LeagueNews.co | Jess Malloy
Sydney Roosters captain James Tedesco has praised a young prospect being groomed to succeed him as fullback when he eventually retires.
As Tedesco, now 32, approaches the end of his playing days, the Roosters are focusing on finding a replacement for the experienced player who has represented the NSW Blues 23 times and the Kangaroos 13 times.
Despite Tedesco still showing impressive form, notably becoming a two-time Dally M Medallist during the stellar 2025 season, the club has identified Rex Bassingthwaighte as his likely successor.
Bassingthwaighte is contracted until the end of 2028 and is set to join the Roosters' Top 30 roster in 2027. Highly esteemed by club officials, he is recognized as one of the top young talents in both rugby league and rugby union.
Although he missed a significant portion of the current year due to a shoulder injury, his last two years have been remarkable: he won the Harold Matthews Cup Player of the Year for the club, played for the Under-18s Australian Wallabies alongside Heamasi Makasini, and captained his school to its first 1st XV AAGPS premiership since 2006.
Bassingthwaighte is set to train with the first-grade squad for the second time in the upcoming 2026 pre-season. Tedesco has openly backed him as the future fullback for the Roosters, expressing confidence in his potential. He noted, "(Rex's) fast, agile, got good hands, and I think he's going to be a real talent."