3 minute read
Brisbane youngster Jake Turpin has emerged as a crucial part of the Broncos' NRL plans just six games into his first-grade career.
The odds on Jake Turpin becoming perhaps the most-important player in Brisbane's NRL squad would have been pretty long at the start of the season.
The 22-year-old hooker was only given a chance to add to his two NRL appearances from last season when Andrew McCullough went down last month with a knee injury in training.
Since then, Turpin had performed so well he was able to retain the No.9 jersey ahead of McCullough for Sunday's Queensland derby with Gold Coast despite the experienced rake's return.
As it was, McCullough only had to wait a few minutes before coming onto the field when teenage halfback Tom Dearden limped off with an ankle injury.
That prompted Turpin to be shifted to halfback but it didn't stop the hard-hitting ball-runner from being the standout performer for the Broncos in the 26-18 loss to the Titans.
Turpin scored one try, had five tackle busts, two line breaks and made 29 tackles in another impressive display.
"He's probably been arguably our best player for the last four games now," Broncos coach Anthony Seibold said.
"He went to a position that wasn't too foreign to him. As a kid, he played a lot of halfback, but he hasn't played there for a couple of seasons now.
"The thing you get with him is a lot of energy and a lot of intent. He's probably our best player, playing out of position there today."
With Dearden's injury likely to keep him out for at least a couple of weeks, Seibold is weighing up whether to call up reserve halfback Sean O'Sullivan for Saturday's clash with Parramatta or start Turpin in the No.7.
"Jakey will be in our team - just (a matter of) what position best suits," Seibold said.
"He hasn't done any reps at half this year and we've got Sean O'Sullivan sitting there so I'll see how Sean pulls up.
"We'll get together tomorrow afternoon ... have a look at what we think's best for next week."
"Certainly Jakey will be in our team; he's been tremendous for us over the last month."
