Official Newtown Jets + Sharks Pathways 2026

28 - 14 finish

there is some athletic and classy players in that flegg squad i predict them to go well this year

i assume laine-sietu will start off in the centres
 
Jets trial was pretty awful. Some bad bad players in that team.

Lost 44-14. Panthers had the ball 3/4 of the game.

Not many Sharks players.

Cacciotti split time at hooker with Wilson
Fearnley, Fa’atili and McCullough were starting middles and played about 20mins in each half
Williams started at left wing, moved to right centre, then right wing.

Betham-Misa was the best of the Jets guys.
Rajab was OK but doesn’t have much of a long kicking game so struggles when he has to be the main kicker.
 
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Sharks NRL Prospects said:
Jets trial was pretty awful. Some bad bad players in that team.

Lost 44-14. Panthers had the ball 3/4 of the game.

Not many Sharks players.

Cacciotti split time at hooker with Wilson
Fearnley, Fa’atili and McCullough were starting middles and played about 20mins in each half
Williams started at left wing, moved to right centre, the right wing.

Betham-Misa was the best of the Jets guys.
Rajab was OK but doesn’t have much of a long kicking game so struggles when he has to be the main kicker.
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I didn’t catch the game or see a team list but given who played in the trial I was assuming it was a pretty under strength team
 
stalefish said:
nah #10 aint curran but hes definately another huge specimen
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There were two different #10’s.

#10 who started is Jai Davies. Great to see him back playing. I don’t know who #10 with the sleeve tat is.

You are right about Hromow and Tannous.

Also Araullo #22
 
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Tiger Shark said:
SG Ball team is not going well
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Coach has them doing too many inside balls and kicks to the same winger?

Seriously though, they have been very disappointing. They play hard but make so many unforced errors and do so much dumb ****. Errors in the play the ball with nobody touching them, wingers running out on tackle 2, forwards throwing flick passes on their own 30m line, terrible passes from dummy half an so on. Twice this game Grantham didn’t find touch after a penalty.

Challenor did not kick the ball in this game.

One thing iI see a lot of in pathways that when you have a halves combo of an older/established player and younger/new kid the established one tends to get a lot more ball and do a lot more kicking, even if the younger one has the better boot. I don’t know if it coaching or just the younger guy finding his feet around older players, but it is painful to watch.

It’s prominent in this team, but plenty of others. One u17’s team up here has a halfback who is the brother of a current NRL half. His clearing kicks never go more than 30m, he shanks 2-3 per game and he’s missed two conversions from in front this season. Does 100% of the kicking.

I think in part it is because coaches and selectors see “demanding the ball” as a positive trait, so a lot of halves in junior rep teams dominate the play even if their partner ca execute the skill better.
 
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AdShark said:
Should’ve kept Isdale
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I think for better or worse the Sharks have hitched their wagon to Grantham. Isdale might currently be the more skilled footy player, but Grantham is the more physically impressive athlete and that's how it goes these days. Athletes can get better at footy but you can't make a small guy big.
 
Sharks NRL Prospects said:
I think for better or worse the Sharks have hitched their wagon to Grantham. Isdale might currently be the more skilled footy player, but Grantham is the more physically impressive athlete and that's how it goes these days. Athletes can get better at footy but you can't make a small guy big.
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@apezza's ears 100% burning
 
Along with Wilton, Ison and Hiroti from the NRL squad, on the weekend just gone none of Jaxon Lavender, Blake Hosking or Alex Challenor played.

Also as far as I can tell none of Sandy, Laine-Sietu, Keppie or Paea appeared in the pre-season, but it's possible some of them were in the Flegg trial and have grown a bit and/or changed haircuts and I just didn't pick them.
 
Sharks NRL Prospects said:
Along with Wilton, Ison and Hiroti from the NRL squad, on the weekend just gone none of Jaxon Lavender, Blake Hosking or Alex Challenor played.

Also as far as I can tell none of Sandy, Laine-Sietu, Keppie or Paea appeared in the pre-season, but it's possible some of them were in the Flegg trial and have grown a bit and/or changed haircuts and I just didn't pick them.
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Yeah don’t think I saw Sandy and Sietu play either

Did we confirm who the fullback with the headgear was ?
 
Tiger Shark said:
Yeah don’t think I saw Sandy and Sietu play either

Did we confirm who the fullback with the headgear was ?
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Could have been Paea. I wouldn't say I'm ultra confident on that.

Paea doesn't normally wear headgear but #41 looked like him in the face. Just taller with bigger legs. As @stalefish could have just grown a bit and bulked up.

It's not anyone from the Flegg squad in 2025 (Paea was SG Ball and played 1 Flegg game). The other guy I thought of coming up from SG Ball was Dallas Blackburn-Kingi. He is a lot bigger than Paea, but usually has long shaggy hair. Also doesn't normally wear headgear.

Also forgot to mention Nadenic from that group of players from the Jets game. He split time between right centre/edge. Went OK. His versatility means he might be a handy benchie at some point if they get some injuries.
 
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One team who did get a win on the weekend was Harold Matthews. They won 40-22. Dreadful footy though. Sharks scored off a kick in the 2nd minute, and after that didn't kick the ball until there was 2 minutes to go. Every possession ended either in scoring a try or an error, and mostly unforced errors. Bears were even worse at hold it. The hot conditions would have played some part.

I won't ever criticise a HM's player by name, but this level of competition I feel has a real issue. Not just the Sharks. It seems like a league-wide thing in both states. They fill the team with players who can make flashy attacking plays but some of the defence is embarrassing, some of the halves couldn't kick the froth of a Tooheys New, nobody plays with any patience and the penalty count in some of these games is insane. It's like I'm watching a different grade of footy than what I was watching last year when Challenor was in the team.

Part of it is players transitioning to new rules like 6-agains and also having mic'd up refs and touchies, and it does get better as the weather gets cooler and the team gels. First few rounds are just painful to watch though.

Longbottom went off after 10 minutes an didn't return. Possible injury.
 
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Sharks NRL Prospects said:
One team who did get a win on the weekend was Harold Matthews. They won 40-22. Dreadful footy though. Sharks scored off a kick in the 2nd minute, and after that didn't kick the ball until there was 2 minutes to go. Every possession ended either in scoring a try or an error, and mostly unforced errors. Bears were even worse at hold it. The hot conditions would have played some part.

I won't ever criticise a HM's player by name, but this level of competition I feel has a real issue. Not just the Sharks. It seems like a league-wide thing in both states. They fill the team with players who can make flashy attacking plays but some of the defence is embarrassing, some of the halves couldn't kick the froth of a Tooheys New, nobody plays with any patience and the penalty count in some of these games is insane. It's like I'm watching a different grade of footy than what I was watching last year when Challenor was in the team.

Longbottom went off after 10 minutes an didn't return. Possible injury.
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I saw theshortball instagram page is putting alot of focus on HM this year if you haven't seen it.

Jayden Best and Eparame Neemia in his totw for this round.
 
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