The NRL Rookie
| Company type | Reality television program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television |
| Founded | 2016 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Papua New Guinea, Fiji |
| Products | Television series |
The NRL Rookie is a reality television program from Australia centered on the National Rugby League, broadcast on 9Go!. The contestants, known as Rookies, received guidance from rugby league icons Brad "Freddy" Fittler, Mark Geyer, and Adrian Lam. The ultimate victor earned a spot on the rookie roster of one of the 16 Australian NRL teams. The champion, Lou Goodwin, opted to sign with the Canberra Raiders rather than the Gold Coast Titans.
Captain Challenge
Each week, the Captain Challenge tests the rookies through rigorous physical trials measuring speed, stamina, and strength. The competitor who prevails is appointed captain for that week and gains immunity from elimination during that round.
| Ep | City/State | Location
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|---|
Game Day
Each week, rookies face off in football matches while a trio of coaches assess their performances, ranking them from the least to the most skilled and tracking their progress over time.
The Shed / The War Room
Within The Shed, rookies engage in group discussions led by psychologist Kate Baecher, where they offer collective feedback and vote on the bottom three performers who might face elimination. Simultaneously, the coaches monitor these interactions from The War Room to complete their weekly evaluations.
The Cut
At Allianz Stadium each week, the host reveals the three lowest-ranked rookies. The winner of the Captain Challenge gains the option to replace one rookie or maintain the existing bottom three. Subsequently, one rookie is removed from the competition.
The Rookies
Several participants bring notable rugby experience: Daniel Caprice has played rugby sevens for England; Lou Goodwin, Jesse Shearer, and Jordan Martin are sons of former first-grade players Matt Goodwin, Dale Shearer, and Paul Martin respectively. After the show, Luke Frixou, who represented Cyprus in rugby union, earned a trial contract with the Salford Red Devils.
| Name | Age | Birthplace | Residence | Club Team | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lou Goodwin | 24 | Australia | NSW | Mount Pritchard Mounties RLFC | The NRL Rookie |
| Jordan Martin | 21 | Australia | ACT | Woden Valley Rams RLFC | Runner-up |
| Chris Hyde | 27 | Australia | NSW | Macquarie Scorpions RLC | Eliminated in finale |
| Reece Joyce | 24 | New Zealand | Waikato | Bombay Rugby | Eliminated in week 9 |
| Gary-John Hill | 27 | New Zealand | WA | West Scarborough Rugby | Eliminated in week 8 |
| Roydon GillettTemplate:Ref | 24 | New Zealand | WA | North Beach Sea Eagles RLFC | Eliminated in week 8 |
| Peter Lee | 23 | Australia | QLD | Sunnybank Rugby | Eliminated in week 7 |
| Elias Power | 25 | Australia | QLD | Easts Tigers Rugby Union | Eliminated in week 7 |
| Matt JohnstoneTemplate:Ref | 27 | Australia | NSW | Cronulla Sharks, NSW Police League | Eliminated in week 6 |
| Luke FrixouTemplate:Ref | 21 | UK | UK | Derby RFC | Eliminated in week 6 |
| David Andjelic | 21 | Serbia | NSW | St Patricks JRLFC | Eliminated in week 5 |
| Karo Kauna Junior | 25 | Papua New Guinea | PNG | Port Moresby Vipers RLFC | Eliminated in week 5 |
| Matthew Gorman | 23 | Australia | QLD | Bilambil Jets RLFC | Eliminated in week 4 |
| Daniel Caprice | 25 | UK | NSW | Picton Magpies RLFC | Eliminated in week 3 |
| Jesse Shearer | 24 | Australia | QLD | Maroochydore Swans JRLFC | Eliminated in week 2 |
- Notes
- Template:Note Matthew Johnstone returned after Matthew Gorman's injury to maintain team balance.
- Template:Note Roydon was dismissed prior to the Captain's Challenge due to a curfew breach.
- Template:Note Luke was removed during a game because of inadequate rugby league skills.
Results Chart
| Contestant | Elimination Progression | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Grand Final | ||||||||||||||||||
| Lou | Top 14 | CCW | CCW | CCW | IN | IN | IN | IN | Btm 4 | Winner | |||||||||||||||||
| Jordan | Top 14 | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | Btm 3 | Btm 3 | Btm 4 | Runner-up | |||||||||||||||||
| Chris | Top 14 | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | Btm 3 | Btm 4 | CFS in the finale | |||||||||||||||||
| Reece | Top 14 | IN | IN | IN | IN | Btm 3 | IN | CCW | Btm 4 | 'CFS in week 9' | |||||||||||||||||
| Garry-John | 'Top 14' | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | 'Btm 3' | 'CFS in week 8' | ||||||||||||||||||
| Roydon | 'Top 14' | IN | IN | IN | IN | IN | CCW | CUT | |||||||||||||||||||
| Peter | 'Top 14' | IN | IN | IN | IN | 'Btm 3' | 'Btm 3' | 'CFS in week 7' | |||||||||||||||||||
| Elias | 'Top 14' | IN | 'Btm 3' | 'Btm 3' | CCW | CCW | 'Btm 3' | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Matt J | 'Top 28' | IN | IN | IN | 'Btm 3' | 'Btm 3' | 'CFS in week 6' | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Luke | 'Top 14' | IN | IN | IN | 'Saved' | style="background:cornflowerblue; color:black;" | CUT | ||||||||||||||||||||
| David
||style= " background : #fbf373 ;" ||" Top 14 " ||style= " background : #ffe7e7 ;" ||" Btm 3 " |||||||||style= " background : tomato ;" ||" CFS in week 5 " |- |
Karo
||style= " background : #fbf373 ;" ||" Top 14 " |||||||||style= " background : #FDF5E6 ;" ||" Saved " |- |
Matthew | style= " background : #fbf373 ;" | " Top 14 " | style= " background : #ffe7e7 ;" | " Btm 3 " | style= " background : tomato ;" | - | Daniel | style= " background : #fbf373 ;" | " Top 14 " | style= " background : #FB4D46 ;" | - | Jesse | style= " background : #fbf373 ;" | style= " background : tomato ;" | - | ||||||||||
- Explanation of Symbols
- Although Chris secured the Captain Challenge win this round, he was among the top four, meaning every rookie risked elimination.
- Immunity granted as Captain Challenge victor
- Selected by Captain's Call
- Reinstated into the contest
- Ranked within bottom three or four
- Bottom three/four designated by Captain's choice
- Bottom three/four and eliminated from competition
- Saved via Captain's Call
- Removed from competition
- Eliminated prior to Final Cut
- Champion
- Second place finisher
Guests
| Guest | Episode | Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Adam "Mad Dog" MacDougall | Ep 2 | Strength & Stamina - Weight Training & Boxing Session |
| Ep 6 | Captain's Challenge | |
| Darren Lockyer | Ep 3 | Captain's Challenge |
| Wally Lewis | Ep 3 | Captain's Challenge |
| Billy Slater | Ep 4 | Game Day Event |
| Robbie Kearns | Ep 4 | Game Day Event |
| Ruben Wiki | Ep 5 | Game Day Event |
| Anthony Minichiello | Ep 6 | Game Day Event |
| Danny Green | Ep 7 | Boxing Training Session |
| Paul Gallen | Ep 7 | Game Day Event |
| Jonathan Thurston | Ep 8 | Game Day Event |
Initial Broadcasts
| Episode Number | Air Time | Broadcast Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Big Cut" | Tuesdays 7:30 pm |
31 May 2016 |
| 2 | "Dizzy Heights" | 7 June 2016 | |
| 3 | "Sunny Queensland" | 14 June 2016 | |
| 4 | "Farm Challenge" | 21 June 2016 | |
| 5 | "New Zealand Challenge" | 28 June 2016 | |
| 6 | "Cockatoo Island Challenge" | 5 July 2016 | |
| 7 | "Fire & Rescue Challenge" | 12 July 2016 | |
| 8 | "Parsley Bay Challenge" | 19 July 2016 | |
| 9 | "The Final Cut" | 26 July 2016 | |
| 10 | "Grand Final" | 2 August 2016 | |
Repeat Airings
Episodes are broadcast five times each week on the Nine Network and its multichannel GO!
| Day of Broadcast | Time Slot | Channel | Locations Covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Broadcast | |||
|-
| Tuesday
|| 7:30 pm
|| 9Go!
|| Sydney
Melbourne
Brisbane
|
|- ! colspan=4 | Repeat Airings
|
|-
| Wednesday
|| 10:30 pm (Following The NRL Footy Show)
|| rowspan=3 | Nine Network
|| Sydney
Brisbane
|
|-
| Saturday
|| 1:00 pm
|| Brisbane
|
|-
| Sunday
|| 2:30 pm (Prior to Sunday Football Coverage)
|| Sydney
|
|-
| Monday
|| 11:30 pm
|| 9Go!
|| Sydney
Melbourne
Brisbane
Adelaide
Perth
|}
International
The program is broadcast globally through networks such as Duke in New Zealand, Sky Sports in the United Kingdom, NBCTV in Papua New Guinea, and FijiTV in Fiji.