BY KANE AUSTIN & SCOTT DILLON

The 2020 NRL season has been, how can we say, a little different?

Due to COVID-19 we’ve struggled to get to where we are now but even still… we’re just weeks away from the ‘big daddy of them all’.

You can smell the grand final.

Like every year, we lose players early.

And we forget them.

Here are some of the guys that were cut down before their season ever got going.

JACK BIRD – BRONCOS

Just a few years ago, Bird was a star of the State of Origin scene. Broncos coach Anthony Seibold wanted to play Bird at fullback. Unfortunately, he suffered an ACL injury and didn’t play a game in 2020.

VICTOR RADLEY – ROOSTERS

A true star on the horizon. Tough, smart and a real footballer that can play across the paddock. Radley played the first seven games of the season at lock before buckling to an ACL injury.

LEESON AH MAU – WARRIORS

A star signing from the Dragons for the 2019 season, Ah Mau suffered a pectoral injury early in 2020 and never got back.

SAM VERRILLS – ROOSTERS

If you look at the Roosters’ depth chart behind Jake Friend at hooker, it goes, Radley, Verrills and then Lussick. On the same night Radley did his ACL against the Dragons, Verrills did the same thing.

JAYDEN BRAILEY – KNIGHTS

A sensational young hooker that was sitting behind his brother at Cronulla, Brailey switched to Newcastle to link up with Mitchell Pearce and Kalyn Ponga. And guess what? ACL.

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BUNTY AFOA – WARRIORS

A quality forward and cult hero among Warriors fans. He didn’t play a single game in 2020.

LATRELL MITCHELL – RABBITOHS

Okay so Latrell played most of the season but when he went down against Parramatta at Bankwest Stadium in round 16 – who thought the Rabbitohs would get better?

CONNOR WATSON – KNIGHTS

Another guy the Knights lost and still dug into the finals. Watson played his last game in round 11 but Newcastle missed him big time quality.

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JAMES ROBERTS – RABBITOHS

If we’re including Latrell’s absence at Redfern than we need to include Jimmy Roberts. ‘The Jet’ hasn’t played since round 10.

CAMERON KING – SHARKS

Deserves to be on the list because he’s just an unlucky bugger. After signing with Cronulla from Featherstone in December, King did an ACL in February in a trial and hasn’t played NRL since.