Reece Robson to the Roosters analysis & Super League's Young Player of the Year

While some teams are only a few weeks into their 2025 NRL pre-season, others are nearing the end of their second month as we approach Christmas.

Broncos are being run, weights lifted and kilograms shed. A lot of players would tell you this is the worst period of the NRL season. As somebody who tries to put together interesting content, it’s certainly the worst for me.

Still, we have been blessed with Reece Robson’s signing news to think over. Having looked into Lewis Dodd at the South Sydney Rabbitohs, I stumbled on the young Super League Player of the Year, too. And, as always, I’ve got a backlog of NRL podcasts and good content to help you through the off-season.

What you'll see here:

• Reece Robson lands with the Sydney Roosters

• Player To Watch: Junior Nsemba

• NRL Offseason Podcast Schedule

• Content Corner

• Other NRL Notes

Reece Robson lands with the Sydney Roosters

The big news from the week is Reece Robson signing a three-year deal with the Sydney Roosters, leaving the North Queensland Cowboys after the 2025 NRL season.

It leaves Brandon Smith in an unfortunate position without a contract for 2026 and coming off an ACL injury in 2025, but the Roosters are set at a key playmaking position for the future. It seems as though the playmaking is a big reason behind signing Robson.

The Roosters haven’t always had the most creative hookers in the competition. While Robson is known for his toughness and consistency, he has a lot more to offer with the ball than his reputation suggests. His quotes after signing the contract suggest Trent Robinson is keen to explore what he has to offer from dummy half.

North Queensland can play quite narrow. They like to follow the third man out of the ruck and punch holes in the defensive line through the middle. The role of their hooker can come down to playing big forwards onto the ball more than looking for opportunities to create for themselves.

Still, Robson was able to find a few throughout the 2024 NRL season. He found particular success against the St George Illawarra Dragons in Round 3.

This is a great example of his vision and ability to quickly spot a cue in the defensive line.

As Griffin Neame brings three into the tackle, the Dragons defensive line is scrambled. Two middles are stuck in the tackle with Luciano Leilua late out of it. Tyrell Sloan has sent five down the shortside - likely cautious of Scott Drinkwater down there - leaving space in the middle. Robson spots it and starts to bark orders as Chad Townsend flips late to the open side.

Robson throws a pass across the face of his first forward to the second to record his first of three try assists for the game.

His third try assist¹ follows similar cues.

Starting from a similar field position, the Cowboys shift the ball to just outside the left post. Ben Hunt getting high off the lines and jamming means he has a long way to move before the next tackle. Sloan has only sent four down the short side this time, too.

You can see Robson motioning for Kulikefu Finefeuiaki² to run a hard line close to the ruck. Either Hunt comes into help out from B and creates an overlap out wide, or Finefeuiaki is one-on-one with the A defender close to the line.

There is a good chance we see more creativity like this from Robson after the move to Bondi.

The Roosters have always played a high-risk and high-reward brand of footy. Their best seasons have come while topping the NRL in error count as they look to push the extra pass for points. They’re happy to push the sort of pass other teams might be asked to hold onto.

Smith hasn’t played his best football in an injury-impacted Roosters side while also suffering an injury himself. Perhaps that is where the Robson interest comes from? Robson’s floor as a consistent and tough hooker who can provide clean service for 80 minutes is higher than Smith who can drift in and out of games at times. While Smith can be one of the most dangerous attacking hookers in the NRL at his best, he isn’t quite so effective in the games he isn’t dominating.

With Terrell May also being shown the door from the club, the Roosters seem to be reassessing their roster long term. Adding Robson suggests they’re looking for reliability and consistency first and foremost moving forward.

Premium: What Lewis Dodd can do for the South Sydney Rabbitohs

Player To Watch: Junior Nsemba

While skimming through Super League games and footage looking into Lewis Dodd, I couldn’t help but notice the giant 20-year-old playing for Wigan Warriors, Junior Nsemba.

He was crowned Young Super League Player of the Year and recently signed a six-year deal with Wigan despite interest from NRL clubs.

He’s raw but there is a lot to like already.

First of all, he’s huge. Nsemba isn’t afraid of contact and using his size to dominate either. He wins contact, and even if the defence can get in front of him, Nsemba is still big and strong enough to break through.

He’s a physical freak at the very least.

Nsemba runs a good line, too. He’s not the quickest off the mark but times his run well. He does well to read the cues out wide and fade into gaps when they present. Again, his size and strenght allow him to make the most of even the smallest gap.

There is some Haumole Olakauatu³ about this try he scored, in particular.

Bevan French simply passed him into a half and let the big unit do the rest. He’s a dream for halves close to the line with a wide four-man short side.

The biggest Super League names are generally linked to the NRL at some stage. Nsemba hasn’t seen the hype down under yet, but it won’t be long before he catches the eye much like his former teammate Kai Pearce-Paul⁴ did a could of years ago.

He’s determined to remain loyal to Wigan and stay in the Super League, but it would be good to see him make the leap to the NRL if he’s ready in a few years.

NRL Offseason Podcast Schedule

There isn’t a lot going around on the NRL podcast circuit right now, but I have a few evergreen episodes that are worth adding to your queue over the summer.

Shoutout to subscriber Frank, who put me on to this interview with Melbourne Storm General Manager Frank Ponissi via The Gentleman Ultra.

Addin Fonua-Blake doesn’t offer many interviews but made his first appearance on Elevate with Mets which is worth a listen.

Terrell May’s interview has done the rounds all week. It’s… interesting. It’s definitely worth listening to it yourself rather than relying on cherry-picked quotes scattered elsewhere.

Content Corner

NRL content is inconsistent at the best of times, so I’ll add any of the good stuff I find here.

Other NRL Notes

1  His second was a little grubber out of dummy half.

2  Really excited to see Finefeuiaki at the Dolphins in 2025. He’s only 20 years old and just scratching the surface of his potential as a backrower. The Nanai v Finefeuiaki debate could fire up pretty soon…

3  I need to order this shirt.

4  Kai Pearce-Paul didn’t produce at the level many expected last season. He only threw 15 offloads which I found to be surprising. I think that number might go up in 2025 as the Knights look to make the most of his skillset.