Rex Bassingthwaighte is in line to make his NRL debut on Friday night after being named on the Sydney Roosters' six-man interchange bench for their clash with the Dolphins. The 18-year-old from Dubbo has been brought into the frame as the Roosters go in without seven State of Origin representatives.
That shortage has created the opening Bassingthwaighte has been chasing since joining the club from the Western Rams after the 2023 Under-16s Andrew Johns Cup. He moved to Sydney to attend SHORE for his final three years of schooling, then quickly pushed his way through the Roosters' pathway by winning the Under-17s Harold Matthews Cup Player of the Year award in his first season and helping the club to back-to-back Under-19s SG Ball Cup titles.
The size of the moment is not lost on him. Bassingthwaighte has said making his debut would be huge, describing it as surreal to get a chance to play rugby league at a club he called historical and to wear the Roosters jersey. He has also been promoted to the Top 30 roster and signed long term until the end of 2028, a sign the club sees him as part of its next core rather than just a cover option for one Friday night.
James Tedesco has been among the strongest public backers of the teenager. The captain said Bassingthwaighte trained with the Roosters in the pre-season last year, added that he had shoulder surgery this year and was unable to play union for his school, and described him as fast, agile and good with the ball. Tedesco also said he can fit anywhere in the backs to start his career, while making clear fullback is Bassingthwaighte's future position.
That is where the friction sits for the Roosters. They are short of Origin talent and facing the Dolphins with a reshuffled side, but the same absence has handed a teenager a chance to step onto an NRL bench for the first time. Bassingthwaighte was named Player of the Match in this year's SG Ball Cup grand final, and if he is used on Friday night it will be the kind of first-grade debut that usually arrives only after a longer wait. If he is not, the call-up still tells you how quickly the Roosters have come to trust him.
