Academy Origins: Anderson Endorses Accelerated Development

While the Origin period is expected to test teams across the competition, Head of Recruitment Daniel Anderson believes the Sydney Roosters Academy youngsters will propel the Roosters through the turbulence. 

Three of the Club's best young prospects have been named in the 22-man squad head of the Round 13 clash against the Cowboys, and despite the fact all three are still in their teens, Anderson is confident the Sydney Roosters Academy program has accelerated their development as bonafide NRL players.

Blake Steep

A member of the Club's junior programs since fourteen, Blake Steep has been on the radar of many a Club and eagle-eyed fan. 

Despite a long layoff in 2023, Steep has hit the ground running in impressive fashion, captaining the SG Ball Cup side (winning Player of the Year) to within a whisker of the Grand Final before seamlessly transitioning to the Club's NSW Cup side.

He’s a hard-nosed country kid and a lovely bloke off the field, and he won't let you down.

Daniel Anderson On Blake Steep

"He’s come down from Port Macquarie and played on the Central Coast in the Harold Matthews Cup. Then he got a scholarship at Scots College, so he came to Easts and played junior reps for both sides," Anderson explained.

"Unfortunately, he did his ACL in 2023 so we didn’t see him, but he's come back with a rush. He’s been in all the rep teams growing up, and he's got one of the best tackle techniques I've seen - in the juniors or NRL - bar none.

"He’s a bloke that’s going to stop players in his tracks. He’s quick, and he loves a lot of work. He’s a hard-nosed country kid and a lovely bloke off the field, and he won't let you down.

"He’s learned leadership this year. He’s never really had that, but he was made captain of the SG Ball team and did a really good job. As a footy player, everyone's been touting his name through his teenage years, and he's not far off.

"He’s just a really top-notch lock forward, but in reserve grade, he's been playing second row which is phenomenal."

Jake Elliott

In his NSW Cup debut earlier this season, Jake Elliott scored a try, kicked a penalty goal and sunk the Dragons with a match-winning field goal.

And while he is most at home steering the ship in the halves, Anderson believes the 2024 SG Ball Cup Coach's Award recipient is adaptable across the park.

"I’ll use the same analogy; Sandon Smith was the best player on the Central Coast from the ages of thirteen to seventeen, every year," he said.

"He was the best player in his age group easily, and Jake Elliott is the exact same bloke, just a couple of years younger.

"He played Harold Matts a year young, where he played in one centre position while Rob Toia played in the other – it blew me away when he told me that. He’s been the best player in his age group for five years.

"He had a bad foot injury last year and missed the comp – and everyone forgot about him except for us here.

Jake is a very very good footy player. I think he’s sort of a Mitchell Aubusson-type where he can play in the halves, centre, second row, hooker, lock. He can play all those positions.

Daniel Anderson On Jake Elliott

"When he played this year, we likened him to a new signing. He came back in the back end of the Jersey Flegg Cup and played in the Grand Final as a seventeen-year-old. That was only his fifth game in the under-21s competition. 

"Jake is a very very good footy player. I think he’s sort of a Mitchell Aubusson-type where he can play in the halves, centre, second row, hooker, lock. He can play all those positions.

"He’s always been a high IQ rugby league guy, always. He’s very bright and he’s a gambler. He’ll throw the long ball and kick, so he’s got that about him. If he sees something, he instinctively reacts to space."

De La Salle Va'a

Last but certainly not least, hulking front rower De La Salle Va'a - who was named as the best forward in the Club's SG Ball side this year - has certainly made an impression alongside brother Xavier since arriving from Queensland. 

A physical specimen standing at 198cm and weighing in at 117kg, the young Samoan has proved to be more than a handful for opposition defences and has provided plenty of impact from the bench in the NSW Cup this year. 

"I was very fortunate to meet the Va’a brothers – Xavier and De La Selle – when I was at a Queensland Championships carnival," Anderson recalled. 

"I was sitting in the stands and a bloke came up to me and said; ‘I’m the manager of the Va’a boys, would you be interested in them?’. I nearly fell off my chair because I knew of Xavier and I thought ‘far out he’s a stud front rower’, and I love front rowers.

At six-five and 117kg he’s quite quick. He’s a physical outlier. You don’t see these really big guys come along very much, and Salle’s got that.

Daniel Anderson On De La Salle Va'a

"Of course I said yes, and I met them there with their dad and then watched a game where they both played. I was looking up to him then, and thought what a huge human De La Selle was. 

"I remember he made a try-saving tackle and that was the last play, then he took the first carry. Xavier then took the second carry, De La Salle came back in to take the third carry and then they were almost back on their line. Most people would say ‘I've made my tackle’ and hide. My jaw was on the ground, that was serious footy. 

"He’s done the long journey, he’s finished school down here but in the scheme of things again he’s been a rep player, an Australian Schoolboy and he's done all the reps.

"At six-five and 117kg he’s quite quick. He’s a physical outlier. You don’t see these really big guys come along very much, and Salle’s got that."

Future Developments

With the trio all on track for an NRL debut sometime throughout the middle of the year, if not in the coming seasons, Anderson says that the production line of the Sydney Roosters Academy is just warming up.

"At the behest of the Chairman, Nick Politis AM, we set up the Academy and these three are all bonafide members. We’re very excited that they’re named in the 22 and that they’re in our programs," he said.