Review of matches for JTS players transitioning to QCUp and NRL

[mdrew]

Jojo Fifita moved to right centre for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in Round Fourteen of the Queensland Cup against the Mackay Cutters with Jojo Fifita scoring in the 10th minute when after receiving a pass from his left ten metres from the try line from Tremain Spry who had chimed into the back line, Jojo Fifita immediately stepped of his right foot to beat his opposing centre with Jojo Fifita then running ten metres to put the ball down ten metres in from the right corner post.

Jojo Fifita also made a line break in the 19th minute from the left of the play the ball and twelve metres out from his own try line. After receiving the ball off the dummy half Jojo Fifita ran straight over the top of the Cutters lock before rounding the fullback to Jojo Fifita’s left with Jojo Fifita only being caught from behind when he was twenty metres out from the try line.

In the 19th minute Jojo Fifita made good metres from a Seagulls penalty tap restart with Jojo Fifita carrying the ball from thirty three metres from the try line to the twenty metre mark. Then I the 30th minute carried the ball strongly from a Seagulls penalty tap restart from ten metres from the halfway mark with Jojo Fifita able to get the ball two metres into Mackay territory.

In the 33rd minute Jojo Fifita, from ten metres out from his own try line and near the right corner Jojo Fifita ran the ball to the right of the play the ball and after running over the top of one defender Jojo Fifita carried the ball to the twenty three metre mark.

The 40th minute saw Jojo Fifita run to his left out of dummy half from eight metres inside Cutters territory to within twenty nine metres of the try line.

Jojo Fifita did well in the 7th minute to jump high and take a high chip towards his right side of the field on the full ten metres out near the right touchline with Jojo Fifita then able to make seven metres downfield.

Playing the entire match Jojo Fifita ran for a team leading 165 metres (forty one post contact), made an equal team leading two line breaks, broke a team leading six tackles, played the ball at an average speed of 3.49 seconds and made seventeen tackles at a tackling efficiency of 94.44%.

Jojo Fifita’s performance saw him named in the centres in the 2023 Queensland Rugby League Round Fourteen Queensland Cup Team of the Week.

[mdrew]

Kaleb Ngamanu started Round Fourteen of the Queensland Cup for Tweed Heads against the Mackay Cutters on the left wing with Kaleb Ngamanu scoring the match winning try in the 76th minute with an eight metre run to dive over to score four metres in from the left corner after his centre had drawn the Cutters left winger and got the ball away to Kaleb Ngamanu.

It appeared that Kaleb Ngamanu had scored earlier in the match in the 53rd minute when Kaleb Ngamanu dived over to get the ball down in the left corner off a cut-out pass from his inside from Thomas Weaver however the touch line ruled (very late ruling) that Kaleb Ngamanu had grounded the ball on the left touchline in-goal.

Kaleb Ngamanu also made a line break in the 65th minute when after receiving a pass from his inside from Tremain Spry Kaleb Ngamanu raced thirty metres down the left touchline only to be caught by the cover defence three metres from the try line and near the left touchline.

Earlier in the 16th minute Kaleb Ngamanu made thirteen metres down the left touchline to get the ball within seven metres of the halfway mark. Kaleb Ngamanu also made a good run in the 47th minute to the right of the play the ball with Kaleb Ngamanu carrying the ball from his own eighteen metre mark to thirty two metres away from his own try line.

Kaleb Ngamanu made good metres also in the 53rd minute when after some good ball playing to his right from Thomas Weaver, Kaleb Ngamanu received a high cut-out pass twenty metres from the try line and got to within three metres of the try line near the left corner.

Playing all eighty minutes of the match Kaleb Ngamanu ran for 130 metres (forty one post contact), made an equal team leading two line breaks, broke a tackle, played the ball at an average speed of 4.21 seconds and made two tackles.

After fourteen rounds of the 2023 Queensland Cup competition Kaleb Ngamanu was equal second on the try scoring list with twelve, equal third in line breaks also with twelve and fourth in total run metreswith 1 872 metres.

[mdrew]

Thomas Weaver started at five eight for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in Round Fourteen of the Queensland Cup against the Mackay Cutters with Thomas Weaver coming close to setting up a try for Kaleb Ngamanu in the 53rd minute with a long hard flat bullet pass to his left from four metres out onto the chest of Kaleb Ngamanu who dived over in the left corner only for the touch judge to rule that Kaleb Ngamanu had grounded the ball on the left touchline in-goal.

Thomas Weaver also did well from a ball playing perspective in the 53rd minute when from the left of the play the ball Thomas Weaver ran to his left parallel to the Cutters defensive and after dummying in his inside and outside Thomas Weaver threw a high cut-out pass to his left onto the chest of Kaleb Ngamanu when twenty metres from the try line for Kaleb Ngamanu to get within three metres of scoring.

Thomas Weaver ran the ball himself in the 63rd minute from the right of the play the ball and twenty five metres from try line with Thomas Weaver stepping off his right foot to beat one defender before being tackled ten metres out and directly in front of the goal posts.

Thomas Weaver put in a smart chip kick on the stroke of halftime from the right of a Seagulls scrum win thirty five metres out with Mackay running the ball over the dead ball line to end the first half.

Thomas Weaver also got a result from a kick-off in the 60th minute when his deep kick-off to his left took a wicked bounce to bounce over the dead goal line requiring a Cutters goal line drop-out to restart the match.

Whilst playing the entire match Thomas Weaver ran for sixty six metres (six post contact), broke two tackles, played the ball at an average speed of 4.06 seconds and made sixteen tackles.

[mdrew]

Keano Kini ran for 304 metres, scored a try, made three line breaks and broke seven tackles yesterday for Burleigh.

[The Birdman]

Keano Kini ran for 304 metres, scored a try, made three line breaks and broke seven tackles yesterday for Burleigh.

Incredible how consistent he is at 19 years old.

[willhelm]

Jesus Christ

[gotitans101_]

how on earth do we fit him into our NRL side moving forward?

[Hail Sezer]

Incredible how consistent he is at 19 years old.

It is. You can see parts of his game maturing too on D. Looks a lot more attentive to organising D and is actively pushing/pulling players around the ruck to get numbers right. That part of the game takes a while to develop as a FB but he's getting there.

He was the one yesterday who came up with most of the plays to swing momentum or ice opportunities. His first try was an individual effort, all footwork and pace - beat Weaver 1 on 1, then beat Spry 1 on 1 with a step to go on and score.

He then laid on a try assist for Kea Pere with a flick-pass after squaring up the 3 man and bouncing to his outside shoulder. Extremely tough to defend that (it's the same play that Reece Walsh uses a fair bit).

Burleigh were trailing by 4 at the 61st minute and he cuts them apart on the left edge, runs 50 odd, beats Spry again with his feet before Tommy Weaver cuts him down in cover D. Burleigh shift right on the next play and Tony Francis scores running over the top of Kaleb Ngamanu (which he did a few times - made a point of showing who was boss in that 1 on 1 battle).

Then in the 74th minute he got to a loose ball and offloaded it for Pere to score again.

Crazy for a guy his age to be contributing like he is at that level.

[mdrew]

Tremain Spry started at fullback for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Round Fifteen Queensland Cup local derby against the Burleigh Bears with Tremain Spry scoring in the 37th minute when after positioning himself behind the play the ball, Tremain Spry received the ball after the Seagulls initially had ran the ball to their right with Tremain Spry surging over the try line from ten metres out, beating one defender on the way to the try line before running over the top of the Bears fullback on the try line to score two metres to the left of the uprights.

The 19th minute saw Tremain Spry make a good kick-off return after taking possession of the ball twenty two metres out from his own try line then running to his left to get the ball within five metres of the halfway mark. Then in the 44th minute Tremain Spry fielded a kick in front of his own posts ten metres out and after running to his right got the ball to the thirty one metre mark.

Playing all eighty minutes of the match Tremain Spry ran for 155 metres (fifty five post contact), made a line break, broke four tackles, played the ball at an average speed of 3.46 seconds and made three tackles.

After fifteen rounds of the 2023 Queensland Cup competition Tremain Spry was equal second in terms of line breaks made with thirteen.

[mdrew]

Tony Francis started on the right wing for Burleigh in the Round Fifteen QCup local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls with Tony Francis an outstanding match including scoring in the 62nd minute when after receiving the ball from his inside when eight metres from the try line, Tony Francis charged towards the right corner and just out from the try line ran straight over the top of his opposing centre to plan the ball down four metres in from the right corner post.

Tony Francis was in the match from the opening minutes including great work inside the opening minute of the match when after chasing through a Burleigh clearing kick Tony Francis grabbed hold of the Seagulls fullback and dragged him over the right touchline just twenty metres out from the try line.

In the 23rd minute Tony Francis ran onto the ball to the left of the play the ball to carry the ball from thirty six metres out from his own try line to the halfway mark. Then in the 50th minute Tony Francis came off his wing to travel to the opposite side of the field and take a hit-up from ten metres out from his own try line to get the ball to the twenty four metre mark.

Tony Francis also had a strong match defensively including in the 22nd minute with a strong front on tackle on his opposing winger to stop a try with Tony Francis making strong contact less than a metre from the try line and four metres in from the right touchline. Tony Francis made another strong tackle in the 66th minute when after moving back for the final tackle, Tony Francis moved forward when Tweed Heads ran the ball towards his wing with Tony Francis smashing his opposing winger with heavy front on contact twenty two metres out from the Burleigh try line to force a change over.

Playing all eighty minutes of the match Tony Francis ran for 116 metres (fifty three post contact), made a line break, broke two tackles, played the ball at an average speed of 3.79 seconds and made twelve tackles at a 100% tackling efficiency.

After fifteen rounds of the 2023 Queensland Cup competition Tony Francis was equal second on the try scoring list with fourteen tries and was fourth in terms of post contact metres with 758 metres.

[mdrew]

Thomas Weaver started at halfback for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Round Fifteen Queensland Cup local derby against the Burleigh Bears with Thomas Weaver scoring in the 45th minute when after taking possession of the ball sixteen metres out down a short left blindside, Thomas Weaver put up a high right foot chip towards the left corner and after the ball was lost backwards into the in-goal by Burleigh Thomas Weaver was the first player to react to dive on the ball in the in-goal ten metres in from the left corner post.

Thomas Weaver also recorded a try assist in the 53rd minute when on the left side of the field and ten metres out, Thomas Weaver received a desperate pass from his right and immediately was hit heavily by Bears right winger Tony Francis but as Francis was driving Thomas Weaver into the ground he got his right arm free to off-load to his left for his centre to score out wide.

Thomas Weaver showed his outstanding acceleration in the 52nd minute when from the left of a Tweed Heads scrum win twenty five metres out to get the ball to within ten metres of the try line. Earlier in the 34th minute Thomas Weaver scooped up a Burleigh dropped ball from seven metres out from his own try line to get the ball twenty two metres out.

Thomas Weaver ran the ball himself once again in the 25th minute from the left of the play the ball ten metres inside Burleigh territory with Thomas Weaver getting to within nineteen metres of the try line near the left touchline.

Thomas Weaver made a great chase and try saving tackle in the 62nd minute when after Burleigh fullback Keano Kini made a long line break down the left side of the field, Thomas Weaver chased hard and after Keano Kini had stepped past the Seagulls fullback, Thomas Weaver caught Kini from behind in the centre of the field fourteen metres out.

In addition to that outstanding try saving tackle, over the course of the match Thomas Weaver made a number of good low tackles on the Burleigh right second rower. It was clear that a Burleigh tactic was try to isolate Thomas Weaver against a much bigger backrower but Thomas Weaver won the battle.

Thomas Weaver also did well in the 12th minute when Thomas Weaver chased through a short Seagulls goal line drop-out to their left with Thomas Weaver jumping above his Burleigh opponent and knock the ball back to Kaleb Ngamanu to regain possession for Tweed Heads thirteen metres out.

Playing the entire match Thomas Weaver ran for ninety metres (twenty five post contact), recorded a try assist and line break assist, broke a tackle, played the ball at an average speed of 3.42 seconds and made eighteen tackles at a tackling efficiency of 85.71%.

[mdrew]

Keano Kini started at fullback for Burleigh in the Round Fifteen Queensland Cup local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls with Keano Kini having an outstanding match including scoring in the 8th minute when after receiving the ball two passes to the right of the play the ball thirty metres out from the try line, Keano Kini stepped off his right foot to beat a Thomas Weaver attempted before Keano Kini stepped off his right foot once again to beat Tremain Spry with Keano Kini then racing away to dive over to score next to the right upright.

Keano Kini also recorded a try assist in the 59th minute when after chiming into the backline on the right side of the field, Keano Kini received the ball eighteen metres out and after engaging one defender Keano Kini was able to get a right arm flick off-load away to his right for his right centre to score eight metres in from the right corner post.

Keano Kini was heavily involved in another Burleigh try in the 75th minute when from around ten metres in from the right touchline Hayden Schwass flopped the ball backwards around a metre from the try lien and in one lightning quick movement Keano Kini scooped up the rolling ball and passed to his right for his centre to score wide out.

Keano Kini made the first of his line breaks in the 5th minute when after receiving the ball to the right of the play the ball Keano Kini made two prodigious steps off his left foot to beat defenders and carried the ball from the halfway mark to twenty three metres from the try line where the ball was knocked out of his grasp by Tweed heads for the Bears to get six more tackles.

Keano Kini made a further line break in the 62nd minute when after receiving the ball two passes to the left of the play the ball twenty metres out from his own try line Keano Kini continued to run to his left and after shaping to pass to his left thirty metres from his own try line, Keano Kini ran himself before stepping off his left foot to beat the fullback before Keano Kini was caught from behind by Thomas Weaver around fourteen metres out from the try line in the centre of the field.

Keano Kini also made a try saving tackle in the 53rd minute when he stopped the Seagulls No. 17 right on the try line six metres to the right of the uprights.

Playing the entire match Keano Kini ran for a game leading (and team leading) 304 metres, a team leading sixty seven of which were post contact, made a game leading and team leading three line breaks, broke a game leading and team leading seven tackles, recorded a line break assist, played the ball at an average speed of 4.22 seconds and made four tackles.

[The Birdman]

Keano Kini started at fullback for Burleigh in the Round Fifteen Queensland Cup local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls with Keano Kini having an outstanding match including scoring in the 8th minute when after receiving the ball two passes to the right of the play the ball thirty metres out from the try line, Keano Kini stepped off his right foot to beat a Thomas Weaver attempted before Keano Kini stepped off his right foot once again to beat Tremain Spry with Keano Kini then racing away to dive over to score next to the right upright.

Keano Kini also recorded a try assist in the 59th minute when after chiming into the backline on the right side of the field, Keano Kini received the ball eighteen metres out and after engaging one defender Keano Kini was able to get a right arm flick off-load away to his right for his right centre to score eight metres in from the right corner post.

Keano Kini was heavily involved in another Burleigh try in the 75th minute when from around ten metres in from the right touchline Hayden Schwass flopped the ball backwards around a metre from the try lien and in one lightning quick movement Keano Kini scooped up the rolling ball and passed to his right for his centre to score wide out.

Keano Kini made the first of his line breaks in the 5th minute when after receiving the ball to the right of the play the ball Keano Kini made two prodigious steps off his left foot to beat defenders and carried the ball from the halfway mark to twenty three metres from the try line where the ball was knocked out of his grasp by Tweed heads for the Bears to get six more tackles.

Keano Kini made a further line break in the 62nd minute when after receiving the ball two passes to the left of the play the ball twenty metres out from his own try line Keano Kini continued to run to his left and after shaping to pass to his left thirty metres from his own try line, Keano Kini ran himself before stepping off his left foot to beat the fullback before Keano Kini was caught from behind by Thomas Weaver around fourteen metres out from the try line in the centre of the field.

Keano Kini also made a try saving tackle in the 53rd minute when he stopped the Seagulls No. 17 right on the try line six metres to the right of the uprights.

Playing the entire match Keano Kini ran for a game leading (and team leading) 304 metres, a team leading sixty seven of which were post contact, made a game leading and team leading three line breaks, broke a game leading and team leading seven tackles, recorded a line break assist, played the ball at an average speed of 4.22 seconds and made four tackles.

Thanks mdrew! I see he was also named captain in the Queensland Cup team of the week! Keep up the great work Keano!

[Whats Doing]

Hi MDrew

CM reporting that William Semu has left to go the Storm. Any insights on this as I thought he was one of our better prospects and particular a centre which is not where we appear to have much depth.

[Hail Sezer]

Hi MDrew

CM reporting that William Semu has left to go the Storm. Any insights on this as I thought he was one of our better prospects and particular a centre which is not where we appear to have much depth.

Mdrew will shed some more light but I’ll say - Semu was a great prospect a few years ago but Sam Stephenson is a year younger and a fair way ahead, and I think Sunny Kama probably has a more well-rounded game too. I’m not sure we had a spot for him going forward.

Semu has been playing more wing than centre in the past 12 months too, simplifies his role a bit. Thought Melbourne was an interesting fit for him - not their typical OB but then again he could just be going to play SG (I haven’t read the article so correct me if I’m wrong).