Auckland Nines squad

[Don Tweddle]

The Sharks have named a squad featuring Grand Final heroes Luke Lewis, Wade Graham and Jack Bird, along with a number of inexperienced youngsters for the Downer NRL Auckland Nines.

Graham will lead a strong Sharks group at the tournament which kicks off at Eden Park on February 4, with the team looking to go one better than their runners-up performance of 2015.

Along with Lewis and Bird, Graham will have fellow Grand Final winning teammates Ricky Leutele, Gerard Beale, Chris Heighington and Matt Prior by his side, with Kurt Capewell and Joseph Paulo, two integral members of the Sharks NRL squad in 2016, also making the trip across the ditch next weekend.

Newcomer Manaia Cherrington and youngsters Jayden Walker, Jesse Ramien, Malakai Houma, Kyle Flanagan and Will Kennedy will also be a part of the travelling party. Ramien, Flanagan and Kennedy are still NYC eligible however the trio have been training with the full time NRL squad during the summer.

The Sharks are set to open the tournament on Saturday at 12 noon with a game against the Gold Coast Titans. Also in their pool are the Penrith Panthers and Canterbury Bulldogs.

On the same weekend the Sharks will be sending a strong group to play a trial match against the Brisbane Broncos in Redcliffe.

Paul Gallen, James Maloney, Andrew Fifita and Valentine Holmes will be amongst the players heading up to Brisbane for the teams only 13-on-13 trial before playing the World Club Challenge in the UK on February 19.

The Sharks 9’s squad is listed below.

Sharks 9’s squad

Wade Graham
Luke Lewis
Matt Prior
Chris Heighington
Gerard Beale
Kurt Capewell
Joseph Paulo
Jack Bird
Ricky Leutele
Manaia Cherrington
Jesse Ramien
Will Kennedy
Jayden Walker
Kyle Flanagan
Sione Katoa
Billy Magoulias
Malakai Houma
Kurt Kara

 

[Arnold]

That's team can't get to the semis. I'm ok with this.

 

[Don Tweddle]

Is Flanno going to be with the 9s squad or the rest of the team playing in Brisbane?

 

[Card Shark]

Magoulias - keen to see him.

Is he the next Gal?

 

[Card Shark]

That's team can't get to the semis. I'm ok with this.

Yep

We have bigger fish to fry.

World Club Challenge

Back to back!

 

[Inferno]

Good to see Nu Brown giving it a miss this year...

Who are the halves in that bunch, Bird?

 

[Defer to the coifed]

positions? In nines? Will be interesting to see how cherrington & Ramien go.

 

[Stalefish]

id say nu will be with the trial squad. no halves players at all bar flanagan and bird at a pinch. good to see some youngsters out there but definately not a squad selected to win the comp. does it mean malakai and kurt kara are contracted to us?

 

[Card Shark]

How is nu still with us?

Givin' SFA chances..

Great to see!

 

[Snoop Shark]

Kyle Flanagan is the biggest surprise selection out of that mob. Sure he excels playing up a grade but this is massive!!!

Obviously his Dad has decent wraps on the kid

 

[Snoop Shark]

Magoulias - keen to see him.

Is he the next Gal?

I watched him play a few weeks before the sg ball semis and my immediate summary was he is the next Gal.

For a bloke that's not the biggest on the field he has a dig.

 

[Stake Removed]

Inte

Kyle Flanagan is the biggest surprise selection out of that mob. Sure he excels playing up a grade but this is massive!!!

Obviously his Dad has decent wraps on the kid

Interesting in that Flanno has been training with the NRL team, as well has Kennedy

 

[Snoop Shark]

Biggest omission from this squad is Josh Tuilagi. I was really keen to see how this big unit went in the 9's format.

I can only assume Flanno wants a more accurate assessment on him in the official trial game.

 

[Card Shark]

Kyle Flanagan is the biggest surprise selection out of that mob. Sure he excels playing up a grade but this is massive!!!

Obviously his Dad has decent wraps on the kid

Deserves that!

 

[Stake Removed]

Seeing the above nines squad our team vs Broncs in being trial probably use about 25-30 players but starting 17 something like this

1. Holmes
2. Feki
3. Drew
4. Toomaga/Scott
5. Tuilagi/Tufuga
6. Maloney
7. Townsend
8. Fifita
9. Brown
10. Tagatese
11. Bakuya
12. Latimore
13. Gallen

bench

14. Williams
15. Mortimer
16. Brailey.J
17. Jolliffe
18. McDonogh
rest made up of u20 players

 

[txta2]

Surprised Brailey isn't going.

 

[southland]

Don't think Townsend is ready for first trial with his broken thumb. Nu Brown to the 7.?

 

[Quigs]

To be honest I don't give a shit about the Nines. It's not league to me.

What they should do is run it like the kids school sports games. Get the two Captains together just before the kick off and have turns of picking players from the whole group.

 

[King Ben]

Considering this is the team that got us to the final in 2015, I think this year's mob is actually quite a chance.

Wade Graham (captain)
Valentine Holmes
Sosaia Feki
Gerard Beale
Ricky Leutele
Jack Bird
Nu Brown
Kyle Stanley
Sam Tagataese
Pat Politoni
Tinirau Arona
Luke Lewis
Matt Prior
Chris Heighington
Blake Ayshford
Nathan Gardner
Todd Murphy
Sami Sauiluma
Junior Roqica

 

[lolesi]

Plenty of backrowers with high levels of fitness and good second phase play which is good.

No real speedster though, (I don't know many of the young blokes so could be wrong)