In one of the most interesting positional battles Rugby League has ever seen, two brothers are going for the same spot.
Jayden Brailey is the current hooker at the Cronulla Sharks and does a superb job in his two years at the top. His most recent achievement was selection in Brad Fittler’s Emerging Blues squad.
His brother Blayke has been rapidly rising through the ranks and is now in a position to be putting pressure on his brother. There is every chance they will both line up in Round 1 due to the absence of James Segeyaro who played off the bench last year.
Blayke had an outstanding season in 2018. He played an instrumental role in getting the Newtown Jets to the Intrust Super Premiership Grand Final, played hooker for the Intrust Super NSW Residents in their thumping defeat of Queensland and also played in the NSW Under-20s Origin game.
To cap off Brailey’s outstanding 2018 season, he was picked for the Junior Kangaroos to play their New Zealand correspondents.
He was described as very clever and creative around dummy half by Intrust Super NSW Residents coach Shane Millard prior to the game, and he also is rock solid in defence.
The brotherly battle could soon go from the backyard to the NRL field. If both players do end up playing in the same 17, what a moment it would be for the Brailey family.
