Brisbane Broncos’ Jack Reed tops public polling for the NRL All Star team
Brisbane Broncos’ Jack Reed is this year’s highest voted player for the National Rugby League-NRL All Stars team. These statistics were revealed on Saturday, December 17.
The results were not only surprising for other rugby league aces, who have been topping the popularity charts for so many years, but it was equally hard to believe for the 23-year-old when he found about his ranking within the popularity ladder.
The player who recently broke into the Broncos’ outfit, shared, “It's really unexpected. At the start of last season I wasn't in the top 25 (at the Broncos) and I was doing some factory work and training three days a week. I never expected anything like
this.”
While recalling his desperation for venturing into just one game alone with Brisbane, he said, “I was just hoping to get one game of NRL with the Broncos but to have a season like this is unbelievable. To play in a game like that would be another feather
in the cap and it would be a huge honour.”
Last year, Paul Gallen, topped the people’s choice but this year’s polling ranks him third, just below Canterbury-Bankstown centre Josh Morris. Meanwhile, the fourth and fifth spot is taken by Josh Dugan of Canberra and Luke Lewis of Penrith respectively.
Analysing the polling results, it appears that this year, the Manly Sea Eagles’ fans were not active enough. This conclusion has been drawn from the fact that their highest ranked player is Kiwi Kieran Foran, who will be at the 33rd place overall, where
as Cronulla's Todd Carney scooped up the 15th spot in the ranking. There are still some selections left to be made by fans, who are now asked to select two forwards and two backs from each club latest by next Fridays.
On December 27, the second round of polling will begin, which will choose one player, who will join the captain Benji Marshall and Cameron Smith in Wayne Bennett’s squad. Bennett will pick two more players before finalised squad is released on January 19.
Since there is only one spot left per club, chances are plenty that Dugan will be dropped out by Canberra.
Dugan was last year’s man-of-the-match and wanted to snap up another chance this year too. When he was asked about it, he said that he knows that it is a privilege to make through the selection. While recalling last year’s experience he shared that he had
the opportunity to field alongside rugby league greats such as, Darren Lockyer, Benji Marshall and Cam Smith. He shared that it will be great to experience it this year too.
It will be interesting to find out who are topping the popularity charts, to make into the finalised selection, which is scheduled to come in January.
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