coming weeks as it comes to light who our Train & Trialists are for the pre-season and who is definitely departing.

A quandry I've got and maybe Benji has as well is who will be our NSW Cup fullback in 2026 - who could be our 3rd string fullback behind Bula & Turuva.

I think we can assume it's between Heath Mason & Luke Laulilii (or a bolter is Krystian Mapapalangi).

Mason
- Was the preferred option leading into this season.
- Seemed to stifle our sweep plays when played at fullback in NRL.
- A few games later in the NSW Cup season this year he did very well at the back with his tackle-busting, good yardage and some good cover defence.
- Still very susceptible under the high ball & making front-on tackles especially close to the try line.
- He himself said he sees his future as that utility type.
- Will he develop at dummy half over the pre-season and moreso back in his former position of 5/8?

Laulilii
- Has been a representative fullback since about U15s. Captained Magpies Harold Matts in '23 from fullback in year he made Australian Schoolboys on the wing
- Moved to wing more permanently last year and made his NRL debut there with the strength & powerful running his big assets.
- Dominated a few NSW Cup games at fullback this season with his support play & strong running a feature.
- Is ok under the high ball, better than Mason.

Other factors include how quickly the club sees the development of Javon Andrews & Logan Brookes.

If the club wants to play Andrews & Madden in the halves in NSW Cup, then Mason's only options are fullback or bench. If Logan Brookes takes off & is regarded as our long-term fullback deputy to Bula, then maybe it's best to develop Mason back in the halves with Madden and then Luke develops as a winger. So many questions!

Both are good whole hearted young players, but both have issues under the high ball, lack of height also a concern.
I was hoping Mason with his experience playing in the halves during his younger days would become valuable as a genuine playmaking, ball playing fullback option, but for whatever reason he has gone a long way backwards with his playmaking this season and now looks very unsure every time he has the ball in hand.
It must be a confidence issue, let’s hope he can work on it and overcome it for a fresh start in 2026.
Luke Laulilli has shown a great ability to hit top speed quickly, really rip and tear with his ball running making good metres, if not half breaks or line breaks in the process. This strength in his game diminished at the back end of the season for some reason, let’s hope he also works hard in the off season and heads into the 2026 season bigger, stronger, faster and more confident than ever.

TheEnz · Sep 13, 2025

Odessa said:
Is there and reason why he can not play 13 and kick on the 5th

I think he will train the off season in 13 and will be asked to add some size

Yes he can and should.

Yossarian · Sep 14, 2025

Betterdays22 said:
I think Sione did a goodish job being thrown in there, but he simply isn't a long term option at backrow because of his defence.

Nine missed tackles in a game is ridiculous.

clontarfkid · Sep 14, 2025

mtd#2 said:
I can see it in attack, but his defence is a huge concern...

Can't see a future for Mason at WTs..hes got next year and that's probably it
Sad..but poor hands under high ball and weak defender
If LL is a genuine fullback we shld be playing him there

Merlot · Sep 14, 2025

1 player 1 position, in all grades .Lets give up the fascination in seeing ( squashing their progress ) trying to make them ambidexterise in multiple positions .
All grades need the same style and game plan, probably best built upwards than not

Red88_Tiger · Sep 15, 2025

clontarfkid said:
Can't see a future for Mason at WTs..hes got next year and that's probably it
Sad..but poor hands under high ball and weak defender
If LL is a genuine fullback we shld be playing him there

I have seen a 20yr old have a shocker of a year and the next year come out and blitz it. Country football though

crazycat · Sep 15, 2025

Betterdays22 said:
1) Bula
2) Turuva
3) To'a
4) May
5) Skelton
6) Luai
7) Latu
8) May
9) Api
10) Si Fainu
11) Sa Fainu
12) KPP
13) Doueihi

14) Seyfarth
15) Pole
16) Twal
17) Murray (ehhhh)

The two places we need upgrades is hooker coverage and an aggressive prop. Possibly some centre coverage for To'a. Would like to see them develop Skelton a bit to play multiple positions.

Dinnit Turuva say he wanted to play center?

Not as worried re hooker coverage. I mean surely we can pick someone up for that spot. We have Api K and enough people around to mould a hooker + Mason can start learning.

Jimmy Jazz · Sep 15, 2025

clontarfkid said:
Can't see a future for Mason at WTs..hes got next year and that's probably it
Sad..but poor hands under high ball and weak defender
If LL is a genuine fullback we shld be playing him there

Agree re Mason big year coming up for him. Needs to cement a spot or see ya. I put both Laulillis Sukkar Saukuru in the same boat.

clontarfkid · Sep 15, 2025

Jimmy Jazz said:
Agree re Mason big year coming up for him. Needs to cement a spot or see ya. I put both Laulillis Sukkar Saukuru in the same boat.

Exactly
Need to clean out kids who are not going to make it,just like the better clubs do

2026 predicted line ups

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