View Full Version : Junior Development
The 2021 season to date for Titans contracted stand out William Semu:
In January 2021 William Semu was part of a Titans U17 side that took on a Newcastle Knights side in what has become an annual match at Coffs Harbour, starting the match at left centre. William Semu’s selection in the match is all the meritorious considering that he was still U16 eligible in 2021. William Semu had an impressive match for the Titans who came away from the match as deserved victors 32 – 20.
William Semu’s first touch of the match came early in the first half when he ran out of dummy half after a Keano Kini break. William Semu ran out of dummy half to the right, making fifteen metres and then playing the ball quickly with the Titans scoring through Seth Nikotemo as a result.
In June 2021 Willim Semu started at left second row for a Titans U17 side that played a Titans Northern Rivers U18 squad at Cbus Stadium as a curtain raiser to the Titans Round Fourteen NRL match against the Sydney Roosters.
Amongst a multitude of outstanding pieces of domination, William Semu scored three tries including a long range forty metre try in the second half after Keano Kini engaged the defensive line and got a great one arm off-load away to put William Semu into space to score untouched.
In addition to his long range second half try, William Semu scored twice in the first half, the first of which came when after receiving the ball from his left from Keano Kini in space twety out from the line, Will Semu spun clockwise to gain separation from two defenders and charge towards the left corner. At the last moment, William Semu cut off his left foot to get between two defenders and get the ball down eight metres in from the left corner.
Will Semu’s second try of the first half was a result of him leaping above the defence to take the ball on the pull and carsh over five metres in from the left corner post after Bailey McConnell had put up a bomb towards the left corner, with the ball coming down two metres from the line.
William Semu was also part of the South Logan Magpies U16 Cyril Connell Cup squad in 2021, starting their trial against Wynnum Manly at Capalaba at right second row and played the majority of the match that the Magpies won six tries to one.
William Semu also started at right second row in Souths Logan’s final 2021 Cyril Connell Cup trial against the Tweed Heads Seagulls, putting on an incredible display of power running and brutal tackling on the way to scoring two second half tries and in fact William Semu probably should have scored a hat trick but with the line open he could not take a long looped pass around ten metres out from the try line which to be fair the ball dropped towards his feet quickly.
William Semu’s first try came in the opening minutes of the third quarter when he ran onto the ball from around twelve metres out down a wide blindside on the right of the field and simply carried two defenders over the line to score five metres in from the right corner.
William Semu scored his second try in the fourth quarter when once again he ran the ball down a wide right blindside, William Semu received the ball twenty metres out from the Seagulls line and ran on an angle towards the right corner post, just before the line William Semu straightened easily beating the Seagulls left winger to score near the right corner.
William Semu also had an outstanding run in the first corner when he surged forty metres down the sideline beating at least four defenders.
As noted William Semu as also superb defensively in the match and it was in fact his defence that set up his first try. From the kick-off of the third quarter, William Semu smashed the Tweed Heads front rower returning the kick off, in the process jarring the ball lose. William Semu scored from the resultant set of six.
After William Semu could not get to the pass that could have led to his hat trick, William Semu took his frustration out on the next Tweed Heads runner, almost cutting the front rower in half as he was trying to bring the ball away from his own line.
In the first quarter of the match William Semu showcased all that his good about his game when he chased through a long Magpies kick to the right corner. The Tweed Heads winger was trying to bring the ball away from his own line, but William Semu got hold of him and strong armed him back into the in-goal to gain a restart for his team by way of a Tweed Heads goal line drop out.
William Semu started Round One of the 2021 Cyril Connell Cup competition at right second row as was his usual dominating self against the Burleigh Bears. In Round Two against the Ipswich Jets William Semu moved to the bench for the start of the match, coming on to score in the Magpies big victory.
Round Five against the Tweed Heads Seagulls saw William Semu once against start from the bench.
In late April 2021 Will Semu was named in the Metropolitan East Open School Boy side, an impressive effort for a sixteen year old when the majority of the other squad members were eighteen year olds.
William Semu started from the bench in Met East’s Day One match against the Sunshine Coast, slotting into left centre when he came on and got his Championships off to a great start by scoring in the 16th minute when he was on the end of a Met East passing movement with William Semu crashing over in the left corner.
William Semu started at left centre on Day Three of the Championships against Met West and made a powerful charge in the early minutes making ten metres after he ran out of dummy half to the right. Just a few minutes later William Semu made eleven metres from a penalty restart. Then late in the first half William Semu made a strong sixteen metre charge down the left touchline taking the ball ten metres into Met West territory.
The half time break did not slow William Semu down as early in the second half he made a superb charge cutting back to his right towards the play the ball from ten metres out, eventually being put to ground less than a metres from the try line. William Semu then played the ball quickly with Met East scoring as a result.
The Day Four fifth place play-off match against South Coast William Semu start the match at left centre and he almost scored in the opening minutes when he received a long cut-out pass from Dominique Sandow but unfortunately William Semu was bundled into touch desperately close to the left corner.
Not long after, William Semu almost become the provider when after receiving the ball near the left touchline he cut back inside then skipped back to his outside, drawing the right winger to seemingly put his left winger over but William Semu’s final pass was adjudged to have gone forward.
Then late in the first half, William Semu made an outstanding run of twenty eight metres with the run that included six tackle breaks originating from twenty five metres out from his own line.
Round One of the 2021 Langer Cup School Boy Rugby League competition saw William Semu start on the left wing against Keebra Park.
Whilst the ball went to Marsden’s right side more often (right winger Teapo Stoltman scored four tries), William Semu was able to highlight his immense skill set including in the 22nd minute when after receiving the ball fifty two metres out, William Semu was able to kick out of the first tackle before cutting away from the left touchline, making fourteen metres before off-loading to hooker Tyree Bowman.
William Semu was initially named on the left wing once again in Round Two against Ipswich State High School but ended up starting the match at left centre and was at his damaging best throughout the match including scoring a great try in the 21st minute by way of a bullocking run of thirty five metres down the left touchline, with the powerhouse youngster slamming the ball down one handed five metres in from the left corner.
William Semu almost scored a second try in the 32nd minute when he followed through an attacking kick to the Marsden SHS left corner, with the ball sitting up for William Semu in the in-goal but just as he was about to take possession and get the ball down, the Ipswich SHS right winger just got his hand to the ball and knock it dead.
In addition to his try, William Semu broke the Ipswich defensive line on the right on numerous occasions, including in the 17th minute when William Semu received the ball down the left channel forty five metres out and cut inside at his first opportunity, breaking four tackles to get to fifteen metres out.
William Semu made a further line break in the 24th minute when he ran an underneath route from Cassius Cowley bumping off two Ipswich SHS defenders before off-loading to Cassius Cowley who had stayed alive on the play.
It was clear from the opening moments that William Semu was in a “mood” and in just the 7th minute, William Semu produced the first of multiple damaging runs when he broke through the Ipswich SHS’s right sided defence to charge forty metres downfield before off-loading to his inside to Dominique Sandow.
William Semu’s courage was highlighted in the match when in the 3rd minute Ipswich SHS’s kick up went high and short, William Semu stood under the ball knowing he would be hit be he held his ground and even when he was belted, William Semu more than held his ground.
Round Three against Wavell State High School saw William Semu move one place closer in, starting the match at left centre with power ball running once again coming to the fore including in the 52nd minute when William Semu broke the Wavell SHS right sided defensive line from a scrum with William Semu receiving the ball on his own twenty metre line before being dragged down just over forty metres from his own line.
Another run of note of William Semu’s in the match came in the 25th minute when, down the left channel, William Semu charged onto the ball from twelve metres from the line. After breaking five tackles, a plethoria of Wavell SHS defenders had to stop him just short of the line.
WIliam Semu was also strong defensively in the match including in just the 4th minute when he chased through a Marsden SHS clearing kick from inside their own twenty metre area, grabbing hold of the Wavell SHS fullback and forcing him back four metres in the heavy tackle.
In relation to club rugby league in 2021, William Semu moved from Carina to the Souths Magpies in the GBJRL U16 Division One competition.
Tyrus Salanoa started for Keebra Park at right centre in Round One of the 2021 School Boy Walters Cup competition against Marsden State High School and scored an outstanding solo try in the 13th minute.
As noted Tyrus Salanoa started at right centre but in relation to his try, he looped around to the left from a scrum move receiving the ball with room to move twenty metres out from the line. Tyrus Salanoa attacked the line continuing to run to his left, running with the ball out of front in both hands. This “froze” the defensive line and subsequently Tyrus Salanoa was able to slice through a gap and score untouched and was also able to bring the ball around closer to the posts.
Tyrus Salanoa also started at right centre in Round Two against Redcliffe State High School, kicking three conversions in Keebra Park’s victory.
In mid-February 2021 Tyrus Salanoa played in a Titans U15 Invitational Trial at Burleigh, a trial which included only the best of the 2021 Titans U15 squad members.
Early February 2021 saw Tyrus Salanoa made it through the first stage of the South Coast U15 QSSRL trials when he was named in the U15 Broadwater school boy U15 squad. Following the final round of trials, Tyrus Salanoa was named in the 2021 South Coast U15 school boy QSSRL squad.
In the 2021 QSSRL U15 Championships Tyrus Salanoa stood out for South Coast at hooker, including an outstanding display in the Championship Final with South Coast beating Met West 28 – 20 in the decider. Tyrus Salanoa was subsequently named at hooker in the 2021 QSSRL U15 Merit side.
Tyrus Salanoa had a strong start in the final, making twelve metres in just the 4th minute from a run out of dummy half down a short left blindside.
At the completion of the Championships, Tyrus Salanoa was named at hooker in the 2021 QSSRL U15 School Boy Merit Team.
Tyrus Salanoa started at hooker for South Coast on Day One of the Championships against Met West, converting one of South Coast’s first half tries.
Tyrus Salanoa started at hooker as well on Day Two against Capricorna produced a telling run out of dummy half in the 41st minute with the run his right accounting for thirty metres all the way to ten metres out from the try line. Initially it looked as if he would be tackled just after he had run out of dummy half with a Capricornia defender holding onto his right leg, but Tyrus Salanoa was able to break free and keep running.
Day Three against Tyrus Salanoa also start at hooker against Met North with the dummy half scoring one try and converting two. Tyrus Salanoa scored mid-way through the first half under the posts after he forced his way over after running from dummy half to his right from a metre out from the line.
2021 also saw Tyrus Salanoa named in the South Coast Schools U15 Rugby Representative side.
In February 2021 Keebra Park State High School’s Joseph Tupuse was named in the U15 South Coast school boy rugby league squad for the 2021 U15 QSSRL School Boy Championships playing left centre for the Championship winning South Coast side, including in the Championship Final victory against Met West.
Joseph Tupuse started at left centre on Day One against Met West scoring in the 50th minute when he charged onto the ball from twenty metres out to score ten metres in from the left corner post and then Joseph Tupuse stepped up to convert his own try.
Joseph Tupuse was also damaging running the ball on Day Two against Capricornia including a twenty metres rumble down the left side of the field in the 45th minute that saw Joseph Tupuse force his way over the goal line but a plethora of defenders held him up.
Joseph Tupuse also started at left centre and made a line break in the 31st minute when Nayte Saaga took the ball to the line before throwing a cut-out pass to Joseph Tupuse to rumble fifty metres downfield but unfortunately his inside pass went to ground.
2021 saw Joseph Tupuse line up for the Keebra Park Year Nine school boy rugby league side, including an outstanding performance at left centre in early June in Round Three of the Hancock Cup against fierce local rivals PBC.
In the match Joseph Tupuse scored Keebra Park’s opening try of the match in the 21st minute when he received the ball five metres out from the try line and three metres in from the left touch line. Initially Joseph Tupuse looked as if he was going to head towards the left touchline but quickly pushed off one defender and cut back towards centre field. After running across field for approximately ten metres, Joseph Tupuse straightened up and burst through three would be defenders to score a powerful solo try.
Just two minutes prior to his try, Joseph Tupuse made two runs that got Keebra park good field position to attack the PBC line. On the first occasion in the 19th minute Joseph Tupuse made a bustling twenty two metres, breaking three tackles to get the ball thirty eight metres out and PBC were too desperate to slow the play the ball down and gave away a penalty.
From the set of six from the penalty Joseph Tupuse charged down the right side of the field, making sixteen metres only being stopped three metres short of the line.
Joseph Tupuse was equally as dominating in Round Four against Ipswich State High School scoring a hat trick in Keebra Park’s har fought victory.
Joseph Tupuse scored the first of his three tries in just the second minute he scored out wide in the left corner after receiving the ball in space and having an easy run to the line. Joseph Tupuse’s second try came in the 16th minute when once again he scored near the left corner after a burst from close range down a left blindside. Joseph Tupuse completed his hat trick in the 24th minute with his try a near carbon copy of his second try of the match.
Joseph Tupuse continued his dominant performances from left centre in Round Five against Redcliffe State High School scoring one try and setting up another in Keebra Park’s victory.
Joseph Tupuse scored in the 20th minute, when even though he was playing left centre, Joseph Tupuse popped up on the right side of the field, receiving the ball twenty metres out and after a left foot step, Joseph Tupuse was through the line and cruised over ten metres from the right upright.
Joseph Tupuse recorded his try assist in the 39th minute when he produced a great left arm flick pass to put his winger over in the left corner.
Starting in the front row a fortnight ago for Burleigh in Round Seven of the GCRL U20 competition against Runaway Bay, Jake Kearton had a strong match scoring a hat trick in Burleigh’s four point loss. Jake Kearton’s opening try came in the 34th minute when he ran into a gap twelve metres out and then rounding the Seagulls fullback to score ten metres from the left upright.
Jake Kearton added his second try in the 38th minute when he charged onto the ball to the right of the dummy half from ten metres out, stepping off his right foot to barge over next to the left upright. Jake Kearton then completed his hat trick in the 44th minute when he broke three tackles from five metres out to once again get the ball down adjacent to the left upright.
In June 2021 Rowan Mansfield was part of a Titans U18 Northern Rivers squad that played the Titans U17 JTS squad at Cbus Stadium in a curtain raiser to the Titans Round Fourteen NRL match against the Sydney Roosters.
Rowan Mansfield started from the interchange bench row for the 2021 Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup side for their Round One match against the Wests Tigers at Ballina coming on to play in a roving forward role operating as a lock when he came on, regularly getting into dummy half and running a lot out of there.
After his impressive Round One performance, Rowan Mansfield deservedly moved into the starting line for the Northern Rivers Titans at lock in Round Two against local rivals the North Coast Bulldogs at Nambucca Heads, with Rowan Mansfield scoring the Northern Rivers Titan’s second try of the match and he also recorded a line break assist.
Rowan Mansfield’s try resulted when he ran a straight hard line from around three metres out from the North Coast line, hooker Tanu Nona darted out of dummy half to the left and put the ball onto his chest and Rowan Mansfield was able to put the ball down under the posts.
Rowan Mansfield’s line break assist resulted from a good piece of play in his own territory. Rowan Mansfield ran to the line, jinking to his left just prior to the line and popped a short pass to his left to Nicholas Troy to rumble into a gap and then make another twenty metres down the middle of the field.
Rowan Mansfield also started at lock in Round Three against the Greater Northern Tigers and recorded another line break assist when he put front rower Kyhan Weir into a big gap by way of a short pass to his left.
Rowan Mansfield also started at lock in Round Four at Lismore against the Central Coast Roosters and was once again busy and recorded a try assist in the 43rd minute when he cut inside on a hit-up close to the Central Coast line and was able to off-load to Jye Davis who dived over.
Rowan Mansfield continued at lock in Round Five against the Newcastle Knights and made his presence felt early with a strong front on tackle on the Newcastle front rower that forced the ball loose from his grasp. Rowan Mansfield produced another strong front on tackle that forced the ball loose from his Newcastle opponent when he took the hit-up from a penalty restart just a few minutes after his strong first hit.
Against the giant Newcastle forward pack Rowan Mansfield was able to use his footwork to make ground through the centre of the ruck including a strong fifteen run in the set of six after Michael Roberts early first half try. Rowan Mansfield made another strong run of ten metres through centre field in the dying minutes of the first half. Rowan Mansfield’s footwork continued in the second half including a strong sixteen metre effort from a hit-up to the left of the play the ball.
Late in the match Rowan Mansfield was almost rewarded for his effort in the match but he was held up over the line.
After the 2021 U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition was completed Rowan Mansfield suited up for the Ballina Seagulls once again starting Round One of the NRRRL U18 competition at fullback as they defeated Kyogle 54 – 4 with Rowan Mansfield scoring a double and adding two try assists.
Rowan Mansfield’s opening try came in the 16th minute and was an impressive solo effort. Positioned two passes to the right from a Ballina scrum, Rowan Mansfield received the ball twenty metres out immediately stepping off his left to beat the initial defender before a stutter step beat a second. Closing in on the try line, Rowan Mansfield spun clockwise to break away from two defenders before immediately spinning counter clockwise to beat the Kyogle fullback right on the try line. Rowan Mansfield then had the time and space bring the ball around and place it down between the posts.
Rowan Mansfield second try in the 26th minute was no less impressive then his first. Rowan Mansfield tracked back to retrieve a Turkeys clearing kick just five metres away from his own line. Rowan Mansfield immediately attacked the oncoming defensive line literally running straight through the defence to run ninety five metres to put the ball down under the posts,
It took less than a minute for Rowan Mansfield to record his first try assist in the match when from a Ballina scrum win ran into the line to the right of where the scrum was packed and just prior to contact threw a cut out pass to his right to put his right winger over in the corner.
Rowan Mansfield’s second try assist of the match came in the 8th minute after he darted out of dummy half to his right as he was bringing the ball out of his own territory. After running fifteen metres to get out to the forty metre mark, Rowan Mansfield was able to offload to his right winger for them to run sixty metres to score under the posts.
Rowan Mansfield also started at fullback in Round Two against the Byron Bay Devils and scored in the first half of Ballina’s 24 – 18 loss.
Rowan Mansfield scored in the 24th minute of the match when he was stationed on the right, receiving the ball five metres out from the line. Immediately upon receiving the ball Rowan Mansfield skipped to his right and shrugged off four defenders to get across the line and was able to bring the ball around closer to the goal posts.
Rowan Mansfield’s first touch of the ball came in the opening minute of the match when he positioned himself well to take Byron Bay’s first kick on the full and return the kick eighteen metres.
Rowan Mansfield positioned himself well once again in the 7th minute when he fielded a kick on his own line and was able to bring the ball to ten metres away from the line. Rowan Mansfield then fought to get to his feet quickly and was awarded a penalty for being held down too long.
From the subsequent set of set from the penalty Rowan Mansfield won he was on hand to track back to recover a lose pass and was able to break two tackles as he ran sixteen metres down the right touchline.
In the 46th minute made a further good run when he made fourteen metres from a scrum win and was then able to position Kye Cooper well to get an off-load away to him.
Rowan Mansfield also started Round Three at fullback against the Tweed Coast Raiders but with Ballina leading 22 – 0 at halftime, Rowan Mansfield was rested for the second half.
Even though he only played the first half Rowan Mansfield came close to getting his name on the score board when he in fact crossed the line but the last pass to him was ruled to have travelled forward.
Rowan Mansfield also started at fullback in Round Five against Casino RSM, playing the first half before being rested to start the NRRRL First Grade match against the same opponent on the right wing.
Rowan Mansfield was in the action early in the match running the ball back fifteen metres from Casino RSM’s clearing kick from their first set after the kick off. Then in the 19th minute Rowan Mansfield did some good work near halfway after a Seagulls scrum win, backing ground before getting an off-load away.
Probably Rowan Mansfield’s best moment of the first half came when in the 20th minute he put in a deft right foot chip to the right corner with Lachlan Offley in plenty of space but the ball took a horror bounce to just elude the right winger.
Round Eight of the NRRRL U18 competition saw Rowan Mansfield named at fullback against Northern United.
In Round One of the 2021 NRRRL First Grade season, after starring at fullback in the U18 match earlier in the day, Rowan Mansfield came off the bench as Ballina thrashed the Kyogle Turkeys 72 – 12. Rowan Mansfield also came off the bench in Round Two against Byron Bay after starting the earlier U18 match at fullback.
Rowan Mansfield started on the right wing for Ballina in Round Five of the NRRRL First Grade competition against Casino RSM, scoring twice in the Seagulls victory.
Rowan Mansfield’s first try of the match came in the 50th minute when he found himself on the left side of the field, receiving the ball fifteen metres form the line, Rowan Mansfield charged at the line, spinning counter clockwise right on the line to get the ball down ten metres in from the left corner.
Rowan Mansfield’s second try was a simpler affair coming in the 53rd minute when he received the ball on the right wing after a Ballina backline movement with Rowan Mansfield running twenty metres untouched to put the ball down in the right corner.
After his Round Five double Rowan Mansfield was understandably named to start on the right wing in Round Six against the Mullumbimby Giants, a match that saw him record a 16th minute try assist when he retrieved a Ballina mid-field bomb that the Giants could not handle and immediately ran towards the right touchline. A desperate tackle saw Rowan Mansfield being swung around by the jersey but he kept his wits about him to off-load to his five eight to run around and score under the posts.
Rowan Mansfield was also heavily involved in Ballina’s 7th minute try. Rowan Mansfield’s opposing winger tried to beat him down the touchline but Rowan Mansfield got hold of his jersey and as he was swinging him into touch the Mullumbimby desperately threw the ball back infield with the Ballina right second rower intercepting the pass and running the ball back to score.
To round out a very good first half, in the 39th minute, Rowan Mansfield ran back to field a Giants kick on the full ten metres out from his own line and return the ball twenty five metres.
Rowan Mansfield also started on the right wing in Round Eight against Northern United after playing in the U18 match against the same opponent earlier in the day. Rowan Mansfield was more than solid in the match including contributing a try assist to Ballina’s victory. In the second half Rowan Mansfield ran out of dummy half to his right down a short blindside and drew in one defender bwfore putting Luke Simpson over in the right corner.
In the NRRRL Round Three Reserve Grade match against the Tweed Coast Raiders, Rowan Mansfield came off the bench for Ballina after playing in the U18 match between the same two teams earlier in the day.
In May 2021 Rowan Mansfield took part in the New South Wales Combined High School’s U18 rugby league trials, representing the Northern Region, scoring on Day One against Southern Region.
In February 2021 Izayah Petrichvich took part in the South Coast U15 school boy trials and was named in the South Coast Squad for the QSSRL Championships as a result of his trial performances and started the Championship Final against Met West on the left wing.
At the completion of the Championships, Izayah Petrichvich was named on the left wing in the 2021 QSSRL U15 School Boy Merit Team alongside numerous South Coast team mates such as Sunny Kama, Zane Harrison and Riley Buchanan.
On Day One against Met West Izayah Petrichvich started the match on the left wing and scored South Coast’s first try of the Championships when in the 5th minute he took an intercept and raced eighty metres to dive over in the left corner.
Izayah Petrichvich scored his second try of the match in the 27th minute when he benefited from a great pass down a short left blind side from Jett Bryce to crash over in the left corner.
Izayah Petrichvich heavily involved in Jett Bryce’s 38th minute try when Nayte Saaga put in a chip kick to the left wing which was collected by Izayah Petrichvich who off-loaded in one movement to Jett Bryce to run away to score under the posts.
Izayah Petrichvich also scored on Day Two against Capricornia when in the 50th minute he anticipated a long pass to his side of the field, taking an intercept and running eighty five metres to score under the posts.
His intercept try capped a couple of impressive minutes for Izayah Petrichvich as in the 58th minute he came off his wing to smash the Capricornia right second rower and as he was forcing him back stole the ball in the one on one tackle.
2021 also saw Izayah Petrichvich once again represent Coombabah State High School in school boy rugby league, starting Round One of the Walters Cup agaisnt Redcliffe State High School at left centre.
Izayah Petrichvich also played for the Titans in early October 2020 when he was part of the Titans U14 side that played a Titans U14/15 NRRRL Development squad at Cbus Stadium.
2021 also saw Izayah Petrichvich play basketball and in April 2021 he was part of the Gold Coast Waves U16 representative side that took part in the Queensland U16 Division One State Basketball Championships.
In the Waves Game One on Day One, Izayah Petrichvich scored six points (three two point shots) as the Waves defeated the Rockhampton Rockets 89 – 33. In Game two, also on Day One, Izayah Petrichvich scored thirteen points (three two point shots and seven free throws) as the Waves defeated the Townsville Heat 84 – 68.
The Waves also played two matches on Day Two of the Championships, the first being a 119 – 63 victory over the North Gold Coast Seahawks with Izayah Petrichvich scoring seven points (three two point shots and a free throw). The Waves suffered their first defeat of the Championships in their second match on Day Two when they went down 112 – 77 to the Northside Wizards, with Izayah Petrichvich scoring seven points once again from three two point shots and a free throw.
Game Five which came on Day Three of the Championships saw the Waves lose in heart breaking fashion 79 – 78 to the Toowoomba Mountaineers with Izayah Petrichvich converting two two point baskets to finish the match with four points.
From his five matches at the 2021 Queensland U16 Basketball Championships in the regular rounds, Izayah Petrichvich scored thirty seven point to average 7.4 points per game.
On Day One of the Qld U16 Basketball Championships Finals Series Izayah Petrichvich had a huge game for the GC Waves scoring 18 from six two point shots and six free throws as they defeated Sunshine Coast Rip Black 94-92.
On Day Two of the Finals, Izayah Petrichvic scored a two point bucket as the Waves won again beating the Townsville Heat 68 – 64.
In 2020 Izayah Petricevich was part of the Coombabah State High School Hancock Cup school boy rugby league side and in the first minute of Coombabah’s Round Five match against Marsden State High School scored an outstanding ninety five metre individual try. Izayah Petricevich, playing left centre received the ball two passes off the ruck and broke thorugh two Marsden defenders before running ninety five metres to score down the left touchline.
Izayah Petrichvich also scored in Round Two against Wavell State High School, when in the first half he ran a good outshoulder route from eight metres out and scored after a good pass from Coby Black found him on the charge.
At the completion of the season, Izayah Petrichvich was awarded the Coombabah State High School 2020 Year Nine Rugby League Coaches Award.
In 2020 Izayah Petrichvich was part of the Helensvale Hornets U14 Division One side in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition. Helensvale finished the 2020 season with a 40 – 0 win in the first against second play off round against Burleigh.. The Helensvale U14 Division One side finished the regular season on top of the table with six wins from their seven matches, scoring 296 points and conceding only thirty eight to have a +258 points differential.
Early in the 2019 season Izayah Petricevich was named in the Gold Coast Vikings U13 representative squad and played left centre in the Championships including scoring in the Vikings first match on Day one diving over in the left corner against Brisbane Red.
Izayah Petricevich started the 2019 GCRL club season for Nerang in their Round One match against Ormeau.
Izayah Petricevich moved to five eight for Round Four scoring as Nerang went down 68 – 10 to Burleigh.
In total for Nerang, Izayah Petricevich played in three GCRL U13 Division One matches scoring against Burleigh as noted above.
With the movement in the U13 competition in 2019, Izayah Petricevich also played in five U13 Division Two matches scoring seven tries (140% strike rate) including a hat trick against Mudgeeraba in Round Eleven and a Round Twelve double against Helensvale. Izayah Petricevich’s other 2019 U13 Division two regular season tries came against Burleigh White and the Jimboomba Thunder.
In 2019 Izayah Petricevich was also a key member of the Coombabah State High School Year 8 Renouf Cup school boy side including scoring a 90 metre long range half try as Coombabah overcame a six point half time deficit to defeat Forest Lake State School 36 – 16 in the Renouf Cup Grand Final.
Izayah Petricevich started the match at left centre and scored in the second half. Forest Lake State High School spun the ball to the left but the ball was dropped out wide when they were on the attack.
From a standing start Izayah Petricevich retrieved the ball and took off down the left touch line, at one point it appeared that the Forest Lake fullback would get to him but Izayah Petricevich was able to put on an extra burst of speed to break the jumper grab to score.
In 2018 Izayah Petricevich finished the Gold Coast Rugby League U12 Division One competition as the second leading try scorer with nine tries from ten matches (90% try scoring strike rate), playing primarily in the second row but also spending time in the centres.
Izayah Petricevich scored hat tricks against Currumbin and Coomera in 2018, a double against Burleigh Marron, with his other try coming in Round Two against Mudgeeraba.
Talented centre Sunny Kama who attends PBC state High School has signed a contract with the Titans in 2021 after a stellar campaign with the South Coast U15 School Boy representative side that culminated with South Coast wining the QSSRL U15 Championship on the back of a 28 – 20 win in the Championship Final against Met West.
On an individual level, Sunny Kama who played at right centre for South Coast, including in the Championship Final, was named on the wing in the 2021 QSSRL U15 Merit Team.
In club rugby league in 2021 Sunny Kama played for the Burleigh Bears in the Gold Coast Rugby League U15 Division One competition.
Talented Hikoirangi Paki moved over from Auckland to the Gold Coast for the 2021 season and started at fullback for the Southport Tigers in their GCRL U18 Division One Round One match against the Currumbin Eagles.
Hikoirangi Paki was unable to complete the match but he had some good moments prior to going off including a ten metre dart out of dummy half to the right to get Southport on the attack forty metres out from the try line.
Hikoirangi Paki also recorded one of the stranger intercepts that I have seen when in the 21st minute whist he was trying to drag down one of the Currumbin forwards from behind the Eagles forward looked to off-load to his left, but Hikoirangi Paki stuck his left arm up and the ball stuck in his left hand. Hikoirangi Paki then turned and ran the ball back getting to within a metre of the try line before being stopped.
Hikoirangi Paki also started at fullback in Round Two against Runaway Bay and scored in the 16th minute when he was on the end of a Southport movement to the right. Hikoirangi Paki received the ball in space ten metres from the try line and headed towards the right corner. At the last moment Hikoirangi Paki cut back towards his left as two Seagulls defenders went flying by to dive over.
In the 23rd minute Hikoirangi Paki almost scored his second try of the match when he got within a metre of the try line after receiving the ball on the right side of the field fifteen metres out before cutting back towards the goal posts.
Hikoirangi Paki also did well defensively in the match including in the 41st minute when he was able to hold up the Runaway Bay left second rower with Southport holding a narrow lead.
Hikoirangi Paki continued his run of starts at fullback in Round Three against the Ormeau Shearers before moving to right centre in Round Four against Burleigh with the positional move paying dividends with Hikoirangi Paki scoring in the 26th and 39th minutes of Southport’s 32 – 28 loss.
Hikoirangi Paki continued at left centre in Round Five against the Nerang Roosters.
Round Six against Mudgeeraba saw Hikoirangi Paki continue at left centre and scored a double with his first try coming in the 17th minute when from ten metres out Hikoirangi Paki produced a right foot step to get past the initial defender that confronted him before crashing over with four defenders engaged.
Hikoirangi Paki’s second try came in the final minute of the match when he received an off-load from his right second rower who had just taken a cross kick on the full, with Hikoirangi Paki able to dive over in the right corner as a result. Hikoirangi Paki also made a 19th minute line break in the match when he burst forty metres down the right channel off a good off-load on his inside.
Hikoirangi Paki had a solid pre-season with the Tigers including a good Pre-season Round Two U18 Division One match against the Ormeau Shearers when in addition to recording a 61st minute try assist, Hikoirangi Paki converted Southport’s first try of the match.
Hikoirangi Paki’s try assist was an impressive one, he chimed into the backline on the right side of the field and once he had drawn two Shearers defenders Hikoirangi Paki threw a great right arm flick pass to his right winger to race eighteen metres to score in the right corner.
Hikoirangi Paki attended Mabel Park State High School upon his arrival from New Zealand, starting Round One of the 2021 Langer Cup School Boy competition at left centre against Coombabah State High School, recording an outstanding try assist in the 59th minute with an outstanding off-load to his left as he was going to ground after pushing off one defender to put his left winger into space and subsequently score in the left corner.
Hikoirangi Paki moved to fullback for Round Two against Keebra Park State High School and also started at fullback in Round Three against St Mary’s College, scoring in the 24th minute when he received the ball in space on the right side of the field and easily scored untouched from twelve metres out, getting the ball down five metres in from the right corner.
In June 2021 lock/second rower Jye Brady from the Bilambil Jets was part of a Titans U18 Northern Rivers squad that played the Titans U17 JTS squad at Cbus Stadium in a curtain raiser to the Titans Round Fourteen NRL match against the Sydney Roosters.
Jye Brady played the 2021 season with Bilambil Jets in the NRRRL U18 competition starting Round One in the second row against the Murwillumbah Mustangs with Jye Brady scoring in the 47th minute when he burst through a gap on the right side of the field after receiving an off-load from Kai Smallwood. A Mustangs defender grabbed hold of Jye Brady while he was still twelve metres from the line but Jye Brady just carried the defender all of the way to the line to get the ball down ten metres in from the right corner post.
Jye Brady moved to the front row for Round Two against the Tweed Coast Raiders before starting Round Three at lock and scoring twice against Northern United.
Jye Brady’s opening try against Northern United came in the 17th minute when Jye Brady ran into a gap on the right side of the field and after receiving a double pumped pass Kai Smallwood, Jye Brady ran twenty metres to score.
Jye Brady completed his double in the 47th minute when he received a long cut out pass once again from Kai Smallwood to score comfortably.
Jye Brady moved to the second row for the Round Four local derby against the Cudgen Hornets and also started in the second row and scored once again in Round Five against Kyogle with his try coming in the 11th minute with an eight metre run to get the ball down twelve metres in from the right corner post.
Round Six against Casino RSM saw Jye Brady drop back to start from the bench.
Haizyn Mellars started on the left wing for the Nerang Roosters in Round One of the Gold Coast Rugby League U18 Division One competition as they take on the Burleigh Bears and was one of the Roosters try scorers in their impressive first up victory.
Haizyn Mellars also started on the left wing in Round Two against the Currumbin Eagles and scored for the second match in a row when in the 49th minute when he ran over the top of the Currumbin fullback to get the ball down in the left corner after initially receiving the ball ten metres out down a short left blindside.
Haizyn Mellars could have scored a second try just minutes later when good work from Jeremaiah Tamepo saw Haizyn Mellars set to race away down the left touchline but unfortunately he could not reign the ball in.
Haizyn Mellars also made a 6th minute line break when he burst twenty five metres down the left touchline after being put away by Jeremaiah Tamepo. Haizyn Mellars made another line break in the 30th minute when he burst fifteen metres down the left touchline before being tackled ten metres out and was awarded a penalty for being subject to a lifting tackle.
Haizyn Mellars produced a smart piece of play in the 20th minute when he took an attacking kick on the full on the last tackle near the left touchline and immediately was able to pass the ball on the inside before he was taken into touch.
It was not just in an attacking sense that Haizyn Mellars was good in the air as was evidenced in the 22nd minute when he leapt high in his in-goal in defuse a bomb under pressure and then Haizyn Mellars wasted no time in racing the ball back to the twenty metre mark for the restart and was able to make eight metres as a result.
Haizyn Mellars took the ball on the full once again from a defensive perspective again in the 42nd minute, on that occasion however just out from his own line and then Haizyn Mellars fought his way eighteen metres downfield to get in the ball to near the hallway and was subsequently awarded a penalty when he was not afforded the opportunity to get to his feet quickly.
Haizyn Mellars was also strong defensively in the match including in the 18th minute when he came off his left wing to hit the Currumbin right centre just ten metres out when he was facing a two man overlap. Impressively Haizyn Mellars then raced back from marker to help hold up the Currumbin right second rower over the line.
Haizyn Mellars added a strong ball and all tackle in the 21st minute on his opposite number of Currumbin threatening ten metres out from the line.
After missing Round Three, Haizyn Mellars made the most of his return to the right wing in Round Four scoring a double as Nerang defeated the Ormeau Shearers 30 – 14. Haizyn Mellars also started on the left wing in Round Six against the Helensvale Horrnets.
Prior to the start of the GCRL U18 Division One competition, Haizyn Mellars started on the left wing for the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in the 2021 MM Cup competition. Haizyn Mellars started all seven of the Seagulls matches, including their 40 – 18 semi-final loss to Queensland Champions, the Tweed Heads Seagulls.
Easing the hurt of the loss a touch was the fact that Haizyn Mellars scored the opening try of the match, in the 7th minute when he was on the end of a Wynnum Manly backline movement that saw him dive over in the left corner.
In total from his seven 2021 MM Cup matches, Haizyn Mellars scored on six occasions to finish with a strike rate of 85.71%. In addition to his sem-final try, Haizyn Mellars scored a double in Round Two against the Redcliffe Dolphins and also scored against Redcliffe in Round Five.
In the 2021 MM Cup season Haizyn Mellars also scored twice against the Easts Tigers with those matches being in Rounds Three and Six.
2021 also saw Haizyn Mellars play school boy rugby league for Marsden State High School in the Langer Cup Reserve Grade competition and he had a particularly good match in Round Three against Wavell State High School.
Exceptionally talented young centre Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr moved over from Auckland and started at right centre for the Southport Tigers in their GCRL U18 Division One Round One match against the Currumbin Eagles.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr had a solid first match on the Gold Coast, including recording a try assist when as soon as he received a pass from his left he popped a short ball to his right to put Elikena Finau into a gap with the lock subsequently running twenty metres to score.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr also made a number of strong charges in the match including two that stood out, with both coming from kick-off returns, the first of which came off the second half kick-up when the ran to his left, breaking three tackles and then from the kick-off after the Elikena Finau try, Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr broke a further two tackles on his kick-off return.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr also started at right centre in Round Two against Runaway Bay and in just the 2nd minute of the match he made a strong burst of fourteen metres from a hit-up to the right of the dummy half with Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr initially receiving the ball just eight metres out from his own line.
Then in the 5th minute Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr broke two tackles when running the ball off a Tigers scrum win, making sixteen strong metres with at least half of those post contact metres. Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr made another strong run from a Southport scrum win in the 7th minute making a further ten metres.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr hard working start to the match continued when he took the second hit-up from the kick-off after the first Southport try making ten metres to get the ball outside of his own twenty metre area.
The 18th minute saw Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr record a line break directly from the kick-off after Southport’s second try. Southport let the kick-off bounce and it actually bounced back towards the oncoming Runaway Bay chasers. Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr charged forward retrieving the ball at full speed and then ran straight through two defenders to get the ball back to the forty metre line.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr continued to highlight that he can run all sorts of routes when in the 22nd minute he came back underneath one of his playmakers running to his left and backing sixteen metres to get within twenty metres of the try line.
Just a minute later in the 23rd minute, Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr ran out of dummy half once again getting within two metres of the line after a strong fourteen metre run after running to his right.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr had a line break assist in the match as well when in the 33rd minute he moved over to the left side of the field for a set move off the back of a scrum, drawing in both his immediate defender as well as the Seagulls right winger to put his own winger away down the left touchline.
Whilst he was one of the most dangerous ball runners in the match, Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr did not ignore his defensive duties, including in the 28th minute when he made a strong tackle on the Seagulls fullback who had run down a short right blindside.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr continued his run of starts at right centre in Round Three against the Ormeau Shearers and scored an impressive double in the 16 all draw.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr continued at right centre in Round Five against the Nerang Roosters and was one of the Tigers try scorers in the match.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr attended Mabel Park State High School upon his arrival from New Zealand, originally being named to start Round One of the 2021 Langer Cup School Boy competition from the bench against Coombabah State High School however Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr ended up starting the match at right centre.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr made a key contribution for Mabel Park State High School in the 25th minute when from a scrum win he was able to rumble forward after receiving the ball on the left, getting to less than a metre from the line. Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr was on his feet in a flash, producing a quick play the ball that the dummy half was able to take advantage of to dive over under the posts.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr moved to left centre for Round Two against Keebra Park State High School and was as good as any player on the field, including recording a try assist in just the 5th minute when he surged down the left channel after receiving the ball twenty metres out from the line. After he received the ball Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr got rid of the Keebra Park right winger and charged downfield getting to within three metre of the line before being taken by the cover defence but even though he was held by the defence Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr as able off-load to his left winger score in the left corner.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr then did not rest in his laurels, taking the hit-up from the subsequent kick-off. Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr made another strong run in the 41st minute when from a Mabel Park SHS scrum win to get the ball out of his own twenty metre area.
Then in the 47th minute, Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr charged onto the ball off a tap restart after Mabel Park received a penalty with Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr making thirteen metres when he charged straight into the giant Keebra Park SHS forward pack.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr produced a great defensive effort in the 25th minute when he highlighted his elite speed to chase the Keebra Park fullback (Elijah Lui) after he had made a long break to round him up quickly just after he had passed the halfway line.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr rounded out his outstanding performance in the match in the 50th minute when he made twenty seven metres after receiving the ball thirty metres from the line.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr continued at left centre in Round Three against St Mary’s College Toowoomba and was heavily involved in Mabel Park’s 35th minute try with a great right arm off-load in the lead up prior to the try near the left corner.
Hail Sezer
13-07-21, 08:32 AM
A bit of a write up in today's GCB about Keano Kini (PBC) and Will Semu (Marsden) in the leadup to this evenings Langer Cup clash between PBC and Marsden.
Kini is still only year 11 and Semu is unbelievably year 10, but both are probably two the Titans brightest junior prospects. I'd expect the club will almost certainly be promoting them to full-time deals in 2023 when they finish high school. Mdrew has done some quality write ups on them both.
Other Titans junior contracted players featuring in todays match:
PBC:
Keano Kini (fullback)
Reef Sommerville (centre)
Michael Roberts (wing)
Tom Weaver (halfback & captain)
Jack Cullen (prop)
Tanu Nona (hooker, still only 16)
Brock Priestley (right backrow)
Ryan Foran (left backrow)
Bailey Martin (lock)
Jayden Wright (interchange)
Marsden:
Will Semu (centre)
Xavier Stowers (prop)
Taelon Te-Whiu Hopa (interchange)
Sione Fotuaika (interchange)
Mdrew pls fill me in if I missed any above (which I'm sure I have)
Will be a good clash between two of the competition heavyweights and is live-streamed through the Courier Mail and GCB website at 5:30pm for anyone interested.
You got them all from PBC and Marsden mate.
Seth Nukotemo, Arama Hau and Immanuel Kalekale will start for Keebra this afternoon with 16 year old Wailer Whaiapu on the bench.
lonegull
13-07-21, 10:47 AM
Great to see the titans proactive in the lcoal market with the juniors, got to say Kalekale looks like he has a big future
Hail Sezer
13-07-21, 01:48 PM
I think I got Semu's age wrong when I said he's year 11.
In fact I think he might only be...year 10? An article form 2020 said he was year 9. Mdrew can you please confirm?
Bc if so, then it is ridiculous the level of football he is playing
edit: Have amended original post to reflect this
Yes Year Ten for him
I think I got Semu's age wrong when I said he's year 11.
In fact I think he might only be...year 10? An article form 2020 said he was year 9. Mdrew can you please confirm?
Bc if so, then it is ridiculous the level of football he is playing
Interesting to see former Sydney Roosters second rower Jeff Tatupu start from the bench for the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts side on Saturday against Tweed Heads. Jeff Tatupu is also Colts eligible in 2022.
Jeff Tatupu is a former NZ junior who the Roosters brought over to Australia to attend Brisbane’s Wavell SHS. Prior to moving to Sydney for the 2021 SG Ball competition, Jeff Tatupu played for the 2020 Norths Devils MM Cup side.
Jeff Tatupu started the 2021 season as part of the Sydney Roosters SG Ball side with his first appearance coming in Round Five against the Cronulla Sharks when he came off the bench. Jeff Tatupu also came off the bench in Rounds Six (Norths Sydney Bears) and Eight (Parramatta Eels) before breaking into the starting side in the front row in Round Nine against the Canberra Raiders. Jeff Tatupu also started in the front row in the Roosters semi-final loss to the Illawarra Steelers.
In 2020 Jeff Tatupu started from the bench in the one and only round of the MM Cup competition for the Norths Devils.
2020 aslo saw Jeff Tatupu become a member of the Magere East SAS Fox Memorial Premiership side in the Auckland Rugby League competition.
In 2019 Jeff Tatupu played for Wavell State High School in their school boy competitions including the Langer Cup and also played for the Norths Devils in the MM Cup competition starting Round One against the Burleigh Bears from the bench. In fact Jeff Tatupu started all of his 2019 MM Cup matches for Norths from the bench.
Jeff Tatupu has already represented Tao Samoa on a number of occasions including the U18 side in 2020 and in 2018 Jeff Tatupu was a member of the Samoan U16 side and scored in a match against a New Zealand Resident U16 side.
Over the weekend it was great to see Charlie Murray made his Queensland Cup debut for Tweed Heads in Round Thirteen of the 2021 season against the Burleigh Bears.
Playing seventeen minutes off the bench, Charlie Murray ran for twenty four metres, played the ball at an average speed of 4.09 seconds and made nine tackles at a 90% tackling efficiency.
Back from Sydney playing with the Parramatta Eels, Charlie Murray is playing for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Hastings Deering’s Colts side in 2021 and he will also be Colts eligible in 2022.
Charlie Murray started at lock in their final 2021 trial against the Burleigh Bears scoring late in the second half as well as a first half try assist and worked as a ball player in his time on the field. As noted above Charlie Murray’s try was the final try scored in the trial.
In the 10th minute of the first half, Charlie Murray received the ball off Ediq Ambrosyev from dummy half on the left side of the field and put up a high cross field pin point bomb to the right corner, with the ball coming down a metre or so from the try line. Tweed heads right winger Troy Duckett as able to time his jump perfectly to get above the Burleigh left winger in Ronin Rio and get the ball down a couple of metres in from the right corner post.
Round One of the 2021 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition saw Charlie Murray start at lock for the Tweed Heads Seagulls when they took on the Souths Logan Magpies amd took the fourth hit-up of the match, getting the ball to the halfway.
One of Charlie Murray’s best (and most productive) runs of the match came in the 26th minute when he was able to make twenty three metres to the forty metre mark, breaking three tackles in the impressive effort.
Charlie Murray produced a great try saving effort in the 24th minute when he got low to confront and hold up the Souths Logan hooker who had darted out of dummy half from close range trying to burrow under Charlie Murray.
Late in the match with Tweed Heads chasing the match, Charlie Murray almost produced a try out of nothing. Souths Logan were bringing the ball out of their own territory when he produced a one on on steal and was able to find space to throw a long pass to his right that found Jojo Fifita is space and but for a diving tackle that halted Jojo Fifita by just one leg, he would have dived over in the corner.
Charlie Murray also started at lock in Round Two in the local derby against the Burleigh Bears and recorded an impressive try assist. Charlie Murray received the ball ten metres out and moved subtly to his left and popped a great short ball to put Carsil Vaikai into a gap and the front rower was able to get the ball down under the posts.
Intelligently in the 21st minute, Charlie Murray was able to get possession back for Burleigh after a one on one strip against Samuel Shannon who was looking to bring the ball out of Burleigh’s own territory.
Then in the 63rd minute, Charlie Murray along with Jed Edwards smashed Burleigh’s Ronin Rio front on with the ball coming loose less than ten metres from Burleigh’s own line.
Charlie Murray also was named to start at lock in Round Three against the Redcliffe Dolphins however he was a late scratching from the match.
Charlie Murrray was back in the Seagulls starting side at lock in Round Four against the Ipswich Jets, a match that saw him named the Seagulls best, with Charlie Murray running for 182 metres and making twenty four tackles.
Charlie Murray also started at lock in Round Five against the Northern Pride and in Round Six against the Easts Tigers. Against the Easts Tigers Charlie Murray was one of the Seagulls best players, running for 208 metres, eighty nine of which were post contact.
Charlie Murray also started at lock in Round Seven against the Norths Devils and in Round Eight against the Mackay Cutters with Charlie Murray one of the Seagulls try scorers in their tough loss.
Round Nine against Wynnum Manly saw Charlie Murray move to hooker for the Seagulls, handling the position change in his stride.
On Sunday Henry Lee continued at right second row for Lismore in Round Ten of the NRRRL U18 competition against the Bilambil Jets with Henry Lee scoring a double.
Henry Lee scored his first try in the 38th minute when he ran a straight crash line from ten metres out down a right blindside after Jye Davis had cut from the openside back to the right blindside.
Henry Lee added his second try in the 60th minute when he received the ball twelve metres from the line, palming off one with his left arm before diving over in the right corner.
Helensvale’s Brent Barnes scored another double from the fullback position in Round Ten of the GCRL First Grade competition on Saturday evening against the Burleigh Bears with his first try coming in the 26th minute when he backed up a break from his left second rower to score easily on the right side of the field.
Brent Barnes completed his double in the 69th minute from a set move that started from inside his own territory. From a Helensvale scrum win thirty metres out from their own line, Helensvale kicked long downfield, Brent Barnes easily won the race to the ball, retrieving it just metres from the line and subsequently getting the ball down under the posts.
Cudgen Hornets U18 NRRRL competitions Cooper Camby continued at left centre in Round Ten against the Murwillumbah Mustangs on Sunday and scored in the 50th minute when he received a great right arm off-load from Darcy Townsend eight metres from the line and Cooper Camby was able to get the ball down in the left corner.
Great to see 16 year old Jury Taewa make his NRRRL U18 debut off the bench for the Bilambil Jets in Round Ten of the NRRRL U18 competition against the Marist Brothers Rams with Jury Taewa playing left second row when he came onto the field.
Jury Taewa was named in the left second row position for the 2021 Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup side for their Round One match against the Wests Tigers. In a great situation for his family, Jury Taewa’s twin brother Jaylen was the other starting second rower on the right side for the Northern Rivers Titans.
Disappointingly Jury Taewa suffered a head knock in the first half of the match and was unable to take any further part in the match which was an unfortunate situation as Jury Taewa was having a very solid match to that point.
After missing Rounds Two and Three as a result of his Round One head knock, Jury Taewa was back in the Northern Rivers Titans squad for Round Four against the Central Coast Roosters in Lismore as a curtain raiser to the Titans against Warriors NRL trial. Jury Taewa came onto the field mid-way through the first half, playing in his usual left second row position.
Jury Taewa also started from the bench in Round Five against the Newcastle Knights coming on to play left second row mid-way through the first half.
On Sunday in the NRRRL U18 Round Ten match against the Bilambil Jets, Lismore’s Cooper Love started at hooker and scored in the 14th minute when after receiving an offload from Jye Davis eighteen metres out and in the open side of the ruck, Cooper Love cut back down the blindside and then was able to bring the ball around closer to the goal posts.
Cudgen’s Jett Forbes continued at right centre in Round Ten of the NRRRL U18 competition against the Murwillumbah Mustangs on Sunday, scoring in the 13th minute when after receiving the ball twelve metres out and on the right side of the field, Jett Forbes was able to hold off his opposite defender and get the ball down with his right arm five metres in from the right corner post.
Jett Forbes also made a line break in the 36th minte when after Murwillumbah attempted to kick for touch from a penalty, Jett Forbes took the ball on the full and flew down the right touchline only to be ankle tapped just as he was accelerating towards the try line.
Jett Forbes could have scored another try in the first half when he took and intercept twenty metres from his own line but he was brought down from behind by Riley Lack not far out from scoring.
Tweed Heads Seagulls Hastings Deering’s Colt James Torrens continued at left centre in the Round Eleven local derby against the Burleigh Bears on Saturday afternoon with James Torrens scoring a double and kicking four conversions in the Seagulls 38 – 22 victory with his tries coming in the 34th and 37th minutes.
In the 34th minute James Torrens received the ball eight metres from the line and initially shaped to pass to his left before running the ball himself to get the ball down near the left corner. Then in the 37th minute James Torrens was the beneficiary of some great initial work from Jack Cullen who produced a great one arm off-load for Tweed Heads to break the ball before James Torrens backed up to score an easy try.
After a Covid 19 interrupted U18 NRRRL Round Nine, Stevie O’Çonnor wore the No. 14 jersey once again in Round Ten on Sunday for the Tweed Coast Raiders against the Byron Bay Devils but once again started at fullback scoring in the 20th minute when he ran the ball down a short left blindside from twelve metres out. Stevie O’Connor shaped to pass to his left before taking the line on and he was subsequently able to get the ball down in the left corner.
Stevie O’Connor also kicked two conversions in the Raiders impressive victory over Byron Bay.
Recently Titans contracted Jayden Wright continued at right second row on the weekend for Currumbin in Round Nine of the GCRL U18 Division One competition against the Nerang Roosters and scored a double in the Eagles impressive victory.
On the weekend Titans contracted Troy Duckett scored in the 3rd minute from the right wing for Tweed Heads in the Round Eleven Colts local derby against the Burleigh Bears with the try being a brilliant solo effort. Troy Duckett received the ball on the ball forty metres from the line with limited space in front of him. Troy Duckett then took the defensive line on, chipping over his opposing defender and then regathering the ball and he was then able to dive over in the right corner to record a spectacular try.
After Murwillumbah’s U18 NRRRL Round Nine match against the Tweed Coast Raiders was postponed, Titans contracted Riley Lack was back at five eight for Round Ten against the Cudgen Hornets on Sunday.
Riley Lack was in the match in the first minute when he put up a huge bomb sixty metres out from the line and after bouncing once that ball amazingly hit the cross bar and then bounced into the in-goal with Cudgen subsequently trapped there and was forced to drop the ball out to restart the match.
Riley Lack also produced another kick in the match that had a positive impact for the Mustangs when in the 45th minute he pu in a chip kick from twenty metres out that Cudgen’s Reef Sommervile was forced to take over the dead ball line.
Riley lack came very close to scoring in the first half of the match after a slicing run to his left but unfortunately the ball was knocked out of his grasp just as he was crossing the line. Also Riley Lack showcased his speed in the first half when he chased Cudgen’s Jett Forbes down field after the Hornets right centre took an intercept twenty metres from his own line and took off but Riley Lack rounded him up still twenty metres from the try line.
Titans contracted Vaka Sikahele started at hooker for Burleigh in the Round Eleven Hastings Deerings Colts local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls on Saturday afternoon and scored a double with his tries coming in the 16th and 55th minutes.
In the 16th minute Vaka Sikahele moved into dummy half seven metres from the line and then drated to his right before stepping back to his left to beat the Seagulls marker before crashing through two more defenders who had stationed themselves on the try line.
Vaka Sikahele scored his second try in the 59th minute when once again he darted out of dummy half to his right, on this occasion from 32 metres out. After getting around the markers Vaka Sikahele cut back to his left to the area behind the play the ball and then was easily outpace the Seagulls defence to score under the post.
Congratulations to Titans contracted to Syris Schmidt who has been named the 2021 TSS Rugby Captain and vice captain of the TSS First XV.
Great to see Titans contracted Kaleb Ngamanu named as the TSS 2021 First XV school boy rugby captain, what a great honour for the young man.
Over the weekend Titans contracted Arama Hau also continued at five eight for Nerang in Round Nine of the GCRL U18 Division One competition against the Currumbin Eagles and scored a double in Nerang’s hard fought loss.
The last night Arama Hau was outstanding at lock for Keebra Park in Round Four of the Langer Cup against St Mary's College Toowoomba.
Titans contracted Burleigh Colt Isaac Matalavea-Booth continued his run of starts in the Round Eleven local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls on Saturday with Isaac Matalavea-Booth scoring in the 78th minutes of Burleigh’s 38 – 22 loss.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth received the ball from the dummy half to the right of the play the ball twenty two metres from the line and initially shaped to pass to his right before cutting of his right foot and then shrugged off one defender to get through the Seagulls line before also pushing off the Seagulls fullback to score next to the left upright.
Titans contracted Jack Cullen made his Hastings Deering’s Colts debut for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in Round Eleven of the 2021 competition against the Burleigh Bears on Saturday afternoon and made the most of his debut scoring in the 70th minute of the Seagulls impressive 38 – 22 victory when from three matres out Jack Cullen forced his way over next to the left upright.
Jack Cullen was also the catalyst of a Tweed Heads try in the 37th minute James Torrens was the beneficiary of some great initial work from Jack Cullen who produced a great one arm off-load for Tweed Heads to break the line inside Tweed Heads territory.
Round Nine against Southport on Saturday afternoon saw Titans contracted Seth Nikotemo start at left second row for Runaway Bay in the GCRL U18 Division One competition with the hard running second rower scoring a double for the Seagulls in their 40 – 30 victory.
Seth Nikotmo scored his opening try in the 14th minute he ran into space twenty metres from the line. Seth Nikotemo pushed off the Southport right winger who had tried to come off his wing and then Seth Nikotemo ran straight over the Tigers lock to get the ball down five metres in from the left corner post.
Seth Nikotemo then scored in the 52nd minute when he ran a straight hard line from eight metres out, forcing his way over ten metres from the left upright. Seth Nikotemo initially was hit by the Southport defence three metres from the line and in fact backed his way from there and then twisted to get the ball down.
DeÓntae Perese dropped back to the bench last night for Keebra Park in Round Four of the Langer Cup against St Mary’s College Toowoomba playing in the right centre position when he came on.
De’Ontae Perese made the most of his opportunities in the match scoring one try and coming close to a second.
De’Ontae Perese’s try came in the 38th minute when from twelve metres out De’Ontae Perese darted out of dummy half down a short right blindside and was simply too quick for the St Mary’s defence to crash over ten metres in from the right corner.
As noted above De’Ontae Perese almost scored another try when he chased through a short grubber kick with the referee adjudging that he did not get the ball down cleanly.
De’Ontae Perese also produced a smart piece of play in the 50th minute with a great one on one strip deep inside his own territory from a St Mary’s scrum win.
Last night for Keebra Park Connor Te Kani continued at halfback in Round Four of the Langer Cup against St Mary’s College Toowoomba recoding a number of try assists in Keebra Park’s big victory.
Connor Te Kani’s initial try assist came in just the second minute of the match when he held the ball up before putting left centre Taniela Lotaki into a gap with the powerhouse centre charging over from six metres out.
Connor Te Kani’s second try assist came in the 21st minute when Delahia Wigmore charged over from ten metres out off a Connor Te Kani pass on the left side of the field.
Connor Te Kani added a further try assist in the 55th minute when Seth Nikotemo charged onto a Connor Te Kani pass down the right channel, holding off a number of defenders to score ten metres in from the right corner post.
Connor Te Kani also forced a St Mary’s goal line drop out in just the second minute of the match when he took the ball to the line before grubbering into the in-goal to force the drop out restart.
Keebra Park NZ recruit Taniela Mapusua-Lotaki started at left centre last night in Round Four of the Langer Cup against St Mary’s College Toowoomba, a match in which Taniela Mapusua-Lotaki was comfortably the best player on the field including scoring an impressive double.
Taniela Mapusua-Lotaki’s opening try came in just the second minute of the match when he charged into a gap from six metres out off a Connor Te Kani pass.
Taniela Mapusua-Lotaki scored his second try in the 39th minute as a result of another strong charge down the left channel with Taniela Mapusua-Lotaki bursting through the St Mary’s defensive line ten metres out to get the ball down twelve metres in from the left corner post.
The 7th minute also saw Taniela Mapusua-Lotaki make himself a handful for the St Mary’s right sided defence with a twenty metre burst down the left channel.
PBC and Titans contracted Reef Sommerville last night for PBC started at left centre in the Round Four Langer Cup blockbuster against Marsden State High School with Reef Sommerville scoring in just the second minute of the match after Thomas Weaver ran the ball to the line before at the last moment putting in a deft right foot grubber kick which sat up perfectly for Reef Sommerville to retrieve and dive over in the left corner.
Reef Sommerville also produced an outstanding ball and all try saving tackle in the 21st minute when he was able to stop dead the Marsden SHS right centre less than a metre from the try line.
The in the 50th minute when after receiving the ball mid-field twenty metres out and to the right of the play the ball, Thomas Weaver kicked back towards the left corner with the Marsden right winger knocking the ball on under pressure from Reef Sommerville.
Titans contracted Xavier Stowers continued in the front row for Marsden SHS in the Langer Cup Round Four blockbuster last night against PBC State High School recording a great try assist in the 43rd minute when after he had run an underneath route off his halfback, Xavier Stowers whilst in contact with three PBC defenders, was able to get away a right arm offload to his front row partner who rumbled twenty five metres to score under the posts.
Xavier Stowers also produced an outstanding try saving tackle in the 7th minute when he smashed PBC hooker Oskar Bryant less than a metre from the line with Xavier Stower’s tackle forcing the ball loose from Oskar Bryant’s grasp.
Last night Titans contracted PBC’s Ryan Foran continued at left second row in the Round Four Langer Cup blockbuster against Marsden State High School with Ryan Foran scoring in the 48yh minute when he ran an underneath route down a short left blindside from four metres out after Oskar Bryant had darted to his left out of dummy half and get the ball inside to Ryan Foran.
Ryan Foran’s first key contribution of the match came in the 14th minute when he executed a great ball and all tackle down a short blindside to prevent the Marsden SHS right centre from scoring with Ryan Foran’s tackle stopping his opponent dead a metre from the try line.
Ryan Foran produced another outstanding tackle in the 36th minute when as the Marsden SHS fullback was bringing the ball off his own line, Ryan Foran flew out of marker to his right to smash the fullback and force the ball loose.
Titans contracted Seth Nikotemo continued at right second row for Keebra Park last night in Round Four of the Langer Cup against St Mary’s College Toowoomba and had a strong match including scoring in the 55th minute when he charged onto a Connor Te Kani pass down the right channel, holding off a number of defenders to score ten metres in from the right corner post.
2021 sees Titans contracted Oskar Bryant line up once again for PBC State High School in the South East Queensland School Boy Langer Cup competition with his first appearance in the Langer Cup coming last night when he started at hooker in Round Four against Marsden State High School.
In the match OsKar Bryant showed no signs of rust almost scoring in 7th minute when after throwing a big dummy to his left, Oskar Bryant charged towards the line from twelve metres out to get within a metre of the line before the Marsden SHS defence brought him down.
Oskar Bryant recorded a try assist in the 48th minute when Ryan Foran ran an underneath route down a short left blindside from four metres out after Oskar Bryant had darted to his left out of dummy half and got the ball inside to Ryan Foran who crashed over.
Oskar Bryant showcased his diverse skill set in the 12th minute with a great right foot kick out of dummy half from thirty eight mtres from his own line, with the ball bouncing into the in-goal with the Marsden left winger only able to get the ball a metre out from his own line before being tackled by Michael Roberts.
Titans contracted Keano Kini continued at fullback last night for PBC in the Round Four Langer Cup blockbuster against Marsden State High School and was his usual elusive self, including a great effort in the 9th minute when he retrieved a short Marsden SHS grubber kick into the in-goal and even with Marsden chasers everywhere, Keano Kini was able to step around a number of defenders to get the ball out of his own in-goal.
Keano Kini also produced an outstanding piece of play after the final siren. With Marsden SHS down by six as the final siren sounded, from fifteen metres from their own line Marsden kicked towards William Semu who charged onto the ball and flew down the left touchline and just as he looked as if he had beaten Keano Kini was able to produce a great desperate tackle to bring William Semu down just short of the line and save the match for PBC.
Titans contracted William Semu continued at left centre last night for Marsden SHS in the Round Four Langer Cup blockbuster against PBC State High School with William Semu recording an outstanding try assist in the 32nd minute. Close to the line, William Semu charged at the try line but was hit by Michael Roberts near the line but was able to maintain his balance and spin clockwise to break contact. William Semu in fact could have scored himself but instead offloaded to his left winger who was able to dive over in the left corner.
William Semu had another outstanding moment after the final siren. With Marsden SHS down by six as the final siren sounded, from fifteen metres from their own line Marsden kicked towards William Semu who charged onto the ball and flew down the left touchline and just as he looked as if he had beaten the PBC fullback a desperate tackle from Keano Kini brought William Semu down just short of the line.
Last night contracted Thomas Weaver continued at halfback and captain for PBC in the Round Four Langer Cup blockbuster against Marsden State High School kicking four goals from five attempts including two from the left touchline in the first half in PBC’s impressive 28 – 22 victory.
Thomas Weaver was also involved in multiple PBC tries including in first the second minute of the match when whilst operating on the left side of the field, he ran the ball to the line before at the last moment putting in a deft right foot grubber kick which sat up perfectly for Reef Sommerville to retrieve and dive over in the left corner.
Thomas Weaver’s second try assist of the match came in the 26th minute when from two passes to the left of the play the ball, Thomas Weaver put up a perfectly weighted bomb to the left corner with Hunter Plogesma able to leap above the defenders to score in the left corner.
Thomas Weaver almost scored himself in the 46th minute when from a PBC scrum win ten metres out and to the left of where the scrum as packed, Thomas Weaver sliced through the Marsden SHS right sided defence but three defenders were able to hold him up over the line.
Thomas Weaver also put in a great kick in the 50th minute when after receiving the ball mid-field twenty metres out and to the right of the play the ball, he kicked back towards the left corner with the Marsden right winger knocking the ball on under pressure from Reef Sommerville.
Keebra Park’s Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki continued his exceptional form in Round Four of the Walters Cup against Forest Lake State High School on Tuesday afternoon scoring twenty points from two tries and seven conversions.
Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki played the majority of the match at left centre but moved into the dummy half role late in the second half.
Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki’s opening try came in just the second minute of the match when he scored an outstanding solo try that encompassed Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki breaking five tackles after he had cut back after receiving the ball on the left side of the field to score next to the right goal post.
Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki’s second try came in the 18th minute when he burst through the Forest Lake SHS defence to score under the posts from ten metres out after receiving an inside ball.
Three Titans contracted players are set to line-up for the TSS First XV side in Round One of the GPS School Boy rugby competition this Saturday at TSS against Brisbane Grammar School.
Kaleb Ngamanu will captain the side from inside centre, Syris Schmidt is the vice-captain and will start at fly half and Nicholas Hilton will start at No. 8.
On Tuesday night it was great to see Titans Joseph Shannon started in the front row for Coombabah SHS in Round Four of the Langer Cup against Ipswich State High School when he came up against fellow Titans firebrand Joseph Pahulu.
The match saw Joseph Shannon do want he does best that is to charge at the defensive line and get arm free to off-load and that is exactly what happened in the 33rd minute when he charged onto a pass from Caleb Gould-Waiariki who then looped around to get the off-load and then through a great cut out pass of around twenty metres to put his left winger over in the corner.
Damon Coldwell made his first 2021 NRRRL Reserve Grade start in Round Ten over the weekend for the Ballina Seagulls against the Lower Clarence Magpies when he started at fullback and made the most of the starting opportunity by scoring twice in Ballina’s 60 – 0 victory.
Damon Coldwell’s initial try came in the 29th minute. Damon Coldwell after hovering behind the paly the ball, was in position on the inside of a break by the Seagulls dummy half to receive the pass and run twenty metres to score under the posts.
Damon Coldwell then added his second try in the 43rd minute after receiving the ball on the left side of the field after the Seagulls spun the ball to that side of the field. Once he received the ball twelve metres out, Damon Coldwell beat one defender to score ten metres in from the left corner.
Coombabah’s Izayah Petrichvich also started at left centre in Round Four of the Walters Cup on Tuesday afternoon against Ipswich State High School scoring one try and setting up another in Coombabah’s 14 all draw.
Izayah Petrichvich scored in the 32nd minute when he backed up his left winger to get the ball nineteen metres out and was able to surge away from the cover defence to get the ball down mid-way between the goal posts and corner post on the left side of the field.
Izayah Petrichvich’s try assist came in the 7th minute when he showed quick hands to get the ball away to his left down a short blindside and close to the try line to put his left winger over in the corner.
Over the weekend Titans contacted Kyhan Weir came off the bench for Ballina in Round Ten of the NRRRL Reserve Grade competition against the Lower Clarence Magpies and was one of the Seagulls try scorers in their 60 – 0 victory when in the 36th minute Kyhan Weir received the ball on the left side of the field as it was spun in that direction by Ballina. Kyhan Weir received the ball in space twelve metres out, dummying to his left before straightening up and crashing over in a tackle ten metres from the left corner post.
Titans contracted Caleb Gould-Waiariki on Tuesday night started at halfback for Coombabah SHS in Round Four of the Langer Cup against Ipswich State High School and the crafty young man recorded a try assist in the 33rd minute when Joseph Shannon charged onto a pass from Caleb Gould-Waiariki who then looped around to get the off-load and then through a great cut out pass of around twenty metres to put his left winger over in the corner.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki was at his scheming best once again in the 52nd minute when he put in a right foot grubber to the left corner which had to be taken dead by the Ipswich SHS defence to force a line drop out.
Titans contracted Zane Harrison also had an outstanding match on Tuesday afternoon from halfback for PBC in Round Four of the Walters Cup against Marsden State High School including scoring in the 36th minute with a winding effort. Zane Harrison received the ball eighteen metres from the line on the right side of the field, dummying in that direction before straightening up. Zane Harrison was tripped up as he broke through the line, but quickly bounced to his feet to dive over close to the right upright.
The 24th minute saw Zane Harrison’s kicking game come to the fore when from twenty metres out, he put up a high kick to the right corner with the ball coming down less than a metre from the line with the PBC defence then forcing the Marsden SHS winger back into the in-goal to force a line drop out. Then to highlight that Zane Harrison can execute all types of kicks, he converted PBC’s second try from the right touchline to seal the match.
After an injury interrupted start to the 2021 season, Titans contracted Brock Lennox will start at inside centre for the TSS U16B side this Saturday in Round One of the GPS school boy rugby competition against Brisbane Grammar School.
Titans contracted Larry Siala will start in the second row tomorrow night for Norths in Round Eleven of the Ipswich U17 Division One competition against Brothers.
Titans contracted Josiah Pahulu has played a lot of matches this season already for the Titans, Ipswich and Ipswich State High School and he plays another one tonight when he lines up in the second row for the Springfield Panthers in Round 11 of the Ipswich RL U17 Division One competition when they take on Goodna.
Kyogle youngster Damian Wilson, who was part of a Titans NRRRL U18 side that played a Titans JTS U17 squad at CBus Stadium continued in the second row in Round 11 of the NRRRL First Grade competition against Byron Bay this weekend.
With the entire Hastings Deering's Colts competition having a bye week, it is great to see a couple of Titans contracted Colts eligible players getting a further opportunity against men in the GCRL First Grade competition with Burleigh as the Bears take on Mudgeeraba.
Lofi Khan-Pereira will start on the wing and Tristian Powell in the front row.
Ashton Harley who started for the Titans Northern Rivers U18 side against the Titans U17 JTS squad at CBus a couple of weeks ago has played in multiple positions for the Kyogle Turkeys U18 NRRRL side this season is set to start in the second row in Round 11 on the weekend against Byron Bay.
This season Ashton Harley has also started at lock and hooker.
One young player who has had am impressive start to the 2021 season is Helensvale Hornet and Coombabah SHS student Jay Blazek.
In late October 2020, Jay Blazek was named in the 2021 Burleigh MM Cup squad and came off the bench in their first 2021 MM Cup trial against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.
Jay Blazek came into the Burleigh Bears 2021 MM Cup side in Round Four when he started at right centre against the Souths Logan Magpies and also started at right centre in Round Five against the Ipswich Jets.
Jay Blazek made his Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade debut off the bench for Helensvale in Round Seven against the Southport Tigers and also came off the bench in Round Nine against the Burleigh Bears as well as in Round Ten against the Currumbin Eagles.
In Round One of the 2021 Gold Coast Rugby League U18 Division One competition Jay Blazek started at lock as well as captaining the Helensvale side and scored the Hornets final try in their 20 – 14 win over the Ormeau Shearers.
Jay Blazek scored in the 43rd minute when he backed up a long break from his left centre to score in the left corner. Jay Blazek positioned himself well to score, initially he was backing up in the inside but when the centre cut inside, Jay Blazek moved from right to left to ensure that he had a clear run to the line.
Jay Blazek also started at lock in Round Two against Burleigh, scoring a double in the Hornets impressive victory.
Jay Blazek scored his first try in the 43rd minute from a Helensvale scrum win ten metres in front of the left upright. Jay Blazek picked the ball up from the back of the scrum immediately running to his right, beating the initial tackle before moving parallel to the defensive line. Jay Blazek dummied to his right before straightening up to cross fifteen metres from the right upright.
Jay Blazek added his second try in the 54th minute when he scooped up a Burleigh loose pass forty two metres from the try line and running away to put the ball down under the posts.
Jay Blazek was outstanding for Helensvale in Round Five starting at lock against the Mudgeeraba Redbacks contributing a try to the Hornets 50 – 10 victory with his try coming in the 14th minute. After Helensvale were awarded a penalty twenty metres from the line, Jay Blazek took the tap restart quickly with the Redbacks defensive line still retreating.
To get past the initial defenders, Jay Blazek stepped off his right foot and then almost immediately off his left but just before the line he was tripped off in a desperate tackle but has not held and got to his feet in an instant to get over the line adjacent to the left upright.
Jay Blazek’s exceptional match also included three try assist with the initial one coming in just the 2nd minute of the match when he threw a cut-out pass to his left to put Dredin Goldsmith into a big gap for the centre to easily score.
Jay Blazek recorded his second try assist in the 32nd minute when after taking a quick tap from a penalty from sixty five metres from the line, Jay Blazek darted fifteen metres downfield before drawing a defender and passing to his left to his fullback to run away to put the ball down under the posts untouched.
Jay Blazek’s third and final try assist of the match came in the 36th minute when after breaking through the line himself he drew the fullback, passing to his left to put halfback Koen Stambera after to score under the posts.
Jay Blazek has heavily involved in another Helensvale try in the 51st minute when after picking up a Mudgeeraba lost ball seventy metres from the line, ran to his right and was seemingly tackled but the referee deemed that he was not held and Jay Blazek was on his feet quickly to continue to run before cutting back towards centre field and off-loading to Zac Johnson to set up a try further downfield.
Jay Blazek continued t lock and captain in Round Six against the Nerang Roosters, recording a line break in the 10th minute when he just burst through the centre of the Nerang forward pack, making forty five metres. Jay Blazek showed his speed in the 6th minute of the match with a great chase and tackle from behind after the the Nerang fullback had made a long break down his left touchline.
After his two try performance in Round Two of the U18 Division One competition earlier in the day, Jay Blazek came off the bench for Helensvale in their Round Two GCRL U20 match against Burleigh.
Jay Blazek moved into the Helensvale U20 starting side at fullback in Round Four against Runaway Bay but moved back to the bench for Round Five against the Currumbin Eagles.
In Round One of the 2021 Gold Coast Rugby League pre-season competition, Jay Blazek started at five eight for the Helensvale U20 side that played round robin matches against Burleigh and Runaway Bay.
Jay Blazek moved to centre for Round Two of the pre-season competition and scored as the Hornets defeated the Shearers.
Jay Blazek started Round One of the 2021 Langer Cup School Boy competition at lock for Coombabah State High School against Langer Cup newcomers Mabel Park State High School scoring in the 41st minute when he backed up a break by front rower Quezan Eteru to race away to score untouched under the posts.
Jay Blazek also started at lock row in Coombabah SHS’s tough Round Two loss against Wavell State High School as well as in Round Three against PBC State High School.
Jay Blazek was also named at lock for Round Four against Ipswich State High School.
When the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade season commenced in mid-April with the pre-season competition, Brent Barnes was part of the first ever Helensvale Hornets side in play in the GCRL First Grade competition.
In Round One of the pre-season competition, Brent Barnes started at right centre for the Helensvale and whilst they had a touch loss to Tugun in their pre-season opener, there were some bright spots including Brent Barnes second half try. After Helensvale kicked off, Brent Barnes was the first player down field and looked set to make the tackle, but instead stole the ball one on one on the twenty metre mark and after holding off one Seahawks defender was able to score midway between the goal posts and corner post on the right side of the field. The try was one of the two that Brent Barnes scored in the match.
Brent Barnes also started at right centre in Round Two of the pre-season competition against Mudgeeraba and in Round Three against Runaway Bay.
With the Helensvale Hornets having a Round One bye, Brent Barnes started for the Hornets U20 side in their Round One match against the Ormeau Shearers.
Brent Barnes also started at right centre in Round Two against the Burleigh Bears, scoring in the 65th minute when he backed up a break from Hornets fullback Josh Evans who put in a short kick that Brent Barnes retrieved and ran twenty metres to score untouched.
Brent Barnes started once again at right centre in Round Four against Runaway Bay before moving to fullback in Round Six against the Tugun Seahawks.
Brent Barnes made his 2021 GCRL First Grade debut in round Five on the right wing against the Mudgeeraba Redbacks.
Brent Barnes moved to fullback in Round Six of the GCRL First Grade competition, relishing the extra space by scoring an outstanding solo try against the Tugun Seahawks.
Brent Barnes produced his individual effort in the 10th minute when he received the ball twenty five metres out and to the right of the dummy half. After receiving the ball, Brent Barnes immediately stepped off his right foot back towards the play the ball. A second right foot step left two defenders behind and then he stepped off his right foot, straitening his run to get between two defenders before veering to his left to easily round the Tugun fullback to dive over.
Brent Barnes continued at fullback in Round Seven against Southport, scoring a double in the Hornets ten point loss with his first try coming in the 52nd minute when he received an inside ball on the right side of the field bursting through the line. Brent Barnes was tripped up just short of the line but was able to role over to get the ball down.
Brent Barnes added his second try in the 55th minute when he chased through a short chip kick and even though four defenders were converging on the ball, Brent Barnes flashed thorough to take the ball on the bounce and then was able to run around to put the ball down under the posts.
Brent Barnes scored another double from the fullback position in Round Ten against the Burleigh Bears with his first try coming in the 26th minute when he backed up a break from his left second rower to score easily on the right side of the field.
Brent Barnes completed his double in the 69th minute from a set move that started from inside his own territory. From a Helensvale scrum win thirty metres out from his own line, Helensvale kicked long downfield, Brent Barnes easily won the race to the ball, retrieving it just metres from the line and subsequently getting the ball down under the posts.
Understandably Brent Barnes continued at fullback in Round Ten against the Currumbin Eagles.
In April 2021, Brent Barnes was named in the U20 Gold Coast Vikings First Grade South East Queensland Chairman’s Challenge initial squad. Brent Barnes captained the Gold Coast U20 Representative Side as was as starting both matches in the centres.
This weeks Ballina Seagulls NRRRL U18 side has a heck of a lot of players with links to the Titans for their Round Ten match against the Bilambil Jets.
Rowan Mansfield (fullback), Lachlan Offley (right wing), Kye Cooper (right centre), Damon Coldwell (left centre), Jesse Beauchamp (halfback), Kyhan Weir (front row) and Nicholas Troy (left second row) will all start for Ballina.
Powerhouse second row, centre or lock (and rugby outside centre) Isaac Togia who hails from the Ipswich region signed a multi-year contract with the Titans in early 2021 and let there be no doubt, the Titans have snared a seriously talented young player in Isaac Togia.
In 2021 Isaac Togia once again lined up for Goodna in the Ipswich Rugby League U15 Division One competition, operating primarily in the second row.
As he did in 2020 Isaac Togia had some big matches for Goodna Black including a two try effort in Round Two as Goodna defeated Norths Blue 62 – 0. Isaac Togia also scored a double in Round Seven against Brothes Blue.
Isaac Togia moved to the second row in Round Eight against Swifts and made a huge Friday night scoring five tries and converting Goodna’s final try of the match in their 78 – 6 victory.
Isaac Togia is set to start tonight from the bench in Round Eleven against Swifts.
The Nerang Roosters U18 Division One backline certainly is set to have a lot of strike power in it for tomorrow's Round Ten against Runaway Bay with Titans Jeremaiah Tamepo (right centre) and Arama Hau (five eight) joined by the Mapusau-Lotaki brothers, Taniela and Dorian at left centre and on the left wing respectively.
Whilst the focus tomorrow for me will be on the Titans players in the TSS First XV side, their opponents in Brisbane Grammar School have a number of players with connections to the Gold Coast including local rugby league players Titan Vaikai and Xavier Collins who are Grammar's starting front row pair.
The other plyer with Gold Coast links is outside centre and Brisbane Grammar School Rugby Captain Campbell Watchairs who earlier this season was a member of the Queensland MM Cup winning Tweed Heads Seagulls side.
Titans contracted Josiah Pahulu scored a double tonight for the Springfield Panthers in their 26-8 victory. He was easily the best player on the field.
With the Hastings Deering's Colts competition having a bye week, it is great to see Seagulls Colts player Carsil Vaikai named to start in the front row for the Runaway Bay Seagulls against the Tugun Seahawks tomorrow in Round Ten of the GCRL First Grade competition.
Titans contracted Jaylan De Groot will start on the wing tomorrow for Cudgen in the NRRRL First Grade competition against Lower Clarence.
Great to see 18 year old Rowan Mansfield named to continue on the right wing for the Ballina Seagulls NRRRL First Grade side in their Round Eleven match against the Bilambil Jets.
Titans linked Lochie McLaughlin will continue at right second row today for the Grafton Ghosts in their Round Ten Group One U15 local derby against the South Grafton Rebels.
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This morning's Group One U13 match this morning between Ballina and Kyogle is full of very talented youngsters not the least in the backrow with Ballina's Jett Flatley and Harrison Clements up against Kyogle's Malachy Laarhoven.
Last weekend in Round Nine against Casino RSM Malachy Laarhoven scored a double.
Clarence Coast Magpies Group One U14 centre Jasper Whalley's 2021 season continues to bubble along and in Round Eight a fortnight ago the young man scored a hat trick as the Magpies defeated Marist Brothers 49-14.
One of a number of talented players in the Group One U13 competition is giant young South Grafton Rebel Noah Reti and he underlined that potential a fortnight ago in Round Eight when he scored four tries against Kyogle.
This afternoon in Round Ten, Noah Reti will start in the second row for the Rebels as they take on the Clarence Coast Magpies.
With the TSS U15A side having a Round One bye today, they took the opportunity to play a trial last night against a South Coast U15 rep side with Titans contracted Nayte Saaga lining up at fly half for TSS.
Another Titans linked player in the TSS side was outside centre Cooper Nelson.
The Ballina U14 Group One side that runs out against Kyogle today certainly has some talented play makers in their side with Dylan Watkins set to start at fullback and Harrison Doherty at halfback.
Electric Clarence Coast Magpies Group One U14 playmaker Grant Brown was at it again in Round Eight when from five eight he scored three tries and kicked a conversion as the Magpies defeated Marist Brothers 49-14.
The Group One U15 Clarence Coast Magpies side that takes the field certainly has a Titans flavour to it with Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas starting at halfback, David Torrens at hooker and AJ Hickling in the front row.
Tomorrow morning in Round Ten of the GCRL U18 Division One competition, Titans contracted Jayden Wright will line up at right second row for the Currumbin Eagles as they take on the Helensvale Hornets.
The Runaway Bay Seagulls Round Ten GCRL U18 Division One front row pairing is certainly an imposing one with Titans contracted Joseph Shannon pairing with former NZ U16 representative K-CI Newton-Whare.
The two are also the front row pairing for the Coombabah SHS Langer Cup side.
Starting at inside centre today, Brock Lennox had a solid game as his TSS U16B side defeated Brisbane Grammar School 26-0.
Kaleb Ngamanu having a blinder for the TSS First XV being heavily involved in two of their three opening tries.
Syris Schmidt with two early conversions.
Kaleb Ngamanu, Syris Schmidt and Nicholas Hilton were all prominent for the TSS First XV tin their 71-5 win over Brisbane Grammar School this afternoon.
Great to see Darius Farmer come off the bench for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup sie yesterday afternoon.
Playing 32 minutes Darius Farmer ran for 81 metres (17 post contact) and made 13 tackles.
Even though he was just 16 years old Stevie O'Connor was played exceptionally well in the NRRRL U18 competition for the Tweed Coast Raiders and that is set to continue today in Round Eleven against a physical Casino RSM side.
Jordan Gallagher who was recently a member of a Titans Northern Rivers U18 side that played a Titans U17 JTS side at CBus Stadium will continue at halfback and captain for the South Grafton Rebels Group Two U18 side today in Round 13 against Coffs Harbour.
The Nerang GCRL U18 Division One bench against Runaway Bay certainly packs some leathality today with Titans contracted Arama Hau and Immanuel Kalekale set to cause havoc when they come on.
Titans contracted Jayden Wright scored in just the 6th minute of todays GCRL U18 Division One match for Currumbin against Helensvale when he regathered a chip kick and charged twenty five metres to score in the right corner.
Immanuel Kalekale was a late scratching and Arama Hau actually started the match at right centre.
The Nerang GCRL U18 Division One bench against Runaway Bay certainly packs some leathality today with Titans contracted Arama Hau and Immanuel Kalekale set to cause havoc when they come on.
jayden Wright scored a second try in the 55th minute with a 30 metre effort down the right channel.
Titans contracted Jayden Wright scored in just the 6th minute of todays GCRL U18 Division One match for Currumbin against Helensvale when he regathered a chip kick and charged twenty five metres to score in the right corner.
Lofi Khan-Pereira with a hat trick this afternoon for Burleigh in the GCRL First Grade competition.
Jordan Gallagher with a conversion and penalty goal this afternoon for South Grafton in their Group Two U18 two point win this afternoon against Coffs Harbour.
Faboulous effort by Titans contracted Zane Harrison for a stand out performance for the Tweed Heads Seagulls U16 Group 18 side with a Player of the Match performance in their 40-10 yesterday.
It should be noted that the talented half/five eight is still U15 eligible in 2021.
Yesterday Jake Kearton continued in the front row and captain for Burleigh in Round Ten of the GCRL U20 competition against Runaway Bay scoring a double, with his opening try coming in the 27th minute when he ran onto the ball to the left of the dummy half from twelve metres out. Jake Kearton produced a slight jink to his left and then carried four defenders over the line with him to score under the posts.
Jake Kearton completed his double with an outstanding solo effort in the 63rd minute. Jake Kearton received the ball fifty two metres out running to the left of the play the ball. As he approached the defensive line, Jake Kearton stepped off his left foot to get between two defenders and surged downfield. With only the Runaway Bay fullback to beat, Jake Kearton dummied to his left and then continued downfield to score near the left upright.
Over the weekend Juwan Compain come off the bench for the Tweed Heads Seagulls for his first Queensland Cup match of the 2021 season and career third match against the Sunshine Coast Falcons. Playing twenty eight minutes, Juwan Compain ran for forty five metres (seventeen post contact), played the ball at an average speed of 3.31 seconds and made eight tackles at a tackling efficiency of 88.89%.
In Round Twelve of the 2021 Queensland Cup competition, Juwan Compain was named to start from the interchange bench for the Tweed Heads Seagulls against the Souths Logan Magpies, but he was a late scratching.
In 2021 Juwan Compain is part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls Hastings Deering’s Colts squad and started in the left second row position in their final 2021 trial against the Burleigh Bears. Juwan Compain made some strong runs over the course of the match with one of his best being a strong effort down the left where he made ten metres, many of which were post contact in the 33rd minute.
Round One of the 2021 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition saw Juwan Compain start at left second row for the Tweed Heads Seagulls when they took on the Souths Logan Magpies.
Juwan Compain was in the match early taking just the third hit-up of the match after Souths Logan kicked off. In the 5th Juwan Compain showed his class with an impressive cut out pass to his left near the halfway mark after he took the ball to the line to send left winger Brenton Daley-Holten away down the touchline.
Juwan Compain continued his strong early match involvement in the 11th minute with a hit-up, getting the ball to near the halfway mark before a good right arm offload, his second of the match.
Juwan Compain also started at left second row in Round Two in the local derby against the Burleigh Bears and had a big game including a strong effort in the 7th minute that accounted for ten hard metres, seven of which were post contact to get the ball to thirty five metres out.
In the 13th minute, Juwan Compain continued his strong start to the match when he made a twelve metre surge on the left to get the ball to within one metre of the try line. Juwan Compain produced another strong run in the 34th minute when even though he was held by three defenders, after making eight metres, was able to get a right arm off-load away to his right to Jed Edwards who burst through the Burleigh line to make twenty five metres.
Juwan Compain strong match continued into the second half when in the 49th minute he was able to make twelve metres down the left channel, utilising a strong fend to beat two would be tacklers.
Juwan Compain also started at left second row in Round Three against the Redcliffe Dolphins being named the Seagulls best in the match, running for 141 metres (seventy eight psot contact) and made twenty seven tackles whilst playing the entire match.
Juwan Campain also started at left second row in Round Four against the Ipswich Jets as well as in Round Five against the Northern Pride.
Juwan Compain continued his run of starts at left second row in Round Six against the Easts Tigers, match that saw him lead the the Tweed Heads Seagulls in running metres. Juwan Compain once again started at left second rwo in Round Seven against the Norths Devils and was one of the Seagulls try scorers as they racked up fifty points in their big victory.
Juwan Compain continued at left second row in Round Eight against the Mackay Cutters and also in Round Nine against Wynnum Manly. Juwan Compain then moved to lock for the Round Eleven local derby against the Burleigh Bears.
Round Ten of the GCRL U18 Division One competition yesterday for Runaway Bay against the Nerang Roosters saw K-CI Newton-Whare continue in the front row with K-CI Newton-Whare scoring double in the Seagulls tough loss.
K-CI Newton-Whare scored his first try in the 14th minute when Runaway Bay spun the ball to the right before K-CI Newton-Whare received the ball ten metres out from an inside pass from his halfback with K-CI Newton-Whare barging his way over from ten metres out to score adjacent to the right upright.
K-CI Newton-Whare added his second try in the 69th minute of the match when from eight metres out K-Ci Newton-Whare ran off a good short ball from Joseph Shannon. After engaging the initial Roosters defender, K-CI Newton-Whare spun clockwise to gain separate and then he carried another Roosters defender over the line with him to once again score adjacent to the right upright.
Round One of the 2021 GPS school boy rugby First XV competition on Saturday afternoon saw Titans contracted Syris Schmidt line up at fly half (No. 10) for TSS as they took on Brisbane Grammar School at home with Syris Schmidt kicking six conversions including a number from both the left and right touchlines. Another conversion from the left touchline in the 2nd minute hit the goal post.
Syris Schmidt kicking also resulted in a try assist in the 52nd minute when he put in a deft left foot to his right which was subsequently taken on the full by the TSS right winger who raced away to score.
Syris Schmidt’s general play kicking was also on display in the 26th minute with a long raking left foot kick. Syris Schmidt connected with the ball ten metres out from his own try line with the Brisbane Grammar School fullback not being able to field the ball until it had gotten to within twenty metres of the goal line.
Syris Schmidt was also outstanding in general play in TSS’s 71 – 5 victory with his initial contribution coming inside the opening minute of the match, when he combined from a TSS scrum win with Kaleb Ngamanu to put fullback Jye Gray into space down the left side of the field who then was able to put his winger over in the corner.
Then in the 30th minute Syris Schmidt combined in for all intents and purposes exactly the same way for another TSS try with the only difference being that the move was executed on the right side of the field as opposed to the opening minute when the moved was executed on the left.
Titanic
19-07-21, 12:56 PM
71-5 great kicking practice … Grammar must be concentrating on education lol
Titans contracted Nerang Rooster Jeremaiah Temapo once again started at left centre yesterday in Round Ten of the GCRL U18 Division One competition against the Runaway Bay Seagulls and he had a big game, including scoring a double in the Roosters impressive victory.
Jeremaiah Temapo scored his first try in just the 7th minute when he burst onto the ball ten metres out, breaking one tackle to get the ball down seven metres in from the left corner post.
Jeremaiah Temapo’s second try came in the 44th minute and it was certainly a spectacular effort. Nerang had a scrum feed deep on their own territory. Once the scrum was won, the Roosters spun the ball to their left with Jeremaiah Temapo receiving the ball less than ten metres from his own line, Jeremaiah Temapo ran over his direct opponent and from there outpaced the cover defence to dive over five metres in from the left corner post.
Round One of the 2021 GPS school boy rugby First XV competition on Saturday afternoon saw Titans contracted Nicholas Hilton line up at No. 8 for TSS as they took on Brisbane Grammar School at home with Nicholas Hilton producing a couple of moments of class in TSS’s 71 – 5 victory.
Nicholas Hilton contributed a try assist in the 48th minute when after receiving an off-load from Jye Gray Nicholas Hilton charged downfield before drawing the Brisbane Grammar School fullback and passing to his right to his unmarked right winger to score untouched.
The in the 48th minute Nicholas Hilton broke the Brisbane Grammar School line when running on the left side of the field after receiving the ball ten metres from his own line with Nicholas Hilton eventually being brought down after a thirty five metre run.
Yesterday in Round Ten of the GCRL U18 Division One competition for Nerang against the Runaway Bay Seagulls saw Titans contracted Arama Hau start at right centre and score one of the individual tries of the year to date in the 50th minute.
Arama Hau originally received the ball forty five metres from the line to the right of the play the ball and initially shaped to pass to his right before cutting back to his left. Subsequent left and right foot steps saw Arama Hau beat two defenders and then he produced a great right arm flick offload to his trailing fullback.
Arama Hau then kept alive to get the ball back from the fullback ten metres out. Aram Hau then proceeded to beat four defenders to crash over adjacent to the left upright to score a try few others would have even come close to scoring.
Round One of the 2021 GPS school boy rugby First XV competition on Saturday afternoon saw Titans contracted Kaleb Ngamanu line up at inside centre (No. 12) for TSS as they took on Brisbane Grammar School at home with Kaleb Ngamanu contributing two try assists.
Kaleb Ngamanu’s first try assist came in the 10th minute when after he made a long fifty five metre break down the left touchline, Kaleb Ngamanu drew the Brisbane Grammar School fullback and passed to his right to Jye Gray who raced away to score under posts.
Kaleb Ngamanu’s second try assist came in the 58th minute when from twenty seven metres out he put in a chip kick to his left which was perfectly weighted for his left winger to take the ball on the full whilst running at full speed to score comfortably.
Kaleb Ngamanu was also outstanding in others aspects general play in TSS’s 71 – 5 victory with his initial contribution coming inside the opening minute of the match, when he combined from a TSS scrum win with Syris Schmidt to put fullback Jye Gray into space down the left side of the field who then was able to put his winger over in the corner.
Then in the 30th minute Kaleb Ngamanu combined in for all intents and purposes exactly the same way for another TSS try with the only difference being that the move was executed on the right side of the field as opposed to the opening minute when the moved was executed on the left.
Hail Sezer
19-07-21, 03:39 PM
Round One of the 2021 GPS school boy rugby First XV competition on Saturday afternoon saw Titans contracted Kaleb Ngamanu line up at inside centre (No. 12) for TSS as they took on Brisbane Grammar School at home with Kaleb Ngamanu contributing two try assists.
Kaleb Ngamanu’s first try assist came in the 10th minute when after he made a long fifty five metre break down the left touchline, Kaleb Ngamanu drew the Brisbane Grammar School fullback and passed to his right to Jye Gray who raced away to score under posts.
Kaleb Ngamanu’s second try assist came in the 58th minute when from twenty seven metres out he put in a chip kick to his left which was perfectly weighted for his left winger to take the ball on the full whilst running at full speed to score comfortably.
Kaleb Ngamanu was also outstanding in others aspects general play in TSS’s 71 – 5 victory with his initial contribution coming inside the opening minute of the match, when he combined from a TSS scrum win with Syris Schmidt to put fullback Jye Gray into space down the left side of the field who then was able to put his winger over in the corner.
Then in the 30th minute Kaleb Ngamanu combined in for all intents and purposes exactly the same way for another TSS try with the only difference being that the move was executed on the right side of the field as opposed to the opening minute when the moved was executed on the left.
Love how this bloke plays. High effort, tough kid.
The day that all school boy rugby league players on the Gold Coast have had marked in their calendar for months arrives on Wednesday with PBC and Keebra Park playing each other in Round Five of the Langer Cup.
Both teams had last start victories with the match shaping as yet another classic between the two schools. The fact that this is the first time that the schools play each other since both signed formal partnership agreements makes the match even sweeter for Titans fans.
I am aiming to provide a run down of every Titans players performance for both sides later in the week.
On Sunday Cole Geyer continued at hooker for Currumbin in Round Ten of the GCRL First Grade competition against the Helensvale Hornets, scoring an impressive hat trick in the Hornets big win.
Cole Geyer’s opening try came in the 19th minute when he raced out of dummy half to his left from one metre out from the initially running into three defenders but Cole Geyer continued to fight in the tackle and eventually got over the top of the defenders to get the ball down three metres from the left goal post.
Cole Geyer added a second try in the 37th minute when after packing in at lock thirty metres from the line with Currumbin having the scrum feed, Cole Geyer picked the ball up from the back of the scrum and ran to his left next to the scrum and literally just ran through a giant gap to get the down under the posts untouched.
Cole Geyer completed his hat trick in the 53rd minute when once again he ran from dummy half to score. On this occasion, Cole Geyer ran to his left from ten metres out before cutting back towards the soft spot behind the play the ball to dive over five metres from the left goal post.
Currumbin’s Luc Lyndon then made his starting debut at lock in Round Ten of the GCRL First Grade competition yesterday against the Helensvale Hornets and celebrated starting when he scored in the 27th minute from a dummy half run. Luc Lyndon got into dummy half ten metres out from the line mid-way between the corner post and goal posts on the left side of the field. Immediately upon picking up the ball, Luc Lyndon darted out of dummy half to his right, almost immediately pushing off one defender before getting down low to burrow over midway between the corner post and goal posts on the left side of the field.
The young former TSS First XV GPS School Boy rugby player started from the bench for the Currumbin Eagles in Round One of the 2021 GCRL Doug Lipp Cup competition with the Eagles recording a strong 54 -0 first up win against the Ormeau Shearers.
In Round One of the GCRL U20 competition, Luc Lyndon started at lock for the Currumbin Eagles as they took on the Burleigh Bears with Luc Lyndon one of the Eagles try scorers in their 34 – 20 victory.
Luc Lyndon also started at lock in Round Two against Runaway Bay and in Round Three against the Helensvale Hornets and continued at lock in Round Four against the Burleigh Bears.
Luc Lyndon was also at lock for Round Five against the Helensvale Hornets and was one of the Eagles try scorers in their 20 – 10 victory. Luc Lyndon added a further start at lock in Round Six against Runaway Bay.
Luc Lyndon made his Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade debut in Round Seven of the 2021 season off the bench against the Burleigh Bears and also came off the bench in Round Nine against the Tugun Seahawks.
In April 2021, Luc Lyndon was named in the U20 Gold Coast Vikings First Grade South East Queensland Chairman’s Challenge initial squad starting both of the Gold Coast Representative sides matches at lock and scoring in Round Two in a 44 – 6 win over Ipswich.
On Sunday Jayden Sharp made his starting Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade starting debut in the front row in Round Nine for Burleigh against the Helensvale Hornets before dropping back to the bench for Round Eleven against the Mudgeeraba Redbacks, match that saw Jayden Sharp score his first GCRL First Grade try in the 26th minute when he took a hit-up to the right of the dummy half and ten metres from the line directly in front of the goal posts.
After receiving the ball Jayden Sharp produced a slight jink off his left foot to wrong foot two defenders. When he was just a few metres from the line, Jayden Sharp got hit in a heavy tackle but was able to maintain his balance long enough to reach out and put the ball down with his right arm next to the right upright
Jayden Sharp made his first 2021 appearance when he came off the bench for the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts side in their twenty all draw against the Easts Tigers at Langland’s Park with Jayden Sharp scoring late in the first half when he charged onto a pass from Cole Geyer to the left of the play the ball from three metres out, spinning counter clockwise to force his way over adjacent to the left upright.
Jayden Sharp had made a strong fifteen metre surge earlier in the first half, with the majority of the metres made post contact.
Jayden Sharp was also impressive defensively in his first stint on the field in the trial including a big tackle (the first that he made after coming on) in the 24th minute of the first half. Jayden Sharp produced another strong hit, this time in the second half when from a Burleigh kick-off Jayden Sharp’s initial contact forced the ball loose from the Easts Tigers forwards grasp as he was returning the kick-off.
The following week in the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts trial against the Tweed Heads Seagulls, Jayden Sharp moved into the starting side at lock and contributing to the Bears victory including a strong run in the 56th minute where he made fifteen metres with the highlight of the line being when he knocked the Tweed Heads hooker backwards.
Round One of the 2021 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition saw Jayden Sharp start at lock and captain the Burleigh Bears when they took on the Easts Tigers with Jayden Sharp taking the 3rd hit-up of the match.
Jayden Sharp made another strong hit-up in the 7th minute when he made eleven hard metres to get the ball into the Bears twenty attacking zone after Easts had lost the ball in a tackle. In the 14th minute, Jayden Sharp made a further fourteen metres to get Burleigh over the halfway after receiving the ball to the left of the dummy half.
Jayden Sharp continued to work hard in the 16th minute when he made twelve more metres getting the ball to the thirty metre mark on the second hit-up after Lofi Khan-Pereira’s 14th minute try.
Jayden Sharp did a lot of defence in the match including a strong front on driving tackle in the 77th minute on one of the Easts Tigers second rowers that sat him on his back.
To cap off a very solid captain’s performance when the 67th minute he raced through to get hold of an errant Tigers pass forty metres out from their line. Instead of just submitting to a tackle, Jayden Sharp whilst under pressure from two defenders, offloaded to his left by way of a left arm flick pass to Cameron Brown who after some expert stepping by both him and Lofi Khan-Pereira scored a spectacular try in the left corner.
Jayden Sharp also started at lock in the Round Two local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls getting involved in the first tackle of the match on Tweed Heads front rower Ben Liyou alongside team mates, Tristian Powell and Blake Campbell.
Jayden Sharp first major impact running the ball came in the 14th minute when the Burleigh captain was able to make fifteen metres downfield after receiving the ball on his own twenty before offloading to his right to Daniel Shannon.
Jayden Sharp also started at lock in Round Three against the Western Mustangs but started Round Four in the front row against the Norths Devils.
Jayden Sharp also started in the front row in Round Five against the Ipswich Jets and after two weeks with the Burleigh GCRL First Grade side Jayden Sharp came off the bench in Round Eight against the Redcliffe Dolphins in the Bears tough two point last minute loss.
After playing a number of matches for the Burleigh GCRL First Grade side, Jayden Sharp was back at lock in Round Nine against the Mackay Cutters.
Jayden Sharp deservedly stepped up to the Burleigh Bears Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade side for their Round Four match, with Jayden Sharp starting from the bench as the Bears routed Southport 88 – 0. Jayden Sharp also started from the bench in Round Five against Runaway Bay.
Round Eleven of the GCRL First Grade competition on Sunday against the Mudgeeraba Redbacks saw Taine Tuaupiki continue at fullback for Burleigh with Taine Tuaupiki scoring one try and setting up another.
Taine Tuaupiki scored in the 49th minute when after receiving the ball two passes off the dummy half on the left side of the field twenty metres out, Taine Tuaupiki ran at the line before cutting back towards centre field. With the Mudgeeraba defensive stationary, Taine Tauapiki ran back to his right parallel to the line. Near centre field, Taine Tuaupiki dummied to his right before stepping off his right foot and as a consequence sliced through the defensive line ten metres out and ran around to put the ball down under the posts.
Taine Tuaupiki’s try assist came in the 69th minute when after receiving the ball, Taine Tauapiki threw a long cut out pass to right winger Lofi Khan-Pereira who raced over to score in the right corner.
The enigmatic Brent Barnes continued at fullback for Helensvale in Round Ten of the GCRL First Grade competition against the Currumbin Eagles yesterday and like the majority of opponents in 2021, the Eagles were unable to stop him with Brent Barnes scoring a double in the match.
Brent Barnes scored the first of his two tries in the 12th minute when he received the ball on the left side of the field as the Hornets spun the ball across field from near the right touchline. When he received the ball Brent Barnes was thirty metres from the line and immediately bumped off one defender before cutting towards the left touchline. With the defence back peddling, Brent Barnes dummied to his left and then sliced through two defenders before confronting the fullback. A right foot step later say the fullback walloping in Brent Barnes as he raced away to score in the left corner.
Brent Barnes then completed his double in the 15th minute when he backed up a team mates break down the left touchline and was available on the inside to receive the offload and run away to score near the left goal post.
Giant youngster Noah Reti from the South Grafton Rebels in the Group One U13 competition has had a huge 2021 season to date with the Rebels and is proving to be near impossible for opposing defences to stop on any sort of regular basis.
Starting all of his matches in the second row for the Rebels to date, Naoh Reti scored hat tricks in Round Two against the Clarence Coast Magpies, Round Four against Ballina, Round Six against Marist Brothers.
Noah Reti also scored doubles in Round Three against Clarence Coast and also scored in Round One (Kyogle), Round Five (Ballina), Round Six (Ballina).
Noah Reti continued in the second row in Round Eight against Kyogle and added four tries to his 2021 tally. Round Nine against Clarence Coast saw Noah Reti once again start in the second row and for the second week in a row score four tries.
Noah Reti also played for the South Grafton Rebels in 2020 in the Group One U12 competition, starting almost exclusively in the front row for the Rebels and finished the 2020 Group One U12 season, scoring eleven tries and kicking two conversions from nine matches, with his conversions coming in Round Six against Kyogle and Round Seven against Grafton.
Noah Reti scored a hat trick against Grafton in Round Seven and scored doubles in Rounds Four and Ten, on both occasions against Casino RSM. Noah Reti also scored against Ballina (Round Two), Kyogle (Round Three), Grafton (Round Five) and Clarence Coast in Round Six.
Rowan Mansfield continued at fullback on Sunday for Ballina in Round Eleven of the NRRRL U18 competition against the Bilambil Jets with Rowan Mansfield scoring one try and setting up another in the Seagulls strong 30 – 0 win.
Rowan Mansfield scored in the 26th minute of the match he chimed into the backline on the left side of the field around twenty metres out. Upon receiving the ball, Rowan Mansfield straightened up the attack before drawing two defenders and then skipping to their outside. By that time Rowan Mansfield had the remaining Jets right side defenders back peddling and then from there he dummied to his left and sliced through the line to get the ball down in the left corner.
Rowan Mansfield contributed a try assist to Ballina’s 30 – 0 when after chiming into the backline, once again on the left side of the field, Rowan Mansfield committed two defenders before throwing a long cut-out pass to his left to put his winger over in the left corner.
Rowan Mansfield then came off the bench in the Reserve Grade match and scored his second try of the day when in the 29th minute when he was on the end of a long range Ballina movement to receive a pass from his inside while he was positioned on the left touchline to score in the corner.
The 2021 season to date for Malachy Laarhaven:
The talented young Kyogle Turkeys junior and Kyogle High School student started at lock in Round One of the 2021 Group One U13 competition for Kyogle against the South Grafton Rebels and scored for the Turkeys as they defeated the Rebels 36 – 4.
Malachy Laarhaven also started at lock in Round Two against the Kyogle Turkeys and Round Three against the Ballina Seagulls when he scored a double as the Turkeys defeated Ballina 28 – 10.
Malachy Laarhaven also started at lock and was one of Kyogle’s try scorers in their two point Round Four loss to Casino RSM and after starting at lock in Round Six against South Grafton, Malachy Laarhaven added a double to his already impressive 2021 try scoring tally.
Round Eight against South Grafton saw Malachy Laarhaven continue to lock and he also started at lock in Round Nine against Casino RSM, a match that saw Malachy Laarhaven score a double.
Malachy Laarhaven made his Group One U14 debut off the bench in Round Three against Ballina.
In 2021 Malachy Laarhaven represented Kyogle High School at the Northern Zone U15 Touch Zone trials and even though he was two years younger than the majority of other participants, Malachy Laarhaven was one of the better players.
The 2021 season to date for Noah Waldock:
In late March 2021 Noah Waldock was part of Diocesan of Lismore U15 Squad that attended the Northern Country Catholic Colleges Rugby League Selection Trial that were held at Smithtown with Noah Waldock playing at fullback in the trials.
In Round One of the 2021 Group One U15 competition Noah Waldock started at fullback and was Ballina’s captain as the Seagulls took on the Clarence Coast Magpies.
Noah Waldock also started at fullback in Round Two against Marist Brothers, scoring a double in the Seagulls 38 – 0 victory and also started at fullback in Round Five against Casino RSM.
Noah Waldock continued at fullback in Round Six against the Clarence Coast Magpies, scoring a double in Ballina’s 34 – 0 victory and scored once again in Round Seven against the Grafton Ghosts after also starting the match at fullback. Noah Waldock also started at fullback in Round Eight against the Grafton Ghosts.
The 2021 season to date for Jed Mulcahy:
It is hard not to cheer for try scoring and goal kicking front rowers and that is exactly what this young man from the Kyogle Turkeys junior rugby league club is.
In Round Two of the 2021 Group One U14 competition Jed Mulcahy started in the front row for Kyogle as the Turkeys took on Casino RSM with Jed Mulcahy scoring twice and converted two tries as the Turkeys defeated South Grafton 48 – 0.
Jed Mulcahy also started in the front row in Round Three against the Ballina Seagulls and was one of the Turkeys try scorers in their 32 – 18 loss. Jed Mulcahy added a further try in Round Five against Lismore Marist Brothers after starting the match once again in the front row.
Jed Mulcahy started once again in the front row in Round Six against South Grafton and scored a double as the Turkey’s prevailed 34 – 20 and also started in the front row in Round Eight against the Grafton Ghosts.
Also starting in the front row in Round Nine against Casino RSM, Jed Mulcahy had a huge match scoring four tries and kicking a conversion for an eighteen point individual haul as the Turkey’s defeated Casino RSM 34 – 12.
Jed Mulcahy’s athletic prowess is not just confined to the rugby league with the young man winning the Kyogle High School U14 Cross Country race.
The 2021 season to date for Wayne-Chase Whitney:
After spending his earlier junior rugby league career with the Grafton Ghosts, Wayne-Chase Whitney has moved across the bridge to play the 2021 Group One U13 season with the South Grafton Rebels.
Wayne-Chase Whitney started Round One of the 2021 Group One U13 competition at fullback for the Rebels as they took on the Kyogle Turkeys.
Wayne-Chase Whitney also started at fullback in Round Two against the Clarence Coast Magpies scoring a try in the Rebels 32 – 8 victory.
Wayne-Chase Whitney also started at fullback in Round Three against the Clarence Coast Magpies with the young man scoring a double in the Rebels victory. Wayne-Chase Whitney scored once again from the fullback position in Round Six against the Kyogle Turkeys.
Wayne-Chase Whitney continued at fullback and once again scored in Round Seven against Marist Brothers and also scored from fullback in Round Eight against the Kyogle Turkeys and in Round Nine against the Clarence Coast Magpies.
Wayne-Chase Whitney, after playing in the earlier U13 match, was on the bench for the South Grafton U14 side in Round One against Kyogle and it was the same in Round Two against the Clarence Coast Magpies and in Round Three against his former club in the Grafton Ghosts. Wayne-Chase Whitney was also on the bench in Round Six against the Kyogle Turkeys and in Round Eight against Kyogle.
The 2021 season to date for Jasper Whalley:
Round One of the 2021 Group One U14 competition saw Jasper Whalley start in the centre for the Clarence Coast Magpies against the Ballina Seagulls and he was one of the Magpies scorers as they defeated Ballina 34 – 8.
Jasper Whalley also started in the centres in Round Two against the South Grafton Rebels and was one of the Magpies try scorers in their 26 – 6 victory. Starting in the centres once again in Round Four against Kyogle, Jasper Whalley added a hat trick to his already impressive 2021 season.
Jasper Whalley added a further try in Round Seven after stating in the centres once again against Casino RSM. Round Eight against Marist Brothers saw Jasper Whalley score a hat trick in a big Magpies victory.
Jasper Whalley continued in the centres in Round Nine against South Grafton and was one of the Magpies try scorers in their 44 – 6 victory.
The 2021 season to date for Harrison Doherty:
The former Byron Bay/Lennox Head junior had a big 2020, first being part of the Group 18 U13 Grand Final winning side as Byron Bay/Lennox Head defeated the Tugun Seahawks 28 – 24 and then late in the 2020 year to cap off an impressive year Harrison Doherty commenced training with the Titans 2021 U14 Elite Junior Academy JTS Squad under the watchful eye of former Titans NRL player Kane Elgey.
For the 2021 season, Harrison Doherty moved to the Ballina Seagulls in the Group One competition, starting Round One of the U14 competition against the Clarence Coast Magpies at five eight and was one of the Seagulls try scorers.
Harrison Doherty also started at five eight in Round Two against Marist Brothers, scoring once again and also kicking two conversions as the Seagulls defeated the Rams 18 – 8.
Harrison Doherty added a further try and two conversions in Round Three against Kyogle after starting the match at five eight once again. Harrison Doherty also started at five eight in Round Four against South Grafton.
Round Five against Casino RSM saw Harrison Doherty once again at five eight in Ballina’s 40 – 0 victory with the young playmaker contributing two tries in the Seagulls win and in Round Six after starting the match at five eight, Harrison Doherty scored a double as Ballina defeated Clarence Coast 36 – 16.
Once again from the halfback position Harrison Doherty scored one try and kicked four gaols in Round Eleven against Marist Brothers.
The 2021 season to date for David Torrens:
In November 2020 David Torrens started once again training with the Titans development squad from the Group One region under the direction of former Titans NRL player Kane Elgey.
David Torrens started Round One of the 2021 Group One U15 competition in the second row as the Clarence Coast Magpies took on the Ballina Seagulls.
David Torrens also started in the second row in Round Two against the South Grafton Rebels and was one of the Magpies try scorers in their 24 – 12 victory. David Torrens also kicked a conversion in the match.
Round Three against the Ballina Seagulls also saw David Torrens start in the second row and one of the Magpies try scorers as they went down 10 – 8 in a close contest. David Torrens moved to five eight for Round Four against Lismore Marist Brothers and maintained his place there in Round Five against the Grafton Ghosts.
David Torrens continued at five eight in Round Six against the Ballina Seagulls before moving to hooker in Round Eight against Marist Brothers, a match that saw score for the Magpies.
David Torrens started at hooker once again in Round Nine against South Grafton and scored two tries and kicked one conversions in the Magpies 32 – 12 victory.
The 2021 season to date for Lockie McLaughlin:
In November 2020 Lockie McLaughlin started once again training with the Titans development squad from the Group One region of northern New South Wales under the direction of former Titans NRL player Kane Elgey.
In Round One of the 2021 U16 Group One U15 Competition, Lockie McLaughlin started at lock for the Grafton Ghosts as they took on the Marist Brothers Rams and was one of the Ghosts scored as they disposed of the Rams 38 – 12.
Lockie McLaughlin also started at lock in Round Two against Casino RSM and well as in Round Three in the local derby against the South Grafton Rebels when he was one of the Ghosts try scorers in their 16 – 0 victory.
Lockie McLaughlin, from lock then scored a double in Round Four against the Casino RSM before moving to the front row for Round Five against the Clarence Coast Magpies.
Lockie McLaughlin moved back to the second row in Round Six against Marist Brothers Lismore relishing the extra space in the Ghosts 44 – 6 victory with Lockie McLaughlin scoring a hat trick.
Lockie McLaughin continued in the second row in Round Seven against Ballina and was one of the Ghosts try scorers in their 16 – 4 victory and also started in the second row in Round Eight against the Ballian Seagulls.
Lockie McLaughlin continued in the second row in Round Nine against Casino RSM and was one of the Ghosts try scorers in their 36 – 6 victory.
Lockie McLaughlin made his first appearance in 2021 in the Group One U16 competition in Round Six coming off the bench against Marist Brothers Lismore after scoring a hat trick against the same opponent in the U15 match earlier in the day. Lockie McLaughlin also came off the bench in Round Eight against the Kyogle Turkeys.
The 2021 season to date for Jett Flatley:
Round One of the 2021 Group One U13 competition saw Jett Flatley start in the second row for Ballina against in the Clarence Coast Magpies, scoring a hat trick in the Seagulls 58 – 0 win. Jett Flatley also captained the Ballina Seagulls side.
Round Two against the Marist Brothers Rams Lismore saw Jett Flatley start once again in the second row and he was one of the Seagulls try scorers in their 66 – 0 victory.
Jett Flatley also started in the second row in Round Three against the Kyogle Turkeys with the impressive youngster scoring a double as the Seagulls went down 28 – 10. In Round Four against South Grafton, Jett Flatley scored a hat trick after starting the match in the second row.
Jett Flatley continued in the second row in Round Five in the local derby against the South Grafton Rebels, kicking a conversion in the Ghosts 28 – 16 victory. From the second row position in Round Six against the Clarence Coast magpies, Jett Flatley scored two more tries and also kicked a conversion in Ballina’s 52 – 0 victory.
Jett Flatley dropped back to start from the bench in Round Nine against Marist Brothers, kicking a conversion in his time on the field.
The 2021 season to date for Grant Brown:
Round One of the 2021 Group One U14 competition saw Grant Brown start at five eight for the Clarence Coast Magpies against the Ballina Seagulls and scored a double as Clarence Coast got their season off to a winning start on the back of a 34 – 8 victory. Grant Brown also started at five eight in Round Two against the South Grafton Rebels.
Grant Brown continued at five eight in Round Five against the Grafton Ghosts and had a day out, scoring four tries and kicking a conversion to finish the match with an individual points haul of eighteen.
Grant Brown continued at five eight in Round Six against Ballina and scored a try and kicked a conversion in the Magpies 36 – 16 loss. Round Seven against Casino RSM saw Grant Brown, from five eight, score two tries and kcik three goals in a 38 – 12 victory.
Grant Brown continued his 2021 rich vein of form in Round Eight against Marist Brothers, scoring three tries and kicking a conversion after starting the match at five eight.
Grant Brown once again started at five eight in Round Nine against South Grafton and contributed two tries and two goals in the Magpies 44 – 6 victory.
After scoring a double in Round One of the U14 match against Ballina, Grant Brown came off the bench in Round One of the U15 competition and kicked two conversions as the Magpies held on to beat Ballina 12 – 10. Grant Brown also came off the bench for the U15 Magpies side in Round Five against Grafton, after scoring four tries in the U14 match earlier in the day an was also on the bench in Round Eight against Marist Brothers.
The 2021 season to date for Dylan Watkins:
In Round One of the 2021 Group One U14 competition Dylan Watkins started at fullback for the Ballina Seagulls against the Clarence Coast Magpies.
Dylan Watkins also started at fullback in Round Two against Marist Brothers Lismore and kicked a conversion as the Seagulls prevailed 18 – 8.
Dylan Watkins added a further two tries and a conversion in Round Three against Kyogle after starting the match at fullback once again. Dylan Watkins then scored a hat trick in Round Four against South Grafton after once again starting the match at fullback, even though he wore the No. 6 jersey.
Dylan Watkins was electric once again in Round Five against Casino RSM, scoring a hat trick for the second match in a row from the fullback position.
Dylan Watkins was at his dynamic best in Round Six from the fullback position against the Clarence Coast Magpies, scoring a staggering five tries in the Seagulls 36 – 16 victory.
Dylan Watkins also started at fullback against the Grafton Ghosts in Round Seven and once against scored for the Seagulls.
Starting at fullback once again in Round Eleven against Marist Brothers Dylan Watkins scored another double.
In May 2021, Dylan Watkins was part of the Ballina Coast High School’s U14 Buckley Shield school boy rugby league side that won the Grand Final 46 – 0 against Tweed River High School after Dylan Watkins started the match at five eight.
In the two earlier matches of the Buckley Shield Ballina Coast High School defeated Kingscliffe High School 48 – 0 and Tweed River High School 36 – 6.
In March 2021 Dylan Watkins was part of the Ballina Coast High School’s U15 touch side that went through the 2021 U15 Far North Coast Touch Trials that were held at Tweed Heads and as a consequence of his performances at the trials Dylan Watkins was selected in the Far North Coast U15 Touch representative side even though he is still U14 eligible in 2021.
Great to see Titans contracted Larry Siala is set to be part of the St Edmunds College Rugby League First XIII that is taking part in the AIC First XIII school boy rugby league competition in Term Three of the school year.
Even though he is only 16 years old, he is certainly one of the players to watch across the competition.
With the Burleigh Colts side having a bye week on the weekend, Titans development contract holder Lofi Khan-Pereira lined up in the right wing in Round Eleven of the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade side for Burleigh against the Mudgeeraba Redbacks and scored an impressive hat trick in Burleigh’s victory.
Lofi Khan-Pereira scored his first try of the match in the opening minute of the match when he backed up a Burleigh break through centre field to receive the ball sixteen metres out and he raced away to score near the right corner untouched.
Lofi Khan-Pereira added a second try in the 55th minute when he dived over from close range, being about two metres down a very short right blindside from a pass from the Burleigh dummy half.
Lofi Khan-Pereira completed his hat trick in the 69th minute he received a long cut out pass from his left from Taine Tuaupiki to race ten metres to dive over in the right corner.
On Sunday Titans contracted Jaylan De Groot started on the right wing for the Cudgen Hornets in Round Eleven of the NRRRL First Grade competition against the Lower Clarence Magpies with Jaylan De Groot scoring one try and setting up another.
Jaylan De Groot scored in the 43rd minute when he was on the end of a Cudgen backline movement, receiving the ball around eight metres from the line with Jaylan De Groot diving over acrobatically to score in the right corner.
As noted above Jaylan De Groot contributed to a Hornets try in the 18th minute. After Lower Clarence kicked downfield from well inside their own territory, the Hornets fullback got the ball to Jaylan De Groot to space and he burst forty five metres down field along the right wing. Just inside Magpies territory Jaylan De Groot stepped off his left foot to beat one cover defender before drawing the fullback and getting the ball away to his right to send his right centre away to score under the posts.
Good to see 2021 Burleigh MM Cup player VJ Semu named to make his Langer Cup debut tomorrow night for Marsden SHS in Round Five against Mabel Park SHS.
At just 16 years old Titans contracted Shannon Stewart has more then held his own in the Langer Cup competition for Ipswich SHS and tomorrow night in Round Five he continues his rugby league journey against Wavell SHS.
Great to see Juwan Compain maintain his place in the Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup side for this weekend's match against the Souths Logan Magpies.
After making his Hastings Deering's Colts debut last weekend for Tweed Heads, Titans contracted Jack Cullen has maintained his place on the bench for this weekend's match against the Sunshine Coast Falcons.
Tomorrow night Jack Cullen will start in the front row for PBC in the highly anticipated local derby against Keebra Park in the Langer Cup.
They may have had an up and down start to the 2021 Langer Cup school boy competition but Coombabah SHS side has as good a front row pairing as any of the "bigger" sides with Titans contracted Joseph Shannon and former NZ U16 rep K-CI Newton-Whare leading the way.
The two will once again start in the front row tomorrow night in Round Five against St Mary's College Toowoomba.
After spending time in the NRL bubble Tony Francis will be able to continue his progression to the NRL with the Titans this weekend for Burleigh in the Hastings Deering's Colts competition when he lines up in the centres against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.
Great to see Titans contracted Bailey Martin has recovered after missing Round Four of the Langer Cup last week with the exceptional defender and vastly underrated ball runner being named on the bench for PBC in tomorrow nights Langer Cup local derby against Keebra Park at Pizzey Park.
I have said it before and I will say it again, Bailey Martin is the best U18 defender in Queensland full stop, and probably in Australia if I am being honest. His defensive technique is simple, repeatable and exceptionally effective, with the best aspect being his head placement.
Bailey Martin is a throw back type defender if you will when a great low tackle that cuts the attacker down in a heart beat was something to be celebrated.
Round Five of the school boy Langer Cup competition tomorrow throws up some outstanding individual match-ups with one of the best being in the Round Five match between Marsden SHS and Mabel Park SHS with Marsden's stand out Titans contracted U16 left centre is up against Mable Park SHS's NZ recruit and former NZ junior age representative Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr (right centre) will face off in what should be an outstanding individual battle.
Both young men are big, strong, tough, powerful and most importantly are exceptionally skillful.
Titans contracted duo Kaleb Ngamanu (inside centre) and Syris Schmidt (No. 10) have deservedly been named in the GPS First XV school boy rugby Team of the Week after their exploits last weekend for TSS in Round One against Brisbane Grammar School.
The 2021 season to date for Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas:
The young five eight in late 2020 was selected in the 2020/21 Titans Group One Elite Academy Squad.
Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas started Round One of the 2021 Group One U15 competition at five eight as the Clarence Coast Magpies took on the Ballina Seagulls.
Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas also started at five eight in Round Two against the South Grafton Rebels kicking a conversion in the Magpies 24 – 12 victory. Round Three against the Ballina Seagulls saw Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas once again start at five eight.
Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas moved to fullback for Round Nine against South Grafton and scored two tries and kicked one conversions in the Magpies 32 – 12 victory.
Yesterday afternoon Titans JTS squad member Levi Bannon continued his outstanding Renouf Cup form for Marsden SHS in Round Six against Keebra Park State High School including a 31st minute try assist when from thirty metres out he put in a right foot chip kick towards the right side of the field with the ball sitting up ideally for his centre to retrieved the ball on the first bounce to race away to score.
Levi Bannon was also heavily involved in the plays leading up to Marsden SHS’s last minute try under the posts that levelled the scores at 18 all.
Tonight’s PBC against Keebra Park Langer Cup match has some outstanding battles looming with one of the best being PBC and Titans contracted front rower Jack Cullen up against fellow Titans contracted front rower in Immanuel Kalekale from Keebra Park. The ground will shake when those two crash into each other.
PBC run a lot of plays to their left where Titans contracted Ryan Foran is stationed, alternatively Keebra Park got to their right a lot to fellow Titan Seth Nikotemo, thus a key battle with be between the two hard running, skilful second rowers.
In the modern game, the dummy half role is key and tonight against Keebra Park, PBC have two outstanding Titans contracted dummy halves. Oskar Bryant will start the match for PBC and then Tana Nona will come off the bench to give him a spell. A real positive for PBC is that when Oskar Bryant comes back onto the field for his second stint, it is likely that Tanu Nona will stay on the field in a running forward role, a role that he fills well.
Midway through the 2021 season Toby Sexton extended his NRL contract with the Titans through to the end of the 2024 season and is set to make his NRL debut this weekend in Round Nineteen against the St George Dragons. Previously Toby Sexton was named in the Titans extended bench in Round Eleven of the 2021 season for the Titans home match against the Canterbury Bulldogs.
Toby Sexton’s first 2021 hit-out came in mid-February when he started at five eight for the Titans in their first trial against the Burleigh Bears. Whilst a lot of the play went to the left with Toby Sexton on the right, he did have some good moments in the match in both attack and defence.
Toby Sexton produced an impressive line break in in the 35th minute of the match when after receiving the ball from Erin Clark he stepped off his left foot beat two defenders and break through the centre of the Burleigh ruck, making thirty five metres before being brought down by the fullback.
Toby Sexton also made a long run in the 69th minute when he backed up on the inside of a Tremain Spry break from a Titans scrum win inside their own twenty. Once he received the ball toby Sexton stepped off his left to beat one defender running twenty metres downfield before off-loading to his left.
A minute later, Toby Sexton almost caught the Burleigh defence napping when, on the sixth tackle, Toby Sexton dummied to his left and took off towards the line from ten metres out, only to be brought down just centremetres short of the try line.
Defensively Toby Sexton produced an outstanding front on tackle in the 21st minute jarring the ball lose to gain a Titans scrum feed.
The following week Toby Sexton started from the bench for the Titans in their final 2021 NRL trial against the New Zealand Warriors at Lismore. Toby Sexton played the final quarter of the Titans 12 all draw with the Warriors and produced a good right foot kick to the right corner to force the Warriors to drop out from their own line.
In his time on the field Toby Sexton ran for twenty eight metres (twelve post contact), played the ball at an average speed of 3.17 seconds and had a 100% tackling efficiency whilst making ten tackles.
As he has been in previous seasons, Toby Sexton was allocated to the Tweed Heads Seagulls when the Titans allocated their players to their Gold Coast based feeder clubs with Toby Sexton part of the Seagulls squad for their final Queensland Cup trial against local rivals, being the Burleigh Bears, starting the match at halfback and scoring late in the first half when he stepped his way through the Burleigh defence to score under the posts.
Toby Sexton controlled Tweed heads attack well in the match and also kicked well including forcing a Burleigh goal line drop out with a well weighted grubber in the 20th minute of the first half which Kurtis Rowe was forced to dive on in his own in-goal.
Toby Sexton was also perfect with the boot kicking three conversions from as many attempts including a great kick from the sideline to convert a Ryland Jacobs first half try as well as converting his own first half try.
Toby Sexton made his Queensland Cup debut in Round One of the 2021 season when he started at halfback for the Tweed Heads Seagulls against the Central Queensland Capra’s.
Toby Sexton had an outstanding debut including scoring in the second half as Tweed Heads came back from a half time deficit. Toby Sexton ran across field to the right and sliced through the Capra’s line from around twenty metres out to dive over ten metres from the right upright.
Playing all eighty minutes of the match, Toby Sexton ran for sixty six metres (twelve post contact), broke one tackle, played the ball at an average speed of 3.6 seconds and made twenty two tackles at a tackling efficiency of 95.65%.
As a result of his outstanding Round One match, Toby Sexton also was set to start at halfback in Round Two against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls however Covid protocols were initiated and Toby Sexton had to withdraw from the side.
Toby Sexton was back starting at halfback for Tweed Heads in Round Three against the Souths Logan Magpies and once again was impressive collecting two try assists, with both tries being scored by Sam McIntyre in the Seagulls 40 – 24 victory.
Toby Sexton’s first try assist came in the 12th minute, when from forty metres out he ran to the right before stepping off his right foot to get through the line. As the cover got to Toby Sexton he was able to get away a great right arm offload away to Sam McIntyre who was able to score under the posts.
Toby Sexton’s second try assist of the match arrived in the second half when took the ball into the defensive line before putting in a right foot grubber kick which after it passed through the line, sat up ideally for Sam McIntyre to take at full pace to score.
Playing the entire eighty minutes Toby Sexton ran for sixty three metres (fifteen post contact), made a line break, kicked seven times for 145 metres and made twenty one tackles at a tackling efficiency of 91.3%.
Toby Sexton continued at halfback in Round Four against the Burleigh Bears, scoring once again as well as recording a try assist for Joseph Vuna and also being heavily involved in the Seagulls opening try of their 16 – 12 victory.
Toby Sexton’s try was not in any sense of the word a regulation one. Tweed Heads kicked into the Burleigh in goal with Bears half Guy Hamilton retrieving the ball and bringing it back into play. Toby Sexton engaged Hamilton a couple of metres out from the ball and did a great job of holding him off the ground and when help arrived they started to push Hamilton back towards the in-goal. In the course of being dragged towards the in-goal the ball came loose with Toby Sexton retrieving the ball above his head and putting it down under the posts.
Toby Sexton’s try assist came in the second half when he took the ball to the line on the right, putting in a grubber through the Bears line with the ball sitting up for Joseph Vuna to charge through to retrieve and get the ball down wide out on the right.
Playing the entire eighty minutes, Toby Sexton in addition to his try and try assist ran for thirty two metres (five post contact), broke a tackle, played the ball at an average speed to 3.28 seconds and made twenty seven tackles at a tackling efficiency of 90%. Toby Sexton also kicked on seven occasions making 145 metres in the process.
Toby Sexton started once again at halfback in Round Five against the Redcliffe Dolphins, recording another try assist when he took the ball to the line on the right before popping a good short ball to his right to put Joseph Vuna over from close range. Playing all eighty minutes, Toby Sexton made eleven tackles and kicked on four occasions making 162 metres.
Toby Sexton continued his run of starts at halfback in Round Six against the Ipswich Jets. In his eighty minutes on the field, Toby Sexton had a line break assist, played the ball at an average speed of 3.37 seconds, made nineteen tackles at a 95% tackling efficiency and kicked on five occasions, making 101 metres.
Toby Sexton also started at halfback in Round Seven against the Northern Pride recording a try assist when he put in a chip kick for Jayden Campbell to retrieve on the first bounce and race away to score.
Playing all eighty minutes, Toby Sexton ran for sixty seven metres (eight post contact), played the ball at an average speed of 3.09 seconds, made twenty four tackles at a 96% tackling efficiency and kicked on twelve occasions making 245 metres.
Toby Sexton continued at halfback in Round Eight and whilst playing the entire match was in everything, recording two try assists, a line break and a line break assist.
Toby Sexton’s first try assist came when he threw an “out the back” pass to put Jayden Campbell into space in the first half and then in the second half, Toby Sexton came back underneath Liam Hampson who had run to his right, with Toby Sexton breaking through the line and drawing the fullback and passing to his right to put Brayden McGrady over under the posts.
In addition to everything else, Toby Sexton ran for sixty two metres, played the ball at an average speed of 3.91 seconds and had a 100% tackling efficiency whilst making fifteen tackles.
Round Nine against the Norths Devils saw Toby Sexton line up at halfback. Playing the entire eighty minutes, Toby Sexton ran for sixty three metres (ten post contact), broke a tackle, played the ball at an average speed of 2.93 seconds and made nineteen tackles at a tackling efficiency of 90.48%.
Toby Sexton continued at halfback in Round Ten against the Mackay Cutters, playing all eighty minutes, running for 113 metres (twenty three post contact), made a two line break, broke three tackles, played the ball at an average speed of 3.2 seconds, kicked on six occasions for 198 metres and made seventeen tackles at a tackling efficiency of 89.47%.
Toby Sexton continued at halfback for Round Eleven against Redcliffe, once again playing the entire eighty minutes of the match. In that time Toby Sexton ran for sixty four metres (thirteen post contact), played the ball at an average speed of 4.06 seconds and made twenty five tackles at a tackling efficiency of 92.59%.
Toby Sexton recorded two try assists in the match against the Dolphins, the first when he put in a short right foot stab kick to the left wing where Tremain Spry was on hand to dive on the ball in the left corner. Toby Sexton’s second try assist came in the 74th minute when he squeezed a grubber kick into the in goal down the left channel with Herman Ese’ese charging through to dive on the ball to lock the scores up at twelve all.
The 2021 season to date for Titans contracted Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui:
The younger brother of 2021 Titans NRL signing and 2021 Queensland State of Origin star Tino Fa’asuamaleaui joins the Titans and like like his older brother came up through the Melbourne Storm and Sunshine Coast Falcons junior development systems. Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui spent part of the 2020/21 off-season training with the Titans NRL squad.
Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui’s first action in 2021 came when he started from the bench for Burleigh in their Queensland Cup trial against the Easts Tigers.
Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui then started in the front row for Burleigh Second’s side in their final 2021 Queensland Cup trial against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.
In Mid-March 2021 Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui was part of the Burleigh Bears Nine’s squad that won the Gold Coast Nine’s Annual Competition with a 22 – 20 Final victory.
Round One of the 2021 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition saw Iszac Fa’asuamaieaui to start from the bench for the Burleigh Bears when they took on the Easts Tigers however he was a late scratching from the final Seventeen.
In Round Two Iszac Fa’asuamaieaui was named on Burleigh’s extended bench for the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls however came onto the bench late in the week, coming on in the 25th minute of the first half.
The 26th minute saw Iszac Fa’asuamaieaui make his first tackle of the match when he hit Seagulls fullback Brenton Daley-Holten and dorve him two metres backwards, then from marker Iszac Fa’asuamaieaui did the same thing to Jaylan To’O post the play the ball.
Iszac Fa’asuamaieaui took his first hit-up in the 30th minute making ten metres to get the ball thirty five metres away from his own try line. Iszac Fa’asuamaieaui made a further strong run on the 32nd minute from the kick-off after Cole Geyer’s try, throwing self-preservation out the window to get the ball twenty two metres out from his own line.
After missing a number of weeks, Iszac Fa’asuamaieaui started Round Five against the Northern Pride at left centre. Iszac Fa’asuamaieaui then started from the bench in Round Six against the Townsville Blackhawks and almost scored with his first touch of the ball when he charged at the line from just two minutes out but just as he was about to put the ball down under the posts, it was knocked from his grasp.
Iszac Fa’asuamaieaui started from the bench in Round Seven against the Central Capra’s and recorded a 58th minute try assist when forty five metres from the line he threw an offload from above his head to Tuvalli Khan-Pereira who raced down the right touchline beating one Capra’s cover defender with a strong left arm fend to score in the right corner.
Iszac Fa’asuamaieaui continued off the bench in Round Eight against the Redcliffe Dolphins and was one of the Bears try scorers in their last minute loss and also came off the bench in Round Nine against the Mackay Cutters and in the Round Eleven local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.
Iszac Fa’asuamaieaui has also been named on the bench for the previously postponed Round Ten clash against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls this weekend.
The 2021 season to date for TuValli-Afoa Khan-Pereira:
In January 2021 Tuvalli Khan-Pereira was part of the Titans U19 squad that took on the Newcastle Knights in their annual match in Coffs Harbour, with the Titans emerging from the match as the victors in a dominating display 40 - 6. When he came on Tuvalli Khan-Pereira operated outwide on both the left and right sides of the field, scoring in the second half in the Titans victory.
Tuvalli-Afoa Khan-Pereira also recorded a number of smart heads up efforts in the match, including late in the first half. Newcastle were awarded a penalty and kicked for touch. Tuvalli-Afoa Khan-Pereira could have been excused for taking the opportunity to have a rest but instead, he kept his head in the match and was able to take the ball on the full when the Knights kicker tried to make too much ground with the kick, with Tuvalli-Afoa Khan-Pereira preventing the kick from finding touch to get the ball back for the Titans.
In the second half when Newcastle kicked for touch from a penalty once again, Tuvalli-Afoa Khan-Pereira was on hand when Troy Duckett produced a spectacular piece of play to prevent another Knights kick finding touch. When he took possession Tuvalli-Afoa Khan-Pereira was able to return the ball thirteen metres back towards the Newcastle line.
A week after the match against the Newcastle Knights Tuvalli-Afoa Khan-Pereira once again lined up for the Titans U19’s as they took on a Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts squad with the Titans winning 32 – 20 with no conversions attempted.
Tuvalli-Afoa Khan-Pereira started the match from the bench before coming on to play right centre in the second half, producing a great piece of work in th e62nd minute of the match to track back quickly to recover the ball from a Bears attacking kick with a Burleigh try appearing immenent.
In late 2020 Tuvalli-Afoa Khan-Pereira was named in the 2021 Burleigh Bears MM Cup squad after also being part of the squad in 2020, starting the one and only round of the 2020 MM Cup competition on the right wing against Wynnum Manly.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira’s first hit-out with the 2021 Burleigh Bears MM Cup side came when he started at right centre in the Bears second trial against the Easts Tigers, scoring an early second half try in Burleigh’s 20 – 12 (no conversions taken) victory.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira’s try was well worked by Burleigh. Travis May kicked towards the right wing with the kick being picked up by Levi Jones who got the ball back inside to Tuvalli Khan-Pereira who dived over in the right corner.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira was in the match early in just the 6th minute he threw the final pass to Levi Jones to score in the right corner after hooker Caleb Gould-Waiariki had broken the Easts line from dummy half and was able to find Tuvalli Khan-Pereira who had backed up in his outside.
In the 14th minute of the match Tuvalli Khan-Pereira made the first of his two try saving tackles of the match when he tracked his opposite number across field to his right and brought him down with a ball and all tackle centremetres short of the line.
In the 53rd minute Tuvalli Khan-Pereira produced a piece of defensive brilliance in the right corner when just as the Easts Tigers left winger was diving in mid-air to put the ball down in the corner, Tuvalli Khan-Pereira dived full length from three metres away to knock the ball loose from the wingers grasp to prevent what looked like a certain try. What a way to bring up your second try saving tackle of the match.
In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, Tuvalli Khan-Pereira started at right centre against the Souths Logan Magpies. Tuvalli Khan-Pereira did not have too many opportunities in the match but in the 54th minute, he was able to get outside his direct opponent and throw a one armed (right arm) offload to winger Levi Jones after attracting the Souths Logan left winger but unfortunately the ball could not be taken with the line open.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira also started at right centre in Round Two against the Ipswich Jets and was one of the Bears try scorers in their impressive 44 – 16 victory.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira’s match started in interesting fashion when he took the Ipswich kick off on the full but had his legs taken out whilst he was still in the air, flipping onto his back. Fortunately Tuvalli Khan-Pereira was not injured and was awarded the penalty for being tackled in the air.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira’s try came in the 67th minute when a pass to the right cut-out Tuvalli Khan-Pereira to find Levi Jones on the right wing, near the right corner Levi Jones passed the ball inside to Tuvalli Khan-Pereira who dived over in the corner to score the final try of the match.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira shined defensively in the match including a great ball and all tackle in just the 3rd minute on the Ipswich right centre which stopped him in his tracks. Tuvalli Khan-Pereira added a further outstanding tackle to his resume when he cut down his opposing centre with an outstanding low tackle moving to his left.
In the 67th minute Tuvalli Khan-Pereira’s defence continued to be impregnable with a massive front on tackle on the Ipswich No. 20 which forced the ball loose and immediately put Burleigh back on the attack.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira once again started at right centre in the Round Three Gold Coast derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls. Whilst early in the match the ball did not find him in much space, Tuvalli Khan-Pereira was still able to contribute in attack including a strong ten metre run in the 10th minute to get the ball to the halfway mark.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira did however to produce a smart piece of play in the 65th minute that led to a line break for Levi Jones down the right wing when he caught a pass on his inside and then got a quick pass away to Jones.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira was originally named to start at right centre for Round Four match against the Souths Logan Magpies however in fact started the match at fullback. Tuvalli Khan-Pereira enjoyed the extra space afforded to him at fullback scoring one of the Bears four tries.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira also started at fullback in Round Five against the Ipswich Jets and was one of the Bears try scorers as they recorded an astonishing come from behind victory.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira scored in the 40th minute when Caleb Gould-Waiariki burst out of dummy half to his right, thirty five metres out from the line, beating two defenders before a step off his left got him through the line and then he was able to draw the fullback and offload to Tuvalli Khan-Pereira. When he received the ball it certainly was not simply a case of Tuvalli Khan-Pereira coasting to the line, he had to fight through three defenders before being able to get the ball down next to the left upright.
Burleigh were immediately under pressure in the opening moments of the match and but for Tuvalli Khan-Pereira and team mates, Arama Hau an Seth Nikotemo Ipswich would have opened the scoring in the 4th minute when the Ipswich No. 10 was held up over the line.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira’s defence was once again called upon in the 11th minute when he along with Syris Schmidt converged on the Ipswich right winger who had made a break down the touchline. The initial contact by the two Bears players kept the Jets winger off the ground and they then were able to force him into touch.
After being heavily involved defensively, Tuvalli Khan-Pereira was finally able to get some room to move with the ball in the 16th minute when he ran the ball from a Burleigh scrum win, making fifteen metres down the right to get within ten metres of the try line.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira showcased his innate ability to be at the right place at the right time in the 43rd minute, when Delahia Wigmore ran out of dummy half to his right, breaking three tackles and then producing a great off-load to his left to find Tuvalli Khan-Pereira who was able to get the ball inside the Jets forty metre area.
Round Six being the final regular season round of the 2021 MM Cup competition saw Tuvalli Khan-Pereira once again line up at fullback in the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira’s first significant impact on the match came in the 13th minute when he got into dummy half and was able to bring the ball upfield thirteen metres from inside his own territory.
The first of two line breaks that Tuvalli Khan-Pereira made in the match came in the 27th minute when he split the Seagulls line from a Bears scrum win. Tuvalli Khan-Pereira received the ball from the base of the scrum to the right and got on the outside out the Tweed Heads widest left side defender, making thirty metres down the right touchline and it looked as if Tuvalli Khan-Pereira would score in the right corner but he was bundled into touch less than a metre from the right corner post.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira’s second line break came in the 43rd minute and once again came when he made a break off a Bears scrum win. Once again Tuvalli Khan-Pereira received the ball from the base of the scrum but this time to the left of where the scrum was packed and once again was able to made nineteen metres down the left touchline only to be bundled into touch close to the left corner post.
Impressively after Burleigh’s 2021 MM Cup campaign came to an end, Tuvalli Khan-Pereira moved directly to the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts squad, starting Round Three off the bench in their big victory against the Western Mustangs.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira moved into the Burleigh starting side at right centre for Burleigh’s Round Four match against the Norths Devils, scoring a double as the Bears went down 34 – 22 to the Norths Devils.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira also started at right centre in Round Five against the Ipswich Jets, scoring once again as the Bears recorded a big victory.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira continued his run of starts at right centre against the Townsville Blackhawks and the match saw Tuvalli Khan-Pereira continue his try scoring run as well when in the 77th minute Tuvalli Khan-Pereira, after receiving the ball twenty metres out was able to get on the outside of his direct opponent and then dummying as he approached the Townsville left winger to crash over out wide to seal the Burleigh win.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira also had a line break and a line break assist in the 22nd minute when he was able to get away down the right touchline, getting over the halfway mark before he produced an outstanding right arm flick pass to right winger Kalani Skipps who was able to break away before passing to Bryson Vaovosa to score.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira’s efforts continued in the 27th minute with a good fourteen metres run before being stopped eight metres from the line. The 32nd minute saw Tuvalli Khan-Pereira make a further twelve metres, on that occasion getting within ten metres of the try line.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira continued at right centre in Round Seven against the Central Queensland Capra’s, scoring the Bears final try of the match in their big win as well as recording a first half try assist.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira scored in the 58th minute when he received a great over the top off-load from Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui forty five metres from the line and raced down the right touchline beating one Capra’s cover defender with a strong left arm fend to score in the right corner.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira recorded his try assist in the 16th minute with a great catch and pass down a right blindside Burleigh raid to put Kalani Skipps over in the right corner.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira continued at right centre in Round Eight against the Redcliffe Dolphins, scoring in the Bears tough two point last minute loss and also started at right centre in Round Nine against the Mackay Cutters.
Tuvalli Khan-Pereira is also set to start at right centre in the previously postponed Round Ten match against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls this weekend.
The 2021 season to date for Titans contracted Vaka Sikahele:
The dynamic young New Zealand born hooker has signed with the Titans JTS program and headed over to Australia to be part of the Burleigh Bears 2021 Hastings Deering’s Colts squad after an outstanding career in New Zealand including representative honours as well as an outstanding school boy career with St Pauls Callege and prior to that Wesley College.
In early May 2021 a Titans U19 side travelled to North Queensland to play an U19 Cowboys selection in a curtain raiser to a Cowboys v Broncos NRL match with Vaka Sikahele starting the match at hooker in his first match in a Titans jersey.
After being injured in a pre-season training mishap, Vaka Sikahele was named on Burleigh’s extended bench for the Round Two local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls but moved onto the bench late in the week and celebrated by scoring in his Hastings Deering’s Colts debut.
Vaka Sikahele scored one of the stranger tries that you will see from a run out of dummy half in the 54th minute. After Burleigh had kicked off after a Tweed Heads try, the ball hit the right goal post on the full bouncing back into the field. Tristian Powell was able to retrieve the ball on the bounce and get to within eleven metres of the line. Vaka Sikahele got into dummy half and ran to his left with the Tweed Heads defence in disarray to dive over between two defenders mid-way between the goal posts and corner post on the left side of the field.
Vaka Sikahele came onto the field late in the first half, with his first run out of dummy half coming just a few minutes later in the 34th minute when ran to his left, breaking the Seagulls line and making twenty metres, beating four defenders along the way to get the ball to within forty metres of the try line.
In addition to some impressive runs and distribution out of dummy half Vaka Sikahele was also good defensively including in the 44th when he along with Isaac Matalavea-Booth hit and stopped Seagulls front rower Ben Liyou just centre metres out.
Vaka Sikahele also started from the bench in Round Three against the Western Mustangs coming into the match in the dummy half role towards the end of the first half. Vaka Sikahele was in the action almost immediately running out of dummy half to his right down a blaindside and took the ball ten metres to the line before passing to his right to Cole Geyer who then quickly got the ball out to his right for Ronin Rio to dive over in the right corner.
After missing Round Four due to playing for the Titans U19 side, Vaka Sikahele started Round Five against the Northern Pride from the bench.
Vaka Sikahele was on the bench once again in Round Six against the Townsville Blackhawks, coming into the match towards the end of the first half in a running forward role before spending time at dummy half in the second half. Vaka Sikahele made the most of both of the roles that he played in the match and in the 51st minute, whislt palying as a running forward made thirteen metres, the majority post contact, to get the ball to the halfway mark.
Vaka Sikahele was back in the starting side at hooker in Round Seven against the Central Queensland Capra’s before starting from the bench in Round Eight against the Redcliffe Dolphins and in Round Nine against the Mackay Cutters.
Vaka Sikahele also started at hooker in the Round Eleven local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls and scored a double with his tries coming in the 16th and 55th minutes. In the 16th minute Vaka Sikahele moved into dummy half seven metres from the line and then drated to his right before stepping back to his left to beat the Seagulls marker before crashing through two more defenders who had stationed themselves on the try line.
Vaka Sikahele scored his second try in the 59th minute when once again he darted out of dummy half to his right, on this occasion from 32 metres out. After getting around the markers Vaka Sikahele cut back to his left to the area behind the play the ball and then was easily outpace the Seagulls defence to score under the post.
Vaka Sikahele has also been named to start at hooker in the previously postponed Round Ten match against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.
The 2021 season to date for Titans contracted Klese Haas:
The younger brother of Brisbane Broncos, New South Wales State of Origin and Australian International front rower Payne Haas joined the Titans NRL 2020/21 pre-season training squad for a portion of the off season at least and at just 18 years old, Klese Haas certainly has the potential to be a very positive addition to the Titans Junior Development ranks over the coming seasons.
Another of Klese Haas’s older brothers, Jonah Haas was previously a member of Titans junior development squads, including playing a number of matches in Titans colours and was also a very solid No. 8 for the TSS First XV GPS school boy rugby side a number of years ago.
In early May 2021 a Titans U19 side travelled to North Queensland to play an U19 Cowboys selection in a curtain raiser to a Cowboys v Broncos NRL match with Klese Haas starting the match at right second row in his first match in a Titans jersey.
In 2021 Klese Haas was part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls Hastings Deering’s Colts squad and started round One at right centre against the Souths Logan Magpies. Klese Hass’s initial involvement in the match came in the second minute, when he along with Vinncent Takatake brought down the the Souths Logan fullback who had brought the ball out of his own in-goal from a Seagulls attacking kick.
Klese Haas in fact came close to scoring when in the 61st minute a strong run off a Seagulls scrum win accounted for twenty five metres with Klese Haas getting to within three metres of the line.
Klese Haas almost got over the line again in the 66th minute when a strong ten metre effort got Klese Haas to within centremetres of the line.
Klese Haas was due to start at right centre in Round Two in the local derby against the Burleigh Bears however he ended up starting the match at right second row with his first involvement preventing a Burleigh try when he intercepted a Burleigh pass literally right on his own line and was able to bring the ball back thirty metres. If Klese Hass had not intercepted the pass, Burleigh would have scored in the right corner.
Klese Haas added to his contribution to the Seagulls 32 – 24 victory in the 20th minute when he was able to force his way into the Burleigh twenty metre area with a hard fought ten metres of ground.
Klese Hass moved into dummy half in the 28th minute, making twelve metres after running the ball to the right and getting into the tweny metre attacking zone.
Klese Haas got within a metre of scoring his first Colts try in the 44th minute when he received the ball to the right of the play the ball, running in that direction before cutting back to the left and getting to within a metre of the line after breaking three tackles.
Klese Haas proved to be dangerous running with the ball once again in the 61st minute when he packed into a scrum at lock, after picking up the ball from the base of the scrum, Klese Hass ran to the right fending off two would be defenders with his left arm, making twelve metres to get to within two metres of the halfway mark.
Klese Haas also started at right second row in Round Three against the Redcliffe Dolphins.
After missing Round Four due to playing for the Titans U19 side, Klese Haas started Round Five against the Northern Pride at right second row and scored his first Hastings Deering’s Colts try in the Seagulls 40 – 18 victory.
Klese Haas continued his run of starts at right second row in Round Six against the Easts Tigers and in Round Seven against the Norths Devils.
Round Eight against the Mackay Cutters, saw Klese Haas move to right centre and scoring in the Seagulls tough loss.
Klese Haas then moved back to right second row for Round Nine against Wynnum Manly and continued there in the Round Eleven local derby against the Burleigh Bears as well as in this weekend’s previously postponed Round Ten match against the Sunshine Coast Falcons.
Klese Haas started in the second row in the Seagulls final 2021 trial against the Burleigh Bears.
The 2021 season to date for Titans contracted Isaac Matalavea-Booth.
The young New Zealand born front rower, in October 2020 signed a one year extension with the Titans that takes his contract with the Titans up until the end of the 2021 rugby league season and see him training with the Titans U20 squad over the course of the 2021 season.
Such was Isaac Matalavea-Booth’s early 2021 form for both the Titans U19 side and for Buleigh in the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition, in early June 2021 Isaac Matalavea-Booth started training one day a week with the Titans NRL squad.
In early January 2021 Isaac Matalavea-Booth started in the front row for the Titans U19 side in their annual match against the Newcastle Knights in Coffs Harbour as the Titans ran away with the match in the second half to record an impressive 40 – 6 victory after leading 16 – 6 at half time.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth was in the action almost immediately, being involved in a solid hit in the second tackle after the Titans kicked off. Also involved in the tackle were Samuel Shannon and Ediq Ambrosyev. Isaac Matalavea-Booth was involved in a further heavy tackle just two minutes later when he and Brock Priestley belted the Knight left winger who had come off his wing forcing him five metres backwards before driving him into the ground.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth and Brock Priestley combined once again in a heavy tackle early in the second half when they combined to heavily tackle a Knights player from a twenty metre restart, with the initial contact forcing the ball loose.
It was not just in the centre of the ruck where Isaac Matalavea-Booth was effective defensively, early in the second half, Isaac Matalavea-Booth found himself on the fringes of the ruck on the Titans left side of the field with the Knights attacking the line from close range. The Newcastle five eight identified that Isaac Matalavea-Booth was on a one on one situation with him and tried to beat him on the outside. Isaac Matalavea-Booth however tracked across the field and hit the Knights five eight around the shoulders, knocking him down immediately, which was in fact only a metre out from the Titans line.
Over the course of his stints on the field Isaac Matalavea-Booth was particularly effective in forcing the Knights forward pack to use multiple resources to bring him down and with his quick play the balls, the Titans play makers were regularly able to exploit the additional space that Isaac Matalavea-Booth afforded them.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth was deservedly the Titans first try scorer of the match when he charged onto an Ediq Ambrosyev pass out of dummy half to the left of the play the ball from ten metres out. When Isaac Matalavea-Booth caught sight of the try line, literally no-one on earth was going to stop him from scoring as he planted the ball down adjacent to the right upright.
Over the course of the match Isaac Matalavea-Booth was a difficult for the Knights defensive to stop and that was highlighted when Isaac Matalavea-Booth charged into the Newcastle defensive line when he returned the second half kick-off and made twenty five metres through sheer size and power. A quick play the ball from Isaac Matalavea-Booth led to more metres being gained by Samuel Shannon.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth was at it again in the 8th minute of the second half making eighteen metres, the majority of which were post contact metres with Isaac Matalavea-Booth twisting and turning and bullocking his way downfield, eventually being brought down only after four Knights defenders had to commit themselves to the tackle.
Unbelievably for a big front rower Isaac Matalavea-Booth was still charging at the Knights defensive line in the last couple of minutes, including a big charge and subsequent off-load to Xavier Stowers who then got the ball away to TJ Devery who was held up. Make no mistake however if Isaac Matalavea-Booth’s stamina was not as impressive as it was the Titans would not have had that late match opportunity.
A week after the match against the Newcastle Knights Isaac Matalavea-Booth once again lined up for the Titans U19’s starting in the front row as the Titans took on a Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts squad with the Titans winning 32 – 20 with no conversions attempted.
Like against Newcastle Isaac Matalavea-Booth was exceptional for the Titans both in attack and defence including a late first half try assist and he almost had a second just minutes later after making his initial impact in the match making a strong hit-up, being the third of the match after the Knights kicked off.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth’s try assist come in the 37th minute of the first half. Isaac Matalavea-Booth charged onto the ball to the right of the play the ball from thirteen metres out for the Bears line, heading directly at the posts. After initially being held, Isaac Matalavea-Booth was able to get his right arm free and was able to get a great flick pass away to Oskar Bryant who was backing up on the inside from dummy half who was able to dive over next to the left upright after rounding one Burleigh defender.
Just minutes later Isaac Matalavea-Booth charged into space, getting a strong one armed (right arm) offload away across his body to his left to Thomas Weaver for what seemed was going to be another Titans try but a desperate knock down of a Titans pass by a Burleigh defender put paid to the Titans attacking play.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth also had a number of kick return metres in the match. Late in the first half, Isaac Matalavea-Booth got his hands down low and cleanly took possession when Burleigh grubber kicked not far out from the Titans line, Isaac Matalavea-Booth took possession and then rumbled four metres down field.
Defensively Isaac Matalavea-Booth produced one of the best tackles in the first half when he crunched one of the Burleigh forwards late in the half. Isaac Matalavea-Booth hit him from the left side around chest high and driving his opponent diagonally backwards for at least five metres.
In early May 2021 a Titans U19 side travelled to North Queensland to play an U19 Cowboys selection in a curtain raiser to a Cowboys v Broncos NRL match with Isaac Matalavea-Booth starting the match in the front row for the Titans.
Just weeks after Isaac Matalavea-Booth suited up for the Titans against Burleigh, Isaac Matalavea-Booth was in a Burleigh jersey lining up for the Bears in a 2021 Hastings Deering’s Colts trial against the Easts Tigers at Langland’s Park. Starting in the front row in the second half Isaac Matalavea-Booth was one of Burleigh’s best, alongside fellow contracted Titan Tony Francis in the match that ended up in a twenty all draw.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth was outstanding in his two second half stints but it was a hit-up in the 71st minute of the match in his second stint in the half that summed up not just Isaac Matalavea-Booth’s match but his 2021 season to date.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth charged onto the ball to the right of the play the ball and surged an incredible thirty five metres up field, breaking eight tackles in the process. It looked as if on at least two occasions that Isaac Matalavea-Booth’s momentum would be stopped but on each occasion Isaac Matalavea-Booth produced another effort to keep the run going. Isaac Matalavea-Booth received the ball on his own twenty metre line and was eventually stopped five metres into Easts territory.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth the first of his many second half hit-ups in the opening minutes of the second half when he took a hit-up to the right of the play the ball, jinking off his left foot prior to contact with the line and making ten metres before three defenders had to commit to the tackle to bring him to the ground.
Just a few minutes later, Isaac Matalavea-Booth made another strong surge, making a further ten metres and once again it took three Tigers defenders to get him under control, even those three defenders however could not get Isaac Matalavea-Booth to the ground.
Once again in the 15th minute, Isaac Matalavea-Booth took the ball into the Tigers defensive line, this time making fifteen metres from a hit-up that started in his own twenty metre area.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth made his presence felt in defence with some huge hits in the second half, the first of which came in the 9th minute of the second half when he came in from the left side of the Easts Tigers giant left winger, dropping him to the ground immediately contact was made.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth did not leave it too long to make another strong tackle, this time on the Easts Tigers right centre (No. 4) when he got in under his ribs and drove him back three metres before driving the centre into the ground.
The following week in the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts trial against the Tweed Heads Seagulls, Isaac Matalavea-Booth was once again in the starting side in the front row. Isaac Matalavea-Booth was into the match early taking the second hit-up of the match after Burleigh had received the ball from the kick-off and then backed up to take the fourth hit-up in the same set of six.
In his second stint of the match in the second half Isaac Matalavea-Booth threw his weight around including in the 65th minute when he monstered Tweed Heads and Titans front rower Solomon Torrens in a tackle and that I can assure people is not an easy thing to do.
Round One of the 2021 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition saw Isaac Matalavea-Booth named on the interchange bench for the Burleigh Bears when they took on the Easts Tigers with Isaac Matalavea-Booth coming on in the 23rd minute to play in the front row.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth’s first hit-up occurred just a minute later making fifteen metres to get the ball forty metres away from his own line. The in the 25th minute, Isaac Matalavea-Booth picked up an Easts dropped ball to get within ten metres of the try line and two tackles later rumbled to get to just a metre out from the line.
In the 27th Isaac Matalavea-Booth continued his hectic start to his time on the field, making an additional twelve metres to get the ball to just over the halfway mark.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth showed off his off-loading skills in the 29th minute when he cut to his left on an underneath route off Blake Campbell. After hitting the line, Isaac Matalavea-Booth spun and was able to offload back to Blake Campbell who had an additional twenty metres downfield.
In the 43rd minute Isaac Matalavea-Booth showed off his impressive mobility for such a big unit when he moved deftly low to his left to dive onto a loose bouncing ball that had come off multiple feet.
The 57th minute saw Isaac Matalavea-Booth’s strength come to the fore when he was hit early and hard by multiple defenders when running the ball into the Easts line in the 53rd minute. Isaac Matalavea-Booth was hit just metres into his run but fought and fought and was able to make ten metres before he was finally forced to the ground.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth continued on the interchange bench in the Round Two local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls coming into the match in the 19th minute and almost immediately along with Samuel Shannon was in on a big first tackle on Tweed Heads front rower Ben Liyou.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth proved how difficult he is to bring down in the 18th minute when he surged through the centre of the defence getting the ball to thirty three metres out from his own line before four defenders were eventually able to get him to the ground.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth was at his hard stopping best again in the 34th minute when it took three Tweed Heads forwards to stop his forward momentum and get him to the ground after a ten metre run by the big front rower.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth’s second half continued as strongly as his first half ended when he made twelve metres from the third hit-up after Tweed Heads kicked off, getting the ball over the forty metre line.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth also saved a try when late in the first half he along with Cameron Brown he held Seagulls replacement hooker Jed Edwards up over the line after he had run from dummy half from ten metres out looking to score under the posts.
The 44th minute saw Isaac Matalavea-Booth make another strong try saving tackle, when he along with Vaka Sikahele hit and stopped Seagulls front rower Ben Liyou just centre metres out. Isaac Matalavea-Booth recorded another good tackle in the 62nd minute when Tweed Heads half Taine Udjur-Berghan tried to dummy his way past him but Isaac Matalavea-Booth did not fall for it and monstered the half forcing him back four metres before driving him into the ground.
In the 65th minute Isaac Matalavea-Booth produced a smart piece of play when he was able to trap a Seagulls attempted grubber kick with his right foot two metres out from the try line and then he had the fore sight to dive on the ball before Tweed Heads. Then in the 66th minute Isaac Matalavea-Booth produced a try saving front one tackle when he stopped Ben Liyou in his tracks just short of the try line.
The derby saw Isaac Matalavea-Booth just work all day and in the 70th minute after Burleigh winger Lofi Khan-Pereira scored, Isaac Matalavea-Booth put his hand up to run the ball back from the subsequent kick-off to get the ball to his own twenty metre mark.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth also started from the bench in Round Three against the Western Mustangs.
After missing Round Four due to playing for the Titans U19 side, Isaac Matalavea-Booth started Round Five against the Northern Pride from the bench.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth made his starting debut in the front row in Round Six against the Townsville Blackhawks and was in the action immediately, taking the hit-up from the kick-off and then backing that run up by then hitting the ball up on the fourth tackle of the same set of six.
The match also saw Isaac Matalavea-Booth score a good try in the 58th minute when after he received the ball seventeen metres out from the line to the left of the play the ball, Isaac Matalavea-Booth ran diagonally towards the defensive line, dummying to his left before bursting through the line to crash over five metres from the left upright.
Isaac Matalaevea-Booth certainly made the best of his opportunity to start and that continued in the 15th minute with a twelve metres run that brought the ball out to his own forty metre mark. The in the 17th minute, Isaac Matalaevea-Booth charged head long into the Townsville defence from a Blackhawks drop out.
Isaac Matalaevea-Booth made another strong run in the 70th minute, making fourteen metres to the halfway, with 60% of the metres made post contact.
Isaac Matalaevea-Booth was still going strong in the 75th minute making a further ten metres from the set of six after Cameron Brown’s second intercept try of the match and then he took another hit-up just two tackles later.
In total in the Round Six match, in his fifty five minutes on the field, Isaac Matalavea-Booth ran the ball twenty times, making 246 metres and made eighteen tackles as well as scoring a try which is described above.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth also started in the front row in Round Seven against the Central Queensland Capra’s and scored the Bears second try in their big victory and also recorded a try assist.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth scored in the 12th minute of the match from approximately twelve metres out. Burleigh worked the ball back to the right after initially moving the ball to the left, with Isaac Matalavea-Booth receiving the ball whilst stationary. As soon as he took possession, Isaac Matalavea-Booth ran to his right, before stepping off his right foot just prior to engaging defensive line, beating two defenders as a result of his change of direction. Isaac Matalavea-Booth rumbled towards the line with one Capra’s trying in vain to stop him from scoring by holding his jersey. That proved to be an impossible task with Isaac Matalavea-Booth getting the ball down adjacent to the right upright.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth recorded his try assist in just the 6th minute when after receiving the ball thirty metres out he ran at the defensive line but just prior to engaging the line, Isaac Matalavea-Booth subtly adjusted to his right and threw a great short ball to his right to a rampaging Samuel Shannon who flew through a gap to score untouched from twenty five metres out.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth continued in the front row in Round Eight against the Redcliffe Dolphins and in Round Nine against the Mackay Cutters.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth continued his run of starts in the Round Eleven local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls with Isaac Matalavea-Booth scoring in the 78th minutes of Burleigh’s 38 – 22 loss. Isaac Matalavea-Booth received the ball from the dummy half to the right of the play the ball twenty two metres from the line and initially shaped to pass to his right before cutting of his right foot and then shrugged off one defender to get through the Seagulls line before also pushing off the Seagulls fullback to score next to the left upright.
Isaac Matalavea-Booth also has been named to start in the front row in the previously postponed Round Ten match against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls this weekend.
The 2021 season to date for Troy Duckett:
After an outstanding 2020 season with PBC in the Langer Cup, Troy Duckett deservedly signed a contract with the Titans in November 2020.
In early January 2021 Troy Duckett started on the left wing for the Titans U19 side in their annual match against the Newcastle Knights in Coffs Harbour with the Titans recording an impressive 40 – 6 victory.
Early in the second half Troy Duckett produced an outstanding heads up play to prevent a Newcastle penalty kick from finding touch. Troy Duckett jumped from the field of play and was a long way over the touch line when he took the ball on the full and threw it back over his head in one movement to get possession back for the Titans.
In early May 2021 a Titans U19 side travelled to North Queensland to play an U19 Cowboys selection in a curtain raiser to a Cowboys v Broncos NRL match with Troy Duckett starting the match on the right wing for the Titans.
In 2021 Troy Duckett was part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls Hastings Deering’s Colts squad and started on the right wing in their final 2021 trial against the Burleigh Bears and scored a spectacular first half try.
In the 10th minute of the first half, Charlie Murray received the ball from the dummy half and put up a high cross field pin point bomb to the right corner, with the ball coming down a metre or so from the try line. Troy Duckett as able to time his jump perfectly to get above the Burleigh left winger in Ronin Rio and get the ball down a couple of metres in from the right corner post.
In the 17th minute Troy Duckett made a line break down a short right blind side. Glenn Mcgradey was able to work the numbers off-load to Troy Duckett who was able to break away down the right touchline. Unfortunately Troy Duckett’s subsequent inside pass after he had drawn the Burleigh fullback was intercepted with a try in the offing.
Troy Duckett showcased his elite speed in the 54th minute. Tweed Heads were on the attack just metres out from the Burleigh line when Bears half back Cameron Brown took an intercept and raced down field. Troy Duckett had to stop, turn and chase and hunted Cameron Brown down tackling him into touch.
Round One of the 2021 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition saw Troy Duckett named to start on the right wing for the Tweed Heads Seagulls when they took on the Souths Logan Magpies however he was a late scratching from the match.
Troy Duckett was also named to start on the right wing in the Round Two local derby against the Burleigh Bears with his first run coming in the 4th minute when he darted out of dummy half to his left to get the ball away from the sideline.
The ball did not get out to Troy Duckett’s that often in the match, but when it did, Troy Duckett attacked the ball, a prime example coming in the 15th minute when he charged forward to take a grubber kick directed towards him on the bounce just a one or two out from his own line with Troy Duckett able to get the ball back to the ten metre line. If he had not attacked the ball as he did, Troy Duckett may well have been trapped in his own in-goal.
Just two minute later, in the 17th minute, Troy Duckett once again went searching for the ball, coming off his wing to take a hit-up making twelve metres off the dummy half to give Burleigh some breathing room before playing the ball thirty metres out from his own line.
Troy Duckett was not going to die wondering again in the 26th minute when he leapt high to take a Burleigh bomb directed to his wing on the full and get to the ground quickly just two metres away from his own line.
It seemed clear that Burleigh were targeting his wing in the air but Troy Duckett kept them at bay including once again in the 42nd minute when he leapt high over Cameron Brown to defuse yet another bomb directed his way.
Trot Duckett was all effort in the match and it showed once again in the 43rd minute when Jed Edwards kicked out of dummy half from sixty metres out with Burleigh fullback Will Evans getting to the ball on his own try line in the corner. As soon as he picked up the ball, Troy Duckett along with Jed Edwards were able to force him over the touchline to put Tweed Heads immediately back on the attack.
In the 70th minute Troy Duckett shone in cover defence to save the Seagulls blushes when he raced back along with Cooper Many to round up Burleigh’s Cole Geyer who had split the defence through centre field and beat the Tweed Heads fullback.
Troy Duckett also started on the right wing in Round Three against the Redcliffe Dolphins, scoring his first Colts try in the Seagulls tough loss.
After missing Round Four due to playing for the Titans U19 side, Troy Duckett started Round Five against the Ipswich Jets on the right wing and scoring a double as the Seagulls ran away with the match to record a 40 – 18 victory.
Troy Duckett scored once again in Round Six from the right wing in the Seagulls 30 – 18 victory over the Easts Tigers. Troy Duckett also started on the right wing in Round Seven against the Norths Devils and Round Eight against the Mackay Cutters.
Troy Duckett scored once again in Round Nine against Wynnum Manly after starting the match on the right wing. Troy Duckett’s try came in the 51st minute when he was on the end of a Seagulls backline movement from a scrum, diving over in the right corner and receiving the ball fourteen metres out.
Troy Duckett scored in the 3rd minute from the right wing in the Round Eleven local derby against the Burleigh Bears with the try being a brilliant solo effort. Troy Duckett received the ball on the ball forty metres from the line with limited space in front of him. Troy Duckett then took the defensive line on, chipping over his opposing defender and then regathering the ball and he was then able to dive over in the right corner to record a spectacular try.
Troy Duckett has also been named to start on the right wing in the previously postponed Round Ten against the Sunshine Coast Falcons this weekend.
The 2021 season to date for the Titans contracted Sam McIntyre:
In January 2021 Sam McIntyre played his first match in a Titans jersey when he started from the bench for the Titans U19 side in their annual match at Coffs Harbour against the Newcastle Knights with the Titans dominating the match, especially in the second half to record a 40 – 6 victory after leading 16 – 6 at half time.
Initially when he came on Sam McIntyre played on the right before moving to the left side of the field in the second half. It was on the left side of the field where Sam McInrtyre scored, when he ran into a gap and was fed a pass down a short blind side by Oskar Bryant to charge ten metres to score when he ran over the Knights fullback to ensure that he got the ball down to be awarded his first try in his first game in a Titans jersey.
Sam McIntyre also produced an outstanding run in the match in the 5th minute of the second half. After a break down the right touchline by Samuel Shannon, the Titans spun the ball back to the left, with Sam McIntyre receiving the ball then immediately stepping off his right to beat one defender and drag two more another ten metres. After a quick Sam McIntyre play the ball the Titans crossed in the left corner but the play was called back for an earlier forward pass.
Sam McIntyre also produced a smart piece of attacking play mid-way through the second half. Sam McIntyre was taking a hit-up to the right of the play the ball when he Knights defender flew out of the line trying to put a big hit on him, but Sam McIntyre saw him coming stepping off his left with the Knights defender clutching at thin air. Sam McIntyre was then able to make an additional six metres as well as getting a subsequent quick play the ball, when things could have been substantiionally different but for his quick foot work.
A week after the match against the Newcastle Knights Sam McIntyre once again lined up for the Titans U19’s as they took on a Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts squad with the Titans winning 32 – 20 with no conversions attempted.
Sam McIntyre started the match from the bench before coming on at half time playing the entire second half in the left second row position and shortening up a few of the Bears forwards with heavy hits to the ribs. Similiarly when he ran the ball in the second half, Sam McIntyre left a couple of Bears in his wake after dropping his shoulder into then when they attempted to tackle him.
Sam McIntyre made his first appearance for the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts side when he started at left second row in the Bears trial against the Easts Tigers which finished in a twenty all draw. Sam McIntyre made some strong runs in the match including a big run from the kick-off after Branden Amundsen scored the Bears first try of the match.
Late in the first half, Sam McIntyre almost scored his first try since moving to the Gold Coast when he cut back inside to beat one defender and surge towards the line, but he was eventually brought down two metres short of the line.
Sam McIntyre also highlighted in the first half his intelligence when he chased through a mid-field bomb. It would have been easy for Sam McIntyre to charge through and tackle the Easts fullback whislt he was still in the air taking the ball, but Sam McIntyre recognised this and held his momentum to tackle the Easts fullback just as his feet hit the ground.
When Sam McIntyre came onto the field in the second half for his second stint in the match, he swapped sides to play in the left second row position and once again displayed his intelligence when in the 24th minute of the second half, he anticipated an Easts Tigers off-load through the centre of the ruck, getting in between the Tigers players to take an intercept and make eight metres up the field before being stopped.
The following week in the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts trial against the Tweed Heads Seagulls, Sam McIntyre was once again in the starting side at left second row and crossed for a second half try.
Sam McIntyre’s try came in the 57th minute when Cameron Brown chipped over the Tweed Heads defensive line forty metres out, regathering the ball and sending a pass to his left to trailing second rower Sam McIntyre who ran twenty metres to dive over untouched.
In the 15th minute of the match Sam McIntyre ran a straight carsh line off a short ball from Cameron Brown and was able to get to within ten metres of the Tweed Heads line before being stopped. Sam McInrtyre’s efforts to get to his feet to play the ball quickly were hamstrung by Tweed Heads with Sam McIntyre subsequently receiving a deservded penalty. Sam McIntyre then took the first hit-up from the penalty restart.
In the 17th minute Sam McIntyre produced a smart piece of play that may well have saved a try. Tweed Heads had worked the ball well on a short right blindside with winger Troy Duckett getting away down the right touchline with support on his inside. Troy Duckett drew the fullback and passed back inside byt Sam McIntyre was able to trcked back and get between Troy Duckett and his inside support to intercept the pass to prevent a likely Seagulls try.
When the second half started Sam McIntyre switched sides to play at left second row before moving back to right second row late in the match.
Like he did in the first, Sam McIntyre was able to prevent a try in the second half through intensity and effort. In the 49th minute, Tweed Heads attacked to their right from inside Burleigh twenty metre area and generated space for their left winger down the sideline and from there he chip kicked high into the in-goal but Sam McIntyre tracked back and out jumped the Tweed Heads chasers to take the ball on the full and prevent a try. Sam McIntyre then raced back to the centre of the twenty metre line to take the restart and take the ball forward.
In early May 2021 a Titans U19 side travelled to North Queensland to play an U19 Cowboys selection in a curtain raiser to a Cowboys v Broncos NRL match with Sam McIntyre starting the match at left second row for the Titans.
Round One of the 2021 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition saw Sam McIntyre Powell start at left second row for the Burleigh Bears when they took on the Easts Tigers with Sam McIntyre scoring the Bears opening round victory.
Sam McIntyre’s try came in just the 6th minute of the match. Burleigh half, Cameron Brown took the ball to the line on the 5th tackle, getting to ten metres out before putting in a right foot stab kick to his left. The kick was ideally weighted, pulling up perfectly in the in-goal for left second rower Sam McIntyre to dive on the ball to score Burleigh’s first try of the 2021 Colts season.
An impressive part of the try was that Sam McIntyre recognised early in his chase that he had time to make sure that he got the ball down correctly. When he got near the ball Sam McIntyre slowed things down, waiting until the ball was on the ground before getting downward pressure on it instead of trying to ground the ball whilst it was still in the air.
Sam McIntyre got his first touch in the first minute of the match when he took the 4th hit-up of the match to passes off to the left of the ruck and was able to get the ball out of the Bears own twenty metre area.
In addition to running the ball strongly throughout the match, Sam McIntyre was also on hand to prevent an early Easts try in the 4th minute when he along with Cole Geyer stopped the Tigers hooker short of the try line after he had tried to dive over from close range. Sam McIntyre and Cole Geyer were to the right of the play the ball, and when the Easts hooker tried to dive over, they got low to stop him short.
Late in the first half Sam McIntyre was able to get the ball to forty metres out from the try line with an effort that accounted for ten hard metres. Just a few minutes later Sam McIntyre continued to work chasing through an Easts dropped ball that went backwards, belting the East halfback who had gone back to retrieve the ball.
It was all about Sam McIntyre’s effort in the 44th minute when somehow he willed himself to back up a break by Lofi Khan-Pereira who flew sixty metres down the left touchline leaving defenders and his own team mates behind. Somehow Sam McIntyre was able to stay close enough to get an offload from Will Evans who had picked up Lofi Khan-Pereira’s inside pass with Sam McIntyre only being stopped five metres from the try line.
Sam McIntyre’s impressive match continued in the 57th minute when he gained a further twelve metres, the last three with his back towards the try line, to get the ball twenty five metres out from his own line.
Then in the 60th minute Sam McIntyre took the second hit-up after an Easts Tigers drop out, making fourteen metres after receiving the ball to the right of the dummy half to get the ball within twenty five metres of the try line.
Sam McIntyre’s thirst for work continued in the 63rd minute with a ten metre run out to the twenty four metre mark out from his own line and then Sam McIntyre took another hit-up two tackles later in the same set of six.
Sam McIntyre was still going strong in the 75th minute when he made a further thirteen metres to get the ball over his own thirty metre mark.
Sam McIntyre also was named to start at left second row in the Round Two local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls, however he was a late scratching from the match.
Sam McIntyre was back at left second row for Round Three against the Western Mustangs, scoring the Bears second try of the match in th e10th minute. Burleigh hooker Cole Geyer broke through the Western Mustangs defensive line near the halfway mark before offloading to his left to half Cameron Brown who then offloaded to Same McIntyre who cut off his left foot immediately upon receipt of the ball to run over the Mustangs fullback to score midway between the goal posts and corner post on the left side of the field.
After missing Round Four due to playing for the Titans U19 side, Sam McIntyre was named to start Round Five against the Northern Pride at left second row however was a late scratching from the match.
Sam McIntyre also missed Round Six back was back, starting at left second row in Round Seven against the Central Queensland Capra’s as well as in Round Eight against the Redcliffe Dolphins.
Sam McIntyre moved back to the bench for Round Nine against the Mackay Cutters but was back starting at left second row in the Round Eleven local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.
The 2021 season to date for the Titans contracted Jaylan De Groot:
The former Parramatta Eels, but Northern New South Wales junior signed a one year contract with the Titans in late 2020 for the 2021 season encompassed the final year of his U18 eligibility.
To add to the positive news around Jaylan De Groot he extended his contract with the Titans in February 2021, with his new contract that commences in 2022 being a Titans NRL Development contract in recognition of a number of seasons of outstanding performances.
Jaylan De Groot’s first match in a Titans jersey came in January 2021 when he started at fullback for the Titans U19’s in their annual match against the Newcastle Knights in Coffs Harbour with Jaylan De Groot scoring a second half double for the Titans, both from long range, as the Titans defeated Newcastle 40 – 6 in an outstanding display.
Jaylan De Groot first touch of the ball in a Titans jersey came in just the second minute of the match when he moved to his right to field a Knights clearing kick on the bounce before confronting the oncoming defensive line.
Jaylan De Groot’s opening try of the match came two minutes into the second half and it was a typical Jaylan De Groot try. The play that led to the try started five metres inside the Titans own half. With Jaylan De Groot hovering behind the play the ball, the Titans worked a short blindside to get right centre Reef Sommerville into space down the right wing, as he was confronted by the fullback, Reef Sommerville grubber kiced back inside with the ball bouncing up perfectly for Jaylan De Groot who had followed the play as it developed on the inside. Once he took possession of the ball twenty metres out, no one got close to him as he brought the ball around to place it down under the posts.
Jaylan De Groot’s perchant to backing up and being in the right place at the right time, was highlighted once again late in the second half when he scored his second try. Outstanding offloads earlier in the movement by Jack Cullen and Samuel Shannon wput Thomas Weaver into space and when the half was confronted by the Knights fullback, it was none other then Jaylan De Groot who loomed up on Thomas Weaver’s right to receive the ball twenty metres out and from there Jaylan De Groot’s speed easily took him across the line to record his double.
Jaylan De Groot also had an outsanding moment in defense early in the first half. Jaylan De Groot raced to his left as the Knights found space down the right touch line. The Knights right winger cut inside late, but instead to over running the ball, Jaylan De Groot was able to shift his momentum and take the winger ball and all. If the Knights winger had beaten Jaylan De Groot’s tackle, there is no doubt the Knights would have scored.
A week after the match against the Newcastle Knights Jaylan De Groot once again lined up for the Titans U19’s at fullback as they took on a Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts squad at Burleigh Juniors with the Titans winning 32 – 20 with no conversions attempted.
Once again Jaylan De Groot had an outstanding match, being his second in a Titans jersey recording yet another try scoring double as well as multiple other smart positioning and intelligent plays that are fast becoming the norm for Jaylan De Groot.
Jaylan De Groot’s opening contribution to the Titans cause in the match was when he was able to draw the Burleigh right centre after chiming into the Titans backline on the left side of the field with a direct run at him before passing to left to find left centre Tony Francis in space who was then able to charge twelve metres to the line and get the ball down under pressure five metres in from the left corner post.
In the 7th minute of the match, Jaylan De Groot was positioned perfectly to take a Burleigh clearing kick on the full near the left touch line turning back towards the try line and he was able to return the kick twenty metres to put the Titans on the front foot.
Two tackles later Jaylan De Groot moved into dummy half fifty five metres out from the line. Jaylen De Groot darted out of dummy half to the right of the play the ball, dummying to his right before slicing through the middle of the Bears defensive line before a Jaylan De Groot right foot step enabled him to beat the Bears fullback who was defending very shallow. Once he was past the fullback, Jaylan De Groot had an easy forty metre run the line under no pressure to put the ball down under the posts.
Jaylan De Groot’s second try came in the second half when he once again backed up a Titans movement of the left side of the field, through the centre of the ruck. After Kaleb Ngamanu broke through the Bears line seventy metres out, Jaylan De Groot loomed up on Kaleb Ngamanu’s right, receiving the ball thrity five metres out after Kaleb Ngamanu had drawn the fullback, for Jaylan De Groot to put the ball down adjacent to the left upright untouched once again.
Jaylan De Groot also produced a smart play which nearly led to a Titans try in what turned out to be the final play of the first half. As usual Jaylan De Groot was bcking up through the centre of the ruck and after a Burleigh defender desperately knocked a pass down with the Titans on the attack, Jaylan De Groot tracked back to retrive the ball and with the half time siren sounding, from thirty metres out put in an intelligent chip kick which very nearly bounced back over the head of the Burleigh fullback in the in-goal with Ediq Ambrosyev hovering nearby.
One of Jaylan De Groot’s impressive attributes in the match against the Knights was his defensive positioning and that continued a week leter against Burleigh, including in the fist minute of the second half when he was on hand to knock the ball dead after Burleigh had kicked into the in-goal. Jaylan De Groot got to the ball ahead of a number of Burleigh chasers.
Just seven minutes later, Jaylan De Groot’s positioning skills were displayed once against to defuse an urgent situation when he moved to his right to get to another Burleigh kick into the in-goal to save what appeared to be a certain Bears try. Jaylan De Groot made it three exceptional defensive positional plays in the first sixteen minutes of the second half when he had to change direction and once again defuse a Burleigh kick directly behind the goal posts.
Jaylen De Groot was on hand to defuse a try for a fourth time in the second half when in the 79th minute of the match, Jaylan De Groot positioned himself direcrtly behind the play the ball and was perfectly positioned to take a Burleigh gruuber back behind the ruck. Jaylan De Groot was unable to bring the ball back into play but if he was not positioned as he had been, Burleigh would have scored in the matches final minute.
In early May 2021 a Titans U19 side travelled to North Queensland to play an U19 Cowboys selection in a curtain raiser to a Cowboys v Broncos NRL match with Jaylan De Groot starting the match at fullback for the Titans.
In November 2020 Jaylan De Groot was named in the powerful Tweed Heads Seagulls 2021 MM Cup squad and shapes as one of a number of key attacking figures in that side. Prior to that announcement, Jaylan De Groot had been named in the 2021 Parramatta Eels U18 SG Ball squad, highlighting just how good Jaylan De Groot’s junior career to date has been, thus it is another huge credit to the Titans for getting the young man to stay close to home to further his rugby league career rather than to head to Sydney.
In the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup sides second trial against Burleigh, Jaylan De Groot started the second half at fullback, even though he was wearing the No. 11 jersey. As usual Jaylan De Groot was heavily involved in his stint on the field including two try assists.
Jaylan De Groot’s first try assist came when Seagulls hooker Oskar Bryant ran out of dummy half to the right around eleven metres out from the line, drawing the Burleigh B defender before offloading to Jaylan De Groot who then threw a quick short pass to his right to put Josh Lynn over.
Jaylan De Groot’s second try assist of the match, was a piece of subtle magic. Jaylen De Groot received an inside ball after the ball was thrown to the left of the play the ball. Immediately upon receipt of the ball, Jaylen De Groot dropped the ball onto his right foot from around twenty metres out from the line. The Burleigh fullback attempted to shield the ball over the dead ball line but Jaylan De Groot refused to give up and dived full length around the right side of the fullback to knock the ball back into the in-goal for Kruze Rimene to put both hands on it. (Think Kevin Proctor in the NRL at Cbus last season).
Jaylan De Groot also started at fullback in Tweed Heads final 2021 MM Cup trial against the Souths Logan Magpies at Logan. After starting the first two quarters at fullback, Jaylan De Groot moved to the right wing in the final quarter.
Overall in the match Jaylan De Groot made a line break and also recorded a smart try assist in the final quarter whilst playing on the right wing. Jaylan De Groot’s line break came in the second quarter when he was operating just behind the play the ball. Thomas Weaver took the ball to the left before passing back to his right to Jaylan De Groot who burst through the centre of the ruck only to be dragged down just as he was accelerating away.
Late in the fourth quarter Jaylan De Groot burst down the right touchline after good work on his inside. As he was being hemmed in by the Souths Logan fullback and cover defence Jaylan De Groot grubbered kicked with his right foot inside with the kick perfectly weighted for Riley Lack who was tracking the play on the inside to get downward pressure on the ball to be awarded a try, the final one of the eight that Tweed Heads scored in the match.
In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, Jaylen De Groot started at fullback against the Ipswich Jets. Early in the second half Jaylan De Groot moved to left centre before moving back to fullback late in the match.
Jaylan De Groot second a try in each half of the Seagulls 22 – 20 first up victory the first of which came in just the 5th minute of the match. Thomas Weaver took the ball down a shortish left blindside throwing a long cut out pass when he was forty eight metres out to his left to put Keano Kini away down the left touch line. Keano Kini flew down the left touchline, drawing the fullback and passing back to his left looking for Jaylan De Groot who was backing up on the inside.
The Ipswich Jets right winger got his hand in the way to knock the ball towards the Seagulls try line with Jaylan De Groot retrieving the ball to run ten metres to score nine metres in from the left corner post to cross for the Seagulls first try of the match.
Jaylan De Groot’s second try came early in the second half in the 40th minute of the match. Thomas Weaver put up a bomb to the Seagulls left corner and it was perfectly weighted for Jaylan De Groot to come through with the momentum to take the ball on the full in the in goal to get the ball down a metre from the dead ball line.
Jaylan De Groot also started at fullback in Round Two against the Souths Logan Magpies but moved to the left wing in the second half. In Tweed Heads 32 – 24 victory, Jaylan De Groot scored in the second half and also recorded a try assist in the opening minutes of the match.
Jaylan De Groot scored in the 45th minute when after Thomas Weaver backed up a break out of dummy half by Blake Mozer, drawing the Souths Logan fullback before passing to the left to Jaylan De Groot who was able to bring the ball around to put it down under the posts.
Jaylan De Groot’s try assist came in just the second minute of the match when he received the ball off Thomas Weaver on the left side of the field fifteen metres out from the line, taking the ball towards the defensive line before throwing a great cut-out pass to his left to put Keano Kini away down the left touchline and dive over to score in the left corner.
Jaylan De Groot also had a line break early in the match, when he was part of a set play down the left blind side from a Tweed Heads scrum feed forty metres out from the line. Thomas Weaver received the ball from the back of the scrum with Jaylan De Groot sprinting from the opposite side of the scrum to take Thomas Weaver’s held up pass before dummying to his left and sprinting thirty metres downfield only to be brought down ten metres out.
Jaylan De Groot’s safe hands came to the fore in the 48th minute of the match when Souths Logan kicked to his wing, Jaylan De Groot jumped high to take the ball above his head two metres out from his own line and as soon as his feet touched the ground he took off and was able to get the ball back to the twenty metre mark before finally being tackled.
A strong run in the 63rd minute by Jack Cullen almost produced a second try for Jaylan De Groot when he flew onto the ball in the twenty metre area, getting partially through the Souths Logan line before throwing a right arm off-load to Jaylan De Groot who was backing up on his left with Jaylan De Groot getting within metres of the line. Jaylan De Groot in fact was held down and awarded a penalty which Thomas Weaver then kicked to put Tweed Heads eight points in front with six minutes to go.
Jaylan De Groot once again started at fullback in Round Three in the Gold Coast local derby against the Burleigh Bears and once again was one of the Seagulls try scorers in their impressive victory.
As has become the norm, Jaylen De Groot and Keano Kini swapped positions on a number of occasions over the course of the match.
Jaylan De Groot’s try came in the 44th minute when Thomas Weaver ran down a short left blind side ten metres out from the line and passed back to his right to put Jaylen De Groot into a yawning gap who was able to bring the ball around to put it down under the posts.
In the 5th minute of the match Jaylen De Groot was well positioned to prevent a Burleigh try when he covered to his left to be on hand to take a short blindside grubber dead in the right corner under heavy pressure from Burleigh chasers.
Jaylan De Groot showed once again in the match that he is always prepared to do the hard work when he got into dummy half and darted to his right, making eighteen metres to get the ball to the halfway mark, breaking two tackles along the way.
Jaylan De Groot was also named to start at fullback for Round Four match against the Ipswich Jets and whilst he did not score, still had a strong contribution to the Seagulls victory.
As usual Jaylan De Groot hunted just behind the play the ball and in the 17th minute he got into dummy half, darting out of that position to his left to make twenty metres through the centre of the ruck to get the ball to within twenty metres of the try line.
Jaylan De Groot also produced a strong defensive play in the 22nd minute when after chasing back to corral an Ipswich line break, Jaylan De Groot picked up the Ipswich right second rower (No. 12) and putting him on his back and taking all of the momentum out of the Jets sails.
Fullbacks need to continuously focus in their positioning and it was that attention to detail that meant Jaylan De Groot was positioned correctly in the 67th minute to field a hard grubber on his own line directly adjacent to the right upright. By being in the right position Jaylan De Groot ensured that he was not trapped in the in-goal.
Jaylan De Groot also started at fullback in Round Five against the Souths Logan Magpies, scoring once again in the Seagulls 38 – 14 victory.
After being rested in Round Six, Jaylan De Groot was named at fullback for the Seagulls Semi-final against Wynnum Manly and had an outstanding match, including scoring in the second half as the Seagulls qualified for the 2021 MM Cup Grand Final.
Jaylan De Groot’s try came in the 45th minute when he backed up on the inside of Ryan Foran after the Seagulls left second rower had taken an inside kick from left winger Elijah Lui and passed to Jaylan De Groot who dived over under the posts.
Jaylan De Groot was heavily involved throughout the match with his initial major contribution coming in the 15th minute when he took the ball from the dummy half down a short left blind side making eighteen metres, breaking three tackles, getting the ball forty two metres out.
Then in the 21st minute, Jaylan De Groot received the ball once again down the left this time off the back of a Tweed Heads scrum win, making a further twelve metres.
In the 23rd minute Jaylan De Groot was on hand to scoop up a Wynnum Manly dropped ball and return it fifteen metres before being tackled but Jaylan De Groot was held down too long and was awarded a penalty.
Jaylan De Groot showcased his positioning when he whilst tracking backwards in the 25th minute he took a towering Wynnum Manly bomb near the posts to gain a twenty metre restart for the Seagulls.
In the 26th minute, Jaylan De Groot once again proved he was safe at fullback when he retrieved a Wynnum Manly grubber kick safely down low and was able to bring the ball back fifteen metres.
Jaylan De Groot produced a key try saving tackle on the final play of the first half when he got low and stopped the Wynnum Manly hooker just short of the line when he tried to sneak over from dummy half.
In the 2021 MM Cup Queensland Grand Final against the Townsville Blackhawks, Jaylan De Groot once again started at fullback and scored in the first half as the Seagulls won back to back MM Cup Championships by defeating Townsville 30 – 24.
Jaylan De Groot’s try came in the 17th minute when Seagulls hooker Oskar Bryant took off out of dummy half to his right on the halfway mark, slicing through the middle of the Blackhawks defence after veering back towards the area behind the play the ball. After he was through the line, Oskar Bryant drew the fullback before passing to his right to Jaylan De Groot who raced away to score under the posts.
Whilst his try was a key moment in the Seagulls Grand Final victory, in the 67th minute Jaylan De Groot produced the play of the Grand Final with the play not just saving the match for the Seagulls but enabling them to claim victory.
With just three minute s to go in the 67th minute with Tweed Heads staring down the barrel of a tough Grand Final loss, being six points down, Jaylan De Groot took a high spiralling bomb just two metres out from his own line and took the Townsville line on by stepping to his right before veering left before spinning counter clockwise breaking two tackles to get the ball to forty metres out from his own line and then Jaylan De Groot whilst finally being tackled was able to get a right arm off-load away to Oskar Bryant.
Tweed Heads were under pressure early and in the 6th minute, Jaylan De Groot along with Thomas Weaver and Oskar Bryant were able to stem the flow by holding of a rampaging Townsville front rower (No. 8) to stop the Blackhawks from scoring twice in the opening minutes.
Jaylan De Groot’s innate positioning sense was highlighted in the 42nd minute when he raced across to his field to get to a Townsville grubber kick well inside his own in-goal. Jaylan De Groot however was able to beat two players and somehow was able to get the ball out of the in-goal and maintain possession for Tweed Heads.
Jaylan De Groot made his Hastings Deering’s Colts debut in Round Six for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in their 30 – 18 victory over the Easts Tigers with Jaylan De Groot starting the match at fullback.
Jaylan De Groot also started at fullback in Round Seven against the Norths Devils, scoring his first career Hastings Deering’s Colts try in the Seagulls big victory.
Jaylan De Groot continued at fullback in Round Eight against the Mackay Cutters, kicking a conversion in the Seagulls tough loss and also started at fullback in Round Nine against Wynnum Manly.
Jaylan De Groot continued at fullback in the Round Eleven local derby against the Burleigh Bears.
During a Tweed Heads Seagulls Hastings Deering’s Colts bye week, Jaylan De Groot started for the Cudgen Hornets NRRRL First Grade side at fullback against the Byron Bay Devils.
Round Eight against the Kyogle Turkeys, in another Tweed Heads Colts bye week saw Jaylan De Groot move to the right wing against the Kyogle Turkeys with Jaylan De Groot making an immediate impact by scoring inside the opening minute of the match when he received an off-load thirty metres out and darted downfield to score with a big dive in the right corner.
Jaylan De Groot added a second try in the 24th minute when a bomb was put up towards his right wing with Jaylan De Groot jumping high to take the ball in his right hand and get it down in the right corner.
Jaylan De Groot also started on the right wing in Round Eleven against the Lower Clarence Magpies with Jaylan De Groot scoring one try and setting up another.
Jaylan De Groot scored in the 43rd minute when he was on the end of a Cudgen backline movement, receiving the ball around eight metres from the line with Jaylan De Groot diving over acrobatically in the right corner.
As noted above Jaylan De Groot contributed to a Hornets try in the 18th minute. After Lower Clarence kicked downfield from well inside their own territory, the Hornets fullback got the ball to Jaylan De Groot to space and he burst forty five metres down field. Just inside Magpies territory Jaylan De Groot stepped off his left foot to beat one cover defender before drawing the fullback and getting the ball away to his right to send his right centre away to score under the posts.
In a Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts bye week, Jaylan De Groot was named to start on the left wing in Round Eight of the NRRRL U18 competition for the Cudgen Hornets against the Kyogle Turkeys. Whislt he started the match on the left wing, Jaylan De Groot certainly did not park himself there and wait for the ball to come in his direction, with the Titans contracted youngster popping up all over the field.
Last night Cooper Camby started at left centre for PBC in Round Six of the Langer Cup Reserve Grade competition against Keebra Park with Cooper Camby scoring PBC’s opening try of the match in just the 2nd minute of the match when after PBC, on the last tackle, spun the ball to their right, the ball came back to Cooper Camby on the left around eight metres out.
Cooper Camby was confronted immediately by a defender and subsequently put in a short grubber kick for himself, regathering the ball just short of the line and getting the ball down near the left corner.
Titans contracted Sam Stephenson started at fullback for PBC in Round Six of the 2021 Hancock Cup school boy competition against Coombabah State High School with the powerful young man scoring a double.
Sam Stephenson’s first try came in the 22nd minute when he looped around to the left side of the field, receiving the ball from his five eight eighteen metres from the line, after pushing off one defender Sam Stephenson burst through a gap between two defenders to power over.
Sam Stephenson’s second try came in the 33rd minute with Sam Stephenson racing away to score under the posts. The try scoring movement started when from deep in their own territory PBC kicked downfield. It looked as if the ball would go into touch but the PBC centre got to the ball and whipped back inside to Sam Stephenson who to be fair was not expecting the ball, but he was able to take the ball and run away to score.
Coombabah SHS’s Izayah Petrichvich is having an outstanding Walters Cup campaign and scored once again in Round Six against Forest Lake State High School last night when in the 29th minute from the left centre position, Izayah Petrichvich received a pass from his inside and was able to dive over in the left corner.
Last night for PBC, Titans contracted Bailey McConnell was outstanding in a beaten side in Round Six of the Langer Reserve competition against Keebra Park SHS, recording two line breaks amongst an overall impressive match.
Bailey McConnell’s opening line break came in the 9th minute of the match when, whilst operating on the left around twenty metres from the line, Bailey McConnell ran at the ball before dummying to his left and subsequently sliced through the Keebra Park line. Bailey McConnell was then able to draw the fullback but his support to his left could not handle the pass with the try line beckoning.
Bailey McConnell also broke the Keebra Park defensive line in the 21 minutes when once again he sliced through the Keebra Park right sided defence. Once he was through the line, Bailey McConnell got the ball away to Jett Forbes and then stayed alive to get the ball back from the fullback and make a further fifteen metres down field.
Last night Titans contracted Zane Harrison continued at halfback for PBC in Round Six of the Walters Cup against Keebra Park SHS and one was of PBC’s best in their tough loss recording a try assist in the 28th minute with a pin point cross field kick to the right corner for his winger to race through to take the ball on the full and score wide out on the right.
Last night I was lucky enough to witness one of the most dominant school boy performances I have ever seen from Keebra Park’s Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki who started at left centre in Round Six of the Walters Cup against PBC SHS and was simply dominant in a player of the match performance, scoring two tries and kicking four conversions from five attempts as Keebra Park put their local rivals to the sword.
Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki scored his opening try in the 18th minute as a result of a great forty metre charge down the left side of the field to score wide out untouched after getting an offload from his inside.
Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki completed his double in the 55th minute, and what a try it was. Keebra Park spun the ball out to his left side but the pass intended for Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki was knocked forward by PBC. Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki tracked back to retrieve the ball twenty five metres from the line and ran back towards centre field. After bumping off one defender which included Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki dropping to one knee, he rumbled forward breaking four more tackles and then dragged three more PBC defenders over the line with him to get the ball down under the posts.
It was clear in just the 4th minute of the match that Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki was going to have a big match when he made the first of many line breaks with a twenty metre run and Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki made a further twelve metres in the 8th minute.
Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki made another line break in the 31st minute when after running an underneath route he broke six tackles in a devastating run into the PBC defensive line.
Unsung Jay Blazek started at lock last night for Coombabah SHS in Round Five of the Langer Cup against St Mary’s College Toowoomba scoring one try and setting up another as Coombabah SHS put their opponents to the sword in a comprehensive 38 – 0 victory.
Jay Blazek scored an outstanding try in the 21st minute when he backed up a break from deep inside Coombabah SHS territory by Tana Clark. Jay Blazek loomed up on Clark’s right and one he received the ball fifty five metres from the line, Jay Blazek easily outpaced the cover defence to dive over near the left corner.
Jay Blazek’s try assist came in the 26th minute when after running to the left side of the field and bumping off one defender, Jay Blazek was able to attract one defender out of the line and big a good short pass away to his left to put Dre Goldsmith into a big gap ten metres out with the powerful right centre easily getting across the line.
The Round Five Langer Cup local derby last night against PBC saw Keebra Park’s De’Ontae Perese start at right centre and in the 33rd minute he produced an exceptional right arm flick off-load to put Levi Jones over in the right corner to kick off Keebra Park’s stunning second half comeback.
The Round Five Langer Cup local derby against PBC saw Keebra Park’s Elijah Lui continue on the left wing and scored Keebra Park’s opening try in the match in the 23rd minute with a try in the left corner after he had taken the cut-out pass above is head.
Elijah Lui came close to a second try in the 37th minute when after a great off-load from Immanuel Kalekale, Elijah Lui raced down the left touchline and kicked forward for himself when confronted by PBC fullback Keano Kini. Keani Kini got back to the ball first but Elijah Lui was able to force Keani Kini into the in-goal to force a goal line drop out.
Former NZ U16 representative K-CI Newton-Whare scored his first Langer Cup try last night for Coombaabah SHS after starting in the front row last night in Round Five against St Mary’s College Toowoomba, scoring in the opening minutes of Coombabah SHS’s impressive victory. In just the third minute of the match, K-CI Newton-Whare ran onto the ball two passes to the right of the play the ball and after a sligh step off his right foot, K-CI Newton-Whare broke through two tackles and dragged two more defenders over the line to get the ball down under the posts.
Last night Titans contracted Caleb Gould-Waiariki started at halfback for Coombabah SHS in Round Five of the Langer Cup against St Mary’s College Toowoomba and he put on a play making clinic including recording two try assists as Coombabah SHS belted their Toowoomba based rivals 38 – 0.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki’s opening try assist came in the 9th minute when he took the ball down a short left blindside and threw a great cut-out pass to his left to put his left centre over in the corner.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki recorded his second try assist in the 45th minute when he put in a perfectly weighted right foot stab kick towards the left corner with the ball sitting up perfectly for his left second rower to charge onto the ball to score wide out.
The Round Five Langer Cup local derby last night against PBC saw Keebra Park’s Taniela Mapusua-Lotaki start at left centre and score in the 47th minute with a ten metre run to the line down the left channel.
Taniela Mapusua-Lotaki was also heavily involved in Elijah Lui’s 37th minute line break when he was on hand to receive an off-load from his inside by Immanuel Kalekale with Taniela Mapusua-Lotaki then off-loading to his left to Elijah Lui who broke away down the left touchline.
Last night Titans contracted Keano Kini continued at fullback for the much anticipated Round Five Langer Cup local derby against Keebra park State High School and recorded a 53rd minute try assist when he ran at the line on the left side of the field, digging deep into the line before off-loading to his left to put his winger over in the left corner.
Keano Kini overall had a strong match including an impressive first kick return in just the second minute of the match when he was able to get the ball back to the halfway mark after taking receipt of the ball deep inside his own twenty metre area.
Titans contracted Joseph Shannon started in the front row last night in Round Five of the Langer Cup against St Mary’s College Toowoomba with the giant firebrand charging onto the ball from ten metres out in the 35th minute to get the ball down just to the right of the uprights.
Titans contracted Michael Roberts started on the right wing last night for PBC in the much anticipated Round Five Langer Cup local derby against Keebra Park State High School and scored a first half double in PBC’s tough loss.
Michael Roberts scored his first try in the 10th minute try assist when Thomas Weaver put in a pin point kick to the right side of the field with the ball falling perfectly for Michael Roberts who took the ball on the fly and was able to bring the ball around to score under the posts.
Michael Roberts completed his double in the 30th minute with a twelve metre burst down the right touchline to score in the right corner.
Hail Sezer
22-07-21, 03:00 PM
Last night Titans contracted Keano Kini continued at fullback for the much anticipated Round Five Langer Cup local derby against Keebra park State High School and recorded a 53rd minute try assist when he ran at the line on the left side of the field, digging deep into the line before off-loading to his left to put his winger over in the left corner.
Keano Kini overall had a strong match including an impressive first kick return in just the second minute of the match when he was able to get the ball back to the halfway mark after taking receipt of the ball deep inside his own twenty metre area.
He's the closest thing I've seen to Khunt in the way he returns the ball
Great to see the Titans bring another local junior to their elite JTS program with Lismore's Leeton Smith coming on board recently.
This season Leeton Smith has been one of the best players in the Group One U16 competition playing for the Marist Rams.
Through his opening seven matches in the competition, Leeton Smith has scored 42 points from seven tries and seven goals, playing his first three matches in the second row and the next four at halfback.
Last night Thomas Weaver continued at halfback and captain for PBC in the much anticipated Round Five Langer Cup local derby against Keebra Park State High School kicking three goals and recording a 10th minute try assist when he put in a pin point kick to the right side of the field with the ball falling perfectly for Michael Roberts who took the ball on the fly and was able to bring the ball around to score under the posts.
The Round Five local derby against PBC last night saw Keebra Park and Titans contracted Immanuel Kalekale surge into prominence on the biggest stage in school boy rugby league on the Gold Coast.
Immanuel Kalekale was named to start in the front row and put in a dominating performance to lead Keebra Park to an impressive come from behind victory.
Immanuel Kalekale was simply devastating running the ball but it was two off-loads that also brought Immanuel Kalekale to prominence in the match, including an off-load in the 38th minute after he kept fighting in a tackle. Immanuel Kalekale was able to get his right arm free and off-load to his left to Delahia Wigmore who cut back to his right into space to score from ten metres out.
Immanuel Kalekale’s other significant off-load came in the 37th minute and came when he charged onto the ball on the left side of the field and whilst in contact with the line got a great right arm off-load away to left centre Taniela Mapusua-Lotaki who then off-loaded to Elijah Lui who broke away down the left touchline.
Quite simply Immanuel Kalekale was the best player on the field.
Whilst Keebra Park is a premomintly a rugby league three current students are currently representing the South Coast school boy rugby side being Lama Afu, Josh Siulepa, and Mateo Faleono.
Great highlights package of Jayden Campbell:
https://www.qrl.com.au/news/2021/07/22/the-incredibly-talented-jayden-campbell/
Tomorrow night the Burleigh GCRL First Grade are up against Tugun and Titans contracted Alofiana Khan-Pereira is set to start on the right wing for the Bears.
Great to see Titans contracted Brock Lennox named at outside centre for TSS in Saturday's GPS U16A Round Two match away to Churchie.
In his GPS U16B Round One match last weekend Titans contracted Brock Lennox kicked two conversions for TSS against Brisbane Grammar School.
After a solid performance at lock for PBC last night Titans contracted Jayden Wright is set to revert back to his more traditional right second row position on the weekend for Currumbin in Round Eight of the GCRL U!8 Division One competition against the Southport Tigers.
RavShamrock
22-07-21, 08:39 PM
Great posts as usual mdrew you are a machine.
Sounds like there is some terrific talent in our junior ranks and I'd like to hear your opinion on the Titan's affiliated players when compared to the remainder of the players not associated with us? In other words mate how well do you think the Titan's management are going with identifying and locking-up the best/right talent?
cheers
The short answer mate is that on the Coast and in Northern NSW the Titans were not necessarily the first option but as a result of Jamie McCormack and the JTS Program the Titans have been able to keep the best of the local juniors in Titans colours.
If you look at the three schools that have Titans official partnerships the best talent are all contracted to the Titans (not all but most) being PBC, Keebra Park and Marsden.
It is not just getting players signed however it is also their development. A prime example is Immanuel Kalakale who was impressive but raw when he signed but as a result of the JTS Program he has exploded to become the form front rower in the Langer Cup alongside fellow Titan Josiah Pahulu from Ipswich.
Also some of the so called "lesser names" have developed incredibly under Jamie McCormack's tutilige such as Reef Sommerville.
I know that I am biased but for me the Titans have easily the best Junior Development Program in Queensland and the only program that could be considered on par in Australia is Penrith. You just have to look at the recent Northern Rivers cohort that includes Tom Weaver, Jack Cullen, Ryan Foran and Reef Sommerville amongst others.
Also the best Queensland/Australian U16 player is a Titan in William Semu, the young man is a freak as is destroying the predomintly U18 Langer Cup competition on a weekly basis.
Similiarly the best U18 player in Australia in Tom Weaver is also a Titan.
Then look at Keano Kini who was considered the best NZ U16 player in recent memory and was being chased by literally every NRL club and also more than a few NZ Super Rugby clubs including the Auckland Blues. What did he do, he signed with the Titans and is developing into an absolutely star of the future.
The you can consider an out of the box signing like Xavier Stowers who was a stand out rugby No. 8 for Ipswich Grammar School in the GPS First XV rugby competition but the Titans snared him and he moved to Marden where he is developing on an exponential curve due to Jamie McCormack and the JTS Program.
Great posts as usual mdrew you are a machine.
Sounds like there is some terrific talent in our junior ranks and I'd like to hear your opinion on the Titan's affiliated players when compared to the remainder of the players not associated with us? In other words mate how well do you think the Titan's management are going with identifying and locking-up the best/right talent?
cheers
lonegull
22-07-21, 09:36 PM
Thanks mdrew,exciting times it something the titans didn’t do well in the past and we are seeing this with the current NRL squad but Jamie and the JTS system has made some great in roads and hopefully the NRL side will bear the great work in years to come exciting times ahead
After an outstanding performance for Coombabah SHS in the Langer Cup in Wednesday night it is great to see that K-CI Newton-Whare will back up in the front row for Runaway Bay in this weekend's GCRL U!8 Division One match against Mudgeeraba.
After their GPS First XV performances for TSS last weekend it is no surprise that the Titans contracted trio of Kaleb Ngamanu (captain and inside centre), Syris Schmidt (vice captain and fly half) and Nicholas Hilton (No. 8) have been named for Round Two this weekend against Anglican Church Grammar School.
Great to see that Titans contracted pair Kaleb Ngamanu and Syris Schmidt receive coaches honourable mentions for their GPS Round One First XV performances for TSS last weekend against Brisbane Grammar School.
The 2021 season to date for Hikoirangi Paki:
The talented youngster moved over from Auckland for the 2021 season and started at fullback for the Southport Tigers in their GCRL U18 Division One Round One match against the Currumbin Eagles.
Hikoirangi Paki was unable to complete the match but he had some good moments prior to going off including a ten metre dart out of dummy half to the right to get Southport on the attack forty metres out from the try line.
Hikoirangi Paki also recorded one of the stranger intercepts that I have seen when in the 21st minute whist he was trying to drag down one of the Currumbin forwards from behind the Eagles forward looked to off-load to his left, but Hikoirangi Paki stuck his left arm up and the ball stuck in his left hand. Hikoirangi Paki then turned and ran the ball back getting to within a metre of the try line before being stopped.
Hikoirangi Paki also started at fullback in Round Two against Runaway Bay and scored in the 16th minute when he was on the end of a Southport movement to the right. Hikoirangi Paki received the ball in space ten metres from the try line and headed towards the right corner. At the last moment Hikoirangi Paki cut back towards his left as two Seagulls defenders went flying by to dive over.
In the 23rd minute Hikoirangi Paki almost scored his second try of the match when he got within a metre of the try line after receiving the ball on the right side of the field fifteen metres out before cutting back towards the goal posts.
Hikoirangi Paki also did well defensively in the match including in the 41st minute when he was able to hold up the Runaway Bay left second rower with Southport holding a narrow lead.
Hikoirangi Paki continued his run of starts at fullback in Round Three against the Ormeau Shearers before moving to right centre in Round Four against Burleigh with the positional move paying dividends with Hikoirangi Paki scoring in the 26th and 39th minutes of Southport’s 32 – 28 loss.
Hikoirangi Paki continued at left centre in Round Five against the Nerang Roosters.
Round Six against Mudgeeraba saw Hikoirangi Paki continue at left centre and scored a double with his first try coming in the 17th minute when from ten metres out Hikoirangi Paki produced a right foot step to get past the initial defender that confronted him before crashing over with four defenders engaged.
Hikoirangi Paki’s second try came in the final minute of the match when he received an off-load from his right second rower who had just taken a cross kick on the full, with Hikoirangi Paki able to dive over in the right corner as a result. Hikoirangi Paki also made a 19th minute line break in the match when he burst forty metres down the right channel off a good off-load on his inside.
Hikoirangi Paki then moved to right centre for Round Nine against the Runaway Bay Seagulls and was on the move again in Round Ten against the Ormeau Shearers when he started at five eight.
Hikoirangi Paki had a solid pre-season with the Tigers including a good Pre-season Round Two U18 Division One match against the Ormeau Shearers when in addition to recording a 61st minute try assist, Hikoirangi Paki then converted Southport’s first try of the match.
Hikoirangi Paki’s try assist was an impressive one, he chimed into the backline on the right side of the field and once he had drawn two Shearers defenders Hikoirangi Paki threw a great right arm flick pass to his right winger to race eighteen metres to score in the right corner.
Hikoirangi Paki attended Mabel Park State High School upon his arrival from New Zealand, starting Round One of the 2021 Langer Cup School Boy competition at left centre against Coombabah State High School, recording an outstanding try assist in the 59th minute with an outstanding off-load to his left as he was going to ground after pushing off one defender to put his left winger into space and subsequently score in the left corner.
Hikoirangi Paki moved to fullback for Round Two against Keebra Park State High School and also started at fullback in Round Three against St Mary’s College, scoring in the 24th minute when he received the ball in space on the right side of the field and easily scored untouched from twelve metres out, getting the ball down five metres in from the right corner.
Hikoirangi Paki also started at fullback in Round Four against Wavell State High School and produced probably the best tackle of the match in the 10th minute when he went low to take down the rampaging Wavell SHS right second row who had burst through the Mable Park defence and had only Hikoirangi Paki to beat.
Round Five against Marsden State High School saw Hikoirangi Paki move to the left wing.
On Wednesday night Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr started at right centre for Mabel Park SHS in Round Five of the Langer Cup against Marsden State High School, producing an outstanding performance as Mabel Park SHS gave Marsden SHS a real scare with Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr kicking three goals from five attempts.
The exceptionally talented young centre moved over from Auckland and started at right centre for the Southport Tigers in their GCRL U18 Division One Round One match against the Currumbin Eagles.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr had a solid first match on the Gold Coast, including recording a try assist when as soon as he received a pass from his left he popped a short ball to his right to put Elikena Finau into a gap with the lock subsequently running twenty metres to score.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr also made a number of strong charges in the match including two that stood out, with both coming from kick-off returns, the first of which came off the second half kick-up when the ran to his left, breaking three tackles and then from the kick-off after the Elikena Finau try, Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr broke a further two tackles on his kick-off return.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr also started at right centre in Round Two against Runaway Bay and in just the 2nd minute of the match he made a strong burst of fourteen metres from a hit-up to the right of the dummy half with Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr initially receiving the ball just eight metres out from his own line.
Then in the 5th minute Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr broke two tackles when running the ball off a Tigers scrum win, making sixteen strong metres with at least half of those post contact metres. Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr made another strong run from a Southport scrum win in the 7th minute making a further ten metres.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr hard working start to the match continued when he took the second hit-up from the kick-off after the first Southport try making ten metres to get the ball outside of his own twenty metre area.
The 18th minute saw Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr record a line break directly from the kick-off after Southport’s second try. Southport let the kick-off bounce and it actually bounced back towards the oncoming Runaway Bay chasers. Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr charged forward retrieving the ball at full speed and then ran straight through two defenders to get the ball back to the forty metre line.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr continued to highlight that he can run all sorts of routes when in the 22nd minute he came back underneath one of his playmakers running to his left and backing sixteen metres to get within twenty metres of the try line.
Just a minute later in the 23rd minute, Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr ran out of dummy half once again getting within two metres of the line after a strong fourteen metre run after running to his right.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr had a line break assist in the match as well when in the 33rd minute he moved over to the left side of the field for a set move off the back of a scrum, drawing in both his immediate defender as well as the Seagulls right winger to put his own winger away down the left touchline.
Whilst he was one of the most dangerous ball runners in the match, Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr did not ignore his defensive duties, including in the 28th minute when he made a strong tackle on the Seagulls fullback who had run down a short right blindside.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr continued his run of starts at right centre in Round Three against the Ormeau Shearers and scored an impressive double in the 16 all draw.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr continued at right centre in Round Five against the Nerang Roosters and was one of the Tigers try scorers in the match. Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr also started at right centre in Round Ten against the Ormeau Shearers.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr attended Mabel Park State High School upon his arrival from New Zealand, originally being named to start Round One of the 2021 Langer Cup School Boy competition from the bench against Coombabah State High School however Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr ended up starting the match at right centre.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr made a key contribution for Mabel Park State High School in the 25th minute when from a scrum win he was able to rumble forward after receiving the ball on the left, getting to less than a metre from the line. Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr was on his feet in a flash, producing a quick play the ball that the dummy half was able to take advantage of to dive over under the posts.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr moved to left centre for Round Two against Keebra Park State High School and was as good as any player on the field, including recording a try assist in just the 5th minute when he surged down the left channel after receiving the ball twenty metres out from the line. After he received the ball Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr got rid of the Keebra Park right winger and charged downfield getting to within three metre of the line before being taken by the cover defence but even though he was held by the defence Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr as able off-load to his left winger score in the left corner.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr then did not rest in his laurels, taking the hit-up from the subsequent kick-off. Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr made another strong run in the 41st minute when from a Mabel Park SHS scrum win to get the ball out of his own twenty metre area.
Then in the 47th minute, Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr charged onto the ball off a tap restart after Mabel Park received a penalty with Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr making thirteen metres when he charged straight into the giant Keebra Park SHS forward pack.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr produced a great defensive effort in the 25th minute when he highlighted his elite speed to chase the Keebra Park fullback (Elijah Lui) after he had made a long break to round him up quickly just after he had passed the halfway line.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr rounded out his outstanding performance in the match in the 50th minute when he made twenty seven metres after receiving the ball thirty metres from the line.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr continued at left centre in Round Three against St Mary’s College Toowoomba and was heavily involved in Mabel Park’s 35th minute try with a great right arm off-load in the lead up prior to the try near the left corner.
Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr also started at left centre in Round Four against Wavell State High School.
Prior to his arrival on the Gold Coast in 2021, Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr was part of the Auckland Vulcan’s Blues U20 side for the inaugural New Zealand U20 Championships.
In 2020 Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr was a stand out for both Kelston Boys High and the Marist Saints.
In 2018 Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr was a member of the Akarana Falcons side at the U15 National Youth Championships, scoring a double on Day One against the Wellington Orca’s. Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr also scored on Day Three against Counties Manukau and kicked a conversion on Day Two against the Central Vipers.
The 2021 season to date for Titans contracted Ben Liyou:
In 2021 Ben Liyou is part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls Hastings Deering’s Colts squad and started in the front row in their final 2021 trial against the Burleigh Bears and was immediately in the action making the first tackle of the match on the charging Burleigh front rower Daniel Shannon.
In the 5th minute of the match Ben Liyou produced a strong twenty metre run after Tweed Heads got the ball back after retrieving a short kick-off to display that Ben Liyou is more than just a solid defensive player. Ben Liyou produced another strong twenty metre run off the kick-off after Seagulls team mate Troy Duckett’s try and then also took another strong hit-up on the fourth tackle in the same set of six.
Round One of the 2021 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition saw Ben Liyou start in the front row for the Tweed Heads Seagulls as well as captaining the side when they took on the Souths Logan Magpies.
Ben Liyou took the first hit-up of the match after Souths Logan kicked off but unfortunately in jus thte 4th minute of the match, Ben Liyou was taken off for a HIA which he subsequently failed to prematurely end his afternoon.
Ben Liyou also started in the front row in Round Two in the local derby against the Burleigh Bears and was one of the Seagulls try scorers in the 32 – 24 victory.
Ben Liyou’s try came in the 41st minute with the front rower rumbling twelve metres to score after receiving the ball from his left from Laz Sua. When he received the ball Ben Liyou initially dummied to his right before holding off the Burleigh left second rower with a strong straight left arm to get over to score. Ben Liyou then took the hit-up from Burleigh’s subsequent kick-off making another strong run.
Ben Liyou as has become his trademark, took the first hit-up of the match from the kick-off and then backed that up by taking the 4th hit-up in the same set of six. Ben Liyou then ran the ball from a kick-off once again in the 5th minute bringing the ball back over Jojo Fifita’s try. Ben Liyou made it three kick-offs in a row where he returned the kick-off when in the 9th minute he returned that ball back after Carsil Vaikai’s try.
Ben Liyou is certainly not the biggest front rower running around but he is certainly strong and in the 51st minute Burleigh right centre Tony Francis bore the brunt of that strength when Ben Liyou hit him with a strong crunching tackle that required play to be stopped for a couple of minutes.
Ben Liyou also started in the front row in Round Three against the Redcliffe Dolphins and in Round Four against the Ipswich Jets.
Ben Liyou also started in the front row in Round Five against the Northern Pride, scoring for the Seagulls as they defeated the Jets 40 – 18.
Ben Liyou continued his run of starts in the front row in Round Six against the Easts Tigers, in Round Seven against the Norths Devils, in Round Eight against the Mackay Cutters, in Round Nine against Wynnum Manly and in the Round Eleven local derby against the Burleigh Bears.
Titans contracted Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was named to start at hooker last night in Round Five of the Langer Cup for Marsden SHS against Mabel Park State High School.
Even though he initially was named at hooker, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa spent a lot of the time that he was on the field in a first receiver role where he excelled to highlight what a diverse skill set this exceptional talent has.
On Tuesday night, Titans contracted Xavier Stowers started in the front row for Marsden SHS in Round Five of the Langer Cup competition against Mabel Park State High School and was one Marsden SHS’s try scorers in their hard fought win with Xavier Stowers scoring in each half.
Xavier Stowers opening try came inside the first two minutes when from three metres out Xavier Stowers charged onto the ball, receiving a wide pass to the left of the play the ball to score easily next to the right upright.
In the 36th minute, Xavier Stowers charged onto the ball from close to the line and to the left of the paly the ball. Even though he initially contracted the defensive line still and couple of metres from the line, Xavier Stowers continued to fight in the tackle and in fact backed his way to the line for the last metre or two and at the last moment was able to twist his way over the line to get the ball down adjacent to the left upright.
The 2021 season to date for Titans contracted Jac Finnigan:
In early January 2021 Jac Finnigan was part of a small but impressive group of Titans linked 2021 U15 players who after attending a Titans camp and spent time training with the Titans NRL squad. Post that camp Jac Finnigan signed a contract that will keep him with the Titans and on the Gold Coast for the next couple of seasons at the very least.
Jac Finnigan also attends Palm Beach Currumbin (PBC) State High School on the Gold Coast as part of their Rugby League Excellence Program which has a close formal partnership with the Titans.
Early February 2021 saw Jac Finnigan make it through the first stage of the South Coast U15 QSSRL trials when he was named in the U15 Oceania school boy U15 squad. Following the final round of the school boy trials, Jac Finnigan was named in the 2021 South Coast U15 school boy QSSRL squad for the 2021 QSSRL U15 State Championships starting the Championship Final against Met West at right second row.
Jac Finnigan made a strong start in the 2021 QSSRL U15 Championship Final when in the 7th minute he made a good run accounting for twelve metres and promoting the ball to near thirty metres out from the Met West line and then was awarded a penalty for crowding by the defenders as Jac Finnigan attempted to play the ball.
Jac Finnigan was one of the South Coast try scorers in their 28 – 20 Championship Final victory with his try coming in the 24th minute when fullback Ray Puru took the ball down a short right blindside ten metres out and popping a good ball to Jac Finnigan who crashed over in the right corner.
Jac Finnigan also scored on Day Three against Met North when in the 47th minute he ran a great outside shoulder line from twenty five metres out to receive a pass from Zane Harrison, with Jac Finnigan running untouched to put the ball down five metres in from the right corner post.
In 2021 Jac Finnigan continued at PBC as part of the school’s Elite Rugby League Program and made a strong impression at right second row for the PBC Walters Cup side in their Round One 16 all draw against Ipswich State High School.
Jac Finnigan’s initial major contribution came in the 14th minute when he ran a hard straight crash line, almost breaking the line and then Jac Finnigan ran the same line once again in the 18th minute.
Jac Finnigan ran a more subtle outside shoulder line in the 36th minute, once again getting halfway through the line before getting a right arm off-load away to Zane Harrison who made a further twenty metres downfield.
Jac Finnigan also started at right second row in Round Two against Forest Lake State High School and he was once again at his devastating best running the ball, recording a try assist as well as a number of line breaks.
Jac Finnigan’s try assist was recorded in the 41st minute, when after he received a good ball from Zane Harrison on his inside, Jac Finnigan absorbed contact before off-loading to his right for hir right centre to score in the corner.
Jac Finnigan made his first line break of the match in the 9th minute when he ran an underneath route, making twelve metres to get within nine metres of the try line and then just three minutes later on the opposite side of the field Jac Finnigan made a similar charge with similar results.
Jac Finnigan continued at right second row in Round Three against Coombabah State High School and recorded a try assist in in the 39th minute, when Will Saunders ran out of dummy half to his right making fifteen metres before off-loading to Jac Finnigan who then off-load to the PBC right centre with Jac Finnigan receiving the ball back from the centre and then off-loaded the ball back to the same player to score.
Jac Finnigan also had a very solid match from the right second row position in Round Four against Marsden State High School and also started at right second row in Round Six against Keebra Park SHS.
Round One of the 2021 GPS school boy rugby First XV competition saw Nicholas Hilton line up at No. 8 for TSS as they took on Brisbane Grammar School at home with Nicholas Hilton producing a couple of moments of class in TSS’s 71 – 5 victory including a try in the opening minutes when he broke away from a ruck to run fifity metres to score under the posts. Such was Nicholas Hilton’s overall performance that he was awarded two points in the 2021 GPS First XV Coaches Award.
Nicholas Hilton contributed a try assist in the 48th minute when after receiving an off-load from Jye Gray Nicholas Hilton charged downfield before drawing the Brisbane Grammar School fullback and passing to his right to his unmarked right winger to score untouched.
The in the 48th minute Nicholas Hilton broke the Brisbane Grammar School line when running on the left side of the field after receiving the ball ten metres from his own line with Nicholas Hilton eventually being brought down after a thirty five metre run.
The 2021 season to date of Titans contracted Nayte Saaga who is set to make his TSS debut in Round Two of the GPS U15A school boy rugby competition this weekend away to Churchie:
The young Ormeau Shearers fullback, five eight or halfback has been a stand out player for his age group in the Gold Coast rugby league competition for the last couple of seasons and in early 2021 signed a multi-year contract with the Titans.
Nayte Saaga also attends The Southport School (TSS) after previously attending Keebra Park State High School as part of their Titans partnered Elite Rugby League Program.
In May 2021 Nayte Saaga was part of the South Coast U15 QSSRL School Boy representative side, starting the Championship Final against Met West at five eight, scoring the 23rd minute. Nayte Saaga scored when he took advantage of a quick play the ball to race at the line after receiving the ball to the left of the play the ball and sprint at the still back peddling defence from twelve metres out. Nayte Saaga only concession to his straight charge was a slight jink of his left foot before crashing over between two defenders who did not have the time to even got off their own line.
Nayte Saaga also had a try assist in the second half when he received an off-load from his left by Ray Puru who had split the line from thirty metres out. After receiving the off-load ten metres out Nayte Saaga who got to within two metres of the line before he offloaded to his left for Jett Bryce to dive over fifteen metres in from the left corner post.
Nayte Saaga made a strong start in the Championship Final when in the 6th minute he made a good run after cutting back to his right and off-loading to his front rower to push forward then early in the second half, in the 26th minute, Nayte Saaga made a darting twelve metre run down a side left blindside.
On Day One against Met West Nayte Saaga started at five eight and was heavily involved in Jett Bryce’s 38th minute try when he put in a chip kick to the left wing which was collected by Izayah Petrichvich who off-loaded in one movement to Jett Bryce to run away to score under the posts. Nayte Saaga then converted the try.
Nayte Saaga produced a smart piece of play in the 11th minute when his kick-off after Met West’s opening try of the match went dead in goal, forcing Met West into a drop out from under the posts, South Coast scored from the subsequent set of six.
In the 29th minute, Nayte Saaga produced a strong run of eighteen metres to get the ball to near to the halfway mark.
Day Two saw Nayte Saaga once again start at five eight against Capricornia, kicking two conversions and displayed his enthusiasm in the opening minute when he chased through a Zane Harrison kick to trap the Capricornia fullback in his own in-goal.
One thing that will stand out when he are watching Nayte Saaga play is his kicking game and in the 16th minute Nayte Saaga kicked a 40/20 that any NRL top level kicked would have been proud off. Nayte Saaga received the ball thirty four metres out from his own line and twenty metres in from the left touchline and put in a hard left foot kick that that he kicked low and hard, going to touch in front of the desperate Capricornia fullback eighteen metres out from the try line.
Nayte Saaga once again started at five eight on Day Three against Met North recording a line break assist in the opening minute of the match when he took the ball to the line on the left side of the field and double pumped sending a short ball to his left to put Jett Bryce into a gap, with the right second rower running forty metres downfield before off-loading himself to Joseph Tupuse.
Nayte Saaga had a second try assist in the 31st minute when he took the ball to the line before throwing a cut-out pass to left centre Joseph Tupuse to rumble fifty metres downfield but unfortunately his inside pass went to ground.
Over the course of the Championships, Nayte Saaga showed that he is an outstanding kicked of the ball whether that be long raking left foot tactical to short chip kicks as well as goal kicking and on Day Two he showed that he can also put in impressive short kick-offs with two short kicks retrieved by team mates. The first short kick-off was from the kick-off to start the second half (it may have been taken by the wind but I will give it to Nayte Saaga) that was retrieved by Zane Harrison and the second was in the 46th minute with Riley Buchanan taking advantage. Nayte Saaga also kicked a conversion in the first half.
Nayte Saaga’s first official commitment with the TSS U15A side in 2021 being his attendance at a rugby skills day that was held towards the end of May. Nayte Saaga first official appearance in the Red and Blue in late May 2021 when he started at No. 10 (fly half) for the U15A side in TSS’s first full trial against Ipswich Grammar School.
Nayte Saaga also started at fly half in the TSS U15A second full GPS trial against Nudgee College as well as in the full scale trial against Brisbane Boys College. In TSS’s final trial before the commencement of the 2021 GPS school boy rugby season, Nayte Saaga also started at fly half against the PBC Alleygators. Then with the TSS U15A side having a Round One bye, Nayte Saaga lined up at No. 10 in a trial against a South Coast U15 representative side.
Titans contracted standout William Semu started at left centre in Round Five of the Langer Cup on Wednesday night against Mabel Park State High School and it was clear from the opening minutes that William Semu was in for a big match with some strong runs and telling defensive work in the opening minutes.
Whilst William Semu did not score Marsden SHS he did record a second half try assist. In the 39th minute Marsden SHS attacked down a wide left blind side from their own twenty metre area. William Semu tracked the break, receiving an offload thirty metres out from the line and even though he was almost immediately tackled from behind, William Semu was able to get both arms free and offload to his left to his unmarked winger to score untouched.
The just a few minutes later in the 45th minute, William Semu broke four tackles in a devastating run that put Marsden deep on the attack. As soon as he was tackled, William Semu was on his feet to play the ball quickly with Marsden SHS scoring from the play as the dummy half ran the ball down a short blindside and offloaded to the left winger with the Mabel Park SHS defence still reeling from William Semu’s powerful run.
RavShamrock
23-07-21, 09:39 AM
The short answer mate is that on the Coast and in Northern NSW the Titans were not necessarily the first option but as a result of Jamie McCormack and the JTS Program the Titans have been able to keep the best of the local juniors in Titans colours.
If you look at the three schools that have Titans official partnerships the best talent are all contracted to the Titans (not all but most) being PBC, Keebra Park and Marsden.
It is not just getting players signed however it is also their development. A prime example is Immanuel Kalakale who was impressive but raw when he signed but as a result of the JTS Program he has exploded to become the form front rower in the Langer Cup alongside fellow Titan Josiah Pahulu from Ipswich.
Also some of the so called "lesser names" have developed incredibly under Jamie McCormack's tutilige such as Reef Sommerville.
I know that I am biased but for me the Titans have easily the best Junior Development Program in Queensland and the only program that could be considered on par in Australia is Penrith. You just have to look at the recent Northern Rivers cohort that includes Tom Weaver, Jack Cullen, Ryan Foran and Reef Sommerville amongst others.
Also the best Queensland/Australian U16 player is a Titan in William Semu, the young man is a freak as is destroying the predomintly U18 Langer Cup competition on a weekly basis.
Similiarly the best U18 player in Australia in Tom Weaver is also a Titan.
Then look at Keano Kini who was considered the best NZ U16 player in recent memory and was being chased by literally every NRL club and also more than a few NZ Super Rugby clubs including the Auckland Blues. What did he do, he signed with the Titans and is developing into an absolutely star of the future.
The you can consider an out of the box signing like Xavier Stowers who was a stand out rugby No. 8 for Ipswich Grammar School in the GPS First XV rugby competition but the Titans snared him and he moved to Marden where he is developing on an exponential curve due to Jamie McCormack and the JTS Program.
Thanks for your attention mdrew much appreciated. We should all be feeling optimistic about the Titans future by the sounds of our junior’s caliber and their development. You mention Jamie McCormack and I hadn’t paid much attention to that name but after doing a little research I notice he’s been around for quite some time so I’m feeling a little apprehensive about our up and comers because our history is awful. Mate could you please elaborate on how things have changed and how things are going to be a lot different moving forward so we can all share in that sense of euphoria?
ps. sorry if you've explained this before.
You are correct that Jamie McCormack has been with the Titans for a few years, but lets be honest, before the new owners came in the development budget was very very small with limited staff, Darryl Kelly and the Fizelle's changed that as soon as the took over by supporting Jamie McCormack with money and staff with him putting together the JTS program.
In relation to a concrete example, Jamie McCormack single handidly signed Tom Weaver, Ryan Foran, Jack Cullen, Riley Lack and Reef Somerville, all from northern NSW when they were just 15 in the face and big opposition, three years on, all of those players were part of the Tweed Heads MM Cup winning side.
You can also throw in the Partnerships with PBC, Keebra Park and Marsden, being three of the top four rugby league schools in Queensland. Obviously these partnerships do not guarantee the best players sing with the Titans but the majority of the time the Titans are going to get the first opportunity.
Thanks for your attention mdrew much appreciated. We should all be feeling optimistic about the Titans future by the sounds of our junior’s caliber and their development. You mention Jamie McCormack and I hadn’t paid much attention to that name but after doing a little research I notice he’s been around for quite some time so I’m feeling a little apprehensive about our up and comers because our history is awful. Mate could you please elaborate on how things have changed and how things are going to be a lot different moving forward so we can all share in that sense of euphoria?
ps. sorry if you've explained this before.
After missing a number of weeks, Currumbin’s Jackson Le Pou has been named to return on the bench in the previously postponed Round Eight GCRL U18 Division One match against the Southport Tigers.
The talented youngster moved over from the Upper Central Zone of New Zealand’s North Island for the 2021 season and started at five eight for the Currumbin Eagles in their GCRL U18 Division One Round One match against the Southport Tigers.
Even though he started the match at five eight, Jackson Le Pou played in the dummy half role for the Eagles in their 28 – 10 first up victory.
Jackson Le Pou could not have gotten an earlier touch when he took the kick-off to start the match on the full above his head AFL style.
Jackson Le Pou also started at five eight in Round Two against the Nerang Roosters as well as in Round Three against the Helensvale Hornets.
Against the Hornets in Round Three Jackson Le Pou scored his first regular season try since his arrival from New Zealand when he ran to his right dummying both inside and out before slicing through the line and then Jackson Le Pou stepped off his right foot to beat the Helensvale fullback and get the ball down five metres from the right upright.
Round Four saw Jackson Le Pou continue at five eight agaisnt Mudgeeraba with his left goot kicking game taking precedence inlduing a 16th minute kick into the right corner which had to be knocked dead by the Redbacks fullback.
Jackson Le Pou had a very solid pre-season with the Eagles including a great Pre-season Round One match against Ormeau scoring in the 55th minutes as well as recording a 7th minute try assist.
Jackson Le Pou’s 55th minute try was a strong individual effort when he received the ball ten metres out from the line and ran to his right. As he approached the defensive line Jackson Le Pou stepped off his right foot to beat one defender before a second right foot step to get around the Ormeau fullback and get the ball down in a tackle five metres to the right of the uprights.
Jackson Le Pou’s try assist came in just the 7th minute of the match when he took the ball down the right side of the field, taking the ball to the line before throwing a great cut-out pass to put his right centre into a huge gap thirty metres out and from there the centre was able to dive over in the right corner untouched.
After starting at right second row for PBC in Wednesday nights Langer Cup match against Keebra Park, Brock Priestley has been named to start from the bench for Ormeau in their GCRL U18 Division One match against Helensvale.
After starting at left second row for PBC in Wednesday nights Langer Cup match against Keebra Park, Titans contracted Ryan Foran was been named on the bench for Murwillumbah in their NRRRL First Grade match this weekend against Northern United.
Titans contracted Michael Roberts has played in the centres for the Titans this season, on the wing for PBC in the Langer Cup and fullback for the Bilambil Jets in the NRRRL U18 competition but this weekend's NRRRL U18 Round Twelve match against the Tweed Coast Raiders sees Michael Roberts move to lock in an intriguing positional switch.
The 2021 season to date for Titans contracted Thomas Weaver:
In early January 2021 Thomas Weaver started at half back for the Titans U19 side in their annual match against the Newcastle Knights in Coffs Harbour and was heavily involved throughout the Titans 40 – 6 victory, crossing for two tries on his way to scoring twenty points when you add in his six conversions. In addition, Thomas Weaver also produced two of the most outstanding try saving tackles that you will ever see as well as a second half try assist and a line break to completely fill up the stats sheet for the Titans.
Thomas Weaver’s first try in the match was a first half effort, when Thomas Weaver ran into a gap down a blind side on the left, receiving a well weighted pass from Samual Shannon who had run out of dummy half. Thomas Weaver flew through the gap and then rounded the Knights fullback by veering to his left and scoring ten metres in from the left corner post. The key to the try was that as soon as Thomas Weaver got through the gap, he ran directly at the fullback forcing him to bleed away all of his momentum and become stationary. Once all of the fullbacks momentum was completely halted, Thomas Weaver easily veered around him at full pace to the fullback’s right to score.
Thomas Weaver’s second try of the match came in the second half when once again he was operating on the left side of the field. Thomas Weaver took the ball and accelerated towards the line before dummying to his left and cutting back towards the right to beat the immediate defender in from of him. Thomas Weaver’s cut back opened up a channel to the line which he exploited, exploding off the mark to race ten metres to score twelve metres from the left upright for a scintillating try.
To add to his exceptional match, Thomas Weaver also recorded a second half try assist when he found himself in space after some impressive short passing on his inside right from Titans forwards, Jack Cullen and Samuel Shannon to open up the defence and give Thomas Weaver the room to operate. Thomas Weaver was then able to accelerate downfield and draw the fullback and pass to his right to Jaylan De Groot who had loomed up on his inside and Jaylan De Groot was too quick for the Knights cover defence to score under the posts.
Thomas Weaver also had a line break in the match, when he the 25th minute of the second half, he received an off-load from Xavier Stowers just ten metres out from his own line. Thomas Weaver was standing still when he received the ball but quickly reached top speed as he burst twenty metres down field to literally turn defence into attack for the Titans.
Thomas Weaver also produced two outstanding defensive efforts in the match which, on each occasion, prevented what appeared to be certain Newcastle tries. Late in the first half Newcastle threw the ball to their right in a sweeping backline movement. The Knights right centre had room to move as well as get up to top speed and charged at the line, Thomas Weaver however took the centre ball and all with the initial contact being only two metres out from the Titans line and bringing him down short of the line in what can only be considered an exceptional tackle.
Thomas Weaver saved a second certain Knights try in the second half of the match, once again on the left side of the field. The Knights five eight got through a gap ten metres out and seemingly just had to easily dive over the line to score, instead Thomas Weaver got to him through seer determination with his initial contact more than enough to knock the ball from the Knights attackers grasp just as he was about to put the ball down over the line. Once again it was an exceptional effort by Thomas Weaver to get across in cover defence to put pressure on let alone then be able to tackle with sufficient venum to force the ball loose.
At the completion of the Titans U19 match against Newcastle, Thomas Weaver along with Samuel Shannon were named the Titans joint Player of the Match.
A week after the match against the Newcastle Knights Thomas Weaver once again lined up for the Titans U19’s starting at halfback for the second week in a row as the Titans took on a Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts squad with the Titans winning 32 – 20 with no conversions attempted.
Thomas Weaver for the second week in a row was one of the Titans best in the match recording a try assist, a line break and two line break assists as well as being involved in a number of other Titans tries. Like he was against Newcastle, Thomas Weaver was also very heavily involved defensively against Burleigh recording a number of telling tackles on bigger Burleigh forwards.
Thomas Weaver was in the match immediately taking the kick Newcastle kick-off on the full but it was not a regular take, Thomas Weaver jumped high and took the ball above his head, AFL style and in the one movement then sent a perfectly weighted pass to Jack Cullen to take the first hit-up of the match.
Thomas Weaver continued to be a significant contributor to the Titans cause in just the second minute when he got the ball away quickly and efficiently to his left to find Jaylan De Groot in space who then put Tony Francis away for the Titans opening try of the match.
Thomas Weaver’s try assist came in the 20th minute of the match. Thomas Weaver went into dummy half with the Titans on the attack ten metres out from the Burleigh line. From dummy half Thomas Weaver threw a long pass to his left which hit Ryan Foran on the chest outside of the widest Bears defender, Ryan Foran then scored near the left corner untouched.
Thomas Weaver almost had another try assist in the match when after receving an offload from a charging Isaac Matalavea-Booth, Thomas Weaver had a two man overlap to his left, but his pass was knocked down by a desperate Bears right sided defender.
Prior to his try assist Thomas Weaver split the Burleigh line down the left side of the field. Thomas Weaver received the ball one pass off the back of a Titans scrum win, splitting the Bears defence with a deft left foot step and sprinted twenty metres downfield before being rounded up well into Burleigh territory.
Thomas Weaver’s two line break assists were also recorded in the first half, the first when he led left centre Tony Francis onto the ball and into a gap down the left side of the field in the 25th minute, with Tony Francis almost going the distance after a twenty metre run.
Thomas Weaver recorded his second line break assist late in the first half when he threw an inside pass to interchange forward TJ Devery to split the defence through the middle of the Burleigh ruck.
Thomas Weaver was also heavily involved in one of the Titans second half tries which turned into a long range effort. Thomas Weaver received the ball on his own thrity metre mark, drifting to his left before throwing a supurb long cut-out pass hitting Kaleb Ngamanu on the chest as he flew into a gap whislt playing left centre. After a long charge Kaleb Ngamanu drew the Bears fullback to send Jayaln De Groot away untouched to score ins second try of the match.
Obviously Thomas Weaver’s attack gets a lot of the attention but defensively Thomas Weaver was exceptional in early 2021 and this included two further outstanding tackles against Burleigh. Early in the second half Thomas Weaver smashed the much older Bears five eight with an outstanding front on tackle, immediately knocking him off his feet.
Late in the second half, Thomas Weaver’s defence came to the fore yet again when he transitioned to his right to hit the Burleigh right second rower under his ribs. The Burleigh right second rower had received the ball off the back of a Bears scrum win in the Titans twenty and had room to gain momentum but Thomas Weaver put a stop to that with a crunching tackle on his much bigger opponent.
Thomas Weaver’s tactical kicking, which has always been one of his outsanding features, was on display against the Bears when he put up a huge bomb in the first half. The ball came down close to the left touchline with the Bears winger making hash of the attempted catch, with the Titans getting the ball back as a result.
In early May 2021 a Titans U19 side travelled to North Queensland to play an U19 Cowboys selection in a curtain raiser to a Cowboys v Broncos NRL match with Thomas Weaver starting the match at halfback for the Titans.
In November 2020 Thomas Weaver was named in the exceptionally talented Tweed Heads Seagulls 2021 MM Cup squad.
Thomas Weaver started at halfback in Tweed Heads final 2021 MM Cup final against the Souths Logan Magpies at Logan and found himself on the end of a heavy hit early in the match from Sione Fotuaika, who is also Titans contracted when Thomas Weaver looked to take the ball down a short left blind side.
After being on his haunches for a couple of minutes sucking in some deep breaths, Thomas Weaver bounced back quickly to be heavily involved in the Seagulls opening try of the match in their 32 – 4 (no conversions were attempted) victory.
Thomas Weaver received the ball on the left side and put in a high well weighted kick to the left corner. The Souths Logan Magpies right winger could not handle the ball and it fell to Campbell Watchairs who spun away from one defender superbly to dive over in the left corner.
Thomas Weaver also recorded a line break assist in the match in the second quarter when he took the ball to the left before passing back to his right to Jaylan De Groot who burst through the centre of the ruck only to be dragged down just as he was accelerating away.
Thomas Weaver recorded a further line break assist in the 8th minute of the third quarter when he received the ball from Blake Mozer who had packed in at lock and held the ball up as Riley Lack ran a straight decoy line, giving the ball to Keano Kini “out the back” who then made twenty metres downfield utilising his exceptional footwork to beat multiple tackles as a result of being put into the gap by Thomas Weaver.
Thomas Weaver also showcased his outstanding top end speed in the second quarter. Souths Logan Magpies captain and five eight Ezra Mam broke through the Tweed Heads right sided defence and chipped over the fullback with a foot race ensuing. Thomas Weaver started ten metres behind Mam and on the opposite side of the field but within twenty five metres Thomas Weaver had caught and in fact passed Mam in the race to the ball that was pulling up in the in-goal. Ultimately it was Keano Kini who got to the ball first from the left wing but Thomas Weaver’s effortless speed was a sight to behold.
In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, Thomas Weaver started at half back and captained the Tweed Heads Seagulls side against the Ipswich Jets as Tweed Heads scored late to record a 22 – 20 first up victory.
Thomas Weaver was heavily involved in two of the Seagulls tries, the first being in just the 5th minute when he took the ball down a shortish left blindside and throwing a long cut out pass when he was forty eight metres out to his left to put Keano Kini away down the left touch line. Keano Kini got the ball back inside to Jaylan De Groot to score the Seagulls first try of the match.
Thomas Weaver was the catalyst for the Titans first try of the second half which came in the 40th minute of the match. Thomas Weaver, operating on his usual left side of the field, put up a bomb to the Seagulls left corner and it was perfectly weighted for Jaylan De Groot to come through with the momentum to take the ball on the full in the in goal to get the ball down a metre from the dead ball line.
Thomas Weaver was heavily involved in the Titans two point victory from a defensive aspect as well including a key tackle with a minute to go and the Titans under pressure on their own line. Thomas Weaver produced a big front on one on one tackle on the Ipswich left second rower (No. 11) who had caused the Seagulls defence all lots of problems the entire match. If Thomas Weaver’s tackle was not as good as it was, the Seagulls ultimate two point victory may well have not eventuated.
Thomas Weaver also started at halfback and captain in Round Two against the Souths Logan Magpies and was perfect with the boot kicking six from six including a key penalty goal in the 63rd minute of the match to push the Seagulls lead out to eight points. Thomas Weaver’s first conversion was an outstanding kick from the left touchline as he converted Keano Kini’s try in just the second minute of the match.
Thomas Weaver also had a big hand in a couple of Tweed Heads tries in the second half. In the 41st Thomas Weaver put up a huge bomb from around forty metres out that spiralled to the Souths Logan left corner and was dropped by the left winger with Tweed Heads scoring through Campbell Watchairs from the play the ball.
Thomas Weaver then threw the last pass for Jaylan De Groot’s 45th minute try. Thomas Weaver backed up a break out of dummy half by Blake Mozer and then drew the Souths Logan fullback before passing to the left to Jaylan De Groot who was able to bring the ball around to put it down under the posts.
Thomas Weaver also had a line break assist early in the match, when he was part of a set play down the left blind side from a Tweed Heads scrum feed forty metres out from the line. Thomas Weaver received the ball from the back of the scrum with fullback Jaylan De Groot sprinting from the opposite side of the scrum to take Thomas Weaver’s held up pass before dummying to his left and sprinting thirty metres downfield only to be brought down ten metres out.
As it has all this season, Thomas Weaver’s defence was outstanding once gain including a strong front-on tackle in the 6th minute when he took on Souths Logan second rower Vincent Sefo, with the second rower losing the ball in Thomas Weaver’s tackle.
Thomas Weaver also showed his exceptional intelligence in the 30th minute of the match. After Ezra Mam had converted EJ Finau’s try, Thomas Weaver raced to the halfway mark, kicking off as soon as possible, kicking the ball to where Ezra Mam usually stands. Ezra Mam was still trying to get back into position when Thomas Weaver kicked off with the ball going dead in the in-goal to get the ball back for Tweed Heads.
Thomas Weaver once again started at halfback and captain in the Round Three Gold Coast derby against the Burleigh Bears. In addition to kicking five conversions from six attempts, Thomas Weaver also had two try assist in the match, one from a kick and a second from a deft inside pass. In addition Thomas Weaver’s kicking game regularly kept Burleigh on the back foot.
Thomas Weaver’s first try assist of the match came in just the second minute when moving to his right he put in a deft grubber kick from ten metres out and even though it appeared that Burleigh fullback Syris Schmidt had grounded the ball, after Seagulls second rower Jayden Wright dived on the ball the referee awarded the try.
Thomas Weaver’s second try assist came in the 44th minute when he ran down a short left blind side ten metres out from the line and passed back to his right to put Jaylen De Groot into a yawning gap who was able to bring the ball around to put it down under the posts.
As has become the norm when discussing a Thomas Weaver performance his kicking game cannot go unmentioned, including a great chip kick in the 34th minute to the left wing. The kick forced the Burleigh fullback to reach out when he was trying to take the ball on the full with the ball hitting the fullbacks finger tips and going into touch less than a metre out from the try line.
Early in the second half, in the 42nd minute, Thomas Weaver once again put in a great short chip kick directed to the left corner with the kick precisely placed which forced the defenders to knock the ball dead.
Thomas Weaver was also named captain and to start at halfback for Round Four match against the Ipswich Jets, kicking six goals from nine attempts (his three misses were all from the touchline) with a number of his goals coming from right on the touchline including to convert Kruz Remine’s first and fourth tries. Thomas Weaver also recorded two try assist in the Seagulls 48 – 24 victory.
Thomas Weaver’s first ty assist came in the 23rd minute of the first half when he kicked across field to the right corner with Thomas Weaver putting the ball right onto the chest of Campbell Watchairs as he crossed the try line
Thomas Weaver added a second try assist in the second half in the 63rd minute and on that occasion Thomas Weaver produced a perfect kick to the left wing and put it on the chest of Kruz Remine to score his fourth try of the match. The kick was a lot more difficult than it sounded as the ball only got to Thomas Weaver after bouncing twice and then with limited time, very limited, Thomas Weaver kicked the ball off just one step.
The impressive thing about the two kicks was that they were to both wings and both were inch perfect.
In addition to his two try assists, Thomas Weaver was also heavily involved in a number of other Tweed Heads tries including in the 12th minute when Thomas Weaver threw a long pass to his left to find Kaleb Ngamanu who went into the line before passing to his left also to Kruz Remine who dived over in the left corner. It was the exact same combination of players and the exact same play in the 32nd minute that led to another Kruz Remine try.
Thomas Weaver produced a similar pass in the 19th minute, this time to Ryan Foran who ran downfield before passing to his left to Kruz Remine who once again crossed in the left corner.
Thomas Weaver’s kicking game, in addition to his two try assist (noted above) was exceptional all match and was only added to in the 11th minute, when Thomas Weaver’s hard, low kick-off could not be taken by the Jets, going dead with Tweed Heads getting the ball back from an Ipswich goal line drop out.
Thomas Weaver was not just involved in scoring points in the match, he was also involved in saving points when in the 29th minute Thomas Weaver produced a great low one on one tackle on the rampaging Ipswich Jets right second rower (No. 11) just five metres out from his own line.
Thomas Weaver also started at halfback in Round Five against the Souths Logan Magpies, kicking five conversions from seven attempts in the Seagulls 38 – 14 victory.
After being rested in Round Six, Thomas Weaver was named at halfback for the Seagulls Semi-final against Wynnum Manly and recorded a try assist and made a line break in relation to the same play.
Thomas Weaver moved into dummy half in the 56th minute, with the play the ball just ten metres out from his own line. Thomas Weaver darted down a short left blindside into a big gap. As he approached the Wynnum Manly fullback and halfway mark, Thomas Weaver kicked the ball back inside and it sat up perfectly for Elijah Lui to retrieve the ball and dive over.
Thomas Weaver’s kicking game was on song through the match, including in the 31st minute when he put in a right foot stab kick which was so well weighted and placed that the Wynnum Manly fullback had no choice but to knock the ball dead.
Thomas Weaver kicked well once again in the 39th minute, on that occasions the ball got to Thomas Weaver on the bounce with Wynnum defenders closing in. Thomas Weaver, even though he was being tackled was still able to get a right foot kick away towards the left corner which was knocked on by Wynnum Manly just five metres out from their own line.
In the 2021 MM Cup Queensland Grand Final against the Townsville Blackhawks, Thomas Weaver once again captained the Seagulls side and also started at halfback as the Seagulls won back to back MM Cup Championships after beating the Blackhawks 30 – 24 with Thomas Weaver contributing four conversions from five attempts and a late first half penalty gaol from almost in front.
One of Thomas Weaver’s conversions was a critical one coming with less than two minute on the clock in the 68th minute to tie the match put Tweed Heads in front 26 – 24. Thomas Weaver took the conversion thirteen metres in from the right touchline and it never liked missing as it sailed through the centre of the goal posts.
Tweed Heads were under pressure early and in the 6th minute, Thomas Weaver along with Jaylan De Groot and Oskar Bryant were able to stem the flow by holding of a rampaging Townsville front rower (No. 8) to stop the Blackhawks from scoring twice in the opening minutes.
Thomas Weaver’s kicking game was on song in the 8th minute of the Grand Final when he put in a right foot grubber kick to the left with the Townsville fullback being force in-goal by left second rower Ryan Foran.
Defensively Thomas Weaver was also very good in the Grand Final pulling off a try saving tackle in the 40th minute when he got hold of the jersey of the Townsville fullback five metres out and was able to affect the tackle to stop what looked a certain Blackhawks try.
Deservedly Thomas Weaver was named the MM Cup Grand Final’s Players Player.
In mid-February 2021 Thomas Weaver was named at halfback row in the school boy Oceanic Opens side for the South Coast school boy QSSRL U18 trial against Broadwater. Following the final round of trials, Thomas Weaver was named at half in the 2021 South Coast U18 school boy QSSRL squad.
Thomas Weaver captained the South Coast side at the Championships as well as starting at halfback including in their Day One match against Met North with Thomas Weaver kicking three conversions.
As usual Thomas Weaver controlled the match for South Coast and kicked well, including in the 48th minute when he ran to the line before from ten metres out, putting in a grubber kick for himself, which he was able to regather directly in front of the posts and he was then awarded a penalty for being initially held back.
Thomas Weaver was also his elusive self when running the ball in the match including a dummy and go in the 38th minute when he would have been through the line but for a high tackle which was deservedly penalised.
Probably Thomas Weaver’s biggest contribution in the match came from a defensive perspective. In the 4th minute, Thomas Weaver made a key tackle on the Met North left winger, just two metres out from the try line with Thomas Weaver’s initial contact forcing the ball loose.
Thomas Weaver also started at halfback on Day Two as South Coast took on Met East with Thomas Weaver kicking six goals including an impressive conversion from the right touchline in the 30th minute.
Thomas Weaver captained the South Coast team from halfback in the CHampinship final against Met North kicking two conversions and also recording a try assist in the match.
Thomas Weaver’s try assist came in the 36th minute. Met North were on the attack five metres from the try line and on the last tackle kicked to their right, Thomas Weaver was on hand to take the hard kick straight at him on the full three metres out from the line and immediately took off down field. Around twenty metres out from his own line, Thomas Weaver drew the Met North fullback and passed to his right to Jye Gray who ran eighty metres to score.
Thomas Weaver was also heavily involved in Ryan Foran’s scoring in the 22nd minute try when he picked up a wickedly bouncing ball and threw a cut-out ball to his left in one motion. Subsequently Ryan Foran ran into space to score wide out on the left. Thomas Weaver then converted the try from wide out on the left.
Thomas Weaver also made some stong defensive efforts in the match including in the 16th minute when he along with Ryan Foran forced Met North back five metres to just out from his own line.
On Day Three against Capricornia Thomas Weaver, who once again started at half back, recorded two try assist and kicked four goals as South Coast remained unbeaten.
Thomas Weaver’s first try assist came in just the 3rd minute of the match when he put up a pin point bomb to the left wing for South Coast to cross. Thomas Weaver’s second try assist of the match was as a result of another perfectly weighted bomb to the left corner, with Thomas Weaver converting the try from the touchline.
At the completion of the Championships, Thomas Weaver was named at halfback in the 2021 QSSRL U18 School Boy Merit Team.
2021 also saw Thomas Weaver lined up once again for PBC State High School in the South East Queensland School Boy Langer Cup competition with Thomas Weaver representing PBC at the 2021 Langer Cup launch.
After missing Round One against Ipswich State High School Thomas Weaver as back for Round Two against St Mary’s College Toowoomba, starting at halfback as well as captaining the side.
In PBC’s big 44 – 12 victory Thomas Weaver in addition to kicking six goals from eight attempts, recorded two try assists as he expertly directed PBC around the field.
Thomas Weaver’s first try assist of the match came in the 8th minute when he ran the ball to the left, putting the ball onto the chest of Ryan Foran who had run a good outside shoulder route to score three metres in from the left corner post.
Thomas Weaver added a second try assist in the 51st minute when he ran straight at the line after receiving the ball from the dummy half to the left of the ruck and just prior to contact with the St Mary’s line threw a no look short inside ball to fullback Michael Roberts ten metres from the line, with the fullback easily forcing his way over the line mid-way between the corner post and goal posts on the left side of the field.
Thomas Weaver continued at halfback and captain in Round Three against Coombabah State High School and was the catalyst for PBC’s come from behind victory, scoring one try and setting up another in the final ten minutes to get PBC over the line. Thomas Weaver also kicked three conversions from four attempts in win.
Thomas Weaver got PBC’s come back going with a great try assist in the 51st minute when he took the line on down a wide left blindside, stepping off his left to break the line form twenty five metres out before drawing the Coombabah SHS fullback and passing to his right to put his replacement front rower over under the posts.
Thomas Weaver completed the PBC comeback by scoring a great solo try in the 56th minute when once again he ran the ball down the left side of the field, with the effort starting thirty metres out. Thomas Weaver ran at the line before stepping off his left to break the line and then produced another left foot step to leave the Coombabah SHS fullback in his wake and then was able to comfortably put the ball down under the posts.
Thomas Weaver continued at halfback and captain in the Round Four blockbuster against Marsden State High School kicking four goals from five attempts including two from the left touchline in the first half in PBC’s impressive 28 – 22 victory.
Thomas Weaver was also involved in multiple PBC tries including in first the second minute of the match when whilst operating on the left side of the field, he ran the ball to the line before at the last moment putting in a deft right foot grubber kick which sat up perfectly for Reef Sommerville to retrieve and dive over in the left corner.
Thomas Weaver’s second try assist of the match came in the 26th minute when from two passes to the left of the play the ball, Thomas Weaver put up a perfectly weighted bomb to the left corner with Hunter Plogesma able to leap above the defenders to score in the left corner.
Thomas Weaver almost scored himself in the 46th minute when from a PBC scrum win ten metres out and to the left of where the scrum as packed, Thomas Weaver sliced through the Marsden SHS right sided defence but three defenders were able to hold him up over the line.
Thomas Weaver also put in a great kick in the 50th minute when after receiving the ball mid-field twenty metres out and to the right of the play the ball, he kicked back towards the left corner with the Marsden right winger knocking the ball on under pressure from Reef Sommerville.
Thomas Weaver continued at halfback and captain for the much anticipated Round Five local derby against Keebra Park State High School kicking three goals and recording a 10th minute try assist when he put in a pin point kick to the right side of the field with the ball falling perfectly for Michael Roberts who took the ball on the fly and was able to bring the ball around to score under the posts
Great to see Titans contracted Caleb Hodges coming into the Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup for this weekend's match against the Magpies.
Also great to see Juwan Compain coming into the starting side in the second row.
Great to see Jake Kearton set for his GCRL First Grade debut this afternoon for Burleigh when he comes off the bench against Tugun.
Hail Sezer
23-07-21, 05:07 PM
Great to see Titans contracted Caleb Hodges coming into the Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup for this weekend's match against the Magpies.
Also great to see Juwan Compain coming into the starting side in the second row.
Mate thats awesome for Caleb. Can't help but think Jojo would've been close to getting an opportunity at ISC level had he not got injured
Lofi with a 10th minute try in the right corner after good work on his inside by Taine Tuaupiki.
Tomorrow night the Burleigh GCRL First Grade are up against Tugun and Titans contracted Alofiana Khan-Pereira is set to start on the right wing for the Bears.
Lofi with a 50 metre effort to score his second of the night.
Lofi with a 10th minute try in the right corner after good work on his inside by Taine Tuaupiki.
Lofi completed his hat trick in the 29th minute.
Lofi with a 50 metre effort to score his second of the night.
This afternoon's Murwillumbah U18 NRRRL side for their match against Northern United is certainly full of players with Titans links with Blake Forder (fullback), Matthew Bollard (centre), Riley Lack (five eight), Brandon Williams (half), Cooper Wolf (front row) and Chad Jones (interchange) all wearing Mustangs
Byron Jones who has previously played in Tittans colours captains the side from right second row.
With the Helensvale GCRL First Grade side having a bye this weekend, their stand out attacking fullback Brent Barnes will play in the Hornets U20 side at right centre against Runaway Bay.
Four members of tomorrow's Lismore Rams U18 NRRRL side that take on Casino RSM tomorrow recently were selected in a Titans Northern Rivers U18 side to play a Titans U17 JTS side.
Tomorrow Henry Lee will start at right centre, Jye Davis at 5/8, Cooper Love at hooker and Jake Elmore at lock.
On Wednesday night they were opposing each other in the school boy Langer Cup when Keebra Park took on PBC but tomorrow Connor Te Kani (Keebra) and Titans contracted Brock Priestley (PBC) will be team mates for Omreau in the GCRL U18 Division One competition against Helensvale. Te Kani has been named at fullback and Priestley on the bench.
Keebra Park students are well represented tomorrow for Nerang in their GCRL U18 Division One match against Burleigh tomorrow.
Jeremaiah Temapo will start at right centre, Taniela Mapusua Lotaki at left centre, Arama Hau at five eight, Dorian Mapusua Lotaki at haflback and Immanuel Kalakale at lock.
Titans linked players are once again well represented in Ballina's U18 NRRRL side for their match tomorrow against Byron Bay with Rowan Mansfield (fullback), Lachlan Offley (right wing), Kye Cooper (right centre), Daom Coldwell (left centre), Jesse Beauchamp (half), Kyhan Weir (front row) and Nicholas Troy (right second row) all in the squad.
After missing a couple of weeks, it is great to see Titans contracted Tj Devery back in the Burleigh Colts squad for this match this morning against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls where he will come off the bench.
Titans contracted Riley Lack's right foot is going must to soar after this afternoon's NRRRL U18 match between Murwillumbah and Northern United with Riley Lack kicking ten goals from as many attempts and he also scored one try.
Riley Lack then came off the bench in the Reserve Grade match also against Northern United.
Tough afternoon for the TSS First XV as they went down to Churchie but the three Titans boys more than held has own with Nicholas Hilton scoring in the 67th minute, Kaleb Ngamanu recording two try assists and three line breaks and Syris Schmidt kicking three conversions and a penalty goal.
After an exceptional match for Mabel Park SHS on Wednesday night in the Langer Cup Atunaisa Pahulu Jr will line up in the centres tomorrow for Southport in the GCRL U18 Division One competition against Currumbin.
The Burleigh Bears U18 Division One side against Nerang tomorrow looks set to have some real strike power coming off the bench with Titans contracted Ezra Ubaldino and Christian Kiri set to be injected into the match after its commencment.
When 16 year old Dorian Lotaki arrived from New Zealand to attend Keebra Park SHS a couple of months ago I was of the firm belief that his best position was hooker, but he has been the stand out player in the Walters Cup school boy competition at left centre and is the competitions leading try scorer after five rounds.
He also plays for Nerang in the GCRL U18 Division One competition even though he is still U16 eligible and has stood out for the Roosters at half, lock, five eight and on the wing.
Today he is set to start at hooker against Burleigh.
He may be still U16 eligible but Titans linked Stevie O'Connor has been in very good form in the NRRRL U18 this season for the Tweed Coast Raiders and today he will line up at fullback against the Bilambil Jets.
Titans contracted Ryan Foran was one of Murwillumbah's try scorers in their 42-12 NRRRL First Grade victory last night against Northern United when in the 78th minute he backed up a break to receive the ball down the left touchline and ran around twenty metres to score wide out on the left.
Ryan Foran was backing up from a solid performance for PBC against Keebra Park in the Langer Cup on Wednesday night.
Titans contracted Brock Priestley was one of Ormeau's try scorers today as they defeated Helensvale 26-10 in the GCRL U18 Division One competition.
Jordan Gallagher kicked three conversions from four attempts this afternoon for the South Grafton Rebels as they defeated Sawtell 22-12 in this afternoon's Group Two U18 match.
Yesterday in Round Twelve of the U18 NRRRL competition against Northern United Murwillumbah and Titans linked Matthew Bollard started at right centre with Matthew Bollard scoring twice.
Matthew Bollard’s first try came in the 20th minute when he charged onto a pass from ten metres out to go straight through a gap to put the ball down mid-way between the goal posts and corner post on the right side of the field.
Matthew Bollard scored his second try in the 35th minute when he chased through a Riley Lack chip kick to retrieve the ball in front of the Northern United fullback with Matthew Bollard then being able to run around to put the ball down under the posts.
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Round Two away to Anglican Church Grammar School on Saturday afternoon saw Titans contracted Syris Schmidt named at fly half for the TSS First XV with Syris Schmidt kicking three conversions and a penalty in the 41st minute in TSS’s tough loss. In addition, Syris Schmidt made a good play in just the 3rd minute of the match when he charged down a Churchie clearing kick which ultimately led to TSS’s first try of the match.
Syris Schmidt was also engaged in an old fashion kicking duel in the 19th minute which he finished with a supurb seventy metre effort when he drilled a left foot kick from only ten metres from the sideline on his own twenty with the ball finding touch ten metres from the Churchie line.
Titans contracted Riley Lack continued at five eight for Murwillumbah yesterday in Round Twelve of the NRRRL U1 8competition against Northern United and had a day out, scoring one try, kicking an exceptional ten from ten, including conversions from both sidelines and also recorded three try assists.
Riley Lack scored in the 49th minute, after a superb break from inside his own territory by Blake Forder, Riley Lack received the ball on the right and was able to get the ball down in the right corner.
Riley Lack’s opening try assist of the match came in the 29th minute he cut back inside off his right foot and was able to offload to Cooper Wolf who crashed over from close range.
Riley Lack added his second try assist in the 35th minute when from thirty five metres out he put in a right foot chip kick which sat up perfectly for Matthew Bollard to race through and retrieve the ball and he was able to bring the ball around and put it down under the posts.
Riley Lack recorded his third and final try assist in the 41st when he fed a scrum running to the left and executing an old fashioned run around with Brandon Williams before putting his support runner through a huge gap thirty five metres out.
Round Two away to Anglican Church Grammar School on Saturday saw Titans contracted Nicholas Hilton named at No. 8 for the TSS First XV and scored for the second week in a row when he burst onto a Kaleb Ngamanu pass from ten metres out in the 67th minute to crash over next to the right upright.
Titans contracted Blake Forder yesterday for Murwillumbah in Round Twelve of the NRRRL U18 competition against Northern United started at right centre before moving to fullback in the second half, a match that saw Blake Forder produce one of the best line breaks that I have ever seen that included breaking six tackles.
In the 49th minute Blake Forder retrieved a Northern United clearing kick fifteen metres out from his own line and ran to his right side, as he approached the chasers, Blake Forder stepped off his right to break two tackles before two left foot steps in quick succession back towards centre field saw Blake Forder break to further tackles. Blake Forder then cut back to his right, bumping out of one tackle, before another left foot step broke another tackle, Blake Forder then shrugged off another Northern United defender who tried to tackle him around his shoulders before passing to his right to Matthew Bollard who then off-loaded to Riley Lack who scored in the right corner.
Round Two away to Anglican Church Grammar School on Saturday saw Titans contracted Kaleb Ngamanu named at inside centre for the TSS First XV side with Kaleb Ngamanu proving to be a difficult proposition for the Churchie defence on the way to recording two try assists.
The first of Kaleb Ngamanu’s try assists came in the 23rd minute when after slicing through the defence on the right side of the field from thirty metres out, Kaleb Ngamanu then drew the Churchie fullback and passed to his left to Jye Gray who ran away to score under the posts.
Kaleb Ngamanu added his second try assist when in the 67th minute he threw a good cut out ball to Nicholas Hilton who ran a good inside shoulder route to score next to the right upright. Just five minutes earlier in the 62nd minute Kalbe Nagamnu had also broken the line on the right once again and was able to off-load to Nicholas Hilton.
After spending a couple of weeks at lock Kai Smallwood moved back to halfback for Round Twelve of the NRRRL U18 competition for Bilambil on Sunday against the Tweed Coast Raiders when he scored one try and set up another.
Kai Smallwood himself in the 45th minute when whilst operating on right side of the field, twenty five metres out from the line, Kai Smallwood put in a short grubber for himself with Kai Smallwood retrieving the ball in front of the fullback and then was able to bring the ball around to put it down under the posts.
Kai Smallwood also recorded a 60th minute try assist when after receiving the ball on the right put Caleb Case into a gap with the centre crossing on the right side of the field.
Juwan Compain was initially named to continue off the bench in the previously postponed Round Twelve against the Souths Logan Magpies on the weekend but he ended up starting the match at left second row and playing the entire eighty minutes.
Juwan Compain was outstanding running for 144 metres (thirty post contact), played the ball at an average speed of 3.32 seconds and made twenty four tackles at a tackling efficiency of 88.89%.
lonegull
26-07-21, 04:16 PM
mdrew is Juwain still part of the titans
No mate he is not a contracted Titans player at the present time.
mdrew is Juwain still part of the titans
On Friday night Lofi Khan-Pereira started on the right wing for the Burleigh GCRL First Grade side in the previously postponed Round Eight match against the Tugun Seahawks and for the second round in a row scored a hat trick for the Bears.
Lofi Khan-Pereira scored his opening try in the 10th minute in the right corner after good work on his inside from a scrum move from Taine Tuaupiki.
Lofi Khan-Pereira added his second try in the 25th minute when he backed up a Burleigh break down the right to score one again in the right corner from fifteen metres out.
Lofi Khan-Pereira completed his hat trick in the 34th minute when he was on the spot to receive an offload after Tugun failed to defuse a Burleigh kick down field.
Damon Coldwell continued at left centre for Ballina on the weekend in Round Twelve of the U18 NRRRL competition against the Byron Bay Devils with Damon Coldwell scoring in the 60th minute when he received a long cut out pass from his inside from Jesse Beauchamp and then had an easy passage to score wide out on the left.
Damon Coldwell almost had another try in the match by in the 22nd minute he was held up under the posts and a strong charge of fourteen metres after running an underneath route.
Damon Coldwell also recorded a 25th minute try assist when after he had made a long line break down the left touchline, he passed to Jesse Beauchamp who had backed up on his inside around thirty metres out. Jesse Beauchamp was then able to bring the ball around to score under the posts.
Nerang’s Taniela Mapusua-Lotaki started at right centre on the weekend in Round Ten of the GCRL U18 Division One competition against the Burleigh Bears scoring one try and setting up another.
Taniela Mapusua-Lotaki scored in the 21st minute when he barged over to get the ball down under the posts from five metres out after taking possession off the dummy half to the left of the play the ball.
Taniela Mapusua-Lotaki’s try assist came in the 41st minute when whilst operating down a short right blindside, Taniela Mapusua-Lotaki he put in a short grubber kick which was collected by one of Nerang’s interchange players to score in the right corner.
Ballina’s Jesse Beauchamp who recently played for a Titans NRRRL U18 Invitational side continued at halfback in Round Twelve of the U18 NRRRL competition against the Byron Bay Devils over the weekend scoring three tries and also recording two try assists.
Jesse Beauchamp’s opening try came in the 23rd minute when on the left Jesse Beauchamp put in a right foot grubber kick for himself from just five metres out and after regathering the ball Jesse Beauchamp got the ball down mid-way between the corner post and goal post on the left side of the field.
Jesse Beauchamp scored his second try in the 25th minute Jesse Beauchamp backed up on the inside when Ballina centre Damon Coldwell made a long line break down the left touchline, receiving an inside pass around thirty metres out. Jesse Beauchamp was then able to bring the ball around to score under the posts.
Jesse Beauchamp completed his hat trick in the 51st minute when after picking up the ball after picking up the ball from the base of the scrum he ran to his left and simply sliced through the right side of the Byron Bay scrum defence and from there Jesse Beauchamp was just too quick for the cover defence to dive over ten metres in from the left cover defence.
Jesse Beauchamp almost had another try but in the 44th minute he was held up directly under the posts.
Jesse Beauchamp recorded his first try assist in the 34th minute when whilst operating on the left, Jesse Beauchamp put in a right foot stab kick which sat of for his left second rower to run onto and then bring the ball around to put it down under the posts.
Jesse Beauchamp then recorded his second try assist in the 60th minute when he threw a long cut out pass to his left to put Damon Coldwell on the outside of the Byron Bay defence and from there no one was going to stop Damon Coldwell from scoring.
Jesse Beauchamp then came off the bench in the Reserve Grade fixture later in the afternoon.
Great to see Titans contracted Kaleb Ngamanu named in the Courier Mail TSS First XV Round Two team of the week.
Standout 16 year old Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki started at hooker on the weekend for the Nerang U18 GCRL Division One side against Burleigh Bears scoring a try and kicking five conversions in the Roosters big win.
Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki scored in the 52nd minute and it was a try characterised by power. Standing still Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki received the ball twelve metres from the line and danced around for a moment before taking off towards the line. After engaging the line around seven metres from the line Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki was initially twisted around but dragged two defenders backwards before breaking free and twisting forward to get the ball down next to the left upright.
Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki scored in the 52nd minute and it was a try characterised by power. Standing still Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki received the ball twelve metres from the line and danced around for a moment before taking off towards the line. After engaging the line around seven metres from the line Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki was initially twisted around but dragged two defenders backwards before breaking free and twisting forward to get the ball down next to the left upright.
Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki also recorded a line break and a try assist in the 38th minute when he darted out of dummy half to his left from fifty five metres out and went straight through the Burleigh defence before getting the ball away to his left to put his five eight across.
Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki added a second try assist in the 56th minute he raced out of dummy half to his left twenty three metres from the line getting to within five metres before offloading to his front rower to score.
Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki’s impressive match encompassed more than those three moments. A few more moments that should be noted included a 9th minute line break of twenty metres when he raced out of dummy half to his left before offloading to his five eight and in the 15th minute Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki got within ten metres of the line after a fifteen metre burst out of dummy half.
Ballina Seagulls Titans contracted Lachlan Offley then maintained his place on the right wing on the weekend in Round Eleven of the NRRRL U18 competition against the Bilambil Jets and in Round Twelve against the Byron Bay Devils, a match which saw Lachlan Offley score in the 6th minute when he leapt above his directly opponent to take a chip kick on the full and Lachlan Offley then spun clockwise and get the ball down in the right corner.
A couple of minutes earlier in the 4th minute, the Byron Bay winger took a another chip kick on the full just inside the field of play with Lachlan Offley forcing his opposite number back into the in-goal, forcing Byron Bay to drop the ball out from under their own posts. Lachlan Offley then forced another Byron Bay goal line drop out in the 37th minute when he chased through a long Ballina kick and force the Byron Bay kick returner back into his own in-goal.
Titans contracted Philip Hakaraia-Ngamotu has been named to make his Langer Cup Open A debut for Keebra Park SHS on Wednesday night in Round Six against Wavell State High School at right second row.
As a result of his outstanding performances for the Burleigh Bears, Keebra Park and in junior representative sides in 2019 Philip Hakaraia-Ngamotu signed a multi-year contract with the Gold Coast Titans in early 2020.
In June 2021, Philip Hakaraia-Ngamotu was a member of the Titans JYS U16 side that drew with a Titans U17 Northern Rivers Academy side at Cbus Stadium in a curtain raiser to the Titans NRL fixture against Manly.
In late October 2020, Philip Hakaaraia-Ngamotu was named in the Gold Coast Rugby League U16 Cyril Connell Cup Academy Squad and when the split occurred Philip Hakaaraia-Ngamotu was named in the Burleigh Bears Cyril Connell Cup squad.
Philip Hakaaraia-Ngamotu started in the second row in the Bears first 2021 U16 Cyril Connell Cup trail in early February 2021 against the Tweed Heads Seagulls Cyril Connell Cup squad and came off the bench in their second trial against the Easts Tigers.
In Round One of the 2021 Cyril Connell Cup, Philip Hakaaraia-Ngamotu started in the second row for the Bears side as they took on the Souths Logan Magpies and scored a strong try late in the match dragging two Souths Logan defenders over the line with him to score in the right corner.
Philip Hakaaraia-Ngamotu received the ball down a short blind side approximately six metres out from the line, beating two defenders who had rushed out of the line, once past those two defenders Philip Hakaaraia-Ngamotu surged towards the line, dragging another two defenders along for the ride to get the ball down three metres in from the right corner post at the car park end of Pizzey Park.
Philip Hakaraia-Ngamotu also started at right second row in the Round Three local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls and made an immediate impression with a strong first up tackle on giant Seagulls front rower Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa.
Towards the end of the match in the 57th minute, Philip Hakaraia-Ngamotu produced for me what as his best tackle of the match when he hit Tweed Heads second rower Max Murphy front on, stopping the Seagulls player dead in his tracks just two metres from the try line.
Philip Hakaraia-Ngamotu also had a number of strong runs in the match, the first of which came in the 22nd minute with a ten metre effort to get Burleigh into Seagulls territory. Philip Hakaraia-Ngamotu then backed that run up two tackles later with the speed of his run too quick for the defence who were penalised for being offside.
Philip Hakaraia-Ngamotu produced another strong effort in the 28th minute with a run from a Burleigh penalty restart, initially taking the ball eighteen metres out from the line and getting to within three before being wrestled down by multiple Seagulls defenders. Then in the 37th minute Philip Hakaraia-Ngamotu continued his hard running afternoon with a run of fourteen metres that once again got him to within a couple of metres of the try line.
Philip Hakaraia-Ngamotu showcased his outstanding speed for a big strong second rower in the 47th minute with a huge fifty metre charge down the right side of the field. After receiving the ball thirty metres out from his own line Philip Hakaraia-Ngamotu easily bumped off the first attempted tackle to break into space, outpacing the Seagulls cover defence. As he got to about twenty metres out from the try line Philip Hakaraia-Ngamotu tried to set up his support on his inside but just as he was about to pass to his left the ball was stripped out of his grasp with Burleigh being awarded a penalty as a result.
Round Five against the Ipswich Jets saw Philip Hakaraia-Ngamotu once against named to start at right second row however he was a late scratching from the match.
2021 also saw Philip Hakaraia-Ngamotu once again represent Keebra Park State High School in school boy rugby league, starting Round One of the Walters Cup against Marsden State High School at right second row.
Philip Hakaraia-Ngamotu also started Round Two against Redcliffe State High School at right second row and was involved in the opening tackle of the match and then also made the fourth tackle of the match.
Philip Hakaraia-Ngamotu continued his strong start to the match in the 8th minute with a strong fourteen run down the right channel.
Philip Hakaraia-Ngamotu also played some matches in the Langer Reserve competition in 2021 including starting from the bench in Round Six against PBC State High School.
Titans contracted Arama Hau moved to halfback for Nerang against the Burleigh Bears on the weekend in the GCRL U18 Division One competition and had a very solid game and almost got his name on the try scoring list in the 15th minute when he charged into the ball from fifteen metres out but he was eventually held up under the posts.
The Burleigh match also saw Arama Hau record a 36th minute try assist when he ran to his right before throwing a no look short pass to his right second rower to run into a gap to score near the posts.
Arama Hau showed his intelligence in the 20th minute when after finding himself in dummy half on the final tackle close to the line, put in a short right foot grubber kick to force Burleigh to restart from a goal line drop out.
On the weekend Titans contracted Immanuel Kalekale moved to lock for Nerang in Round Ten of the GCRL U18 Division One competition against the Burleigh Bears and scored a strong try in the 15th minute and also kicked Nerang’s final conversion of the match with the kick being taken just to the left of the uprights.
In the 15th minute Immanuel Kalekale charged onto the ball from six metres out to the left of the dummy half and dragged four defenders over the line to get the ball down next to the right upright.
Immanuel Kalekale produced another powerful run in the 55th minute from deep inside his own territory of thirty five metres with Immanuel Kalekale then producing a great right arm off-load to keep Nerang’s momentum going.
Weight of performances has led to Sione Fotuaika’s elevation to the Marsden SHS starting line-up in the front row against Coombabah State High School in Round Six of the Langer Cup on Wednesday night.
In January 2021 Sione Fotuaika started from the bench for the Titans U19 side in their annual match at Coffs Harbour against the Newcastle Knights and worked hard both in attack and defence in his stints on the field in the Titans 40 – 6 victory.
It appears that Sione Fotuaika was spent a lot of the offseason in the gym as he looks bigger and stronger than he did in 2021 and he used that additional size and strength well throughout the match including late in the match when from around twelve metres out, the Knights defence was barely able to prevent him from scoring, finally holding him up just a metre away from the line.
Another aspect of the Sione Fotuaika’s game that was impressive was the speed of his play the ball, with that speed translating into momentum for the Titans. Impressively in the 30th minute of the first half, Sione Fotuaika won a penalty for the Titans when he was just too quick for the Knights defenders who had no choice but to give away a penalty for holding Sione Fotuaika down with their defensive line still back peddling.
A week after the match against the Newcastle Knights Sione Fotuaika once again lined up for the Titans U19’s as they took on a Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts squad with the Titans winning 32 – 20 with no conversions attempted with Sione Fotuaika starting the match on the bench, coming on at half time and playing the entire second half in the front row.
In 2021 Sione Fotuaika was also part of the Souths Logan Magpies MM Cup squad and started the Magpies final MM Cup trial in the front row against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.
Sione Fotuaika had the privilege of taking the hit-up off the kick off producing a strong charge before being brought down Tweed Heads Seagulls and fellow Titans contracted forwards Ryan Foran and Jack Cullen.
Sione Fotuaika continued to make his presence felt just minutes later when he smashed Seagulls half Thomas Weaver who had looked to run the ball down a short blindside. Sione Fotuaika’s hit had his fellow Titans contracted player on his haunches for a few minutes.
Sione Fotuaika also produced another strong charge from the kick-off after Souths Logan’s one and only try of the match in the opening minutes and then produced another strong first quarter charge making twelve metres before being rested until coming back on in the final quarter.
In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, Sione Fotuaika started in the front row against the Burleigh Bears making his presence felt in the match on just the second hit after Burleigh had kicked off with Sione Fotuaika charging ten metres downfield. Sione Fotuaika made a further ten metres in the 9th metre with another straight charge into the heart of the Burleigh forward pack.
In the 52nd minute, Sione Fotuaika once again gained an impressive amount of ground before off-loading to his left to fellow Titan EJ Finau to gain an additional twenty metres from inside their own territory.
Round Two against the Tweed Heads Seagulls saw Sione Fotuaika move to the bench and he also started from the bench in Round Three against the Ipswich Jets.
Round Four against the Burleigh Bears saw Sione Fotuaika move back to the Magpies extended bench for their match against the Burleigh Bears and for Round Five against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.
In late May 2021 Sione Fotuaika was part of the Met East QSSRL Open School Boy representative side and started in the front row in their Day One match against Sunshine Coast with the strong front rower scoring an easy try in the 38th minute when he put the ball down under the posts after a great pass from his hooker to stroll over from close range.
Sione Fotuaika was part of the Marsden State High School Rugby League Excellence Program in 2021, and came into the Marsden SHS side for Round Three against Wavell State High School, coming off the bench and working hard, including in the 43rd minute with a strong run over the halfway mark and then Sione Fotauika was able to off-load with his right arm to Braden Teilua.
Sione Fotuaika started Round One of the Langer Cup Reserve Grade Competition in the front row against Keebra Park and scored an outstanding solo try in the 42nd minute. Sione Fotuaika received the ball to the left of the play the ball, twelve metres out from the line initially skipping to his left, before engaging the defensive line. Sione Fotuaika shrugged off the first defender who engaged him before cutting back to his right, breaking five tackles to force his way over under the posts.
Sione Fotuaika also started in the front row in Round Two against Ipswich State High School and then started from the bench in the Round Four blockbuster against PBC State High School coming into the match at around the twenty minute mark to operate in the front row.
Sione Fotuaika once again started from the bench in Round Five against Mabel Park State High School.
Titans contracted Caleb Gould-Waiariki from Coombabah SHS has been named to start at halfback in Wednesday’s Round Six Langer Cup match against Marsden State High School.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki’s first 2021 hit-out was for the Titans U19 squad that in late January played against a Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts squad. Caleb Gould-Waiariki started the match on the bench but came on at half time, playing in the dummy half role for the Titans and late in the match moved to a running forward role at lock.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki made a more than positive contribution to the Titans victory early in the second half when in the 7th minute of the second half, Caleb Gould-Waiariki moved to his right to prevent one of the Bears second rowers from scoring. Caleb Gould-Waiariki was able to hold back the Bears players until help arrived to stop the Bears from scoring.
Caleb Gould Waiariki’s first hit-out with the 2021 Burleigh Bears MM Cup side came when he started at hooker in the Bears second trial against the Easts Tigers.
Caleb Gould-Waiakiri made his presence felt early in the match when in just the 6th minute he burst out of dummy half to the right of the play the ball splitting the Easts Tigers defensive line before finding right centre Tuvalli Khan-Pereira who in turn put winger Levi Jones over to score in the right corner.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki recorded a try assist of his own in the 34th minute with a deft right foot kick out of dummy half. Caleb Gould-Waiariki went into dummy half nine metres out from the Easts Tigers line directly in front of the goal posts. When the ball was played Caleb Gould-Waiariki took a step back and to the left before putting in the grubber kick which pulled up nicely a metre or so from the dead ball line which was perfect for Brody Smitka to dive on in front of two Easts Tigers players.
In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, Caleb Gould-Waiariki started at hooker against the Souths Logan Magpies and was immediately in the action making the first tackle of the match from the kick-off with Brody Smitka also in on the tackle.
Caleb Gould Waiariki was heavily involved in Burleigh’s opening try of the match when in the 5th minute Joseph Shannon charged onto the ball from around six metres out from the line, cutting to his left immediately prior to receiving the ball from Caleb Gould-Waiariki to take advantage of a big gap. The only defender in the vicinity being the Souths Logan hooker could only hold on for the ride as Joseph Shannon carried him over the try line to get the ball down under the posts at the dressing room end of Pizzey Park.
In the 26th minute of the match Caleb Gould-Waiariki produced what must already be a contender for tackle of the year. Souths Logan Magpies lock Vincent Sefo fly into the ball from close range and looked as if he was going to score under the posts untouched. Caleb Gould-Waiariki however came from the clouds, moving to his right and got hold of Sefo, twisting him clockwise and then as the two players were falling to the ground in the in-goal, Caleb Gould-Waiariki was able to twist under Sefo’s body and keep the ball from getting to the ground. I could use a thousand words to try to describe the tackle but nothing but seeing the tackle can do justice to just how good the tackle was.
in the 53rd minute, Caleb Gould-Waiariki showed that he is always concentrating when after making ten metres and attracting a multitude of Souths Logan Burleigh front rower Joseph Shannon was able to get an off-load away to Caleb Gould-Waiariki who darted another ten metres downfield.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki also started at hooker in Round Two against the Ipswich Jets and scored a double for the Bears in their impressive 44 – 16 victory and making the first of many darts out of dummy half in the 4th minute of the match.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki scored his first try in the 29th minute when he dived out of dummy half from less than a metre away from the line to the right of the play the ball to get the ball down under the posts.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki’s second try of the match came in the 49th minute of the match with another darting run out of dummy half. Caleb Gould-Waiariki was at dummy half ten metres out from the Jets line directly in front of the goal posts. Caleb Gould-Waiariki darted out of dummy half to right before cutting back to his left two to find space before straightening up and diving over adjacent to the left goal post.
In the 9th minute Caleb Gould-Waiariki was part of a long Burleigh break down the left side of the field. Arama Hau took the ball off Caleb Gould-Waiariki who was the dummy half and after a bustling ten metre, run off-loaded to Caleb Gould Waiariki who darted thirty metres down field with Arama Hau scoring just two tackles later.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki produced a smart piece of play in the 13th minute of the first half, Caleb Gould-Waiariki went into dummy half around ten metres out from the line on the final tackle. Caleb Gould-Waiariki moved out of dummy half to his left, putting in a strong stab kick in the same direction, the kick bounced off a number of legs and had to be forced in-goal by the Ipswich fullback.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki produced a strong defensive effort in the 21st minute when he, with the assistance of Jeremaiah Tamepo halted the momentum of the Ipswich Jets right winger and then dragged him into touch forty metre out from the try line.
After missing Round Three Caleb Gould-Waiariki was named to start at hooker for Round Four match against the Souths Logan Magpies.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki also started at hooker in Round Five against the Ipswich Jets scoring the final try of the match in Burleigh’s remarkable victory.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki’s try came in the 68th minute to seal the Bears come from behind victory. Caleb Gould-Waiariki packed into a scrum at lock after Burleigh were awarded a scrum feed that they took in the middle of the field ten metres out after a Syris Schmidt bomb to the left wing was dropped by the Jets.
From the back of the scrum, Caleb Gould-Waiariki initially dummied to his left before running himself and ran ten metres untouched to score next to the left upright.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki also recorded a try assist in the match when in the 37thth minute he ran out of dummy half to his right before straightening up his run to freeze the defence in place before passing to his right for Brody Smitka to crash over from five metres out.
Just three minute Caleb Gould-Waiariki added a second try assist when in the 37thth minute he burst out of dummy half to his right, thirty five metres out from the line, beating two defenders before a step off his left got him through the line and then Caleb Gould-Waiariki was able to draw the fullback and offload to Tuvalli Khan-Pereira who was backing up to crash over.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki was in the match early making the first of his many forays out of dummy half on the third play the ball of the match when he darted to his right.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki produced an outstanding and smart piece of play in the 26th minute. With Ipswich playing the ball less than a metre out from the Bears line, Caleb Gould-Waiariki positioned himself to the right of the play the ball and as soon as the ball was played bolted forward, timing his run perfectly to intercept the pass from the dummy half and getting the ball twenty five metres out from his own line.
Round Six being the final regular season round of the 2021 MM Cup competition saw Caleb Gould-Waiariki once again line up at hooker in the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls with Caleb Gould-Waiariki scoring the match winning try in the 68th minute of Burleigh’s 34 – 20 come from behind victory.
With Burleigh down by two points with less than two minutes remaining Caleb Gould-Waiariki was the Bears hero. Still playing at halfback on the right side of the field, Caleb Gould-Waiariki received the ball from the dummy half twelve metres out from the line, and after extravagantly dummying to his left, cut back to his right and charged diagonally back towards the uprights diving over three metres from the right upright.
In addition to his last match heroics, Caleb Gould-Waiariki also recorded an 18th minute try assist when from dummy half two minutes out from the line, Caleb Gould-Waiariki put in a short right foot kick through the Seagulls line with right second rower Seth Nikotemo timing his run perfectly to get the ball down easily on the right side of the field.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki recorded a second try assist in the 65th minute when he took the ball to the line and proved a good short ball to his right to put Seth Nikotemo into a gap and after fighting hard, Seth Nikotemo was able to crash over ten metres to the right of the uprights.
In the second half Caleb Gould-Waiariki moved to halfback with Eren Eden coming off the bench to play in the dummy half role, but the position change in no way affected Caleb Gould-Waiariki’s significant contribution to Burleigh last gasp victory.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki made a line break from the halfback position in the 55th minute when after receiving the ball to the right of the play the ball, Caleb Gould-Waiariki cut back to his left from fourteen metres from the line, breaking two tackles to get to within a metre of the line next to the left upright and was then awarded a penalty for interference in the play the ball.
Defensively Caleb Gould-Waiariki had some good moments in the match, including in the 49th minute when a driving tackle on the Tweed Heads right winger forced him back three metres.
Impressively Caleb Gould-Waiariki was named on the Burleigh interchange bench for the Bears Hastings Deering’s Colts Round Four match against the Norths Devils and even more impressively actually started the match at five eight.
In February 2021 Caleb Gould-Waiariki took part in the South Coast Open school boy trials and was named at hooker in the South Coast Maroon Open school boy side as a result of his trial performances.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki started South Coast Maroon’s Day One match at hooker although he also spent time at five eight in the match.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki scored in the 57th minute of the match when whilst playing at five eight he received the ball to the left of the play the ball dummying to his right before slicing through the line from ten metres out, beating three defenders on the way to the line.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki also recorded a line break assist in the 22nd minute when he ran out of dummy half to his right and put Travis may into a gap.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki started Day Two against Met North at five eight and recorded a 10th minute try assist when after receiving the ball to the right of the play the ball, drafted in the same direction before putting K-CI Newton-Whare into a big gap twenty metres out.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki made it third tries in as many days when he also scored on Day Three as South Coast Maroon went up against Darling Downs. Late in the match, Caleb Gould-Waiariki packed in at the back of a scrum with a South Coast feed thirty five metres out from the line and fifteen metres in from the left touchline. Caleb Gould-Waiariki picked the ball up from the back of the scrum immediately taking off down the blindside. Caleb Gould-Waiariki was tackled from behind just before the line but was able to reach out with his right arm to get the ball down. It appeared live that he bounced the ball but the referee awarded Caleb Gould-Waiariki the try.
2021 also saw Caleb Gould-Waiariki line up once again for Coombabah State High School in the South East Queensland School Boy Langer Cup competition starting Round One at halfback against Mabel Park State High School.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki could not have made a more impressive start to the match making a line break in just the second minute, making twenty metres utilising impressive footwork getting to within five metres of the line before being put to ground.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki continued at halfback in Round Three against PBC State High School, scoring a second half try in an impressive display.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki scored in the 45th minute, when after receiving the ball two passes off the ruck on the right side of the field, Caleb Gould-Waiariki ran to his left with the ball out in front of his body. As he approached the PBC defensive line, Caleb Gould-Waiariki brought the ball back into his body and accelerated through a gap after one of the PBC defenders had cheated to the outside with Caleb Gould-Waiariki’s speed getting him across the line midway between the left goal post and corner post.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki was not that far away from also scoring in the 16th minute of the first half when he kicked through a PBC lost ball, regathering the ball but he was brought down from behind just five metres from the line.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki was also named at halfback for Round Four against Ipswich State High School and the crafty young man recorded a try assist in the 33rd minute when Joseph Shannon charged onto a pass from Caleb Gould-Waiariki who then looped around to get the off-load and then through a great cut out pass of around twenty metres to put his left winger over in the corner.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki was at his scheming best once again in the 52nd minute when he put in a right foot grubber to the left corner which had to be taken dead by the Ipswich SHS defence to force a line drop out.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki continued at halfback for Round Five against St Mary’s College Toowoomba and he put on a play making clinic including recording two try assists as Coombabah SHS belted their Toowoomba based rivals 38 – 0.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki’s opening try assist came in the 9th minute when he took the ball down a short left blindside and threw a great cut-out pass to his left to put his left centre over in the corner.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki recorded his second try assist in the 45th minute when he put in a perfectly weighted right foot stab kick towards the left corner with the ball sitting up perfectly for his left second rower to charge onto the ball to score wide out.
This Wednesday night’s Round Six Langer Cup match against Mabel Park State High School sees Titans contracted PBC’s Tanu Nona starting the match from the bench.
In January 2021 Tanu Nona started at hooker for the Titans U17 side that defeated a Newcastle Knights side in their annual match at Coffs Harbour with Tanu Nona leading his forwards onto the ball well as they dominated the Knights pack as well as running judicially out of dummy half as the match progressed and the Knight forwards tired in the Titans 32 – 20 victory. One such run early in the second half was a superb twenty five metre effort directly through the centre of the ruck after darting to his right out of dummy half.
Tanu Nona did not have to wait long to get into the match, being part of three of the first five that the Titans made after they kicked off to Newcastle to start the match off.
In June 2021 Tanu Nona started at hooker for a Titans U17 side that played a Titans Northern Rivers U18 squad at Cbus Stadium as a curtain raiser to the Titans Round Fourteen NRL match against the Sydney Roosters and caused all sorts of trouble for the Northern Rivers Titans defensive line.
Tanu Nona was named at hooker for the Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup side for their Round One match against the Wests Tigers and had an impressive match as the Northern Rivers Titans had a solid first up victory.
Tanu Nona got the Northern Rivers Titans on the front foot early in the match with a strong forty metre run through the centre of the Wests Tigers ruck after darting out of dummy half to the right of the play the ball. Tanu Nona continued to run from dummy half over the course of the match and it almost paid off late in the match when Tanu Nona darted out of dummy half to his right only to be held up next to the left goal post.
After his outstanding Round One performance, Tanu Nona also started Round Two against local rivals the North Coast Bulldogs at Nambucca Heads at hooker, producing another solid display, including an early first half try assist.
Tanu Nona’s try assist came early in the first half when he darted out of dummy half to his left, three metres out from the North Coast line and through a flat short ball to his left to put Rowan Mansfield into a gap and he was able to put the ball down under the posts.
Tanu Nona produced an early trademark run out of dummy half in just the 14th minute of the first half when he darted out of dummy half to his right and surging twenty metres before being brought down and then being awarded a penalty when the North Coast defence would not allow him to get to his feet.
Tanu Nona produced two more outstanding runs out of dummy half to the match, one a thirty metre run out of dummy half to the right of the play the ball and in the 49th minute of the match, Tanu Nona once again ran to his right making fifteen valuable metres.
Tanu Nona also started at hooker in Round Three against the Greater Northern Tigers recording a try and a try assist.
Tanu Nona’s try came in the 60th minute of the match when he ran out of dummy half to his left before dummying the same way and darting towards the line to get the ball down under the posts.
Tanu Nona recorded his try assist in the 42nd minute of the match when he ran out of dummy half to his left holding his pass to his left nicely to create a gap for Jye David to run into from close range to score.
Tanu Nona also started at hooker in Round Four at Lismore against the Central Coast Roosters as well as in Round Five against the Newcastle Knights. In his second stint on the field in the second half, Tanu Nona initially came on to play as a running forward before reverting back to his dummy half role later in the half.
Tanu Nona was at dummy half less than a metre out from the Newcastle line with nowhere to go in the 60th minute. Tanu Nona deliberately grubber kicked the ball out of dummy half hard into the Knights defenders who were crouched low, forcing a Knights knock on and winning the ball back for the Northern Rivers Titans.
In May 2021 Tanu Nona was part of the South Coast Maroon Open school boy side at the QSSRL Championships starting from the bench on Day One of the Championships.
Tanu Nona moved into the South Coast Maroon starting side at hooker on Day Two against Met North with his first dummy half run coming in the opening minute of the match.
Tanu Nona was also outstanding in South Coast Maroons Day Three match against Darling Downs including scoring late in the first half. From thirteen metres out Tanu Nona ran out of dummy half to his left shaping to pass to his left but instead he barged over next to the right upright.
The Day Four fifth place play-off match against Met East saw Tanu Nona also start from the bench coming on to play in the dummy half run and early in the second half he produced a typical Tanu Nona dart out of dummy half to his right, making sixteen metres through the centre of the ruck.
Tanu Nona started from the bench for the Cudgen Hornets in Round One of the NRRRL U18 competition, coming on in the second half in the dummy half role as the Hornets defeated the Tweed Coast Raiders 38 – 6.
Tanu Nona also started from the bench in Round Five against Byron Bay, initially playing as a running forward when he came into the field before reverting back to his normal dummy half role. Tanu Nona almost got himself on the try scoring list in the match but in the 56th minute he was held up under the posts after darting out of dummy half from close range.
Tanu Nona moved into the Cudgen starting side at hooker in Round Seven against the Marist Brothers Rams, scoring one try and setting up another in Cudgen’s impressive victory.
Tanu Nona scored in the 48th minute when he moved into dummy half fourteen metres from the try line on the left side of the field. Tanu Nona dummied to his left before running out of dummy half in the same direction before stepping off his left foot to run back towards the centre of the field. Running parallel to the defensive line towards the right, Tanu Nona dummied once again, this time to the right to force his way over the line five metres from the left goal post.
Tanu Nona’s try assist came in the 52nd minute when he ran down a short right blind side, drawing the defence towards him before throwing a cut-out pass to right winger Tobey Carpenter who dived over in the right corner.
Tanu Nona continued at hooker in Round Eight against the Kyogle Turkeys scoring an outstanding long-range solo try in the final minute of the match. Playing as a running forward at the time, Tanu Nona received the ball to the right of the dummy half sixty five metres from the line, easily slicing through two defenders in the Turkeys defensive line and from there Tanu Nona beat the fullback with pace. Within metres of the try line, Tanu Nona was actually caught from behind by the Kyogle five eight but he maintained his balance to get the ball down under the posts.
In addition to his outstanding try, Tanu Nona recorded a 23rd minute try assist when after skipping out of dummy half to his left, Tanu Nona threw a flat, hard short ball in the same direction to his front rower to force his way over five metres to the left of the goal posts after running into a gap established by Tanu Nona four metres from the line.
Tanu Nona continued at hooker in Round Ten against the Murwillumbah Mustangs.
2021 also saw Tanu Nona line up once again for PBC State High School in the South East Queensland School Boy Langer Cup competition starting Round One at hooker against Ipswich State High School. Whilst Tanu Nona spent the majority of his time on the field in the dummy half role he did play as a running forward for a portion of the second half.
In his debut Langer Cup A match, Tanu Nona was outstanding recording two try assist (both for Jett Forbes to score) and two line breaks on top of his outstanding distribution out of dummy half and solid defence.
Tanu Nona’s first try assist came early in the match, in the 9th minute to be exact when he ran the ball to the right out of dummy half down a short blindside, picking the ball up nine metres out. Tanu Nona took the ball right to the line before throwing a cut-out pass to his right to Jett Forbes who dived over in the right corner.
As noted above, Tanu Nona’s second try assist enabled Jett Forbes to score once again, with the try completing Jett Forbes’s hat trick. In the 59th minute, Tanu Nona flew out of dummy half to his left breaking three tackles to get through the Ipswich SHS defensive line, Tanu Nona rounded the fullback by veering to his right but was ankle tapped but as he was going to ground Tanu Nona was able to off-load to his right to a flying Jett Forbes to race away to score under the posts untouched.
In addition to his 59th minute line break that led to Jett Forbes third try, Tanu Nona also broke the Ipswich SHS line in the 22nd minute when Tanu Nona burst out of dummy half to his left bursting through the line and making fifty metres downfield but unfortunately his off-load could not find friendly hands.
It was clear that Tanu Nona was in for a good match as early as the 8th minute, when a dart out of dummy half caught the Ipswich SHS defence napping with Tanu Nona making good ground and then he was awarded a penalty when he was hit in a high tackle.
Tanu Nona also started at hooker in Round Two against St Mary’s College Toowoomba and scored his career first Langer Cup try when in the 29th minute he ran out of dummy half to his left from twenty metres out but as he approached the defensive line Tanu Nona cut back to his right to dive over next to the right upright.
Tanu Nona was immediately in the match, making the first tackle after PBC kicked off in conjunction with Jack Cullen and took his first run out of dummy half in the 4th minute when he darted out of dummy half to his left, making eight metres.
Tanu Nona continued at hooker in Round Three against Coombabah State High School and was also named at hooker for Round Four against Marsden State High School however he ended up starting the match from the bench and played a sunning forward role when he was on the field.
Tanu Nona also started from the bench in the much anticipated Round Five local derby against Keebra Park State High School.
Titans contracted Joseph Shannon from Coombabah SHS has been named to start in the front row in Wednesday’s Round Six Langer Cup match against Marsden State High School.
In January 2021 Joseph Shannon started in the front row for the Titans U17 side in their annual match at Coffs Harbour against the Newcastle Knights with the powerful Titans forward pack led by Joseph Shannon leading the Titans to an impressive 32 – 20 victory.
Joseph Shannon could not have made an earlier impression than he did when, after the Titans kicked off to get the match going, Joseph Shannon smashed the Knights forward taking the first hit up, cutting him in half with a superb left shoulder hit just under the ribs which put the Newcastle forward on his back.
Joseph Shannon also produced a superb front on hit early in the second half when he once again smashed a Knights attacker who was bringing the ball back from the kick-off after the Knights scored in the second half. Once again Joseph Shannon drove into the defender with his left shoulder putting him on his back with outstanding force.
Joseph Shannon then bookended the first half with an outstanding off-load with three Knights defenders engaged with him to keep the play going for the Titans. Late in the second half, Joseph Shannon showed some right subtlety in his paly when he charged onto the ball but prior to contact, threw a pre-contact offload to his right to Arama Hau who rumbled fifteen metres upfield. Just as impressively Joseph Shannon took the subsequent hit-up making an additional ten metres, including bumping off the first Knights defender who came out of the line to try to put a big hit on.
Joseph Shannon put an exclamation mark on his exceptional performance with a great fifteen metre charge from the Titans set of six after Keano Kini’s try when he knocked Newcastle forwards backwards as he steamed through the centre of the ruck.
Joseph Shannon showed a lot of desperation as well when early in the second half with the Titans holding a slender lead, to appeared that the Knights were going to score under the posts, but Joseph Shannon willed himself to get across to his left to hit the Knights attacker with his left arm around the mid-rift and forcing the ball free with the Knights player literally less than a metre from putting the ball down under the posts.
Joseph Shannon’s first hit-out with the 2021 Burleigh Bears MM Cup side came when he started in the front row in the Bears second trial against the Easts Tigers.
After taking a head knock from the opening kick-off Joseph Shannon did not play too many minutes in the trial but still made his presence felt in the match including a huge front on tackle in just the third minute of the match to rattle the teeth of his opposite number.
In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, Joseph Shannon started in the front row against the Souths Logan Magpies, scoring Burleigh’s try of the match and for the 2021 season for that matter.
In the 5th minute Joseph Shannon charged onto the ball from around six metres out from the line, cutting to his left immediately prior to receiving the ball from Caleb Gould-Waiariki to take advantage of a big gap. The only defender in the vicinity being the Souths Logan hooker could only hold on for the ride as Joseph Shannon carried him over the try line to get the ball down under the posts at the dressing room end of Pizzey Park.
Just after coming back onto the field early in the second half for his second stint of the match, Joseph Shannon took out his energy on the Souths Logan defensive line with a strong hit-up in the 53rd minute, when after making ten metres and attracting a multitude of Souths Logan Joseph Shannon was able to get an off-load away to Caleb Gould-Waiariki who darted another ten metres downfield.
After missing Rounds Two and Three, Joseph Shannon was named to start on the bench for Round Four match against the Souths Logan Magpies.
In February 2021 Joseph Shannon took part in the South Coast Open school boy trials and was named in the front row in the South Coast Open B school boy side as a result of his trial performances.
2021 also saw Joseph Shannon line up once again for Coombabah State High School in the South East Queensland School Boy Langer Cup competition and after missing the opening two rounds started Round Three at right second row against PBC State High School.
Joseph Shannon had a strong match for Coombabah with his first significant contribution coming in the 12th minute with a ten metre charge on the left side of the field with Joseph Shannon then being able to off-load the ball when in contact with the defensive line.
Joseph Shannon produced an even better off-load in the 38th minute when after he had made eighteen metres, Joseph Shannon got his left arm free with three PBC defenders trying vain to get him to the ground.
Joseph Shannon also started in the front row in Round Four against Ipswich State High School when he came up against fellow Titans firebrand Joseph Pahulu. The match saw Joseph Shannon do want he does best that is to charge at the defensive line and get arm free to off-load and that is exactly what happened in the 33rd minute when he charged onto a pass from Caleb Gould-Waiariki who then looped around to get the off-load and then through a great cut out pass of around twenty metres to put his left winger over in the corner.
Joseph Shannon also continued in the front row in Round Five against St Mary’s College Toowoomba with the giant firebrand charging onto the ball from ten metres out in the 35th minute to get the ball down just to the right of the uprights.
2021 also saw Joseph Shannon play for the Runaway Bay Seagulls in the Gold Coast Rugby League U18 Division One competition with his first appearance coming in Round Nine when Joseph Shannon started in the front row against the Southport Tigers and he also started in the front row in Round Ten against the Nerang Roosters.
This Wednesday night’s Round Six Langer Cup match against Mabel Park State High School sees Titans contracted PBC’s Michael Roberts move closer to the action, starting the match at right centre.
In January 2021 Michael Roberts started from the bench for the Titans U17 side in their annual match at Coffs Harbour against the Newcastle Knights with the Titans recording an impressive 32 – 20 victory and Michael Roberts taking away the Titans U17 Player of the Match honours.
Michael Roberts came into the match early in the first half, but really made his presence felt with the last play of the first half. Newcastle spun the ball to their right with Michael Roberts moving up with the rest of the Titans left sided defence. As the Knights five eight threw a long pass to his right, Michael Roberts anticipated the trajectory of the pass perfectly, taking the intercept seventy five metres away from the line and it was simply shut the gate so no Knights defender got near him as Michael Roberts sprinted away to put the ball down under the posts. Michael Roberts then converted his own try.
Michael Roberts then produced a smart play from the second half kick-off. The Titans let the kick up bounce with the ball bouncing back towards the oncoming Knights defence. Michael Roberts sensed the risk and ran back towards his own try line pushing the ball backwards as it threatened to bounce above his head and then retrieving it with Newcastle players all around him.
Michael Roberts showcased his smarts on the field once again in the second half. Michael Roberts was at marker with Newcastle playing the ball a metre out from their own try line. As the Knights player ran out of dummy half to his left, Michael Roberts got out of marker explosively getting hold of the Knights player and dragging him back into the in-goal to force a Knights drop out.
Michael Roberts continued to showcase his intelligence later in the second half, Michael Roberts tracked back to chase a Knights break down their right, it was clear that Michael Roberts would not be able to get to the line break with a traditional tackle, but dived and ankle tapped the Knights player before he could offload, thus stopping the movement in its tracks.
In June 2021 Michael Roberts started at right centre for a Titans U17 JTS side that played a Titans U18 Northern Rivers Development Squad at Cbus Stadium in a curtain raiser to the Titans NRL match against the Sydney Roosters, with Michael Roberts kicking eight conversions for the Titans JTS side.
Michael Roberts started at right centre for the 2021 Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup side for their Round One match against the Wests Tigers and was for me the best player on the field as the Northern Rivers Titans got their season off to an outstanding start on the back of a 30 – 12 victory.
Michael Roberts was in the match early, converting Jack Field’s 100 metre kick return try and he then backed that up just moments later scoring under the posts for the Northern Rivers Titans second try of the match, which he also converted. In total Michael Roberts kicked four goals from as many attempts in the Round One win.
In relation to Michael Robert’s try, half Harvey Moase kicked towards the right wing with the ball taking a wicked bounce back towards the centre of the field, right winger Blake Forder flew through and toe’d the ball forward for Michael Roberts to pick up on the bounce and crash over under the posts. Michael Roberts took possession of the ball ten metres out from the line, pushing the first Wests Tigers defender off with his right arm before charging at the line and forcing the ball down with two defenders all over him.
Michael Roberts in fact could have scored two more tries in the match, on two occasions being in position to take intercepts in his own half, but on each occasion, one in each half, just could not maintain possession.
Michael Roberts also had a try assist early in the second half when after taking possession of the ball drew the Wests Tigers defender and passed to his right to Blake Forder who stepped back inside and after juggling the ball got it down wide out on the right. That try was another that Michael Roberts converted.
Early in the second half Michael Roberts played a big role in Harvey Moase’s first try. Michael Roberts chased through a Harvey Moase kick towards the right corner and smashed the Wests Tigers fullback dislodging the ball from his grasp, Harvey Moase was on the spot to pick the ball up and race away to score under the posts.
That occasion was not the only time that Michael Roberts chased a Harvey Moase kick hard. Midway through the second half, Harvey Moase’s kick travelled into the in-goal and as a result of a strong Michael Roberts tackle, the West Tigers fullback could not get back into the field of play, thus forcing a goal line drop out.
Michael Roberts was also on hand in the 51st minute of the match, when he along with Blake Forder grabbed hold of the Wests Tigers left winger who was returning a Harvey Moase kick and dragged him eight metres into touch to force a Northern Rivers Titans scrum feed whilst he was still inside his own territory.
Even when Michael Roberts missed a tackle he stayed in the game. Late in the second half, the Wests Tigers left centre was able to initially palm off Michael Roberts but he kept chasing and dived full length to ankle tap the Tigers player just as he was accelerating into space.
After his outstanding Round One performance, Michael Roberts also started Round Two against local rivals the North Coast Bulldogs at Nambucca Heads at right centre and kicked two conversions from as many attempts in the 22 – 12 loss.
Michael Roberts also started at right centre in Round Three against the Greater Northern Tigers kicking two conversions in the loss including an outstanding conversion from the right touchline to convert a third minute Harry Silverwright try.
Michael Roberts was into the match early when in just the second minute he rag dolled the Greater Northern Tigers left winger over the sideline.
After missing Round Four Michael Roberts was named to start Round Five against the Newcastle Knights from the bench but actually started the match at right centre and scored early in the first half.
Michael Roberts’s try came in just the 13th minute of the match when he received a long pass in space from Harvey Moase and then got on the outside of his direct opponent around ten metres out from the line and then was able to hold off the Newcastle cover defence with his left arm to get the ball down eight metres in from the right corner post.
Michael Roberts could have had a double in the 22nd minute but was held up after trying to barge his way over from dummy half from close range.
In the 23rd minute Michael Roberts continued to make ground when he cut back towards centre field from his right centre position to beat three defenders whilst making twenty valuable metres.
Michael Roberts was in the match in the match early kicking long into the right corner and then was one of the first Northern Rivers Titans defenders downfield to tackle the Knights fullback in the corner and also was on hand to smash the Knights left winger in the 2nd minute of the second half after the Knights player fielded a Northern Rivers Titans clearing kick.
In Round One of the 2021 NRRRL U18 competition, Michael Roberts started at fullback for the Bilambil Jets as they took on the Murwillumbah Mustangs and had an outstanding match that saw him score an outstanding individual try and well as kicking three conversions from four attempts, including a last minute conversion from the right touchline as well as a late second half penalty goal in the 50th minute to lock the scores up at 18 all.
Michael Roberts try came in the 28th minute and was an outstanding individual effort. Michael Roberts received the ball seventy metres out from the line, chipping over the line perfectly and comfortably regathering before rounding the Murwillumbah fullback and to put the ball down near the posts before converting his own try.
Michael Roberts came very close to scoring a double in the match but in the 14th minute was held up over the line after stepping off his right ten metres out only to be held up.
Michael Roberts also recorded a line break assist in the match when in the 38th minute he ran the ball down a left sided blind side and throwing a cut out pass to his left that hit his winger on the chest, with the winger getting to less than a metre from the corner post before being stopped.
It was not all about his attacking play in the match with Michael Roberts positional play also being first class in the match including in the opening minute when he tracked across to his left to retrieve an attacking grubber kick under heavy pressure but Michael Roberts kept his cool and in fact won a penalty after he was held down in the subsequent tackle.
Then in the 36th minute Michael Roberts took a mid-field bomb under intense pressure, including from a team mate thirty five metres out from his own line and then was able to get the ball into Murwillumbah territory fighting defenders the entire trip.
Michael Roberts also started at fullback in Round Two against the Tweed Coast Raiders kicking three conversions including a great conversion from the right touchline in the 32nd minute in the Jets 22 – 16 victory.
Michael Roberts was also credited with a try assist in the win when in the 27th minute he received the ball from a penalty restart just ten metres from the try line, easing to his left to put his left second rower over the line.
Michael Roberts first impact in the match came inside the first minute when he ran the ball down a short left blindside beating three tackles after dummying to his outside before a right arm flick pass found his hooker who continued to make ground.
In the 7th Michael Roberts positioned himself nicely to retrieve a Tweed Coast kick on his own twenty metre mark, after two left foot steps, Michael Roberts was eventually brought down after making twenty metres.
Michael Roberts continued his dominant start to the match in the 16th minute with a sixteen metre effort out of dummy half to his right before in the 17th minute Michael Roberts chimed into the Bilambil backline on the left, dummying to his outside and slicing through the defensive line from twenty five metres out, only to be brought down a metre short of the try line.
Michael Roberts positioning was also key late in the match with Bilambil leading by just six points when in the 46th minute Michael Roberts moved to his right to field a Tweed Coast attacking in-goal, as soon as he took possession Michael Roberts continued to his right and was able to get the ball back into the field of play.
Michael Roberts followed that good work with another smart piece of play just a minute later after Bilambil had turned the ball over from a charge down by executing a one on one strip to maintain the Jets six point margin.
After missing a number of weeks due to school boy representative commitments, Michael Roberts was back at fullback for Bilambil’s Round Five match against the Kyogle Turkeys, with Michael Roberts dominant in the Jets victory and for me he was a class above everyone else on the field in the Jets victory, a large part due to his performance.
Michael Roberts was outstanding from the opening whistle scoring two tries, setting up another as well as kicking six conversions, including one from right on each touch line.
Michael Roberts scored his first try in the 25th minute when after lining up to the right of a Jets scrum he kicked downfield and chased through putting the Kyogle fullback under pressure. As a consequence the fullback fumbled the ball with Michael Roberts being on hand to kick the ball through a second time with the ball then sitting up perfectly for him to collect the ball and put it down under the posts.
Michael Roberts completed his double just three minutes later in the 28th minute when from a set move twenty metres out from the line, Michael Roberts shot out from behind the play the ball to receive an inside pass from five eight William James, immediately producing a right foot step to beat one and broke through a further three tackles on the way to the line.
Michael Roberts could easily have had a hat trick in the match but in just the second minute after he had dummied to his right to break the Kyogle defensive line thirty five metres out and priding an exquisite left foot step to beat the fullback was held up by the cover defence.
Michael Roberts recorded his try assist in the 4th minute when he ran into the defensive line on the left side of the field double pumping the ball to his left to put Makenzie MacGrarrigal into a big gap just three metres from the line.
Michael Roberts also made an explosive play in the 14th minute when he came forward to take a Kyogle clearing kick on the full, easily beating the first Turkey’s chaser before running straight over two more to make twenty five metres to get the ball to near the halfway mark.
Then in the 20th minute, Michael Roberts saw that the Kyogle fullback was out of position and kicked deep from fifty five metres out with the ball pulling up perfectly in goal, Michael Roberts along with Kai Smallwood was the first Jets played downfield to tackle the fullback just three metres into the field of play.
That was not the only time in the match that Michael Roberts showcased his long kick game as in the 23rd minute, Michael Roberts from a drop out from his own goal line kicked the ball sixty five metres.
It was not all about attack in the match for Michael Roberts as in the 40th minute, the Kyogle No. 17 burst through the line, making a long break but Michael Roberts came from nowhere to tackle him from behind just three metres from the try line.
Michael Roberts produced another outstanding performance from fullback in Round Six against Casino RSM with the mercurial Michael Roberts scoring two tries, recording two try assists and also kicking four conversions.
Michael Roberts scored the first of his two tries in the 18th minute when he ran out of dummy half to his right, shrugging off one defender who had tried to tackle Michael Roberts around his chest. Michael Roberts then got low to dive over to score, and then he stepped up to convert his own try.
Michael Roberts added his second try right on halftime. When time in the first half almost expired and Bilambil having a scrum feed twenty metres out, the Jets put on a set play when after winning the scrum the Jets five eight who was stationed on the left of the scrum put in a short kick for Michael Roberts to chase. Michael Roberts flew through to get to the ball ten metres out but the ball just would not sit up for him so Michael Roberts toed to through again into the in-goal where it did sit up for him to retrieve and get the ball down.
Michael Roberts first try assist in the match came in the 32nd minute when he ran into the line before throwing a pass to his left to put Kelvin Bulluss over in the left corner. Michael Roberts then stepped to kick the conversion from right on the left touchline.
Michael Roberts added his second try assist in the 53rd minute when after packing into a scrum at lock he picked up the ball and ran down a left blindside to put his left centre over to score.
Michael Roberts showed that he has substance to his game as well as flash when in the 5th minute he tracked back a Casino RSM kick, retrieving it in his own in-goal with chasers streaming through. Michael Roberts wrong footed the chasers and made twenty metres down the left touchline before being tackled.
Michael Roberts was named to continue at fullback in Round Nine against the Byron Bay Devils, scoring a try and kicking two conversions in the Jets tough loss.
Michael Roberts scored in the 33rd minute of the match when after receiving the ball thirty metres out from the dummy half to the right of the play the ball, Michael Roberts dummied to his right before slicing through the Byron Bay line between two defenders. Michael Roberts then beat the fullback with a right foot step to dive over three metres to the left of the uprights.
Michael Roberts continued at fullback in Round Ten against the Marist Brothers Rams and scored an outstanding try in the 18th minute when he received an inside ball down a left blindside twenty two metres out from the line. Michael Roberts then produced two outstanding left foot steps to bamboozle the Rams defensive to comfortably score under the posts. Michael Roberts also kicked four conversions in the Jets victory.
Michael Roberts was named to continue at fullback in Round Eleven against the Ballina Seagulls but Round Twelve against the Tweed Coast Raiders saw Michael Roberts move to lock and kick four conversions from as many attempts in the Jets six point loss.
In February 2021 Michael Roberts took part in the South Coast Open school boy trials and was named in the centres in the South Coast Maroon Open school boy side as a result of his trial performances.
Michael Roberts started South Coast Maroon’s Day One match at right centre, scoring in the 11th when he ran into a gap five metres out and was able to bring the ball around to put it down near the posts.
Michael Roberts also started at right centre on Day Two against Met North and also scored for the second day in a row but he was held up over the try line in the 3rd minute after a ten metre effort.
Michael Roberts continued at right centre on Day Three against Darling Downs and proved once again that he is a legitimate strike weapon, scoring in the 16th minute five metres in from the right corner post after a twenty metre burst.
Michael Roberts scored his second try early in the second half when he received the ball wide on the right before he cut back inside, as he contacted the defensive line near the line, Michael Roberts spun counter clockwise to get the ball down in the right corner.
Michael Roberts almost completed a hat trick mid-way through the second half but he was held-up over the line.
The Day Four fifth place play-off match against Met East saw Michael Roberts once again start at right centre with the Titans contracted standout continuing his try scoring run in the second half. South Coast half Travis May, from thirty metres out, put in a chip kick to the right side of the field, Michael Roberts chasing through. The ball bounced ten metres out and it initially appeared it would sit up perfectly for Michael Roberts but when the ball bounced badly, Michael Roberts pulled his hands backed and instead kicked the ball forward and then he was able to gather the ball and put it down next to the right upright.
Round One of the 2021 Langer Cup School Boy Rugby League competition saw Michael Roberts initially named to start on the right wing for PBC against Ipswich State High School however a late change saw the natural talent start at fullback, with the late positional change not at all impacting on his outstanding performance which included one of the best try assists that you will ever see.
The unbelievable Michael Roberts try assist came in the 27th minute when he chased through a bomb, putting pressure on the Ipswich SHS fullback who dropped the ball forward, Michael Roberts scooped up the ball just metres from the try line, immediately heading towards the goal posts with the ball in his left hand. Michael Roberts was collared a literally swung off his legs by the Ipswich defence but in the process somehow (I have watched the replay multiple times and still do not know how he did it) flick the ball behind his body and put the pass onto the chest of Travis May who scored under the posts.
Michael Roberts also broke the line in the 32nd minute from a kick return. Once he collected the ball Michael Roberts headed for the right touchline, palming off one defender before making a break of twenty five metres down the right touchline but as the cover defence converged Michael Roberts’s pass inside went to ground.
Michael Roberts once again started at fullback in Round Two in Toowoomba against St Mary’s College and scored a double in PBC’s big win.
Michael Roberts scored his first try of the match in the 21st minute when he was loitering around the ruck and was subsequently perfectly placed to receive an off-load from Jack Cullen to dive over next to the left upright after a five metre dart.
Michael Roberts completed his double in the 51st minute when from a set move he received an inside ball from Thomas Weaver ten metres from the line to crash over mid-way between the goal posts and corner post on the left side of the field.
Michael Roberts also recorded a line break assist in the 55th minute when after retrieving a kick just ten metres from his own line, Roberts drew in the St Mary’s left sided defence to put Deine Mariner into a gap with the centre subsequently putting Jett Forbes away to score in the opposite corner.
Michael Roberts moved to the right wing in Round Three against Coombabah State High School. The match saw Michael Roberts record a try assist in the 5th minute with Michael Roberts taking a Thomas Weaver cross kick to his wing on the full and was he was being tackled and with his back to the try line, Michael Roberts offloaded to Deine Mariner who had looped around to the blindside.
Michael Roberts continued on the right wing in the Round Four blockbuster against Marsden State High School and whilst the ball did not get out to his wing often Michael Roberts still found a way to make an impact on the match including in the 12th minute when he chased a great Oskar Bryant right foot kick out of dummy half from thirty eight metres from his own line, with the ball bouncing into the in-goal with the Marsden left winger only able to get the ball a metre out from his own line being tackled by Michael Roberts.
Michael Roberts continued on the right wing in the much anticipated Round Five local derby against Keebra Park State High School and scored a first half double in PBC’s tough loss.
Michael Roberts scored his first try in the 10th minute try assist when Thomas Weaver put in a pin point kick to the right side of the field with the ball falling perfectly for Michael Roberts who took the ball on the fly and was able to bring the ball around to score under the posts.
Michael Roberts completed his double in the 30th minute with a twelve metre burst down the right touchline to score in the right corner.
Titans contracted Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa has been named to start at halfback in Round Six of the Langer Cup against Coombabah State High School on Wednesday night.
In January 2021 Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa started from the bench for the Titans U17 side in their annual match at Coffs Harbour against the Newcastle Knights even though he was still U16 eligible in 2021. Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa had some very good moments in the deserved 32 – 20 Titans victory.
Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa made an immediate impression when he can on, making a great first hit-up when he took the ball to the right of the play the ball, throwing a subtle dummy to his right prior to confronting the defensive line.
In a sign of how highly that he is thought of by the Titans Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was used almost like a five eight on a number of occasions in the second half, including deep inside the Knights territory when he was a link between the Titans forwards and backline.
In June 2021 Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was part of a Titans U17 squad that played a Titans U18 Northern Rivers squad at Cbus Stadium as a curtain raiser to the Round Fourteen NRL match between the Titans and the Sydney Roosters.
Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa made some strong runs in the match with none better than mid-way through the second half when he made twenty five metres through the centre of the ruck and then with defenders draped on him, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was still able to get away a right arm off-load,
In late October 2020, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was named in the Gold Coast Rugby League U16 Cyril Connell Cup Academy Squad and when the split occurred Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was named in the Tweed Heads Cyril Connell Cup squad.
Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa started in the front row in the first two quarters for the Seagulls in their final 2021 trial against the Souths Logan Magpies before coming back onto the field in the fourth quarter to line up in the front row once again.
Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa made an immediate impression in the match with a supurb front on tackle in the first set of six after the kick off and also in his first run which came when he returned a goal line drop up knocking the initial Magpies defender five metres backwards after initial contact.
Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa started Round One of the 2021 Cyril Connell Cup in the front row as the Bears took on the Ipswich Jets and also started in the front row in the Round Three local derby against the Burleigh Bears, leading from the front as the Seagulls prevailed 33 - 6.
In the Round Three local derby Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa took the third hit-up of the match running an underneath line to the right of the play the ball making nine metres before following that run up with a hit-up on the 5th tackle of the same set of six.
Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa made a further ten metres in the 10th minute when he took the hit-up from a Tweed Heads penalty restart. Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa contributed a further thirteen metres to the metres that Tweed Heads gained in the match in the 60th minute when he got to within three metres of the try line before four Bears defenders finally stopped his forward progress.
Even though he was heavily marked every time that he ran the ball it did not stop Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa from making ground with a good example of that being in the 65th minute of the match when Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa ran onto the ball to the right of the play the ball and even though he as confronted by three Burleigh defenders, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was still able to rumble fourteen metres, the majority of which were post contact, to take the ball into Burleigh’s territory.
Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was also on his game defensively against Burleigh including recording a crunching tackle in the early match on Burleigh winger Andrew Brennan. Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa backed that up in the 6th minute when he engulfed one of the Burleigh front rowers front on knocking the Bears player onto his back.
Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was involved in another big tackle in the 11th minute, along with Jonah Beaven crunched the Burleigh fullback as he was trying to dart through the centre of the ruck, a run that he paid dearly for.
Round Five against the Souths Logan Magpies saw Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa once against start in the front row and scoring in the last minute of the match to seal an impressive victory for the Seagulls.
2021 saw Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa once again play for Marsden State High School, and he was named on the Marsden State High School extended bench for Round One of the Langer Cup School Boy Rugby League competition against Keebra Park however he dropped off the bench on the day of the match.
Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa came into the Marsden SHS side for Round Three against Wavell State High School, coming off the bench and in the second half was the games biggest halfback when he regularly feed the scrum for Marsden SHS.
Even though he was two years younger than the majority of his opponents, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa made a big inpact in both attack and defence with his defence coming to the fore in the with a crumching tackle in the dying minutes of the match when he came over the top to smash Wavell SHS second rower Will Curran less than a metre from the line.
Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa made a number of telling runs including in the 25th minute with a strong first charge after he had come onto the field, with Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa making eighteen metres through centre field and then in the opening set of six in the second half, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa made a further eighteen metres on the fifth tackle.
Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa continued on the bench in the Round Four blockbuster against PBC State High School before being named at hooker for Round Five against Mabel Park State High School. Even though he initially was named at hooker, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa spent a lot of the time that he was on the field in a first receiver role where he excelled to highlight what a diverse skill set this exceptional talent has.
This Wednesday night’s Round Six Langer Cup match against Mabel Park State High School sees Titans contracted PBC’s Bailey Martin named to come off the bench.
Bailey Martin’s first 2021 hit-out was for the Titans U19 squad that in late January played against a Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts squad with the Titans winning 32 – 20 in a match where no conversions were attempted.
Bailey Martin started the match from the bench for the Titans playing two stints in the second half, both in the middle of the field and in both stints Bailey Martin packed into scrums at hooker for the Titans.
As usual for any team that he plays for, Bailey Martin tackled everything that moved in his time on the field, including a couple of key tackles when defending on the Titans try line early in the second half. But for Bailey Martin, Burleigh may well have scored another try or two.
In the 11th minute of the second half, Bailey Martin confronted a giant Burleigh front rower who had charged directly at him. Bailey Martin held his ground and even though he was a lot smaller, Bailey Martin held on to bring the giant front rower down a metre short of the line. Bailey Martin produced another strong tackle, stopping another giant Burleigh forward once again just short of the line with a well right shoulder tackle to stop the attacker in his tracks just minutes later.
To round out an impressive defensive match, Bailey Martin, in the 79th minute, confronted head on the giant Burleigh No. 10 who had received an inside pass, with Bailey Martin bringing his larger opponent down quickly right in front of the uprights. If Bailey Martin had not continued to track the ball across field once the ball had moved past him from the play the ball, Burleigh would definitely have scored in the dying minutes to close the gap on the scoreboard.
Bailey Martin’s first hit-up of the match against Burleigh was an impressive one, charging onto the ball to the left of the play the ball and he made another strong hit-up in the 72nd minute of the match. Bailey Martin did not just put the ball under his arm and run with his head down, as was evidenced early in the second half when he popped a good short ball prior to the defensive line to his right to Isaac Matalavea-Booth.
In November 2020 Bailey Martin was named in the powerful Tweed Heads Seagulls 2021 MM Cup squad.
Bailey Martin was named to start from the bench for the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side in their first 2021 trial which was against the Easts Tigers at Langland’s Park in Brisbane however he was a late scratching from the match due to injury.
In Tweed Heads second 2021 MM Cup trial against Burleigh that Tweed Heads comprehensively won 40 – 0 with no conversions taken, Bailey Martin started from the bench in both halves to play at lock when he came onto the field.
Bailey Martin’s first minute or so when he came off the bench against Burleigh was certainly a busy one. Bailey Martin came on after Tweed Heads received a penalty and he took the hit-up off the tap restart. Two tackles later Bailey Martin took another hit-up when he came underneath half Connor Te Kani and then after playing the ball, Bailey martin stayed alert and after Blake Mozer ran out of dummy half, he was able to off-load to Bailey Martin who made more metres through the centre of the ruck.
Bailey Martin had two further impressive carries in the first half, the first being a fifteen metre run. Bailey Martin took a hit-up on around the halfway mark to the left of the play the ball and immediately cut back towards the area behind the play the ball, throwing a subtle dummy back inside to his left on his way to a fifteen metre run. Later in the first half, Bailey Martin this time took a hit-up to the left of the play the ball making another thirteen metres.
Unfortunately Bailey Martin took a head knock towards the end of the first half, necessitating his having to come from the field, but impressively Bailey Martin was back on the field early in the second half working as hard as he always does in both attack and defence after passing his concussion test on the sideline.
Bailey Martin also started from the bench in Tweed Heads final 2021 MM Cup final against the Souths Logan Magpies at Logan, playing lock in the second and fourth quarters of the match even though he was wearing jersey No. 4.
Bailey Martin was immediately in the action upon his injection into the match at quarter time, taking a hit-up to the right of the play the ball. Bailey Martin made around ten metres or so before he was taken down but as he was trying to get to his feet for his usual quick play the ball, the Souths Logan defence held on too long with Bailey Martin being awarded the resultant penalty.
Bailey Martin’s third run just minutes later garnered the same result as his first run of the match. Once again Bailey Martin’s ability to get to his feet quickly was too much for the Souths Logan Magpies defence to deal with and as a result they gave away another penalty.
To round out an outstanding quarter Bailey Martin’s fifth hit-up in just fifteen minutes, he gained thirteen more metres when he cut off his right foot to beat the first defender and then continue his surge through the centre of the ruck.
Bailey Martin made a final mark on an impressive second quarter when he produced a heavy defensive hit on the Souths Logan Magpies lock, stopping him in his tracks just five metres out from the line.
After being on the bench for the entire third quarter Bailey Martin was back on the field for the fourth quarter playing the entirety of that quarter at lock. Like in his second quarter stint, Bailey Martin was in the action immediately in the fourth quarter when the Souths Logan left winger took a hit-up centre field, beating two tackles and breaking into space, Bailey Martin cut him down from behind forcing the ball loose, with the ball being picked up and run back by Thomas Weaver.
Bailey Martin got to his feet and took the next hit-up to the right of the play the ball. Bailey Martin ran through two defenders, but was tripped up, going to ground after making ten metres, Bailey Martin bounced to his feet as he was not held and made another ten metres before being brought down a second time. After a lightning quick play the ball by Bailey Martin, Tweed Heads scored on the play in the left corner.
Even after that hectic start to the fourth quarter Bailey Martin did not rest on his laurels, producing a strong tackle minute later on the Souths Logan front rower (No. 10) who had charged at him from a penalty restart with Bailey Martin’s strong initial contact forcing the ball loose.
Two sets of six tackles later, Souths Logan had a twenty metres restart and in the resultant set of six, Bailey Martin was involved in three of the five tackles, with the third being on the Souths Logan No. 10 once again and once again Bailey Martin’s contact forced the ball loose.
In a fitting end to the match for him, due to his high work rate, Baley Martin ran the ball into the Souths Logan defence once again as the final siren sounded.
In an impressive forty minutes on the field, Bailey Martin made eleven hit-ups, with two resulting in penalties won when he was held down by the Magpies defenders. Bailey Martin also made multiple tackles in his two stints on the field and on three of those occasions, Bailey Martin’s contact forced the ball loose.
In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, Bailey Martin started on the bench against the Ipswich Jets coming onto the play lock in the 25th minute and took the ball into the defensive line as soon as he had come onto the field. As usual, Bailey Martin was defensively strong defending in the centre of the field as Tweed Heads came from behind to win 22 – 20.
Bailey Martin also started from the bench in Round Two against the Souths Logan Magpies coming on to play lock towards the end of the first half. Bailey Martin made a key run out of his own twenty metre mark in the 34th minute and as a result of Bailey Martin’s quick play the ball, Kaleb Ngamanu made a further fifteen metres downfield from the next hit-up.
Bailey Martin was in the action at the start of the second half taking the hit-up off the kick-off and ‘bringing the out to the ten metre line, which was impressive considering the ball was dropped backwards off the kick-up and Bailey Martin literally got the pass after the ball bounced around and literally on the dead ball line. But for Bailey Martin’s speed, Tweed Heads may well have been trapped in the in-goal from the kick-off. Impressively Bailey Martin then backed up to take the 4th hit-up in the same set of six.
Bailey Martin showed some outstanding hands in the 49th minute when he received a pass from his right and got hit from his blindside as soon as he took the ball, but Bailey Martin was able to hold onto the ball and in fact maintain his balance and body control and even make a couple of metres with a giant Souths Logan forward trying to wrestle him to the ground.
A desperate tackle by Bailey Martin in the 53rd minute on Souths Logan front rower Sione Fotuaika was an impressive hit as it took all of the momentum out of the Souths Logan attack just metres out from the try line.
Bailey Martin once again started from the bench in the Round Three Gold Coast derby against the Burleigh Bears coming on to play lock in the 19th minute and immediately was working defensively with a strong tackle on Bears left winger Jeremaiah Tamepo. Bailey Martin then followed that tackle up two tackles later with a heavy hit on Bears replacement front rower C****n Patu.
Bailey Martin continued his strong defensive match with two strong tackles in a row in the 40th minute, the first when he took on Titan Vaikai from a kick-off then then came over the top to put Delahia Wigmore on the ground on the next hit-up.
Bailey Martin took his first hit-up of the match in the 23rd minute and what a hit-up it was. Bailey Martin received the ball thirty eight metres out from his own line to the right of the play the ball and immediately stepped off his left foot, breaking through two Burleigh defenders in the area behind the play the ball. Once into space Bailey Martin used a left foot step to beat the Bears fullback and then position Keano Kini perfectly, passing to the winger with a long spiral right sided pass to put the winger over.
Bailey Martin was also named to start at from the bench for Round Four match against the Ipswich Jets coming on in the 26th minute of the match with his first hit-upcoming in the first six of six after his introduction with the run making ten metres.
Bailey Martin’s fearless approach was showcased in the 34th minute of the match when he flew onto the ball from the Ipswich Jets kick-off after Kruz Remine’s third try of the first half.
Bailey Martin continued to take the ball up with speed in the second half, including in the 54th minute when he received the ball three passes off the ruck to the right of the field ten metres out from the line. Immediately upon receiving the ball, Bailey Martin cut back towards the left, beating two tackles, only to be dragged down less than a metre out from the line. Bailey Martin fought to get to his feet, playing the ball quickly to allow Oskar Bryant to pass to Riley Gladsby who crashed over from close range.
Bailey Martin also started from the bench in Round Five against the Souths Logan Magpies.
After being rested in Round Six, Bailey Martin was named on the bench for the Seagulls Semi-final against Wynnum Manly and had an impressive match including an outstanding first half line break.
Bailey Martin’s line break came in the 30th minute and came when Bailey Martin was returning the ball from the kick-off after Brock Priestley’s try. When he received the ball on the goal line, Bailey Martin ran to his left. As he approached the Wynnum Manly defensive line, Bailey Martin stepped off his right foot to beat two defenders and break through the initial defensive line. Just after he went over the halfway mark, Bailey Martin was able to get the ball away to his right to JT Manefotoa.
Bailey Martin then took the third hit-up of the same set and then also returned the kick-off from the next Tweed Heads try, making twenty more metres.
In the 2021 MM Cup Queensland Grand Final against the Townsville Blackhawks, Bailey Martin once again started from the bench however he came into the match in just the 9th minute after a HIA in the Seagulls 30 – 24 victory.
Bailey Martin’s first run came in the 21st minute when he got within five metres of the try line directly in front of the posts and starting his run twenty metres out. As usual Bailey Martin was able to get a quick play the ball even though he had multiple defenders on him with Brock Priestley scoring from the next play.
Defensively Bailey Martin has his usual strong self in the Grand Final and was involved in two try saving tackles early in the second half, on the first occasion in the 42nd holding up the Townsville replacement dummy half over the line and just a minute later Bailey Martin produced a great low tackle with his left shoulder to stop another.
In mid-February 2021 Bailey Martin was named at lock in the school boy Oceanic Opens side for the South Coast school boy QSSRL U18 trial against Broadwater and was initially named in the South Coast Open B school boy side also at lock as a result of his solid trial performances but deservedly elevated to the South Coast Open A side in early May. Unfortunately just prior to the commencement of the Championships Bailey Martin had to withdraw from the South Coast squad due to a knee injury.
2021 also saw Bailey Martin line up once again for PBC State High School in the South East Queensland School Boy Langer Cup competition, being Bailey Martin’s second season in that competition in the PBC top squad, with Bailey Martin starting from the bench in Round One against Ipswich State High School. Impressively in his return from injury Bailey Martin was PBC’s acting captain in the second half.
Bailey Martin came off the bench in the 17th minute of the match and almost immediately took his first hit-up with a sixteen effort that got the ball to the halfway mark. Bailey Martin fairly or not is probably best known for his defence and based on his exceptional tackle in the 33rd minute when he crunched the giant Ipswich right winger Tupou Fe’ao after breaking quickly from a scrum where he had packed in at left second row.
Even though he was wearing jersey No. 13, Bailey Martin also started from the bench in Round Two against St Mary’s Toowoomba, coming onto the field in the 19th minute and operated at lock in his time on the field.
It was both the quantity and quality of Bailey Martin’s attack and defence that stood out over the course of the match, with a stand-out moment coming in the 38th minute when the giant St Mary’s front rower (No. 10) charged at the line from close range. He was tackled around the legs and it appeared that he would fall over the line, but Bailey Martin got low and was able to get underneath the front rower, initially holding him up before twisting the front rower and forcing him back into the field of play.
Bailey Martin moved into the starting side at lock in Round Three against Coombabah State High School and also was named to start at lock in the Round Four blockbuster against Marsden State High School however he was a late scratching.
Bailey Martin then started from the bench in the much anticipated Round Five local derby against Keebra Park State High School with Bailey Martin finishing the match with the second highest number of tackles by a PBC player.
After his try scoring exploits for Burleigh in the Colts competition last weekend Titans contracted TJ Devery maintains his place for this weekends Round Twelve match against the Souths Logan Magpies.
Titans contracted Jaylan De Groot scored a double for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side in their win against the Sunshine Coast Falcons and this weekend is set to line up at fullback once again against the Central Queensland Capra's.
It was great to see two Titans contracted forwards combine for the Burleigh Colts side last weekend when in the 33rd minute when after receiving the ball ten metres from the line to the right of the dummy half, front rower Isaac Matalavea-Booth moved to his right and threw a good short ball in the same direction to a charging replacement right second rower TJ Devery who crashed over from eight metres out under the posts.
Titans contracted Ray Puru was in scintilating form for the PBC Walters Cup side in the First Half of their Round Six match against Redcliffe SHS with a number of electric tries to give PBC a 12-4 lead at half time.
Titans contracted Jac Finnigan had a great match this afternoon for PBC in the Walters Cup and was one of their leading lights in the victory over Redcliffe SHS.
PBC too good for Mabel Park in Round Six of the Langer Cup tonight with Titans contracted right centre Michael Roberts outstanding scoring a long range try as well as kicking a number of conversions.
Fellow Titans Bailey Martin and Keano Kini also had good matches for PBC.
Mabel Park SHS’s Atunaisa Pahulu Jnr continued at left centre in Round Six of the Langer Cup last night against PBC State High School and once again was as good as any player on the field, making numerous telling runs including an impressive line break in the 54th minute when he broke four tackles in a strong forty metres run after he had run to his right out of dummy half from deep inside his own territory.
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