The 2014 NRL season is fast approaching! The Auckland Nine’s tournament has fans from all 16 clubs optimistic that they’ll witness some very exciting football, whilst also hoping that the competition will unearth this generation’s next superstar.

Every player has either lost or gained about 10-15kg – with the Canberra Raiders subscribing to the latter – the league most injury prone players are feeling great, and the ‘bad boys’ are working on cleaning up their act.

As the new season approaches, fans pick their favourites, the dark horses, the wooden spooners, and potential Dally M medal winner. I’ve tried to steer clear of that by electing to focus on the new recruits, players moving into new key positions and the key personnel whose improvements could define the future for their respected club.

2014 is a new chapter and could possibly be the beginning of a new era.  We’ll explore which players may have the biggest influence on this possible transition.

Fullback: Sam Tompkins (New Zealand Warriors)

When Sam Tompkins was asked about the Billy Slater comparison, he confidently responded with “they should be calling him the Australian Sam Tompkins”.

Although the response was said with ‘tongue in cheek’, the Englishman has a game to back up that confident response. His performances during the World Cup provided the Australian/New Zealand public a glimpse into the talents that the Warriors deemed well enough to splash out $1.3million and subsequently oust the incumbent Kiwi fullback – Kevin Locke.

In 2014 this excitement machine joins forces with star halfback Shaun Johnson, which will surely make for some compelling viewing.

Winger: Jharal Yow Yeh (Brisbane Broncos)

After 8 operations and 22 months out of the game, the former Kangaroo, Jharal Yow Yeh’s return as a permanent member of this Broncos squad is certainly not a done deal.

The one-time Maroon will have to overcome a number of barriers, including training if he is to rekindle some of the form that saw him earn representative honours.

Possessing all the attributes that previous great Queensland outside back have shared in the past, Yow Yeh will have to prove that his big and athletic body can once again come to terms the rigors of an everyday NRL star.

“This year is definitely the year for me and I’m not going to let anyone try and take it away from me. Yow Yeah told the abc.

“I want that number five jersey again,” he added.

Last year Yow Yeh packed into the forwards, however, his journey into the backline seems to drawing nearer.

Center: Will Hopoate (Parramatta Eels)

Will Hopoate’s return to the NRL is going to be one of the 2014’s most intriguing stories, as he makes a comeback after winning a premiership with Manly in 2011, and serving two years out as a Mormon missionary.

There is no doubting Hopoate’s talents before his departure, but two years is a long time to be away from high intensity football, and whether the former Sea Eagle can recapture his old form whilst guiding his new side into the finals series should make the Eels an interesting to team to watch.

Five Eight: Ben Barba (Brisbane Broncos)

I initially had Ben placed in the ‘fullback’ position, but I’ve had to make a last minute change after reading that former Bulldog will be getting first crack in the second receiver role.

Personally, I think that move will prove to be a mistake on the Broncos’ part as Ben has proven to be one of the most devastating runners in open space. It was the highlight reels from the back which propelled the Queenslander into the upper echelon of the NRL, and it seems that Broncos will be taking that away from his game, whilst also exposing him to opposition forwards.

Placing the pressure of overtaking one of the most successful Broncos in Darren Lockyer is a tough initiation for a player, who not so long ago struggled to adapt to stardom. Ben is a fantastic player and an excitement machine who can turn a game on its head, where ever he is on the field. But limiting his space and making him a target for opposition forwards doesn’t really seem like the best idea and the move very well prove to be the end of Anthony Griffin’s tenure up north.

Halfback: Luke Brooks (West Tigers)

As far as debuts go, there aren’t too many that were more impressive than Luke Brooks’ against Dragons in round 24.

The then 18-year-old halfback put on a master class performance, which gave the Tigers faithful reason to believe that there is life beyond Benji Marshall.

The comparisons to the ‘Immortal’ Andrew Johns have already begun, with links being made to both their game and physique.

Brooks will enter this season slightly underdone as he still overcoming stress fractures at the moment, however, that wont lower expectations from fans who have been starved of on field success.

Hooker: Josh McCrone (Canberra Raiders)

With Canberra’s two other contenders for the hooker spot, Glen Buttriss and Brisbane Broncos recruit Kurt Baptiste, sidelined with shoulder injuries, McCrone will get first crack at dummy half.

McCrone, who has played most of his career in the halves, has trained hard to prepare for the change in position by losing 4-5kg from his usual playing weight.

The 26 year old will be keen to make an impression in his new position as he is entering the final year of his contract, and it will be intriguing to see how much better off the Raiders will be for switch.

Prop: Josh Starling (Manly Sea Eagles)

The NSW Cup prop of the year has some big shoes fill as he looks to be the most likely replacement to long serving clubman – Brent Kite.

Kite was not only one of the most consistent performers for the Sea Eagles over the last nine years; he was also a highly popular figure in the dressing sheds. His departure along with a few other experienced props moving on, opens the door for Starling to make the step from an up and comer to a regular first grader.

Manly have a reputation of acquiring fringe first graders and turning them into household names. In the case of Starling, he is a young prop on the rise, whose running style and ability to play long minutes is already making an impression.

Backrower: Tony Williams (Canterbury Bulldogs)

T-Rex was supposed to be the damaging ball running forward that was going to help take the Bulldogs one step further on 2013. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work out like that, and T-Rex certainly lived up to his nickname by looking extinct out there on field at times.

Williams’ struggles were well documented and he was soon being labelled as the ‘worst buy since the turn of the century’. To be fair, the former Australian representative did have to deal with a lingering ankle injury and the stress of having to adapt to a totally different system.

However, 2014 is the year where the powering back rower has to make his mark. His salary is taking up a huge amount of space in the team’s coffers and the Bulldogs faithful will not be so patient with him this year.