Junior rugby stars, including Cameron Bamblett and Ellyjah Birve, excelled in the SG Ball season's opening rounds.
A Harry Grant copy cat in Canberra, Parramatta's next spine prodigy, and a possible future halfback for the PNG chiefs have hit the ground running in the opening rounds of the SG Ball season.
The NRL has only been back for one round so far, but the junior pathways have been in full swing for five, where the future stars of the game have already begun leaving their mark.
Parramatta are picking up where they left off in last season's Grand final, with the nifty Cameron Bamblett leading the way for the blue and gold.
Likewise, the sharp shooting Ezra Leota is one leading the charge alongside Jamie Cowling in Canberra, with a ferocity out of dummy half helping them eat metres and take points easily.
And if there isn't a better candidate to kick start the Chief's campaign come 2028 than Ellyjah Birve of PNG descent (who also represented the QLD PNG Kokomos), then we don't know who is.