2023 in review - Adrian Trevilyan

[greeneyed]

2023 in review - Adrian Trevilyan

Now it is season over for the Canberra Raiders, we will be reviewing all 30 players who pulled on a green jersey in first grade in 2023. So far, we have looked at the season of Sebastian Kris, Jordan Rapana, Albert Hopoate, Nick Cotric, James Schiller, Matt Timoko, Jarrod Croker, Harley Smith-Shields, Jack Wighton, Matt Frawley, Jamal Fogarty, Joseph Tapine, Josh Papalii, Emre Guler, Pasami Saulo, Ata Mariota, Zac Woolford, Tom Starling, Danny Levi, Hudson Young, Elliott Whitehead, Corey Harawira-Naera, Corey Horsburgh and Hohepa Puru.

Adrian Trevilyan

Since arriving in Canberra in 2020, Adrian Trevilyan hasn't played a whole lot of football. Due to a combination of the pandemic and injury, he's only played a total of 31 games over the past four years in NSW Cup and the NRL.

He's long been regarded as a very promising hooker. Hailing from north Queensland, he helped lead Townsville's Kirwan State High to the National Schoolboys Championship in 2019. In the process, he won the Peter Sterling Medal as the player of the tournament. Andrew Voss - who has been commentating on the Schoolboys Cup since the early 1990s - named Trevilyan as the best hooker he's seen in that competition.



Trevilyan made his NRL debut in Round 2 last year against the Cowboys. He played 23 minutes off the bench and didn't look out of place. However his opportunities in 2022 were limited by injury - and he ended up having both shoulder surgery and an ACL reconstruction late last year. That kept him sidelined for most of 2023.

He finally made his return to the field this year in the Round 20 NSW Cup clash with the Sea Eagles at Blacktown. The 22 year old almost instantly produced good form. So good that Raiders coach Ricky Stuart promoted him to first grade for the match up with the Tigers in Round 23, at the expense of Tom Starling.

"As soon as he did his ACL I said, 'Mate, just work hard and concentrate on your rehab. I know what's going through your mind - you're off contract. I promise you I'll keep you here, I'll look after you'. Because he's a talent," Stuart said at the time.

"He's a young player who hasn't been able to show any of our supporters or anyone on the outside the talent he actually has."

"He's a very good young dummy half. He just hasn't had the ability yet to play consistent football. We're all very confident in Adrian's future."

"The best thing for Adrian is to keep getting game time now. Whether it's NRL, that's up to him now with performance, or just playing Cup. But getting game time is really important for his confidence and his belief."

Trevilyan also played in the top grade the next week in the huge loss to the Storm. While he certainly wasn't among the worst performers in that game, he lost his spot to Starling for the Round 25 match against the Bulldogs.

Trevilyan made seven appearances in NSW Cup this year, producing two tries, four try assists, four line break assists and one offload. He also averaged 40 running metres and 28 tackles per game. Those are good numbers, particularly for a player on the comeback from an ACL injury. There's probably not a lot we can make of his NRL statistics, given his limited game time. While he posted one try cause, his tackle efficiency rate was good. I rated him an average of 4.5/10 for his two NRL appearances.

In my view, Adrian Trevilyan is the hooker on the Raiders' books with the highest potential ceiling. His development, however, has been severely hampered by a lack of footy. Ricky Stuart kept his promise, with the club extending Trevilyan's contract in August to the end of 2024. But he'll now want to grasp every opportunity offered next season.

The Raiders have a slew of very strong hookers coming through the junior grades. However, they won't be ready for senior football for some time. Right now, hooker is one of the Raiders' weak spots. I'd love to see Trevilyan get some good football under his belt next season and compete strongly for a spot in the top 17. Because I think that is going to be the key to the Raiders lifting their threat at dummy half in 2024.

Adrian Trevilyan's 2023: NR*

2023 Statistics: (Stats from Fox Sports Lab)
Games: 2
Average minutes: 35
Points: 0
Tries: 0
Try assists: 0
Try contributions: 0
Total try involvements: 0
Kicks: 0
Total runs: 4
All run metres: 32
Average metres: 16
Average metres per carry: 8
Tackle breaks: 1
Offloads: 0
Line breaks: 0
Line break assists: 0
Tackles: 43
1 on 1 tackles: 3
Missed tackles: 3
Ineffective tackles: 1
Tackle efficiency: 91 per cent
Try causes: 1
Line break causes: 1
Errors: 2
Penalties conceded: 0

* NR - Not rated. Players with two appearances or less do not receive a season rating.

[Matt]

I really hope the injuries are behind him because I still believe he is the best 9 at the club.
Need to get a good preseason under his belt and then hope he's part of bext yrs youth movement.

[RedRaider]

We will need a change in the coaches tactics for the 9s to show their skill level. Crash ball requires good accurate passing for the crashee to easily take the ball and then hold it before being hit hard because the opposition know exactly what the play is. Rinse/repeat.

Trev did not appear to have much pace but recovering from an ACL will do that. I hope he has a good pre-season for his and the teams sake.

[dubby]

I really hope the injuries are behind him because I still believe he is the best 9 at the club.
Need to get a good preseason under his belt and then hope he's part of bext yrs youth movement.

Agreed

[denissnowy]

Pass