Half Jake Elliott has been making a name for himself at the tricolours, whether it’s been with the Central Coast Roosters pathways or now at the Sydney Roosters.
Elliott (pictured above, Photo: Bryden Sharp) won the 2021 Brien Samphier Shield for the Central Coast Roosters ‘Rising Rooster’ award, playing in their SLE Andrew Johns Cup side. Previous recipients include Mitch Aubusson and True Blues, Bradman Best and Latrell Mitchell.
In the 2022 Grand Final he scored a 95-metre intercept try in Central Coast’s 14-2 win over Illawarra South Coast Dragons.
Ahead to 2024, he had a stunning maiden season in The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup but the 19 year-old was still eligible for the UNE SG Ball Cup (Under 19s).
He scored three tries and kicked 36 goals in nine games, which helped his side make a run for the SG Ball finals by winning their last five games, but a 28-22 Semi-final loss to the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs ended the 2024 campaign.
However, his efforts were rewarded at the Sydney Roosters 2024 Jack Gibson Medal presentation night, where Elliott won the Chris Sykes Junior Representative Player of the Year.
His form also earned him the No.6 jersey alongside No.7 Mitchell Woods (Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs) in the CABE NSW Men’s State of Origin Under 19s team in June. Their kicking game set the stage for the 14-10 win with 19 kicks for 464 metres, while Elliott had two try assists from NSW’s three four-pointers for the night, converting one of them.
Then came his first NSW Cup appearance in Round Eight playing No.7 and scoring a try, a penalty goal and then the match-winning field goal in the 76th minute for a 19-18 win over St George Illawarra in Wollongong.
It was a memorable debut and set the stage for an impressive season in NSWRL’s premier men’s competition. Elliott played 14 games and had a hand in 22 tries – scoring five himself and then having 17 assists - which ranked him third-highest in NSW Cup while 13 line-break assists put him equal fifth.
He also had 32 tackle-busts, kicked an average 109 metres per game while making 18 tackles a match.
That helped earn him a spot on the extended NRL bench from coach Trent Robinson for the Preliminary Final match against Melbourne Storm at AAMI Park. It would seem a NRL debut may not be far around the corner with several departures at the club for the upcoming season.
