View Full Version : My take on our top juniors
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Jaiden West. He is a local young centre/winger from the Nerang Roosters club where he played the season in the U13 age group. He also started on the wing for the Titans U13 development squad in their recent match and also was part of the U13 Gold Coast Vikings representative squad and in 2014 represented South Coast at the U12 level in the Queensland Primary School tournament. He did not get many opportunities on the wing for the development squad as the players inside him like Rixon Andrew, Damon Somerville and Matamatagi Ripley had a field day against the Toowoomba representative selection, meaning the ball did not get out him as much as it usually would in a game. In saying that though he maintained his discipline and did not go chasing the ball but remained in the correct position.
In relation to his club football he was part of the losing Nerang grand final side, starting in the centres in that game, but as a small consolation he scored a try in the grand final, they lost the grand final 30-12 to the Helensvale Hornets. Over the course of the season he scored an average of a try a game in his 10 games played. He scored a hat trick against the Coomera Cutters, in actual fact of the ten tries he scored over the season exactly half ended up being against the Cutters.
Even though he does not have great top end speed he is quick enough to take advantage of any space that he is given down the touchline by opposing outside backs. His bread and butter play in the centres is a good in an away to hold the defender and beat him on the outside, he then has the ability to draw and pass to his winger if the opposing winger looks to come in, thus creating an overlap on the outside. When playing on the wing he always sticks to the sideline which means his inside attackers will know where he is at all times, thus allowing them to confidently off load the ball if an overlap is created. I have not seen him score any highlight reel tries that seem to be the norm for modern day wingers but he will score the tries that he needs to.
In defence, he is not the strongest player but will certainly look to hold his line defensively. When he plays on the wing, I did not often see him come in when he did not need to, preferring to stay on his opposing winger and trusting his teams inside defenders. From my perspective at least, his skill set in defence is more suited to a sliding defence structure rather than an up and in one. When he uses his shoulder to drive into the opposing attackers he is quite effective and I am sure he will continue to develop consistency in his tackling technique as his career progresses.
The 2016 season will see him play for the Nerang Roosters at the U14 level and likely selection once again for the Vikings this year at the U14 level. From a position projection perspective, even though he has played a significant amount of his club football in the centres, I think that ultimately he ends up on the wing long term. I would think that he will continue to play with Nerang in the centres but in relation to any representative games I would think that he will likely be considered as a winger first and foremost. With his ability to be in the right position at the right time and decent straight line speed, I just think a future on the wing is beckoning, not as a highlight reel exciting winger, but a solid and dependable one.
From a player comparison perspective think of someone along the lines of North Queensland Cowboys winger Kyle Feldt as a solid winger who will score his fair share of tries by being in the right place at the right time and not making simple unforced errors.
Kodi Crowther. He is a young centre from Ballina who was part of the Titans development squad in the region throughout the 2015 season. For the Seagulls he played 12 matches at the U13 level scoring 22 tries and three goals for a season point’s tally of 94 points. He finished third on the try scoring list behind Julian Torrens (30) and fellow Titans development squad member Tyrhys Williams (26). He also played two matches at the U14 level scoring two tries in the limited time playing up an age group.
He is very quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside and will not get caught from behind if he gets into open space as can be evidenced by the number of tries that he scored in 2015. In addition to his speed he seems to have the ability to “freeze” his direct opponent with his ability to step off both feet before accelerating around them usually on the touchline side. Like most of the modern day centres he also has the ability to find the try line in some unlikely situations where it appears that there is no way he could possibly get the ball down without going into touch.
In defence, he is not the biggest centre running around, but does seem to have good strength, but will certainly look to come out of the line to stop the attack before it has time to fully develop. Like all younger players he just needs experience to ensure that he picks the right time to come out of the line. He will show his opposite winger the sideline and is confident that his speed will enable him to get across to make the tackle. He will occasionally stand quite shallow in defence and rely on his speed to get back and retrieve opposition kicks. In terms of defending kicks he will certainly go up to try to make the catch, but his standing leap is not huge compared to his leap when he has forward momentum. As he fills out and gains more experience he will become more effective defensively, not that there is too much wrong at present certainly in relation to the standard he is playing at.
In relation to the 2016 season he will play again for Ballina at the U14 level and I would expect that he will be one of the first players picked for the Group One U14 representative side. The U14 level is a key level for young players from the country areas of New South Wales as that is the youngest age group that representative sides are selected from, these first representative games give the young players the opportunity to test themselves against the best from other regions and thus they are better able to gauge their progress as invariably they are usually the best players from their club side.
Into the future I think that he will have the opportunity to stay at centre long term. The combination of his physical attributes and skill set would indicate that there is no necessity to move, even though the skills he has are transferrable to the wing.
In many respects the way he plays resembles another Ballina youngster who is making a name for himself with the Titans, that being first grade squad member and current NYC back Brian Kelly as a speedy, elusive back so for the people who have seen Brian Kelly play, this gives you some insight into the playing.
Last player at present
Jacob Harvey. He is a young second rower who plays for the Grafton Ghosts in the Group One junior rugby league competition in Northern New South Wales. He was part of the dominant Grafton Ghosts U14 side who went through the season undefeated, including winning their grand final 46-6. Over the course of the season they had a for and against of plus 410 over only 16 games. He was also part of the Titans U14 development squad in the area, but was not selected for the U14 development squad match late last year. Other Titans linked Grafton Ghosts team mates included Hamish Ellem, Ben Liyou and Caleb Barker. Over the course of the season, he scored seven tries and kicked 10 goals in the U14 age group for a season tally of 48 points. He also played one game at the U15 level and was part of the Group One U14 junior representative side.
From an attacking perspective, he has a wide running mindset for a backrower with a very good turn of speed once he breaks through the line. Like all good running backrowers though, he takes his share of runs in the middle of the ruck but he is impressive at running good lines on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into although he is not averse to running straight over people either. From the games that I have seem play he normally runs to the right side of the field, and will run wider out and look to come back on the inside shoulder of the opposition defence on the edge of the ruck, looking for situations where the opposition inside defenders are slow to come across. His determination is one aspect that enables him to be in the right place at the right time. Another key aspect of his running game is that he runs fast into the defensive line. From my perspective this is a critical trait.
His initial contact is solid and is more than enough to stop the momentum of the ball carrier and effect tackles one on one. He is also effective at wrapping the ball up and preventing offloads. When he hits he hits hard, but I would not call it aggressive per say, but he is just tough in his approach to his defence. I do not necessarily think that his defensive work will stand out because he is not going to come up with a huge hit which will get the crowd on its feet, but he will do a lot of work and will likely always finish at or near the top of the tackle count regardless of the level and standard of football he is playing.
Moving forward to the 2016 season he will play the year at the U15 level for the Grafton Ghosts who should again be the dominate side in the group. He should also be one of the first players selected in the Group One U15 representative side for the NSW Country Rugby League age championships.
From a player comparison perspective, someone along the lines of Simon Mannering of the New Zealand Warriors may be a good comparison from a style perspective as a solid back rower who plays the game hard and with some toughness.
Teimana Mohi. He is a young local fullback/wing who played his club rugby league with Runaway Bay at the U16 level this year and started at fullback in their 26-14 grand final victory over Nerang. Over the season of the season, he scored two tries in the 13 matches that he played. For the 2015 season he was named in one of the CC squads but did not in fact play any CC games. He has been named in the Gold Coast Green MM side for the 2016 season. In 2014, he represented South Coast at the U15 level in the Queensland Secondary Schools competition and was also part of the Gold Coast Academy of Sport in that year as well.
He is an agile runner of the football who relies on his decent speed and elusiveness to make it difficult for larger opponents to line him up. When lining up at fullback he always makes himself available for offloads in the centre of the ruck. He has decent speed but not absolute blazing speed, relying instead on his positioning to compensate. When he retrieves the ball he makes a decision quickly about where to look to run around a staggered defensive line or to run straight in an effort to make as much ground as possible.
To date he has not been asked to be a ball player out of the back of the ruck so it will be interesting to see how that skill develops as he plays at the higher levels, including as early as next year in the Mal Meninga Cup competition. Also his hands at fullback are as safe as I have seen in a young fullback regardless of the type of kick put towards him. His other calling card is his positioning, he always seems to be the right place at the right time, to defuse bombs, attacking short kicks, potential 40/20 kicks etc.
He is not the biggest or necessarily strongest player but will take the hit when needing to make the tackle in the last line of defence and will focus exclusively on the ball carrier, forcing the attacking player to make the decision of what to do with the ball, rather than proving the attacker the avenue to make an easier decision.
Moving forward to the 2016 season, as noted he has been named in the Gold Coast Green MM squad. It will be difficult for him to break into the powerful squad, whether that is at fullback or on the wing with the likes of Jordan Birch, Justin Bleakley and Liam Pakua battling for the same positions. Regardless he will play his club football with Runaway Bay at the U17 Division One level. From a long term position perspective, I think that the likelihood of a transition to the wing just shades a future at fullback. He is an extremely safe player in terms of fielding kicks and being at the right place at the right time but at this point in his career, does not play a lot like the current fullbacks in terms of playing like a second five eight.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone like former Canterbury Bulldogs fullback Luke Patten as an extremely competent fullback who may not make highlight reel plays but quietly does what needs to be done in terms of safe hands and positioning.
Jacob Fairbank. He is a local young goal kicking centre/second rower from the Runaway Bay club who started at centre in their grand final victory in the U16 Division One competition in 2015. He was also part of the Gold Coast CC White side which went through the regular portion of the CC competition undefeated before losing their semi-final to the Sunshine Coast side. In that semi-final he kicked two goals as GC Green looked to come back from a large half time deficit. Over the season of the CC competition he scored a solitary try and kicked 27 goals for a total point’s haul of 58 points. In one game against Easts Tigers he scored 22 points from a try and nine goals as his side won 62-6. For Runaway Bay he also had a good season from a points scoring perspective, by scoring nine tries and kicking 22 goals amounting to 80 points in the thirteen matches that he played for them. For the Titans U16 development squad he came off the bench and played in the back row against Samoa. His younger brother Kyle is also part of the Titans junior development system and played for the Titans U14 development squad on the same day.
He is not the biggest young player you will ever see, but he is all effort in attack and will constantly run the ball into the heart of the opposition forward pack regardless of how big they are, for example the Samoan pack in the recent development squad match were huge but he charged at them regardless. He is a smart runner though to the extent that he does use good foot work prior to the defensive line to help negate his lack of size and he also has very good leg drive once initial contact has been made. He also fights hard when tackled to ensure he gets a quick play the ball to maintain the momentum for his side.
In addition, he has enough pace as can be seen by the fact that he played some centre for Runaway Bay, to be an effective runner of the football to run the ball on the edges of the ruck. He is not exceptionally quick but quick enough to rush defenders to make a decision of when to commit to the tackle. Another area where he is quite effective is when he goes into dummy half to distribute the football, where he has a decent pass to both sides all be it in limited opportunities.
As his statistics show from his CC and club matches he is an accurate goal kicker who also gets a deal of distance with his kicks with an effortless style, he just looks a natural goal kicker. As he continues to get naturally stronger, there is no reason to suggest that he will have any problem at all from getting the distance from the sidelines whilst maintaining his accuracy and thus will be an option to be his side’s first choice goal kicker moving forward.
In terms of his defence, he like his younger brother, is a rare breed in that he has a very good low tackling technique, a skill he needs moving forward as he does not have the size to tackle huge opposition forwards ball and all, and is also an exceptional cover defender, in part because of the effort he puts in to track the ball across the field when opposition teams spread the ball wide. Whoever was responsible to teaching him and his brother to tackle should be congratulated. It is a pity that the ability to tackle low with the correct technique is fast becoming a lost art in the game. His head placement is always correct, thus reducing the possibility of injury to himself
Moving forward, he will play the 2016 season at the U17 level for Runaway Bay in the GCJRL competition and has not been named in either of the MM squads for the 2016 season. The question will be where he plays his rugby league from a position perspective. For me, even though he played a fair bit of centre this year, his ultimate landing spot is in the back row as a smaller tackling machine with just enough foot speed to cause some issues for opposing defences.
From a player comparison perspective the one player that does spring to mind is former Sydney Roosters back rower Craig Fitzgibbon as a hard working back rower who is also a very good goal kicker.
Taine Tuaupiki. He is a local young halfback who played his club football with Runaway Bay, including starting at halfback in their 26-14 victory over Nerang, team mates that night included fullback Tei Mohi, centre Jacob Fairbank and hooker Josh Vutu. He also played CC football in 2015, playing for the CC Green side that finished third in the competition. During the CC competition he actually played at hooker. Across the season for Runaway Bay he scored six tries in the eleven matches that he played and was also selected in the U16 South East Queensland squad. For the Titans U16 development squad he came off the bench against Samoa and alternated between half and hooker.
In terms of the critique/analysis of his play, it will mainly be confined to his play at hooker as that is where I ultimately end up from a position perspective although in the modern game the skills are transferrable.
In attack, as noted above, his speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice when you see him play, he has a dynamic initial burst. He does not seem to have an extra gear once he is through the defensive line, but has the ability to maintain his speed over a reasonable distance. Coupled with a very good step off both feet, his speed enables him to make breaks. He can and will beat defenders in the inside with a step and if the defensive line is staggered a dummy and go, presents multiple headaches for the opposition’s defensive strategies and also backs up well. It is these attributes that means he is a threat to run every time he is at dummy half and opposing defences must that that into account, for if the markers do but work hard or there are slow moving forwards he has the ability to exploit that on each occasion.
At present, one area for him to continue to develop is his play making skills, including putting his runners holes gaps. With experience however there is nothing to suggest that these type of play making skills will not develop over time. I am not suggesting that play making skills will eclipse speed as his key attribute, but enhanced play making skills will make his speed more effective as defensive lines start to focus in his runners and thus leave more space for him. I am not a fan at all of hookers running across field out of dummy half, in my opinion, they should either run or pass immediately, but due to his speed and play making skills I can see a benefit to Taine doing it on occasion as he has the capacity to put a runner into a hole or dummy and run.
In defence, due to his size he is obviously not going to come up with the big hit but reads the play well enough and can hold his own when defending much bigger players. When confronted with forwards running directly at him in the centre of the ruck he will get in front of them and use his shoulder in an effort to contain them until defensive help arrives. He does have an aggressive streak in him when defending and this holds him in good stead when defending in the centre of the ruck.
Moving forward, he will play the 2016 season at the U17 level for Runaway Bay in the GCJRL competition and has not been named in either of the MM squads for the 2016 season. The question will be where he plays his rugby league from a position perspective, will that be at halfback or hooker as he has a fair amount of junior experience at both including a number of representative sides. Taking into account his speed off the mark and his solid passing skills, I am leaning towards hooker, where if everything falls into place, he could develop into a dynamic runner of the ball from the dummy half position who could cause a degree of havoc towards the end of each half as opposing forward packs fatigue.
From a player comparison perspective, think potentially the Titans own Kieran Mosley as a dynamic runner out of dummy half with game changing ability in that area.
Andrew Scougall. He is a local young front rower who plays for the Beaudesert Kingfishers club and also came off the bench for the Titans in their recent U16 development squad game against Samoa. For the Kingfishers in the 2015 season he played 14 games at the U16 level and an additional 4 at the U17 Division 2 level and did not cross the line in those games. A team mate for the U16 Kingfishers side was Titans contracted U16 Queensland rep Ben Thomas.
He runs hard and straight full stop, and he understands that his role is to take hit ups and always is available when the ball needs to be taken out from his goal line and for a front rower he really gets back quickly to take his turn. He is also a smart footballer to the extent that he understands the attacking plays unfolding and stays out of the way on those occasions. He sometimes gets absolutely belter but in those instances his ball security is very good and he will just keep getting up ready to take another hit up.
In defence he is not a big hitter, preferring to make sure that the tackle is made and is very effective both in terms of initial contact and also coming in a wrapping up the football. He does not necessarily have the size or strength of the majority of other forwards and his lateral movement can only be considered reasonable, but he does compensate by giving everything he has every time he runs onto the field.
In the 2016 season he will play for the Kingfishers at the U17 Division One level and has not been selected in either of the MM squads for the upcoming season. He has played his entire junior career and there is nothing to suggest that he will move away from that position regardless of the level he plays at.
From a player comparison perspective, someone with a similar playing style would be the Titans own Luke Douglas as a front rower who will in many cases be overlooked but will give their all on the field. Players like Andrew Scougall are not the biggest, strongest, fastest or most dynamic and will likely take a while to reach their potential, and the odds may be stacked against them making the first grade level, but then again that is what dreams are made of. It is hard not to cheer for someone who puts in so much effort.
Hosea Te Kura. He is a big strong local young front rower who played his club rugby league in the GCJRL U16 competition with the Nerang Roosters. Across the season he played in both Division One and Division Two of the U16 competition. At the Division One level he scored two tries across fifteen matches and at the Division Two level he scored four tires and five matches. He also came off the bench for the Titans U16 Development Squad against Samoa.
From an attacking perspective he is a big young man who will run straight and hard, but at this stage of his junior career he does not have a great deal of footwork to utilise prior to the line to prevent defences from focussing on him without the threat of late changes of direction. Due to his size however he can absorb a lot of punishment and continue to make ground, but he is a little susceptible to gang tackles. Where he does show flashes of ability is in relation to offloads. During games he will pop some very good passes to his supports but he will continue to work on being more selective in his offloads. He does wear down in games and this does limit the speed in which he hits the line, but in saying that he was quite effective in bursts off the bench for Nerang. Regardless he does not shirk contact and seems the more physical the contest the more he enjoys himself.
Defensively, similar to his attacking attributes, his best attribute is his size in the context that he can engage the opposing forwards one on one and win more of the battles than he loses. He is susceptible to quick stepping opponents however and can slip up high in tackles when he leaves an arm out.
In relation to the 2016 season, he will play at the U17 level for Nerang and he has not been named in either of the MM squads for their upcoming seasons. From a long term position perspective, he is going to continue to play in the front row due to his size.
From a player comparison perspective, consider a comparison from a playing perspective style to young Newcastle Knights front rower Sam Mataora as a big strong young man, who if he continues to work hard on his mobility and stamina as he gains experience may be able to harness all of the physical and skill attributes that he has at his disposal.
Lorenzo Leapai. He is young front rower/backrower from the Logan area who whilst he did not play any CC last year, made a name for himself at the U15 level in 2014 when he made the QSSRL Maroons U15 side when he was the dominant forward in the competition for Met East. He was also dominant for the Logan Brothers U15 side in that year as well. The Titans beat out the likes of the Broncos and Raiders for his signature. In 2015 he did not play a great deal of football but still made the South East Queensland U16 side for the Queensland Age Championships and he finished with two tries and a goal in that competition. He however did not play any CC for South’s Logan in 2015. From a trivia perspective, he is nephew of heavy weight boxer Alex Leapai.
Running with the football, he has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders rather than trying to simply run over them. He does not have great speed off the mark or necessary great high end speed, but he will work hard and make the most of his ability. He actually does have a decent off load when he has impacted the defensive line as well. The key to his running is his low centre of gravity, to go along with his foot work. These attributes make him very difficult to tackle and he can rarely be stopped one on one.
Defensively he hits very hard and usually aims for just under the ribs and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls, read that he is very good at winning the wrestling battle in the ruck. He defends in the centre of the ruck and seems best suited in the long run defending there and adds a degree of intimidation to any forward pack he plays for. He really does know how to tackle effectively, as he sets a strong base to create the necessary leverage to defend against larger forwards and then explodes through his core with the kinetic effects transferring through his body into his opponent. Throw in a touch of aggression and you have someone who can dominate a game defensively and is able to seal off one side of the ruck on his own.
Moving to the 2016 season, he will play at the U18 level, I would suggest for Logan Brothers, and it will be interesting to see where he fits from a representative perspective, I do not believe that he has been named in the South’s Logan MM side. From a position perspective, I think that even though he likely could play in either the front row or back row, he will ultimately end up in the back row as a solid compact forward.
From a player comparison perspective, I would suggest a perfect match from a playing style perspective would be former Melbourne Storm and Penrith Panther backrower Sika Manu, as a hard running and hard tackling forward. Regardless of the 2015 season, every time I have seen him play he has stood out as an intense hard working player who just has something about him which suggests that he has a huge amount of untapped potential. Whether he is able to unlock that potential is the key question. I hope that he can as he is a young player that seems to have all of the necessary physical and skill attributes to be a special player.
Titanic
27-01-16, 09:01 PM
Great stuff mcdrew ... is there anybody left on the Coast you haven't reviewed yet? How about that sheila at Yatala Pies?
Jeremy Miller. He is a local young winger who played the 2015 season for South at the U16 level as well as playing at the CC level where he scored five tries over the course of the season. In addition, he also started on the wing for the Titans U16 development squad in their match against Samoa, a game in which he scored a try as a result of a break made by players inside of him. He backed up the break to score untouched. The try was better than he is probably given credit for as the player inside him actually tried to beat the fullback rather than draw and pass to Jeremy. If he had not been positioned as well as he was, the play would have broken down and the opportunity lost.
For Southport he finished fourth on the try scoring list with 11 tries in 13 games and finished second overall on the points scoring list with 114 points from the 11 tries and 35 goals. He had one huge game against Ormeau where he scored two tries and eight goals for a 26 points haul on the day. He also played two games at the U17 Division Two level.
He is sneaky quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside and has just enough speed to finish off try scoring movements if given the room. Like most of the modern day wingers he also has the ability to find the try line in some unlikely situations where it appears that there is no way he could possibly get the ball down without going into touch. His most impressive attribute from an attacking perspective, is his positioning, outside of taking some hit ups out of dummy half, he stays on the wing to ensure that he is available if opportunities are presented.
Due to his tall rangy build, he is reasonably effective In terms of chasing attacking kicks and has a very good leap and uses his forward momentum well to get above defenders, where the majority of the time he looks to catch the ball rather than hit it back to his team’s advantage. He will also chase general play kicks with vigour trying to improve the effectiveness of his teams kicking game.
He is also a very good goal kicker with both good range and very good accuracy. I would suggest that he was an opportunity to be his side’s primary goal kicker regardless of the level progressing into the future.
In defence, he is not the strongest winger, but will certainly look to come out of the line to stop the attack quickly. Like all younger players he just needs experience to ensure that he picks the right time to come out of the line. He will show his opposite winger the sideline and is confident that his speed will enable him to get across to make the tackle. In terms of defending kicks he will certainly go up to try to make the catch, but his standing leap is not huge compared to his leap when he has forward momentum and he also needs to ensure that his timing is right. As he fills out he will become more effective defensively.
Moving towards this season, he will play at the U17 Division One level for Southport, but has not been named in either of the Gold Coast MM sides. From a position perspective, he could potentially also play fullback but he is first and foremost a winger and that is where I would anticipate his future is.
From a player comparison perspective someone along the lines of former Penrith Panthers winger David Simmonds would be accurate in terms of a tall winger who will surprise in terms of his effective even though he does not have one plus attribute.
Dorion Smith. He is a local young centre who had an injury interrupted year for Nerang in the U13 Division One competition. He was however very effective in his limited game time, including scoring 12 tries across the eight games he played, including preseason games. In the season proper he did have two big games resulting in five tries against Coomera in round one and a hat trick against Burleigh later in the season. He also started in at centre for the Titans U13 development squad against Toowoomba in 2015 and made the Vikings u13 squad.
He is a quick centre with an effortless running style with a classic centres build with the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is rare in the modern game. He has a very strong left hand fend which prevents opposing centres getting in on him and forcing him towards the sideline. Even though he has size, strength and power in the centre position, he does look for his outside support when confronted with the fullback, even though he is more than capable of beating fullbacks one on one if need be as could be evidenced in the game where he scored five tries.
He is a smart player and will take what the defence gives him, when the defence is sliding he will cut inside and when the defence is playing an up and up style he has the speed and footwork to get on the outside of his direct opponent. He is someone who just knows where to be when a try is in the offing.
Defensively he is solid at wrapping the ball up and just needs to refine his technique as he progresses and also when to come out of the line in an effort to limit the time and space of the opposition as well as ensuring that he keeps his tackles down against opposing centres. He does however slide well in defence and has the speed to cover opposition line breaks very well. He will need to continue to get stronger and maintain his speed to stay at centre, and potentially become a legitimate strike centre, but there is nothing in his performances to date that suggests that he will not be able to.
He will play the 2016 season with the Nerang Roosters at the U14 level and it would not surprise if with some good luck with injuries he is close to the top try scorer for the competition, he just seems to know where to be as well as representing the Vikings at the U14 level. From a position perspective he has a real opportunity to stay at centre in the long term.
From a player comparison perspective, I would suggest that you think along the lines of the Brisbane Broncos Jordan Kahu as a young centre who positions himself very well to take full advantage of try scoring opportunities. He is a try scoring centre full stop and they are rare at any level of rugby league.
Jack Molloy. He is a local young front rower who started in the front row for the Titans U16 development squad in their match against Samoa in 2015 as well as playing his club rugby league with the Burleigh Bears at the U16 Division One level, in the GCJRL competition, scoring five tries and kicking a solitary goal for a 22 point haul over the season. He also played five games up at the U17 level, including four at the U17 Division One level and one at the Division Two level. He also played a number of games for Gold Coast White in the CC competition predominantly from the bench.
In attack he runs hard and straight and regardless of how often he is hit, he will continually get back and take another hit up, on occasion taking multiple hit ups per set of six. He does not have a great deal of foot work prior to or at the line and this is something he will likely work on during the off season to assist with his ability to make ground and not present purely as a straight running target for opposing defences. A similar situation exists for his off-loading but that is not the way he plays or for that matter is used in games. He is built like the proverbial brick outhouse and is never going to be a dynamic runner or off loader. He is going to take the ball up into the heart of the opposition defensive line as often as possible and as hard as possible.
In defence he is not an overly big hitter but definitely makes solid initial contact with the ball carrier. For a front rower his lateral movement is reasonable as is his foot speed and he does have trouble against smaller faster players or when he is isolated on the fringes of the ruck. He also needs to watch his discipline especially late in games, when fatigue starts to become a factor, to reduce the possibility of giving away penalties. In saying all of that though he is deceptively effective and should not be overlooked just because he does not resemble the huge fast athletic forwards that seem to be the norm in modern day rugby league. He is a throwback to the days of the five metre rule where forwards stayed in the centre of the ruck and did not deviate outside of their designated role.
In relation to the 2016 season will play his club rugby league at the U17 Division One level I anticipate for the Burleigh Bears and he has not been named in either of the Gold Coast MM sides. In terms of his ultimate position, he is and always will be a front rower who is certainly hard and tough enough but needs to ensure that he works on his speed and lateral mobility and functional strength to be successful in relation to how the game is currently played. I would envisage that he would be more suited to how the game was played back in the 1980’s than the modern more expansive game of rugby league.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of Aiden Tolman of the Canterbury Bulldogs and formerly of the Melbourne Storm. They have slightly different body shapes but I would argue the way they play the game is similar fashion from a style perspective at least.
Daniel Butterini. He is a local young fullback/wing from just south of the border, who is part of the Titans NRRRL development squad. Throughout the 2015 season he played his rugby league at the U13 level in het Group 18 junior rugby league competition. He was named on the wing for the Titans U13 development squad for their match against Toowoomba late last year, but unfortunately he missed the match. He has also been named in the Group 18 U14 representative side for the NSW Country junior age championships, where he will compete against other Groups such as Group One and Group Two etc. for further representative honours. In 2014 he was named in the NSW North Coast U12 rugby league side from the Burringbar Public School.
I will preface the discussion below, on the basis that the comments mainly relate to his play on wing, I have seen him play fullback and centre in addition to wing, but on the basis that I think that his long term future will more than likely be on the wing, I will focus on my observations of him playing on the wing, mainly to the exclusion to his play at other positions even though aspects that have made him a good fullback/centre will undoubtedly have a positive impact on his play on the wing, especially in terms of positioning and fielding kicks from a defensive perspective.
Even though he does not have great top end speed he is quick enough to take advantage of any space that he is given down the touchline by opposing wingers. One good think about his play in attack is that he stays on his wing and is regularly outside his opposite number allowing his inside players to be able to find him in attack and in the games that I have seen he stays back and does not over run the players that are inside of him. He seems to be aware of his skill set as he does not take chances with the sideline and does his utmost to ensure that he is not taken over the sideline and knows when to cut back inside rather than taking his opposite number on along the touchline.
In terms of defence, he is solid and seemingly understands the attributes of his opposite number to the extent that he alters his defensive positioning if he is against speedy, elusive wingers and against larger wingers. Like most young outside backs though he will continue to work on when to come out of the line to cut down the time and space of opposing centre, against staying out on his opposing winger and when to drop back to cover the side line, his time at fullback and at centre has clearly helped in these situations in terms of positioning and when to tackle low compared to looking to when to wrap up the attacking player with a ball and all tackle.
In 2016 he will play his club football at the U14 level in the Group 18 junior rugby league competition and as noted above will play representative football for his group as well. From a position projection perspective, even though he has also played at centre and fullback, probably more so that wing, I think that ultimately he ends up on the wing long term. I would think that he will continue to play his club football and at present representative football at either fullback or centre. With his ability to be in the right position at the right time and decent to slightly above average straight line speed I think a future on the wing is beckoning, not as a highlight reel winger, but a solid and dependable one.
From a player comparison perspective think of our own Anthony Don as a player who may not have blazing speed etc. but he gets the job done efficiently and effectively with few errors and he always seems to be in the right position to exploit breaks.
Jayden Parker. He is a local young hooker hailing from the Nerang Roosters junior rugby league club and came off the bench for the Titans U18 Invitational side in their match last year against Samoa, a match that the Titans won 44 to 6 in wet conditions at Pizzey Park. He was a leading light for Nerang in the U17 Division One competition, a competition that they actually won, beating Burleigh 18 – 12 in the Grand Final with Jayden Parker scoring two tries and kicking three goals in the grand final and was named man of the match in addition to captaining the Roosters. Over the course of the season, he scored six tries across the 12 matches that he played.
He has been named in the Gold Coast Green MM side coached by Mark Ross for the upcoming season and was part of the squad that won their first trial against Sunshine Coast last weekend. I will stress that at present I do not believe that he has a full time Titans contract, but he is someone that is clearly being looked at in terms of future possibilities.
He is solid all round hooker who distributes effectively to both sides of the ruck. He does have some speed when running out of dummy half but as he progresses up the ladder through higher standards of competitions he will need to ensure that he is selective about when he runs the ball and when he passes. As theU17 season progressed he did in fact become more selective in terms of running out of dummy half and as a result ended up more effective and drew a number of penalties as forwards tired and just could not get back on side as well as his effectiveness close to the line which culminated in him scoring two tries in their grand final victory.
He is efficient in his passing and there is little wasted movement as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand then pass. He passes well from both sides of his body. His passing to the left is still a little better than to the right but this really probably nit picking on my behalf. He is a high energy player and really tries to move the play along quickly and just needs to ensure that the ball is in his hands prior to working through his options.
He defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and is adept at wrapping the ball up. He is also very good defending at marker in terms of harassing the opposition kickers. He is not going to wow you with his defence because you will not see big hits, but you will see an efficient and effective defender who will regularly be near the top of the tackle count, although sometimes he does need to temper his enthusiasm.
He has very good endurance and projects as a hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange. For the 2016 season, as noted above he will play the MM season with the Gold Coast squad and upon competition he will likely play for Nerang in the local U19 competition which is continuing to improve from a quality stand point, some first grade games later in the year is also not out of the question, I think that he is certainly tough enough to handle playing against men. I think that it will be difficult to break into the Burleigh QCup Colts side with the likes of Ryan Cameron or whoever misses out in the battle for the Titans NYC hooking position, but he impressed this year due to his leadership skills and all round enthusiasm and energy on the field. On occasion he will not necessarily have the best of games, but he will still stand out because he is always talking and encouraging his team.
From a player comparison perspective think someone along the lines of former Newcastle Knights, New South Wales Origin and Australian hooker Danny Buderis a hard working player with outstanding leadership skills, a diverse skill set, including goal kicking and someone that his team mates will appreciate playing with.
Albert Noa. He is a young centre/wing from eth Goonda junior rugby league club in Ipswich who was invited to trial with the Titans in there U18 Invitational side late last year. In that game he started on eth bench and came on and played on the wing against Samoa. For Goonda in eth Ipswich Junior Rugby League competition he played in the U17 Division One competition. Goonda, in fact won the grand final in that division with a 28-20 win over the Springfield Panthers, Noa played on eth wing in that game and kicked a conversion. For the season for Goodna, he scored five tries and kicked a solitary goal for a points haul for the season of 22. Interestingly he has only played a very limited amount of junior representative football, which is quite surprising.
Whilst he has alternated a bit between centre and wing for Goodna, I will focus the comments on his play on het wing and that is in my opinion his likely position as he transitions towards senior rugby league. I stress that he is someone that the Titans have looked at and I can certainly understand why as there is certainly something there in terms of potential and game breaking ability. Obviously everything will have to fall into place, but you just never know when all of the physical and skill attributes will coalesce into a talented young footballer whose output matches the other attributes.
He is very quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside and will not get caught from behind if he gets into open space. In addition to his speed he seems to have the ability to “freeze” his direct opponent with his ability to step off both feet before accelerating around them usually on the touchline side. The impressive thing is his fearless running of the ball, he runs hard and continues to pump his legs meaning that his opposite number is forced to commit to the tackle or he will break through the line.
In defence, whilst he is not the strongest winger, he is certainly aggressive and will look to come out of the line to stop the attack quickly. Like all younger players he just needs experience to ensure that he picks the right time to come out of the line, he seems a little raw at present. He will show his opposite winger the sideline and is confident that his speed will enable him to get across to make the tackle. As he fills out he will become more effective defensively, not that there is too much wrong at present.
Moving to the 2016 season, he will play for Goodna in the U19 senior Ipswich Rugby League competition and as noted in the introduction, I think that he ultimately ends up on the wing from a position perspective. Interestingly he has not been named in the initial Ipswich MM Cup squad.
From a player comparison perspective a young player that springs to mind as a similar player is the Penrith Panthers young centre Waka Blake as someone who flashes real ability, just needs more time and experience to reach their potential. He is a very intriguing young player.
Kade Hill. He is a young half/five eight from the Murwillumbah Colts club who play in the Group 18 junior rugby league competition, who is part of our junior development set up. He played this year at the U14 level and also was part of the Group 18 U14 side that played in the NSW Country age championships and has been named in the U15 Group 18 representative side for this year’s championships. Unfortunately the Group 18 side had a tough championship this year across all age groups. He played his schoolboy rugby league with Murwillumbah High School in Northern NSW. He is a multi-sport athlete, as he also plays cricket where he seems to be a decent spin bowler and plays touch football as well.
In attack he has above average to plus speed off the mark but does not necessary have an extra gear in open space, but he is able to sustain his top speed over considerable distance. In confined space, he has very good footwork, including a good step off both feet. He can beat defenders in the inside with a step and if the defensive line is staggered a dummy and go, presents multiple headaches for the opposition’s defensive strategies.
At present, one area for him to continue to develop is his play making skills, including putting his runners, whether they are backrowers or centres into holes. With experience however there is nothing to suggest that these type of play making skills will not develop over time as we are talking about still young blokes here. As games progress he is very good at identifying tired forwards in the defensive line, and he will target them accordingly. Presumably as a result of his time playing touch football, he will play what is in front of him rather than just play to a set game plan, which is a sign of a young player with a good understanding of the game.
In defence, due to his size he is obviously not going to come up with the big hit but reads the play well enough and can hold his own when defending much bigger players. When confronted with forwards running directly at him on the edge of the ruck, he will get in front of them and use his shoulder in an effort to contain them until defensive help arrives. Due to his speed off the mark he is also a very good cover defender as he tracks the ball across the field and has a solid low tackling technique from the side. Like all young players, especially young half’s and five eight’s as he grows and gains weight the key will be whether he is able to maintain his speed and evasion attributes.
Moving forward to the 2016 season, he will play the season at the U15 level and also as noted earlier will be part of the Group 18 U15 representative side as well as continuing to play his school boy rugby league with Murwillumbah High School and his club football with the Murwillumbah Colts. From a position perspective, with his footwork, speed off the mark and developing play making skills, he certainly has the attributes to stay in the halves, either at five eight or half. I do not think that he has ever played there but I would be intrigued to see how he would go at fullback, purely from a physical and skill attribute perspective.
From a player comparison perspective, think of the Titans own Kane Elgey as a developing ball player and game manager with very good speed and evasion in confined space. It will be interesting to see where he fits into the Titans junior development plans going forward.
Josiah Hamlin. He is a big young front rower who was part of the Titans Logan based U14 development squad throughout the 2015 season and started from the bench for the Titans U14 development squad in their match against Samoa late in 2015.
As noted he is a big and I mean big strong front rower who is a powerful runner of the football, who knows only one way and that is straight ahead and has shown occasional flashes of the ability to offload once he has impacted the defensive line. It is not an attribute that he shows on a consistent basis but will show a plus offload when you least expect it. Early in games he does have a decent turn of pace when running the ball, but does wear down as the match progresses, with to some degree is not unexpected due to his size. Like is offloading skill set he will show flashes of decent footwork prior to the line, but again it is not a skill attribute that he uses on a consistent basis.
In defence he will line up the opposition forwards and go for the big hit, however as he starts to tire he can miss his target area, leading to penalties. He is obviously suited to defending in the centre of the ruck rather that the fringes and will understandably have some trouble with nippy runners out of dummy half or halves or fullbacks looking to make ground through the centre of the ruck. His calling card though is the strength and power to effectively engage the opposing forward early in their run and use his natural strength to win the forward battle in the centre of the ruck. He can defensively handle any one on one battle that presents itself, especially early in games and in fact will dominate the centre of the ruck in stretches of games, especially early. As he develops his stamina the challenge will be to increase the duration of that ruck dominance.
Moving to the 2016 season he will play in the GBJRL competition at the U15 level and I think that he has already found his position as he progresses up the junior rankings, being that of front row. Front rowers seem to take longer to mature due to the nature of the position that they are asked to play, and the positive when seeing someone like Josiah Hamlin play is that all of the things that have been noted above will develop in many cases naturally as young front rowers mature both physically and mentally.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of the Melbourne Storms Kenny Bromwich as a hard working front rower who will be a solid player regardless of the level of competition he ultimately ends up at but who on any given day can surprise with a game that you would not expect.
Titanic
16-02-16, 12:04 PM
mdrew, I've been meaning to ask you, would you like to have a shot at what the junior development pathways should look like from your perspective? Any changes you would suggest? Personnel the club should target or recognise? Dare I suggest doing a SWOT analysis on where we stand. Last season you offered a very useful explanation of the various levels CC, MM, etc ... rehitting that would be great too.
I have noticed a growing interest in this area, largely due to your dedication, and I think there could be some robust debate from some of our other members on what our future direction could or will look like.
Perhaps a thread in the juniors for referencing that type of information would be useful for us all to refer to as the club lifts its game in crucial area of development. Old and new fans alike could benefit from a deeper understanding of what the players have to go through and what the club is doing too. Just a thought.
Yes mate I will have a think about the best way I can put my thoughts together and go from there.
mdrew, I've been meaning to ask you, would you like to have a shot at what the junior development pathways should look like from your perspective? Any changes you would suggest? Personnel the club should target or recognise? Dare I suggest doing a SWOT analysis on where we stand. Last season you offered a very useful explanation of the various levels CC, MM, etc ... rehitting that would be great too.
I have noticed a growing interest in this area, largely due to your dedication, and I think there could be some robust debate from some of our other members on what our future direction could or will look like.
Perhaps a thread in the juniors for referencing that type of information would be useful for us all to refer to as the club lifts its game in crucial area of development. Old and new fans alike could benefit from a deeper understanding of what the players have to go through and what the club is doing too. Just a thought.
footyfan123
16-02-16, 04:28 PM
Hi mdrew, new to this forum and have read a few of your take on top juniors. I find your take on some of these kids quite interesting.
But it seems to be the same kids every year. I get around a few of the grounds and the school games and seem to notice things not just the stand out players but some of the up and coming players.
There's one big unit of a kid at Coombabah in the under 14 development team, hes 13 years old, and 6ft 2, that seems to go UN-noticed. This kids name is Matthew Wilton-Waldron, he was named most improved in under 13s at Coombabah last year. He will play front row to start with then back to second row, as this kids got speed for the height hes got, Hes slimmed down, and has great ball skills and can tackle. He was also called up to play in the Titans development squad as an invite for under 13s last year, and spent most of the game on the field.
This year hes back at Coombabah in the under 14's and will be playing Div 1 with the Hornets. I would recommend having a look at this kid too, also another one out of Coombabah is EJ, hes plays front row for the under 14's, and plays club for Runaway Bay. Both these boys maybe ones to have a look at this year.
Appreciate your feedback I will definitely keep an eye out.
Hi mdrew, new to this forum and have read a few of your take on top juniors. I find your take on some of these kids quite interesting.
But it seems to be the same kids every year. I get around a few of the grounds and the school games and seem to notice things not just the stand out players but some of the up and coming players.
There's one big unit of a kid at Coombabah in the under 14 development team, hes 13 years old, and 6ft 2, that seems to go UN-noticed. This kids name is Matthew Wilton-Waldron, he was named most improved in under 13s at Coombabah last year. He will play front row to start with then back to second row, as this kids got speed for the height hes got, Hes slimmed down, and has great ball skills and can tackle. He was also called up to play in the Titans development squad as an invite for under 13s last year, and spent most of the game on the field.
This year hes back at Coombabah in the under 14's and will be playing Div 1 with the Hornets. I would recommend having a look at this kid too, also another one out of Coombabah is EJ, hes plays front row for the under 14's, and plays club for Runaway Bay. Both these boys maybe ones to have a look at this year.
Julian Torrens. He is an exceptionally talented young half/fullback from the Group One junior rugby league, specifically from the Clarence Coast club, where he played at the U13 level over the course of the 2015 season. He also played school boy football for McLean Public School where he was a key contributor in a number of schoolboy competitions including the DEX (Daily Examiner) Shield, which is a schoolboy U14 competition for NSW North Coast public schools.
For Clarence Coast in the Group One U13 competition, he was both the leading try scorer and point’s scorer, both for Clarence Coast and for the entire U13 competition. In the 11 games he played in that age group, he scored an incredible 30 tries, kicked 19 goals and a field goal for an amazing points haul on the season of 159 points. He was the leading try scorer by four from fellow development squad member Tyrhys Williams, with centre Kodi Crowther third with 22 tries.
He scored six tries in a game on two occasions, both times against Lismore Marist Brothers and five tries once, being against South Grafton. In addition to the six tries twice against Marist, he also kicked five goals on one of those occasions and four in the other game, meaning he scored 66 points against Marist Brothers alone. He also played one game up at the U14 level, kicking two goals in that solitary game. Incredibly he scored 159 of the 235 points that the Clarence Coast U13 side scored on the season, meaning he scored approximately 68% of his team’s points on the season. He was also his school side’s primary goal kicker from recollection.
Let’s cut to the chase when he runs the ball, he is exceptionally quick and explosive, with exceptional speed, both off the mark and when he gets into open space, teams in his age group in the Group One competition just could not handle him when he had the ball. He also can step off both feet exceptionally well and also has a great swerve whilst maintaining top speed. On many occasions when he made a break, his support could not keep and thus he used his incredible footwork and speed to beat the opposing fullback by himself. There is nothing that he cannot do running the ball and it is only now about developing his ball playing skills to make his footwork and running ability even more lethal. In attack he also played up in the line quite often and was his team’s primary attacking option.
In addition he also has the ball playing skills to set up his support runners and get them lines to run into when defenders came out of the line to negate his time with the ball in hand. He obviously was a key target for defences but he understands that he cannot do it all himself and thus became adept at drawing defenders out of the line and putting his support runners into the subsequent hole. As his play making skills continue to evolve, the attacking possibilities are endless.
In terms of running the ball back from kicks, his timing and anticipation means that he gets to a lot of balls on the full and makes a quick decision whether to run the ball flat out back into the oncoming defenders or look to create an opportunity by running across field. Regardless he is an absolute handful to tackle with his evasion skills.
He can also kick in general play, more so tactical kicks to gain ground rather than attacking kicks such as grubber kicks or bombs. I do not think that he will be necessarily a team’s primary general play kicker, although that is not set in stone, but has the skill set to be at the minimum and very good secondary option when the primary kicker is under pressure and only needs to work on getting his kicks away quickly to take full advantage of his kicking ability. Like his tactical kicking I do not think that he ends up as a primary goal kicker but is effective enough to be a secondary option, where he is accurate from close range but his accuracy suffers the wider out the kicks are from.
Defensively in the fullback position he understandably he does not a huge amounts of tackles but the ones he makes are the ones that need to be made. If an attacker runs directly at him, he will come forward to cut down the time the attacker has to make a decision and he will hit very hard. An impressive attribute that he does have he is ability to force attackers in the clear to try to beat him down the side line. He will stay inside the attacker and force him in the needed direction and then use his timing and anticipation to make the tackle, usually forcing the attacker into touch.
Moving onto the 2016 season, he will play at the U14 level, presumably again with Clarence Coast and similarly his school boy football with McLean. He will likely be one of the first chosen in the Group One U14 representative side and is just looks an exceptional talent. Obviously boy’s this young have a long way to go in terms of dedication, motivation, maturity etc. but he really does look like a class act, a natural, on a football field. He has played some half and fullback, but I would envisage a future, at least initially at fullback as someone who can pick and choose their time to get involved from an attacking stand point and wants the ball in his hands when the game is on the line.
From a player comparison perspective, the one player that does spring to mind is Brisbane Broncos five eight Anthony Milford, as an exceptional talent who can do almost anything on a football field from an attacking perspective and is exciting to watch, when he gets the ball the level of anticipation rises as you cannot wait to see what he is going to put on. He may well end up at a different position, being fullback but the elusive and explosive running ability on top of sublime ball skills translate to a similar playing style to Milford.
TITAN PETE
21-02-16, 08:16 PM
no point any more
Mate did u get to the MM games this weekend ?
Mexican titan
21-02-16, 08:53 PM
no point any more
I like reading these summaries of players. Why do you say no point - obviously I am missing something?
Titanic
21-02-16, 10:55 PM
no point any moreWhat's this?
Bayside Titan
21-02-16, 11:46 PM
no point any more
Same as the others. I appreciate the work you put in and it's helped me get an appreciation of juniors that are around as I have no idea at all!!!!
palmbeachpariah
22-02-16, 08:26 AM
standards for both cc and mm very very low
Apologies all had a crap time of late with an illness and also it is just frustrating that I have tried on multiple occasions to get assistance from the Titans about getting more information out about the juniors but to no avail I must be talking to the wrong people. The last straw was getting flak and I mean a lot of it from Broncos supporters at the NYC trial, about the fact that they “own” the coast from a junior development perspective and also that they can just take who they want after we have started to develop them.
Once I stop acting like a sook I will be back, apologies again
What's this?
RenegadeGC
22-02-16, 09:11 AM
Apologies all had a crap time of late with an illness and also it is just frustrating that I have tried on multiple occasions to get assistance from the Titans about getting more information out about the juniors but to no avail I must be talking to the wrong people. The last straw was getting flak and I mean a lot of it from Broncos supporters at the NYC trial, about the fact that they “own” the coast from a junior development perspective and also that they can just take who they want after we have started to develop them.
Once I stop acting like a sook I will be back, apologies again
Love your work MDrew, the time and effort that goes into your research and posts is second to none. Im sure everyone appreciates what you do as much as I do. Keep your head up champ and keep up the great work.
palmbeachpariah
22-02-16, 12:09 PM
the biggest problem with junior development here is that the coaches i see, dont follow the simple reason why they should be there. To DEVELOP! cc coaches should be improving kids for mm,,mm for 20s and 20s for nrl.. The kids i watched on the weekend are totally clueless..
2 worst things i saw at cc level were playing ronin kapi as right centre when he scoots better from left to right and have a runaway bay kid at left center who holds the ball in the right hand.
then we have deejarn asi a left footer on the right side of the field kicking back to the left all the time..and the coaches seem completely oblivious to it ..any decent coach can see it :0
Titanic
22-02-16, 02:50 PM
That's the spirit, matey ... spit the dummy, have a rant then climb off the floor and give it back to them ... you can see by the support that you have on here that your efforts are very much appreciated. Fark the Brisso's.
And PBP, you just have to wonder what they teach in coaches camps any more and who is providing quality assurance. Stacking teams with talent and then giving the coach the plaudits is just plain wrong.
Drekwon Brown. He is a young backrower who starred for the Titans U14 development squad in their 28-10 victory over Samoa late in 2015 at Pizzey Park, Burleigh. The former Ipswich youngster has played the last couple of seasons in the GBJRL competition with the South Magpies junior rugby league club based in the western suburbs of Brisbane at Acacia Ridge where he was on the bench in the U15 grand final against a Logan Brothers side that had in their starting line-up Titans linked players, front rower Geordie Brand and hooker Jackson Keil. Unfortunately South’s were beaten in the grand final with Geordie Brand captaining and leading the way from the front row for Logan Brothers.
In the U14 development squad game he can off the bench (he was in jersey 22 for the people that saw the game) and really made a huge deference playing in the back row being a major contributor in the Titans win. Outside of fullback Brent Barnes in my opinion he was the Titans best player and certainly the best forward on the field and certainly made a huge impression on me. At one stage I believe that he was part of the Brisbane Broncos development program, so well done to Titans development staff for identifying his talent and getting him involved with the Titans junior development program.
He has developed into a hard running backrower who is impressive at running good lines on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into thus making the play makers on his team look good. Where he really excels though is his footwork, he has very good late and exceptionally quick foot work which enables him to change direction quickly allowing him to readjust where he is running to take advantage of either a late developing hole in the defensive line or where the defensive line is repositioning late.
Even when he is taking a hit up in the centre of the ruck, his feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight corrections to his running direction and he is also able to maintain his speed regardless of the multiple directional changes. He seems just to run at a faster pace than other forwards on the field. These attributes lead to a lot of line breaks and he has the speed to convert them into long breaks himself. These critical attributes mean that he is difficult to target and runs at a very fast pace into the defensive line but the fluidity of his directional changes means he is a difficult target for defenders to negate. I would argue that his overall foot speed as just above average for a backrower but it plays faster than that due to his footwork and how hard he runs at the defensive line as well as the fact that he looks to run at gaps in the defensive line rather than just trying to run over opposition defenders.
What he also has is very good ball skills, obviously developed from his time playing at five eight. He can distribute the ball effectively either prior to impacting the defensive line or once he has broken through. He does not necessarily have the size to offload when he is engaged with the defensive line but certainly prior to and after his ball playing skills are in the plus category especially down the blind side of the ruck. He just has the natural ability to pop a short ball to his support runners when the defensive line is least expecting it. As he matures and develops he shapes as an ideal link man between the forwards and his team’s halfback and five eight, fact he could likely fill in at five eight if necessary.
Defensively he hits very hard and usually aims for the waist to just under the rib cage and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls. He is equally adept at defending in the centre of the ruck as he is defending on the fringes and his initial contact is more than sufficient to make an impact on the ball carrier. His lateral speed is understandably very good due to his quick twitch feet and thus he is effective at defending against smaller dynamic runners out of dummy half as well as half backs and five eights running of the fringes looking to isolate forwards. He is also very good at keeping his hands low when defending against smaller, quicker players and thus he is able to limit the amounts of penalties given away for high tackles even when they change direction on him quickly or unexpectedly.
Moving towards the 2016 season, he will play for the South Acacia Ridge U15 side in the western suburbs of Brisbane and his side will likely battle South’s Logan for supremacy for the GBJRL U15 premiership. From a position perspective, even though he has played some centre and five eight earlier in his junior rugby league career, I think that he has found his niche in the back row and a very good one at that.
From a player comparison perspective, one player with a similar playing style but certainly not from a physical build perspective is Bulldogs backrower Greg Eastwood as a multi-faceted ball playing forward with decent speed and the ability to break through the line with subtle footwork.
Of all the young players that played in the development squad games against Samoa he was the one that caught my one more so that the rest . Over the course of the development squad games that afternoon, there were plenty of young players with bigger resumes or reputations, but that day he put himself squarely on the map as an exceptionally gifted young rugby league player in my eyes at least.
Daine Laurie. He is a young fullback/five eight from the Grafton area of Northern NSW who whilst small in stature is big on courage and is a fearless and dynamic runner of the ball. He was busy from a playing perspective in 2015, playing for the Grafton Ghosts at the U16.5 level in the Group One junior rugby league competition as well as playing for the Lower Clarence Magpies in the U18 NRRRL competition, on many occasions on the same weekend, playing U16.5 on a Saturday and backing up to play U18’s on a Sunday, with a heck of a lot of travelling in between.
For the Grafton Ghosts at the U16.5 level (it is a combined U16/U17 competition), he played mainly five eight, including in the grand final which they unfortunately lost 36-22 to Casino RSM. Over the season however, he scored 11 tries from the 12 matches that he played and was named the competition’s best and fairest player. He finished equal second on the try scoring list with Titans linked centre Isaac Lee (Incredibly Lee scored his 11 tries from only five games). They finished three tries behind talented Casino RSM centre Edward O’Connor. For Lower Clarence, he was named Rookie of the Year on his way to scoring ten tries in the 12 games he played. At the U18 level he played exclusively at fullback for the Magpies. A team mate for Lower Clarence was front rower Kyron Herron. The NRRRL U18 competition is quite a good standard with a few players from that competition progressing to NYC squads for the 2016 season.
In addition, he played school boy rugby league for McLean High School, who had a decent season, losing the Daily Examiner Shield (DEX) Open school boy competition final 25-20 to South Grafton High School. That was the second year in a row that McLean High had lost the DEX open final to South Grafton High School and the third year in a row that South Grafton has won it. He has moved up to the Gold Coast and will be playing his school boy rugby league for PBC, and will be in serious contention to be involved in their open National GIO Cup and State Super Six campaigns, with a number of Titans linked players from the three Gold Coast schools that are involved in those competitions, being PBC, Keebra Park and Coombabah.
From an attacking perspective, he has outstanding footwork to go along with above average to plus evasive skills and plus plus speed, both in terms of off the mark and top end speed where he has an extra gear to go to when he breaks into open space, which during the 2015 season was a regular occurrence. He has a very good step off both feet and can put together combinations of steps over a short distance to break free of situations where he is seemingly surrounded by defenders and has no right to make any further ground.
In addition he also has the ball playing skills to set up his support runners and get them lines to run into when defenders came out of the line to negate his time with the ball in hand. In the U18 NRRRL competition, late in the season he started to become more of a ball player at the fullback position when receiving the ball behind the ruck. With more experience I think that this aspect of his game will continue to evolve and thus he will become even more of the threat as defences cannot just assume he is going to run the ball himself.
In terms of running the ball back from kicks, his timing and anticipation means that he gets to a lot of balls on the full and makes a quick decision whether to run the ball back into the oncoming defenders or look to create an opportunity by running across field and using his step if the defensive line is staggered or does not extend too far across the field.
From a defensive perspective, as noted he by no means a big player but his toughness and courage cannot be denied. He will really try to hit hard in defence regardless of the size of the attacker running at him. At fullback he will rush forward to cut down the time the attacking player has to make a decision of what to do with the ball when they make a break and even if they draw him and pass to a support player he was still look to hit them as hard as they can to make them earn it. Playing at five eight in the U16.5 competition, due to his determination he really did rock opposing forwards on occasion with big hits, but obviously with the increased size of the players at the U18 NRRRL level the end result was different, but his desire to hit hard was not and it is unlikely that his mind set will change any time soon.
He is obviously not the tallest fullback and thus finds fielding bombs difficult on occasion if the chasers get to the ball at the same time he is looking to catch but and again he will not shirk his responsibility and always goes up and contest the ball at the very least. Assisting this is that he does have quite a good standing leap which belies his overall height, but he will obviously be disadvantaged against taller opponents who are jumping with momentum to their advantage. His hands are also very good in terms of fielding the ball when short attacking kicks are put through and he will not wait for the ball to come to him, but will look to come forward and attack the ball and is able to get out of the in goal more often than you would expect he should due to his plus footwork and explosive speed off the mark.
Moving to the 2016, as noted he will be playing for PBC at the Open school boy level, but at this stage I am not sure what Gold Coast based club side he will link up with, but he is eligible for the U17 age group and any U17 Division One side would be happy to have the fleet footed young player in their side. From a position perspective, he has spent a lot of his junior football alternating between five eight and fullback, but I think that going forward, he will ultimately settle in the fullback position, based on his size, speed and safe hands although he could fill in at either of the halves positions if needed for short spurts without too much of a change to the way he plays.
From a player comparison perspective, think of former Titans icon and first ever signing Preston Campbell as a player with a similar playing style. Like Preston Campbell, Daine Laurie has outstanding footwork and a fearless approach to the game, coupled with a selfless attitude. I would suggest however that Daine Laurie has better straight line speed than Preston Campbell, he is destined to be a crowd favourite due to his fearless attitude, regardless of what level he ultimately gets to.
In short he is not very big or tall, but plays the game with any thoughts of self-preservation thrown out of the window and is exciting to watch.
Ben Valeni. He is a local young centre, who over the last year or so, has started to spend more and more of his playing time in the second row, including representative football, where he represented South West in the QSSRL U18 state school boy competition. He played his school boy rugby league for Coombabah High School. For the 2016 season he has been selected in the powerful Gold Coast Green MM squad.
He is a hard running centre/backrower with solid footwork, obviously developed from his time in the centres, he has good late and quick foot work which enables him to change direction well allowing him to readjust where he is running to take advantage of either a late developing hole in the defensive line or where the defensive line is repositioning late. In terms of his play in the centres, like when he plays in the back row he runs straight lines with footwork, usually outside the opposing centre and looks to exploit his strength advantage against opposing centres. He has decent top end speed and similarly decent speed off the mark but I would not categorise either in the above average or plus category.
Defensively he hits very hard and usually aims for around the waist. As he gains more experience defending in the forwards, he will need to adjust his target zone to more around the area that the opposing forwards are carrying the football to look to mitigate the risk of opposing forwards off-loading the ball. He also has a touch of aggression in his play and definitely finishes off each tackle that he is involved in. He has quickly become adept at defending on the fringes and his initial contact is more than sufficient to make an impact on the ball carrier. His lateral speed is good and thus he can defend well against nippy runners.
As noted above he will be part of the GC Green MM squad, but will face stiff competition for a spot in either the second row or at centre. Upon completion of the MM competition, he will transition to the local U19 competition, which improves from a quality perspective each year. From a position perspective, it is noted he is starting to spend more time in the back row. He probably does not have the size that you immediately consider for a modern day backrower, it least at present, but he does have the speed and evasive skills to be a very effective runner on the edge of the ruck, through in some aggressiveness in defence and you have yet another interesting young player. Obviously his current coaches believe that his future lies in the back row and thus the commencement of the transition to that position.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of Sydney Rooster back rower Mitch Aubusson as an effective back rower even though he does not have prototypical size for the position and can also fill in at the centre position if required.
Isreal Oti. He is a local young player who over the last couple of years has transitioned from the halves to the back row with positive results. He has been named in the Gold Coast Green MM squad where he will likely be in the mix for a back row berth for the 2016 season. In 2014 he captained the Gold Coast Green CC side from the second row and had previously made a number of representative squads such as the Vikings and Kookaburra’s where he played five eight.
As you would expect from a player who has spent a lot of his junior rugby league at five eight, he has very good ball skills for a player of his size. With the transition to the back row he has started to use more footwork prior to the line and is best running on the fringes of the ruck where he can use this trait to the best advantage. He still has decent speed but he does take a little bit of time to get up to his top speed. I would suggest his speed is slightly above average for a back rower overall. He also has a very good left hand fend to add to his solid frame and good functional strength. His low centre of gravity and power make him a difficult proposition to defend against.
Where he is also very effective is providing short passes to his fellow forwards as the defence converges on him, he can also be an effective link between the forwards and the backline. He is also a player that leads from the front and by actions not words thus it is no surprise that a number of coaches see him as a leader and given him the captaincy of the various teams.
Defensively he is a hard hitter who also has a touch of aggression in his play and definitely finishes off each tackle that he is involved in. Since his transition to the forwards his defensive technique had improved immensely and he set a good stable base with his lower body as uses his low centre of gravity to the best possible advantage.
In relation to the 2016 season, as noted he has been named in the GC Green MM squad and upon completion of that competition will play in the local U19 competition, and even though he is unlikely to progress to the NYC squad this season it is not a stretch to suggest that he may spend some time in the QCup Colts competition later in the year. From a position perspective, he has already transition to the second row and that is where I would suggest that he will stay long term.
From a style perspective, a player that stands out with a similar playing style, especially in terms of attack is former Melbourne Storm and Penrith Panther Sika Manu as a tough nuggetty back rower with decent footwork prior to the line to add to sold speed for a backrower and someone who is aggressive in defence. I would argue that he has better ball skills than the above mentioned player but I cannot put my finger on another player who I would consider has a similar playing style. He has a very intriguing skill set and someone to keep an eye in the future.
Will Lockwood. He is a young centre who is originally from the Kempsey area, but has recently moved to the Gold Coast to continue his career with the Titans. He recently captained the NSW Koori’s U16 side in their annual Murri v Koori U16 interstate clash, this year’s match finished in a 16 all draw, fellow Titans linked player Brent Barnes started at five eight for the Queensland Murri side. For Will Lockwood this was the second year in a row that he represented NSW Kurri in this annual match. From a trivia perspective, he is related to Greg Inglis. I will to be fair note that I have not seen as much as Will Lockwood as some others on the list, but he is someone to keep an eye on moving forward. Thank you also to the great poster who assisted with this one, much appreciated, your contribution really made this one, you know who you are!
He is a silky smooth runner of the ball who seems to glide across the field effortlessly and certainly has an extra gear in relation to the speed he possesses as well as plus speed off the mark. In the centre position, he has the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is becoming increasingly rare in the modern game. When he gets the ball early from his inside play makers, he is incredibly difficult to deal with one on one, as whilst his speed has already been noted, he is also a powerful runner who has the power to also break tackles through sheer power and not just rely on his speed to beat his opponent.
The one thing he also seems to be able to do well, is to step back inside without the loss of his speed or forward momentum, opposing defenders seem to push out quickly when he has the ball expecting him to look to beat them on their outside, if they come across to far, he has a very good step back side and if the inside defenders are not quick enough to cover across he has the speed to make a clean break in those circumstances. Similarly when an opposing defender looks to come out of the line quickly to put pressure on him, his quick twitch feet means that he can step off either foot quickly to negate the attempt to cut down his time. In short he is a very talented attacking player who looks to beat his opponent with speed and guile rather than purely by brute strength.
From the games that I have seen of his, you can just sense the uncertainty in the defensive line when he receives the ball with space to manoeuvre. He must be a half/five eight’s dream in that teams will look to get up onto him quickly, potentially leaving space for them to dummy and run. Also when the team is struggling he can just make something happen out of nothing even against a set defensive line, he can just drift across the field and then explode into any gaps that he can see develop.
To be honest, I have not taken a great amount of notice in terms of his defensive ability. He seems solid in that area and clearly has the ability to use his speed to compensate if a player gets around him, based on that attribute plus his foot work that he shows running the ball, I would suggest that he would be better suited to a sliding defensive methodology rather than an up and in style of defence.
Moving to the 2016 season, as noted he has only recently moved to the Gold Coast and I may well be wrong but I believe that he will be attending PBC State High School where high level school boy rugby league awaits in the GIO Cup and Super Six competitions. PBC should have an exceptionally talented attacking backline with Will Lockwood, Daine Laurie etc. He will be playing CC this season with the CC White squad coached by Tim McIntyre and will line up at five eight.
From a position perspective, even though he will be playing some five eight in CC this year, for me I believe that he has the ability to play in the centres long term and develop into a smooth moving elusive runner of the ball and quite an effective defender. Obviously any time that he spends at five eight will only enhance his ball skills and assist in creating space for his support players. He obviously also has leadership skills to be selected as the NSW Koori captain. The quote below is from U16s Indigenous All Stars chairman of selectors and former Gold Coast Seagull centre Scott Mieni.
“William has always shown outstanding leadership and his ability is second to none and that is why he has also been selected to captain the side.”
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone also the lines of former, Bronco, Qld State of Origin and Australian centre Steve Renouf in the context of how he plays the game, being that of an exceptionally talented attacking player and a dedicated, hardworking person all around. For the younger people on the forum, who do not remember Steve Renouf in his prime, former Titan James Roberts is also a good comparison in terms of how he plays.
Edward (Junior) Mackie-Rikona. He is a local young front rower/second rower and is yet another talented player from the Runaway Bay Seagulls junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast and also attends Coombabah State School as part of their specialist rugby league program, which is really starting to produce some outstanding results, both in terms of player development but also in relation to how the young boys handle themselves off the field. It may still take a couple more years, but I do not thing that it will be too long before Coombabah are right up there with Keebra Park and PBC, their U14 squad is very good.
During the 2015 season he scored an average of a try a game over the course of the 15 games he played at the U13 Division One level for Runaway Bay, including two pre-season pool matches, he also scored a hat trick in July against the Coomera Cutters. Over the season, he finished as the equal top try scorer in the competition along with winger Cory King and the third top points scorer overall when you add the six goals that he kicked, culminating in a total season points scoring tally of 64.
He also played three games up at the U14 Division Two level and once again scored an average of a try a match, including a double against the Southport Tigers. At the U14 Division Two level he was actually on the bench for Runaway Bay in the grand final but unfortunately they lost 30-18 to the Coomera Cutters. The 2015 season was not an anomaly from a try scoring perspective as he had a similar season in 2014 averaging around a try per game as well in fact for the 2014 season he averaged a little over a try per game.
For his age group he is a tall, powerful, exceptional athlete for his normal age group and this can be seen when be he is running with the ball. In his hit ups he carries the ball with pace and is very good at running on the fringes of the ruck. He uses foot work prior to the line to look to break through as well as cutting either cutting back in behind the play the ball or cutting out towards the smaller defenders on the fringes of the ruck.
One trait that stands out every time that you see him play is that he runs with speed into the defensive line and his foot work prior to the line enables him to get partly through the line on a number of occasions. One reason for this is that he is an intelligent footballer, he does not try to run over defenders, but he runs at the gaps between defenders, even though he has the size and power to run over most defenders if he chose to and uses his running speed to break through if defenders only use their arms in the tackle. He has very good speed off the mark for a second rower, which I would rate as above average at least, but it would be considered plus for a front rower and can then translate that into very good top end speed which he can seemingly sustain over long distances, once he is in open space. He would be one of the faster back rowers running around for his age group on the Gold Coast, especially for his size and he knows how to get across the try line as well.
I have not seen him off load the ball in tackles very often, but that is more a result of no need to off load the ball as he makes a lot of breaks on his own. As the level of the opposition increases both at club and school boy level, this is an attribute he will need to develop, but with his size, strength and skill set, I do not thing he will have an issue developing in this area, it is just a matter of time, experience and repetition.
Defensively he will come out of the line and hit very hard and usually aims for around the ball and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls. He defends in the centre of the ruck and seems best suited in the long run defending there and adds a degree of intimidation to any forward pack he plays for. On occasion he can get too carried away with going for the big hit but we are talking about young players who will mature as they grow and gain experience.
Moving towards the 2016, he will play once again for the Runaway Bay side this year at the U14 Division One level and for Coombabah High School also at the U14 age level as well, they have already started playing school boy trials. Over the course of the last season or two, he has played both front row and second row, and I would think that for the foreseeable future he will continue that alternation pattern, but as time progresses I would think that his ultimate position will be that of a big strong powerful second rower based on my projection of his development. For his size he seems to have quite good endurance, playing the entire 60 minutes in a couple of the games I saw last year in club football. Like all players in these age groups he still has a lot of physical development and maturation to go, but he projects well on both counts at this very early stage of his career both on and off the field.
From a player comparison perspective, someone along the lines of the Sydney Roosters, NSW State of Origin and Australian second rower Boyd Cordner as an appropriate player from a style perspective, being big powerful well-rounded back rower who plays the game hard with toughness and at a pace above a lot of the players around him and will get across the try line on a regular basis.
Reno Gerrard. He is a local young front rower/second rower from the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club and also attends PBC from where he represented South Coast in the QSSRL U15 State Championships, he started in the second row and scored a try against Peninsula in South Coast’s first pool match. South Coast went on to win the championships with Reno Gerrard subsequently being named in the front row for Queensland White for the Australian U15 school boy championships.
For Burleigh, he played for the U15 Division One side, alternating between the front row and second row and scored ten tries in the ten matches he played, including scoring a hat trick against the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in a match in July. He has been named in the Gold Coast Green side for the upcoming CC competition. He also plays rugby and was named alongside a couple of other Gold Coast youngsters, including centre Ronan Kapi in the Queensland Reds U15 rugby side that played NSW in July 2015, I believe that he plays as a flanker (No.6 or 7) in rugby, but I have not seen any of his rugby matches.
He runs exceptionally hard but with a degree of subtlety to his running style, and he will not just run upright, he will drop his should into the defender making it difficult if not impossible for him to be stopped easily or by a single defender. Due to his speed and size, when he is running on the fringes of the ruck, he as handful and also has a very good fend. When playing in the second row, he seemed from my perspective to play on the right hand side of the ruck on the majority of occasions, including in representative matches. Whilst he is also very effective taking hit ups in the centre of the ruck, when you have someone with his size and speed, I think that getting him to run a little wider is a more effective utilisation of his skill set both from an individual and team perspective.
In terms of his speed, I would consider it above average for a second rower but it would be considered plus for front rower, in short he is a very good athlete, with size, strength, speed and power. He also is very strong, at representative level for South Coast and Qld White he regularly shrugged off opposing defenders when they looked to tackle him front on around the chest area. It regularly takes defences to commit multiple resources to stop his momentum. If he is not tackled around the legs, his strength means that he will continue to make ground after contact due to his never say die attitude.
Defensively he hits very hard and usually aims for just under the ribs and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls. He defends in the centre of the ruck and seems best suited in the long run defending there and adds a degree of intimidation to any forward pack he plays for as a result of his aggressive tackling style. He really does know how to tackle effectively, as he sets a strong base to create the necessary leverage to defend against larger forwards and then explodes through his core with the kinetic effects transferring through his body into his opponent. Throw in a touch of aggression and you have someone who can dominate a game defensively and is able to seal off one side of the ruck on his own for stretches of a game.
Moving towards the 2016 season, he has been selected in the GC Green CC side coached by Nathan Antonik and will also play for Burleigh at the U16 Division One level and for PBC in terms of school boy football and will likely be in the PBC squad for the GIO Cup and Super Six competitions. It would not surprise however if he played a few games up at the U17 level as he is physically ready to make the step up in age group.
From a long term position perspective I believe that he ultimately ends up in the front row in senior football, but for me that is still a few years away. Yes he can certainly play in the front row now, and play very well, but I would much prefer for him to play exclusively in the second row for the near future to take advantage of his speed and hard running on the fringes of the ruck.
The caveat on this however is whether he chooses rugby league or rugby union, clearly he is talented at both codes, and one of his older brothers Levi also has represented Queensland in rugby, at the U16 level, I believe, so the young man has a choice to make in the next few years, which is a good position for him to be in in terms of making the best decision for his future.
From a player comparison perspective, consider someone along the lines of the Canberra Raiders front rower Paul Vaughan as a big strong mobile forward who hits the defensive line hard as well as the opposition when they are running the ball.
palmbeachpariah
02-03-16, 12:12 PM
reno is at tss im sorry mate but hes one of the softest kids ive ever seen..hasnt tackled with a shoulder in a number of years and always runs a passive line. he is very lazy refuses to hold the middle as a frontrower and hangs on the short side..reason why souths dropped him
.kid is huge but very very young and should stick to rugby where hes part of the qld academy like ronin kapi,phransis etc
maybe you have him confused with someone else
TITAN PETE
02-03-16, 10:39 PM
Exciting news for me & maybe a few others here is the Redbacks own Marty Tapow in Ethan Paikea will back to full training (running at full pace) in 2 weeks time & will be wearing the Mudgee Jersey for the 19's in 2016 & he is enormous through living in the gym for the past year
Sam Clark. He is a local young backrower from the Mudgeeraba Redbacks club on the Gold Coast who started in the second row for a Titans U18 Invitational side in a trial late last year against Samoa, he has also been named in the Gold Coast White MM side for the coming season. During the 2015 season, he played a number of games in the second row in the MM competition for Gold Coast White and in 2014 played in the CC competition where he spent the season alternating between centre and wing for Gold Coast white. In 2012 and 2013 he was part of the Gold Coast Academy of Sport Rugby League excellence program and for the Redbacks during the 2015 season crossed for four tries including double against Southport.
A very well respected poster on this forum noted that he believed that Sam Clark was one of the most improved players in the U17 Division One competition last year, and it is impossible not to agree with that assessment.
He is a very good athlete and this can be seen when be he is running with the football. In his carries he rarely takes a hit up without movement, he uses foot work prior to the line to look to break through as well as cutting either cutting back in behind the play the ball or cutting out towards the smaller defenders on the fringes of the ruck. He does however certainly have the size and strength to just run over people when necessary.
Like one or two others mentioned recently he runs ‘fast’ into the defensive and his foot work prior to the line enables him to get partly through the line on a number of occasions. He has very good speed off the mark for a second rower and can then translate that into decent top end speed which he can sustain over a reasonable distance. He would be one of the fastest if not the fastest backrower running around for his age group on the Gold Coast.
Defensively he makes very solid initial contact and can redirect the momentum of the opposing forward effectively. He does not miss many tackles at all and also covers across the field very well, meaning he is always in a good position to make a tackle if the ball is turned back inside and also to make cover defending tackles if breaks are made wider out. One area that I have noticed is that he does defend a lot in the centre of the ruck, rather than on the fringes, in no way is this a negative in the context that with his size and strength he can handle the physical contact and work load, but as he progresses in age towards senior rugby league he will probably need to adjust to defending more on the fringe of the ruck to enable him to use his exceptional athletic ability more.
Moving to the current 2016 season as noted above he has been named in the 2016 Gold Coast White MM side and will also play for the Redbacks at the U19 level in the local competition subsequent to the MM competition. The Redbacks should have a very strong side with the likes of Ethan Paikea , Jordan Birch and New Zealand recruit Xavier Johannson also likely part of the side and also possibly Darius Farmer. The competition across the Gold Coast White side in a number of positions for a position in the 17 is high, and no more so than in the second row, which is where his future would seem to lie, even though he spent some time out wide in the centres and on the wing earlier in his career.
From a player comparison perspective, I would consider someone like the Roosters Boyd Cordner as a current player with a similar playing style.
Ulysses Roberts. He is a big strong powerful young backrower from the Bowra Tigers in the Group Two junior rugby league competition. He was part of the Group Two U14 representative side in 2015 and has been named in the U15 side for this year’s NSW Country age championships. In 2015 he scored two tries in the three games that he played in that competition, his tries came against North West Group 4 and Maitland. He was also part of the Macksville High Buckley Shield campaign until he broke his arm playing rugby union.
Let’s get straight to the point, he is a big strong tough backrower who runs with pace, strength and power every time he touches the ball during a game. His style of play is that of a wide running back rower with above average speed for the position. I would actually argue that in fact a better definition of his speed would be well above average to plus, and I am talking the speed of an outside back not a backrower where he plays. He is exceptionally quick off the mark, but what makes him even more impressive from a speed perspective is that when he gets into space, he has an extra gear again, making it almost impossible for the cover defence to catch him once he is open space.
Defences had all sorts of trouble trying to contain him in his club, school boy and representative football this year, both in terms of him taking the ball up into the centre of the ruck, but he was almost untouchable when he ran on the fringes of the ruck and he used his foot work to beat defenders with a variety of moves, including a step off both feet and a very good in and away as well as simply running over people. Couple those two aspects with a very good fend and you have a young player who causes nightmares for a defensive line.
He is aggressive in defence whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can and will stop even the biggest opposing forwards in their tracks and targets the area around where the attackers carry the football. His speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half. Due to his speed and athleticism he covers across the field well, thus putting him in a good position to make the tackle when the ball is turned back inside from the halves.
Moving forward to the 2016 season, he will play for Bowra at the U16 level as there is no U15 level played in the Group Two junior rugby league. From a position perspective, he could quite probably play in the centres as well as the back row, but with his skill set and physical attributes I see no reason to move him from the back row where he has the ability to develop into a damaging wide running backrower.
From a player comparison perspective, I am a little reluctant to say so but the Canterbury Bulldogs version of Sonny Bill Williams springs to mind as an appropriate comparison, when you see the combination of the skill set he possesses and the athletic ability, add in a touch of aggression and you have a young player of immense potential who plays the game seemingly at a different pace to most of the players around him. He is just a big strong tough powerful young natural rugby league player.
Zac Stevens. He is a young hooker from the Toowoomba region, who started in that position for the first MM match of the year against the Central Crows. He scored a try in the high scoring 40 all draw. Over the last couple of season he has made a number of representative sides for the Toowoomba Clysdales, Darling Downs and South West Mustangs, including the 2014 QSSRL Darling Downs side and scored a try against Wide Bay in that competition. In relation to is club rugby league he plays for Toowoomba Valleys in the local competition, including starting at hooker in their 36 – 10 grand final win in 2015 against Pittsworth. At the U14 level in 2013 he was named Best and Fairest across the season I believe. From my understanding he has also been part of the Brisbane Broncos development system.
He is solid all round hooker who distributes effectively to both sides of the ruck. He does have some speed when running out of dummy half but as he progresses up the ladder through higher standards of competitions he will need to ensure that he is selective about when he runs the ball and when he passes as at present he sometimes possibly runs a little too often. At present he has decent speed off the mark and does a good job of finding holes behind the play the ball, but does not necessarily have the speed to finish off any breaks himself and thus needs to work progressively through his options once in open space.
He is efficient in his passing and there is little wasted movement as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand then pass. He passes well from both sides of his body although his passing to the right is still a little better than to the left though, both in terms of distance and consistency. One thing that he does well in dummy half is not taking his eye off ball until it is in his hands. I know that that sounds like common sense, but even in first grade the number of fumbles that occur from the dummy half is too high, he seems to have the mentality of watching the ball into his hands already set as part of his dummy half methodology.
He defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and is adept at wrapping the ball up. He is also very good defending at marker in terms of harassing the opposition kickers. Whilst he hits hard it is not necessarily to the extent that he will rock the opponent’s head backwards but certainly solid enough to halt the momentum of the ball carrier, even though he has the capacity to when he is fired up. What you will see is an efficient and effective defender with a hard streak. He also seems to be a good talker in the defensive line, constantly encouraging his team mates.
He has very good endurance and projects as a hooker who will be able to play the entire 80 minutes without interchange, which will become a critical skill as the number of interchange’s are reduced to 8 this year, and possibly even lower in subsequent years.
Moving forward to the current season, as noted he is representing Toowoomba in the MM competition where he started at hooker in the first match of the short competition. Upon completion of the MM season, he will transition back to club rugby league likely for Toowoomba Valleys in the local U18 TRL competition. He has played a number of forward positions over the course of his junior matches, but I think that he has found his niche as a hooker who is a solid distributor of the ball and who is also quite tough from a defensive stand point.
From a player comparison perspective, I would consider someone along the lines of the Cronulla Sharks Michael Ennis as someone with a similar playing style, but without the niggle, definitely without the niggle that is associated with Michael Ennis’s game.
Jayden McNamara - Lever. He is a young backrower who hails from south of the border and showed flashes of some real potential in his club and school boy football last year and has also been named in the Group 18 U14 representative side for the 2016 season along with Titans linked development squad member centre/wing Daniel Butterini. He was also part of the Kingscliff school side that won the Far North Coast (FNC) cluster of the New South Wales Country Rugby League Cup.
From an attacking perspective, he has a wide running mindset for a backrower with a very good turn of speed once he breaks through the line, he is speed would certainly play at the above average level in game situations for a backrower. Like all good running backrowers though, he takes his share of runs in the middle of the ruck but he is impressive at running good lines on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into although he is not averse to running straight over people either when the need arises. From the games that I have seem play, granted that I have not seen a massive amount of his games, he normally runs to the right side of the field, and will run wider out and look to come back on the inside shoulder of the opposition defence on the edge of the ruck. His determination is one aspect that enables him to be in the right place at the right time. He just seems to try harder than anyone else on the field and wills himself to keep going in a game.
His initial contact is solid and is more than enough to stop the momentum of the ball carrier and effect tackles one on one. He is also effective at wrapping the ball up and preventing offloads. When he hits he hits quite hard and can rock opposing forwards and redirect their momentum on a regular basis. I do not necessarily think that his defensive work will stand out because he is not going to come up with a huge hit all that often, but he will do a lot of work and will likely always finish at or near the top of the tackle count regardless of the level and standard of football he is playing at.
Moving forward to the current season, he will play at the U14 club level in the Group 18 Junior Rugby league competition and well as again playing for Kingscliff High School in school boy football and also represent Group 18 at the U14 level. In terms of a position perspective, at the middle age groups of junior rugby league, he could likely play either front row or second row effectively, but as he progresses up in age group, both in terms of club and representative sides, I would think that based on current projections he will more than likely end up in the second row.
From a player comparison perspective think along the lines of North Queensland Cowboys backrower Scott Bolten as a hard working player who will put in his best possible effort at all times but may be over looked by some who will not see him too often because he is not a dynamic or flashy player.
Kyah Watts. He is a local young second rower from the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast where he played the 2015 season at the U14 Division One level, including starting in the second row in the Grand Final which Burleigh won 28 – 14 against the Helensvale Hornets. Across the season he played nine matches at the U14 Division One level, scoring four tries and kicking two goals for an overall point’s tally of 20 points. He also played two matches up an age group at the U15 Division Two level crossing for a try in one of those games. He also made a number of representative sides including the U14 Vikings and the South East Queensland U14 squad, where he started on the bench for SEQ. For SEQ he scored three tries across the Queensland age championships, including a double against the Capricorn Capra’s and also a try against the North Queensland Marlins. He was also part of the Burleigh Bears U14 side that won the Tattessels Trophy competition in Cairns late last year.
I will preface the comments below in the context that whilst he has spent some time prior to the 2015 season alternating between centre and second row, I will confine the comments below to his play in the second row as that is where I think that his ultimate future lies. I also note that he has also been part of the Brisbane Broncos development squads in the past as well as the Titans.
His style of play is that of a wide running back rower with quite good speed for the position. He quick off the mark and can maintain his top speed over a reasonable distance and also has a good fend and can step off both feet both in space and in tight situations. I would suggest that his speed could be considered above average for a second rower. The side step he has is not a big step but is quick and subtle enough to keep defenders off balance and prevent them from targeting him in relation to gang tackles. He will also continue to pump his legs once he makes initial contact with the defensive line and will fight for every yard. Once his momentum is stopped, he will fight for a quick play the ball to maintain his team’s momentum, although on occasion he will rush the play the ball, but that will all come with experience.
Like a lot of dominant U14 players running around in their competitions he does not offload too often, but that is more a product of the lack of necessity to do so, rather than an identifiable skills gap, which needs to be addressed it is just the way it is in junior football. As young players progress through the age groups and start to play higher quality teams skills such as offloading become a key indicator of future success, but certainly not at present for these age groups.
He is a solid defender whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can stop even the bigger opposing forwards in their tracks and targets the area around the chest after setting a solid base to project his momentum into the ball carrier. He also has above average lateral mobility from his time playing in the centres and thus will not be over matched against smaller agile opponents operating on the fringes of the ruck where he looks to mirror there movement whether that is across the field or laterally. As noted he is a solid defender and looks to come off the defensive line quickly, he just on occasion needs to temper his enthusiasm and listen to the referee to ensure that he does not leave early and give away penalties for being inside the ten metres.
Moving to the current season, he will play at the U15 Division One level for Burleigh and likely be in line to represent South Coast in the QSSRL U15 school boy competition from PBC. Earlier in his junior career, he also played a fair bit of centre for Burleigh and Titans development squads but this year, seemingly transitioned full time to the back row, and I think that ultimately that is where his future lies, even though for the next couple of years he would likely still make a good fist of playing in the centres if the need arises.
From a player comparison perspective, maybe someone like the Titans new recruit Chris McQueen may be a good comparison to how Kyah Watts plays the game as a solid all round player who has a touch more speed than you would anticipate when he finds himself in open space.
Blake Roberts. He is a young centre who is the younger brother of NYC utility Ethan Roberts, who has been named in the centres for the Gold Coast CC White side for week two of the CC season. he has been in the Titans junior development system since for the last three or four years, and has played in the centres for the majority of his junior career to date, but in fact lined up at five eight late last year when the Titans U15 development side defeated a Balmain Tigers development squad three tries to two. He also attends PBC as part of their elite sports program after moving up from the Grafton area. He represented PBC in the U14 Hancock Cup rugby league competition in 2014, scoring tries against St Mary’s and Sandgate High Schools. He also represented South Coast in the U15 QSSRL competition in 2014 and scored a try against Northern. In addition to the 2015 match against a Balmain Tigers selection he has also previously lined up for the Titans in U13 and U14 development squad matches at Redlands in 2013 and 2014. He also has played soccer in addition to rugby league.
In terms of his attacking play he is a smooth runner of the ball who has above average to plus top end speed and good evasiveness to get on the outside of his opposing defender with a decent fend that enables him to keep opposing defenders at a distance and away from his body. When playing at centre he just needs to be aware to straighten up the axis of attack on occasion to ensure his outside supports have room to move and exploit any advantages identified. He has quite a good step, predominately off the left foot, so he certainly has the skills to adjust his running line as he gains more experience and develops a better rapport with his teams play makers. He does not have the size or strength to run over the top of opposing defenders thus he needs to use his speed and guile to make an impact and the earlier he gets the ball the better but as noted just needs to straighten up the attack on occasion. In the games that I have seen he lines up mainly on the left hand side of the field.
The thing that stands out about Blake is his defence in terms of a low tackling technique, he is by no means a big player but his defensive low tackling technique is very good, he can defend opposing centres one on one, and is one of the better low tacklers I have seen in a long time. Tackling around the legs seems to have become a lost art, but when done right it is in my opinion it is still the most effective way of defending. He is not the biggest or strongest, thus when he looks to tackle his oppose number around the chest area, he can have difficulty. He does on occasion try to tackle around the chest area too often and just needs to trust his low tackling technique which is effective. Due to these attributes he is clearly more effective defending in a side with a sliding defensive methodology rather than an up and in approach.
As noted he has been selected in the centres for Round Two of the CC competition and then will transition to club football at the U16 level as well as playing for PBC in the GIO Cup and Super Six schoolboy competitions. He has played a couple of positions, including fullback, centre and five eight, but I think that long term he will settle in the centre’s from a position perspective as I do not think that he has the ball skills to play either fullback or five eight long term.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of the Newcastle Knights and Queensland State of Origin centre Dane Gagai as a smooth moving centre.
Isaiah Barker. He is a big strong young front rower who has moved up to the Gold Coast to attend PBC from Kempsey after being named in the New South Wales U16 Ingenuous squad in 2015 where a team mate was fellow Kempsey product and recent Titans signing centre/five eight Will Lockwood. He was also part of the Group 3 U15 representative side in 2014 and part of the Melville High side that won the North Coast U15 Rugby League Schools side in the same year. He has been named on the bench of the Gold Coast MM Green side for their second match of the season in the local derby against GC White.
Running with the football, he has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders rather than trying to simply run over them although you can see that when he gets fired up all subtlety and thoughts of self-preservation goes out the window and he becomes a giant wrecking ball. He does not have great speed off the mark or necessary great high end speed, but he will work hard and make the most of his ability. He actually does have a decent off load usually with his right hand when he has impacted the defensive line as well and regularly showcases this in game situations.
Defensively he can certainly hit very hard, usually aiming for just under the ribs and first intention is to lock up the ball to prevent offloads. He can however on occasion try to tackle too front on which can lead to situations where the opposing forward can bounce off him, but I have no doubt with the MM coaching that he will be getting they will have this corrected in due course. He has quite reasonable lateral mobility for a larger forward and due to the fact that he bends his hips when looking to make a tackle he is usually is able to wrap up the smaller attackers without his tackles slipping up to around the head or neck, and thus giving away penalties. He can however get fired up and really cause havoc defensively, he just needs to continue to channel his aggression.
As noted he is part of the GC Green MM squad and upon completion of the MM competition he will transition back to club football at the U17 Division One level as well as being part of the PBC schoolboy program. From a position perspective, he has played the majority of his junior rugby league in the front row and I would envisage an ongoing future in the same position.
From a player comparison perspective, I would consider a player such as the Titans own David Shillington as a current player with a similar playing style, being that of a big strong front rower who may not be the quickest forward but will run and tackle hard, a workmanlike player if you will. Local print media from the Kempsey note that he is considered a talented player of the future with the right attitude to succeed.
Julian Knapp. He is a local young five eight/half who was actually named at fullback in the Gold Coast Green CC side being coached by Nathan Antonik for the first game of the season, where he kicked a conversion. He played the 2015 season with the Ormeau Shearers in the U15 Division One GCJRL competition and started at five eight in their grand final side, unfortunately it was a tough night for Ormeau, losing 52-14 to a very good Runaway Bay side, containing the likes of second rower Billy Mozer and halfback Tannah Boyd amongst others. He formed a very talented scrum base partnership at the Shearers with Titans linked half Dea Jarn Asi. Over the course of the 2015 season for the Shearer’s, he scored six tries, including a double against the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in the first game of the season, as well as kicking five goals of a total point’s haul of 54 points across 11 matches. He also represented South Coast at the U15 QSSRL state championships, where he started at five eight, a competition that South Coast won convincingly.
With the ball he is a very good distributor and will take the ball to the line in an effort to set up his supports. He is particularly adept at using the short or blind side when he sees an opportunity to exploit an overlap or a tired forward resting there. He will back his judgement and take the game on, assisting his play is the fact that he makes the decision what to do with the ball quickly thus enabling the ball to get out wide quickly. It may have more to do with the dynamics of his interaction with his club scrum base partner in Dea Jarn Asi, but does not necessarily run the ball too much but he has decent speed off the mark and quite a good step off both feet as well as a good swerve. I believe that he also has some experience playing touch football which would help explain his above average footwork in confined spaces.
In defence, due to his size he is obviously not going to come up with the big hit but reads the play well enough and can hold his own when defending much bigger players. When confronted with forwards running directly at him on the edge of the ruck, he will get in front of them and use his shoulder in an effort to contain them until defensive help arrives. Aiding this is the fact that he has a decent low tackling technique which enables him to bring down opposing forwards quite quickly thus negating the time they have to off load the ball.
Moving forward to this year, as noted he has been named in the GC Green CC side where he played fullback in Round One and has been named there again for Round Two and will play his club football at the U16 Division One level once again for the Ormeau Shearers. From a long term position perspective, for me he will likely transition to half back full time as he moves closer to senior football, but that is still a couple of years away and with club team mate Dea Jarn Asi more suited to the half back position, I would expect to see him continue to play at five eight in club football at least but I must admit I did find it interesting that he was named at fullback, a position I did not necessarily consider for him. In terms of representative football, with Tannah Boyd likely to be in the same representative sides for the next few years, Julian Knapp may well continue to play at five eight in those sides as well.
From a player comparison perspective think of someone along the lines of Gareth Widdop of the St George Dragons as a half/five eight who is more of an understated organising type when it is all said and done, but also a player who will surprise if the opposition defensive line leaves a gap for him to exploit if they become too focussed on his support runners.
I think that he will develop into a player who may not do the extraordinary on a football field, but he will do a lot of little things well and make a limited amount of mistakes, but will surprise with some dynamic plays when you least expect it.
Reece Murden. He is a big powerful young centre from Woolgoolga in the Group Two junior rugby league competition and for the 2016 season has been named as part of the U15 Group Two junior representative side after being part of the U14 side in 2015. For the U14 Group Two side in 2015, he scored a try in each of the three games that he played. He is a strike centre and can certainly find the try line and over the last couple of years has averaged also two tries a game across that span, including scoring an amazing 54 tries in a 12 game season at the U12 level in 2014, where in fact he finished second on the try scoring list nationally across all junior age competitions.
He is a big, strong, quick young centre with a fluid running style with a powerful centres build with the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside. In term of his play, the in and away is his bread and butter, he has very good speed off the mark and can break to the outside quickly, couple that with long arms, which he uses to great effect with a powerful fend makes him difficult to tackle. When opposing centres are able to get hold of him, he usually is able to maintain his balance and keeps an arm free, looking to offload although offloading is not his first priority.
He has more tools though than just an in and away, he will also use his size and strength to run straight over smaller opposing centres as well as also having the skill to step back inside of the defender if he is pushing to the outside too early. He does however on occasion not use his size and strength often enough and will try to beat his direct opponent on the outside every time even though he has shown the ability to run over people, but I am sure that this will come with more experience. Over the course of the season, including schoolboy and representative football, he has lined up at both left and right centre but at present he seems to be better suited and more comfortable playing right centre but he is so young there is plenty of time for him to gain experience at left centre as well.
As you would expect, due to his size and strength, he is a very good defender, for his size he will not necessarily hit hard, but he is very good at mirroring the movement of the opposing centre and wrapping him up ball and all. He is also quick enough to recover and chase if the opposing centre gets on the outside and his long reach is also a positive attribute in those situations and also when moving up into the defensive line as he can disrupt passing lanes. From a team defensive methodology stand point, he seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage.
Moving forward to the 2016 season, he will play for Woolgoolga at the U16 level as there is no U15 level in the Group Two junior rugby league competition. From a position perspective, he could quite probably play in the back row just as effectively as he does in the centre’s but at present there is absolutely no reason to even think about moving him from the centre’s, if he continues to grow and gain strength whilst maintaining his speed, which would be considered plus for centre, you have a scary proposition for a defensive structure. If he does lose some speed as he matures I would suggest that he could transition to the back row quite effectively due to his size, strength and power.
From a player comparison perspective a young player that springs to mind as a similar player is the Penrith Panthers young centre Waka Blake, they are big, strong and powerful and just need to harness their considerable potential as they progress in the game. If he does transition to the back row in coming years, I would envisage based on his projected skill set in that position, he would project to have a similar playing style to another Penrith Panther, being young backrower Isiah Yeo.
Do not think that we have any left with more about to sign with other clubs
Sunny86
14-03-16, 09:24 AM
What a big shame
Ronan Kapi. He is a local young centre who played the 2015 season with the Burleigh Bears at the U15 Division One level and also represented South Coast U15’s at the QSSRL U15 school boy’s competition where he was selected on the wing, from there he gained representation in the Qld White side for the ASSRL U15 championships. At those championships, he scored a double against the ACT side in one of the pool matches. Previously he has represented the Vikings and South East Queensland in the U13 and U14 age groups. For his club football, he only played handful matches for Burleigh during the 2015 season, but scored eight tries in those matches, where he played in the centres. He has been selected in the centres for the Gold Coast White CC side in the opening rounds of the 2016 competition.
He also represented the Titans U15 development squad in their match late last year against the Balmain Tigers which the Titans won three tries to two, with Ronan Kapi, scoring the Titans third try. He was named the Titans best back in that game by Paul Sironen. In addition to rugby league, he also plays rugby union, and attends The Southport School (TSS) where he played the GPS competition at the U15A level in the centres, wearing jersey number 12 in 2015. He was also named in the Queensland Reds U15 side to play against New South Wales. I have only seen a few very brief glimpses of him playing rugby in the GPS competition and taking into account I am no rugby expert, my comments below relate exclusively to him playing rugby league. What I do know however is how keenly contested the GPS competition is, regardless of age group, thus playing rugby at the GPS level can only enhance his skills which are transferrable to rugby league in terms of the position he plays in rugby union, being that of centre.
He is a quite a quick centre with good centres build with the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside. His has used this skill attribute on multiple occasions from the left side of the field. At this point in his career, there is a definite preference to playing left centre compared to him being on the right hand side of the field. When the ball is passed to him early, he straightens the attack up well, meaning he does not run himself or his support out of room. Even though he has decent speed in the centre position, he does look for his outside support when confronting the fullback and positions his supports well.
In term of speed, I would suggest that his speed would best be classified as above average for a centre and even though he does not necessarily have an extra gear once he is open space, he seems to be able to get to his top speed quite quickly.
Defensively the area that he has impressed me the most is his ability to defend close to his own try line. He seemingly has more strength that his size would indicate, and he uses this strength to move up off his own try line and hit his opposition, redirecting the momentum of the ball carrier and thus eliminating the immediate attacking threat. Regardless of where he defends in terms of where the game is situated on the field, he sets a good base and uses his leg strength to direct his energy through the core of his body into that of his opponent. I would suggest he is one of the better defensive centres for his age group in the Gold Coast club competition. I would further suggest that not many GPS U16A rugby centres have come up against an opposing defender who sets such a good base.
Moving forward to this season, he will play for Burleigh at the U16 Division One level and has been named in the Gold Coast White CC side for the upcoming season, including being named in the centres for Round’s one and Two of the CC competition. I would assume that he will also continue to play rugby for TSS, likely at the U16A level in the GPS competition and continue to play in the centres for that code as well.
From a position perspective, even though he has spent some time on the wing for a couple of representative sides, I believe that his medium/long term future lies as a talented centre with the ability to make breaks using his foot work and evasive skills, in the longer term though it would not surprise if he transitions to the back row, even though I would not expect this to be the case anytime soon. I can not necessarily articulate why I think that he may end up in the back row just a feeling based on how I think that his skills may project in the future with continued maturity and physical development. I have absolutely no rational basis at all for my feeling on why I think that he may end up in the back row so please feel free to take it with a grain of salt.
From a player comparison perspective think of a player like Tim Lafai, formerly of the Canterbury Bulldogs and now of the St George Dragons as a solid all round centre both from an attacking and defensive perspective, who has the ability to make a break out of nothing.
AJ Kepaoa – He s a big powerful centre who has signed from the Spartakiade Academy in Auckland, he plays for the Ellerslie-Pakuranga club in Auckland and also plays in the first XV for his school rugby side at outside centre being Sacred Hearts College. He also received a 2015 Sport Award from his school as a result of being named in the U16 Samoan side and also made the U16 Auckland West rugby side for the Auckland age rugby championships. In 2015 he represented the Auckland Vulcans U16 side in their match against the touring CRL NSW U16 side, which his side won 16 - 12. He was in the U15 Akarana Performance squad for the 2015 NZ age championships. He has attended Titans elite academy camps over the last couple of years, including a recent camp in February early this year.
I will before I make any further comment note that I have not seen him play live. I have seen multiple full game videos of him playing both league and to a lesser extent rugby and my comments below are derived from those observations.
He is a big young man at around 184cm and 88kg and still growing and uses that size to run straight and hard, typically running over rather than around his opposition, he does however have a good in and away when he uses it, although he usually runs straight and hard looking to burst through the defensive line.
He has very good speed off the mark, which I would consider above average for a centre and can break to the outside quickly, couple that with long arms, which he uses to great effect with a powerful fend makes him difficult to tackle. When opposing centres are able to get hold of him, he usually is able to maintain his balance and keeps an arm free, looking to offload. He has more tools though than just an in and away, he will also use his size and strength to run straight over smaller opposing centres as well as also having the skill to step back inside of the defender if he is pushing to the outside too early. From the footage I have seen, both of him playing rugby and league he seems to line up more on the right side of the field.
As you would expect, due to his size and strength, he is a very good defender regardless of position. He will not necessarily hit hard but is definitely aggressive and he is very good at mirroring the movement of the opposing centre and wrapping him up ball and all. He is also quick enough to recover and chase if the opposing centre gets on the outside and his long reach is also a positive attribute in those situations. From a team defensive methodology stand point, he seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage in though he can be an intimidating presence when he comes out of the line.
Even though he has come over to the Gold Coast as part of our High Performance Junior Development squad, he is likely to stay in NZ for a few years, continuing to play club rugby league and school rugby. Schoolboy rugby in NZ is an extremely high standard and thus the more time he spends playing in those competitions the better. Considering that for most of his recent football has been against older players, both in league and union, he has been very durable and playing against older opposition can only enhance his development curve. From a position stand point, with his size and speed he is a dynamic centre for his age group and as long as he maintains his speed as he grows and matures, there is need reason to consider that a position change from centre is even a consideration moving forward.
From a style perspective one player that comes to mind is current Titans centre Nene McDonald as a strong powerful runner of the ball who is not afraid to run straight over his opposing centre.
Hopefully the people on this forum how know him VERY well are Ok with the analysis.
Konrad Edwards. He is a young back rower originally from the Manawatu area of New Zealand who moved over to the Gold Coast few years ago and in 2014 was named in the ASSRL U15 Order of Merit side at lock after starring for Queensland U15 White at the ASSRL U15 school boy championships in fact he was the only Qld White player to make the Australian Order of Merit side from that team in that particular year. During that competition, he was named player of the match against NSWCIS in one of the pool games, including scoring a try in that match, and also scored a double against the ACT side on day two of the championships.
In 2015 he played in the CC competition for GC Green, I believe it was for CC Green anyway, scoring around four tries across the season. He played his schoolboy football for Coombabah and was part of their side that lost their GIO Cup Qld quarter final to Wavell State High although they certainly were not outclassed that day. He played his club football for Runaway Bay in 2015 and was part of their grand final winning side who won 26-14 against the Nerang Roosters. Over the course of the U16 Division One season for Runaway Bay, he scored five tries and kicked one goal for a season total of 22 points, including a hat trick against the Robina Raptors. Runaway Bay team mates on the season and the Grand Final included hooker/half Taine Tuaupiki, fullback/winger Teamona Mohi and front rower Luke Mastroanni .
He was named in the preliminary Gold Coast MM squad, but has not been named in either of the final MM squads for the 2016 season, I note that he is eligible again for the MM competition in 2017 so I sure that his time will come in the MM competition. In 2014, I think that he may have even played a few games in the CC competition for the Easts Tigers at the age of 15.
He is a hard running backrower who really does look to run straight over people, towards the end of last year, he did use more footwork prior to the line and was best running on the fringes of the ruck, rather than straight up the centre. He still has decent top end speed but he does seem to take a little bit of time to get up to his top speed. I would suggest his speed is average for a centre but above average for a back rower. He also has a very good left hand fend to add to his solid frame and good functional strength. His low centre of gravity and power make him a difficult proposition to defend against, regardless of which line he runs in attack. The key to his future from an attacking perspective for me is to continue to develop his footwork to go along with his low centre of gravity as well as looking to maintain some of his speed as he continues to physically grow and develop.
Defensively he hits very hard and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls. He also has a touch of aggression in his play and definitely finishes off each tackle that he is involved in. He is equally adept at defending in the centre of the ruck as he is defending on the fringes and his initial contact is more than sufficient to make an impact on the ball carriers momentum. I have noticed as his junior career has progressed that his defensive technique in the forwards had improved immensely and he sets a good stable base with his lower body, which he them used to explode into the attacker. He just needs to make sure that he does not get too aggressive. Obviously being aggressive has its positives and negatives, it is just about how close to the line you go.
For the 2016 season, he will play I assume for Runaway Bay at the U17 Division One level and also continue to play for Coombabah in the GIO Cup and Super Six school boy competitions at the open level. Coombabah should have quite a reasonable open rugby league side looking to challenge the likes of PBC and Keebra Park this year. From a position perspective, things are a little uncertain, earlier in his junior career he spent some time in the centres, including for the Gold Coast Titans development squads when they played against the Redlands junior rugby league club, but of more recent times he has spent the majority if not all of his time playing in the back row. He seems to have lost a little speed, couple this with a solid build and a low centre of gravity which would suggest that his ultimate future will lie in the back row as opposed to wider out in the centres.
From a player comparison perspective and from a physical build perspective as well as a playing style perspective, I can see aspects of the Titans own Greg Bird in his play as a solidly built tough aggressive back rower who will not shirk his responsibility to take the ball up and adds a touch of aggression to his team.
Liam Cusack. He is a young fullback from Northern NSW who is currently playing fullback for Gold Coast White in the CC competition. He was also named in the Group 18 U16 representative side for 2016 after representing Group 18 at the U14 and u15 level previously and also playing for the Titans development squads previously. He has to date scored one try in the two CC games that he has played so far this season.
He is an agile runner of the football who relies on his decent speed and elusiveness to make it difficult for larger opponents to line him up. When lining up at fullback he always makes himself available for offloads in the centre of the ruck. One thing that impresses me is that he does not jog after the ball when it is kicked down field, he will flat out sprint to get there either on the full or as quickly as possible, thus eliminating the effectiveness of the oppositions kicking game. When he retrieves the ball he makes a decision quickly about where to look to run around a staggered defensive line or to run straight in an effort to make as much ground as possible.
He has the ability to sweep around the back of the ruck and also pop up in supporting in the middle of the ruck, either running himself or looking for offloads from his forwards and use his footwork against big tiring forwards. His passing game is solid and on occasion he drifts across the field looking for runners to run into holes and has the ability to “freeze” the defensive line, making to easier for his support runners. Also his hands at fullback are quite safe and dependable at fullback.
He is not the biggest player but even when defending in the front line will tackle using his shoulder which assists when defending against larger forwards operating on the edge of the ruck. Whilst not the biggest he is strong enough to effectively tackle one on one against opposing halves and with his speed he can cover a lot of ground. He is also very good at turning and chasing when the opposition puts in short kicks.
He is not the biggest or necessarily strongest player but will take the hit when needing to make the tackle in the last line of defence and uses the sideline well to redirect the opposition towards the sideline. He is also effective at forcing the attacker to make a decision with the football rather than allowing them the time and opportunity to progressively work through their options.
Moving to the current year, as noted he is currently playing in eth CC competition and then will transition to U16 club football. From a position perspective, he has also played some football and half and five eight as well as fullback, and it will be interesting to see whether he ends up position wise. A year or two ago I would have thought a position in the halves was more likely but he is doing well at fullback and may well have a solid future there.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of current St George Dragons fullback Kurt Mann as a solid player across the board.
Cameron Brown. He is a talented local young half who has been performing very well through the first two rounds of the CC competitions for the unbeaten GC Green side, who so far have beaten Easts Tigers and GC White but have a tough game against South’s Logan CC this week, the South’s Logan side contains Titans linked players front rower Geordie Brand and hooker Jackson Keil. During the 2015 season he played his club rugby league with the Helensvale Hornets predominantly at the U15 Division One level, but he also played three games up at the U16 level across Divisions Two and Three. At the U15 Division One level he scored four tries over the course of the season. He also plays schoolboy football for Coombabah State High School where he played the 2015 season at the U15 level.
He is only slight of build even when up against players in his own age group, but do not take his lack of size in any way as a lack of ability or courage, he has a lot of both, which is on display each time he runs onto the field. With the ball he is a very good distributor and will take the ball to the line in an effort to set up his supports. He is adept at drawing an opposing defender out of the defensive line and then putting his support runner through the resulting gap. The most recent video on the official site (http://www.titans.com.au/news/2016/03/17/gold_coast_junior_re.html) highlights this exact circumstance. In terms of his speed, I would suggest that an appropriate definition of his speed would be that he is quick off the mark but does not have an extra gear when he breaks into open space.
Even when playing up an age group he will back his judgement and take the game on. Assisting his play is the fact that he makes the decision what to do with the ball quickly thus enabling the ball to get out wide quickly. In previous seasons when I have seen him play he sometimes took the line on himself too much, but the times that I have seen him play last season and currently through the first two rounds of the CC competition, he has become more selective about when to pass and when to run. His passing game is solid but seems to be slightly better when he is passing to the right side of the field.
He has a good short kicking game but he does not have the strongest leg in terms of kicking deep but is accurate and regularly finds the ground to enable the chasers to get down field. In defence, due to his size he is obviously not going to come up with the big hit but reads the play well and can hold his own when defending much bigger players. He is also very vocal on the field always talking and encouraging his side both in attack and defence.
Moving to this season, as noted he is performing well through the first two rounds of the CC competitions, playing at halfback for the Gold Coast Green CC squad. Upon completion of that competition he will transition back to eth Gold Coast U16 Division One competition for Helensvale as well as playing his schoolboy football for Coombabah at the Open level.
From a player comparison perspective thing maybe a Gary Freeman type player as someone who will give everything on the field regardless of their size and will not back down and has the organisational, leadership and game management skills that will give him an opportunity to succeed.
Kyle Williams. He is a local young goal kicking half/five eight who has been excelling in the first couple of rounds of the MM competition where he plays for the Gold Coast Green MM and was specifically mentioned by Titans Elite Academy Director and MM White coach Jamie McCormack as a young player who has made the most of his opportunities over the first two rounds of the competition, including playing well in the MM local derby where he started at five eight. He plays his club rugby league for the Mudgeeraba Redbacks and has a big supporter on this forum and understandably so. He has previously been a member of the Gold Coast Academy of Sport Elite Rugby League program.
So far in the 2016 MM competition he has kicked four goals, being two conversions and two penalty goals, all coming in the 20 all draw against GC White MM. He has been named to start at five eight for the Round 3 clash against South Logan. For the 2015 season he played for the Redbacks at the U17 Division One level, who were unfortunately knocked out at the semi-final stage of the competition. Over the course of the season he scored five tries and kicked 36 goals for a competition leading 92 points.
In attack, his speed off the mark is one attribute that you will notice when you see him play, I would consider it above average. He does not seem to have an extra gear once he is through the defensive line, but has the ability to maintain his speed over a reasonable distance, thus the apparent lack of an extra gear in speed has no discernible impact on the quality of his play. Coupled with the ability to step off feet, his speed and deception with his ball handling skills means he is a difficult proposition for a defensive line.
Whilst the comments above are directed towards his individual ability to break a game open, a key attribute to how he plays is his ability to organise and direct his team around the field as well as adjusting his game to the specific situations within a game. He sometimes probably just needs to slow down in terms of the pace he plays the game, on occasion, in his desire to make something happen, he can out think his own team as they sometimes are a step behind what he is thinking. From a passing perspective his passing to both sides seems similar in terms of accuracy and distance.
He is also a very good goal kicker with both good range and accuracy and to date has always been his sides primary goal kicker, including for the GC Green MM side and I would suggest that he is likely to be his side’s primary goal kicker regardless of the level he progresses to into the future.
He is not the biggest player but even when defending in the front line will tackle using his shoulder which assists when defending against larger forwards operating on the fringes of the ruck. Whilst not the biggest he is strong and tough enough to effectively tackle one on one against opposing halves and with his solid speed and foot work he can cover a lot of ground as he tracks the ball across the field. He is certainly not going to be a liability in defence for his team and is more than willing to take on bigger forwards as for his size he is quite tough even though he gets a lot of forward traffic coming his way during matches.
Moving forward to this season, he will play out the year for Gold Coast MM Green, before heading back to the Redbacks where he will play at the U19 level, in what should be a very good side, with the likes of Titans linked, Jordan Birch, Ethan Paikea, Xavier Johannson and possibly Darius Farmer also involved. From a position perspective, he is currently playing at five eight in the MM competition but seemingly has played the majority of his club rugby league at halfback, I would suggest that from a projection stand point, he will ultimately end up at halfback as he transitions to senior rugby league. There is no doubt that he is handling five eight well at present and even though in the modern game, there is little difference in how halfbacks and five eights play I would lean towards a future at halfback.
From a player comparison perspective, someone like the Brisbane Broncos Ben Hunt seems appropriate as a half with good game management skills a very good kicking game and some underrated speed which enables him to be quite effective on the fringes of the ruck.
Cheers mate for taking the time to comment on a Toowoomba/ Warwick boy, we tend to be forgotten about up here
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Sorry that was meant to go under Zac Stevens write up
Kyle Williams with a try and four goals in GC Green MM's victory against Souths Logan
Kyle Williams. He is a local young goal kicking half/five eight who has been excelling in the first couple of rounds of the MM competition where he plays for the Gold Coast Green MM and was specifically mentioned by Titans Elite Academy Director and MM White coach Jamie McCormack as a young player who has made the most of his opportunities over the first two rounds of the competition, including playing well in the MM local derby where he started at five eight. He plays his club rugby league for the Mudgeeraba Redbacks and has a big supporter on this forum and understandably so. He has previously been a member of the Gold Coast Academy of Sport Elite Rugby League program.
So far in the 2016 MM competition he has kicked four goals, being two conversions and two penalty goals, all coming in the 20 all draw against GC White MM. He has been named to start at five eight for the Round 3 clash against South Logan. For the 2015 season he played for the Redbacks at the U17 Division One level, who were unfortunately knocked out at the semi-final stage of the competition. Over the course of the season he scored five tries and kicked 36 goals for a competition leading 92 points.
In attack, his speed off the mark is one attribute that you will notice when you see him play, I would consider it above average. He does not seem to have an extra gear once he is through the defensive line, but has the ability to maintain his speed over a reasonable distance, thus the apparent lack of an extra gear in speed has no discernible impact on the quality of his play. Coupled with the ability to step off feet, his speed and deception with his ball handling skills means he is a difficult proposition for a defensive line.
Whilst the comments above are directed towards his individual ability to break a game open, a key attribute to how he plays is his ability to organise and direct his team around the field as well as adjusting his game to the specific situations within a game. He sometimes probably just needs to slow down in terms of the pace he plays the game, on occasion, in his desire to make something happen, he can out think his own team as they sometimes are a step behind what he is thinking. From a passing perspective his passing to both sides seems similar in terms of accuracy and distance.
He is also a very good goal kicker with both good range and accuracy and to date has always been his sides primary goal kicker, including for the GC Green MM side and I would suggest that he is likely to be his side’s primary goal kicker regardless of the level he progresses to into the future.
He is not the biggest player but even when defending in the front line will tackle using his shoulder which assists when defending against larger forwards operating on the fringes of the ruck. Whilst not the biggest he is strong and tough enough to effectively tackle one on one against opposing halves and with his solid speed and foot work he can cover a lot of ground as he tracks the ball across the field. He is certainly not going to be a liability in defence for his team and is more than willing to take on bigger forwards as for his size he is quite tough even though he gets a lot of forward traffic coming his way during matches.
Moving forward to this season, he will play out the year for Gold Coast MM Green, before heading back to the Redbacks where he will play at the U19 level, in what should be a very good side, with the likes of Titans linked, Jordan Birch, Ethan Paikea, Xavier Johannson and possibly Darius Farmer also involved. From a position perspective, he is currently playing at five eight in the MM competition but seemingly has played the majority of his club rugby league at halfback, I would suggest that from a projection stand point, he will ultimately end up at halfback as he transitions to senior rugby league. There is no doubt that he is handling five eight well at present and even though in the modern game, there is little difference in how halfbacks and five eights play I would lean towards a future at halfback.
From a player comparison perspective, someone like the Brisbane Broncos Ben Hunt seems appropriate as a half with good game management skills a very good kicking game and some underrated speed which enables him to be quite effective on the fringes of the ruck.
Baylee Gerrard. He is a local young centre from the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club on Coast and was part of the Burleigh side that lost the U17 Division One grand final to the Nerang Roosters 18-12 starting in the centres in that match. Across the season for the Bears, he scored six tries in 11 games for a total point’s tally of 24. In 2015 he played a number of games for the Gold Coast MM White side scoring three tries in the process, alternating between centre and wing and previously made multiple U13, U14 and U15 Vikings, Kookaburra’s, South Coast and South East Queensland representative sides during his junior career so far. He started on the wing for the Burleigh Bears Colts side for Round 3 of the QCup Colts competition, scoring a double in their 30-14 win against the Sunshine Coast falcons on Saturday.
He is a powerfully built hard running centre who seems to have a preference to run over an opponent rather than beating them with speed and guile. He however does have the size, strength and power to achieve his goal. He runs straight and hard and drops his shoulder into his opposing defender making him difficult to tackle one on one. In terms of speed for a centre I would argue that it is average for a centre but it plays faster than that as a result of the strength and power that he runs with. He can beat a defender on the outside or use a step to create an overlap but his most outstanding feature from an attacking perspective is his power and hard straight running. From the games that I have seen, he usually lines up at right centre and certainly at present he seems far more comfortable lining up on that side of the field.
Defensively he is certainly a hard hitter and often looks to come out of the line in an attempt to hit the ball carrier around the same time as they are receiving the ball, consequently he seems more comfortable defending with an up and in methodology as he does not necessarily have the recovery speed if an attacker beats him for pace and gets on his outside.
Moving to the 2016 season, he started on the wing for Round Three of the Burleigh Bears QCup Colts side and scored a double on debut and may also play some matches for the Burleigh first grade side in the local competition. From a position perspective, he has played in the centres for the majority of his junior career outside of a handful of games on the wing and I cannot envisage a need for that to change as he progresses towards senior football.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of the Auckland Warriors and New Zealand test Konrad Hurrell as a current player with a similar playing style as a big strong hard running centre who is very difficult to tackle when he is running straight and hard and can dominate games for a period of time, it is just a case of consistently being able to do it on a regular basis. The key to realising his potential will be maintaining his speed as he continues to mature physically.
. Tamati Patelesio. He is a giant local young front rower who is part of the Gold Coast Green CC side for this season, starting the first couple of matches off the bench. He played the 2015 season with the Mudgeeraba Redbacks where he scored two tries across the eight matches that he played at the U15 Division One level. He has also played a number of matches for the Titans junior development squads.
He runs exceptionally hard but with limited subtlety to his running style, and he will not just run upright, he will drop his should into the defender making it difficult if not impossible for him to be stopped easily or by a single defender. Due to his speed and size, when he is running on the fringes of the ruck, he as handful and also has a very good and powerful fend. He is a very good athlete, with size, strength, speed and power. I would certainly argue that he has plus speed for his size. It regularly takes defences to commit multiple resources to stop his momentum. If he is not tackled around the legs, his strength means that he will continue to make ground after contact due to his never say die attitude.
Defensively he hits very hard and usually aims for just under the ribs and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up due to his size and strength and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls. He defends in the centre of the ruck and seems best suited in the long run defending there. He really does know how to tackle effectively, as he sets a strong base to create the necessary leverage to defend against larger forwards and then explodes through his core with the kinetic effects transferring through his body into his opponent.
On the field however he seems very quiet, and does not seem to have an aggressive streak in him, but with his size and power he has all of the physical attributes you would want in a rugby league player, the question is just like it is for all young players, can he harness all of his physical attributes to reach his potential.
Moving towards the 2016 season, he has been selected in the GC Green CC side coached by Nathan Antonik and will also play for the Redbacks at the U16 Division One level. Due to his size and strength he I believe will continue to play his football in the front row in the long term.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of Sydney Roosters and New Zealand test player Jarred Warea-Hargreaves and a big strong powerful front rower.
Daniel Shannon. He is a local young front rower who is part of the Gold Coast White CC side for this season, starting the last two matches off the bench. He played the 2015 season with the Mudgeeraba Redbacks where he scored three tries across the ten matches that he played at the U15 Division One level and he also played seven matches up at the U16 Division Two level, where he mainly came off the bench. He also represented Murri United in the Queensland Murri tournament late last year, and was in fact selected in the Queensland U15 Murri side which toured Fiji and won all three of their matches on that tour. Another tour participant was Titans linked fullback/five eight Brent Barnes.
In attack he runs hard and straight and does not take a backward step regardless of how often he is hit, he will continually get back and take another hit up, on occasion taking multiple hit ups per set of six. He does not have a great deal of foot work prior to or at the line and this is something he will likely work on during the current CC and club season. A similar situation exists for his off-loading. A linear development in both footwork and/or offloading will increase his effectiveness exponentially.
In defence he is not an overly big hitter but definitely makes solid initial contact with the ball carrier and is very effective at targeting the area around the football in order to reduce the possibility of off loads occurring. For a front rower his lateral movement is reasonable but he will on occasion, have difficulty against smaller faster players like a majority of front rowers and needs to ensure that he keeps his arms down against them especially late in games, when fatigue becomes a factor, to reduce the possibility of conceding unnecessary penalties. He is also quite effective when defending at marker, and does not use it as a chance to have a break and will chase hard from the position.
Moving towards the 2016 season, he has been selected in the GC White side coached by Tim McIntyre and will also play for the Redbacks at the U16 Division One level and possibly some U17 matches as well. Due to his size and strength he I believe will continue to play his football in the front row in the long term although he could likely play in the second row for the next couple of years adequately.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of Brisbane Broncos and New Zealand International front rower Adam Blair as a solid hard working front rower.
Darius Christie. He is a local young halfback from the Runaway Bay Seagulls club on the coast and for the 2016 season is playing his school boy rugby league with Keebra Park. In fact the Keebra Park season has already started with Keebra Park U13 side winning the 2016 Tonie Carroll Cup, which is a one day competition for South East Queensland schools. Keebra Park U13’s defeated Marsden High School in the final 16-4 after being locked up at 4 all for a long period of the second half. Over the course of the six games on the day, Darius Christie scored 10 tries, including four length of the field tries (source - Keebra website) and was named player of the competition.
For Runaway Bay he played the 2015 season at the U12 Division Two level, where he tore the competition apart, scoring 19 tries and kicking nine goals to top both the try scoring and points scoring tallies with 98 total points from 15 games. He started at halfback in the Grand Final with Runaway Bay defeating Jimboomba 22 – 6 with Darius Christie scoring a try and kicking a goal in the match. During the season, he scored a hat trick against the Southport Tigers and in five other matches scored doubles.
He also played a number of matches up at the U13 age group in 2015, with two matches at the U13 Division Two age group and ten matches at the U13 Division Three age group, where he added another nine tries on the season, including a hat trick against the Robina Raptors. He also came off the bench in the grand final victory by the Seagulls 36-20 in that age division. Just to add to the numbers in two pre-season games he crossed for five tries as well. In total he scored 34 tries in club football alone during the 2015 season.
In attack his plus speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice when you see him play live. He also has an extra gear once he is through the defensive line, and has the ability to maintain his speed over a long distance. In short with his plus speed, he can make a break himself and then has the speed to finish the break off himself, because his support players have a heck of a time trying to stay with him in open space. He can and will beat defenders in the inside or outside with a step off either foot and if the defensive line is staggered a dummy and go, presents multiple headaches for the opposition’s defensive strategies and back-ups well.
At present, one area for him to continue to develop is his play making skills, including putting his runners, whether they are backrowers or centres into holes. With experience however there is nothing to suggest that these type of play making skills will not develop over time. I am not suggesting that play making skills will eclipse speed as his primary attacking attribute, but enhanced play making skills will make his speed more effective and his speed will play faster as a result as defensive lines start to focus in his runners and thus leave more space for him to exploit with his myriad of attacking attributes.
He has a good short kicking game but he does not have the strongest leg in terms of kicking deep but is accurate enough and regularly finds the ground to enable the chasers to get down field. I do not believe that he will have the leg strength going forward to be his side’s primary tactical kicker but will likely be his side’s primary attacking kicker when close to the try line. He will chase hard and usually is one of the first down field to defend. In terms of his short kicking game, he will back himself and put in little kicks over the top or grubber through the defensive line for himself, which causes all sorts of issues for defences due to his speed and desire to get to the ball first.
In defence he is not a big hitter but reads the play well enough and can hold his own when defending much bigger players. He will also track across field well looking when the ball is turned back inside. When confronted with forwards running directly at him on the edge of the ruck, he will get in front of them and use his shoulder in an effort to contain them until defensive help arrives. He is just not ever going to be a big hitter in defence but similarly will not be a liability and has the speed and desire to be a very good cover defender and also has the plus speed off the mark to turn and chase if the opposition puts in an attacking kick.
Moving to the 2016 season he will play for Runaway Bay in the U13 age group and will battle the likes of Caleb Gould-Waiariki for the U13 Division One halfback spot at the Seagulls but may also play some games at the U14 age group level, which would meant that he would follow a similar trajectory to the 2015 season. The 2016 U13 age group on the Gold Coast has some very talented halfbacks so it will be very interesting to see who makes the U13 Vikings representative side in that position.
From a playing position perspective, with his improving play making skills, a future staying in the halfback position is likely although if the play making skills do not develop as expected or he is battling other talented young players for a position at halfback, he could quite reasonably be able to play at fullback where his speed and elusiveness attributes would translate well.
From a player comparison perspective, think of the Bulldogs version of Ben Barba as a player who whilst known for his amazing speed off the mark, does have some other attributes to his game which can sometimes get be overlooked when people focus purely on his speed and forget his improving play making and game management skills.
Billy Mozer. He is a local young outside back/backrower from the Runaway Bay Seagulls club on the Gold Coast, who had a very successful 2015 season, both in terms of club, schoolboy and representative football. In addition to being part of the grand final winning Runaway Bay U15 Division One side, he also represented South Coast in the U15 QSSRL competition, playing very well in that tournament and making the U15 Queensland Maroons side for the Australian U15 schools competition, a competition that the U15 Queensland Maroons side won with a convincing grand final victory over NSW Combined High Schools. In fact I believe that he was only a late inclusion in the South Coast side, which in itself was an odd decision from my perspective at least, but it was great to see that he took advantage of the situation. Front rowers David Butler and Geordie Brand were also in the side, with Geordie Brand being named player of the tournament and David Butler winning man of the match honours in two of the pool games preceding the semi-finals and final.
In previous seasons he has made multiple representative sides at the U13 and U14 level, including the Viking, Kookaburra’s and South East Queensland. For the 2016 season he has been selected in the Gold Coast CC White side and was named in the starting side at second row for the first match of the season, scoring a try as well. He attends Keebra Park and will be in line to be involved in their GIO Cup and Super Six Open school boy campaigns this year in the open age group. I will be very interested to see what position he plays for Keebra this season.
He played on the wing for the Titans U14 development side in 2014 against Samoa and scored one of the best tries I have ever seen from a winger or any position for that matter when he scored in the corner at the car park end of Pizzey Park, when it looked for all money that he would be knocked over the sideline. He dived from what seemed like five metres out from the line (probably was not that far but it certainly looked like it), under extreme pressure from the defence and got the ball down in the corner with the rest of his body in the air over the touch line. The Titans development squad drew that game 34 all after mounting a second half comeback.
For Runaway Bay in 2015 at the U15 Division One level, he scored 12 tries from the 11 matches he played as well as kicking a solitary goal for a point tally of 50 for the season and I am quite sure that he finished as the top forward try scorer in the U15 Division One competition. He started in the second row in their comprehensive grand final victory 52-14 over the Ormeau Shearers and scored a hat trick in the grand final. In addition, he played one game at the U16 level, which happened to be a Preliminary final, where he started on the wing and scored a try in Runaway Bay’s 20-0 victory over the Southport Tigers.
He is a wide hard running backrower who is impressive at running good lines on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into thus making the play makers on his team look good. Where he really excels though is his footwork, obviously playing in the backline in prior seasons has assisted greatly and he has very good late and quick foot work which enables him to change direction quickly allowing him to readjust where he is running to take advantage of either a late developing hole in the defensive line or where the defensive line is repositioning late.
Even when he is taking a hit up in the centre of the ruck, his feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight corrections to his running direction and he is also able to maintain his speed regardless of the multiple directional changes. He seems just to run at a faster pace than other forwards on the field. These attributes lead to a lot of line breaks and he has the speed to convert them into tries himself.
As you would expect, due to his size and strength, he is a very good defender regardless of position. He will not necessarily hit hard, but he is very good at mirroring the movement of the opposing attacker and wrapping him up ball and all. He is also quick enough to recover and chase if the opposing players gets on the outside. From a team defensive methodology stand point, he seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage. Also regardless of where he defends he has a degree of aggressiveness in relation to how he defends.
Another area where he has a plus attribute is in relation to his leaderships skills. He is a strong confident personality and that translates to a leader on and off the field. In the warm ups prior to a game and at training (I have only seen some Keebra Park training sessions not club training sessions) you can see that the other players gravitate towards him. This is a trait that you cannot teach, you either have it or you don’t. Even if he is not the nominated captain on the field he is a leader regardless of which team he is lining up for and acts accordingly.
Moving to the 2016 season, he has played the first three rounds of the CC competition with the GC White CC side, scoring four tries across those games, including a double against South’s Logan in the last game and will also play his club football with Runaway Bay at the U16 Division One level. From a position perspective, I am a little conflicted, prior to the 2015 season, he seemingly played his football mostly in the backline, alternating between centre and wing. Even though he has made a very good fist of playing in the second row this year, I would really like to see him play in the centres for at least the next couple of years. I just think that he has some real value to add in the backline with his footwork. I have no doubt that when he gets to senior football he will likely have transitioned to the back row fulltime but I do not think that he needs to do that just yet even though it appears his coaches have a differing opinion.
From a player comparison perspective, one player that springs to mind is Warriors and New Zealand captain and backrower Simon Mannering, as a wide running backrower who started off in the centres but over time transitioned into a talented backrower with leadership skills to help his team through the tough stretches of games and the grind of training over the course of a long season especially when you take into account a lot of these boys have club, representative and school training sessions to deal with over the course of a long season.
Connor Te Kani. He is a local young centre who played his club rugby league on the Gold Coast with the Runaway Bay Seagulls in the U12 Division One competition during the 2015 season. During the 2015 season, he also made the Qld U12 side that won the national U12 championships with a 4 – 0 victory against NSW in the final. During the course of the U12 National championships, he scored two tries in the pool matches, against Western Australia and ACT and also scored in Queensland’s semi-final victory against Victoria. For Runaway Bay in the U12 Division One GCJRL competition, he scored 15 tries and kicked three goals across the eleven games he played to finish top of both the try scoring and points scoring lists in front of impressive Burleigh backrower TuuVallo-Afoa Khan-Pereira. During the season, he scored hat tricks against Southport and Helensvale. Unfortunately Runaway Bay lost the grand final 30 – 10 to Burleigh, with Connor Te Kani starting in the centres in the grand final.
He is a big strong super quick centre with an effortless running style with a classic centres build with the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is rare in the modern game. His has used this skill set on multiple occasions on the right side of the field. Right centre is the only position that I have seen him play for his club side. He has a very strong left hand fend which prevents opposing centres getting in on him and forcing him towards the sideline. Even though he has size, strength and power in the centre position, he does look for his outside support when confronted with the fullback, even though he is more than capable of beating fullbacks one on one if need be and certainly does on occasion when he outpaces his support players.
He is a smart player and will take what the defence gives him, when the defence is sliding he will cut inside and when the defence is playing an up and up style he has the plus speed and agile footwork to get on the outside of his direct opponent and beat him for speed to exploit the gap created. In terms of his speed, in all aspects it would be considered at the plus level in terms of speed off the mark, top end speed and sustainability. Another aspect where he is also very good is his ability to run out of dummy half. His size strength speed and power coupled with his plus footwork enables him to make a significant amount of ground out of dummy half and also give his forward a breather.
Defensively his game is built on intimidation, he will come in when the opportunity presents itself and hit very hard around the chest, you can see the opposing centre looking where he was positioned as the ball was moved out to the back line also his plus speed enables him to recover if he is beaten on the outside. Currently he is better to an up and in defensive methodology but I would argue that is more to do with how coaches want him to play rather than any concern that he cannot be effective in a sliding defensive scheme. With his speed, timing and strength, why not take advantage of his ability to intimidate his opposing centre.
Moving to the current 2016 season, he will play for the Runaway Bay Seagulls at the U13 Division One level and also be in line for U13 Vikings representative honours and potentially South East Queensland selection as well. For me he a strong powerful centre with plus speed and footwork and has the skills to stay at centre in the long term and more than that has the skills to potentially become a legitimate strike centre and they are a rare breed to say the least. Regardless of the age group or level, you do not often see a player with such a combination of his speed, size, strength and power compared to his peers, couple that with an innate understanding of how to play rugby league and you have a young player with immense potential waiting to be tapped in the coming years.
From a style perspective, think of someone along the lines of NSW Origin and Australian centre Michael Jennings now of the Parramatta Eels as a legitimate strike centre with the ability to make breaks from anywhere but also can handle the defensive side of the game. He is just one of those players that look like he was born to play rugby league.
Kaden Somerville. He is a local young hooker from the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast where he played the 2015 season at the U12 Division One level and started at hooker in their 30 – 10 grand final victory over Runaway Bay. For Burleigh he played in 11 matches at the U12 Division One level scoring a solitary try and also played two matches up at the U13 Division One level. In 2014 he also represented South Coast in the U11 QPSRL competition. South Coast went through the competition undefeated easily, with Kaden Somerville scoring a try against Wide Bay in round two of the competition.
He is an extremely talented all round hooker, who excels at all three critical aspects that a modern day hooker must have to be successful, those being his distribution and game management out of dummy half, selective running out of dummy half and defending in the centre of the ruck where he is more effective than people would think when they first see him play. In terms of his distribution out of dummy half, he is extremely efficient in his passing and there is no wasted movement or energy as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand first then pass. There is no discernible difference between his passing from either side of his body, and his passes are crisp and flat and also he can pass a reasonable distance off the ground, more so to the right when the first receiver is standing a little wider of the play the ball.
Where he is also extremely effective is leading his forwards onto the ball, he passes in front of the forward ensuring no loss of momentum to the run. In short he is a very good game manager from the hooking position. He is also a good communicator on the field, he is constantly encouraging his team both in attack and defence. He does not yell and scream, like the other parts of his game, he is calm and composed and uses positive reinforcement rather than yelling and screaming to get his point across to team mates but he does make it clear that he is in charge however.
Where he really stands out in terms of attacking play, is his speed out of dummy half, he is extremely quick and has good footwork to take advantage of tiring forwards, using a step usually off his right foot, although he does not necessary run much out of dummy half. The times that he does run though, he targets forwards who are offside, if the offside forward is called out of the play he has the speed to break into open space. Once in open space he does not usually have the speed required to finish things off himself but he invariably will make the right decision with the ball in terms of whether to take the tackle or pass to a support player.
His defence for a hooker is quite good for a young hooker, he does not necessarily hit hard but due to his very good low technique he can defend effectively one on one against far larger forwards, he sets a good base with his lower body and looks to explode upward with his shoulders to drive into opposing forwards. His intensity and continuous effort means that he will track the ball across the field and thus is in a good position when the ball is passed back inside. He literally tackles everything that moves in the centre of the ruck even though he is usually one of the smaller forward on the field. He is also very good at getting out of dummy half quickly to put pressure on the opposing teams kickers in all parts of the field and takes a great deal of pride in it. He is also a talker on the field, he can constantly hear him encouraging his team to work hard both in attack and defence.
Moving to the 2016 season, he will play at the U13 Division One for the Burleigh Bears as well as being in contention of the U13 Vikings squad. From a position perspective, with his passing skills and quick first step out of dummy half, I believe that he is already settled in his long term position of hooker. I do not think that he will ever score a great deal of tries, but that is not and will not be his role moving forward in his junior rugby league career.
From a player comparison perspective think someone along the lines of Andrew McCullough of the Brisbane Broncos as a hard working player with leadership skills and someone that his team mates would appreciate playing with.
Jordan Paiyo. He is a local young centre from the Helensvale Hornets junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast and during the 2015 season played at the U12 Division One level. For the Hornets, he scored six tries and kicked a single goal, for a total point’s haul of 26 on the season to finish the Hornets top try scorer at the U12 Division One level.
He is a hard running centre who is impressive at running good lines on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into thus making the play makers on his team look good. Where he impresses is through is his footwork for a solid young player, he has good late and quick foot work which enables him to change direction quickly allowing him to readjust where he is running to take advantage of either a late developing hole in the defensive line or where the defensive line is repositioning to address what the attacking side is doing. He has decent top end speed and similarly decent speed off the mark. I would suggest his speed is average for a centre but would be above average for a back rower if he were to play there.
Defensively he hits very hard and usually aims for just under the where most young players carry the ball and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls, he certainly does not wrestle on the ground, but makes sure most of his tackles are dominating in nature and thus slows down the ability of the attacker to rise quickly to his feet. He also has a touch of aggression in his play and definitely finishes off each tackle that he is involved in and his initial contact is more than sufficient to make an impact on the ball carrier. His lateral speed is good for a young player and thus he can defend well against nippy centres that look to either get on his outside or try to step back inside him as he slides across the field.
When defending in the centres, he really does look to come out of the line and hit his opposing centre as hard as possible to cut off the attacking play before it has time to fully develop, his timing in those situations is quite good to the extent that he does not often over comment thus allowing his opponent to get on his outside. He does not let the play unfold in front of him, he looks to disrupt as early as possible and usually does effectively. With his size and defensive tendencies when defending in the centres, he is more suited to an up and in defensive methodology compared to a sliding system, where quicker opposing centres look to get on his outside and try to use their pace against him although he is not necessarily a slouch in that department.
Moving forward he will play the 2016 season at the U13 Division One level for the Hornets and he will also be in serious contention for the Vikings U13 side where he would form on the basis in skill sets at least a formidable centre combination with Connor Te Kani of Runaway Bay. From a position projection perspective I would anticipate that in the short to medium term he will continue to play matches at the centre position, but as he grows I think that ultimately he finds a permanent home in the back row due to his size and strength and what I would think will be above average speed for a backrower.
From a player comparison perspective, I would consider someone like Cronulla Sharks, NSW Origin and Australian backrower Luke Lewis as a player who has a similar playing style as a player who started his career in the centres but adapted to playing in the back row very effectively.
The group of U13 players coming through in the ranks on the Gold Coast in 2016 is as good as I have ever seen, I thought last year’s U13 crop was good, and they were, but this year’s group has both exceptional quality as well as depth across a number of positions including half, second row and centre and you can throw in a few very talented young five eight’s as well to complement the age group.
Lucan Robb. He is a local young backrower from the Runaway Bay Seagulls club on the Gold Coast who played at the U12 Division One level for the 2015 season. Over the course of the 2015 season, he scored 10 tries and kicked four goals for an overall point’s tally of 48 points across 14 matches to finish fifth on the try scoring list for the competition, including scoring a hat trick against the Southport tigers. He also started at lock for Runaway Bay in their 30 – 10 Grand Final loss to Burleigh. In 2014 he was part of the dominant South Coast U11 QPSRL side that won that competition. In that competition, he scored a try in the round one 18 – 6 win against Met East and another try against Wide Bay in round 3 in a 52 – 0 victory that day.
Running with the football, he has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders rather than trying to simply run over them and uses his solid frame to his advantage. He does not have great speed off the mark or necessary great high end speed but seems to be able to sustain his top speed over a reasonable distance, but he will work hard and make the most of his ability. He actually does have a decent off load when he has impacted the defensive line as well. Where he is very effective is close to the opposition try line where gets down low and charges into the defensive line and has the strength to carry multiple defenders across the line.
Defensively he is not a big hitter, usually aiming for just under the ribs and first intention is to lock up the ball to prevent offloads. One area where is quite effective whether he is defending on the fringes of the ruck or in the centre of the ruck including when he is defending at marker, is against smaller attackers who look to use their foot work. He has quite reasonable lateral mobility for a solid forward and due to the fact that he also is not necessarily that tall, he is usually is able to wrap up the smaller attackers without his tackles slipping up to around the head or neck, and thus giving away penalties and thus field position. His ability to successfully defend against these types of attackers as well as having the technique to defend against larger forwards is one of a number of reasons that I consider that a future in the second row is plausible where he can transition from defending on the fridges of the ruck to the centre of the ruck seamlessly.
He will probably not stand out during a game but will work hard both in attack and defence and leave all the eye catching things like big hits, line breaks and one handed off loads to other forwards who will benefit from his hard working style.
In relation to the current season, he will play for the Runaway Bay Seagulls club at the U13 Division One level and like a number of others, be in serious contention to play representative rugby league with the Gold Coast Vikings U13 side. He played the 2015 season in the back row and I would envisage him staying at that position for the long term.
From a player comparison perspective, consider a player along the lines of St George Illawarra Dragon’s Tyson Frizell as a good comparison from a playing style perspective as a strong, aggressive second rower with a low centre of gravity and good footwork prior to the line which makes him difficult to tackle and thus effective at gaining ground with the football in his hands.
Dominic Armsteins. He is a local young front rower from the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club who played at the U12 Division One level for the 2015 season, including starting in the front row in the Grand Final which Burleigh won 30 – 10 against Runaway Bay. Over the course of the 2015 season he scored four tries, including a double against Helensvale, and kicked five goals for an overall point’s tally of 26 across 15 games. He also played one game up at the U13 Division One level in 2015 where he started in the front row, not a bad achievement at all at that age. During 2015, he attended Tallebudgera State School on the Gold Coast from where he made representative zone 4 sides for rugby league and basketball.
In attack he is not going to break a large amount of tackles, or off load a miracle pass but he will go about his role which is to make ground in the middle of the ruck in an understated fashion. He does not have quick feet in terms of a step before the line but does use some subtle movement so as not to present himself purely as a straight running target. He just works hard including fighting to get quick play the balls over taking the ball up.
In defence he is not a big hitter, preferring to make sure that the tackle is made and is very effective both in terms of initial contact and also coming in a wrapping up the football, he also covers inside well when balls are turned back inside on the fringe of the ruck, even late in games when he has every right to be worn out, but he somehow wills himself to get there and make the tackle. When at marker he works hard and always gets out of marker quickly to put pressure on the kicker, but then somehow gets back quickly to take his turn to bring the ball out from his own territory.
He will probably not stand out as he progresses up the age groups towards senior rugby league, which has nothing to do with his ability per say, it is just the way he plays the game. He will take hit ups and tackle all day and do all of the little things necessary to help his team succeed, including working hard out of the marker position. He will play at the U13 Division One level in 2016 for Burleigh. In terms of position, he is a front rower full stop nothing else needs to be said.
From a player comparison perspective a player with an incredibly similar playing style is former Gold Coast and Titans junior and current Brisbane Bronco Jarred Wallace as a front rower who will probably take a little while to develop and grow into his frame but will be a hard working player who knows his role within a team and does not deviate from it. He will likely never be a star but will work hard to a team player and will get the most of his ability.
Jayden Wright. He is talented young five eight/fullback from the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast who played at the U12 Division One level for the 2015 season. Over the course of the season he scored eight tries and kicked a solitary goal for a total point’s tally of 34 across 14 matches. He also played two matches at the U13 Division Two level crossing for a try in his limited time in that age group. He was also part of the U11 QPSRL South Coast side who won their competition and scored a double against Wide Bay in a 52 – 0 victory.
He is a silky smooth player, who looks like he glides across the field picking and choosing his time to get involved and wants to have the ball in his hands when the game is on the line. He is very quick off the mark and when the ball is being brought out of his teams half he is always around the forwards looking for off loads but as evidenced in the U18 development squad game against Samoa, where on a couple of occasions he took advantage of tiring forwards to make ground in the centre of the ruck.
He also can play the way a lot of the current fullbacks play when they receive the football, “out the back” from the half/five eight which is no surprise due to him spending a lot of time playing five eight. In those circumstances, he seems to currently runs more than he passes, but he is usually one of the better players in all of the teams that he has played on to date, thus I have no doubt that his passing and decision making skills will improve in these situations as he continues to play with ‘better’ players.
He seems to also have a very good positional sense in terms of taking a high percentage of opposing teams general play kicks on the full, thus regularly giving his team good initial field position to start their set of six. Similarly his positional sense when close to his own goal line means he defuses a lot of attacking grubber kicks as well. He will also take the responsibility to run the ball back himself rather than hand it up to his winger.
In relation to his play at five eight, he is a dynamic runner of the football who excels in taking on the defensive line with deft footwork around the ruck, looking to seek out bigger slower forwards when they are caught on the edge of the ruck. If he continues to play at five eight, an area for him to continue to develop is his play making skills, including putting his runners, whether they are backrowers or centres into holes. With experience however there is nothing to suggest that these type of play making skills will not develop over time. I am not suggesting that play making skills will eclipse speed as his primary attacking attribute, but enhanced play making skills will make his speed more effective as defensive lines start to focus in his runners and thus leave more space for him.
In relation to his defence, one thing that stands out to me is that he will not take a dummy from attackers running at him and he will stay with the ball carrier on all occasions. He seems to stand very shallow at fullback in defence, but with his speed he is able to compensate, also his fullback positioning is dependent on his teams coaching staff and thus I am absolutely not being critical when his positioning is almost certainly a coaching methodology issue. He is also a good talker from full back, you can hear him talking to his team mates about their positioning in defence and offering encouragement.
Moving to the current season he will play for Burleigh at the U13 Division One level and also likely be part of the Vikings U13 representative side. From a long term position perspective, I am a little conflicted as he is certainly capable of playing both fullback and five eight and will likely continue to alternate between the two positions for the foreseeable future. If forced to decide, I would lean ever so slightly towards fullback, solely on the basis that at the moment his running game is better than his passing game, but again we are talking about a young player whose ball playing skills will inevitably develop as he progresses through the junior ranks.
From a player comparison, the closest fit that I can identify is former Newcastle Knights utility Kurt Gidley as a solid player who can play a multitude of positions well.
Michael Stephenson-Bolt. He is a young winger from the Lismore Marist Brothers side in the Group One junior rugby league competition in Northern New South Wales who played the 2015 season at the U12 level and started on the wing in their 30 – 24 Grand Final victory against Casino RSM. Over the course of the 2015 season, he scored 12 tries in only seven matches and also kicked a single goal for 50 points on the season. These totals enabled him to finish equal top try scorer in the U12 competition and also the top point’s scorer curtesy of his solitary goal. He scored a hat trick against Clarence Coast and also in four other matches scored doubles. He also has a younger brother Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt who also plays for Lismore Marist Brothers and also was part of the grand final winning side and actually started the grand final in the front row after playing in the centres in the U11’s all year.
There is no point trying to come up with a fancy way of describing his style of game, for his age he is a big strong powerful runner who will get back deep and run straight and hard and crashes through his opposing defender. Throw in very good speed for a boy with decent size and you have a real handful for a defensive line. With his size and strength he carries defenders with him and continues to pump his legs to gain more ground. When returning kicks he winds up and just runs straight and hard straight into the defensive line. Someone like Michael Stevenson-Bolt must be a godsend for the forwards on his team when he is able to take some of the pressure of making yards is taken off them.
Defensively it is a similar story, he uses his size and strength to negate attacking plays by coming in on opposing centres looking to cut off plays before they have time to develop. Clearly when this type of methodology is employed you need to ensure that your timing of when to come in is appropriate, this is something that all players regardless of the standard have to deal with.
Moving forward to the 2016 season, he will be part of our U13 NRRRL junior academy and also play for Lismore Marist Brothers at the U13 level. From a player comparison perspective, even though he played on the wing in the 2015 season, I would argue that he would be more than capable of moving into the centres for the majority of his junior career. When/if he gets to the upper echelons of junior rugby league, moving towards senior football, I think that he ends up on the wing but at present the more ball that gets his hands on the better off his team will be as will be for him from an individual development perspective.
From a style perspective, think of someone like Anthony Topu from the Roosters as a solid winger who will be a factor in his teams attacking game in terms of running the ball hard and being a handful for other defences to stop.
Rowan Mansfield. He is a young fullback from the Ballina Seagulls junior rugby league club who play in the Group One junior rugby league competition in Northern NSW, which is the same club that young Titans centre Brian Kelly played his junior rugby league for. He played at the U12 level in the 2015 season, where he scored 12 tries to finish equal top try scorer with Michael Stephenson-Bolt from Lismore Marist Brothers. He also played three matches up at the U13 level where he scored a solitary try across those games. He was also part of the Southern Cross state school’s NSW PSSA knock out competition squad that made the semi-finals, as a result of those performances, he trialled for the NSW U12 State Public Schools rugby league side.
In attack his speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice when you see him play live. Only watching him play live will do his speed off the mark justice, watching him play live, it is great to see when he takes off. He also has an extra gear once he is through the defensive line and has the ability and endurance to maintain his speed over a long distance. Couple his speed with a very good right foot step and you have a young player who seemingly makes breaks at will. He can and will beat defenders in the inside with a step and if the defensive line is staggered a dummy and go, presents multiple headaches for the opposition’s defensive strategies. He also backs up any line breaks and loves to score tries. Yes I know that he is still very young but he has absolutely blazing speed already, which would have to be considered in the plus-plus category.
At present due to his age and quality of competition, he does not play as a fullback who receives the ball “out the back” from the half/five eight, but he is usually one of the better players in all of the teams that he has played on to date, thus I have no doubt that his passing and decision making skills will improve in these situations as he matures as a player. He also has very good hands for such a young player and when he retrieves the ball from an opponent’s kick he simply just takes off and is difficult for the opposition to get his hands on.
He is not the biggest or necessarily strongest player but will take the hit when needing to make the tackle in the last line of defence and has the recovery speed to compensate if he needs to turn and chase an opponent’s break.
Moving forward to the 2016 season, he will part of our U13 NRRRL junior development academy and also play for the Ballina Seagulls at the U13 level it is also not hard to envisage that he may also play a couple of games at the U14 level as the way he plays means that he is very difficult for larger boys to get their hands on him. From a position perspective, I would suggest that he will continue to play fullback for the foreseeable future, although it will be interesting to see if he spends some time at halfback early in his junior rugby league career in an effort to accelerate the development of his ball playing and game management skills.
From a player comparison perspective, think along the lines of former Cowboys fullback Matt Bowen as a fullback with exceptional pace and footwork who is also courageous when it comes to his defensive duties.
Bailey Martin. He is a local young backrower from the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast who played the 2015 season at the U12 Division One level and started in at lock in the grand final which Burleigh won 30 – 10 against the Runaway Bay Seagulls. For the season for Burleigh he scored nine tries and kicked a conversion for a season point’s tally of 38 across 14 matches, which enabled him to finish sixth on the U13 Division One try scoring list and he scored doubles against Runaway Bay and Ormeau. He also played one game up an age group at the U13 Division One level.
He is a hard running backrower who is impressive at running good lines on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into thus making the play makers on his team look good. Where he really excels though is his footwork, he has very good late and quick foot work which enables him to change direction quickly allowing him to readjust where he is running to take advantage of either a late developing hole in the defensive line or where the defensive line is repositioning late.
Even when he is taking a hit up in the centre of the ruck, his feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight corrections to his running direction and he is also able to maintain his speed regardless of the multiple directional changes. He seems just to run at a faster pace than other forwards on the field. These attributes lead to a lot of line breaks and he has the speed to convert them into tries himself.
Defensively he hits very hard and usually aims for the area around the ball although he does have a solid low tackling technique as well. He is equally adept at defending in the centre of the ruck as he is defending on the fringes and his initial contact is more than sufficient to make an impact on the ball carrier. His lateral speed is quite good due to his quick twitch feet and thus he is effective at defending against smaller dynamic runners out of dummy half as well as half backs and five eights running of the fringes looking to isolate forwards.
Moving to the current season he will play for Burleigh at the U13 Division One level and also likely be part of the Vikings U13 representative side. From a long term position perspective, I believe that he will continue to play in the back row when all is said and done.
From a player comparison perspective, one player with a similar playing style from my perspective is former Titans second rower and current Titans coaching staff member Anthony Laffranchi, as a solid backrower who will probably never be a star but will be a solid contributor to a team’s forward pack and a backrower who shows some decent footwork.
Eamonn Doyle. He is a young second rower from the Kyogle Turkeys in the Group One junior rugby league competition in Northern New South Wales. For the Turkey’s (yes that is their official name and mascot, it is not just a nick name) he played in all 12 matches in the U12 competition, finishing fourth on the competition’s try scoring list with ten tries, which was the second highest on the team behind front rower Onyx Gamble. He attends St Brigids State School in Kyogle and also plays some school boy football for them. The Group One area has a couple of school boy competitions such as the Daily Examiner Shield (DEX) which is played across a number of age groups for Northern NSW schools and is actually quite a decent standard across the various age groups.
From an attacking perspective, he has a wide running mindset for a backrower with a very good turn of speed once he breaks through the line. Like all good running backrowers though, he takes his share of runs in the middle of the ruck but he is impressive at running good lines on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into although he is not averse to running straight over people either. From the games that I have seem play he normally runs to the right side of the field, and will run wider out and look to come back on the inside shoulder of the opposition defence on the edge of the ruck, looking for situations where the opposition inside defenders are slow to come across. His determination is one aspect that enables him to be in the right place at the right time. Another key aspect of his running game is that he runs fast into the defensive line. From my perspective this is a critical trait for young forwards.
His initial contact is solid and is more than enough to stop the momentum of the ball carrier and effect tackles one on one. He is also effective at wrapping the ball up and preventing offloads. When he hits he hits hard, but I would not call it aggressive per say, but he is just tough in his approach to his defence. I do not necessarily think that his defensive work will stand out because he is not going to come up with a huge hit which will get the crowd on its feet, but he will do a lot of work and will likely always finish at or near the top of the tackle count regardless of the level and standard of football he is playing.
Moving forward to the 2016 season he will play the year at the U13 level for the Turkeys as well as being involved in the Titans development squad in the NRRRL region and from a position perspective, I would consider that he is likely to stay in the back row for the foreseeable future and develop into a hard working backrower who will not be outworked either on the field or at training.
From a player comparison perspective, someone along the lines of Brisbane Broncos backrower Cory Parker may be a good comparison from a style perspective as a solid back rower who plays the game hard and with all-out effort.
Sean Garner. He is a talented aggressive young backrower who is currently playing in the MM competition for Gold Coast Green who are coached by Mark Ross, in addition he plays his club rugby league for Burleigh and attends PBC where he captains the schools Open Rugby League side and is part of the NSW U18 Emerging Origin Pathways program as well as previously representing South Coast across a number of age groups. He started with the Titans at the U13 level in their development squad, before moving to the Broncos and now well you just never know what the future holds for young players in terms of what team they ultimately end up signing for when all is said and done.
Over the course of the 2015 season he played for Burleigh at the U17 Division One level and was part of their grand final losing side when they were defeated by Runaway Bay 18-12. So far in the 2016 MM competition he has scored two tries, one against the Easts Tigers and the other against GC White, with I am sure more to come.
He is a tough strong, VERY AGGRESSIVE player and this can be seen when be he is running with the football as well as his defence for that matter. In his carries he rarely takes a hit up without movement, he uses foot work prior to the line to look to break through as well as cutting either cutting back in behind the play the ball or cutting out towards the smaller defenders on the fringes of the ruck. Like one or two others mentioned recently he runs ‘fast’ into the defensive and his foot work prior to the line enables him to get partly through the line quite often, certainly more so than you would expect for a backrower taking the ball through the centre of the ruck. One reason for this is that he is a smart footballer, he does not try to run over defenders, but he runs at the gaps between defenders and uses his running speed to break through if defenders only use their arms on the tackle. He does not necessarily have a great top end speed, but he is certainly fast enough to get through to the full back prior to the arrival of the cover defence.
Playing on the right hand side of the field seemingly more often, means that his right foot step and his fending using his left hand are the effective attributes, but based on his physical attributes, his skill set and his understanding of how to play the game means that I have no doubt that these attributes are transferrable to playing on the left hand side of the field.
In defence he regularly is the first player up to target the ball carriers, even though he is not one of the bigger forwards in his team and will make solid and aggressive initial contact as well as having the ability of defending one on one regardless of the size of the attacking player. When the opportunity presents he has the ability to hit very hard, by setting a good base and driving through his lower body and core into his opponent. Ultimately though he is a strong defender with a good front on technique and good lateral movement to track and defend against smaller opponents either on the fringes or centre of the ruck and an aggressive attitude thrown in.
Moving towards this season he has played the first three matches in the MM competition, starting in the second row on each occasion and scoring a try in each match. Upon completion of the MM competition he will transition back to the U19 Burleigh Bears side, but it would not surprise at all to see him break into the Burleigh Bears QCup Colts side, he would certainly not be over awed by the competition level or its physical nature, in fact I think that he would thrive in that environment. I would expect that due to his size, speed and skill attributes that he will continue to play in the back row for the foreseeable future and even though he seems to play more on the right side of the field at present, there is nothing to suggest he will not transition into a player who can play on both sides of the ruck.
From a style perspective think of a someone along the lines of Brisbane Bronco, Queensland State of Origin and Australian backrower Matt Gillett as an intense aggressive well-rounded backrower with the ability to break the line by himself or as a result of running a good line and then has enough speed to break into space prior to looking for his support players. He is also an extremely efficient and effective defender who will hit hard when the opportunity presents itself and looks to always dominate his opponents both physically and mentally in all aspects of the game. He really does play with an aggressive streak.
Brock Hamill. He is a young local red headed backrower from the Southport Tigers junior rugby league club and also plays for Keebra Park in relation to his schoolboy football. During the 2015 season he played for the Gold Coast CC White side and was named as the recipient of the coach’s award for the season. In relation to his club football, he played 13 matches at the U16 Division One level where he scored a total of 32 points from eight tries and also played four matches up at the U17 Division Two level, scoring two tries in the process.
Over the course of his junior career, he has made a number of junior representative sides including U13 and U14 Gold Coast Vikings squads and represented South Coast at the U15 level. He has been named in the U18 South Coast squad for the upcoming QSSRL championships, along with five other Keebra Park team mates. I note however that he is not part of either MM side for this season, but is still eligible for MM in 2017. He has also played a number of matches for the Titans junior development squads, including a number of matches at Redland Bay.
Running with the football, he has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders rather than trying to simply run over them. He does not have great speed off the mark or necessary great high end speed, but he will work hard and make the most of his ability. He actually does have a decent off load usually with his right hand when he has impacted the defensive line and regularly showcases this in game situations.
Defensively he can certainly hit very hard, usually aiming for just under the ribs and first intention is to lock up the ball to prevent offloads. He has above average lateral mobility for a forward and due to the fact that he bends his hips when looking to make a tackle he is usually is able to wrap up the smaller attackers without his tackles slipping up to around the head or neck, and thus giving away penalties. His ability to successfully defend against these types of attackers as well as having the technique to defend against larger forwards is one of a number of reasons that I consider that he is a plus defender.
For the current season, he will play at the U17 Division One level for the Southport Tigers and also I am sure be part of the Keebra Park Open squad for their Super Six and GIO Cup campaigns and as previously noted is part of the South Coast U18 squad. From a position perspective even though he spent some time playing in the front row earlier in his junior career, he has spent the last couple of seasons, including at the CC level, playing exclusively in the back row and that is where I would envisage he will stay for the remainder of his rugby league career.
From a player comparison perspective, someone along the lines of Brisbane Broncos backrower Cory Parker may be a good comparison from a style perspective as a solid back rower who plays the game hard and with all-out effort.
Beau Hargrave. He is a young front rower/lock hailing from Armidale on the New South Wales North Coast, and has recently been selected in the Greater Northern Tigers U18 side to play the NSW Country championships. He was a stand out for the Group 4 U18 side who won the local U18 competition after defeating Groups 19 and 21. He has attended some sessions with the Titans after being selected in a representative squad from the Challenge shield which is a school boy competition that the Titans run each year, where the best 20 young players across various age groups attend the Gold Coast for development purposes. Beau Hargrave plays for Armidale High School in eth region and has already played some local first grade matches for Armidale. He is also part of the Greater Northern rugby league academy.
As noted he is a solidly built young front rower with a low centre of gravity, which makes him quite difficult to tackle. There is no subtlety to his game, he runs straight and hard, with the only concession to this being a slight step off his right foot in occasion prior to impacting the defensive line. One thing that he does do will however is continuing to pump his legs once his initial momentum is halted by the defensive line, he makes more metres than he should as a result and also forces defending teams to commit multiple defensive assets to stopping his progress. He does not have a real off load to his attacking game, but that is not his role, his role is to take the ball into the heart of the opposition’s defensive line and make as many metres as possible.
Like his attacking game, his defensive methodology is simply constructed and enacted. He moves up and hits the ball carrier as hard as he can, as often as he can, full stop. He is best suited to defending in the centre of the ruck and that is where you will almost always find him and for a solidly built young player, he moves well in terms of moving up and back in defence. His lateral movement is reasonable for a front rower but he will on occasion have some difficulty with smaller faster stepping opposition players due to the fact that he does not redirect his feet well once he has committed to a vector towards his opponent..
Moving forward to the current season, he will play the season at the U18 level but is also likely to play some first grade in the local competition which will be very beneficial to his development. From a position perspective, due to his solid and stocky build, he will likely to continue to be a front rower or lock as he does not have the speed to play wider of the ruck.
From a player comparison perspective, consider someone along the lines of Cronulla Sharks, New South State of origin and Australian forward Paul Gallen as a smaller but solidly built forward who has become a very effective player.
Billy Stewart. He is a young centre from Inverell who recently represented Group 19 at the U18 level in matches against Groups 4 and 21. As a result of his play in those games, he has been selected in the Greater Northern Tigers U18 side that will play in the NSW Country championships, with their first match against the East Coast Dolphins (compilation of players from Groups 1,2 and 18) on Saturday 9 April in Tamworth. He plays his club football with Tingha in the Group 19 competition. The Titans have strong links to the six NSW Country groups mentioned, with multiple players from those groups now in either first grade or NYC.
Like a couple of player previously mentioned, he has attended development sessions with the Titans after playing well for Inverell High School in the annual Challenge Shield which pits the best players from High schools in Armidale and Inverell against each other and has also played matches against Titans linked Coombabah High School. He has previously represented the Greater Northern Tigers at the U16 level in 2014 where the Tigers won the competition against the NSW Southern Region, which is a region encompassing the Illawarra region.
He is not that big or that strong or that fast per say, but there is just something about his play which suggests that he just has a good understanding where to be or what to do on a football field, he just seems to stand out even when doing the basics.
He is very quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside and will not get caught from behind if he gets into open space as can be evidenced by the number of tries that he scored in 2015, both in club and representative football. In addition to his speed he seems to have the ability to “freeze” his direct opponent with his ability to step off both feet before accelerating around them usually on the touchline side. Like most of the modern day centres he also has the ability to find the try line in some unlikely situations where it appears that there is no way he could possibly get the ball down without going into touch.
In defence, he is not the biggest centre running around, but does seem to have good strength, but will certainly look to come out of the line to stop the attack before it has time to fully develop. Like all younger players he just needs experience to ensure that he picks the right time to come out of the line. He will show his opposite centre the sideline and is confident that his speed will enable him to get across to make the tackle. As he fills out and gains more experience he will become more effective defensively, not that there is all that much wrong with how he defends at present certainly in relation to the standard he is playing at.
In relation to the current season, he will play for the Inverell hawks in the Group 4 U18 competition and will also likely play some first grade as well, where he will likely play on the wing, at least initially. Into the future I think that he will have the opportunity to stay at centre long term. The combination of his physical attributes and skill set would indicate that there is no necessity to move, even though the skills he has are also transferrable to the wing.
In many respects the way he plays resembles that of Canberra Raiders centre Jason Crocker as a solid outside back who knows his way to the try line. If/when he gets the opportunity to be involved in an NYC squad, the critical aspect for Billy Stewart will be how quickly he can put on muscle to his frame, whilst maintaining his speed. He will need the additional bulk to combat the size and strength of centres in the NYC ranks but at the same time, his biggest attribute will be his speed and elusiveness and thus he will need to maintain (read enhance) this attribute at the same time to be a contributor, but is saying all of that there is just something about his play that I cannot put a finger on which suggests that he can contribute at the NYC or equal level.
Peter Pritchard. He is a big young front rower from the South’s junior rugby league club in Acacia Ridge and also attends Keebra Park High School. He is currently a member of the South’s Logan CC squad but has not yet made an appearance in that competition so far through the first four rounds. The South’s Logan CC squad is blessed with some very talented front rowers including the Titans own Geordie Brand. He was part of the South’s Acacia Ridge U15 side which lost their GBJRL grand final to Logan Brothers last year, playing for the Logan Brothers side were Titans linked Geordie Brand and hooker Jackson Keil. In previous years he has made a number of junior representative squads including the U13 and U14 Kookaburra’s.
As noted he is a big strong front rower who is a powerful runner of the football, who knows only one way and that is straight ahead and has shown flashes of the ability to offload once he has impacted the defensive line or has crashed through it. For a big front rower he does actually have quite decent speed and footwork, certainly well above average for a player of his size. He does however wear down but with an off season with the South’s CC squad should help immensely with this. This good footwork enables him to step prior to the line, creating little half breaks which enhances the ability to off-load the football. Recent injuries have meant that he did struggle a little with the pace of the game at times last season but later in the season as he became more accustomed to it his performance improved as a direct consequence.
In defence he is happy to go for the big hit often, on occasion however as he starts to tire he can leave an arm out and get penalised for a high tackle, a focus on stamina will assist in eliminating this. He is obviously suited to defending in the centre of the ruck rather that the fringes and will understandably have some trouble with nippy runners out of dummy half. His calling card though is the strength and power to effectively engage the opposing forward early in their run and use his natural strength to win the forward battle in the centre of the ruck. He can defensively handle any one on one battle that presents itself. At times in games he really does prevent opposing gaining any ground at all through the centre of the ruck. It is now a matter of extending the duration of his ruck dominance.
In terms of this year, as noted he is part of the South’s CC squad and will also play his club football for South’s Acacia Ridge in the GBJRL at the U16 Premier level and also for Keebra for his schoolboy football. He is a front rower moving forward and is best suited to playing in the centre of the ruck.
From a player comparison perspective think of the Canterbury Bulldogs Sam Kasiano as a big strong front rower who has more speed and mobility than it would appear when looking purely looking at his stature. He may take a bit of time to develop and if he can keep working on his stamina and mobility there are certainly tools to work with.
Nic Morrissey. He is a young backrower from Casino in Northern New South Wales and has been part of Titans junior development squads over the last couple of years. Last year he played in the U16.5 competition for Casino RSM in the Group One junior rugby league competition, scoring nine tries in as many games and also kicked two goals for a 40 point haul. In 2015 he also represented the East Coast Dolphins U16 side and previously has represented Group One at the U14 and U15 levels. He also was selected in the North Coast Combined Catholic Colleges (CCC) U15 squad in 2014.
In attack, he is a rangy wide running backrower with a very good turn of speed once he breaks through the line. He takes his share of runs in the middle of the ruck but he is impressive at running good lines on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into. He then has the speed to outpace any cover defence. From the games that I have seem he normally runs to the left side of the field, and will run wider out and look to come back on the inside shoulder of the opposition defence on the edge of the ruck, looking for situations where the opposition inside defenders are slow to come across. In terms of his speed I would consider it above average for a backrower and thus once he breaks into open space, he has the ability to get to the try line himself.
He is an aggressive runner and looks to continue to pump his legs once he has contacted the defensive line, this making more metres for his team and with his determination he will also on occasion break clear of the defenders totally. At the very least, due to him continuing to pump his legs, he forces more defenders to commit to the tackle, meaning the defensive line is not set once he plays the ball.
In terms of his defence, he has a very good low tackling technique, a skill he needs moving forward as he does not have the size to tackle huge opposition forwards ball and all, and is also an exceptional cover defender, in part because of the effort he puts in to track the ball across the field when opposition teams spread the ball wide. He will look to come out of the line to look to put a big hit on, to look to motivate his side on occasion, but that is not his not normally his go, his forte is that of a young player with a very good low tackling technique who can use both shoulders, ensuring his head is always in the right position, thus limiting possible injury. He is also a very good cover defender who will track the ball across the field and be in a position to makes tackles if the opposition break through the defensive line out wide and also is in good position if the ball is transitioned back inside by his opponents.
Moving to this year, he will once again play for Casino RSM in the combined U16/U17 competition in the Group One Junior Rugby League, but it also would not surprise to see him transition to the U18 NRRRL competition sooner rather than later. He is also part of the East Coast Dolphins U18 squads which takes on the Greater Northern Tigers U18’s in Tamworth this coming Saturday, both sides have a couple of Titans linked boys so it will be an interesting one to watch. He will also be in contention for the North Coast CCC U18 side which is selected later this year.
From a position perspective he has always played in the back row, including matches for the Titans Development Squads and I would envisage that he will stay there long term as he moves towards the upper reaches of his junior rugby league career.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of South Sydney’s second rower Kyle Turner as a rangy type of backrower who runs at the defensive line with speed and a fearless approach and regularly makes good ground.
Will McAuliffe. He is a young halfback from Inverell in Northern New South Wales and recently captained Group 19 in their tri series matches against Groups 4 and 21. Subsequent to those matches, he was selected in the Greater Northern Tigers U18 squad who will face the East Coast Dolphins U18’s (Groups 1,2, and 18) this coming weekend. In 2015 he was halfback for the Greater Northern Tigers U16 side that won the New South Country U16 championships in Mudgee. He is also part of the 20015/16 Greater Northern Academy Rugby League squad and plays his school boy rugby league for Holy Trinity High School in Inverell and in 2015 captained the Year 10 side even though he picked up an injury during the year.
In relation to his club football, he plays for the Inverell Hawks and during the 2015 season, played at both the U16 and U18 levels and was part of the U18 side that defeated the Glenn Innes Magpies in the Group 19 U18 Grand Final 14 - 6. At the U16 level in the Group 19 junior rugby league, he played in five matches, scoring 4 tries including a hat trick against Uralla as well as kicking a goal for an 18 point haul.
In attack, he generally plays an understated role, focussing more on the distribution and game management aspects of his role as a half. A key attribute to how he plays is his ability to organise and direct his team around the field as well as adjusting his game to the specific situations within a game. He will though take the line on when the opportunity arises however, but as noted his best attribute is that of a game manager with the ability to draw defenders out of the line and put his runners into the subsequent hole that is generated. He has decent speed off the mark and quick twitch feet in confined space but does not have explosive acceleration or high top end speed.
From a kicking perspective he has a solid kicking game, with reasonable distance and accuracy on all types of kicks, from kicking for field position or from an attacking perspective. I am sure that moving forward focussing on his kicking skills will be a key focus area both from a distance and accuracy perspective.
In defence, due to his size he is obviously not going to come up with the big hit but reads the play well and can hold his own when defending much bigger players. He is also very vocal on the field always talking and encouraging his side both in attack and defence, this is obviously one of the reasons that he captains his school, club and Group teams.
Moving towards this season, as noted he will be starting at halfback this weekend for the U18 Greater Northern Tigers squad against the East Coast Dolphins. He will continue to play his schoolboy football for Holy Trinity and club football for the Inverell Hawks at the U18 level where they will be looking to repeat their 2015 success. From a long term position perspective, based on his skill set and size, halfback seems to be his ideal position going forward and a talented game manager at that.
From a player comparison perspective, think along the lines of Manly half Daly Cherry Evans as an intelligent skilful player who will be the catalyst for most of the good things that his team does and is faster between the ears than his foot speed.
Elijah Rasiga. He is a big strong powerful young centre/second rower from Armidale in New South Wales and was recently a member of the Group 4 U18 squad that won their tri series against U18 sides from Groups 19 and 21. He was subsequently named in the Greater Northern Tigers U18 side for the New South Wales Country Age Championships which start this coming weekend for the Greater Northern Tigers when they play the East Coast Dolphins. He was also part of the Greater Northern Tigers U16 squad that won the 2015 U16 championships and is currently part of the 2015/16 Greater Northern Academy. He has already played a number of matches for the Titans junior development squads in 2014 and 2015 (http://www.northerndailyleader.com.au/story/2879970/titans-eye-northern-trio/). Whilst he started in the second row for the Tigers U16 side, this year he actually represented Group 4 in the centres and that is where he will likely start for the Tigers this weekend. He also represented Group 19 at the U15 level in 2014.
I am going to preface the comments below on the basis that I think that has ultimate position will be in the back row and thus the comments below reflect that assumption.
He is a hard running backrower who is impressive at running good lines on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into thus making the play makers on his team look good. Where he really excels though is his footwork, he has very good late and quick foot work which enables him to change direction quickly allowing him to readjust where he is running to take advantage of either a late developing hole in the defensive line or where the defensive line is repositioning late.
Even when he is taking a hit up in the centre of the ruck, his feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight corrections to his running direction and he is also able to maintain his speed regardless of the multiple directional changes. He seems just to run at a faster pace than other forwards on the field. These attributes lead to a lot of line breaks and he has the speed to convert them into tries himself. These critical attributes mean that he is difficult to target and runs at a very fast pace into the defensive line but the fluidity of his directional changes means he is a difficult target to get hold of for defenders.
Defensively he hits very hard and usually aims for just under the ribs and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls. He is equally adept at defending in the centre of the ruck as he is defending on the fringes and his initial contact is more than sufficient to make an impact on the ball carrier. His lateral speed is understandably very good due to his quick twitch feet and thus he is effective at defending against smaller dynamic runners out of dummy half as well as half backs and five eights running of the fringes looking to isolate forwards.
He plays his club football for the Armidale Rams and also plays his schoolboy football with Armidale High School. Over the course of the 2015 season, he scored 16 tries and kicked six goals for the Rams at the U16 level and was the top try scorer in that competition over the 11 games he played. He scored four tries twice, being against Warrialda and Uralla and also scored a hat trick against Inverell West.
In relation to the current season, as noted he will represent the Greater Northern Tigers at the U18 level and then will transition to playing club football at the U18 level for the Rams and continue to play for Armidale High School. From a position perspective, he has played both centre and second row so far over the course of his junior career and whilst he is playing centre for the Tigers, as noted above I think that he ultimately ends up in the second row once he has finished growing and maturing.
From a player comparison perspective, someone with a similar playing style that could be used for a comparison perspective would be the Brisbane Broncos backrower Alex Glenn as a strong hard running, hard tackling aggressive and effective backrower who can play for 80 minutes without the need for a break on the interchange bench.
Albert Liki. He is a young second rower who is currently coming off the bench for the South’s MM Cup side (and is still eligible for MM in 2017) and has previously played some matches for the Titans junior development squads. Albert Liki came into the South’s Logan MM side in Round Five when he started in the second row against the Easts Tigers and has been named on the interchange bench for the Round Six match against Gold Coast White match this weekend.
He had a very good year in 2015, including being part of the Logan Brothers U16 side that won their U16 GBJRL Grand Final beating Aspley in that match where he started in the second row, as well as playing for South’s at the CC level, where he finished as the second top points scorer in the competition with two tries and 26 goals for a 60 point haul.
He is not the biggest young player you will ever see playing in the second row, but he is all effort in attack and will constantly run the ball into the heart of the opposition forward pack regardless of how big they are, for example the Aspley forward pack in last year’s GBJRL U16 Grand Final were huge but he charged at them regardless. He is a smart runner though to the extent that he does use good foot work prior to the defensive line to help negate his lack of size and he also has very good leg drive once initial contact has been made. He also fights hard when tackled to ensure he gets a quick play the ball to maintain the momentum for his side.
In addition, he has enough speed, which I would consider above average for a backrower to be an effective runner of the football to run the ball on the edges of the ruck. He is not exceptionally quick but quick enough to rush defenders to make a decision of when to commit to the tackle.
As his statistics show from his CC and club matches last season he is an accurate goal kicker who also gets a deal of distance with his kicks with an effortless style, he just looks a natural goal kicker. As he continues to get naturally stronger, there is no reason to suggest that he will have any problem at all from getting the distance from the sidelines whilst maintaining his accuracy and thus will be an option to be his side’s first choice goal kicker moving forward.
Defensively he looks to wrap up the ball on initial contact, he will not constantly come up with big hits, but is certainly capable of hitting hard when the opportunity presents itself, but will rarely miss tackles and also covers across the field very well, meaning he is always in a good position to make a tackle if the ball is turned back inside and also to make cover defending tackles if breaks are made wider out.
He is equally adept at defending in the centre of the ruck as he is defending on the fringes and his initial contact is more than sufficient to make an impact on the ball carrier. His lateral speed is very good due to his quick twitch feet and thus he is effective at defending against smaller dynamic runners out of dummy half as well as half backs and five eights running of the fringes looking to isolate forwards and he is able to effectively mirror their movements to wrap them up in the tackle.
As noted his 2016 season is already up and running, including playing MM for South’s. Upon completion of the MM competition he will transition back to playing his club football with the powerful Logan Brothers where he will be one of their key players in their U18 Nev Blair side who will also certainly be a short price favourite to win that competition. From a position perspective, he has played the last couple of years in the second row and should stay there in the long term. He is not a barnstorming type of backrower but is a very effective rugby league player.
From a player comparison perspective, consider someone along the lines of former Sydney Roosters second rower Craig Fitzgibbon as a hard working goal kicking back rower.
Josh Henare. He is a local young second rower who is currently playing for the Gold Coast White CC side. He started on the bench for the first match of the season, but since has moved into the starting line-up, including being named there for this weekend’s match against the South’s Logan Magpies, he did however miss the Round five match. In 2015 he played his club football for the Helensvale Hornets at the U15 Division One level and across 11 matches scored five tries and kicked two goals for 24 points across the season. He also plays schoolboy rugby league for Coombabah State High School.
He is a wide running backrower with a very good turn of speed once he breaks through the line and will outpace all but the quickest cover defenders. He has the ability to use footwork before the line, especially on the ends of the ruck where he has a good in and away as well as a very good fend to complement his footwork. On top of those attributes, he is impressive at running good lines on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into thus making the play makers on his team look good. Even though he is good on the edge of the ruck, he takes his share of runs in the middle where he uses foot work prior to the line so as not to absorb huge hits against, usually larger forward packs.
I would consider his speed for a backrower to be above average as would be his footwork which has obviously been honed in his time in the centres, but in saying that he has made a very good transition to the second row and the different nuances of running the football in that position.
Defensively he looks to wrap up the ball on initial contact, he will not constantly come up with big hits, but will rarely miss tackles and also covers across the field very well, meaning he is usually in good positions to make a tackle if the ball is turned back inside and also to make cover defending tackles if breaks are made wider out. He is quick enough to get to most outside backs in cover defence. Due to his speed and positional sense he is usually one of the first players down field in relation to kick chase as well. Just like with his attacking attributes he has also made a successful transition to the second row from a defensive perspective with the resultant increase in work load seemingly having no effect on his overall play or future long term potential.
Upon completion of the MM season he will transition back to playing for the Helensvale Hornets at the U16 Division One level and will likely continue to play in the second row. Early in his junior rugby league career, he played almost exclusively in the centres but over the last 18 months or so has started to play in the second row exclusively.
From a player comparison perspective, if you consider the playing style of a young Ben Creagh from the St George Dragons you will get an appreciation of how Josh Henare plays.
Leighmon Hohaia-Katene. He is a local young five eight sho is currently the starting five eight for the Gold Coast White CC Cup squad, and has been named there again for this week’s match against the South’s Logan Magpies. So far over the CC season he has scored one try which was against the Easts Tigers in Round Three. In 2015 he played his junior football with the Ormeau Shearers at the U15 Division One level and came off the bench in the Grand Final loss to Runaway Bay who were led by second rower Billy Mozer. Coming off the bench for Ormeau in that team is fine considering the starting half five eight combination for the majority of the season was Julian Knap and Dea Jarn Asi, both of whom are also part of the Gold Coast CC set up this year. For the Shearers he scored two tries and kicked 6 goals last season.
He started playing his junior football on the Gold Coast in 2013 after moving over from Western Australia where he played for the Rockingham Sharks in the WAJRL and for them in 2012 he scored 12 tries and kicked nine goals across 11 matches.
In attack, as already noted he is a half/five eight who is a reasonably dynamic runner of the football who excels in taking on the defensive line with good footwork around the ruck, looking to seek out bigger slower forwards when they are caught on the edge of the ruck. He has good speed off the mark, but does not necessary have high top end speed to individually exploit his own breaks and thus needs to look to off load once he breaks through the defensive line.
He does not however have blinkers on, and when his backline is set deep, he can see an overlap or a another play developing he will get the ball out quickly and effectively, using his solid passing skills from both sides of his body, where he will put the football out in front of his runners. His long passing game is reasonably good from an accuracy perspective, but something that can be worked on. Possibly the best feature of his passing game, is when he takes the ball to the line and holding the ball until the last possible moment looking to draw in the defender on his outside and putting a forward/centre running into the resulting hole. He seems to be better running to the right side of the field in this circumstance.
In attack, as already noted he is a half/five eight who is a reasonably dynamic runner of the football who excels in taking on the defensive line with good footwork around the ruck, looking to seek out bigger slower forwards when they are caught on the edge of the ruck. He has good speed off the mark, but does not necessary have high top end speed to individually exploit his own breaks and thus needs to look to off load once he breaks through the defensive line.
When his backline is set deep, he can see an overlap or a another play developing he will get the ball out quickly and effectively, using his solid passing skills from both sides of his body, where he will put the football out in front of his runners. His long passing game is reasonably good from an accuracy perspective, but something that can be worked on. Possibly the best feature of his passing game, is when he takes the ball to the line and holding the ball until the last possible moment looking to draw in the defender on his outside and putting a forward/centre running into the resulting hole. He seems to be better running to the right side of the field in this circumstance.
One aspect where I personally have seen a notable improvement is in his ability to direct his team around the field, he seems far more confident in himself through the course of the CC season so far compared to his club matches last year, a good sign for the future.
Defensively he has decent size for a half/five eight, and probably would be considered one of the better defenders for his age group on the Gold Coast. He is an asset to his team’s defensive pattern to the extent that he has the strength and technique to more than hold his own one on one against wide running forwards and thus a forward does not necessarily need to be allocated to the fringes of the ruck for defensive purposes.
As noted he is currently the starting five eight for the Gold Coast White CC side and upon completion of that competition he will transition back to playing for the Helensvale Hornets at the U17 Division One level, where it will be interesting where him, Julian Knap and Dea Jarn Asi fit in, I note that Julian Knap is currently playing fullback in the CC competition so it may be that that is how he may line up for Helensvale meaning Leighmon and Dea Jarn Asi are the starting half five eight combination. Moving forward he really has made great strides in his play at five eight over the course of the CC season so far and it would not surprise to see him stay there as he transitions to the upper echelons of the junior rugby league divisions.
From a player comparison perspective, if you consider the playing style of Jamie Soward of the Penrith Panthers from a running perspective at least, you will get an appreciation of how I think that Leighmon Hohaia-Katene plays.
[QUOTE=mdrew;374301]Peter Pritchard.
Update - Peter Pritchard has been named on the Bench for South Logan CC for his first CC match of the season against GC White this weekend
Matthew Wilton-Waldron. He is a local young front rower/second rower who attends Coombabah State High School as part of their Rugby League Excellence program and was also involved in the Titans U13 development squad last year as an invite last year. In addition started in the second row for Helensvale (1) in the first grading match of the 2016 pre-season when the won 58-6. Team mates in that grading matches included Titans linked Adrian Armao (four tries) and Brendan Piakua (1 try). From what a previous poster has advised he was named Coombabah’s U13 most improved player last year. He is a big solid young man already at around 188cm.
He is a hard running player who never seems to just put his head down and runs straight, he always uses a slight step prior to contacting the defensive line, coupled with the fact that he drops his shoulder into defenders, means that he is a bit of a handful to tackle and he is not often knocked back onto his heals. He is also good at maintaining his momentum after impacting the defensive line. He seems to have a high work rate and I would suggest that he would normally be at or near the top of his team’s statistics in terms of the number of hit ups he makes and on occasion runs a very good inside shoulder route to supplement his other attacking attributes. He has also shown flashes of the ability to off-load when he impacts the defensive line and I am sure that this will be focus going forward in terms of understanding when to off-load and when to maintain possession, and this will only come from playing more matches.
Defensively he aims hits very hard and usually hits around the top of the ball region and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls by using wrestling techniques well. Last year his speed and mobility seemed to have increased and as a consequence he was better able to mirror the opposition attackers more effectively. He will probably not make a large amount of hits that are going to knock opposing forwards backwards, but opposing forwards are going to feel everyone and start to look out for where he is in the defensive line.
He has already started playing matches this year, including the U14 grading and also trials with the U14 Coombabah schoolboy side. I am sure that he will be part of the Helensvale Hornets U14 Division One side upon competition of the preseason grading competition, his side plays Mudgeeraba One this coming weekend and Coombabah sides across all age groups play a lot of matches over the course of the season, so he will get to play a lot of football this year.
In terms of position, I am aware that over the last couple of seasons he has alternated between front row and second row but I think that in the long term he will end up in the front row and one that has reasonable mobility and speed for his size.
From a style perspective think of a Luke Douglas type who will not necessarily stand out but he will be very effective in the role he is asked to play and will be comfortable playing it. He will probably not stand out as he progresses up the age groups but he will take hit ups and tackle all day and do all of the little things necessary to help his team succeed.
Tayden Hickling. He is a young second rower from the Ballina Seagulls club, which is the former club of Titans NYC and first grade squad member Brian Kelly. Tayden Hickling performed well for the Group One U18 side and has subsequently been named in the East Coast Dolphins U18 squad for their first match in the CRL U18 championships to be played against the Northern Tigers this Saturday in Armidale. He was also part of the New South Wales Indigenous U17 tour of Europe last year and has previously also been part of Group One junior representatives squads, including the U15 side in 2013 as well as being part of the Greater Northern Academy.
In 2015 he played in the NRRRL competition for Ballina across the Nova Skills U18 competition and also played four matches in the NRRRL reserve grade competition. For Ballina in the U18 competition he played 13 matches, scoring eight tries including a hat trick against Cudgen. He also played for Lismore High School in relation to his school boy rugby league.
In attack he runs very hard and straight and is bit of a tear away type of second rower, in club football in the NRRRL he was almost unstoppable. Over the course of the last couple of seasons he has changed from just very straight to either using cutting back behind the play the ball or using some footwork prior to the line, a sign of a smart young player. For a second rower he has actually quite decent speed off the mark and has a bit of an extra burst once he gets into the clear. He was quite effective close to the try line, he would get back deep and run into the ball hard and low to score quite a few tries for Ballina in that fashion. I have not seen a great deal of offloads from him in the matches that I have seen with the primary reason for that being he is intent on engaging the defensive line and once engaged his primary focus is making as much ground as possible and getting a quick play the ball to maintain his teams momentum.
In defence he is not a big hitter, but is quite aggressive during the tackle, preferring to make sure that the tackle is made and is very effective both in terms of initial contact and also coming in a wrapping up the football. He also covers inside well. When at marker he works hard and always gets out of marker quickly to put pressure on the kicker. He is not flashy but does a lot of the tough defensive work in the centre of the field.
In relation to the 2016 season, he will once again play for Ballina in the U18 NRRRL competition but it would not be surprising at all if he plays a number of first grade games in that competition, which at the first grade level is a very decent standard. From a position perspective, he played a bit of front row early in his junior career but over the last couple of seasons has played exclusively in the second row and I cannot envisage that changing anytime soon. The last year of eligibility at the U18 level is a critical year for young players as they look to transition to NYC squads and senior football. It would not surprise at all for Tayden Hickling to come up to the Gold Coast next year and start the year off in QCup Colts in an effort to break into the NYC competition, he certainly has the determination, aggression and never say die attitude to give himself the best possible opportunity to get to where he wants to go in rugby league.
One of the great aspects of having two feeders clubs that the Titans have is the number of young players who come to the clubs looking for an opportunity, for example both Burleigh and Tweed Heads have seen an influx of young players from New Zealand Central Queensland, New South Wales, including country areas as well as Sydney clubs (see the young player from Cronulla making his QCup debit for Tweed this weekend) and as far away as Western Australia looking for an opportunity.
From a player comparison perspective, a player that would be a good comparison is Sam Thaiday of the Brisbane Broncos as a forward who runs and tackles with a hint of aggression in his game and an all-out style, in short an old fashioned tear away type.
James Weimer. He is a young second rower from Nambucca Heads who is part of the 2016 East Coast Dolphins U18 squad for the New South Wales Country Rugby League championships. This was the second year in a row that he has represented Group Two at the U18 level, but has previously represented his Group at both the U14 and U15 age groups in 2012 and 2014 respectively. He also plays for Nambucca Heads High School in terms of schoolboy rugby league.
In the 2015 season he played for the Nambucca Heads Roosters. He played one match in the U18 Durbridge Family Trophy competition, one match in the Tooheys New Reserve Grade competition and six matches in the Tooheys New First Grade competition, and kicked a goal in one of the last matches of the year. Since the inclusion of the two Grafton sides, being the Grafton Ghosts and the South Grafton Rebels, the Group Two first grade competition is probably the best standard of first grade country football in New South Wales, so it is no mean feat for James Weimer to be playing first grade at 16/17 and especially in the forward pack.
The Group Two competition has already commenced with Nambucca Heads losing to Macksville 18-16 in the first round of the Durbridge Family Trophy with James Weimer starting in the second row in the loss and then sitting on the bench for first grade in their 44-18 loss also against Macksville.
He is a rangy player who in his carries he rarely takes a hit up without movement, he uses foot work prior to the line to look to break through as well as cutting either cutting back in behind the play the ball or cutting out towards the smaller defenders on the fringes of the ruck. He, certainly from the games that I have seen, including some representative games, he plays on the right side of the field
He runs ‘fast’ into the defensive and his foot work prior to the line enables him to get partly through the line quite often, certainly more so than you would expect for a backrower taking the ball through the centre of the ruck. He does not necessarily have a great top end speed, but he is certainly fast enough to get through to the full back prior to the arrival of the cover defence. I would suggest that his speed would be considered above average for a second rower.
Playing on the right hand side of the field seemingly more often, means that his right foot step and his fending using his left hand are the more effective attributes, but based on his physical attributes, his skill set and his understanding of how to play the game means that I have no doubt that these attributes are transferrable to playing on the left hand side of the field.
Where his greatest impact on a game is going to be is his defence. His has a great tackling technique and a hard hitting aggressive style to go with it. I think that in every game that I have seen him play, including representative games he has made a huge impact defensively. It is not a reckless style where he runs in trying to pull off the biggest hit possible, it is a cold, calculating style where he uses a great technique to hit opposing forwards just under the rib cage to devastating effect. He sets a strong lower base by setting his legs and generating force by driving through the tackle with his lower body, gaining leverage and momentum, culminating with the power projecting through his shoulders with the kinetic effects projecting into his opponent. Because of the zone he targets, his tackles derives a lot of dropped balls as his tackles hit the bottom of the football knocking it loose and forcing the mistake from the opposition player.
In the U18 competition, when he drives a an opponent backwards, you can see the impact of the tackle immediately, his team are galvanised and generate additional confidence, conversely you can see the opposition forward’s head drop, and on a few occasions followed by the ball. As games progress you can actually see opposition forwards who are running the ball, look for where he is in the defensive line. As a result he has the ability to seal off one side of the ruck, enabling his team’s defensive strategy to be adjusted accordingly. Obviously when playing in the first grade competition, his impact in terms of driving attackers backwards is not as pronounced or regardless he is an efficient and effective defender including aggressively finishing off the tackle.
In relation to the 2016 season, he will surely be in contention for a spot in the New South Wales Country U18 side that play a Queensland U18 selection in June/July and will also play for the Nambucca Heads Roosters. Unfortunately for the Group Two competition and number of clubs are not fielding an U18 side this season, but regardless I would suggest that James Weimer will play a fair bit of first grade this season.
From a player comparison perspective if you watch the Brisbane Broncos Matt Gillett play he hopefully get an appreciation of how James Weimer plays, that being of a hole running tough tackling second rower.
With his experience in New South Country First Grade already, he should not have an issue transitioning to the physical rigours of the NYC competition if he gets an opportunity. Plenty of young players from this region over the years have been involved in the Titans NYC squads, with the highest profile player being Kevin Gordon so there is a possibly of another on the way. Cody Nelson was another youngster from the region who got an opportunity with the Titans NYC squad.
Matthew Job. He is a young centre and yet another talented player from the Ballina Seagulls club in Northern New South Wales. He played for the Seagulls in the 2015 season scoring four tries in 12 games, including a double against Lismore Marist Brothers and started at centre for Ballina in their 26-14 grand final victory over Casino RSM and has been named at left centre for the East Coast Dolphins U16 side against the Greater Northern Tigers for the first round of the New South Walers Country Rugby League U16/U18 competition.
He is very quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside and will not get caught from behind if he gets into open space as he has plus speed for the centre position. His best attribute from an outside back perspective is his ability to keep his width and be available for his team mates, when the opposing defender cheats inside. When the ball is moved out the back line, he stays in his running corridor, and a lot of the tries that he scored for Ballina were when he was able to beat his opposite defender when they had come in just a fraction.
When playing in the centres he looked to draw in the winger to try to create space down the touch line for the attackers outside him, but he does have enough pace, when he is able to get outside his opposing defender and make line breaks when the defensive winger stays out. Thus from what I have seen he has very good situational awareness in attack.
Defensively he is solid at wrapping the ball up and just needs to refine his technique as he progresses and also when to come out of the line in an effort to limit the time and space of the opposition as well as ensuring that he keeps his tackles down against opposing centres. He does however slide well in defence and has the speed to cover opposition line breaks very well. He will need to continue to get stronger and maintain his speed to stay at centre, and potentially become a legitimate strike centre.
This season he will play for Ballina in the U16.5 competition which is part of the Group One Junior Rugby League competition. From a long term position perspective, he really does have an opportunity to stay in the centres and be a very good one at that.
From a player comparison perspective, I would suggest that you think along the lines of the Brisbane Broncos Jordan Kahu as a young centre who positions himself very well to take full advantage of try scoring opportunities. He is a try scoring strike centre and they are rare at any level of rugby league.
William Woolley. He is a young second rower from the Ballina Seagulls, who transferred from Lennox Heads at the commencement of the 2015 season in the Group One Junior rugby league competition. Through the 2015 season he scored six tries, including four in one match against the Kyogle Turkeys and a double against Lismore Marist Brothers in the U16.5 competition. He attends St Johns College Woodlawn (former Titans NYC player Anthony Coleman is a former Woodlawn student) and from that school made the 2014 U15 New South Wales Combined Catholic College (CCC) squad for the U15 ASSRL competition, former Titans junior Payne Haas was the player of that particular tournament. He has been named in eth starting second row for the U18 East Coast Dolphins squad who start their NSW Country Cup campaign against The Northern Tigers in Armidale this weekend.
From an attacking perspective, he has a wide running mindset for a backrower with a very good turn of speed once he breaks through the line, he is speed would certainly play at the above average level in game situations for a backrower. Like all good running backrowers though, he takes his share of runs in the middle of the ruck but he is impressive at running good lines on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into although he is not averse to running straight over people either when the need arises. From the games that I have seem play, granted that I have not seen a massive amount of his games, he normally runs to the right side of the field, and will run wider out and look to come back on the inside shoulder of the opposition defence on the edge of the ruck. His determination is one aspect that enables him to be in the right place at the right time.
Defensively he hits very hard and usually aims for just under the ribs and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls. He also has a touch of aggression in his play and definitely finishes off each tackle that he is involved in. He is equally adept at defending in the centre of the ruck as he is defending on the fringes and his initial contact is more than sufficient to make an impact on the ball carrier. His lateral speed is good and thus he can defend well against nippy runners who look to beat him with foot work.
He is eligible to play in the U16.6 competition again during that season but I would anticipate that he will spend the majority of the season playing in the Nova Skills U18 competition in the NRRRL senior league and he should also be in contention to be selected in the Lismore Diocese U18 CCC squad. St John’s College Woodlawn also play in a lot of schoolboy competitions, including the National GIO Cup so he will also play multiple matches against quality opposition in those competitions. He will still be eligible for U18’s again in 2017. From a position perspective, he seemingly has played the majority of his football in the second row and whilst he may be able to fill in at front row for short stints, he seems better suited to the second row over the long term.
From a player comparison perspective, someone along the lines of Boyd Cordner of the Roosters would be appropriate from a style perspective as a powerful well-rounded back rower who plays the game hard with toughness and at a pace above a lot of the players around him.
Jack Conlan. He is a young fullback from Sawtell who will be starting at fullback for the U18 East Coast Dolphins side this weekend against local rivals the Greater Northern Tigers and plays his club football for the Sawtell Panthers in eth Group Two Senior competition. In June/July 2013 he was also part of the New South Wales Combined Independent Schools (CIS) squad for the ASSRL U15 championships. He represented the CIS squad from Bishop Druitt College. For the Sawtell Panthers in 2015 he played 11 matches at the U18 level and finished the season also playing five Group Two first grade matches. At the U18 level he scored 10 tries and added four more in his first grade matches, throw in 11 goals kicked in U18’s, including 10 in one match against Belligen Dorrigo and he finished with a total points tally of 78. In terms of his try scoring in the U18’s he scored doubles against Belligen Dorrigo (not the same match that he kicked the 10 goals) and Macksville twice. In first grade he scored in four of his five matches, including against eventual Group Tow first grade premiers the South Grafton Rebels.
He is a silky smooth player, who looks like he glides across the field picking and choosing his time to get involved and wants to have the ball in his hands when the game is on the line. He is very quick off the mark and when the ball is being brought out of his teams half he is always around the forwards looking for off loads. He also can play the way a lot of the current fullbacks play when they receive the football, “out the back” from the half/five eight which is no surprise due to him spending a lot of time playing five eight. In those circumstances, he seems to currently runs more than he passes, but he is usually one of the better players in all of the teams that he has played on to date, thus I have no doubt that his passing and decision making skills will improve in these situations as he continues to play with ‘better’ players.
He seems to also have a very good positional sense in terms of taking a high percentage of opposing teams general play kicks on the full, thus regularly giving his team good initial field position to start their set of six. Similarly his positional sense when close to his own goal line means he defuses a lot of attacking grubber kicks as well. He will also take the responsibility to run the ball back himself rather than hand it up to his winger.
In relation to his defence, one thing that stands out to me is that he will not take a dummy from attackers running at him and he will stay with the ball carrier on all occasions. He seems to stand very shallow at fullback in defence, but with his speed he is able to compensate, also his fullback positioning is dependent on his teams coaching staff and thus I am absolutely not being critical when his positioning is almost certainly a coaching methodology issue. He is also a good talker from full back, you can hear him talking to his team mates about their positioning in defence and offering encouragement.
For the 2016 season he will play for the Sawtell Panthers, with the only real issue being in what senior grade he will play in, with around half of the Group Two senior clubs not fielding an U18 side, Jack Conlan will get an opportunity to play the majority of the season at the first grade level building on his five matches there last season, which can only assist in his development, however the young U18 players not quite ready to play against men in those grades are the big losers in this scenario and a lot will be lost to the game. From a position perspective, he seems perfectly suited to playing at fullback as he makes the transition to senior football.
From a player comparison perspective, think along the lines of former Cowboys fullback Matt Bowen as a fullback with exceptional pace and footwork who is also courageous when it comes to his defensive duties.
Lewis Cooper. He is a young centre/backrower who plays his junior rugby league with the South Grafton Rebels in the Group One JRL and has been named on the bench for the East Coast Dolphins U16 side for this weekend’s opening championship matches. He also played rugby last year, including making the Mid North Coast Axemen representative side and from there he was selected in the New South Wales Country Cockatoos U15 side. In rugby he played both centre and No. 8 and apparently even played some fullback. As a result of his rugby commitments he did not play a great deal of rugby league for the Rebels but still managed to cross for four tries including a double against the Ballina Seagulls. From a trivia perspective, he is the younger brother of former Titans junior contracted player Austin Cooper who is now playing first grade for the Rebels.
In short Lewis Cooper is a big strong young man with surprising speed for his size. When he runs the ball, and I will mainly refer to play in the forwards as that is where I think that he ultimately ends up, he is like a wrecking ball, he has a strong upper body which allows him to shrug off tacklers who look to go high and whilst he does not use a great deal of foot work prior to the line has shown enough to suggest that this will be able to be incorporated into his game as he progresses. In terms of his speed, once he gets past the initial contact, he really move and his speed would be considered as plus for a back rower of his size.
One area that he did not seem to use too often this year, but does seem to have the capacity to develop based on his size, skills and footwork is the ability to off load before the line, an example of what I am meaning is how the Canterbury Bulldogs forward pack uses those small offloads prior to the line. Lewis Cooper has shown glimpses of having the skills to utilise the same skills if the opportunities arise, developing this skill with only enhance his effectiveness.
In defence he uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. He is not averse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage and reasonable agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck, although clearly he is more effective in the centre of the ruck, as most front rowers are.
In relation to this season he will play for the South Grafton Rebels in the U16.5 Group One competition and is a chance to also play some U18 matches in the NRRRL Nova Skills U18 competition. From a position perspective, due to his combination of size and speed playing in the second row seems the most plausible career projection.
From a player comparison perspective, consider a playing style similar to Melbourne Storm second rower and occasional centre Tohu Harris as a big strong player who throws is body around but actually has some quite decent speed when he gets into clear space. If he can continue to work on his endurance, functional strength and mobility he really does have an extraordinary set of skills both from a physical perspective as well as a skill attribute perspective. Obviously luck is also involved as well, his brother Austin had a similar skill set but unfortunately multiple knee and ankle injuries severely affected his development.
Jordan Lee. The Titans really have a great junior club on their doorstep in the Ballina Seagulls and young backrower Jordan Lee is another one from the club that has already produced David Mead and Brian Kelly amongst others. The young backrower will be coming off the bench for the U16 East Coast Dolphins side against the Greater Northern Tigers U16 side this weekend and it should be a good battle in the back row up against the likes of Northern Tigers backrowers Max Altus (Farrer) and Bailey Lennox (Gunnedah) amongst others. For Ballina in the 2015 season he scored eight tries across 14 matches and a sign of consistency is that he did have any multiple try scoring games. He was also part of their Grand Final success against Casino RSM 26-14.
His style of play is that of a wide running back rower with what I would consider slightly above average speed for the position he plays and also taking into account his solid build. He is quick off the mark and can maintain his speed over a reasonable distance and also has a good fend and can step off both feet both in space and in tight situations. From what I have seen though his left foot step seems slightly quick and with more deception. The side step he has is not a big step but is quick and effective enough to keep defenders off balance when he is running the ball. Once his momentum is stopped, he will fight for a quick play the ball to maintain his team’s momentum, although on occasion he will rush the play the ball, but that will all come with experience and maturity.
Like a lot of talented young players he does not offload the ball too often, but that is more a product of the lack of necessity to do so, rather than an identifiable skills gap which needs to be addressed for him to progress and reach his potential as a player. As he progresses in club, school boy and representative rugby league he will no doubt continue to work on this aspect of his game as much out of necessity as well as a desire to improve as a player. For the dominant young players it is more the need to gain experience against the best opposition possible rather than strict coaching that is the key determinant for their progression as footballers.
He is a naturally aggressive defender whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his inherent natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can stop the momentum of opposing forwards on initial contact and targets the area around the chest after setting a solid base to project his momentum through his tackles. He also has reasonable lateral mobility and thus will not necessarily be over matched against smaller agile opponents. As noted he is an aggressive defender and looks to come off the defensive line quickly, he just on occasion needs to temper this and ensure that he does move up too early and give away penalties for being inside the ten metres.
In relation to this season he will play for Ballina in the U16.5 Group One competition and is a chance to also play some U18 matches in the NRRRL Nova Skills U18 competition. From a position perspective, I think that his hard working attitude and determination suites his current position in the back row perfectly.
From a player comparison perspective, someone with a similar playing style that could be used for a comparison perspective would be the Brisbane Broncos backrower Alex Glenn as a strong hard running, hard tackling aggressive and effective backrower who can play for 80 minutes without the need for a break on the interchange bench.
Alec Cocking. He is a big strong young front rower from the North Tamworth in Group 4, who had a very good game in the Northern Tigers victory over the East Coast Tigers U18 in Armidale on Saturday including scoring two tries, including his sides opening try within the first five minutes. He was also part of the 2015 Greater Northern Tigers U16 side that won the NSW Country championships and has also represented Group 4 previously at the U14 and U14 level. With the Greater Northern Tigers success in 2015, he was selected in the NSW Country U16 side that toured New Zealand, starting his sides matches from the bench. In a game against an Auckland selection, he played against Titans linked New Zealand centre AJ Kepaoa. He is also part of the 2015/2016 Greater Northern Academy squad.
He plays his schoolboy rugby league for local school powerhouse Farrar Agricultural College and was in their squad for their GIO Cup campaign. In relation to club football, he played for Farrar in the Group 4 junior rugby league competition and started in the front row in their 26-12 grand final victory against Narrabri and also scored a try, he scored a double against Narrabri in the major semi-final also and across the regular season scored seven tries including doubles against Narrabri again and also Gunnedah.
Running with the football, he has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders when his side has decent field position. When he is taking the ball out of his own territory however, he literally just puts his head down and runs straight into the defensive line. He also is usually the player to take the first hit up from a kick up and winds up and runs straight and hard into the defensive line and regularly get the ball back to the 20 metre line.
He does not have great speed off the mark or necessary great high end speed, but he will work hard and make the most of his ability. He actually does have a decent off load when he has impacted the defensive line as well. The key to his running is his low centre of gravity, to go along with his foot work. These attributes make him very difficult to tackle and he can rarely be stopped one on one. He is also quite effective close to the try line where he is used as his teams lead runner, giving his half back the option of throwing him a flat pass if the opposition is sliding or passing out the back if the opposition defensive line compresses in the centre of the ruck.
Defensively he hits very hard and usually aims for just under the ribs and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls, read that he is very good at winning the wrestling battle in the ruck. He defends in the centre of the ruck and seems best suited in the long run defending there and adds a degree of intimidation to any forward pack he plays for. He really does know how to tackle effectively, as he sets a strong base to create the necessary leverage to defend against larger forwards and then explodes through his core with the kinetic effects transferring through his body into his opponent. Throw in a touch of aggression and you have someone who can dominate a game defensively and is able to seal off the centre of the ruck on his won for stretches of a match.
This season he will play his U18 club football with North Tamworth in the Group 4 senior rugby league. North Tamworth has provided two members of the Titans current NYC squad in Cory Manicharos who scored on debut yesterday and also half Tye Barry who has played three matches in the NYC competition this season. He will also continue to play for Farrar in relation to school boy rugby league.
In relation to a long term position perspective, he has played exclusively in the front row in his young career and that situation is very unlikely to change as he moves towards senior football. He has another year of eligibility at the U18 level in 2017 and will likely get at least an opportunity to trial for an NYC contract at that stage taking into account he is likely to spend the majority of the 2017 season playing in the Group 4 1st grade competition. He does not necessarily have the prototypical build for a modern day NRL front rower in that he is probably a little shorter and solider than what appears to be the current trend but it should always be about how effective a player is rather than their “key measurables”
From a player comparison perspective, consider a comparison from a playing perspective style to young Newcastle Knights front rower Sam Mataora as a big strong young man, who if he continues to work hard on his mobility and stamina as he gains experience may be able to harness all of the physical and skill attributes that he has at his disposal. For people who watched the Knights match yesterday against the Wests Tigers, Mataora was very destructive early in the match.
Koen Reiri. He is a powerful young front rower from the North Tamworth Bears junior rugby league club in the Group 4 region, who was one of the best players on the field for the Greater Northern Tigers U16 side in their close win against the East Coast Dolphins U16 side in Armidale on Saturday. Koen Reiri started from the bench but come on with the Tigers leading by only two points but for a 20 minutes stretch he was absolutely unstoppable scoring one try and setting up another and was a key reason for the Tigers stretching their lead to 20 in the second half, when he was spelled in the second half, the Dolphins came back to almost steal the match late. The 20 minute stretch was one breath taking, he was just everywhere causing all sort of damage.
In addition to representative football already this year with both Group 4 and the Greater Northern Tigers, he represented Group 4 in 2015 at the U15 level, including scoring a try against Group One and is also part of the 2015/2016 Greater Northern Academy. In relation to his club football, for the 2015 season he played for the North Tamworth Bears and was part of their grand final losing side which lost 34-6 to Farrar. Over the course of the season however he scored 10 tries and also kicked 10 goals for 60 points across the season. He finished third on both the try scoring and total points scoring list.
Running with the football, he has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders rather than trying to simply run over them. He does reasonably decent speed off the mark and that assists in his ability to hit the defensive line hard and with pace. He does not have another gear once through the defensive line but continues to pump his legs and fights for every metre. He has decent off load when he has impacted the defensive line as well. The key to his running is that he stays low and does not present himself to be an easy target for defences and will drop his shoulder into the defensive line, but his all out running style does mean he can fatigue reasonably quacking but regardless he can be absolutely devastating.
Defensively he hits very hard and usually aims for around the area where the upper edge of the ball is carried and in the match against the East Coast Dolphins lead to a number of dropped balls as his hits dislodged the ball from the ball carrier. He defends in the centre of the ruck and seems best suited in the long run defending there and adds a degree of intimidation to any forward pack he plays for. He really does know how to tackle effectively, as he sets a strong base to create the necessary leverage to defend against larger forwards and then explodes through his core with the kinetic effects transferring through his body into his opponent.
He will play this season with the North Tamworth Bears in the Group 4 junior rugby league competition at the U16 level and based on the match on Saturday against the East Coast Dolphins must be some sort of chance to be selected in the New South Wales country U16 side especially if the Greater Northern Tigers U16 side are able to repeat their 2015 success. He has seemingly played the majority of junior rugby league career in the front row but I think that if he continues to work hard on his mobility and fitness and career in the second row where he could be very effective running a little wider of the ruck may be on the cards. Regardless he is a powerful runner of the ball who will also comfortably put on a big hit if the opportunity presents.
From a player comparison perspective, I would suggest a perfect match from a playing style perspective would be former Melbourne Storm and Penrith Panther backrower Sika Manu, as a hard running and hard tackling forward. Every time I have seen him play he has stood out as an intense hard working player who just has something about him which suggests that he has a huge amount of untapped potential. Whether he is able to unlock that potential is the key question. I hope that he can as he is a young player that seems to have all of the necessary physical and skill attributes to be a special player.
Daniel Adamson. He is a young backrower originally from Central Queensland who moved down to the Gold Coast in the off season for an opportunity with the Burleigh Bears after captaining in the Central Queensland Capras MM side in 2015. The Central Queensland side made the Queensland MM semi-finals before losing 28-22 to the Easts Tigers. Over the last couple of weeks he has broken into the Burleigh QCup Colts side, initially coming off the bench but in the last week or two has been promoted to the starting side including their weekend victory 28-16 against the Sunshine Coast falcons. The St Brendan’s College Yeppoon graduate, previously represented his school for Capricornia in the QSSRL U18 competition in 2014 and also the 2014 QISRL Confraternity Shield competition and played his club football for Yeppoon in the Rockhampton and Districts competition after growing up playing for the Moura Tigers junior club.
He is a wide hard running backrower who is impressive at running good lines on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into thus making the play makers on his team look good. Where he really excels though is his footwork, obviously playing in the backline in prior seasons has assisted greatly and he has very good late and quick foot work which enables him to change direction quickly allowing him to readjust where he is running to take advantage of either a late developing hole in the defensive line or where the defensive line is repositioning late.
Even when he is taking a hit up in the centre of the ruck, his feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight corrections to his running direction and he is also able to maintain his speed regardless of the multiple directional changes. He seems just to run at a faster pace than other forwards on the field. It would be fair to say however that there are occasions where he discards the use of footwork and charges almost recklessly into set opposing defences, this is great for motivating his team mates but he in occasion gets hit very very hard.
As you would expect, due to his size and strength, he is a very good defender regardless of position. He will not necessarily hit hard, but he is very good at mirroring the movement of the opposing attacker and wrapping him up ball and all. He is also quick enough to recover and chase if the opposing players gets on the outside. From a team defensive methodology stand point, he seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage. Also regardless of where he defends he has a degree of aggressiveness in relation to how he defends.
Like noted above in relation to his attack, he can occasion try to put on a big hit to fire his team up, this can go wrong however as he is never the biggest forward on the field,. It is a bit of a dilemma because on one hand it is great to see a captain to try to motivate his team by leading by example but you do not want to see a tackle go wrong, regardless you have to be impressed with the thought process. With more experience he will continue to develop these leadership skills.
As already noted, he has already broken into the starting line-up for the Burleigh Bears in the QCup Colts, and based on the start that he has made in that level of competition, I can see him staying in the squad for the entire season, barring injury of course. From a position stand-point, He is a taller lanky type of second rower, and does not have the size or bulk for the front row. The main concern for Daniel Adamson going forward is injuries, I appreciate that they are part of the game, both in terms of running the ball as well as trying to inspire his team with big hits, he has had to deal with a multitude of injures so far in his young career, but hopefully the majority are behind him.
From a player comparison perspective, someone along the lines of current New Zealand Warriors second rower and captain Ryan Hoffman would be an appropriate comparison as an all effort player who is also recognised for his leadership skills. He has another year of eligibility in the U20 age group in 2017 and hopefully the Titans have a look at him as a possible squad member in the NYC side in 2017.
Tyler Lee. He is a young centre/winger who after coming over from Western Australia has started to make a name for himself in the Gold Coast Junior rugby league ranks culminating in his selection in the Gold Coast Green MM squad for the current MM season where he has started the last two of Gold Coast Green’s MM matches on the wing including the weekends 40-22 loss to the Easts Tigers and the previous 58-10 loss to Gold Coast White. He moved over from Western Australia at the start of the 2015 season to play for the Burleigh Bears in the U17 Division One competition and started in the centres for the Bears in their 18-12 Grand Final loss to Runaway Bay. Over the course of the 2015 season, he scored seven tries in 11 matches including doubles against Helensvale and Tweed Heads.
In Western Australia he played three seasons with the Joondalup Giants, the last being the 2014 season at the U16 level where he scored 11 tries in eight matches playing in the centres. He also represented Western Australia in the ASSRL U15 championships from Duncraig Senior High School and in fact made the Pool B (emerging rugby league states pool) Australian Merit team in the centres. He was one of the starting centres in WA’s John Allen Trophy Final victory against Victoria 26-18 and scored a try in that Pool B championship final. He also scored a double against Victoria in their pool match on day 4.
He is sneaky quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside and has just enough speed to finish off try scoring movements if given the room. Like most of the modern day outside backs he also has the ability to find the try line in some unlikely situations where it appears that there is no way he could possibly get the ball down without going into touch. His most impressive attribute from an attacking perspective, is his positioning, he stays out wide to ensure that he is available if opportunities are presented.
Due to his build, he is reasonably effective In terms of chasing attacking kicks and has a very good leap and uses his forward momentum well to get above defenders, where the majority of the time he looks to catch the ball rather than hit it back to his team’s advantage. He will also chase general play kicks with vigour trying to improve the effectiveness of his teams kicking game, he just needs to remain focussed on maintaining his discipline in terms of keeping a straight defensive line when approaching the opposing kick returner.
In defence, he is not the strongest winger, that is something to work on moving forward, but will certainly look to come out of the line to stop the attack quickly. Like all younger players he just needs experience to ensure that he picks the right time to come out of the line. He will show his opposite winger the sideline and is confident that his speed will enable him to get across to make the tackle. In terms of defending kicks he will certainly go up to try to make the catch, but his standing leap is not huge compared to his leap when he has forward momentum and he also needs to ensure that his timing is right. As he fills out and plays against higher quality opposition he will become more effective defensively.
Upon completion of the MM competition and unfortunately it does not appear that the Gold Coast Green MM side will make the quarter final, Tyler Lee will transition back to Burleigh where he will play for the Bears in the U19 Powergard Cup competition which kicked off with Round One over the weekend. Prior to this year he played exclusively in the centre in relation to both club and representative football, but this year has transitioned to the wing to accommodate centres such as Derome Mafi and Broughton Clarke in the GC Green MM side. I am not convinced however that he cannot stay in the centres in the short term at least, he is not going to be a strike centre per say, but he has a solid skill set.
From a player comparison perspective someone along the lines of Brisbane Broncos centre Jack Reed as an effective all round centre, in terms of an outside back who may not have the “perfect” attributes for a modern day player but will surprise in terms of his effectiveness even though he does not have one plus attribute to specifically focus on.
The Titans have had some success in nurturing players from Western Australia in the last couple of years, including current NYC five eight Josh Rogers and lasts years NYC forward Shane Gillham, also Burleigh have two young Western forwards in their current QCup Colts squad being Willem Boshoff and Jordan Waterworth who are both second rowers and both played first grade in Western Australia and remain eligible for U20’s in 2017.
Liam Lazar. The young Tingha Tigers front rower had a big year on the field in 2015 and is looking to continue that on during the upcoming 2016 season. The powerful young front rower scored 30 tries across only 12 games in the 2015 New England Group 19 U14 competition, but finished only second on the try scoring list to Armidale Rams centre Roderick Ahoy. He really enjoyed playing against Guyra, scoring 10 tries across two matches, including six in the last round of the regular season and also scored nine in two games against Moree, with five tries in April 2015. He also kicked one goal, also against Moree for a season point’s total of 122, a good return on the season. The next highest try scorer in his side was nine and across the 2015 season he scored approximately 60% of his teams tries, which is all the more impressive considering that opposition defences really did focus in on him when he took the ball up. In addition he is also a 2016 NIAS Rugby League scholarship holder.
Whilst I note that he played the entire 2015 season in the front row, I really do think that he ends up in the second row in the long term, and an exceptional one at that and thus the comments below reflect that assumption.
The pace and power in terms of how he runs the ball is the outstanding feature of his game, he takes the ball to the line with speed, but he does not just put his head down and rush forward, he uses quick and subtle footwork prior to the line and seems to targets the gaps between defenders and will actively seek out opposing forwards who are slow to move up. When the opposition are on the back foot he will target the smaller defenders on the edge of the ruck and burst through and for a big young bloke he has very good speed over the medium term and has the strength to drag defenders with him.
I would consider that his speed would be considered above average for a backrower but plays faster as a result of him timing his runs so well that the dummy half can present a flat pass to him and also as a result of the power that he runs at. He also has an extra gear when he breaks into open space, and only the quickest of outside backs can catch him once he is in open space.
He is also very effective close to the opposition try line with his ability to burst through tackles. If the defenders do not come off the try he will just drag them across the try line, with his continued development of which running lines he can utilise, such as running an inside shoulder line when close to the opposition try line he will become even more effective and will be an asset to the entire team as defences compress to combat his running thus leaving more room our wide.
One area of development for Liam Lazar moving forward is his off-loading, his off-loading skill attributes in my eyes could be considered untapped. He shows flashes of ability to off load when in contact with the defensive line, but on occasion can try to off load the miracle pass with multiple defenders handing off him, I am sure however that he will become more selective as he progresses.
I appreciate that to date, he is bigger, stronger and faster than the majority of his opponents to date, but it is the intensity and speed that he plays the game at that holds him in good stead as he starts to be selected in representative sides and plays against a higher quality of opposition.
The defensive side of his game is similarly impressive, He does not just charge wildly up looking for a huge hit, but is calculating in where and when to hit. He drives hard with his legs and always uses his shoulder and core body strength to drive into his opponent. He sets a strong lower base by setting his legs and generating force by driving through the tackle with his lower body, gaining leverage and momentum, culminating with the power projecting through his shoulders with the kinetic effects projecting into his opponent. Because of the zone he targets, his tackles derives a lot of dropped balls as his tackles hit the bottom of the football knocking it loose and forcing the mistake from the opposition player.
His defensive dominance will not continue at its current rate as he starts to play against higher quality opposition but the timing and defensive technique that he has will mean that he will always likely be a plus defender. He really does have a very good tackling technique. One understated area of his defensive game is the fact that he will turn and chase nay breaks made by the opposition and in fact has been able to catch even some outside backs because of his willingness to chase.
Moving to the current year he will play at the U16 level as the Group 19 New England Group does not have an U15 competition. He will also be line for selection for the U15 Group 19 side. As noted already he has played the majority of his football to date in the front row but as he transitions to the upper echelons of the junior rugby league age groups, I fully expect him to transition to the back row. He is likely going to be able to play in the front row, but when you have such an explosive powerful runner of the ball, I would prefer to see him utilised on the fridges where he can us his speed, power and footwork to the best possible advantage of his team.
From a player comparison perspective think of South Sydney Rabbitoh Sam Burgess as a big strong powerful hard running and hardworking forward with a touch of class about him and is someone who his team mates will follow as he leads by example.
Rodrick Ahoy. He is a young centre hailing from Armidale on the New South Wales North Coast and has already attended some development sessions for the Titans after playing well for Armidale High School in the annual Challenge Shield which pits the best players from High schools in Armidale and Inverell against each other an initiative that the Titans set up a couple of years ago. In the 2014 Challenge Shield match against Inverell Schools he scored a hat trick in front of Titans scouts.
It must be noted however that he has also attended some junior development camps with South Sydney as well. He has already represented Group 19 at the U14 level and in the three games he played for Group 19, scored two tries. He is also an NIAS Rugby League Program scholarship holder for 2016.
Where his try scoring feats are the most impressive however is in relation to his club football with the Armidale Rams. Playing at centre for the U14 Rams in 2015 he scored an incredible 33 tries in thirteen games and added another try in one game at the U16 level for the Rams. He scored five tries once against Glenn Innes and on three other occasions he scored four tries, in matches against Moree, Glenn Innes and Inverell West. In only one of the 13 games he played at the U14 level did he not cross the try line and that was against Inverell West the team that the Rams met in the 2015 Grand Final. It should come as no surprise that the Armidale Rams won that U14 Grand Final 38-10.
He is just an incredibly fast player who has an effortless running style, he looks like his is gliding across the ground. In the centre position, he has the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is rare in the modern game. When he gets the ball early from his inside play makers, he is incredibly difficult to deal with one on one, as whilst his speed has already been noted, he is also a powerful runner who has the power to also break tackles and not just rely on his speed.
You can just sense the uncertainty in the defensive line when he receives the ball with space to manoeuvre. He is a half/five eight’s dream in that teams will look to get up onto him quickly, potentially leaving space for them to dummy and run if the defensive line cheats out looking for Roderick Ahoy to receive the ball. Also when the team is struggling he can just make something happen out of nothing even against a set defensive line, he can just drift across the field and then explode into any gaps that he can see develop a la James Roberts. He is also adept at making ground out of dummy half especially when he goes into dummy half after a team mate returns a kick or makes a break, he darts out of dummy half using his speed to make ground before the defensive line can reset.
Defensively he does not necessarily stand out, which is a good thing to the extent that he is an effective defender and does not jumper grab but does use his shoulder. Purely from a skill and physical attribute perspective he seems more suited to a sliding defensive methodology rather than an up and in style, but this is more conjecture from me rather than a fact based argument. He certainly has the speed to compensate if he is beaten on the outside.
Moving to the current year he will play at the U16 level as the Group 19 New England Group does not have an U15 competition, but it is unlikely that playing against players a year older than him will impact at all, they have to catch him first. He will almost certainly be one of if not the first player chosen for the U15 Group 19 side. He seems to have played the majority of his football in the centres and whilst that is where he is very likely to stay, having him play at fullback with the extra room available would be very interesting to watch.
A player comparison is quite easy, he has outstanding speed and excellent evasion skills, with similarity to former Titan James Roberts. Understandably this young man has a couple of clubs after him, including the Titans and rightly so.
Aiden Kennedy. The young front rower from Northern New South Wales has recently been selected in the New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges (CCC) Northern Region side for the NSW trials, along with Titans linked juniors in backrower Max Bryant (also a very good cricketer), fullback/centre Isaac Lee, Justin Bleakley (currently playing wing for GC White MM) and silky smooth centre Caleb Nichols (currently playing centre for GC Green CC). He made the Northern NSW CCC squad after standing out for the Lismore Diocese CCC Open side in trials held in Smithtown on April 6.
He played his club rugby league in the Group One combined U16/U17 competition in 2015, representing Lismore Marist Brothers. Across the season he scored 11 tries in ten matches to finish the top try scoring forward in the competition and equal second overall, tied with Titans linked centre/fullback Isaac Lee and new PBC student fullback/five eight Daine Laurie. He scored four double in the 2015 season, being against Kyogle twice, Ballina and Grafton. He is another St Johns College Woodlawn student and thus plays matches in various school boy competitions with them including the National GIO Cup competition.
He is a hard running player who never seems to just put his head down and runs straight, he always uses a slight step prior to contacting the defensive line, coupled with the fact that he drops his shoulder into defenders, means that he is a bit of a handful to tackle and he is not often knocked back onto his heals. He is also good at maintaining his momentum after impacting the defensive line. He seems to have a high work rate and I would suggest that he would normally be at or near the top of his team’s statistics in terms of the number of hit ups he makes and on occasion runs a very good inside shoulder route to supplement his other attacking attributes. He does not off-load the ball much however and probably never be one based on how he asked to play the game.
Defensively he aims hits very hard and usually hits around the top of the ball region and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls by using wrestling techniques well. Last year his speed and mobility seemed to have increased and as a consequence he was better able to mirror the opposition attackers more effectively. He will probably not make a large amount of hits that are going to knock opposing forwards backwards, but opposing forwards are going to feel everyone and start to look out for where he is in the defensive line.
This season he will once again play for Lismore Marist Brothers in the U16.5 Group One junior rugby league competition and may also get an opportunity in the NRRRL Nova Skills U18 competition later in the year. He still is a couple of years away from potentially being an NYC possibility. From a position perspective, he seems to have the skill attributes and mentality to stay in the front row as he moves through the upper echelons of junior rugby league towards senior rugby league competitions.
From a player comparison perspective, I would consider that he plays the front row position similar to how the Titans own Luke Douglas or Canterbury Bulldog Aiden Tolman play the front row position. He is a sold hard working no nonsense type of front rower and every side needs at least one of those although they are usually the last ones noticed by NRL scouts.
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Tyler Carson. He is a young fullback from the Armidale region who is also a very good touch player. He played the 2015 season with the Armidale Rams in the New England Group 19 U14 competition and started at fullback in their Grand Final victory 38-10 against Inverell West. Over the course of the season he scored 17 tries in 12 matches at the U14 level and added an 18th try on the season in three games at the U16 level. He finished second on the try scoring list to Rams team mate, Roderick Ahoy. Add 12 goals and you have a total points haul for Tyler Carson of 98 points. He scored five tries in one game against Warialda and on four other occasions scored doubles. He has also represented Group 19 at the U14 level in 2015 season.
From O’Connor Catholic College, he made this year’s Armidale Diocese U15 rugby league side that played against other Combined Catholic College squads from Northern NSW in Smithtown on 6 April and as a consequence has been named in the U15 Northern NSW CCC for the NSWCCC State Selection Trials. He is also a 2016 NIAS Rugby League Program scholarship holder.
In attack his speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice when you see him play. It is great to see when he takes off, this trait obviously stems from the skills that he has developed playing touch football. He also has an extra gear once he is through the defensive line and has the ability and endurance to maintain his speed over a long distance. Couple his speed with a very good right foot step and you have a young player who seemingly makes breaks at will. He can and will beat defenders in the inside with a step and if the defensive line is staggered a dummy and go, presents multiple headaches for the opposition’s defensive strategies. He also backs up any line breaks made.
At present due to his age and quality of competition, he does not play as a fullback who receives the ball “out the back” from the half/five eight, but he is usually one of the better players in all of the teams that he has played on to date, thus I have no doubt that his passing and decision making skills will improve in these situations as he matures as a player and plays against higher quality teams at club, schoolboy and representative level. He also has very good hands for such a young player and when he retrieves the ball from an opponent’s kick he simply just takes off and is difficult for the opposition to get his hands on again a skill attribute honed from playing touch football.
He is not the biggest or necessarily strongest player but will take the hit when needing to make the tackle in the last line of defence and has the recovery speed to compensate if he needs to turn and chase an opponent’s break.
Moving to the current year he will play at the U16 level as the Group 19 New England Group does not have an U15 competition, but it is unlikely that playing against players a year older than him will impact at all, they have to catch him first. He will also be line for selection for the U15 Group 19 side who this year should have a very good side, especially from an attacking sense at least, they will likely lack some size in the forwards however. He seems to have played the majority of his football in at fullback and seemingly is likely to stay there, however with his speed and footwork off the mark, I am intrigued at how he would go at halfback to be honest.
From a player comparison perspective, think along the lines of former Cowboys fullback Matt Bowen as a fullback with exceptional pace and footwork who is also courageous when it comes to his defensive duties.
Josh Frier. He is a young hooker from just across the New South Wales border and grew up playing for the Bilambil Jets in the Group 18 Junior Rugby League competition. He started at hooker for the East Coast Dolphins U18 side in their loss last weekend to the Greater Northern Tigers in Armidale after representing Group 18 in the selection matches against U18 sides from Groups One and Two. In 2015 Josh Frier played the season with the Gold Coast White CC side that lost their semi-final to the Sunshine Coast, with Frier coming off the bench in that match. He scored three tries I believe in the CC competition in 2015. Previously he has represented Group 18 at the U14 and U15 levels, and plays his school boy football with Tweed River High School which is also where talented Titans linked centre Caleb Nichols and half Ethan Kane also attends.
He is solid all round hooker who distributes effectively to both sides of the ruck. He does have some speed when running out of dummy half but as he progresses up the ladder through higher standards of competitions he will need to ensure that he is selective about when he runs the ball and when he passes. He has become more selective in terms of running out of dummy half and as a result ended up more effective and drew a number of penalties as forwards tired and just could not get back on side.
He is efficient in his passing and there is little wasted movement as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand then pass. He passes well from both sides of his body. His passing to the left is still a little better than to the right, but over the last couple of seasons he made positive strides in that regard, thus there is no reason to expect anything other than continued progression. One thing that he does well in dummy half is not taking his eye off ball until it is in his hands. I know that that sounds like common sense, but even in first grade the number of fumbles that occur from the dummy half is far too high and change the course of a game.
Another skill that he continued to develop playing in CC last year was kicking out of dummy half. He did not kick out of dummy prior to the 2015 season but kicked from there more regularly as the CC season progressed. He is not a long kick, but is effective at finding the ground with his kicks. He was an effective kicker in terms of game management, what I mean by that is that late in games when his team were up or needed a breather he kicked for touch in those instances, which showed a high level of maturity and game management skills.
He defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and is adept at wrapping the ball up. He is also very good defending at marker in terms of harassing the opposition kickers. He is not going to wow you with his defence because you will not see big hits, but you will see an efficient and effective defender. He has very good endurance and projects as a hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange.
He will play this season with the Bilambil Jets at the U17 level and will likely battle for a spot in one of the Gold Coast MM sides in the 2017 season. From a position perspective, he has played the vast majority of his junior rugby league career at hooker and I cannot see why that would change any time soon. He could potentially fill in at half back for short periods of time due to his passing skills but it would only be on an as needs basis to compensate for injuries in the course of a match.
In terms of NRL players with a similar playing style for comparison purposes, think of someone along the lines of how Matt Parcell of the Sea Eagles plays in terms of his running out of dummy half and also his improving passing skills.
Domonic Briggs. He is a young centre from the Toowoomba, who played in the CC competition for Toowoomba in 2015 and is currently playing in the Toowoomba U18 competition and is the leading try scorer through the first four rounds of the competition with eight tries, including two hat tricks against Goondiwindi and Gatton and a double and a goal against Dalby. He also made a bit of a name for himself in 2015 when he scored seven tries in a match for the Pittsworth U16 side in a match against Toowoomba Souths. In the CC competition in 2015 he also crossed the line on a number of occasions including a double on the Round One fixture against Victoria.
He is very quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside and will not get caught from behind if he gets into open space. I would not say that he has blazing speed but he does have above average top end speed and is unlikely to get caught from behind by anyone but the absolute quickest of opponents. His best attribute from an outside back perspective is his ability to keep his width and be available for his team mates, when the opposing defender cheats inside.
When the ball is moved out the back line, he stays on his line, and a lot of the tries that he scored were when he was able to beat his opposite defender when they had come in just a fraction. He probably could have scored a few more tries but made sure that his team would score when in open space as he would draw the fullback and pass to his support when he could have easily gone himself, a sign of a smart team player.
When playing in the centres he looked to draw in the winger to try to create space down the touch line for the attackers outside him, but he does have enough pace, when he is able to get outside his opposing defender and make line breaks when the defensive winger stays out. Thus from what I have seen he has very good situational awareness in attack from the centre position.
In defence, he is not the strongest player but will certainly look to hold his line defensively. I did not often see him come in when he did not need to, preferring to stay on his oppose number and trusting his teams inside and outside defenders. From my perspective at least, his skill set in defence is more suited to a sliding defence structure rather than an up and in one. Working on his functional strength whilst maintaining his speed will I am sure will be a focus going forward.
This season he will play the season in the U18 Toowoomba competition and is still eligible for U18 rugby league in 2017 and should be a sure fire selection for Toowoomba in the MM competition in 2017. He will also likely be involved in the Darling Downs U18 QSSRL squad later in the year. From a position perspective, even though he has played the majority of his junior football in the centres, I think that as he progresses to the senior ranks he will transition to the wing. He has the speed to stay at centre certainly but probably does not have the size and strength especially from a defensive perspective and thus a move to the wing where he can utilise his speed and his uncanny ability to find the try line can be used to its greatest effect would seem an appropriate career path.
From a player comparison perspective, for me he plays a little like former Titans winger Kevin Gordon with his speed (before multiple injuries for Kevin) and his ability to find the try line.
Errol Simpson. He is a young utility back, who has spent time at fullback, centre and most recently five eight in the Toowoomba U18 competition this season for Burnett. After the opening rounds he is second on the try scoring list with six tries, including a hat trick against Pittsworth and a double against Dalby. He is originally from Cherbourg and has moved to pursue his rugby league career and in 2015 represented Wide Bay Bulls in the U16 age group for the SEQ age championships scoring a try and kicking a goal in a victory against the North Queensland Marlins on Day 4. In 2015 he also represented U16 Queensland Murri in their annual match against NSW Kurri where he played against Titans linked centre/five eight Will Lockwood and front rower Isiah Barker originally front Kempsey and now both residing on the Gold Coast and attending PBC High School.
He is a bit of an enigma in terms of how he plays, he certainly plays what is in front of him but does seem to struggle in a structured environment in comparison to when he plays off the cuff. I was intrigued to see him play five eight, in the sense that he is very unpredictable when he gets the ball, he is adept at running himself and has a very good turn of speed off the mark and similarly can throw some superb passes to his support runners, but at the same time passes will go to ground because his team mates are sometimes not thinking alone the same lines that he does. To that extent currently he is a much better runner of the ball and can step off both feet and is quite strong for his size and will shrug off larger defenders if they try to go high and wrap up the ball.
He drifts across field very slowly and then just takes off through any gaps in a staggered defensive line. He plays a similar way when he played at fullback and whilst I would much rather fullbacks just grab the ball and gain as much ground as possible by running straight, he takes his time to size up the chase and then will try to create something then and regularly makes ground in those situations. When he plays in the centres he does in fact play a modified style in the context that he run into gaps for his ball players and is also quite good at drawing in outside defenders to give his winger a clear path to the line by creating a two on one situation.
Defensively is actually quite aggressive in terms of finishing off tackles and certainly seems adept at getting his hands between attackers and their support players and knocking the ball down. He does need to be aware however not to go for the intercept too much, but his quick feet enable him to defend well especially against small light stepping attackers as he can mirror their movement.
He will play this year in the Toowoomba TRL U18 competition and will be eligible against for that age group in 2017, I will be intrigued whether he tries out for the Toowoomba MM squad, he should he has the natural ability but it will come down to the style that the coach wants to play. From a position perspective, due to how he plays what is in front of him and thus is less comfortable in with a structured attacking methodology at present at least, although I am sure that will develop. I would suggest that his best position moving forward would be at fullback in the short term at least where he can see the entire field in front of him and look to create from there.
He will need the right coach to harness his natural skills. If a coach tries to change him into playing to a set pattern I think that he will struggle but if a coach is prepared to give him free reign then the skills he possesses means that he could develop into a very interesting player indeed over the coming seasons.
From a player comparison perspective, the only one that I can think of is long retired Manly Sea Eagle Cliff Lyons as a natural player who is more at home the less structured the game plan is and could throw some memorable passes. The closest I can think of in terms of a current NRL player is Jonathon Thurston in terms of his ability to do the unexpected with the ball in his hands.
Wally Pegler. He is a young fullback/halfback from the Toowoomba region and is currently playing in the U18 Toowoomba TRL competition where he is the leading point’s scorer in the early rounds with 46 total points so far, made up of three tries and 17 goals, including a double in Round One against Brothers. He also played in the U18 TRL competition in 2015 scoring 10 tries and kicking 36 goals across the season for a total point’s tally of 112. In 2013 he represented Queensland Murri U16’s coming off the bench in the annual interstate clash. Titans linked winger Lui Lockington was a team mate that night started on the wing for Queensland Murri against NSW Kurri U16. He also played school boy football for Toowoomba State School. He was also fortunate to be selected as a guest player for a Legends of League match that was held in Toowoomba a couple of years ago, he came off the bench to score three tries, playing with the likes of Steve Renouf that night.
He is an agile runner of the football who relies on his decent speed and elusiveness to make it difficult for larger opponents to line him up. When lining up at fullback he always makes himself available for offloads in the centre of the ruck. He has decent speed but not absolute blazing speed, relying instead on his positioning to compensate. When he retrieves the ball he makes a decision quickly about where to look to run around a staggered defensive line or to run straight in an effort to make as much ground as possible.
To date he has not been asked to be a ball player out of the back of the ruck so it will be interesting to see how that skill develops as he plays at the higher levels, including as early as next year in the Mal Meninga Cup competition. Also his hands at fullback are as safe as I have seen in a young fullback regardless of the type of kick put towards him. His other calling card is his positioning, he always seems to be the right place at the right time, to defuse bombs, attacking short kicks, potential 40/20 kicks etc.
He is also a very good goal kicker with both good range and very good accuracy. I would suggest that he was an opportunity to be his side’s primary goal kicker regardless of the level that he progresses to into the future.
He is not the biggest or necessarily strongest player but will take the hit when needing to make the tackle in the last line of defence and will focus exclusively on the ball carrier, forcing the attacking player to make the decision of what to do with the ball, rather than proving the attacker the avenue to make an easier decision.
He will play this year in the U18 TRL Toowoomba competition and I am a little surprised he is not part of the Toowoomba MM squad this year after playing in the CC competition previously.
From a long term position perspective, I think that the likelihood of a transition to the wing is more probable than a future at fullback, although I do note that he started Round Four of the TRL U18 competition at half back, he played the first three rounds at fullback. He is an extremely safe player in terms of fielding kicks and being at the right place at the right time but at this point in his career, does not play a lot like the current fullbacks in terms of playing like a second five eight.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone like St George Dragons and New Zealand test winger Shaun Nightingale as an extremely competent winger who may not make highlight reel plays but quietly does what needs to be done in terms of safe hands and positioning. He also has a similarity in playing style to the Cowboys Shaun Feldt.
He does not have the explosive or highlight reel type of game that is going to stand out for NRL scouts necessarily so in terms of the possibility of obtaining an NYC contract next year is probably unlikely, the more likely route is playing for the Toowoomba QCup Colts side in 2017 and making a name of himself there to attract NRL scouts. The Toowoomba Colts side is very competitive this season and that will help the cause of young players like Wally Pegler and Kurtis Shayler. For the last couple of years the Titans have had a link with the Toowoomba Junior Rugby League so hopefully that link starts to bear fruit.
Payne Haas. He is a giant local young front rower who is currently starring for Gold Coast Green in the MM competition and in fact has been the stand out front rower throughout the MM competition and is eligible again for that competition. So far in the MM competition for Gold Coast Green MM he has scored two tries which came from a double against the South’s Logan Magpies in Round Three. Even in the 58-10 loss to the Gold Coast White MM he was probably the best forward on the field.
He was part of our Junior Development System until the NRL took over the Titans last year and subsequently signed with the New Zealand Warriors but…….
He has also been selected in the South Coast Open Rugby League side after starring in the trials. He attends Keebra Park and even though last year he was still eligible for the CC competition he was superb against PBC in a GIO Cup semi-final even though Keebra lost. He has also previously represented New South Wales at the U16 level, opposing Titans linked players Ben Thomas, Darius Farmer and Max Dowd, Queensland won that interstate match.
That is only one small component of his representative resume. In 2014 he represented South Coast at the U15 level in the QSSRL competition, South Coast finished second in the competition, losing the Grand Final to Met West 18-10, with Payne scoring a try in that match to be named South Coast Player of the Match, he was also named Player of the Carnival. He also scored a try on Day Two in a 26-10 win against Darling Downs.
From there he was named in the Queensland Maroons side to play in the ASSRL National U15 competition, where Queensland Maroons won the Championship Final 34-6 against Queensland Maroon. A team mate in the final was Titans linked Jacob Faribank. On Day Three he scored in a 10-6 victory over NSW CCC and was also named the Qld Maroons player of the match. As a result of his performances he was also named Player of the Carnival. The Titans have had a very good run with linked players being U15 ASSRL Player of the Carnival with Geordie Brand and Ethan Paikea previously being named Player of the Carnival, about time front rowers got some recognition. He has also represented the Phillipines in a U16 match, scoring four tries and being named Player of the Match.
A is a powerful giant young man who for his size is very quick on his feet. He takes the line on with pace and powerful and literally just smashes his way through opposing defences. When he runs to the line he does have a subtle step and almost always steps back towards the play the ball, it is not a big step but just enough to break up his running angle so that the defensive line cannot key in on him. Opposing MM defences have not been able to negate him one on one, even the GC White MM side who have some very good defenders such as Blake Lenehan, Kobe Tararo and Darius Farmer. Even the MM White big hitters such as Xavier Johannson have not made much of a dent.
The dilemma for opposing forwards when they are looking to tackle Payne Haas is how to actually tackle him, do you go higher and try to wrap up the ball and potentially get bumped off due to his size and strength or do you go low with a potential outcome being to allow him the get his hands free, also he constantly pumps his legs and thus can break free of tackles. It is not just the size and strength that is so impressive it is the speed he has for such a big young man, he runs at the line with plus speed for a front rower even against opposition two or three years older. He has scored a number of tries from close to the line where he just powers through defenders and is almost close to unstoppable when receiving the ball close to the line.
When he gets to the NYC level, and it is when not if, he is going to be an asset to his team in relation to drawing in defenders when he runs especially close to the line as teams will have to compress their defensive line to combat him, but play makers then will have more room to work with by using him as a decoy runner. If there is one minute critique is that sometimes he runs too front on and takes opposing forwards on chest to chest, when he drops his shoulder into the oncoming defender he is more effective, but this is only a very very small issue.
One area that he has not seemed to use too often this year, but does seem to have the capacity to develop based on his size, skills and footwork is the ability to off load before the line, an example of what I am meaning is how the Canterbury Bulldogs forward pack uses those small offloads prior to the line. Stanley Jackson has shown glimpses of having the skills to utilise the same skills if the opportunities arise, developing this skill with only enhance his effectiveness.
In defence he uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. He is not adverse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining leverage and for his size plus agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck, although clearly he is more effective in the centre of the ruck, as most front rowers are, but do not underestimate his ability to mirror smaller quicker opposing attackers. Another positive trait is that when defending against smaller opponents he keeps his arms low to look to mitigate the risk of giving away penalties for a high tackle.
He will finish the MM season this week with Gold Coast MM Green as they will not make the quarter Finals and over the course of their season was probably their best player, just shading young five eight Kyle Williams, who must surely get most improved. As already noted he has been selected in the South Coast U18 side for the QSSRL competition and will almost certainly be selected in one of the two Queensland sides which will contest the ASSRL U18 championships and he will be a front runner for an Australian School boys berth. He will also play for Keebra Park in the Super Six and GIO Cup competitions and no doubt lead from the front for them, just like he did last year against Arch rivals PBC. In terms of 2017, I have absolutely no doubt that even though he is still eligible for the MM competition he will spend most if not all of the year in the NYC competition. I would not be surprised to see him play QCup Colts by the end of this year either.
He is and has always been a front rower even back to his days with the Titans U13 and U14 develop squads when they played matches at Redlands.
From a player comparison, there are really very few players even in the NRL with his combination of size, speed, strength and power. The closest player I can think of in terms of a similar playing style is South Sydney and English International Sam Burgess.
A poster whose opinion I value mentioned this young man, and subsequent to video review recollection from live matches etc...
Emani Vaovasa. He is a young backrower, originally from Wellington New Zealand who along with his younger brother Bryson ( a young centre) moved over to the Gold Coast at the start of the 2015 season to attend Keebra Park. Both have started to make a name for themselves since. He is currently playing for the Gold Coast Green MM side that finish their season this weekend in a match against the South’s Logan Magpies, but unfortunately they will miss the quarter finals, with GC White and Easts. He came into the GC Green MM side in Round Three on the interchange and the following week, broke into the starting side in their most recent match against MM White, scoring a try in Green’s heavy 58-10 loss. He was in the starting line up again in Round 6 against Easts and also crossing for his second try in as many games and has been named at lock for the final match against South’s Logan.
He also represented the Wellington Orca’s at the U15 level in the New Zealand National Age Championships in 2013 and at the U17 level in the 2014 Championships where he scored a try in the U17 Orca’s victory 28-26 against the Wai-Coa-Bay Colts, he also converted a try as well. I am not going to cover his goal kicking as I do not believe that it is something that he will continue with as he progresses towards the senior ranks.
Also in 2014 he made the U16 New Zealand High Performance Squad, a team mate in that squad was Titan Elite Academy member and Gold Coast White MM player Bostyn Hakaraia, where in a trial he played for Team Vatuvei and started in the second row of that match from memory his team won that trial where was played at the end of the camp. His club side in New Zealand was the St George Dragons in the Wellington Junior Rugby League competition, he last played for them in 2014 where he played at the U17 age group I believe.
During the 2015 season he played for the Nerang Roosters at the U17 Division One level, scoring three tries as well as kicking seven goals for a points haul on the season of 26. Over the course of the season he played a number of positions in the forward pack for the Roosters including starting a number of matches in the front row. A team mate in eth Nerang side was Titans linked fullback Jordan Birch.
He is a hard running backrower who runs a line on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into thus making the play makers on his team look good. Where he really excels though is his footwork, he has very good late and quick foot work, usually a step off the right foot which enables him to change direction quickly allowing him to readjust where he is running to take advantage of either a late developing hole in the defensive line or where the defensive line is repositioning late to counter the attacking threat identified.
Even when he is taking a hit up in the centre of the ruck, his feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight corrections to his running direction and he is also able to maintain his speed regardless of the number of directional changes he undertakes. He seems just to run at a faster pace than most of the other forwards on the field. These attributes lead to a number of breaks or half breaks that his team can capitalise on. These critical attributes mean that he is difficult to target and runs at a very fast pace into the defensive line but the fluidity of his directional changes means he is a difficult target to get a line on for defenders. In relation to his speed I would argue that it is above average for a backrower, both in terms of speed off the mark and top end speed.
Defensively he hits very hard and usually aims for around the top of the ball and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls, although he does need to be aware of how quickly some referees will blow penalties for holding down. He is equally adept at defending in the centre of the ruck as he is defending on the fringes and his initial contact is more than sufficient to make an impact on the ball carrier. His lateral speed is solid due to his quick feet and thus he is effective at defending against smaller dynamic runners out of dummy half as well as half backs and five eights running of the fringes looking to isolate forwards.
Upon competition of the MM competition, he will transition back to play at the U19 level in the local Gold Coast Competition. From a position perspective, at least since he has moved to the Gold Coast and also before that for the Wellington Orca’s he has played in the back row, although as noted he did play some matches this year in the front row and based on the quality of his play through the MM competition, his future seems to lie in the back row in the long term.
From a player comparison perspective, someone with a similar playing style that could be used for a comparison perspective would be the Brisbane Broncos backrower Alex Glenn as a strong hard running, hard tackling aggressive and effective backrower who can play for 80 minutes without the need for a break on the interchange bench. He already probably about the same size as Alex Glenn as well just to finish off the comparison.
Huston Holloway. He is talented young halfback/five eight, originally from the North Shore of New Zealand who has had a good season for Gold Coast Green in the MM competition and has already made his QCup Colts debut for Burleigh, in fact captaining the side as well as crossing for a try on debut, he actually played at lock in that match against the North’s Devils at Bishop Park, unfortunately Burleigh lost that match 56-22. For MM Green, he has either come off the bench or played at five eight, alternating with the much improved Kyle Williams, and that has been where he has been named for the final MM match of the season against the South’s Logan Magpies. So far over the course of the MM season he has scored a try in Round Six against the Easts Tigers. He also played a couple of games in MM in the 2015 season, scoring a try against North’s in a 28-26 loss.
During the 2015 season he played at the Division One U17 level for the Nerang Roosters, scoring 13 tries and a single goal in 13 matches which culminated in an 18-12 victory against Burleigh where he started at five eight. Team mates that night included Titans linked fullback Jordan Birch and front rower Bronson Kennich, another team mate was impressive hooker Jayden Parker who is also in the MM Green side. During the 2015 season he scored five tries against the Southport Tigers, a hat trick against the Mudgeeraba Redbacks and doubles against the Seagulls and Helensvale Hornets.
In attack, as already noted he is a half/five eight who is a reasonably dynamic runner of the football who excels in taking on the defensive line with good footwork around the ruck, looking to seek out bigger slower forwards when they are caught on the edge of the ruck. He has above average to plus speed off the mark, but does not necessary have plus top end speed to individually exploit his own breaks and thus needs to look to off load once he breaks through the defensive line as the cover defence starts to converge.
He does very good foot work that he uses to good effect in tight spaces. He has a very good step off both feet and can put together combinations of steps over a short distance to break free of situations where he is seemingly surrounded by defenders and going nowhere.
When his backline is set deep, he can see an overlap or a another play developing he will get the ball out quickly and effectively, using his solid passing skills from both sides of his body, where he will put the football out in front of his runners. His long passing game is reasonably good from an accuracy perspective, but something that can be worked on. Possibly the feature of his passing game where he has made the most improvement is when he takes the ball to the line and holding the ball until the last possible moment looking to draw in the defender on his outside and putting a forward/centre running into the resulting hole. He seems to be better running to the right side of the field in this circumstance. I am sure that the continued evolution of his short passing game to put his runners into holes will be a key focus area for him, but he certainly has made very positive strides in that area over the last year or so. He makes the decision what to do with the ball quickly thus enabling the ball to get out wide quickly and also backs up well, which adds another string to his bow.
He has a solid all round kicking game but needs to ensure that he does not try to kick the ball too hard and lose accuracy as a result on occasion he does take a little while to get his kicks away and this is something that he may need to work on, but when not rushed he does generate significant distance and accuracy, again a linear development path will address any of the very small issues discussed. In terms of attacking kicks he has a very good short kicking game in terms of putting the ball into the in goal area, looking for either a try directly from the kick or earning a goal line drop out. With likely continued improvement and experience, he has the ceiling to be his side’s primary tactical kicking option, but his floor is that of a more than effective secondary option.
Defensively he has decent, although not great size for a half/five eight, and probably would be considered an above average defenders for his age group on the Gold Coast. He is an asset to his team’s defensive pattern to the extent that he has the technique to more than hold his own one on one against wide running forwards and thus a forward does not necessarily need to be allocated to the fringes of the ruck for defensive purposes. From what I understand he held his own playing at lock for Burleigh in Colts and obviously continue to work on his stamina in terms of not allowing the additional work he will do in defence at the higher levels to detract from his attacking game.
Once the MM competition is completed this weekend he will transition back to club football and will play at the U19 level in the local Powergard Cup as well I am sure more opportunities with Burleigh at the QCup Colts level. From a position perspective, certainly since he has come over from New Zealand has played a variety of positions including halfback, five eight and even lock, but based on his skill set and physical attributes, I envisage that his ultimate future lies at the halfback position and one who has a very good attacking ****nal at his disposal.
From a player comparison perspective, I would consider that the North Queensland Cowboys and Queensland State of Origin representative Michael Morgan has a similar playing style, being that of a talented attacking player who continues to develop the ability to bring his team mates into the game by developing his skills around taking the ball to the line and putting his runners through gaps as they develop.
At present he does not have a contract with an NRL club to play at the NYC level, but I am sure that will happen sometime this year and then it is up to Huston Holloway. I hope that he is being considered by the Titans along with the likes of Kyle Williams, both have made the most of their opportunities with the Gold Coast Green MM side this year.
Bryson Vaovasa. He is a solid young centre originally from Wellington in New Zealand who came over to Australia with his older brother Emani (GC Green MM backrower) at the start of the 2015 season and to attend Keebra Park High School and to say that he had a good first year on the Gold Coast would be an understatement. In his first year on the Gold Coast he represented both the U14 Vikings and Kookaburras and was the leading try scorer for the Queensland U14 age championships in June with 8. AT the end of last year he also represented Samoa at the U14 level against a Titans U14 Development side and was one of Samoa’s best that afternoon, when he was up against opposing centres Noah Leiua and Conrad Skelton. He was also named in the 2015 Keebra Park Team of the Year where he was named on the bench. In New Zealand, like his brother he played with the St George club in the Wellington Junior Rugby League District.
In 2015 he played for Southport at the U14 Division One level and started at five eight in their 42-12 Grand Final victory over the Ormeau Shearers and scored three tries and kicked three goals in the match. Over the course of the 2015 season he was almost unstoppable on the way to scoring 26 tries and kicking 39 goals to easily top both the try scoring list and the points scoring list with 183 points. That points total actually was the highest across all grades and age groups in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League region. He scored in every game through the season, including scoring five hat tricks which were against Helensvale, Beaudesert, Nerang and Ormeau twice.
He also was part of the U14 South East Queensland White side of the Queensland age championships and as noted was the competitions leading try scorer with eight, including two tries against the Capricorn Capra’s on Day One, a try against Wide Bay Bulls on Day Two, a hat trick against the South West Mustangs on Day Four and a try in a draw against SEQ Red. His side won the U14 Championship to top off a great championship for him.
He is a solid hard running centre/backrower who runs straight lines with footwork, usually outside the opposing centre and looks to exploit his strength advantage against opposing centres. He has decent top end speed and similarly decent speed off the mark. I would suggest his speed is average for a centre but above average for a back rower. From the games that I have seen, he usually lines up at left centre.
When opposing centres are able to get hold of him, he usually is able to maintain his balance and keeps an arm free, looking to offload due to his low centre of gravity. He has more tools though than just an in and away, he will also use his size and strength to run straight over smaller opposing centres as well as also having the skill to step back inside of the defender if he is pushing to the outside too early. What he is also quite adept at doing is timing his pass to his outside supports if the outside defender looks to come in and help defend him allowing an overlap to develop.
In terms of his goal kicking he can generate good distance with his kicks but his accuracy does suffer a little when he kicks are further away from the posts. I do not think that he will ultimately end up as a team’s primary kicker, but he is certainly good enough to be a decent secondary option.
When defending in the centres, he really does look to come out of the line to intimidate his opposite centre and hit his opposing centre as hard as possible to cut off the attacking play before it has time to fully develop. He does not let the play unfold in front of him, he looks to disrupt as early as possible. With his size and defensive tendencies when defending in the centres, he is more suited to an up and in defensive methodology compared to a sliding system, where quicker opposing centres look to get on his outside and use their pace against him.
He will play at the U15 level in the 2016 season for Southport gain and obviously continue to play for Keebra in their U15 competitions. I must admit that I was surprised that he was not selected in the South Coast QSSRL U15 side this year. Ultimately I think that he ends up in the back row in the long term as he progress towards the senior ranks but in the short term, the way he is playing in the centres suggests that he will be given every opportunity to stay there.
From a player comparison perspective, if you look at the playing style of St George Dragons second row/centre Joel Thompson you will in my opinion get an appreciation of the playing style of Bryson Vaovasa.
Hayden Loughrey. He is a young fullback from the North Tamworth Club in the Group 4 competition which has already provided with Titans with a number of players over the years. He also plays his schoolboy football for Farrar Agricultural College and was selected in the Greater Northern Tigers U18 side for this year, but unfortunately was injured in the first minute of the Greater Northern Tigers opening match against the East Coast Dolphins and is not ready to come back from the injury yet. He is also part of the 2015/16 Greater Northern Academy Squad and was also part of the Greater Northern Tigers U18 side that won the NSW Country championships in 2015 and also represented the Tigers at the U16 level previously.
As noted he plays his club rugby league for North Tamworth and during the 2015 season played a number of matches at the U18 level, including the Grand Final which North Tamworth won 56 – 10 over Gunnedah, with Hayden Loughrey playing at centre. Titans NYC players, Cory Minicharios and Tye Barry were also part of the grand final winning side with Manicharios scoring a hat trick in the first ten minutes. Over the course of the season at the U18 level he only played in six matches but scored 10 tries in his limited match time including four in a match against Gunnedah (not the grand final) and hat tricks against West lions and Oxley Diggers. He also made his Group 4 First Grade debut on 13 June in a match against Wests Lions where he started on the wing and scored four tries. Even though in 2014 he was eligible for U16’s he played the majority of the season at the U18 level scoring 13 tries in five matches with two hauls of 4 tries in matches against Narrabri Blues and the Kootingal Roosters.
He is a silky smooth runner of the football, who looks like he glides across the field picking and choosing his time to get involved from the fullback position and clearly wants to have the ball in his hands when the game is on the line or his team needs someone to stand up and be counted. He is exceptionally quick off the mark and when the ball is being brought out of his teams half he is always around the forwards looking for off loads, or taking the ball up himself where he will take advantage of tiring forwards to make ground in the centre of the ruck.
It is not just his speed off the mark that is so impressive, it is the extended distance that he can maintain his top speed. Once he is through the initial defensive line, he has an extra gear as well to outpace any cover defence. Making his speed even more difficult to deal with for defences is his foot work, he is able to change direction very quickly which enables him to take advantage of a staggered defensive line when returning kicks.
He also can play the way a lot of the current fullbacks play when they receive the football, “out the back” from the half/five eight. Most young fullbacks seem to run more in those situations but not Hayden Loughrey he sizes up what the defensive line is doing and will throw the appropriate, whether that is a cut out pass to the winger if the defensive line comes in or a short ball to the centre if the defensive line is sliding to compensate for the change in the axis of the attack. In the instances when he runs, he will dummy, step and accelerate quickly. I can see no discernible difference in relation to the quality of his step regardless of what foot he steps off.
He also has very good positional sense for the fullback position in terms of taking a high percentage of opposing teams general play kicks on the full, thus regularly giving his team good initial field position to start their set of six tackles. Similarly his positional sense when close to his own goal line means he defuses a lot of attacking grubber kicks. He will also take the responsibility to run the ball back himself rather than hand it off to his winger where he runs with pace and strength. When the kick goes to a winger, he is good at running out of dummy half prior to the defensive line getting set for the next play the ball. Another aspect in relation to returning kicks is that he attacks grubber and chip kicks rather than waiting back to see how the play unfolds. In short he does not wait for the game to come to him, he makes thing happen on the field by taking the game on every chance he gets.
Defensively he is a solid defender who will look to come forward when a break has been made to cut down the decision making time of the attacking team he will hit hard in the tackle. He also will not take a dummy either. He uses the sideline very well from a defensive stand point. He will always stay inside the attacker presenting him with the sideline and then once the attacker has committed to the side line, he will use his speed and momentum to force the attacker into touch. He is his team’s defensive quarter back in terms of the positioning of the defensive line, you can hear him talking and encouraging constantly and was understandably named captain of the Farrar side for this year.
Moving forward to this season, the injury in the first match of the year for the Greater Northern Tigers is disappointing but when he is back to full fitness, he will likely alternate between 1st grade and U18’s for North Tamworth, this will be the third year in a row that he will play some U18 matches thus he has nothing left to prove there so hopefully he gets to add to his one 1st grade match. He will also captain the Farrar Agricultural College Open Rugby League side in their various school boy competitions including the National GIO Cup competition. From a position perspective, he has already played a number of positions including fullback, centre and wing, but for me, with is ability to see the entire field and his speed and anticipation, I can envisage a future at fullback, even though he could more that handle the centre or wing positions.
From a player comparison perspective, I can see aspects of former Brisbane Bronco, Queensland State of Origin and Australian Test captain Darren Lockyer in his play. He just seems to glide across the field and make things happen either by slicing through the defence himself or putting his team mates into gaps. He is as good as any junior fullback that I have seen in terms of playing like a second five eight when he receives the ball from the halfback or five eight “out the back”.
He surely will get an opportunity at the NYC level next year, he is just too classy not to get the opportunity then it all comes down to luck with injuries, trail form etc. He is certainly a talented player.
Bailey Court. He is a local young hooker from the Helensvale Hornets junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast and came into the Gold Coast Green MM side for their final match of the season against South Logan Magpies. He came off the bench on Sunday and scored a try in their 38 – 26 loss. He has previously played a number of matches for the Gold Coast Titans development squad, including a U17 development squad match early in 2015 against the Northern Rivers rugby league academy and was probably the best player on the field.
This year his opportunities at the MM level were limited as a result of the exceptional play of Jayden Parker who started every match at hooker for Gold Coast Green MM. For Helensvale in 2015, he scored six tries and kicked two goals, including scoring a double in a match against Seagulls for a 28 point haul. His previous representative experience includes being selected for the South East Queensland Chairman’s XIII for the 2014 Queensland Age Championships.
He is solid all round hooker who distributes effectively to both sides of the ruck. He does have some speed when running out of dummy half but as he progresses up the ladder through higher standards of competitions he will need to ensure that he is selective about when he runs the ball and when he passes as at present he sometimes possibly runs a little too often. At present he has reasonably decent speed off the mark and does a good job of finding holes behind the play the ball, but does not have the speed to finish off any breaks himself and thus needs to ensure that he works progressively through his options once he is in the clear. Close to the line he will get down low a push hard towards the line if the defence fails to take into account his presence.
He is efficient in his passing and there is little wasted movement as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand then pass. He passes well from both sides of his body although his passing to the right seems ever so slightly better than to the left though, both in terms of distance and consistency. He is also adept at leading his forwards onto the ball so that they do not have to adjust their run at the last minute.
He defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and is adept at wrapping the ball up. He is also very good defending at marker in terms of harassing the opposition kickers. Whilst he hits hard it is not necessarily to the extent that he will rock the opponent’s head backwards but certainly solid enough to halt the momentum of the ball carrier, even though he has the capacity to when he is fired up. What you will see is an efficient and effective defender with a hard streak. He also seems to be a good talker in the defensive line, constantly encouraging his team mates. He can on occasion get fired up and try to go for the big hit and just needs to temper his intensity on occasion.
He has very good endurance and projects as a hooker who will be able to play the entire 80 minutes without interchange, which will become a critical skill as the number of interchange’s are reduced to 8 this year, and possibly even lower in subsequent years.
Now that the MM competition is completed he will transition back to the local U19 competition for the Helensvale Hornets and will look to push his claims for a spot in an U20 competition next year. From a position perspective as a result of his solid distribution skills and decent speed off the mark out of dummy half, he seems set to continue at hooker, no matter where he ends up from a competition perspective.
In relation to a player comparison perspective, his style of play is reminiscent of the way Michael Ennis plays (of course without the horrendous niggle), he just wants to win.
Next year for Bailey Court will be very interesting, I do not think that he will get an NYC contract immediately and will need to get his opportunity at the QCup Colts level and then go from there, but if he gets an opportunity he will make the most of it and you should not count him out from progressing further.
Callan Vanderstok. He is a young front rower from the Ballina Seagulls junior rugby league club which is the junior club of Titans NYC player Brian Kelly and has started in the front row of the East Coast Dolphins first two matches in the New South Wales country championships. In those two games he has been up against the two biggest forward packs, being the Greater Northern Tigers and the Newcastle Rebels and he has held his own on each occasion. In 2015 he played in the U18 Nova Skills NRRRL competition and only crossed for one try which was against Casino RSM and also played three reserve grade matches, his Ballina U18 side finished second on the table in 2015. Previously he has represented Group One at the U16 level in 2013 and represented Xavier Catholic College in relation to schoolboy football, in both league and union I believe.
He runs as hard as he can and straight full stop, and he understands that his role is to take hit ups and always is available when the ball needs to be taken out from his goal line and for a front rower he really gets back quickly to take his turn. He is also a smart footballer to the extent that he understands the attacking plays unfolding and stays out of the way on those occasions. He sometimes gets absolutely belter but in those instances his ball security is very good and he will just keep getting up ready to take another hit up. In the first two rounds of the New South Age Championships he has also played quite big minutes for a young front rower, especially against good quality opposition thus there is a body of evidence that he has good stamina to go with courage and toughness.
In defence he is not a big hitter, preferring to make sure that the tackle is made and is very effective both in terms of initial contact and also coming in and wrapping up the football. He does not necessarily have the size or strength of the majority of other forwards and his lateral movement can only be considered reasonable, but he does compensate by giving everything he has every time he runs onto the field. Where he also quite adept is being the second or third defender to come into the tackle to either wrap up the ball or to bring the attacking player to the ground to slow down the subsequent play the ball.
Post the New South Wales country championships and unfortunately with two losses from their first two games the U18 East Coast Dolphins side are highly unlikely to make the final, he will transition back to club football, playing for Ballina in the Nova Skills U18 NRRRL competition for the second straight year and maybe later in the year one or two first grade games in addition to more reserve grade games almost certainly. From position perspective, in his career to date, he has played exclusively in the front row and with his physical attributes and skill set this is not likely to change as he makes the transition to the senior rugby league ranks, all be in he is not going to ever be the biggest front rower running around.
From a player comparison perspective, someone with a similar playing style to get an understanding of the playing style of Callan Vanderstok would be the Titans own Luke Douglas as a front rower who will in many cases be overlooked but will give their all on the field. Players like Callan are not the biggest, strongest, fastest or most dynamic and will likely take a while to reach their potential, and the odds may be stacked against them making the first grade level or even the NYC level, but then again that is what dreams are made of.
To make it into an NYC squad, I would think that he is going to have to do it the hard way, being through moving to the Gold Coast and breaking into the Colts competition with Tweed Heads, already this season a number of young players from Northern New South Wales have come into the Tweed Heads and Burleigh Bears Colts squads and once you get there players are you just never know who is watching any given game.
Jack Patterson. He is a talented goal kicking backrower from the North Tamworth junior rugby league club in the New South Wales Country Group 4 competition who currently starting in the second row for the Greater Northern Tigers U18 side, including to date kicking five goals so far in the competition, kicking one in Round One against the East Coast Dolphins and four more in Round Two against the Central Coast Centurions on the weekend just gone. He also represented the Greater Northern Tigers at the U16 level in 2015.
During the 2015 season, he scored nine tries and kicked seven goals for North Tamworth and to top off a good club season started in the second row and scored a try in their grand final victory over the Narrabri Blues 26-12. He also scored a hat trick in the regular season against Narrabri and a double against Gunnedah.
He is not the biggest young backrower you will ever see, but he is all effort in attack and will constantly run the ball into the heart of the opposition forward pack regardless of how big they are. He is a smart runner though to the extent that he does use good foot work prior to the defensive line to help negate his lack of size and he also has very good leg drive once initial contact has been made. He also fights hard when tackled to ensure he gets a quick play the ball to maintain the momentum for his side.
In addition, he has enough speed as can be seen by the fact that he played some centre in younger grades for Farrar in previous seasons, to be an effective runner of the football to run the ball on the edges of the ruck. He is not exceptionally quick but quick enough to rush defenders to make a decision of when to commit to the tackle. Another area where he is quite effective is when he goes into dummy half to distribute the football, where he has a decent pass to both sides all be it in limited opportunities.
As his statistics show for Farrar and the Greater Northern Tigers he is an accurate goal kicker who also gets a good deal of distance with his kicks with an effortless style, he just looks a natural goal kicker. Even though he is a very good goal kicker in the majority of matches for both Farrar in club and schoolboy football he was not the primary goal kicking option, which fell to winger Jack Saunders. As he continues to get naturally stronger, there is no reason to suggest that he will have any problem at all from getting the distance from the sidelines whilst maintaining his accuracy and thus will be an option to be his side’s first choice goal kicker moving forward.
In terms of his defence, he has a very good low tackling technique, a skill that is not always present in junior rugby league and is also an exceptional cover defender, in part because of the effort he puts in to track the ball across the field when opposition teams spread the ball wide. His head placement is always correct, thus reducing the possibility of injury to himself.
In the context of defending in the centre of the ruck a continued focus on increasing his functional strength will enable him to better handle the biggest of forwards one on one. The Farrar rugby league program is as good as any in the country from a school boy perspective so I have no doubt with his dedication and the tools that are available to him, this will be easily addressed.
Once the NSW Country championships are completed, which may be a little while for the U18 Greater Northern Tigers as even after the opening two rounds they have shown that once again they will be the team to beat, he will transition to playing for North Tamworth at the U18 level and possibly some time in first grade or reserve grade as well as Farrar in relation to schoolboy football, including the National GIO Cup schoolboy competition. He is eligible again for the U18 level again in 2017.
From a style perspective, one player who comes to mind is retied Sydney Roosters back rower Craig Fitzgibbon. I think that Jack Patterson ends up around the same size with a similar skill set that being as a running backrower, who can fill a centre position if necessary and is a very solid goal kicker. He is just a good solid rugby league player who has developed a solid skill set and attitude to go with his physical attributes.
James Fisk. He is a young backrower from the North Tamworth junior rugby league club in the New South Wales Country Group 4 competition who is the captain of the powerful U18 Greater Northern Tigers who are currently undefeated through the first two rounds of the New South Wales Age Championships with wins against the East Coast Dolphins and Central Coast Centurions, scoring a try against the Centurions in round two. For North Tamworth at the U18 level in 2015, he crossed the try line only once against the Gunnedah Blues and started in the second row in their 56 – 10 grand final victory over Gunnedah as well. Previously he has represented Group 4 at the U15 level in 2013 and is part of the Greater Northern Academy 2015/16 squad.
He is not a big giant backrower but has a solid build who operates effectively on the fringes of the ruck due to his good ball skills. From the times that I have seen him play, he has developed his passing skills especially from the left side. In the younger age groups he ran the ball more than passing, but as he has developed and started playing against better players and teams, he has adapted his game to take advantage of the players around him. When running the ball he does not put his head down and just run straight, he uses foot work before the line and can also pass just before the line putting fellow forwards into gaps as defences converge. He also does have a decent turn of speed in open space.
He can also kick in general play, both long kicks to gain ground and also the shorter grubber kick near the try line. I do not think that he will be a team’s primary general play kicker but has the skill set to be a secondary option when the primary kicker is under pressure. Like his tactical kicking I do not think that he ends up as a primary goal kicker but is effective enough to be a secondary option, where he is very accurate from close range.
From a defensive stand point he is an effective tackler and will come over the top to prevent offloads and will not shirk contact against larger opponents. He seems to usually defend on the fringes of the ruck and will cover behind the backline and does not stop once the ball goes past and thus is effective in defending the inside pass or when an opposing centre cuts back inside.
Once the NSW Country championships are completed, he will transition to playing for North Tamworth at the U18 level and likely some time in first grade as well as schoolboy football for regional school powerhouse Farrar Agricultural College.
From a position perspective whilst he has spent the majority of his junior and schoolboy career to date in the back row, I am a little conflicted in terms of his best position, even though on the balance of probability he will end up in the back row. I do not think that he has ever played there but it would be interesting to see how he would go at dummy half, again possibly a situation where he may be able to fill in there in a short term to give the regular dummy half a breather or to address an injury. As he is not a “monster” from a size perspective he will need to continue to be effective on the edges of the ruck to continue to move forward on his current career trajectory.
From a style perspective, think of someone like former Titan and current South’s player Paul Carter, as a player with some speed and ball handling skills on the fringes of the ruck. I think that with his leaderships and all out style of play he is likely going to have a number of NRL clubs offering him an NYC trial to see if he can translate the skills that he has shown in Country football into an NYC contract.
Reuben Ioane. He is a giant young local front rower from the Nerang Roosters club and also attends Keebra Park High School. The giant young man played for the Ormeau Shearers at the U16 Division One level in 2015, alternating between starting in the front row and coming off the interchange bench. Across the nine matches that he played he crossed for three tries, including a double against the Beaudesert Kingfishers and he also scored against the Robina Raptors in Round Two. He has previously played for the Titans developments squads at the U13 and U14 levels, however last year was not part of either of the Gold Coast CC squads nor was he part of the team’s in the MM competition this year. He has moved to Nerang for the 2016 season and has played in the first two U17 pre-season grading matches for his new club.
As noted he is a big and I mean big strong front rower who is a powerful runner of the football all be it that he has only average foot speed, who knows only one way and that is straight ahead in addition he is quite effective when his team is attacking close to the try line. He can either take the ball himself, and when he gets low he is very difficult to stop or he can run as a decoy and attract defenders away from the real axis of attack. At present he does not off load the ball a great deal, and this if be a continued source of development. When he runs he runs a little hunched over which contributes to making him difficult to tackle front on. If he can work on his speed and develop some subtle footwork prior to the line, he will exponentially increase is effective carrying the ball.
In defence he is happy to go for the big hit often, in fact sometimes too often and on occasions as he starts to tire he can leave an arm out and get penalised for a high tackle, a focus on stamina will assist in eliminating this. He is obviously suited to defending in the centre of the ruck rather that the fringes and will understandably have some trouble with nippy runners out of dummy half. His calling card though is the strength and power to effectively engage the opposing forward early in their run and use his natural strength in his upper body to win the forward battle in the centre of the ruck. He can defensively handle any one on one battle that presents itself. At times in games he really does prevent opposing gaining any ground at all through the centre of the ruck. It is now a matter of extending the duration of his ruck dominance into longer stretches.
He will play this season at the U17 Division One level for the Nerang Roosters after moving from Ormeau in the off season and there is no doubt that regardless of the age group or standard of competition that he will continue to be a front rower. In the younger age groups he was dominant due to his size and now it is a matter of working on his mobility and stamina to be the best that he can be and see where that takes him in rugby league.
From a player comparison perspective, think of the Canterbury Bulldogs Sam Kasiano as a big strong front rower. He is a big strong young front rower who may take a bit of time to develop and if he can keep working on his stamina and mobility there are certainly tools that are present to work with. If everything goes right the Titans may very well have a real diamond in the rough on their hands.
Ronin Rio. He is a local young utility back from the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast and was part of the Gold Coast CC White side coached by Tim McIntyre for this year’s competition. In 2015 he played for Burleigh at the U15 Division One level, and played in a number of positions in the backline including centre and wing. Over the course of the 2016 CC competition he only played in the first match of the season and started on the wing in that match before injury struck.
In 2015, he crossed for two tries against Mudgeeraba and Southport in his 11 matches played for the Bears. He is the younger brother of Titans linked Jaman Rio who is part of the MM White side who will be playing their quarter final against Ipswich this coming weekend. He moved over to the Gold Coast with his family at the start of the 2015 season from the Wellington region of New Zealand and played his early rugby league with the Upper Hut club in the Wellington junior rugby league competition, the same club as his older brother.
Even though he does not have blinding speed he is quick enough to take advantage of any space that he is given down the touchline by opposing wingers. One good think about his play in attack is that he stays on his wing and is regularly outside his opposite number allowing his inside players to be able to find him in attack and in the games that I have seen he stays back and does not over run the players that are inside of him. He seems to be aware of his skill set as not open he is taken over the sideline and knows when to cut back inside rather than taking his opposite number on along the touchline and potentially being taken into touch. He will also come in and take his fair share of hit ups to give his forwards a rest, when the ball needs to be brought out of his end of the field.
In terms of defence, he is solid and seemingly understands the attributes of his opposite number to the extent that he alters his defensive positioning if he is against speedy, elusive wingers and against larger wingers. What I mean by that is that is that when he is up against speedier winger he will give them less room down the touchline, forcing then to look to come inside rather than being beaten down the touchline. He will chase kicks very hard but usually ensures that he maintains a defensive line when chasing kicks rather than coming out of the line and leaving a gap for opposing players to exploit. Like most young outside backs though he will continue to work on when to come out of the line to cut down the time and space of opposing centre, against staying out on his opposing winger.
Unfortunately for Ronin Rio and his CC White team mates, they finished third in their pool behind GC Green and South’s Logan and thus they are not progressing to the quarter stage of the competition. He will now transition back to the Gold Coast junior rugby league just in time for the start of the regular season and will play at the U16 Division One level for the Burleigh Bears. In terms of a potential position for Ronin Rio moving forward, it is a difficult assessment but I would lean towards him playing on the wing as he progresses towards the upper echelons of junior football.
From my perspective, if you are interested in how Ronin Rio plays look at the style of play of Gold Coast local and current Sydney Roosters outside back Brendan Elliott and you may have an idea about how his skills translate onto a football field.
Ryan Ingram. He is a young hooker from the North Tamworth junior rugby league club in the New South Wales Country Group 4 competition and has started at hooker for the Greater Northern Tigers in their first two games of the New South Wales Country Championships. In the 2015 season he started at hooker for Farrar in their grand final victory and across the scored two tries both coming in the same match against Gunnedah. In addition to previously representing the Greater Northern Tigers at the U16 level, he is also part of the 2105/16 Greater Northern Rugby League academy.
He is solid all round hooker who distributes effectively to both sides of the ruck. He is efficient in his passing and there is very little wasted movement as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements where the dummy half first stands then passes. He passes well from both sides of his body. One thing that he does well in dummy half is not taking his eye off ball until it is in his hands, read that he does not make many handling errors. He also does not take a couple of steps out of dummy half and then pass, he will either pass from the spot of the play the ball or he will run. Also in scrum situations he packs in at lock and thus is also the primary distributor from those situations as well.
In terms of his passing he generates better spin and subsequent distance when he is passing to the left hand side of the field at present. Although the difference between the sides is not significant in the context of altering his future projection as a hooker from a distribution perspective. He has good speed off the mark but the key to his running game is running at the right time, if anything he could possibly run a touch more than he does but the positive is that he is very selective about when he runs.
He defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and for his size quite an aggressive defender. He is also very good at getting out of marker quickly to harass the opposition kickers. Defensively you will see an efficient and effective defender and a talker. He constantly seems to be talking and “encouraging” his fellow forwards.
Once the NSW Country championships are completed, which may be a little while for the U18 Greater Northern Tigers U18 side as even after the opening two rounds they have shown that once again they will be the team to beat, he will transition to playing for North Tamworth at the U18 level, they should be almost impossible to beat again in the U18 Group 4 competition. He will also be the starting hooker for the Farrar Agricultural College Open schoolboy rugby league side in their various school boy competitions including the prestigious national GIO Cup competition. Farrar over the last couple of seasons have made the NSW quarter Finals of the GIO Cup so he will get some games as against Sydney schools to continue his development.
From a position perspective, with his passing skills and quick first step out of dummy half, I believe that he is already settled in his long term position of hooker and one that will be more known for his distribution skills rather than his running out of dummy half. He will once again be eligible for U18’s in 2017.
From a player comparison perspective think someone along the lines of Andrew McCullough of the Brisbane Broncos as a hard working player with leadership skills and someone that his team mates would appreciate playing with due to his enthusiasm and willingness to do his best for his team.
Jayden Sharp. He is a local young nuggetty hooker from the Helensvale Hornets junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast who had a very good year in 2015 at the Division One U15 level. Over the course of the 12 games that he played for the Hornets in 2015, he scored 14 tries, including four against the Mudgeeraba Redbacks, a hat trick against Runaway Bay and doubles against Southport twice and Burleigh. He also played three matches up at the U16 Division Two level but did not cross the try line in those matches. A Helensvale team mate was Titans linked front rower David Butler. He has previously played for the Titans Developments squads at the U13 and U14 levels, including matches at Redland Bay again with Helensvale team mate David Butler.
He does not necessarily have great speed when he runs out of dummy half, but the times that he does run though, he targets forwards who are offside, if the offside forward is called out of the play he has the speed to break into open space. Once in open space he does not have the speed required to finish things off himself but he invariably will make the right decision with the ball in terms of whether to take the tackle or pass to a support player.
In terms of his distribution out of dummy half he has a solid pass from both sides of his body and can also generate reasonable distance as well. When you watch him distribute from dummy half you are not going to come away waxing lyrical about his passing, but it is solid and effective and he is smart enough not to cut his passes too fine when leading his forwards onto the ball. Like the rest of his game, his passing out of dummy half is solid and virtually mistake free.
Defensively he is more than strong enough to defend in the middle of the ruck and quick enough to defend on the fridges. In the centre of the ruck he sets a strong base to create the necessary leverage to defend against larger forwards. When defending wider of the ruck he due to his low centre of gravity and tackling technique can effectively engage wide running forwards as well as having the footwork and lateral movement to contain and eliminate the threat of smaller stepping players breaching the defensive line.
He will play the 2016 season at the U17 level but at this stage I am not sure whether that will be with Helensvale or not, regardless I believe that he will ultimately end up in the hooking role for any team that he plays for. He could theoretically play some portions of matches in the back row but I think that he would be definitely more effective playing exclusively at hooker.
From a player comparison perspective think someone along the lines of the Titans own Matt Srama as a solid all round player who will probably not stand out, but does a lot of little things well and likely to score more tries than you would think with his ability to choose the right time to run from dummy half especially close to the opposition try line.
Dylan Collett. The young Grafton Ghosts centre/second rower is starting his second year in the Grafton Ghosts first grade side in the Group Two competition. After starting the 2015 season in the U18 side, he came into the Ghosts first grade side on the wing and has not looked back since, including recently being selected in the Group Two Senior representative squad for a match against Group Three. After playing the first couple of his first grade matches on the wing he moved into the centres and continues to play there in first grade after playing the majority of his time in the U18 competition in the second row. He is a solid young centre weighing in the 96-98 kg range, include above average speed and you can see why even his Grafton Ghosts coaches think that he will ultimately end up in the back row, at the moment however he is successfully handling the centre position. He deservedly won the Rookie of the Year for the Grafton Ghosts in 2015.
Already this year in the Tooheys New Shield first grade competition he has scored three tries in three matches, including a double against Coffs Harbour for the Ghosts who are currently sitting in third place in the early going, a team mate in the first grade side is former Titans NYC fullback Jayden Connors. In first grade in 2015 he crossed for seven tries in 14 matches, including a double against Nambucca Heads. As noted he transitioned from the Tooheys New U18 competition to first grade early in the 2015 season, playing only two matches, but made an impact crossing for a double against Macksville and a try against eventual premiers and city rivals the South Grafton Rebels.
For a solidly built young man he has above average speed for an outside back when he is running in a straight line, when he changes direction, either by using a side step or a swerve, his speed bleeds off and it will then take time for him to then progress back to full speed, thus he is most effective in the centres when he is running straight. The Ghosts have been very good at incorporating his skill set into their game plan by getting Dylan Collett to run a straight inside shoulder line when opposition defences are sliding. He is particularly effective when attacking close to the line as he runs with pace and regularly drags defenders over the try line. Due to his size when defenders try to tackle him around the chest he can shrug them off but does lose momentum in his run in those circumstances. As he is reasonably new to the centre position he is still learning the nuances of setting up his winger when he beats his opposite centre. For Grafton he seems to line up at right centre the majority of the time.
From a defensive perspective, his timing and anticipation are his best attributes, he has developed an effective tackling technique in terms of coming out of the line to negate the opposition attack, he will not aim of the big hit but he is effective at wrapping out the ball and preventing the play from developing further, his natural strength is a key attribute here. When he is beaten on the outside, he has reasonable speed to be able to recover and chase but as he plays against faster outside backs this will become more problematic for him. He can on occasion get caught on the inside shoulder of the opposing attacker but at present his awareness enables him to adjust quickly and negate the play. He can on occasion get caught when defending on the blind side coming in on the attacker rather than sliding, but it is hard to be critical when talking about an 18 year old playing against experienced men, and to be honest he almost always gets the better of his opposite number in both attack and defence. If you did not know his age you would not appreciate from how he plays on the field for how young he is.
As noted he is playing first grade for the Grafton Ghosts in probably the best NSW Country Group from a standard perspective in Group Two, with the Ghosts being one of the favourites for this year’s title. He will also play some representative football with the Group Two representative side which is being coached by former Penrith Panthers five eight, Steve Carter. From an ultimate position perspective, even his current coach believes that he will ultimately end up in the second row, which is something for what it’s worth that I agree with. With his combination of size and speed he seems destined to be a hard running hard working all effort backrower.
He is still age eligible for the NYC competition in 2017, and with another season of Country first grade under his belt it is hard to believe that he will not get an opportunity somewhere, hopefully with the Titans, with Grafton being in the Titans catchment area, at the minimum you would think that he would get the opportunity to trial for a spot next year, he will likely need to add another 3 or 4kg to his frame but he has the build to do that without compromising his overall speed. For me he was the best U18 player in the Group Two competition last year even taking into account the McGrady twins, from the South Grafton Rebels who are now with Sydney NRL clubs playing NYC.
If you look at how Isiah yeo of the Penrith Panthers plays you may get an understanding of how Dylan Collett currently plays, Yeo started off as a straight running centre who has developed his skills to be a hard working backrower, I believe that Dylan Collett will have a similar path from a position perspective.
Raiden Fonoti. The young New Zealand born backrower moved over to Australia on a rugby league scholarship at Ipswich State High School at the start of 2015 and attracted the attention of NRL scouts playing in the schools Open side in the GIO Cup and Super Six competitions, a team mate in that Ipswich Ste High side was Kelepi Faukafa who also has broken into the starting side for the Titans NYC side. From there he played in trials for the Titans, Newcastle and Cronulla but unfortunately was not able to obtain an NYC contract, he has since moved to the South’s Logan Magpies where in Round Five of the QCup Colts competition he broke into the side in the second row and has not looked back since. South’s Logan team mates include winger David Pritchard and Justin Fai who now have both broken into the Titans NYC side and both are handling the step up in competition well and also front rower Reece Sumner.
One of the trials he played for the Titans was an U18 match against Samoa at Burleigh in late September 2015, in that match he came off the bench and I thought that he did not have too bad a game to be honest and I was a little surprised that he did not land a contract. I will note however that the Titans NYC squad’s strongest position is probably in the back row and also there are a number more like Kobe Tararo, Blake Lenehan, Apiata Noema, Ben Valeni etc likely to move up from the MM side either this year or next so there is plenty of competition.
He also played club football in the Ipswich competition for the North’s Tigers at the U18 level and I believe that he also played one match in the Paul Pasquale First Grade competition, scoring 10 tries. He is originally from Auckland where he played his school boy football for Aorere College and represented them in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Tournament in 2014 where he scored a double against Manurewa High School. He also represented Tonga in the U18 age group in the Queensland Pacific Island Cultural Championships (QPICC) in November 2015 and scored four tries in a match against Papua New Guinea.
Raiden Fonoti since moving to Australia has operated on the right side of the ruck and uses footwork to try to gain ground and impact the defensive line, he is a taller type of player and can use that height well to drop his shoulder into the defender to create separation to either break through the tackle or get his hands free to off load. For such a big powerful young man he actually has what I would consider above average speed for his size but does take a little bit of time to get up to top speed, however when he breaks into space he has the ability to maintain separation from the cover defence.
If there is a slight critique is that on occasion when running at a smaller player on the fringes of the ruck he will look to beat them on the outside rather than look to run over then, this can on occasion crowd his outside supports especially when he is running down a blind side. When he is running in the clear he is an intimidating sight and on multiple occasions for both North’s and Ipswich State High School he ran straight over the fullback rather than looking for his support players to score, but to be fair the majority of those times he as very close to the line and even if the fullback was able to make the tackle his momentum would have carried him over the try line.
In defence he regularly is the first player up to target the ball carriers and will make solid initial contact as well as having the ability of defending one on one. As could be seen in the U18 development squad game against Samoa, when the opportunity presents he has the ability to hit very hard, by setting a good base and driving through his lower body and core into his opponent. Ultimately though he is a strong defender with a good front on technique and good lateral movement to track and defend against smaller opponents either on the fringes or centre of the ruck. He can on occasion rush too fast be caught out by smaller mobile players but ultimately he is a plus defender on the fringes of the ruck who is also effective when he transitions into the centre of the field nearer to the centre of the ruck.
It is good to see that he has broken into the starting line-up for the South’s Logan Colts side as he has all the attributes that you would want in a backrower, he is big strong tall and fast down the right hand side of the field and also aggressive in defence. He is eligible again for the U20 age group again in 2017 and hopefully playing for South’s Logan will get him noticed, the Titans have had a lot of success in recruiting players for the South’s Logan Colts side so he is someone that the Titans talent evaluators will see a lot of times this season, hopefully he can impress and get an opportunity in an NYC squad in 2017. In his time in Australia he has played exclusively in the second row and on the right hand side of the field and remains in that position for South’s Logan.
The game of Melbourne Storm and New Zealand International backrower Tohu Harris is probably a reasonable comparison from a playing style perspective for the talented Raiden Fonoti.
Willem Boshoff. The native Western Australian tear a way moved over to the Gold Coast for the 2016 season, joining Burleigh to look to further his rugby league career. He made the starting line-up for Burleigh in QCup Colts in Round One and has been in and out of the side in the opening seven rounds, playing in the second row, normally on the left hand side of the field which is where he played in Western Australia when playing for the Rockingham Sharks. Another young Western Australian has also moved over to play for Burleigh Colts too, being second rower Liam Donnelly.
He had a very good season in 2015 with the Sharks, prior to moving east including being named joint most valuable player in the U18 Smarter than Smoking competition and he was also the equal top try scorer with 16, with two other players. He also represented Western Australia at the 2014 ASSRL Affiliated States Championships starting all of Western Australia’s matches in the second row and scoring a try against South Australia in a 72 – 0 victory, he also represented the WA Pirates in the NSWRL SG Ball competition in 2015.
For the Rockingham Sharks in 2015, he played in 12 U18 games, scoring 16 tries, including hat tricks against the Joondalup Giants and Kalamunda Bulldogs in consecutive weeks and doubles against the Joondalup Giants and the Freemantle Roosters twice. He also played in five Western Australian first grade games, finishing with tries against Willagee Bears and Kalamunda Bulldogs. Even though the Western Australian first grade competition may not be of the highest standard, anytime a young player gets an opportunity to test themselves against men, it is good thing for their continued development.
Tear a way would be an apt description of how Willem Boshoff runs the ball, he is by no means the biggest second rower running around but he really does throw himself into the defensive line with clearly no thought of self-preservation. He from the Burleigh Colt’s games that I have seen and videos of SG Ball and WA first grade matches normally lines up on the left hand side of the field and the only small concession to running in a straight line is on occasion a slight step back towards the ruck. His normal running line seems to be on a slight angle away from the ruck and as noted on occasion he will veer back towards the ruck, I would not call it a step but more of an angled change of running direction.
To his credit I have seen him get absolutely smashed but he always seems to get back up and get ready to do it all again and considering the heavy hits he absorbs, his ball control is quite good. He can on occasion get fixated with initiating contact with the defensive line rather than looking to see if an overlap has developed on the outside and runs the ball when on occasion the prudent course of action would be to pass the ball. Seriously for his size he just flat out charges into the defence regardless of the size of the opponent in front of him.
With his stamina and determination, this approach whilst it must wear him down it also wears down his opponents. In a match in SG Ball against the Western Sydney Academy of Sport (made up of mainly Penrith and Parramatta boys who did not make their top SG Ball side) he got hit hard and often in the first half, but by the second half his manic running style was starting to generate significant ground made on his runs as the defensive line stopped moving up and was beaten by Willem Boshoff through sheer determination alone.
Defensively the situation is similar, he flies at the opposition forwards running the ball and just tries to smash them. He on occasion flashes a solid defensive technique but can lose concentration and consequently his defensive technique is negatively impacted. When he flies out of the line he can also be susceptible to smaller quicker players as he is moving too fast to re-direct his weight to mirror the opposition’s movement. For me he just needs to settle in the defensive line and be more selective in terms of the defensive process he utilises and the progresses he needs to work through.
You can immediately see why he has made the Burleigh Colts squad and already started a number of games this year, but you can also see that he has some rough edges to refine which is understandable considering he came from a non-rugby league state. I would suggest that he will alternate between the local U19 competition and the QCup Colts competition whilst he adjusts to the quality and speed of the players in Queensland before hopefully for him establishing himself permanently in the Burleigh side by the end of this season. His smaller size and playing style suggests to me that he will stay in the second row through his senior rugby league career. At this point in time he projects as an ideal interchange forward who could come as the starting forwards tire and make an immediate impact on both sides of the ball.
One of the great things about the Titans feeder club system is the number of young players gravitate to either the Bears or the Seagulls to try their luck at the Colts level in the hope of progressing to the NYC squad, the perfect example of this is current NYC five eight Josh Rogers who followed a similar career path to Willem Boshoff, he came over to Burleigh from WA, in his first season alternating between the local U19 competition and Colts, progressed through the NYC Open trial and is now the starting five eight at the NYC level in every match so far this year. I would suggest that Willem Boshoff will get an opportunity in the open trial (last year the Titans had to turn players away because too many nominated) and from there who knows what may eventuate.
From a player comparison perspective, I am going to go back a fair while to Geoff Robinson who was a smaller Canterbury Bankstown front rower who just threw himself into the defensive line, I cannot think of a current player in the NRL that would be a fair comparison, maybe the Ipswich Jets Billy McConachie would be close in terms of a similar playing style for people who watch the Queensland Cup all be it Willem Boshoff has a smaller build.
Kaleb Ngamanu. He is a young boy originally from Western Australia who has moved over to the Gold Coast at the start of this year and has started off his rugby league journey on the Gold Coast with a bang by making the 2016 U13 Vikings squad after impressing in the trials held in the weekend of 16-17 April where he played the majority of the trials in the centres after playing almost exclusively at five eight in Western Australia.
There are some gems throughout the junior ranks in Western Australia that should not be discounted just because they come from a non-traditional rugby league state. The only state or territory junior league that is scout less is in South Australia. It is a little surprising that the Western Australian junior leagues are not scouted more heavily especially since the introduction of the Western Force rugby team, junior participation numbers for both league and rugby has increased considerably. I have been lucky enough to view some streams of a number of junior games from the WAJRL and there are certainly a few decent young players running around, the quantity is not there obviously but there are some real talents.
He will play this season for the Southport Tigers at the U13 Division One level after transferring from the Joondalup Giants in the Western Australian junior rugby league competition. The Joondalup Giants are the same junior club that centre/winger Tyler Lee who played in the MM competition this year for GC Green came from, Leighmon Hohaia-Katene is another young player who has moved over from Western Australia who played this year at the CC level. He will also be attending Keebra Park and will play at the U13 level for them.
He is a smooth powerful runner of the ball who seems to glide across the field effortlessly and certainly has an extra gear in relation to the speed he possesses as well as plus speed off the mark. In the centre position, he has the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is becoming increasingly rare in the modern game. When he gets the ball early from his inside play makers, he is incredibly difficult to deal with one on one, as whilst his speed has already been noted, he is also a powerful runner who has the power to also break tackles through sheer power and not just rely on his speed to beat his opponent.
The one thing he also seems to be able to do well, is to step back inside without the loss of his speed or forward momentum, opposing defenders seem to push out quickly when he has the ball expecting him to look to beat them on their outside, if they come across to far, he has a very good step back side and if the inside defenders are not quick enough to cover across he has the speed to make a clean break in those circumstances. Similarly when an opposing defender looks to come out of the line quickly to put pressure on him, his quick twitch feet means that he can step off either foot quickly to negate the attempt to cut down his time. In short he is a very talented attacking player who looks to beat his opponent with speed and guile rather than purely by brute strength.
From the games that I have seen of his, you can just sense the uncertainty in the defensive line when he receives the ball with space to manoeuvre. He must be a playmakers dream in that teams will look to get up onto him quickly, potentially leaving space for them to dummy and run. Also when the team is struggling he can just make something happen out of nothing even against a set defensive line, he can just drift across the field and then explode into any gaps that he can see develop.
Defensively he is solid at wrapping the ball up and just needs to refine his technique as he progresses and also when to come out of the line in an effort to limit the time and space of the opposition as well as ensuring that due to his height he keeps his tackles down against opposing centres who are usually not as tall. He does however slide well in defence and has the speed to cover opposition line breaks very well. He will need to continue to get stronger and maintain his speed to stay at centre, and potentially become a legitimate strike centre, but there is nothing in his performances to date that suggests that he will not be able to.
He will play this season with the Southport Tigers at the U16 Division One level as well as playing representative football for the U13 Vikings side. From a position perspective, even though he spent the majority of his formative years in Western Australia playing five eight for me I believe that he will play in the centres long term and develop into a smooth moving elusive runner of the ball and quite an effective defender. Obviously the time spent at five eight will only enhance his ball skills and assist in creating space for his support players wider out. I just think that his running skills will be better suited to playing in the centres rather than imposing added pressure to be a play maker at five eight when it does not necessarily come as naturally as when he is running the ball out wider of the ruck.
From a player comparison perspective, think along the lines of Manly centre/five eight Dylan Walker from a style perspective as a classy player who whilst he is better running with the ball himself does have some skills in terms of being able to set up his outside backs.
Campbell Gray. He is an impressive local young centre who has recently been named in the 2016 U13 Vikings squad. He has started up the 2016 junior rugby league season on the Gold Coast with a bang for Jimboomba Thunder scoring eight tries in the three U13 grading matches that have been played. In the first pre-season grading game, he scored a double against the Robina Raptors and added six more tries in Round Three of the preseason against the Parkwood Sharks 1 side.
He is a super quick centre with an effortless running style with a classic centres build with the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the inside or outside. His has used this skill set on multiple occasions on both sides of the field. Even in junior football it is quite rare to see a centre that can play on both sides of the field equally as well and as can be seen from the U13 Vikings trials he has a very good dummy that he uses regularly to beat his opposing centre.
When the ball is passed to him early, he straightens the attack up well, meaning he does not run himself or his support out of room. Even though he has speed in the centre position, he does look for his outside support when confronted with the fullback, even though he is more than capable of beating fullbacks one on one if his support players are not in the correct position.
He seemingly has an innate ability to make the right decision when he has the football, in terms of running or passing and when he passed he got the ball out to his outside backs quickly giving them room to move. His passing to the right of the field looked a little more fluid and natural than when he passed to the left hand side of the field although I note that I am dealing with a limited sample size and a very young player.
He clearly is a smart player and will take what the defence gives him, when the defence is sliding he will cut inside and when the defence is playing an up and up style he has the speed and footwork to get on the outside of his direct opponent. He also has very good hands and can use his speed off the mark to look to create something for either himself or his team mates.
Defensively he does not necessarily stand out, which is a good thing to the extent that he is an effective defender and does not jumper grab but does use his shoulder. Purely from a skill and physical attribute perspective he seems more suited to a sliding defensive methodology rather than an up and in style, but this is more conjecture from me rather than a fact based argument.
In the 2016 season he will play for the Jimboomba Thunder at the U14 level. For me his long term position is that of a centre, who may be able to fill in occasionally as a running five eight when the need arises.
From a player comparison perspective, think along the lines of Manly centre Jamie Lyons from a style perspective as a classy centre who is just as good at setting up his team mates to make breaks as he is at making them himself and defensively his solid technique enables him to combat larger centres.
Jadyce Ruki Va’alepu. He is a local young backrower who has recently been named in the 2016 U14 Vikings squad from the Coomera Cutters junior rugby league club. In the pre-season grading matches to date in the U14 competition he crossed for a double against the Ormeau Shearers in Round One. He played the 2015 season for the Cutters at the U13 Division One level crossing for six tries over the course of the season. Team mates in that Cutters side included Titans linked development squad members, halfback Jacob Tekii and fullback Ediq Ambrosyev.
For his age group he is a powerful, exceptional athlete for his age group and this can be seen when be he is running with the ball. In his hit ups he carries the ball with pace and is very good at running on the fringes of the ruck. He uses foot work prior to the line to look to break through as well as cutting either cutting back in behind the play the ball or cutting out towards the smaller defenders on the fringes of the ruck.
One trait that stands out every time that you see him play is that he runs with speed into the defensive line and his foot work prior to the line enables him to get partly through the line on a number of occasions. One reason for this is that he is an intelligent footballer, he does not try to run over defenders, but he runs at the gaps between defenders, even though he has the size and power to run over most defenders if he chose to and uses his running speed to break through if defenders only use their arms in the tackle. He has very good speed off the mark for a second rower, which I would rate as above average at least and can then translate that into very good top end speed which he can seemingly sustain over long distances, once he is in open space. He would be one of the faster back rowers running around for his age group on the Gold Coast, especially for his size and he knows how to get across the try line as well.
I have not seen him off load the ball in tackles very often, but that is more a result of no need to off load the ball as he makes a lot of breaks on his own. As the level of the opposition increases both at club and school boy level, this is an attribute he will need to develop, but with his size, strength and skill set, I do not thing he will have an issue developing in this area, it is just a matter of time, experience and repetition.
Defensively he will come out of the line and hit very hard and usually aims for around the ball and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls. He defends in the centre of the ruck and seems best suited in the long run defending there and adds a degree of intimidation to any forward pack he plays for, he can however also defend wider of the ruck and as a result of his reasonable lateral movement is able to mirror the movement of smaller quicker players. At present, he can dominate as a consequence of his size, but he also has a very good front on tackling technique which he showcases on a regular basis.
Moving towards the 2016, he will play once again for the Coomera Cutters at the U14 Division One level. I would think that his ultimate position will be that of a big strong powerful second rower based on my projection of his development in the medium to long term. For his size he seems to have quite good endurance, playing the entire 60 minutes in a couple of the games I saw last year in club football. Like all players in these age groups he still has a lot of physical development and maturation to go, but he projects well on both counts at this very early stage of his career both on and off the field.
From a player comparison perspective, someone along the lines of the Sydney Roosters, NSW State of Origin and Australian second rower Boyd Cordner as an appropriate player from a style perspective, being big powerful well-rounded back rower who plays the game hard with toughness and at a pace above a lot of the players around him and will get across the try line on a regular basis.
Kruze Rimene. He is a local young fullback who has recently been named in the 2016 U13 Vikings squad and plays for the Runaway Bay Seagulls in the GCJRL competition. He has had a dynamic start to the 2016 season scoring five tries in three grading matches in the U13 age group, including a hat trick against Southport and a double against Mudgeeraba. He played the 2015 season in the U12 Division One level for the Seagulls, scoring six tries and a goal across 11 matches, including scoring a try in their Grand Final loss to Burleigh. He also scored a double against Currumbin in June.
He is a smooth well balanced runner of the football, who looks like he glides across the field picking and choosing his time to get involved from the fullback position and clearly wants to have the ball in his hands as often as possible. He is exceptionally quick off the mark and when the ball is being brought out of his teams half he is always around the forwards looking for off loads, or taking the ball up himself, as evidenced in the U13 Vikings trial where on a couple of occasions he took advantage of tiring forwards to make ground in the centre of the ruck.
It is not just his speed off the mark that is so impressive, it is the extended distance that he can maintain his top speed. I would not say that his speed would be in the plus category but certainly could be considered above average. Once he is through the initial defensive line, he has an extra gear as well to outpace any cover defence. Making his speed even more difficult to deal with for defences is his foot work, he is able to change direction very quickly which enables him to take advantage of a staggered defensive line when returning kicks.
He also can play the way a lot of the current fullbacks play when they receive the football, “out the back” from the half/five eight. In those circumstances, he seems to currently runs more than he passes, but he is usually one of the better players in all of the teams that he has played on to date, thus I have no doubt that his passing and decision making skills will improve in these situations as he matures as a player, especially as he transitions to representative football for the Vikings as well as schoolboy football. In the instances when he runs, he will dummy, step and accelerate quickly. I can see no discernible difference in relation to the quality of his step regardless of what foot he steps off.
He also has very good positional sense for the fullback position in terms of taking a high percentage of opposing teams general play kicks on the full, thus regularly giving his team good initial field position to start their set of six tackles. Similarly his positional sense when close to his own goal line means he defuses a lot of attacking grubber kicks. He will also take the responsibility to run the ball back himself rather than hand it off to his winger where he runs with pace and strength. When the kick goes to a winger, he is good at running out of dummy half prior to the defensive line getting set for the next play the ball. Another aspect in relation to returning kicks is that he attacks grubber and chip kicks rather than waiting back to see how the play unfolds. In short he does not wait for the game to come to him, he makes thing happen on the field by taking the game on every chance he gets.
Defensively he is an aggressive defender who will look to come forward when a break has been made to cut down the decision making time of the attacking team he will hit hard in the tackle. He also will not take a dummy either. He uses the sideline very well from a defensive stand point. He will always stay inside the attacker presenting him with the sideline and then once the attacker has committed to the side line, he will use his speed and momentum to force the attacker into touch. He is his team’s defensive quarter back in terms of the positioning of the defensive line, you can hear him talking and encouraging constantly and leading by example, both in attack and defence.
The 2016 season should see him play at the U13 Division One level for Runaway Bay and he may also play some U14 as well, I believe that he is physically and mentally ready if called upon by the coaches. From a long term position perspective, he could undoubtly play a number of positions, including fullback, wing and centre at a high level, but based on the evidence of what I have seen, a long term future at fullback would be the way to go, where he can be a real difference maker for his side.
From a player comparison perspective, a player along the lines of Penrith Panther Matt Moylan is an appropriate comparison as a skilful player who has all of the skills and temperament to be able to turn a game on its head with scintillating football and make difficult tasks look easy. He just seems to have all the time in the world to make a decision when he has the ball.
Wehi-Te Clarke. He is a local young hard running backrower who has recently been named in the 2016 U13 Vikings squad and also plays for the Runaway Bay Seagulls Junior Rugby League club. In the 2015 season he played in the Grand Final losing side 30 -10 to Burleigh, when he started in the second row. Already in three grading matches at the U13 level he has scored more tries than he did in the 13 matches he played at the U12 Division One level in 2015. In the 2016 grading matches he scored four tries against Southport and a hat trick against Mudgeeraba and also crossed against Helensvale 1 in the most recent grading match. In 2015, he was not a prolific try scorer but he did cross for a double against the Coomera Cutters in May.
He is a straight runner of the football and there is little subtly to his game, it is get the ball and run straight ahead to gain as much ground as possible and get a quick play the ball. On occasion he does use some footwork prior to the line but in the main it is head down and run straight. If defences do not target his legs he will drag defenders with him as he continues to pump his legs and continue to fight until the tackle is finished, then he will fight to get a quick play the ball. He just needs to make sure that he maintains his composure when fighting to get to his feet to ensure that he maintains possession.
He is also good at maintaining his momentum after impacting the defensive line and on occasion runs a very good inside shoulder route to supplement his other attacking attributes. He can off load the football but usually seems cautious not to make a mistake, which based on the way that he has been asked to play, it is quite a wise choice. His hands are actually more than decent and thus I think that he has some untapped potential to ball play a little more, but he is so young that there is more than enough time for this skill to develop with experience and natural progression.
He defends both in the edge of the ruck and well as through the middle. He was quietly effective in both situations. His initial contact is solid and is more than enough to stop the momentum of the ball carrier and effect tackles one on one. He is also effective at wrapping the ball up and preventing offloads. When he hits he hits hard, but I would not call it aggressive per say, but he is just tough in his approach to his defence. I do not necessarily think that his defensive work will stand out because he is not going to come up with a huge hit which will get the crowd on its feet, but he will do a lot of work and will likely always finish at or near the top of the tackle count regardless of the level and standard of football he is playing.
He will play the 2016 season at the U13 Division One level for Runaway Bay and also representative football for the Vikings. From a player comparison perspective I would consider someone like former Penrith Panther and Canterbury Bulldog Frank Pritchard as someone with a similar style, being that of a damaging running back rower with underappreciated offloading skills. He really stood out to me last year as one of the better and one of the most improved young forwards in the U12 Gold Coast junior rugby league competition and looks to have a bright future in front of him with continued maturity and development. He continued his good form into the Vikings trials and deservedly has been selected in the train on squad.
Caleb Gould-Waiariki. He is a local young halfback who has recently been named in the 2016 U13 Vikings squad and will play for the Runaway Bay Seagulls at the U14 Division One level in the current season. Across the 2015 season for the Seagulls, he played in 14 matches at the U12 Division One level, scoring seven tries , including a double in June against Ormeau and started at halfback in their Grand Final loss 30 – 10 to the Burleigh Bears. So far this season he has scored three tries in the pre-season grading competition including a double against Southport and a further try against Mudgeeraba. He beat out the likes of the dynamic Darius Christie for the halfback spot for the U12 Division One side at Runaway Bay, which I am sure was no easy task, but over the course of the 2015, he showed that he deserved his spot and made the most of the opportunities.
He is quite an elusive runner of the ball and some good foot work in confined space. He will take on the line regularly and has a very good step off both feet but his left foot step seems to be the preferred step based on the games that I have seen at least. His passing game is what I would consider above average and he will drift across the field looking for runners to run into holes and has the ability to hold the defensive line in place as he develops the play in front of them, making to easier for his support runners to get a clear passage through the line, especially when a defender comes out of the line and commits to Caleb Waiariki. He will also wait until the last possible moment to release the football. His best attribute in his passing game is the speed, timing and accuracy when he passes to his outside backs. He gets a very good spiral on the ball from both sides of his body and leads his outside attackers into the ball, enabling them to maintain the momentum of their run.
He is a reasonably solid general play kicker, who is reasonably accurate, however he does not have the biggest or most powerful kick and when he tries to kick too hard it usually finds a defender on the full, when he takes a bit off the kick his accuracy increases exponentially. He also chases his own kicks well, almost always leading the chase down field. He also has a decent short kicking game especially close to the opposition line, but on occasion his chip kicks can sometimes be a little too high. Not sure that he will be a primary tactical kicker for a side, but he certainly will be an option to consider especially when talking about attacking kicks such as grubber kick. He has improved as an organiser as he has moved through the age groups and should continue to do so as he matures and plays against better opposition and with better players on his own side.
He is not the biggest player but even when defending in the front line will tackle using his shoulder which assists when defending against larger forwards operating on the fringes of the ruck. Whilst not the biggest he is strong and tough enough to effectively tackle one on one against opposing halves and with his solid speed and foot work he can cover a lot of ground as he tracks the ball across the field. He is certainly not going to be a liability in defence for his team and is more than willing to take on bigger forwards.
He will play the 2016 regular season with Runaway Bay at the U13 Division One level and again will have a good battle with Darius Christie for the starting half back spot. He played very well at halfback in 2015 and as a consequence, I believe that he will continue to play in the halves as his junior rugby league career continues.
From a player comparison perspective, if you think of how Peter Wallace of the Penrith Panthers plays, before his move to hooker, you should get an understanding of how Caleb Gould-Waiariki plays.
Tyreese Pati-Siapale. He is big strong young local front rower from the Helensvale Hornets junior club on the Gold Coast who has also been recently named in the 2016 U13 Vikings squad for the upcoming junior age representative season. He kicked off the 2016 preseason playing in the front row in a grading match against the Burleigh Bears after playing 10 matches at the U12 Division One level for the Hornets in 2015, where he crossed for two tries and kicked a solitary goal, the tries came against Nerang and Currumbin.
He runs exceptionally hard but with limited subtlety to his running style, and he will not just run upright, he will drop his should into the defender making it difficult if not impossible for him to be stopped easily or by a single defender. Due to his speed and size, when he is running on the fringes of the ruck, he as handful and also has a very good and powerful fend. He is a very good athlete, with size, strength, speed and power. I would certainly argue that he has plus speed for his size. It regularly takes defences to commit multiple resources to stop his momentum. If he is not tackled around the legs, his strength means that he will continue to make ground after contact due to his never say die attitude.
Defensively he hits very hard and usually aims for just under the ribs and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up due to his size and strength and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls. He defends in the centre of the ruck and seems best suited in the long run defending there. He really does know how to tackle effectively, as he sets a strong base to create the necessary leverage to defend against larger forwards and then explodes through his core with the kinetic effects transferring through his body into his opponent.
On the field however he seems very quiet, and does not seem to have an aggressive streak in him, but with his size and power he has all of the physical attributes you would want in a rugby league player, the question is just like it is for all young players, can he harness all of his physical attributes to reach his potential. He just seems to be a decent young man who enjoys playing the game for the right reasons and enjoys playing with his mates.
Moving towards the 2016 season, he will play the season for the Hornets at the U13 Division One level as well as noted above, being part of the U13 Vikings representative squad. Due to his size and strength he I believe will continue to play his football in the front row in the long term.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of Sydney Roosters and New Zealand test player Jarred Warea-Hargreaves and a big strong powerful front rower. This young guy has a huge amount of potential and hopefully for him everything comes together and he can develop into the best player he can be.
Titan Vaikai. The superbly named big, strong young front rower from the Runaway Bay junior rugby league club has been named in the U13 Vikings squad for the 2016 junior representative season after playing well in recent trials. In addition to the recent Vikings trial he has already played two preseason grading games, scoring a try against Mudgeeraba and trial matches for Coombabah against Keebra and PBC. During the 2015 season he played 13 matches at the U12 Division One level for Runaway Bay, including starting in the front row in their Grand Final loss to Burleigh 30 – 10. Over the course of the season he crossed for a solitary try against Coomera.
As noted he is a big strong young front rower who is a powerful runner of the football, who knows only one way and that is straight ahead and has shown flashes of the ability to offload once he has impacted the defensive line or has crashed through it. For a big front rower he does actually have quite decent speed and footwork, certainly above average for a player of his size, although he does not necessarily use it all of the time. He does however wear down but with an off season with the Coombabah High Performance Rugby League program should help immensely with this, Coombabah U13’s have already played a number of school boy trials against Keebra Park and PBC. This good footwork enables him to step prior to the line, creating little half breaks which enhances the ability to off-load the football. Recent injuries have meant that he did struggle a little with the pace of the game at times last season but later in the season as he became more accustomed to it his performance improved as a direct consequence.
In defence he is happy to go for the big hit often, on occasion however as he starts to tire he can leave an arm out and get penalised for a high tackle, a focus on stamina will assist in eliminating this. He is obviously suited to defending in the centre of the ruck rather that the fringes and will understandably have some trouble with nippy runners out of dummy half. His calling card though is the strength and power to effectively engage the opposing forward early in their run and use his natural strength to win the forward battle in the centre of the ruck. He can defensively handle any one on one battle that presents itself. At times in games he really does prevent opposing gaining any ground at all through the centre of the ruck. It is now a matter of extending the duration of his ruck dominance.
He will play the 2016 season with Runaway Bay at the U13 Division One level and also have the opportunity to play a significant number of schoolboy matches for Coombabah. From a position perspective, his physical attributes and skill set indicates that a continued future in the front row is a certainty as he progresses up the junior and school boy ranks.
From a player comparison perspective, consider a comparison from a playing perspective style to young Newcastle Knights front rower Sam Mataora as a big strong young man, who if he continues to work hard on his mobility and stamina as he gains experience may be able to harness all of the physical and skill attributes that he has at his disposal.
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Takashi Hiraide-Mears. The young hard working backrower from the Beaudesert Kingfishers junior rugby league club stood out in the recent U13 Gold Coast Vikings trials and deservedly has been named in the train on squad. He was the only successful trialist from the Kingfishers for either the U13 or U14 Vikings squads. In 2015 he played at the U12 Division level and averaged a try a game, scoring 14 including doubles against Helensvale twice, Coomera, Runaway Bay and Ormeau, to finish as the competitions top try scorer, when you add in the three goals that he kicked, his points tally for the year was 62, which also made him the top points scorer in the Division. He also had a very good Grand Final against Helensvale, scoring two tries and kicking a conversion. In 2015 he also played three games up at the U13 Division Two level. In relation to this season he played in only one of the Kingfishers three grading games.
From an attacking perspective, he has a wide running mindset for a backrower with a very good turn of speed once he breaks through the line, although his speed would not be considered plus for his position, but certainly could be considered above average. Like all good running backrowers though, he takes his share of runs in the middle of the ruck but he is impressive at running good lines on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into although he is not averse to running straight over people either. From the games that I have seem play he normally runs to the right side of the field, and will run wider out and look to come back on the inside shoulder of the opposition defence on the edge of the ruck, looking for situations where the opposition inside defenders are slow to come across. His determination is one aspect that enables him to be in the right place at the right time. Another key aspect of his running game is that he runs fast into the defensive line. From my perspective this is a critical trait for forwards of any age. He just tries so hard in attack and is still running with the same amount of determination at the end of the game that he does at the start.
His initial contact is solid and is more than enough to stop the momentum of the ball carrier and effect tackles one on one. He is also effective at wrapping the ball up and preventing offloads. When he hits he hits hard, but I would not call it aggressive per say, but he is just tough in his approach to his defence. I do not necessarily think that his defensive work will stand out because he is not going to come up with a huge hit because of his size, but he will do a lot of work and will likely always finish at or near the top of the tackle count regardless of the level and standard of football he is playing. In the U13 Vikings trial he was one of the most effective tackles on display.
He will play the current 2016 season with the Kingfishers in the U13 age group, it will just depend on what Division his side will be in, it will possibly be in the U13 Division Two competition. He projects to be a smaller backrower who due to his aerobic capacity will be able to play the full 80 minutes and one that will give his team a whole hearted effort every time that he runs onto the field. Playing in the U13 Vikings trial matches will really help him develop his game as he has played against the best U13’s on the Coast as well as the best U13’s from Toowoomba in the Vikings most recent trial match.
From a style perspective he does remind me of former Storm and North Queensland Cowboy, Dallas Johnston as a hard working defender who despite his less than ideal size for what some people think modern day forwards should have, he is quite effective at making ground in the centre of the ruck, due to the fact that he will run at gaps rather than trying to run over defenders. His calling card though is his determination and competitiveness to get the best out of himself, he is just a hard working young player.
Braden Amunsen. The young Helensvale Hornets centre was a solid performer for the Helensvale Hornets U17 Division side in the GCJRL competition and as a result has caught the attention of the Titans as well as being selected in the Burleigh Bears MM Cup training squad for the 2018 season.
Braden Amunsen started in the centres for Helensvale in their 34 – 20 Grand Final victory over Ormeau and over the course of the 2017 season scored five tries from his fourteen matches in the Yellow and White of Helensvale.* All five of Braden Amunsen’s tries came in individual games including a try against Bilambil in their first 2017 final’s match.* Braden Amunsen’s tries other tries came against Southport, Mudgeeraba, Runaway Bay and Bilambil in a match during the regular season.
Braden Amundsen is reasonably quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside and will only get caught by the quickest of defenders from behind if he breaks into open space.* I would not say that he has blazing speed but he does have decent top end speed I would think that it would just fall into the above average category.
Braden Amundsen’s best attribute from an outside back perspective is his ability to keep his width and be available for his team mates, when the opposing defender cheats inside.* When the ball is moved out the back line, he stays on his line. He is not and likely never will be a player who scores a great amount of tries.
When playing in the centres Braden Amundsen looked to draw in the winger to try to create space down the touch line for the attackers outside him, but he does have enough pace, when he is able to get outside his opposing defender and make line breaks when the defensive winger stays out.* Thus from what I have seen he has very good situational awareness in attack from the centre position and his Helensvale Hornets team mates benefitted from these attributes.
In defence, Braden Amundsen is not the strongest player but will certainly look to hold his line defensively and he does not hesitate to commit to the tackle regardless of the size of the opponent.* I did not often see him come in when he did not need to, preferring to stay on his oppose number and trusting his teams inside and outside defenders in his Hornets team.* From my perspective at least, his skill set in defence is more suited to a sliding defence structure rather than an up and in one.
Braden Amundsen will be part of the Burleigh MM Cup squad in 2018 where he will push for a spot in the centres, I note that the Burleigh squad has some outstanding backs in the squad.* Positionally Braden Amundsen has the skill and physical attributes to stay in the centres for the duration of his rugby league career, but he could certainly also play on the wing at a high level.
Braden Amundsen is just a classy player who seems to be able to break tackles even against far bigger opponents and has a touch of class with his passing game thus from a comparison perspective I can see aspects of the play of Melbourne Storm centre Chayse Blair when watching Braden Amundsen play, he is just an effective player who slips under the radar a little.
Brody Jones. The tough young Lismore Marist Brothers second rower’s 2017 rugby league season finished with him attending the Titans U16 High Performance Academy camp in Lennox Heads recently where he played for the Titans in their match against a Western Mustangs U16 side that was also attending the high performance camp.
Brody Jones played for Lismore Marist Brothers in two different competitions in 2107 being the U16.5 Group One Junior Rugby League competition and the NRRRL competition at the U18 level.* In 2016 Brody Jones was selected on the bench for the U15 New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges Northern Region side for their annual trials.
For Lismore Marist Brothers in the Group One U16.5 competition, Brody Jones played in twelve matches for the 4th placed Rams scoring three tries including two in two weeks against Ballina and Clarence Coast and later in the season Brody Jones scored against Casino RSM.* In total Brody Jones also played four matches at the U18 level in the NRRRL competition with his first match coming in early April against the Tweed Coast Raiders which included the outstanding young forward Oscar Clarke.
The young hard running backrower usually lines up on the right hand side of the field and runs with speed into the defensive line.* He is not the biggest young backrower you will ever see, but he is all effort in attack and will constantly run the ball into the heart of the opposition forward pack regardless of how big they are. He is a smart runner though to the extent that he does use good foot work prior to the defensive line to help negate his lack of size and he also has very good leg drive once initial contact has been made.
Brody Jones also fights hard when tackled to ensure he gets a quick play the ball to maintain the momentum for his side.* In addition, he has enough speed to be an effective runner of the football to run the ball on the edges of the ruck. He is not exceptionally quick but quick enough to rush defenders to make a decision of when to commit to the tackle.
In terms of his defence, Brody Jones has a very good low tackling technique a skill that is not always present in rugby league and is also an exceptional cover defender, in part because of the effort he puts in to track the ball across the field when opposition teams spread the ball wide.* His head placement always seems to be correct, thus reducing the possibility of injury to himself.
In the context of defending in the centre of the ruck a continued focus on increasing his functional strength will enable him to better handle the biggest of forwards one on one, but I have no doubt with his dedication and the tools that are available to him, this will be easily addressed.* Brody Jones seems to have the type of frame that could add muscle without compromising his speed attributes.
Brody Jones will still be eligible to play in the Group One JRL U16.5 competition in 2018 but it is likely that he will play the entire season in the U18 NRRRL competition and late in the season may also get an opportunity in the NRRRL reserve grade competition.* Brody Jones will also be in the running to be selected in the 2018 East Coast Dolphins U18 side for the New South Wales Country Age Championships.
With his size, strength and aggressive streak Brody Jones has the ideal build and mentality to forge a career in the second row on a rugby league field.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of South Sydney’s second rower Kyle Turner as a solid all round type of backrower who runs at the defensive line with speed and a hard approach and regularly makes good ground as well as being an effective defender.
Tyrone Tofaeono. The giant youngster had a great 2017 season for Keebra Park in the GIO Cup competition including starting the GIO Cup National Final from the interchange bench and making some powerful runs when he came onto the field against Westfield’s Sports High in a 25 -12 victory for the Gold Coast based school.* Tyrone Tofaeono also played a number of matches for Keebra Park in the Langer Reserve Grade side including being named Keebra Park’s MVP in their 18 all draw with local rivals PBC and has been named in the Burleigh Bears MM Cup training squad for the upcoming 2018 MM Cup competition.
Tyrone Tofaeono’s dedication can be shown by the fact that he travels down to the Gold Coast from Ipswich to attend school.* Tyrone Tofaeono played for the Goodna and Districts Eagles in the U17 Ipswich Rugby League competition this season, playing in eleven matches and scoring a try in mid-June against the Springfield Panthers.
Tyrone Tofaeono is a big strong hard running young forward who really punishes defensive lines with his strength and power.* For a big young man he also has the ability to run wider of the ruck targeting the smaller defenders.* I would argue that his speed for a front row/lock is above average bordering on plus and with that he runs with exceptional power and regularly drops his chest into the initial defender in the opposition defensive line.
Tyrone Tofaeono also has a powerful fend with either arm and does not look to just hold off his opponent but actually look to push them physically away from his body.* The final piece of the puzzle for Tyrone Tofaeono is developing his off-loading skills and whilst he has shown flashes of this skill attribute with continued experience and selectivity the ability to off load both prior to the line and once engaged will certainly come.
Tyrone Tofaeono is an aggressive defender whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can and will stop even the biggest opposing forwards in their tracks and targets the area around where the attackers carry the football.* His speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half.* I have noted that he is aggressive and seems to want to win every one on one battle and he invariably does.
As noted Tyrone Tofaeono will start the 2018 season in the Burleigh MM Cup squad and after than I am not sure to be honest where he will play his club rugby league.* In previous season’s a precondition for selection in a Gold Coast based MM Cup squad was that you were registered with a Gold Coast Rugby League club if that is still the case, Tyrone Tofaeono will be a solid addition to the Gold Coast U19 competition once the 2018 MM Cup competition is finished.
With his combination of size strength, power and surprising speed for a big forward, Tyrone Tofaeono is the prototypical front rower or lock in the modern game.
The power and intensity of Canterbury Bulldog and New South Wales State of Origin forward David Klemmer is mirrored by Tyrone Tofaeono, he is just an intimidating presence on a football field with his size and aggressiveness.
Levi Liuvaie-Tomai. The big strong young Helensvale Hornets front rower has been named in the Burleigh Bears MM Cup training squad for 2018 after having a solid 2017 season with the Helensvale Hornets in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League U16 Division One side.
Levi Liuvaie-Tomai was also part of the Gold Coast Vikings White side that played in the South East Queensland U16 pre-season competition against teams from Brisbane and Ipswich.* In the U16 Division One competition for Helensvale, Levi Liuvaie-Tomai played in ten matches including their Preliminary Final loss to Burleigh but was not able to cross the try line.
As noted Levi Liuvaie-Tomai is a big and I mean big strong front rower who is a powerful runner of the football, who knows only one way and that is straight ahead and can offload once he has impacted the defensive line or has crashed through it, in addition he is quite effective when his team is attacking close to the try line.* He can either take the ball himself, and when he gets low he is very difficult to stop or he can run as a decoy and attract defenders away from the real axis of attack, usually wider out.* For a big front rower he does actually have quite decent speed and footwork, certainly well above average for a player of his size.
In defence Levi Liuvaie-Tomai is happy to go for the big hit often, on occasion however as he starts to tire he can leave an arm out and get penalised for a high tackle, a focus on stamina will assist in eliminating this. He is obviously suited to defending in the centre of the ruck rather that the fringes and for his size has decent lateral mobility which allows him to engage nippy runners out of dummy half.
Levi Liuvaie-Tomai’s calling card though is the strength and power to effectively engage the opposing forward early in their run and use his natural strength to win the forward battle in the centre of the ruck as well as winning the wrestling battle on the ground to slow down the play the ball.* He can defensively handle any one on one battle that presents itself in eth middle of the ruck.* At times in games Levi Liuvaie-Tomai really does prevent opposing gaining any ground at all through the centre of the ruck.
As noted, Levi Liuvaie-Tomai will train with the Burleigh Bears MM Cup squad over the off season and will play his club rugby league with the Helensvale Hornets in the U17 GCJRL Division One competition.
Levi Liuvaie-Tomai is a big strong young man and is ideally suited to the front row from a rugby league position perspective where his size and strength can be best utilised.
For me Levi Liuvaie-Tomai has a playing style similar to former Wests Tigers and soon to be Bulldogs* and New South Wales State of Origin and Australian International front rower Aaron Woods as a forward with decent footwork and a relentless hard working attitude to the game both in attack and defence.
Corossian Pailegutu-Afoa. The big strong young Keebra Park and Runaway Bay Seagulls second rower has recently been named in both the Burleigh Bears and Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup training squads.* Corossian Pailegutu-Afoa started in the front row for Keebra Park in the Langer Reserve competition including their final 20 – 12 victory over Marsden State High School.
For Runaway Bay Corossian Pailegutu-Afoa played eight matches in the U17 Division One and competition and two in the U19 competition.* *In the U17 Division One competition Corossian Pailegutu-Afoa scored his sole try of the season in late May against Ormeau. Corossian Pailegutu-Afoa made his U19 debut in July 2017 against Tugun and the following week played in the U19 competition once again against Mudgeeraba.* On both of the occasions that he played in the U19 competition Corossian Pailegutu-Afoa played in the U17 Division One competition earlier in the weekend.
Corossian Pailegutu-Afoa runs hard and straight and does not take a backward step.* He will not wow onlookers with offloads or line breaks but will continue to work all day, both in attack and defence.* One slight change that I have noticed from last year is that he has developed a step prior to hitting the defensive line, which has enabled him to get partly through the line and extend the running metres that he makes.* Previously Corossian Pailegutu-Afoa just ran straight allowing defenders to look to line him up.
For a young player this is a very positive development to the extent that he understands the game and shows that he has the ability to make subtle changes to his game and improve his effectiveness.* It has also meant more offloads in his game, but offloads are not something that he does frequently but and he will only offload when there is a high likely hood of the player he passes to, being in a better position than himself.
In attack, Corossian Pailegutu-Afoa understands that his role is to take the ball into the opposition’s defensive line and make as much ground as possible.* He is always available when the ball needs to be taken out from his goal line and for a front rower he really gets back quickly to take his turn.* He is also a smart footballer to the extent that he understands the attacking plays unfolding and stays out of the way on those occasions, no selfish player here!
In defence Corossian Pailegutu-Afoa is not a big hitter although his initial contact is solid, preferring to make sure that the tackle is made and is very effective both in terms of initial contact and also coming in a wrapping up the football, he also covers inside well when balls are turned back inside on the fringe of the ruck, even late in games when he has every right to be worn out, but he somehow wills himself to get there and make the tackle.* When at marker Corossian Pailegutu-Afoa works hard and always gets out of marker quickly to put pressure on the kicker, but then somehow gets back quickly to take his turn to bring the ball out from his own territory.
He will probably not stand out as he progresses up the age groups, which has nothing to do with his ability, it is just the way he plays the game.* He will take hit ups and tackle all day and do all of the little things necessary to help his team succeed.
As noted, Corossian Pailegutu-Afoa will train with the Burleigh Bears MM Cup squad over the off season and will play his club rugby league with Runaway Bay in the U19 GCRL competition.
This season for Runaway Bay Corossian Pailegutu-Afoa primarily played in the second row when he was on the field but for the Keebra Park Langer Reserve (Open B) side he primarily played in the front row.* When all is said and done I believe that Corossian Pailegutu-Afoa will ultimately end up in the front row.
From a style perspective think of a Luke Douglas type who will not stand out but he is very effective in the role he is asked to and is comfortable playing.
Rowan Mansfield also played eight matches in the Group One U15 competition scoring against Casino RSM. On six of the eight occasions that Rowan Mansfield played U15’s he was backing up from the U14 contest earlier in the day.
In the 2016 season Rowan Mansfield scored an amazing 35 tries in only 13 games to finish the leading try scorer by 13 tries, adding in his two conversions, Rowan Mansfield had a total points tally of 144 on the season in the U13 Group One Junior Rugby League competition and added another six tries from as many games in the U14 age group.
In the U13 competition, Rowan Mansfield was only kept try less on one occasion in 2016, being against Lismore Marist Brothers in the last match of the season.* Rowan Mansfield scored six tries in a match against Kyogle and five also against Kyogle earlier in the season and on four occasions, scored four tries in a match which came against Casino RSM on two separate occasions and against Grafton and South Grafton.* Rowan Mansfield also scored two hat tricks, coming against Lismore Marist Brothers on two separate occasions.* At the U14 level, Rowan Mansfield scored two doubles which came against Grafton and Kyogle.
In attack his speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice when you see him play live.* Only watching him play live will do his speed off the mark justice, watching him play live, it is great to see when he takes off.* He also has an extra gear once he is through the defensive line and has the ability and endurance to maintain his speed over a long distance. Couple his speed with a very good right foot step and you have a young player who seemingly makes breaks at will.
Rowan Mansfield can and will beat defenders in the inside with a step and if the defensive line is staggered a dummy and go, presents multiple headaches for the opposition’s defensive strategies.* He also backs up any line breaks that are made by his forwards.* Yes I know that he is still very young but Rowan Mansfield has absolutely blazing speed already, which would have to be considered in the plus-plus category.
At present due to his age and quality of competition, he does not play as a fullback who receives the ball “out the back” from the half/five eight, but he is usually one of the better players in all of the teams that he has played on to date, thus I have no doubt that his passing and decision making skills will improve in these situations as he matures as a player.* He also has very good hands for such a young player and when he retrieves the ball from an opponent’s kick he simply just takes off and is difficult for the opposition to get his hands on.
Rowan Mansfield is not the biggest or necessarily strongest player but will take the hit when needing to make the tackle in the last line of defence and has the recovery speed to compensate if he needs to turn and chase an opponent’s break. Rowan Mansfield is also adept at using the sideline to his advantage when he is defending against opposition breaks.
Moving forward to the 2018 season, Rowan Mansfield will once again play for Ballina in the U15 age group and almost certainly play some matches up at the U16.5 level. Rowan Mansfield will also be one of the first players selected for the U15 Group One representative side. From a position perspective, I would suggest that he will continue to play fullback for the foreseeable future, although it will be interesting to see if he spends some time at halfback early in his junior rugby league career in an effort to accelerate the development of his ball playing and game management skills.
From a player comparison perspective, think along the lines of former Cowboys fullback Matt Bowen as a fullback with exceptional pace and footwork who is also courageous when it comes to his defensive duties.
Ethan Foster. (Updated) The big strong young forward has made a seamless move from the Grafton Ghosts junior rugby league club to the Clarence Coast Magpies at the start of the 2016 season in the Group One Junior Rugby League.* At the Magpies, he has teamed with the talented Julian Torrens to form a lethal pairing who have pushed Clarence Coast up the ladder.* Earlier this season Ethan Foster represented Group One U15’s at the New South Wales Age Championships.
For the Clarence Coast Magpies this season Ethan Foster scored fourteen tries from eleven matches to be the competitions leading point’s scorer.* Ethan Foster started the season off with a hat trick against Kyogle and scored another hat trick later in the season against Marist Brothers.* Ethan Foster also kicked three conversions to finish the U15 season off with 62 points.* Ethan Foster also made his U16.5 Group One JRL debut when he lined up in that age group against Ballina in early June after playing in the U15 clash earlier in the day.
In 2016 Ethan Foster topped the try scoring list in the U14 competition with an incredible 33 tries from just 16 matches. Ethan Foster also kicked 27 goals to also finish top of the points scoring list with 186 points.* Ethan Foster scored four tries in a match on two separate occasions against Lismore Marist Brothers and also scored six hat tricks which came against Ballina, Kyogle twice, and Casino RSM twice and also against Grafton.* Ethan Foster also had some big matches with the boot including kicking five conversions in a match against Marist Brothers and on three occasions kicked four conversions in a match. 2016 is not an anomaly in terms of try scoring, in 2015 for Grafton at the U13 level he scored 14 tries across ten matches, including hat tricks against the South Grafton Rebels and Kyogle and doubles against his new team Clarence Coast and Casino RSM.
Ethan Foster plays his schoolboy rugby league for MacLean High School and was part of their U14 CHS side that defeated Evans Head High School in the first round of the competition in MacLean in 2016 , in fact he was the U14 MacLean High School rugby league captain.* Ethan Foster opened the scoring for MacLean High School in only the second minute with an unstoppable run from about 20 metres out and carried a couple of defenders across the line to score and crossed again later in the first half off a great short ball from Julian Torrens after front rower and Titans development squad member Elijah Winitana make a rampaging run and got a quick play the ball.* Ethan Foster scored again early in the second half, again charging through the defence.* MacLean won the match 46 – 4.* In September 2016, Ethan Foster and his Maclean High School U14 team mates dominated the U14 DEX round robin competition, with empathetic victories over South Grafton HS and McCauley College.* Ethan Foster was named player of the series.
Ethan Foster is a big strong powerful young man who really does run flat out into the defensive line.* He does not really have any foot work prior to the line but will drop his shoulder into the opposing defenders and will continually pump his legs in an effort to rain as much ground as possible, in first grade some forwards drop to the ground immediately when contact is made looking for the quick play the ball, but Ethan Foster does not subscribe to this theory, he continues to pump his legs, and will on a regular basis break free of contact through effort and determination alone.
Ethan Foster has exceptional speed off the mark and when he gets into open space has above average top end speed for a forward and can finish off a lot of breaks by himself.* He does have a tendency to sometimes take the fullback on by himself rather than look for his support players but this will come with time no doubt and to be fair outside of Julian Torrens there are not many in his Clarence Coast team who have the speed to be in the right position to support him when he makes a break and is approaching the fullback.
Where he is quite effective is close to the line where he just powers through defenders to cross the line.* When his team start to use him as decoy he will become an even bigger asset to his team as at the moment defensive lines key into him when he is running, leaving space out wide.* He will also take a majority of the hit-ups off kick offs as well.* Adding some subtle foot work to his running style will I am sure that will develop as he progresses.
When he does run wider of the ruck Ethan Foster is actually quite good at running the right line, he will run at gaps rather than just trying to run over the opposition, this year, with Ethan Foster running off Julian Torrens he is going to get plenty of opportunities to have a ball put in the right spot, similarly Julian Torrens will not be the focus of the opposition defensive line as they now must take Ethan Foster into account rather than purely focussing on Julian Torrens.
Defensively the situation is similar Ethan Foster is a big strong powerful young man and he uses that to hit very hard and is more than capable of handling even the biggest of opposing forwards one on one.* He will go for long stretches of games dominating the centre of the ruck and is able to limit the ground made by opposing forward packs almost single handedly.* He is also very mobile for his size and is good at mirroring the movement of smaller players and rarely seems to get caught on the back foot due to his above average lateral mobility for his size.
The 2018 season will see Ethan Foster play in the U16.5 age group in the Group One Junior Rugby League competition for the Clarence Coast Magpies and also again for Maclean High School and also represent The East Coast Dolphins at the U16 level in the New South Wales Age Championships. It would also not surprise to see Ethan Foster play a few NRRRL U18 matches in 2018, his is certainly mature enough to do so.
In terms of position, he can play anywhere in the forwards bar hooker but in the end I think that he is best suited to play in the centre of the ruck even though he does have the ability and skills to operate a bit wider, thus playing either in the front row or the way current locks play would appear to be the most appropriate use of his skill set.
From a player comparison perspective it is a big call but he really does have a frame that enables explosive and powerful running of the ball and thus I am going to sight former Titan and Canberra Raider Dave Taylor as a player that Ethan Foster runs like, he runs like when Dave Taylor was motivated his initial acceleration for a big player is exceptional as his speed when he impacts the defensive line, the difference is that Ethan Foster is always motivated to do his best for his team.* He is just a powerful player with a lot of untapped potential.
Michael Stephenson-Bolt. (Updated) He is a young fullback, winger or centre from the Lismore Marist Brothers side in the Group One junior rugby league competition in Northern New South Wales who played the 2017 season at the U14 level finishing near the top of the try scoring tally in the competition behind talented fullback Rowan Mansfield.* Michael Stephenson-Bolt in 2017 was also named at fullback for the U14 Group One representative side for the New South Wales Age Championships.* * Michael Stephenson-Bolt’s younger brother Ezekiel is also a talented youngster from the Northern New South Wales region.
In the U14 Group One Junior Rugby League competition for Lismore Marist Brothers, Michael Stephenson-Bolt played in nine matches and averaged a try a game which was in line with his career averages to date.* Michael Stephenson-Bolt scored in every match this season in the blue and gold of Marist Brothers including scoring five tries in a match against Casino RSM and hat tricks against Grafton on two separate occasions.* With the addition of five goals Michael Stephenson-Bolt finished the season with 82 points over the course of the 2017 Group One U14 season.
For Lismore Marist Brothers at the U13 level in 2016, Michael Stephenson-Bolt averaged two tries a match on his was to scoring a total of 22 tries.* A purple patch of form over the first five rounds of the U13 competition from April 2 to May 28 say Michael Stephenson-Bolt score 14 tries from just five matches.* Over that span he scored four tries in a match on two occasions being against Casino RSM and Grafton and a hat trick against South Grafton.* Michael Stephenson-Bolt also scored two more hat tricks on the season which came against South Grafton and Grafton in June and July respectively. Michael Stephenson-Bolt also kicked seven conversions on the season to finish with a total points tally of 102.
There is no point trying to come up with a fancy way of describing his style of game, for his age he is a big strong powerful runner who will get back deep and run straight and hard and crashes through his opposing defender.* Throw in very good speed for a boy with decent size and you have a real handful for a defensive line.* With his size and strength he carries defenders with him and continues to pump his legs to gain more ground. When returning kicks he winds up and just runs straight and hard straight into the defensive line.* Someone like Michael Stevenson-Bolt must be a godsend for the forwards on his team when he is able to take some of the pressure of making yards is taken off them.
Defensively Michael Stephenson-Bolt uses his size to good effect, he drives with his shoulder into his opponent and has very good timing in terms of when to come out of the line and certainly has the speed to readjust and chase if his timing is slightly off and his opposing centre gets on his outside. For me when I saw him play he was the defensive leader of his sides three quarter line and other defenders keyed off him in terms of whether to use an up and in methodology and slide to the outside.
Michael Stephenson-Bolt on an individual level has the balance and body control to redirect quickly and mirror the movement of the opposing attackers and anticipate what vector the attack comes from and innately understands when to allow the attacking play to develop in from of him and when to come out of the line to disrupt the attacking play prior to its formation.
Moving forward to the 2018 season, he will play for Lismore Marist Brothers at the U15 level, Michael Stephenson-Bolt should also be a key part of the Group One U15 squad for the 2018 representative season.
From a position comparison perspective, even though he played on the wing and at fullback in the 2016 and 2017 seasons including for a number of representative sides, I would argue that he would be more than capable of moving into the centres for the majority of his junior career. When/if he gets to the upper echelons of junior rugby league, moving towards senior football, I think that he ends up on the wing but at present the more football that gets his hands on the better off his team will be as will be for him from an individual development perspective.
From a player comparison perspective for Michael Stephenson-Bolt, think of someone along the lines of the Newcastle Knights and Queensland State of Origin centre Dane Gagai as a smooth moving centre who is elusive and difficult to defend against as a result.
Thomas Farragher.* The young Kyogle half back has already been in and around Titans development squad after spending six weeks training with the squad in mid-2016. Earlier this season Thomas Farragher was part of the U15 New South Wales Combined High Schools trials and earlier this season Thomas Farragher was the starting five eight for the Group One U15 representative side. Thomas Farragher also recently received a Northern New South Wales local sports champion award for his performances over the course of the 2017 rugby league season.
This season Thomas Farragher played eight matches in the Group One U15 JRL competition scoring eight tries to average a try a match including an early season double against Lismore Marist Brothers and he also scored tries against Casino RSM and Ballina.
In 2016 the young Kyogle Turkeys halfback had a solid start to his club season which culminated in his selection in the Group One U14 side that competed in the New South Wales Country Age championships in Forster.* In those championships he played in all three of Group Ones matches including their 58 – 0 win over Group 19 on Saturday and both of their Sunday matches against Central Coast and their Northern Trophy final loss to Group 21.* Over the course of the three matches that Group One played, he scored two tries which came against Group 19 on Saturday and then scored his team’s only try on their 20 – 6 loss against Central Coast early on Sunday morning.
Thomas Farragher is quite an elusive runner of the ball and some good foot work in confined space.* He will take on the line regularly and has a very good step off both feet but his left foot step seems to be the preferred step based on the games that I have seen at least.* Thomas Farragher is always around the ball and thus is always available to back up a break by a forward or when they get their hands free.
His passing game is what I would consider above average and he will drift across the field looking for runners to run into holes and has the ability to hold the defensive line in place as he develops the play in front of them, making to easier for his support runners to get a clear passage through the line, especially when a defender comes out of the line and commits to Thomas Farragher.
Thomas Farragher will also wait until the last possible moment to release the football. His best attribute in his passing game is the speed, timing and accuracy when he passes to his outside backs.* He gets a very good spiral on the ball from both sides of his body and leads his outside attackers into the ball, enabling them to maintain the momentum of their run.* *A key attribute to how Thomas Farragher plays is his ability to organise and direct his team around the field as well as adjusting his game to the specific situations within a game.
Where he projects very well is in the defensive aspects of rugby league, in essence Thomas Farragher is a very good defender for the half back position, this includes against opposing halves who will try to use footwork and evasion to beat him or against big wide running forwards.* No matter who is running at him, his timing, strength, lateral movement and technique are all well above average even verging on plus, not just for his position but for his age group in general.
His defence is an area that stands out when you watch Thomas Farragher play in person.* He, from my perspective at least defends like a second rower, which means his team’s defensive strategy can be accommodated to account for the fact that a “defensive minder” is not a critical requirement for any team that has Thomas Farragher defending in the front line.
Thomas Farragher will play in the U16.5 Group One Junior Rugby League competition for the Kyogle Turkeys and will be line for selection in the East Coast Dolphins U16 side for the 2018 New South Wales Age Championships. It would also not surprise if Thomas Farragher also gets some opportunities late in the 2018 season in the U18 NRRRL competition.
From a position perspective I cannot see any reason that Thomas Farragher would not continue to play at halfback for the foreseeable future.* He will also I am sure be in contention again for representative honours at the U15 level for the Group One side in 2017.
From a player comparison perspective, I can really see aspects of the play of boom Titans junior Kane Elgey in his play, he has a very good passing game and moves very well over the ground with more speed than people give him credit for and when the defence starts to focus on his runners rather than him, he has a very good dummy and then can accelerate quickly off the mark through the resulting gap.
Tate Roberts.* The young Burleigh Bears second rower transferred from Currumbin mid-season playing for both clubs in the U15 Division One GCJRL competition. Tate Roberts already has an association with the Titans, with both of his older brothers being involved, oldest brother Ethan played the last two seasons in the Titans NYC squad and his other brother Blake has played CC Cup and played at five eight against Balmain in a U15 development match late in 2015.* Recently Blake Roberts has been named in the 2018 U16 Gold Coast Vikings training squad.
2016 saw the PBC student represent the Gold Coast Vikings at the U14 level and in 2015 he was a U13 Vikings representative.* In 2016 Tate Roberts also represented South East Queensland at the U14 level at the Hill Stumer Championships.
At the start of this season Tate Roberts played two matches for Currumbin in the U15 Division One competition but in June received a clearance to move to Burleigh for whom he played seven matches scoring four tries from doubles against Southport and Coomera.* Tate Roberts also played two late season matches for Burleigh at the U16 Division One level both being semi-finals with Tate Roberts coming off the bench including in the Grand Final loss 34 – 4 ironically against Currumbin.
From what I have seen when he is running the ball, Tate Roberts usually lines up in the right hand side of the field and looks to cut in behind the play the ball when he is running the ball.* He does not often run directly at an opponent but usually utilises a slight step, normally off his left foot in the first instance to try to get partially through the defensive.
Once he is tackled Tate Roberts really does fight to get to his feet and get a quick play the ball and whilst that is an admirable trait he will need to ensure that does not rush the play the ball too much.* Tate Roberts is not necessarily fast, I would consider that his speed would be considered average for a second rower but he does not good speed off the mark.
Defensively Tate Roberts is very aggressive and normally defends on the left hand side of the ruck and even though he is by no means a big second rower even for U15’s he will certainly aim to hit anyone running his way very hard front on.* Due to his smaller size he will not drive opposing forwards backwards but certainly has an initial burst strong enough to immediately halt the momentum of the ball carrier.
Tate Roberts is also a player who is not advise to coming in and finishing off tackles whether that being coming over the top to wrap up the ball or bringing an opponent down around the legs if his team mates are wrapping the ball up.* *He seems to enjoy the defensive line of the game.
Tate Roberts will play the upcoming regular season with the Burleigh Bears in the U16 Division One GCJRL competition and will be part of a solid forward pack. Tate Roberts will also be in line for a spot in one of the two Gold Coast Vikings U16 sides in 2018. Tate Roberts will also be involved in Palm Beach Currumbin’s Super Six and GIO Cup school boy rugby league campaigns.
From a position perspective, Tate Roberts has played the majority of the last couple of seasons in the second row including for both club and representative sides and that is likely where his future lies.* He is not going to be a big second rower by any means but he is an aggressive runner and defender all the same.
If you look at a current player like South Sydney second rower Kyle Turner you hopefully get an understanding of how young Tate Roberts plays.* Like Turner, Roberts is a smaller backrower who is still quite effective in that role and having an aggressive nature both in attack and defence.
Tyrhys Williams. (Updated) He is a young backrower hailing from Casino in Northern New South Wales and was part of the Titans development squad based in the area in 2015.* Earlier this year Tyrhys Williams was selected in the Group One U15 representative side for the New South Wales Country age championships.
The Casino High School student started off the Group One U15 season with Ballina playing two matches for the Seagulls scoring a double against Lismore Marist Brothers and also scoring against Clarence Coast.* Tyrhys Williams then transferred to Casino RSM for the remainder of the 2017 season.
With Casino RSM in the U15 competition, Tyrhys Williams played in another six matches including scoring five tries in his first match for Casino RSM against Clarence Coast and the following week Tyrhys Williams scored against Kyogle.* Tyrhys Williams also played seven matches for Casino RSM in the U16.5 competition. On five of those occasions Tyrhys Williams backed up after playing in the U15 match earlier in the day.* In those U16.5 matches Tyrhys Williams scored two tries which came in consecutive weeks with both matches being against the Grafton Ghosts where he played against Titans linked Jake Ryan and Ben Liyou.
In 2016 Tyrhys Williams was selected in the centres for the U14 Group One representative side which participated in the New South Wales Age Championships. In late 2015 he was named in on the bench for the development squad in a match against Samoa, but unfortunately did not participate in the match.
Tyrhys Williams started off the 2016 season with Casino RSM in the U14 Group One Junior Rugby League competition before making a mid-season move to the Kyogle Turkeys where he finished the season.* For Casino RSM at the start of the season, Tyrhys Williams crossed for ten tires in just six matches, including four against Lismore Marist Brothers and doubles in consecutive matches in May against his soon to be new team Kyogle and Ballina.
Tyrhys Williams is a very calm player on the field even though he plays the game at a very high speed and is most effective on the edge of the ruck.* His style of play is that of a wide running back rower with above average speed for the position. I would actually argue that in fact a better definition of his speed would be well above average to plus, and I am talking the speed of an outside back not a backrower where he plays.
Tyrhys Williams is exceptionally quick off the mark, but what makes him even more impressive from a speed perspective is that when he gets into space, he has an extra gear again, making it almost impossible for the cover defence to catch him once he is open space.
Defences had all sorts of trouble trying to contain him in his club football over the last couple of seasons, both in terms of him taking the ball up into the centre of the ruck, but he was almost untouchable when he ran on the fringes of the ruck and he used his foot work to beat defenders with a variety of moves, including a step off both feet and a very good in and away as well as simply running over people.* Couple those two aspects with a very good fend and you have a young player in Tyrhys Williams who causes nightmares for a defensive line.
For a backrower of his size, he runs with pace, strength and power every time he touches the ball during a game.* I have not seen a great deal of him off loading the football, but the ball skills that he possess would suggest this particular will develop into a plus skill over time, although at this stage of his career it is not a necessity.
He is aggressive in defence whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can and will stop even the biggest opposing forwards in their tracks and targets the area around where the attackers carry the football.* His speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half.* I have noted that he is aggressive, but not to the extent that he will give away penalties, he just wants to win every one on one battle.* He is also a very good cover defender.
Due to his speed and athleticism he covers across the field well, thus putting him in a good position to make the tackle when the ball is turned back inside from the halves.* One thing that seemed to be the case for me was that he appears to be very quiet on the field, but as he gets more accustomed to the players around him this may change.
Moving forward to the 2018 season, Tyrhys Williams will play at the U16.5 for Casino RSM in the Group One junior rugby league competition and be in line to push for selection in the U16 East Coast Dolphins squad for the New South Wales Country championships in 2018. Tyrhys Williams may also get an opportunity to play in a number of U18 NRRRL matches later in the 2018 season as well.
From a position perspective, he could quite probably play in the centres as well as the back row, but with his skill set and physical attributes I see no reason to move him from the back row where Tyrhys Williams has the ability to develop into a damaging wide running backrower.
From a player comparison perspective, I am a little reluctant to say so but the Canterbury Bulldogs version of Sonny Bill Williams springs to mind as an appropriate comparison, when you see the combination of the skill set he possesses and the athletic ability, add in a touch of aggression and you have a young player of immense potential who plays the game seemingly at a different pace to most of the players around him.* He just looks like he is a young man who was born to play rugby league.
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Cameron Brown is only slight of build but do not take his lack of size in any way as a lack of ability or courage, he has a lot of both, which is on display each time he runs onto the field.* With the ball he is a very good distributor and will take the ball to the line in an effort to set up his supports.* Cameron Brown is adept at drawing an opposing defender out of the defensive line and then putting his support runner through the resulting gap.* A video on the official site (http://www.titans.com.au/news/2016/03/17/gold_coast_junior_re.html) highlights this exact circumstance. The video stream relates to Cameron Brown’s play in the CC Cup competition in 2016.
In terms of his speed, I would suggest that an appropriate definition of Cameron Brown’s speed would be that he is quick off the mark but does not have an extra gear when he breaks into open space.
Cameron Brown will back his judgement and take the game on especially when the game is on the line.* Assisting his play is the fact that he makes the decision what to do with the ball quickly thus enabling the ball to get out wide quickly.* In previous seasons when I have seen him play he sometimes took the line on himself too much, but the times that I have seen him play this season* Cameron Brown has become more selective about when to pass and when to run.* His passing game is solid but seems to be slightly better when he is passing to the right side of the field.
Cameron Brown has a good short kicking game but he does not have the strongest leg in terms of kicking deep but is accurate and regularly finds the ground to enable the chasers to get down field to enhance his team’s field position.
In defence, due to his size he is obviously not going to come up with the big hit but reads the play well and can hold his own when defending much bigger players.* Cameron Brown is also very vocal on the field always talking and encouraging his side both in attack and defence.
In 2018 we will see Cameron Brown start the season off in the Burleigh Bears MM Cup side before he plays in the local U19 competition.* I would think that regardless of what level of competition rugby league takes Cameron Brown that he will be in a No. 7 jersey as a tough feisty half back.
From a player comparison perspective thing maybe a Gary Freeman type player as someone who will give everything on the field regardless of their size and will not back down and has the organisational, leadership and game management skills that will give him an opportunity to succeed.
Zac Stevens.* (Updated) He is a young hooker from the Toowoomba region, who was present at the announcement of the Titans affiliation agreement with the Western Mustangs late last year with Titans CEO Tony Mestrov.* *Zac Stevens was also involved in the Western Mustangs squad that played the Tweed Heads MM squad in a trial in February.* Tweed Heads MM had a big win that night. Zac Stevens made his Hutchies A Grade Cup debut in August 2016 against Oakey and also played First Grade the following week against Wattles, a very good achievement for a 17 year old hooker playing against men in a hard fought tough competition.
For the MM Cup Final winning Western Mustangs side Zac Stevens played in all eight of Western Mustangs matches including a semi-final and of course the Final against the Souths Logan Magpies which the Mustangs won 40 – 30. In Round Six against Victoria Zac Stevens crossed for his sole MM Cup try on the season in a tough 28 – 20 loss for the MM Cup Champions.
Upon completion of the MM Cup competition Zac Stevens transitioned back to the Toowoomba Rugby League U18 competition playing in twelve matches for Toowoomba Valleys including their Grand Final win over Warwick where he started at hooker.* Zac Stevens finished the U18 TRL season with 22 points from four tries and three goals.* Zac Steven’s tries all came towards the end of the 2017 season coming against Goondiwindi, Gatton, Wattles and Dalby.* In the early August match against Wattles when he scored Zac Stevens also kicked his three goals for his season total.
2016 saw Zac Stevens play for the Toowoomba Clydesdales in the MM competition where he started every match at hooker including scoring in the first MM match of the 2016 season against the Central Crows.
Upon completion of the 2016 MM competition, Zac Stevens played in the U18 Toowoomba Rugby League competition for Toowoomba Valleys.* Zac Stevens and his team mates had a successful season culminating in a 20 – 12 Grand Final victory over the Warwick Cowboys with Zac Stevens starting at hooker and scoring a try in the 2016 Grand Final.* Over the course of the TRL U18 season in 2016, Zac Stevens started at hooker in thirteen matches, scoring seven tries in addition to his Grand Final try including a double against Burnett Blue in the depths of a freezing Toowoomba winter.
Over the last couple of season he has made a number of representative sides for the Toowoomba Clydesdales, Darling Downs and South West Mustangs, including the 2014 QSSRL Darling Downs side and scored a try against Wide Bay in that competition.* At the U14 level in 2013 he was named Best and Fairest across the season in the Toowoomba Junior Rugby League.
Zac Stevens is solid all round hooker who distributes effectively to both sides of the ruck. He does have some speed when running out of dummy half but as he progresses up the ladder through higher standards of competitions he will need to ensure that he is selective about when he runs the ball and when he passes as at present he sometimes possibly runs a little too often.* At present he has decent speed off the mark, probably slightly above average for a hooker and does a good job of finding holes behind the play the ball, but does not necessarily have the speed to finish off any breaks himself and thus needs to work progressively through his options once in open space.
Zac Stevens is efficient in his passing and there is little wasted movement as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand then pass.* He passes well from both sides of his body although his passing to the right is still a little better than to the left though, both in terms of distance and consistency.
One thing that he does well in dummy half is not taking his eye off ball until it is in his hands.* I know that that sounds like common sense, but even in first grade the number of fumbles that occur from the dummy half is too high, he seems to have the mentality of watching the ball into his hands already set as part of his dummy half methodology.
Zac Stevens defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and a solid and repeatable technique and is adept at wrapping the ball up when making a tackle.* He is also very good defending at marker in terms of harassing the opposition kickers.* Whilst he hits hard it is not necessarily to the extent that he will rock the opponent’s head backwards but certainly solid enough to halt the momentum of the ball carrier, even though he has the capacity to when he is fired up.* What you will see is an efficient and effective defender with a hard streak.* He also seems to be a good talker in the defensive line, constantly encouraging his team mates and pushing them to make the next tackle.
Moving forward to the 2018 season Zac Stevens will be part of the Western Mustangs U20 Colts side where he should see plenty of time on the field in the dummy half role.* The Western Mustangs will have eight or nine Titans High Performance Unit members in the seventeen for any given Colts match so it will be very interesting to see how they go in 2018, certainly well worth going to have a look if they are playing at a venue near you.
Zac Stevens has played a number of forward positions over the course of his junior matches, but I think that he has found his niche as a hooker who is a solid distributor of the ball with improving running instincts and who is also quite tough and aggressive from a defensive stand point.* Zac Stevens has very good endurance and projects as a hooker who will be able to play the entire 80 minutes without interchange.
From a player comparison perspective, I would consider someone along the lines of recently retired Cronulla Sharks Michael Ennis as someone with a similar playing style, but without the niggling tactics both physically and verbally.* In fairness though Zac Stevens is a touch smaller from a body shape perspective than the recently retires Ennis but equally as tough and aggressive.
Kodi Crowther. (Updated) He is a young centre or fullback from Ballina whose outstanding season culminated in him being named in the Australian U15 ASSRL order of merit side at fullback after starring in the Championships for New South Wales Combined High Schools, including scoring in Game Four against New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges. In 2016 Kodi Crowther was selected at fullback for the Group One U14 representative side for the New South Wales Age Championships.
In the Group One U15 competition, Kodi Crowther wore the Ballina Seagulls jersey in nine contests scoring seven tries, kicking twenty three goals and a field goal in the process of scoring 75 points to top the points scoring tally in the competition.* All of Kodi Crowther’s tries came in consecutive matches from May 6 to August 19 including doubles against Lismore Marist Brothers and Clarence Coast and tries against Marist Brothers on another occasion and Clarence Coast on two further occasions.
The Ballina High School student also had some big matches with the boot including kicking six goals in a match against Marist Brothers.* Kodi Corwther’s field goal which was the only one kicked in the U15 Group One competition came late in the 2017 season against Clarence Coast.* Kodi Crowther also played one match at the U16.5 level which was against the Grafton Ghosts in late July where he was up against the likes of Titans duo Ben Liyou and Jake Ryan.
Kodi Crowther is very quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside and will not get caught from behind if he gets into open space as can be evidenced by the number of tries that he scored in 2017 in both club and representative rugby league.* In addition to his speed he seems to have the ability to “freeze” his direct opponent with his ability to step off both feet before accelerating around them usually on the touchline side.
Like most of the modern day centres Kodi Crowther also has the ability to find the try line in some unlikely situations where it appears that there is no way he could possibly get the ball down without going into touch.
Kodi Crowther is also a very good goal kicker with both good range and accuracy.* I would suggest that he is likely to be his side’s primary goal kicker regardless of the level he progresses to into the future. At worst he will be a more than capable second option.
In defence, Kodi Crowther is not the biggest centre or fullback running around, but he does seem to have good functional strength to go along with his toughness, and will certainly look to come out of the line to stop the attack before it has time to fully develop.* Like all younger players he just needs experience to ensure that he picks the right time to come out of the line.* Kodi Crowther will show his opposite winger the sideline and is confident that his speed will enable him to get across to make the tackle at the appropriate time.
In terms of defending kicks Kodi Crowther will certainly go up to try to make the catch, but his standing leap is not huge compared to his leap when he has forward momentum.* As he fills out and gains more experience he will become more effective defensively, not that there is too much wrong at present certainly in relation to the standard he is playing at.
In relation to the 2018 season he will play again for Ballina at the U16.5 level and I would expect that he will be one of the first players picked for the East Coast Dolphins U16 representative side. Kodi Crowther will also likely get a couple of matches in the U18 NRRRL competition as the 2018 rugby league season progresses.
Into the future I think that he will have the opportunity to stay at centre long term.* The combination of his physical attributes and skill set would indicate that there is no necessity to move, even though the skills he has are transferrable to fullback where he has already spent some time or even the wing.
In many respects the way his play resembles that of Melbourne Storm centre Curtis Scott as a classy outside back with the ability to come into the centre of the field to do some hard running and someone who is underrated defensively.
Bryce Whale. The young former Keebra Park hooker played the 2017 rugby league season with the Western Mustangs in the U20 Colts Challenge competition and is eligible once again for that competition in 2018. Bryce Whale moved back to the Darling Downs after spending part of the 2016 year on the Gold Coast attending school Keebra Park State High School including starting in their National GIO Cup final loss against Westfields Sports High which Keebra Park were able avenge this year.
This season Bryce Whale was part of the Western Mustangs U20 side playing in 20 matches between the U20 State Wide Challenge and the U20 Colts Challenge competitions. In the State Wide Challenge competition, Bryce Whale played in all seven Western Mustangs matches including their semi-final loss to Redcliffe including scoring a try in that match.* Bryce Whale started in Round Two and came off the bench in the remaining matches.
In the U20 Colts Challenge competition, Bryce Whale, started in twelve matches at hooker and came off the inter change bench in two others, scoring on three occasions, including a double in Round Two against the Burleigh Bears and Round Eight against the North’s Devils.
Bryce Whale was originally contracted to the Wests Tigers but was not able to secure a spot in their 2017 NYC squad and thus his move back to Toowoomba. Over the course of the 2016 season in the Toowoomba Rugby League, Bryce Whale played in thirteen matches in the U18 competition as well as two matches in the Toowoomba Toyota Reserve Grade competition and five matches in the Hutchies A Grade Cup.
Bryce Whale arrived back in Toowoomba to be on the bench for Toowoomba Valleys for their 2016 Grand Final victory.* Over the course of the first half of the U18 season in Toowoomba, Bryce Whale scored six tries and kicked a solitary goal for a total point’s tally of 26 on the season, including two matches where he scored doubles, coming against Highfields and Warwick.* *In four of the instances in where he played first grade, he had backed up from the U18 match earlier in the day highlighting his durability and stamina.
In 2015 Bryce Whale was also part of the Toowoomba Clydesdales MM Cup side and represented Darling Downs at the QSSRL U18 Championships from Harristown High School. During the 2016 season Bryce Whale also represented South Coast in the U18 QSSRL Championships, scoring a try against Wide Bay on Day Three.
Bryce Whale is solid all round hooker who distributes effectively to both sides of the ruck.* He does have some speed when running out of dummy half but as he progresses up the ladder through higher standards of competitions he will need to ensure that he is selective about when he runs the ball and when he passes.* As the 2017 season progressed he did in fact become more selective in terms of running out of dummy half and as a result ended up more effective and drew a number of penalties as forwards tired and just could not get back on side as well as his effectiveness close to the line.
Bryce Whale is efficient in his passing and there is little wasted movement as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand then pass.* He passes well from both sides of his body.* His passing to the left is still a little better than to the right but this really probably nit picking on my behalf.* Bryce Whale is a high energy player and really tries to move the play along quickly and just needs to ensure that the ball is in his hands prior to working through his options.
Bryce Whale defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and is adept at wrapping the ball up.* He is also very good defending at marker in terms of harassing the opposition kickers.* He is not going to wow you with his defence because you will not see big hits, but you will see an efficient and effective defender who will regularly be near the top of the tackle count, although sometimes he does need to temper his enthusiasm.* Bryce Whale has very good endurance and projects as a hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange.
For the 2018 season, Bryce Whale will once again line up for the Western Mustangs in the U20 QRL competition where he will assuredly continue in the hooking position.
From a player comparison perspective think someone along the lines of former Newcastle Knights, New South Wales Origin and Australian hooker Danny Buderis a hard working player with outstanding leadership skills, a diverse skill set, including goal kicking and someone that his team mates will appreciate playing with.
Callum Boomer. The young Burleigh Bears MM winger had a great start to the MM season in February when he scored two tries in Round One, including one in each half and kicked three goals in Burleigh’s tough two point loss to Redcliffe at Dolphin Oval whilst playing on the right wing.* Post the MM Cup competition, Callum Boomer also played a number of matches for Burleigh in the U20 Colts Challenge side playing primarily on the wing.
For Burleigh in the MM Cup competition Callum Boomer started in all six of their matches on the wing scoring 56 points including five tries and 18 goals.* In addition to his double in Round One against Redcliffe, Callum Boomer also scored double in Round Four against Souths Logan and he also scored in Round Six against Tweed Heads.* Kicking wise, Callum Boomer kicked eighteen goals from twenty eight attempts.
For Burleigh in the U20 Colts Challenge competition, Callum Boomer played a total of nine matches scoring three tries which came in Rounds six, seven and eight against Tweed Heads, Ipswich and Redcliffe respectively.* Callum Boomer started Round One on the wing against the Sunshine Coast Falcons and in total played five matches on the wing and four at fullback.
The Coombabah State High School student and Runaway Bay Seagulls player had a successful 2016 season, including kicking a late penalty goal which propelled the Queensland GIO Cup final between his Coombabah side and Keebra Park into golden point territory, unfortunately for Callum Boomer and his team mates Keebra Park kicked a golden point field goal to progress to the 2016 National GIO Cup final.
Callum Boomer played for Runaway Bay in the U17 Division One competition on the Gold Coast in 2016, finishing as one of the leading points scorers with 110 points which came from 10 tries and 35 goals from just eleven matches.* Callum Boomer scored a hat trick against Beaudesert late in the season and also a double against Currumbin.* In terms of goal kicking Callum Boomer twice kicked five goals in a match, on both occasions against Currumbin and in both of those matches, Callum Boomer also scored at least one try, meaning 32 of his 110 points came in just two matches against Currumbin.
Whilst in does not have a great deal of speed off the mark, Callum Boomer does have decent top end speed once he gets moving and can break tackles by using a very good fend, when he gets to the outside, this prevents defenders from getting he under his ribs and thus he can maintain his running line under defensive pressure.* When engaged with the defensive line he also has a reasonable offload and when he breaks through the main defensive line he is also very effective at setting up his outside support, by drawing the fullback.
Callum Boomer also has a decent right foot step which led directly to his first or two tries in Round One of the MM Cup competition against Redcliffe when he received the ball near the try line and stepped immediately to beat his direct opponent and score in the corner.
Callum Boomer also has a decent in and away to complement his other attacking attributes and is effective when attacking close to the try line and knows which routes to run to take advantage of situations where the defensive line has not come up off the try line and thus he is able to push through the defensive line and carry defenders over to score.* He is just a solid attacking player and before you realise he has made a number of breaks and scored multiple tries.
Callum Boomer is also adept at keeping his spacing on the wing and that attribute led to his second try for Burleigh on the weekend where he stayed outside his direct opponent on the blind side and thus was in a very good position to score from close range before his opposite winger could react.
Defensively the area that Callum Boomer has impressed me the most is his ability to defend against any size opponent, from small quick outside backs to big strong powerful backrowers running wide of the ruck. He seemingly has more strength that his size would indicate, and he uses this strength to move up and hit around the area where the ball is usually held, redirecting the momentum of the ball carrier and thus eliminating the attacking threat in the short term.
Purely from a skill and physical attribute perspective he seems more suited to a sliding defensive methodology rather than an up and in style, but this is more conjecture from me rather than a fact based argument.* Like with his attacking attributes Callum Boomer is just solid defensively there is really no other word to describe it.
Callum Boomer is also a very good goal kicker with both good range and accuracy as traits.* I would suggest that he is likely to be his side’s primary goal kicker regardless of the level he progresses to into the future.
Callum Boomer will play for the Burleigh Bears U120 Colts side in 2018 and if he is not in the game day seventeen for any given match he will play for Runaway Bay in the local U19 competition and potentially also get some Gold Coast First Grade opportunities with Runaway Bay as well. Callum Boomer is eligible for Colts again in 2019.
For me with his above average speed and elusiveness in the confined space near the touch line, Callum Boomer is the ideal modern day winger probably bar a little height but he is very effective none the less. I appreciate that he started four matches for Burleigh Colts at fullback but I think that his future is more likely than not on the wing.
From a player comparison perspective think of someone along the lines of St George Dragons winger Jason Nightingale as a winger with the speed and elusiveness to regularly find the try line especially in situations where it looked highly likely that he had no chance of getting the ball over the line.
Thomas Weaver. The young half backs 2017 rugby league commitments ended recently when he was part of the Titans U15 Invitational side that played against a Balmain Tigers side at Cudgen and even though they were defeated the young Titans players put in a great effort on the night against a primarily older Balmain Tigers side.* Thomas Weaver and his U14 Cudgen Hornets side had a great club campaign in the 2017 Group 18 junior rugby league competition going through the U14 competition undefeated with their skill and discipline on show.
The outstanding young Group 18 half back was a constant threat to opposing defences in the New South Wales Country Age Championships earlier this year where Group 18 were defeated in the U14 Final with Thomas Weaver scoring Group 18’s sole try in the final and then he converted his own try.* In two of the preliminary rounds Thomas Weaver kicked two goals apiece including a local derby against Group One to finish with a points total of 14 over the course of the Championships.
Earlier this year Thomas Weaver was selected in the Northern Region Combined Catholic Colleges side at half back representing St Joseph’s College Benora Point.* In 2015 Thomas Weaver was selected in the New South Wales U12 side for the Australian U12 Championships and that same year after being named Player of the Final for Cudgen in the Group 18 U12 competition was also named as the U12 Group 18 Player of the Season.
Even though Thomas Weaver has plus acceleration off the mark and above average top speed, his primary focus on a football field is to direct his side around the field, putting his side where they need to be to maintain pressure on the opposition.* Holding the ball out in front of his body in both hands enables Denver Taylor to put doubt into the minds of the opposing defensive line and thus he can dummy and run if there is a gap in the defensive line or put his support runners into gaps.
Thomas Weaver’s decisive nature also means that when the ball needs to get out to his back line he will get it out there quickly to give his outside backs as much space as possible to work with prior to contact with the opposing defensive line.* Getting the ball out to the back line quickly is no issue for Thomas Weaver as he has a very good long passing technique which delivers the ball quickly and accurately to the right place.
In defence, due to his size Thomas Weaver is obviously not going to come up with the big hit but reads the play well and can hold his own when defending much bigger players and against players with similar size is very aggressive when finishing off his tackles.* Thomas Weaver is also very vocal on the field always talking and encouraging his side.
Thomas Weaver is also a very good goal kicker with both good range and accuracy.* I would suggest that he is likely to be his side’s primary goal kicker regardless of the level he progresses to into the future.* Thomas Weaver also has a very good short attacking kicking game with a positive being that he will go right to the line before dropping the ball to his foot, add to the fact that he regularly runs with the ball out in front of his body in both hands, he gives defensive lines a lot to consider, is he going to kick, run or pass, a defensive line that anticipates incorrectly will be scrambling to recover before he makes them pay for their error in judgement.
Thomas Weaver will play the 2018 junior rugby league season with the Cudgen Hornets in the Group 18 U15 competition as well as playing for St Joseph’s College Benora Point. I would also expect that Thomas Weaver will be in line for selection in the Northern district New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges U15 side for their trials for ultimate selection in the NSW CCC U15 side for the U15 ASSRL Championships in 2018.
From a position perspective with his speed and rapidly developing ball playing, game management and tactical kicking skills, Thomas Weaver has an opportunity to develop into a very talented young player who could play either half back or five eight equally well.
Mitchell Moses of the Parramatta Eels with his wide ranging and developing skill set is for me a very good player comparison for the talented Thomas Weaver including the way that he commands the ruck in attack.* Like Mitchell Moses, Thomas Weaver has a wide variety of skills which he is developing and whilst they may not all develop at the same pace or a linear fashion, they surely will all be above average to plus attributes when it is all said and done.
Thomas Weaver is rapidly developing into a very talented young play maker indeed and certainly a player to keep an eye on as he progresses up the Titans junior development ranks.
Blake Roberts.* (Updated) He is a young centre who is the younger brother of former NYC utility Ethan Roberts, who has been named in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad for the 2018 version of the competition.
Blake Roberts played the 2017 rugby league season for Cudgen in the U18 NRRRL competition playing in twelve matches in total scoring six tries including a double against the Mullumbimby Giants and having a purple patch from mid-June to mid-July when he scored in four consecutive matches against Tweed Coast, Kyogle, Byron Bay and Casino RSM.
In 2016 Blake Roberts played on the wing or in the centres for the Gold Coast CC White. He has been in the Titans junior development system for the last four or five years, and has played in the centres for the majority of his junior career to date, but in fact lined up at five eight late in 2015* when the Titans U15 development side defeated a Balmain Tigers development squad three tries to two.
Blake Roberts also attended PBC as part of their elite sports program after moving up from the Grafton area.* He represented PBC in the U14 Hancock Cup rugby league competition in 2014, scoring tries against St Mary’s and Sandgate High Schools.* He also represented South Coast in the U15 QSSRL competition in 2014 and scored a try against Northern.* In addition to the 2015 match against a Balmain Tigers selection he has also previously lined up for the Titans in U13 and U14 development squad matches at Redlands in 2013 and 2014.* He also has played soccer in addition to rugby league.
In terms of his attacking play Blake Roberts is a smooth runner of the ball who has above average to plus top end speed and good evasiveness to get on the outside of his opposing defender with a decent fend that enables him to keep opposing defenders at a distance and away from his body.* When playing at centre he just needs to be aware to straighten up the axis of attack on occasion to ensure his outside supports have room to move and exploit any advantages identified.
Blake Roberts has quite a good step, predominately off the left foot, so he certainly has the skills to adjust his running line as he gains more experience and develops a better rapport with his teams play makers.* He does not have the size or strength to run over the top of opposing defenders thus he needs to use his speed and guile to make an impact and the earlier he gets the ball the better but as noted just needs to straighten up the attack on occasion.* In the games that I have seen he lines up mainly on the left hand side of the field.
The thing that stands out about Blake Roberts is his defence in terms of a low tackling technique, he is by no means a big player but his defensive low tackling technique is very good, he can defend opposing centres one on one, and is one of the better low tacklers I have seen in a long time.* Tackling around the legs seems to have become a lost art, but when done right it is in my opinion it is still the most effective way of defending.
Blake Roberts is not the biggest or strongest, thus when he looks to tackle his oppose number around the chest area, he can have difficulty. He does on occasion try to tackle around the chest area too often and just needs to trust his low tackling technique which is effective. Due to these attributes he is clearly more effective defending in a side with a sliding defensive methodology rather than an up and in approach.
As noted Blake Roberts has been selected in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad for 2018 and then will likely transition to playing for Cudgen in the U18 NRRRL competition.
He has played a couple of positions, including fullback, centre and five eight, but I think that long term* he will settle in the centre’s from a long term position perspective as I do not think that he has the ball skills to play either fullback or five eight.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of the Newcastle Knights and Queensland State of Origin centre Dane Gagai as a smooth moving centre with quite an effective defensive technique.
Matt Cannings.* (Updated) He is a local young hooker from the Runaway Bay club on the Gold Coast for whom he played the 2017 season primarily at the U16 Division One level. Matt Canning has already played in a Titans jersey starting at hooker for the U14 Titans development squad side in their 2014 match against Samoa.* He also represented the Gold Coast Vikings representative side at the U14 level in 2015.
For Runaway Bay in the U17 Division One competition this season Matt Canning played in eight matches scoring three tries which came against Ormeau on two separate occasions and also against Helensvale.* Matt Canning also played one match at the U17 Division One level which was against Mudgeeraba in May 2017.
Matt Canning is a talented all be it small all-round hooker, who excels at the critical aspect of distribution of the football and game management out of dummy half.* In terms of his distribution out of dummy half, he is efficient and effective in his passing and there is no wasted movement or energy as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand then pass.
There is no discernible difference between his passing from either side of his body, and his passes are crisp and flat.* He certainly is not the biggest or fastest hooker but he will look to run from dummy half when the opportunity presents but he is not going to be a big running threat moving forward.
His defence for a hooker is solid, Matt Canning is certainly on the small side but that is no hindrance to how he currently plays the game, nor to his ability to reach his true long term potential.* He does not hit hard from a contact perspective but due to his very good low technique he can defend effectively one on one against far larger forwards, he sets a good base with his lower body to absorb the impact when confronting large forwards.
His intensity and constant effort means that he will track the ball across the field and thus is in a good position when the ball is passed back inside as well as tackle all match.* Matt Canning literally looks to tackle everything that moves in the centre of the ruck even though he is always the smallest forward on the field, and I mean always, he is also one of the toughest though.
Moving forward Matt Canning will play the 2018 season at the U17 Division One level in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League competition for the Runaway Bay Seagulls after the completion of the 2018 MM Cup competition where he will be part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls squad.
Matt Canning certainly projects as an 80 minute player, who will be known for his organisational and distribution skills as well as his courage and determination.* It is unlikely that he will make many representative sides as his junior career progresses due to his size and the fact that he is not a flashy player but he will undoubtedly be appreciated by his team mates due to his calm and measured approach to how he plays rugby league and the courage he shows in leading by example when taking on much larger opposition continually.
From a player comparison perspective, due to his size and tenacity, a playing style and comparison akin to former Titan fan favourite Nathan Friend would be appropriate from a style, courage and determination perspective.
Solomon Torrens.* *(Updated) The powerfully built young front rower from Casino RSM has generated a lot of buzz around him as a result of his great season in the U16.5 Group One junior rugby league competition.* * As a result Solomon Torrens has been selected in the Tweed Heads Seagulls U18 MM Cup training squad for the 2018 version of the competition.
For Casino RSM in the 2017 U16.5 Group One JRL competition, Solomon Torrens averaged just under a try a match on his way to scoring nine tries from just eleven matches including a great first two rounds when he scored a hat trick in Round One against Ballina and a Round Two double against Lismore Marist Brothers.
Prior to his move to Casino RSM, Solomon Torrens played for the Kyogle Turkeys including at 2016 at the U15 level where he scored five tries across 10 ten matches, including a hat trick against Clarence Coast, and also tries against Marist Brothers on two separate occasions.* Unfortunately his U15 side has had a difficult season and are currently sitting in last place.* Solomon Torrens has also played eight matches up in the U16.5 age group, scoring two tries in the process, one being in his first match in that age group against Grafton and the second against Casino RSM.
Running with the football, Solomon Torrens has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders rather than trying to simply run over them.* He does not have great speed off the mark or necessary great high end speed, but he will work hard and make the most of his ability.* He actually does have a decent off load when he has impacted the defensive line as well although to date in U16.5 competition he has not shown it much, concentrating more on making ground in the centre of the ruck.
The key to his running is his ability to drop his shoulder into the defenders at the right moment, to go along with his late foot work.* These attributes make Solomon Torrens very difficult to tackle and he can rarely be stopped one on one. Throw in a decent turn of pace off the mark and you have a player who is difficult for a defensive line to combat.
Defensively he hits very hard and usually aims for just under the ribcage and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls, read that Solomon Torrens is very good at winning the wrestling battle in the ruck.* He defends in the centre of the ruck and seems best suited in the long run defending there and adds a degree of intimidation to any forward pack he plays for.
Solomon Torrens really does know how to tackle effectively, as he sets a strong base to create the necessary leverage to defend against larger forwards and then explodes through his core. Throw in a touch of aggression and you have someone who can dominate a game defensively and is able to seal off one side of the ruck on his own.* He will need to continue to work on his strength and lateral movement as he progresses.
Solomon Torrens has been named in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup training squad for the 2018 MM Cup competition and upon that competitions competition he will play for Casino RSM in the U18 NRRRL competition and may also get some NRRRL first grade opportunities as the 2018 rugby league season progresses.
Solomon Torrens likely could also play in the second row, but with his ability to make ground through the centre of the ruck and also establish a defensive presence in the same area, a future in the front row would seem the most likely scenario from my perspective.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of former Brisbane Bronco’s and soon to be New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand test front rower Adam Blair as an appropriate comparison from a playing perspective, that being a tough hard running, hard tackling aggressive front rower. He is still a year or two away from being in a position to play in an U20 competition, no matter what they will look like in a couple of years, but he certainly has all of the necessary attributes to be an effective player at that level or higher moving forward.
Ji Van Heerwaarden. The big strong young second rower from the Glenn Innes Magpies club in the New England Group 19 competition has linked with the Titans for the upcoming 2018 season and will play for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the 2018 MM Cup competition.
Ji Van Heerwaarden played the 2017 season in the Group 19 U18 competition where he was one of the standout players.* Across the ten matches that he played for Glenn Innes in the U18 competition, Ji Van Heerwaarden scored nine tries including a great end to the season when he scored four tries in his final three matches including a double in Glenn Innes’s final loss.
In the final two rounds of the regular season U18 competition, Ji Van Heerwaarden also scored against the Moree Boomerangs and the Inverell Hawks.* Earlier in the season, Ji Van Heerwaarden scored a double against the Moree Boars and also scored in the first two rounds against the Tingha Tigers and Armidale Rans respectively.* In June of 2017 Ji Van Heerwaarden made his Group 19 First Grade debut when he started against the Moree Boars after playing in the U18 clash earlier in the day.
Ji Van Heerwaarden is a big powerful young man who whilst using his size to his advantage by running hard and straight, he does have quite decent footwork prior to the defensive line, which he uses to cut back behind the play the ball to take advantage of defenders who are slow to get back into the defensive line.
Where Ji Van Heerwaarden’s game has really developed over the last couple of seasons his ability to play wider of the ruck, which is where he is primarily playing for the U18 Glenn Innes side this season.* With his size and strength wider of the ruck Ji Van Heerwaarden attracts defenders and thus is in a position to use his ball skills to set up his outside supports early in a match. When defences start to try to anticipate that Ji Van Heerwaarden is going to pass then he can use his size and power to cash through the defensive lien as no defender is going to be able to handle him one on one by themselves.
In defence Ji Van Heerwaarden uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. Ji Van Heerwaarden is not adverse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage and reasonable agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck, although clearly he is more effective in the centre of the ruck, as most front rowers are.
It is clear from how his team mates respond to him that Ji Van Heerwaarden is a leader on the field.
Ji Van Heerwaarden will be hard to keep out of the starting line-up for Tweed Heads in the first Round in the 2018 MM Cup competition and I would anticipate that he will play a majority of the six regular season rounds of the competition. Once the Mm Cup competition, Ji Van Heerwaarden will play in the Gold Coast U19 competition for the remainder of the 2018 season.
Ji Van Heerwaarden has a bit of height to go along with some more than decent speed for a forward and I would anticipate that whilst he could also spend some time in the from row, Ji Van Heerwaarden is for the short to medium term at least, is best suited to staying in the second row.
A current NRL player with a similar playing style for me is Newcastle Knights rookie second rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon.* Like Fitzgibbon Ji Van Heerwaarden shapes as a talented young second rower who just needs the right opportunity to highlight his burgeoning skill set.
Codey McLaughlin.* *(Updated) The young Coombabah player is yet another Titans contracted player who has been named in the 2018 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM side after also being part of the squad this season.
Codey McLaughlin played the 2017 season with the Helensvale Hornets in the GCRL U17 Division One competition including starting at five eight in Helensvale’s 34 – 20 Grand Final victory over Ormeau. Over the course of the U17 Division One 2017 season Codey McLaughlin played in thirteen matches scoring four tries in the process with the tries coming against Southport, Mudgeeraba, Runaway Bay and Burleigh.
For Gold Coast Green in the CC Cup competition in 2016, Codey McLaughlin played in all eight matches, starting the seven regular season games at right centre, but he started the quarter final on the right wing.* Over the course of the CC season he scored three tries which came against the Easts Tigers in Rounds One and Six and also against Toowoomba in their quarter final loss, he also kicked two conversions in a Round Two win against local rivals Gold Coast White.
In addition Codey McLaughlin also represented South East Queensland White in the Queensland Age Championships at the U16 level, and on Day Two scored a try and kicked two conversions in a win against South East Queensland Green and on Day Three kicked three conversions in a big 42-24 victory over the Northern Marlins.
For a tall young man at around 188cm, approximately 6 2” in the old scale, but Codey McLaughlin is exceptionally quick, with a lot of his tries coming from long range efforts originating from his own territory, as once he gets into the clear he is unlikely to be caught by the opposition cover defence.* Due to his size and speed he is almost impossible to stop one on one in the competitions that he has played in so far in his career, with his favourite move being an in and away to beat his opposing number on the outside and then using his acceleration to break the game apart.
Codey McLaughlin does not just have top end speed, he has very good acceleration off the mark as well.* His fend is decent and as he puts on more muscle it will become more effective due to his long reach, meaning opposing defensive players cannot get close enough to combat him one on one before defensive help arrives.
At the moment due to his dominance Codey McLaughlin sometimes does not look for his outside support, but I do not believe that he is a selfish player, it is just that he normally makes a lot of breaks.* I have no doubt though that with experience he will be become adept at setting up his winger when the opposing defence converges on him.* With his height and reach he should also be able to develop the ability to offload in tackles, making him even harder to defend. Obviously as a result of his height he is good under the high ball both in attacking and defensive situations.
Defensively Codey McLaughlin is solid at wrapping the ball up and just needs to refine his technique as he progresses and also when to come out of the line in an effort to limit the time and space of the opposition as well as ensuring that due to his height he keeps his tackles down against opposing centres who are usually not as tall.
Codey McLaughlin does however slide well in defence and has the speed to cover opposition line breaks very well. He will need to continue to get stronger and maintain his speed to stay at centre, and potentially become a legitimate strike centre, but there is nothing in his performances to date that suggests that he will not be able to.
Codey McLaughlin has been selected in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM side for the 2018 season and then will transition to the Gold Coast U19 competition.
From a long term position perspective, even though he spent some time in the back row for Helensvale at the club level I believe that in the short term at least he has the speed and ability to stay in the centres.
From a player comparison perspective someone like Shaun Kenny Dowell of the Newcastle Knights springs to mind as someone who will be an attacking weapon in any team that he plays for.
Adyn Anguna. The big strong powerful young second rower had a great first season on the Gold Coast for the Burleigh Bears after moving over from the Cook Islands to attend PBC State High School as part of their Rugby League Excellence Program after starring in a PBC rugby league trial in late 2016.
The big strong young man who is already around 95kg and 187cm played in eight matches for Burleigh in the U17 Division One competition scoring two tries which came in consecutive weeks in July against Mudgeeraba and Helensvale.* Adyn Anguna also played two matches for Burleigh in the U17 Division Two competition.
Adyn Anguna’s style of play is that of a wide running back rower with above average speed for the position.* He is quite quick off the mark, but what makes him even more impressive from a speed perspective is that when he gets into space, he has an extra gear again which is a plus attribute for such a strong powerful back rower, making it almost impossible for the cover defence to catch him once he is open space.
When he runs on the fringes of the ruck and Adyn Anguna uses his foot work to beat defenders with a variety of moves, including a decent step off both feet and a very good in and away as well as simply running over people.* Couple those two aspects with a very good fend and you have a strong young player who can cause issues for any defensive line.* Adyn Anguna seems to line up on the right side of the field more so than the left, but I have no doubt moving forward that he will be able to play on either side of the field.
Adyn Anguna is an aggressive defender whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can and will stop even the biggest opposing forwards in their tracks when he is able to set his base. His speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half.
Once the 2018 MM Cup competition is completed I expect Adyn Anguna to play for Burleigh in the Gold Coast U19 competition and also be a key member of the PBC Open Rugby League side in their Super Six and GIO Cup Schoolboy competitions. Adyn Anguna should also be in line for selection in the South Coast U18 school boy side for the 2018 QSSRL Championships.
Even though Adyn Anguna spent a fair bit of time in the centre prior to coming over to Australian I believe that he has all of the attributes to develop into an outstanding rugby league second rower. Adyn Anguna is a touch raw by Australian standards but he is making incredible progress and looks to be a real player of the future.
Isaiah Yeo of the Penrith Panthers with his power running coupled with his non-stop movement when running the ball into the defensive line as well as the intensity in his defence is an apt player comparison for the talented but still relatively raw Adyn Anguna. Even though he is still very young there some aspects of the play of Adyn Anguna* which stand out regardless of the level that he is playing at currently.
Caleb Hodges. The young Group 18 centre or second rower comes into the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad for the 2018 season with an impressive pedigree including representing the U16 New South Wales Indigenous side earlier this season where he started in the second row and also representing Group 18 on numerous occasions in the junior age levels. Caleb Hodges played his club rugby league in the 2017 season for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the U16 Group 18 competition, with a team mates being fellow Titans youngster Jordan Tauali’i.
Caleb Hodges’s style of play is that of a powerful wide running back rower with above average speed for the position. I would actually argue that in fact a better definition of his speed would be well above average to plus. Caleb Hodges is quite quick off the mark, but what makes him even more impressive from a speed perspective is that when he gets into space, he has an extra gear again which is a plus attribute for such a strong powerful second rower, making it almost impossible for the cover defence to catch him once he is open space.
Couple those two aspects with a very good fend and you have a big strong powerful young player who can cause nightmares for any defensive line. Caleb Hodges seems to line up on the left side of the field more so than the right, but I have no doubt moving forward that he will be able to play on either side of the field, he seems to be just so skilful.
For a backrower of his size, he runs with pace, strength and power every time he touches the ball during a game.* For a young player, Caleb Hodges seems to have a good understanding of when to off load the ball, currently most of his off loads occur when he is part way through the defensive line and can get his right arm free to pass to his outside support runners.
Caleb Hodges is aggressive in defence whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can and will stop even the biggest opposing forwards in their tracks and targets the area around where the attackers carry the football.* His speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half.
I have noted that he is aggressive and seems to want to win every one on one battle and he invariably does.* He does however tend to drift inside and defend in the centre of the ruck as games progress rather than hold his spacing on the edges of the ruck, but heck that seems to be more to do with enjoying the physical aspects of rugby league and wanting to be in the thick of the action. Caleb Hodges also innately knows when a big hit in defence is needed to lift his team.
Caleb Hodges will play the 2018 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side and will be eligible again for the MM Cup competition in 2019. Post the MM Cup competition, Caleb Hodges will play in the Gold Coast Rugby League U17 Division One competition with a couple of possible clubs identified including the Bilambil Jets although I expect that he will also see plenty of time in the U19 competition as well.
Caleb Hodges is perfectly suited to the second row in rugby league and even though with his speed he could certainly play in the centres second row is the ideal position for the young man going forward.
Corey Harawira-Naera of the Penrith Panthers with his power running coupled with his non-stop movement when running the ball into the defensive line as well as the intensity in his defence is an apt player comparison for the ultra-talented Caleb Hodges. Even though he is still very young there some aspects of the play of Caleb Hodges which stand out regardless of the level that he is playing at currently.
Charlie Murray. The outstanding young five eight originally from Wauchope in Northern New South Wales has shed his ties with Newcastle and Parramatta to head up to the Gold Coast as part of the Titans High Performance Unit and has been selected to be part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls 2018 MM Cup squad.
The former Wauchope Blues and Camden Haven High School student was part of the Parramatta Eels Harrold Matthews squad earlier this season and in 2016 as a 15 year old captained the New South Wales High Achievers Rugby League side on a PNG tour where they played a curtain raiser in front of 15,000 for a PNG against Australian Presidents XIII match in Port Moresby. Charlie Murray has also represented Group Three in multiple junior representative sides.
Charlie Murray is a smooth powerful runner of the ball who seems to glide across the field effortlessly and certainly has an extra gear in relation to the speed he possesses as well as plus speed off the mark.* In the centre position, he has the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is becoming increasingly rare in the modern game.
When he gets the ball early from his inside play makers, Charlie Murray is incredibly difficult to deal with one on one, as whilst his speed has already been noted, he is also a powerful runner who has the power to also break tackles through sheer power and not just rely on his speed to beat his opponent.
The one thing that Charlie Murray also seems to be able to do well, is to step back inside without the loss of his speed or forward momentum, opposing defenders seem to push out quickly when he has the ball expecting him to look to beat them on their outside, if they come across to far, he has a very good step back side and if the inside defenders are not quick enough to cover across he has the speed to make a clean break in those circumstances.
Similarly when an opposing defender looks to come out of the line quickly to put pressure on him, his quick twitch feet means that he can step off either foot quickly to negate the attempt to cut down his time.* In short he is a very talented attacking player who looks to beat his opponent with speed and guile rather than purely by brute strength.
Defensively Charlie Murray is solid at wrapping the ball up and just needs to refine his technique as he progresses and also when to come out of the line in an effort to limit the time and space of the opposition as well as ensuring that due to his height he keeps his tackles down against opposing centres who are usually not as tall.
Charlie Murray does slide well in defence and has the speed to cover opposition line breaks very well. He will need to continue to get stronger and maintain his speed to stay at centre, and potentially become a legitimate strike centre, but there is nothing in his performances to date that suggests that he will not be able to.
Charlie Murray will play the 2018 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side and will be eligible again for the MM Cup competition in 2019.* After the 2018 MM Cup competition ends Charlie Murray ill play in the Gold Coast Rugby League U17 Division One competition with a couple of possible clubs identified although I expect that he will also see plenty of time in the U19 competition as well.
From a player comparison perspective, I would consider that the North Queensland Cowboys and Queensland State of Origin representative Michael Morgan has a similar playing style to that of Charlie Murray, being that of a talented attacking player who continues to develop the ability to bring his team mates into the game by developing his skills around taking the ball to the line and putting his runners through gaps as they develop.
Jaylan To’o. The outstanding young Runaway Bay centre was a stand out in the U17 GCRL Division One competition playing in fourteen matches.* Jaylan To’o also played five matches in the U19 competition and has been named in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad for next year’s competition.
For Runaway Bay in the U17 Division One competition Jaylan To’o scored a total of 74 points from six tries and twenty-five goals.* Jaylan To’o scored a double in Round One against Ormeau and finished the season scoring in each of the last three rounds which were against Ormeau, Mudgeeraba and Helensvale.* With the boot on four occasions did Jaylan To’o kick four goals in a match which were against Bilambil, Ormeau twice and Mudgeeraba.* Jaylan To’o made his U19 debut in July against Mudgeeraba and went on to play five matches in total in the Gold Coast U19 competition.
Jaylen To’o is a quick centre with a fluid running style with a classic centres build with the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside.* In term of his play, the in and away is his bread and butter, he has very good speed off the mark and can break to the outside quickly, couple that with long arms, which he uses to great effect with a powerful fend makes him difficult to tackle.* When opposing centres are able to get hold of him, he usually is able to maintain his balance and keeps an arm free, looking to offload.
Jaylen To’o has more tools though than just an in and away, he will also use his size and strength to run straight over smaller opposing centres as well as also having the skill to step back inside of the defender if he is pushing to the outside too early.* What Jaylen To’o is also adept at doing is timing his pass to his outside supports if the outside defender looks to come in and help defend him allowing an overlap to develop.
Due to his size and strength, Jaylen To’o is a very good defender regardless of position.* He will not necessarily hit hard, but he is very good at mirroring the movement of the opposing centre and wrapping him up ball and all.* He is also quick enough to recover and chase if the opposing centre gets on the outside and his long reach is also a positive attribute in those situations.* From a team defensive methodology stand point, Jaylen To’o seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage.
Jaylen To’o will play in the U19 GCRL competition for Runaway Bay once the MM Cup competition finishes up in March 2018 and it would not surprise if he also breaks into the Tweed Heads U20 Colts side as the 2018 season progresses.
With his size, strength speed and power Jaylen To’o has a playing style akin to that of the Titans own boom youngster and newly resigned Phillip Sami.
Juwan Compain. The PBC State High School second rower only played in one U16 Division One match in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition but made the most of it scoring against Helensvale, when he played for the Currumbin Eagles. This season, Juwan Compain was part of the U16 Queensland Academy of Sport squad and has previously represented Queensland at the U12 level.
Early in 2017 Juwan Compain, represented the Gold Coast Vikings White side in the South East Queensland U16 pre-season competition, scoring in Round Five against Gold Coast Green. After the completion of that competition, Juwan Compain was selected in eth South East Queensland U16 training squad.
In 2016 from PBC, Juwan Compain represented South Coast at the QSSRL U15 Championships scoring against Sunshine Coast and from there was selected to represent the Queensland Maroon U15 school bot side at the ASSRL U15 championships.
Juwan Compain’s style of play is that of a wide running back rower with quite good speed for the position.* *He quick off the mark and can maintain his top speed over a reasonable distance and also has a good fend and can step off both feet both in space and in tight situations.* The side step he has is not a big step but is quick and subtle enough to keep defenders off balance. He will also continue to pump his legs once he makes initial contact with the defensive line and will fight for every yard.
Once his momentum is stopped, Juwan Compain will fight for a quick play the ball to maintain his team’s momentum, although on occasion he will rush the play the ball, but that will all come with experience.* Like a lot of dominant junior players he does not offload too often, but that is more a product of the lack of necessity to do so, rather than an identifiable skills gap which needs to be addressed.
Defensively Juwan Compain looks to wrap up the ball on initial contact, he will not constantly come up with big hits, but is certainly capable of hitting hard when the opportunity presents itself, but will rarely miss tackles and also covers across the field very well, meaning he is always in a good position to make a tackle if the ball is turned back inside and also to make cover defending tackles if breaks are made wider out.
One area that I have noticed is that Juwan Compain does defend a lot in the centre of the ruck, rather than on the fringes, in no way is this a negative in the context that with his size and strength he can handle the physical contact and work load, but as he progresses in age he will probably need to adjust to defending more on the fringe of the ruck to enable him to use his exceptional athletic ability more from a defensive perspective.
Juwan Compain will play the 2018 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side and will be eligible again for the MM Cup competition in 2019 and post the MM Cup will play in the GCRL U17 Division One competition for either the Currumbin Eagles or the Burleigh Bears.
For me, with his physical attributes and skill set indicates that Juwan Compain will settle into the back row as his long term position with no need for a positional switch.
From a player comparison perspective, someone with a similar playing style that could be used for a comparison perspective would be the Brisbane Broncos backrower Alex Glenn as a strong hard running, hard tackling aggressive and effective backrower who can play for 80 minutes without the need for a break on the interchange bench.
Kiu Nuku-Ngala. The young Burleigh Bears fullback had an interrupted first season on the Gold Coast after moving down from Brisbane where he played for the Norths Devils in the CC Cup competition in 2016. Kiu Nuku-Ngala was in outstanding form in 2017 and thus has been selected in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup training squad for the 2018 instalment of the competition.
In the U17 Division One competition, Kiu Nuku-Ngala played in seven matches for Burleigh and scored a double against Runaway Bay in June and followed that up a week later with his third try of the season against Mudgeeraba.
As noted Kiu Nuku-Ngala played in the CC Cup competition in 2016 for Norths and in fact scored in their tough semi-final loss to South’s Logan.* Also in 2016 Kiu Nuku-Ngala was selected at fullback for the South East Queensland Green U16 side for the Queensland Age Championships scoring a kicking three goals on Day One against Central.
Kiu Nuku-Ngala is a silky smooth player, who looks like he glides across the field picking and choosing his time to get involved and wants to have the ball in his hands when the game is on the line.* He is very quick off the mark and when the ball is being brought out of his teams half he is always around the forwards looking for off loads.
Kiu Nuku-Ngala also can play the way a lot of the current fullbacks play when they receive the football,* “out the back” from the half/five eight.* In those circumstances, he seems to currently runs more than he passes, but he is usually one of the better players in all of the teams that he has played on to date, thus I have no doubt that his passing and decision making skills will improve in these situations as he continues to play with ‘better’ players.
Kiu Nuku-Ngala has very good positional sense in terms of taking a high percentage of opposing teams general play kicks on the full, thus regularly giving his team good initial field position to start their set of six. Similarly his positional sense when close to his own goal line means he defuses a lot of attacking grubber kicks as well.* Kiu Nuku-Ngala will also take the responsibility to run the ball back himself rather than hand it up to his winger.* When the kick goes to a winger, he is good at running out of dummy half prior to the defensive line getting set.
In relation to his defence, one thing that stands out to me is that Kiu Nuku-Ngala will not take a dummy from attackers running at him and he will stay with the ball carrier on all occasions.* He seems to stand very shallow at fullback in defence, but with his speed he is able to compensate, also his fullback positioning is dependent on his teams coaching staff and thus I am absolutely not being critical when his positioning is almost certainly a coaching methodology issue.* Kiu Nuku-Ngala is also a good communicator from full back, you can hear him talking to his team mates about their positioning in defence and offering encouragement.
Kiu Nuku-Ngala will play in the U19 GCRL competition for Burleigh once the MM Cup competition finishes up in March 2018 and it would not surprise if he also breaks into the Tweed Heads U20 Colts side as the 2018 season progresses.
For me Kiu Nuku-Ngala is one of those players that may not stand out the first one or second time you see him play but the more you see him the more you start to appreciate some of the less obvious aspects to his game such as his positioning, his clean hands, outstanding body control and the ability to score his share of incredible tries.* Ultimately I think that Kiu Nuku-Ngala will end up on the wing although fullback is definitely not out of the question.
From a style perspective, I would consider someone like the Canberra Raiders try scoring winger and former Titan Jordan Rapana as an ideal comparison for Kiu Nuku-Ngala.* Kiu Nuku-Ngala just has an uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time to score at any level.
Penisimani (Peni) Mosa’ati. The young Runaway Bay Seagull and Marsden State High School fullback played in thirteen matches in the GCRL U17 Division One competition scoring against Mudgeeraba in two separate matches and has recently been named in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad for the 2018 season.
When he runs the ball, Penisimani Mosa’ati is exceptionally quick and explosive, with above average l speed, both off the mark and when he gets into open space no one will catch him. Penisimani Mosa’ati also can step off both feet exceptionally well and also has a great swerve whilst maintaining top speed.* On occasions when he made a break, his support could not keep up and thus he used his incredible footwork and speed to beat the opposing fullback by himself.
In addition he also has the ball playing skills to set up his support runners and get them lines to run into when defenders came out of the line to negate his time with the ball in hand.* In terms of running the ball back from kicks, his timing and anticipation means that Penisimani Mosa’ati gets to a lot of balls on the full and makes a quick decision whether to run the ball flat out back into the oncoming defenders or look to create an opportunity by running across field.* Regardless he is an absolute handful to tackle with his speed and evasion skills.
Defensively in the fullback position if an attacker runs directly at him, Penisimani Mosa’ati will come forward to cut down the time the attacker has to make a decision and he will hit very hard and does not fall for a dummy in those situations.* An impressive attribute that he does have is ability to force attackers who are in open space to try to beat him down the side line.* Penisimani Mosa’ati will stay inside the attacker and force him in the required direction and then use his timing, closing speed and anticipation to make the tackle, usually forcing the attacker into touch.
Penisimani Mosa’ati will play in the U19 GCRL competition for Runaway Bay once the MM Cup competition finishes up in March 2018 and it would not surprise if he also breaks into the Tweed Heads U20 Colts side as the 2018 season progresses.
Over the course of the 2017 season Penisimani Mosa’ati spent time at fullback on the wing and in the centres but ultimately I believe that he will end up at fullback where he played the majority of his junior rugby league in the Armidale/Inverell region being Group 19 in Northern New South Wales.
Penisimani Mosa’ati has a touch of Parramatta Eels utility Clint Gutherson in his game from the perspective of his ability to slice through a defensive line, always supporting through the centre of the ruck and a fearless approach to defence and fielding kicks.
Like Gutherson, Penisimani Mosa’ati will also not die wondering, he will take the game on in all aspects rather than waiting for the game to come to him.* That does mean that he will make the occasional error but that is more than made up for by his positive play which constantly puts his team on the front foot.
Jed Edwards. The local young hooker has recently been selected in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad for the upcoming 2018 version of the U18 competition. Interestingly Jed Edwards has also been named in the Burleigh Bear MM Cup squad as well. He certainly is a young man in demand.
To say that Jed Edwards had an outstanding 2017 season would be an absolute understatement.* The youngster played a key hand in the success of the Parramatta Eels U16 Harrold Matthews side and then represented New South Wales in the annual U16 interstate match against Queensland as one of six young players in the match who had a Gold Coast background.
Jed Edwards started at hooker in all ten of Parramatta’s Harrold Matthews matches this season (Round One was washed out) including starting both their Qualifying and Preliminary Finals.* In those matches Jed Edwards scored five tries which came against St George in Round One, Balmain in Round Two, the Cronulla Sharks in Round Seven, Central Coast in Round Eight and North Sydney in Round Ten.
Jed Edwards is a vocal dummy half with a goal to lead his team around the field and determine when the forwards take the ball up and when the ball is directed out to the backline. Jed Edwards looks to lead his forwards onto the ball and provides a flat pass to enable his forwards to time their run onto the ball.* Jed Edwards aims to be the team’s general from dummy half and control the pace of the match and the axis from which his team directs their attack and also from what part of the field.
Running with the ball Jed Edwards has above average speed off the mark, probably in the above average category for a hooker and normally runs off the back of a big run from one of his forwards so that he runs when the defensive line is still retreating back to their 10 metre mark.* Ed Edwards also has a good step off either foot to assist when he is looking to take advantage of a slow or tired forward in the centre of the ruck.
Jed Edward’s defence for a hooker is quite exceptional, for a smaller forward he is a hard hitter and can defend effectively one on one against far larger forwards, he sets a good base with his lower body and explodes upwards with his shoulders to drive opposing forwards backwards and is also very good at slowing the play the ball down.* His intensity means that Jed Edwards will track the play across and thus is in a good position when the ball is passed back inside, Jed Edwards is also adept at harassing kickers from the marker position.* He literally looks to tackles everything that moves in the centre of the ruck.
Jed Edwards will start the 2018 season as the potential starting hooker for the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side although Currumbin’s Cole Geyer amongst others will also be in the running for the hooking role.* To be honest I am not sure where Jed Edwards will play once the MM season finishes but it may be his junior club on the Gold Coast being Burleigh for whom he has played his entire junior career for. If he says on the Gold Coast regardless of club Jed Edwards will play in the U17 Division One competition and more than likely also play some matches in the U19 competition and potentially even some matches in the QCup Colts is not out of the question.
Jed Edwards has spent the majority of his junior rugby league career exclusively at hooker and I can see no justification for an alteration to that particular situation as he moves forward in his rugby league career.
From a player comparison perspective, due to his distribution, running, defence and the speed and intensity that he plays the game at, a playing style akin to Danny Buderis formerly of the Knights is an appropriate comparison for Jed Edwards I would suggest. Let’s hope that he stays on the Gold Coast and does not head back to Sydney to play for the Parramatta Eels as he would look very very good in a Titans jersey in years to come.
George Etuale-Noa. The young front rower had an outstanding 2017 campaign with the Coomera Cutters playing in two different age groups and also being selected in the 2018 Burleigh Bears MM Cup training squad.
George Etuale-Noa started off the 2017 season in the U17 Division Two competition playing in seven matches scoring against Burleigh Heads Two and Nerang.* Around mid-season, George Etuale-Noa started playing more for the Cutters in the U16 Division Two competition where he was near unstoppable averaging a try a match through eight games.
George Etuale-Noa started off his time in the U16 Division Two competition with a double against Nerang and finished it with a hat trick against Nerang as well.* In between George Etuale-Noa scored a double against Helensvale and he also scored against Ormeau to account for his eight tries in the U16 Division Two competition.
George Etuale-Noa is a hard running player who never seems to just put his head down and runs straight, he always uses a slight step prior to contacting the defensive line, coupled with the fact that he drops his shoulder into defenders, means that he is a bit of a handful to tackle and he is not often knocked back onto his heals.* George Etuale-Noa is also good at maintaining his momentum after impacting the defensive line.
George Etuale-Noa seems to have a high work rate and I would suggest that he would normally be at or near the top of his team’s statistics in terms of the number of hit ups he makes and on occasion runs a very good inside shoulder route to supplement his other attacking attributes.* He does not off-load the ball much however and probably never be one based on how he asked to play the game.
Defensively George Etuale-Noa aims hits very hard and usually hits around the top of the ball region and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls by using wrestling techniques well. Last year his speed and mobility seemed to have increased and as a consequence he was better able to mirror the opposition attackers more effectively. George Etuale-Noa will probably not make a large amount of hits that are going to knock opposing forwards backwards, but opposing forwards are going to feel everyone and start to look out for where he is in the defensive line.
As noted above George Etuale-Noa is part of the 2018 Burleigh Bears MM Cup squad and once that competition is completed he will likely play once again for the Coomera Cutters in the Gold Coast Rugby League U17 competition and may also get an opportunity to play one or two matches in the U19 competition.
From a position perspective, George Etuale-Noa seems to have the skill attributes and mentality to stay in the front row as he moves through the upper echelons of junior rugby league towards senior rugby league competitions.
From a player comparison perspective, I would consider a player along the lines of current Titans front rower and captain Ryan James as a big strong hard working front rower who looks to get a quick play the ball every time he takes a hit up and also ones that tries to dominate in defence in relation to each and every tackles that he makes.
Solomon Tupou. The big strong young Burleigh Bears front rower’s successful season in the GCRL U16 Division One competition has led to his selection in the Burleigh Bears MM Cup training squad for the upcoming 2018 version of the competition.
For Burleigh in the U16 Division One competition, Solomon Tupou played in twelve matches including starting in the front row in their 34 – 4 Grand Final loss to Currumbin. Across those matches Solomon Tupou scored a solitary try which came in an early season match against the Ormeau Shearers.
As noted Solomon Tupou is a big and I mean big strong front rower who is a powerful runner of the football, who knows only one way and that is straight ahead and can offload once he has impacted the defensive line or has crashed through it, in addition he is quite effective when his team is attacking close to the try line.* He can either take the ball himself, and when he gets low he is very difficult to stop or he can run as a decoy and attract defenders away from the real axis of attack.* For a big front rower he does actually have quite decent speed and footwork, certainly well above average for a player of his size.
In defence Solomon Tupou is happy to go for the big hit often, on occasion however as he starts to tire he can leave an arm out and get penalised for a high tackle, a focus on stamina will assist in eliminating this. He is obviously suited to defending in the centre of the ruck rather that the fringes and for his size has decent lateral mobility which allows him to engage nippy runners out of dummy half.
Solomon Tupou’s calling card though is the strength and power to effectively engage the opposing forward early in their run and use his natural strength to win the forward battle in the centre of the ruck.* He can defensively handle any one on one battle that presents itself.* At times in games Solomon Tupou really does prevent opposing gaining any ground at all through the centre of the ruck.
As noted above Solomon Tupou is part of the 2018 Burleigh Bears MM Cup squad and once that competition is completed he will likely play once again for Burleigh in the Gold Coast Rugby League U17 Division One competition.
Based on his size and skill attributes there is no doubt that moving forward in his rugby league career Solomon Tupou is going to stay in the front row for the long haul.
From a player comparison perspective, maybe some along the lines of Warriors and New Zealand International Ben Matelino would be a good comparison as a no nonsense type of front rower with size, strength and power.
Toby Sexton.* The local young half back has recently been selected in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad for the upcoming 2018 version of the U18 competition after an outstanding season for the Currumbin Eagles in the GCRL U16 Division One competition which included starting at five eight and kicking four conversions in Currumbin’s 34 -4 Grand Final victory over Burleigh. Toby Sexton was also part of the 2017 Queensland Academy of Sport U16 squad. Over the course of the 2017 Division One season, Currumbin were the clear standout side.
Toby Sexton also played well for PBC in their GIO Cup campaign including kicking a goal in their tough 22 – 20 Queensland semi-final loss to Marsden State High School.* In 2015 Toby Sexton represented South Coast U15’s and from there was selected at five eight for the Queensland White side for the ASSRL U15 Championships.* On Day One of the championships Toby Sexton kicked three goals in a win over New South Wales Combined Independent Schools and on Day Six kicked four in a big win over ACT.
Titans linked second rower Kyah Watts was an opponent that night with Titans contracted second rower Noah Gafa a Currumbin team mate.* *A few other team mates from that night have also linked with both the Titans and the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad.
Over the course of the U16 Division season, Toby Sexton finished at the competitions leading point’s scorer with 85 points from three tries, thirty six goals and a field goal which came against Helensvale in May.* Toby Sexton’s three tries came from a double early in the season against Runaway Bay and a late season try against Runaway Bay as well.* With the boot Toby Sexton had a couple of big matches including kicking seven goals in Round One against Southport and six in a mid-season match against Ormeau as well as five goals in a match on three other occasions.
In attack Toby Sexton has above average speed off the mark but does not necessary have an extra gear in open space, but he is able to sustain his top speed over considerable distance.* In confined space, he has very good footwork, including a good step off both feet. Toby Sexton can beat defenders in the inside with a step and if the defensive line is staggered a dummy and go, presents multiple headaches for the opposition’s defensive strategies.
At present, one area for him to continue to develop is his play making skills, including putting his runners, whether they are backrowers or centres into holes.* With experience however there is nothing to suggest that these type of play making skills will not develop over time as we are talking about still young blokes here.* As games progress Toby Sexton is very good at identifying tired forwards in the defensive line, and he will target them accordingly.* A great trait that Toby Sexton already displays is that he will play what is in front of him rather than just play to a set game plan, which is a sign of a young player with a good understanding of the game.
Toby Sexton has a prodigious kick on him and seemingly also has good accuracy in the MM competition he kicked a couple of 40/20’s and they appeared almost effortless.* His kicking game suggest he will be a real 40/20 threat as he progresses in senior rugby league. Also his prodigious boot generates significant height on his bombs and are seemingly quite accurate.* He is also a very good goal kicker with both good range and accuracy.* I would suggest that he is likely to be his side’s primary goal kicker regardless of the level he progresses to into the future.
Where Toby Sexton projects very well is in the defensive aspects of rugby league, in essence he is a very good defender for the half back position, this includes against opposing halves who will try to use footwork and evasion to beat him or against big wide running forwards.* No matter who is running at him, his timing, strength, lateral movement and technique are all well above average even verging on plus, not just for his position but for his age group in general.
Toby Sexton will line up for Tweed Heads in the MM Cup competition to start off the 2018 season and from there will play for Currumbin in the Gold Coast U17 Division One competition.* Toby Sexton will also be a key member of the PBC Open rugby league side which will contest the Super Six and GIO Cup competitions.
Even though he spent a lot of the 2017 season at five eight, ultimately I think that Toby Sexton will end up playing half back in senior rugby league.* Even though there is no a great deal of difference between the two positions I think that he is better suited a little closer to the action where his game management skills and kicking game are better suited.
For me from a playing comparison perspective, I think that to a degree Toby Sexton has a similar playing style to that of Tiger Luke Brooks, if you underestimate is running of the ball a team will get punished.
Reegan Creedy. The young Burleigh Bears front rower is a recent Burleigh Bears MM Cup training squad selection for the 2018 season after spending the 2017 season with the Burleigh Bears primarily in the U17 Division One competition. Reegan Creedy also started in the front row for Marymount College across a number of school boy competition including the Queensland Independent Secondary Schools Rugby League Championships which is better known as the Confraternity Shield.* Marymount College finished ninth and won the competitions fair play award.
In the U17 Division One competition, Reegan Creedy played in nine matches scoring against Runaway Bay in late April.* Reegan Creedy also played two matches in the U17 Division Two competition scoring against Beaudesert and also played one U19 match late in the season against Runaway Bay.
Reegan Creedy runs hard and straight and does not take a backward step.* Reegan Creedy will not wow onlookers with offloads or line breaks but will continue to work all day, both in attack and defence.* One slight change that I have noticed from last year is that he has developed a step prior to hitting the defensive line, which has enabled him to get partly through the line and extend the running metres that he makes.* Previously he just ran straight allowing defenders to look to line him up.
For a young player this is a very positive development to the extent that he understands the game and shows that he has the ability to make subtle changes to his game and improve his effectiveness.* It has also meant more offloads in his game, but offloads are not something that Reegan Creedy does frequently but and he will only offload when there is a high likely hood of the player he passes to, being in a better position than himself.
In attack, Reegan Creedy understands that his role is to take hit ups and always is available when the ball needs to be taken out from his goal line and for a front rower he really gets back quickly to take his turn.* He is also a smart footballer to the extent that he understands the attacking plays unfolding and stays out of the way on those occasions, no selfish player here!
In defence he is not a big hitter, preferring to make sure that the tackle is made and is very effective both in terms of initial contact and also coming in a wrapping up the football, Reegan Creedy also covers inside well when balls are turned back inside on the fringe of the ruck, even late in games when he has every right to be worn out, but he somehow wills himself to get there and make the tackle.* When at marker Reegan Creedy works hard and always gets out of marker quickly to put pressure on the kicker, but then somehow gets back quickly to take his turn to bring the ball out from his own territory.
As noted above Reegan Creedy is part of the 2018 Burleigh Bears MM Cup squad and once that competition is completed he will likely play once again for the Burleigh in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition.
From a style perspective think of a Luke Douglas type who will not stand out but he is very effective in the role he is asked to and is comfortable playing.
Sam Stone. The tough hard tackling Helensvale Hornets and PBC State High School lock has recently been selected in the Burleigh Bears MM Cup training squad for the upcoming 2018 season.* Sam Stone played the 2017 season for the Helensvale Hornets at the U16 Division One level playing in twelve matches scoring against the Ormeau Shearers in one of the opening rounds of the season.
Sam Stone is a powerful runner of the ball who runs the ball straight and hard directly into the defensive line. Regardless of the space between when Sam Stone receives the ball and hits the defensive line he runs as hard as possible and is able to build up significant momentum over a reasonably short distance.
Also when he has impacted the defensive line Sam Stone continues to pump his legs and gain extra metres after contact on a regular basis and can on occasion get away a nice offload.* Sam Stone’s speed however is limited outside the initial burst and when/if in open space he is not a significant threat.
Sam Stone is best suited to defending in the centre of the ruck and that is where you will almost always find him and for a solidly built young player, he moves well in terms of moving up and back in defence and his lateral movement is more than reasonable for a front rower or lock.
Another impressive aspect of his play from a defensive stand point is the speed at which he gets around the field he is always in and around the ball, constantly getting low to disrupt the momentum of the attackers.
As noted above Sam Stone is part of the 2018 Burleigh Bears MM Cup squad and once that competition is completed he will likely play once again for Helensvale Cutters in the Gold Coast Rugby League U17 Division One competition.
From a position perspective, Sam Stone projects as a tough hard defender suited to the centre third of the field and thus projects well as a tough hard strong front rower or lock.
In relation to a player comparison, Sam Stone reminders me of former Titans, New South Wales State of Origin and current English Super League enforcer Greg Bird, like Bird, Sam Stone is ruthless and makes the opposition earn any success that they obtain through a brutal tackling technique and a running style designed to initiate contact with the opposition defensive line and force the defensive line to work hard to get him to the ground.
Raven Needham. The lightning quick light stepping centre who finished the 2017 season with Helensvale in the U16 Division One competition has been selected in the Burleigh Bears 2018 MM Cup training squad.* His older brother Shaw Needham was/is also a talented footballer who has some bad luck with multiple knee injuries over the last three or four years.
Raven Needham started off the 2017 season playing for Southport in the U16 Division One competition playing four matches for the Tigers before moving to Helensvale.* For the Hornets Raven Needham played in ten matches including their finals campaign scoring on four occasions.* Raven Needham scored in just his second match for Helensvale against Ormeau and from late July to mid-August he scored in three consecutive matches against Ormeau, Currumbin and Runaway Bay.
The reason Raven Needham is so successful on a football field is his exceptional speed and elusiveness by any objective measurement Raven Needham with his speed and* elusiveness* is a nightmare for opposing defences.* In relation to his elusiveness the thing that makes it play even better is his ability to change direction with no loss of speed, this enables Raven Needham to use the sideline exceptionally well with an in and away.* When the opposing defender’s momentum slows just for a split second, Raven Needham is away down the sideline and will not get caught and also regularly also beats the fullback who no matter how fast they are cannot recover the ground.
Another key facet of his game is his chasing of kicks, Raven Needham’s ability to put pressure on the fullback when chasing grubber or longer tactical kicks means that the fullback will either rush the catch or make a mistake or be caught by him. In short he can make a defensive clearing kick into an attacking weapon.
Raven Needham is not a big player at all and the obvious question is whether he is strong enough to handle the defensive side of rugby league at the higher levels, I would argue that the answer is absolutely yes.* In defence against the bigger outside backs running around, Raven Needham looks to cut down the time that they have to gain momentum thus eliminating the size differential as a defensive aspect to take into consideration.
As noted above Raven Needham is part of the 2018 Burleigh Bears MM Cup squad and once that competition is completed he will likely play once again for the Helensvale Hornets in the Gold Coast Rugby League U17 Division One competition and may well also get a couple of games in the U19 competition as well.
Raven Needham may not have the prototypical size of a modern rugby league winger but he has speed to burn and that is something that cannot be taught. I could also conceivably see Raven Needham being able to play fullback in rugby league as a result of his smart intelligence play and his ability to distribute the ball but in the end I think that wing is probably going to end up being his best position.
I am going to go with a winger from a previous era for comparison purposes that being former Queensland State of Origin and Australian test winger Kerry Boustead as a tricky elusive winger.
Jack Cullen.* The young Northern New South Wales front rower or lock has recently been selected in the Burleigh Bears MM Cup competition for the 2018 season after having a solid 2017 campaign with PBC and the Currumbin Eagles in the GCRL U16 Division One competition.* Early in the 2017 season Jack Cullen represented Gold Coast Vikings White in the South East Queensland U16 pre-season competition and from there was selected in the South East Queensland U16 train on squad.
In the U16 Division One competition for Currumbin Jack Cullen played in twelve matches including starting at lock in their 34 – 4 Grand Final victory over Burleigh.* Jack Cullen did not cross the try line this season.
Jack Cullen is a solidly built young front rower with a powerful running style and low centre of gravity, which makes him quite difficult to tackle as he is also adept at dropping his shoulder into defenders as he impacts the defensive line.* *There is no subtlety to his game, he runs straight and hard, with the only concession to this being a slight step off his right foot in occasion prior to impacting the defensive line.* In a one on one battle with an opponent if they look to hit him around the chest area they will struggle to contain Jack Cullen due to his size and the strength in his legs, a defensive line will always need to commit at least two defensive resources to effectively stop him.
One thing that Jack Cullen does well is continuing to pump his legs once his initial momentum is halted by the defensive line, he makes more metres than he should as a result. He does not have a real off load to his attacking game, but that is not his role, Jack Cullen’s role is to take the ball into the heart of the opposition’s defensive line and make as many metres as possible.
Like his attacking game, his defensive methodology is simple and effective in its execution and effectiveness. He moves up and hits the ball carrier as hard as he can, as often as he can, full stop.* He is best suited to defending in the centre of the ruck and that is where you will almost always find him and for a solidly built young player, he moves well in terms of moving up and back in defence.* Jack Cullen’s lateral movement is actually more than reasonable for a front rower as for that matter is his overall straight line speed taking everything into account.
Jack Cullen will spend the upcoming off-season playing training with the Burleigh Bears MM Cup side and will also play for Currumbin again in 2018 in the U17 Division One competition where once again they will be the team to beat after an outstanding 2017 season. Jack Cullen will also play his school boy rugby league for PBC who had a great GIO Cup campaign this year losing in the Queensland semi-final to Marsden State High School as a very very young side.
Jack Cullen spent a fair bit of time at lock in the U16 Division One competition this season but currently in rugby league the lock plays as a third front rower so regardless of whether he is wearing jersey 8, 10 or 13, Jack Cullen will be lining up in the centre of the ruck on a rugby league field in both attack and defence.
Coming up with an NRL player with similar playing attributes to those of Jack Cullen was not overly difficult on this occasion, he has similar physical and playing attributes to those of Manly forward Jake Trbojevic, like Trbojevic, Jack Cullen will work hard all day both in attack and defence and will also bring an all-out effort every time that he walks onto the field as well as some underrated leadership skills.
Jacob Ryan. (Updated) The young Grafton Ghosts hooker had an outstanding 2017 rugby league season including making his Group Two First Grade debut as well as being named the Grafton Ghosts First Grade rookie for the 2017 season at their recent presentation night.* In addition Jacob Ryan represented the East Coast Dolphins U18 side in the New South Wales Country U18 Championships including scoring a good try in their Round One clash against the Central Coast.* Jacob Ryan also led his Grafton High School Open rugby league side in a victory in the local schoolboy DEX (Daily Examiner) Shield competition in 2017.
For the Ghosts in the Group Two competition Jacob Ryan played across three grades, playing in eleven U18 matches averaging a try a match, four reserve grade matches and also making his first grade debut in late July in eth blue and white of the Grafton Ghosts.
In the U18 Group Two competition Jacob Ryan finished as the third leading try scorer including scoring four doubles.* Three of those four doubles came in three consecutive matches against Coffs Harbour, Nambucca Heads and Sawtell and he also scored a further double against Coffs Harbour later in the season.* With his two goals Jacob Ryan finished with 48 points in the U18 competition.
From his four reserve grade matches Jacob Ryan scored twice with his tries coming against Macksville and Woolgoolga in July.* Jacob Ryan deservedly made his first grade debut for the Grafton Ghosts in late July against Woolgoolga after playing in both the U18 and reserve grade fixtures earlier in the day.
Jacob Ryan is a solid all round hooker who distributes effectively to both sides of the ruck.* He is efficient in his passing and there is very little wasted movement as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements where the dummy half first stands then passes.* He passes well from both sides of his body.
Jacob Ryan also does not take a couple of steps out of dummy half and then pass, he will either pass from the spot of the play the ball or he will run.* Jacob Ryan’s speed off the mark is above average but he does not necessarily have above average top speed once he is in motion. In scrum situations he packs in at lock regularly and thus is also the primary distributor from those situations as well as when the ball is in play.
Jacob Ryan defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and for his size is quite an aggressive defender. He is also very good at getting out of marker quickly to harass the opposition kickers.* Defensively you will see an efficient and effective defender and a talker.* He constantly seems to be talking and “encouraging” his fellow forwards.
Jacob Ryan will graduate from the U18 ranks in 2018 and if he stays in Grafton he will line up in the Grafton Ghosts First Grade side who may well find themselves back in the NRRRL competition after a number of seasons in the Group Two ranks. It would be great if he chose to head up to the Gold Coast and have a shot with either the Tweed Heads or Burleigh Colt’s sides, he certainly has the skill and toughness to make an impact at that level.
Jacob Ryan has for the last few years played both in the second row and at hooker but this season was primarily a hooker and that situation will likely not change now that he is in the senior rugby league ranks.
From a player comparison perspective think someone along the lines of Andrew McCullough of the Brisbane Broncos as a hard working player with leadership skills and someone that his team mates would appreciate playing with due to his enthusiasm and willingness to do his best for his team.* He probably will end up with a little more pace out of dummy half than McCullough however.
Kaia Williams.* (Updated) The outstanding young second rower from the Nanango Stags has been as good as any player running around in the South Burnett U16 competition and finished the 2017 season strongly with his Nanango U16 side. Kaia Williams also recently attended a Titans/Western Mustangs U16 camp at Lennox Heads and was part of the Western Mustangs side that played against a Titans U16 selection on the first day of the camp. Kaia Williams attended the camp after he was part of the 2017 Titans/South Burnett Academy squad.
In the 2017 South Burnett U16 competition, Kaia Williams scored twelve tries from eleven matches including a late season hat trick against Cherbourg.* Kaia Williams also scored a hat trick in his first U16 match of the season against the Central Burnett Brumbies and he has also scored doubles against Chinchilla and Wondai Murgon.* In his first five U16 matches this season, Kaia Williams scored nine of his twelve tries in an outstanding start to the season.
In 2016 Kaia Williams finished the season as the second leading try scorer in the competition one try behind Cherbourg five eight Tyreese Gyemore.* Kaia Williams finished with ten tries from nine matches and proved a handful to stop in every match over the course of the season.* Kaia William’s club rugby league season ended on a high when he started in the second row for Nanango in their 24 – 16 Grand Final victory over the Central Burnett Brumbies with Kaia Williams crossing for two second half tries, including the match sealing try in the corner.
From a representative perspective in 2016, Kaia Williams was selected on the bench for Wide Bay in the U15 age group for the QSSRL U15 championships.* Over the course of the championships Williams played in all four of Wide Bay’s matches.* Kaia Williams was also a key reason for the success of the Nanango U15 Schoolboy side in their Schoolboy Final victory over arch rivals Murgon State High School in August when they came from behind to win 20 – 16.* In the final where Kaia Williams was awarded Man of the Match honours, Kaia Williams scored two second half tries, including a great individual try in the dying minutes to seal the match for Nanango.
Kaia William’s style of play is that of a wide running back rower with above average to plus speed for the back row position. I would actually argue that in fact a better definition of his speed would be well above average, and I am talking the speed of an outside back not a backrower where he plays. He is exceptionally quick off the mark, but what makes him even more impressive from a speed perspective is that when he gets into space, he has an extra gear again, making it almost impossible for the cover defence to catch him once he is open space.* In fact I do not recall him being caught from behind once he breaks into open space.
Defences in the U16 South Burnett competition over the last two seasons have had all sorts of trouble trying to contain him over the course of the 2016 season, both in terms of him taking the ball up into the centre of the ruck, but he was almost untouchable when he ran on the fringes of the ruck and he used his foot work to beat defenders with a variety of moves, including a step off both feet and a very good in and away.* Couple those two aspects with a very good fend and you have a young player who causes nightmares for a defensive line.
Kaia Williams will also not be stopped without a fight, defences have to commit multiple players into the tackle to stop him from continuing to gain ground forcing a fracture in the defensive line, and he just refuses to stop pumping his legs once he is engaged by the defensive line.* He is not a huge backrower but he runs with pace, strength and power every time he touches the ball.* Even though he does not necessarily off load the football a great deal the ball skills that he possess would suggest this particular will develop into an above average skill over time.
Kaia Williams is an aggressive defender whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can and will stop even the biggest opposing forwards in their tracks and targets the area around where the attackers carry the football.* His speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half.
It is probable based on previous situations that Kaia Williams will play for the South Burnett Brumbies in the U18 Toowoomba Rugby League competition in 2018 in a side brimming with talent and a side that will score plenty of points that is for sure.
From a position perspective he is a quick strong powerful rugby league player ideally suited to the second row position even though for the remainder of his junior rugby league career he will likely spend some time on the centres as his game develops and he gains experience. In fact I would anticipate that in 2018 Kaia Williams will primarily play in the centres for South Burnett in the TRL U18 competition.
From a player comparison perspective, I am a little reluctant to say so but the young Canterbury Bulldogs version of Sonny Bill Williams springs to mind as an appropriate comparison, when you see the combination of the skill set he possesses and the athletic ability, add in a touch of aggression and you have a young player of immense potential who plays the game seemingly at a different pace to most of the players around him.
Kaia Williams is really one to watch as the year’s progress and with continued hard work and dedication the sky is the limit for the young man.* Players like Kaia Williams are one of the reasons the partnerships between the Titans and the South West Mustangs is such an exciting development for the Titans in the short, medium and long term.
Tyreese Gyemore.* (Updated) The talented young five eight from the Cherbourg Hornets was along with Nanango’s Kaia Williams the stand out player in the U16 South Burnett competition this season.* In late 2016 Tyreese Gyemore was been selected as part of the 2017 South Burnett Academy squad.* Tyreese Gyemore also started on the bench for the Queensland Murri U16 side for their annual interstate match against New South Wales Kurri at Newcastle’s Marathon Stadium earlier this year. Unfortunately Queensland Murri were defeated 16 -12 by New South Wales Kurri.
Tyreese Gyemore played the 2017 rugby league season in the U16 South Burnett Junior Rugby League competition with the Cherbourg Hornets, scoring 64 points in the season from thirteen tries and six goals.* Tyreese Gyemore scored a late season hat trick against Chinchilla and also doubles against Wondai Murgon on two separate occasions and also against the Central Burnett Brumbies.* Tyreese Gyemore also made his Toowoomba U18 Rugby League debut for South Burnett when he came on against Toowoomba Southern Suburbs late in the season, not a bad effort at all for a 16 year old.
Tyreese Gyemore is a super quick player with an effortless running style who seems to glide over field with the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the inside or outside. His has used this skill set on multiple occasions on both sides of the field.* Even in junior football it is quite rare to see a player who can operate on both sides of the field equally as well and he has a very good dummy that he uses regularly.
When the ball is passed to him early, Tyreese Gyemore straightens the attack up well, meaning he does not run himself or his support out of room. Even though he has speed in the centre position, he does look for his outside support when confronted with the fullback, even though he is more than capable of beating fullbacks one on one if need be.
Apart from the last couple of seasons I do not thank that he has spent much time playing in the five eight position, but even taking into account it was only eleven games, he did look very good over the course of the season. He seemingly has an innate ability to make the right decision when he has the football, in terms of running or passing and when he passed he got the ball out to his outside backs quickly giving them room to move.* Tyreese Gyemore’s passing to the right from five eight looked a little more fluid and natural than when he passed to the left hand side of the field although I note that I am dealing with a limited sample size.* In saying that however when he ran with the ball he looked like a natural ball runner and intuitively knew where to run and accelerate through gaps in the defensive line.
Tyreese Gyemore clearly is a smart player and will take what the defence gives him, when the defence is sliding he will cut inside and when the defence is playing an up and up style he has the speed and footwork to get on the outside of his direct opponent.* He also has very good hands and can use his speed off the mark to look to create something for either himself at five eight.
Defensively Tyreese Gyemore does not necessarily stand out, which is a good thing to the extent that he is an effective defender and does not jumper grab but does use his shoulder when committing to the tackle.* Purely from a skill and physical attribute perspective he seems more suited to a sliding defensive methodology rather than an up and in style, but this is more conjecture from me rather than a fact based argument.* His lateral movement also enables him to be an effective defender when defending at five eight against opposing halves who try to exploit the edges of the ruck with footwork.
Tyreese Gyemore will play the 2018 season in the Toowoomba Rugby League U18 competition with South Burnett where he will have two years of eligibility and should also be in contention for some of the South West Mustangs U18 representative sides.
For me Tyreese Gyemore is currently more of a running five eight than an organising type of player, and even though he will surely improve his play making skills the more he plays five eight, I just think that his running ability to always continue to be better than his play making and game management abilities thus I would argue that you should not try to alter a players natural tendencies, thus I would suggest that he ultimately ends up as a very talented, quick centre or maybe even at fullback and one who also has some developed skills to set up his outside supports when the opportunity presents.
In terms of comparisons with current players, I can see aspects of a playing style similar to soon to be South Sydney Rabbitoh Dane Gagai as a talented ball runner but also has solid play making skills which he can utilise when the opportunity presents regardless of number of the jersey he is wearing.
Errol Simpson.* (Updated) He is a young utility back, who has spent time at fullback, centre and five eight in the Toowoomba U18 competition over the last couple of season for South Burnett. Errol Simpson also represented the Western Mustangs in the Central Division U20 competition this season playing in the centres in that competition scoring on the Saturday against the Rockhampton Rustlers as well as kicking two conversions and also scoring against the Gladstone Raiders on the Sunday.
In the 2017 MM Cup competition, Errol Simpson played three matches for the Central Crows starting in the centres in all three and making a significant impact on the score board on each occasion.* In Round Two Errol Simpson scored a double against South’s Logan, Round Seven saw Errol Simpson score four tires in a four point victory over Central Queensland and in Round Eight he scored a double against the Western Mustangs.* In two of those matches being against South’s Logan and Central Queensland Errol Simpson scored long range tries in the first minute.
In the 2017 Toowoomba Rugby League U18 competition Errol Simpson finished at the leading try scorer with twenty eight tries from just fourteen matches. In an early July match against Oakey Errol Simpson scored an incredible six tries and on two occasions being against Pittsworth and Gatton Errol Simpson scored four tries in a match.* In only three matches did Errol Simpson not score and scored in South Burnett’s tough semi-final loss to eventual losing Grand Finalists the Warwick Cowboys.
In 2016 Errol Simpson won the U18 TRL won the Best and Fairest award. In that season for Burnett Blue Errol Simpson scored an amazing 28 tries from 19 matches, only not scoring in three matches.* Errol Simpson scored five hat tricks which came against Pittsworth, Gatton, Warwick, Highfields and Goondiwindi and he also scored double against South’s and Brothers.
In addition to those matches, Errol Simpson played in five senior matches for Cherbourg in 2016 in the Burnett rugby league competition scoring five tries in the process including a double against Mundubbera.
Errol Simpson is originally from Cherbourg and has moved to pursue his rugby league career and in 2015 represented Wide Bay Bulls in the U16 age group for the SEQ age championships scoring a try and kicking a goal in a victory against the North Queensland Marlins on Day 4.* In 2015 he also represented U16 Queensland Murri in their annual match against NSW Kurri where he played against Titans linked centre/five eight Allan Lockwood and front rower Isiah Barker originally front Kempsey and now both residing on the Gold Coast and attending PBC High School.
Errol Simpson is a bit of an enigma in terms of how he plays, he certainly plays what is in front of him but does seem to struggle in a structured environment in comparison to when he plays off the cuff.* I was intrigued to see him play five eight, in the sense that he is very unpredictable when he gets the ball, he is adept at running himself and has a very good turn of speed off the mark and similarly can throw some superb passes to his support runners, but at the same time passes will go to ground because his team mates are sometimes not thinking along the same lines that he does.* To that extent currently he is a much better runner of the ball and can step off both feet and is quite strong for his size and will shrug off larger defenders if they try to go high and wrap up the ball.
Errol Simpson drifts across field very slowly and then just takes off through any gaps in a staggered defensive line.* He plays a similar way when he played at fullback and whilst I would much rather fullbacks just grab the ball and gain as much ground as possible by running straight, he takes his time to size up the chase and then will try to create something then and regularly makes ground in those situations.
When he plays in the centres Errol Simpson does in fact play a modified style in the context that he run into gaps for his ball players and is also quite good at drawing in outside defenders to give his winger a clear path to the line by creating a two on one situation.
Defensively is actually quite aggressive in terms of finishing off tackles and certainly seems adept at getting his hands between attackers and their support players and knocking the ball down when necessary.* He does need to be aware however not to go for the intercept too much, but his quick feet enable him to defend well especially against small light stepping attackers as he can mirror their movement.
The 2018 season will see Errol Simpson progress to the senior levels of rugby league and I would really like to see him test himself in the revised U20 Colts competition in 2018 for the Western Mustangs. Errol Simpson will also likely spend time in the Toowoomba Rugby League First Grade competition.
From a position perspective, due to how he plays what is in front of him and thus is less comfortable in with a structured attacking methodology at present at least, although I am sure that will develop. I would suggest that his best position moving forward would be at fullback in the short term at least where he can see the entire field in front of him and look to create from there.* It is interesting however that over the course of the 2017 rugby league season Errol Simpson spent the most amount of time playing in the centres.
Errol Simpson will need the right coach to harness his natural skills.* If a coach tries to change him into playing to a set pattern I think that he will struggle but if a coach is prepared to give him free reign then the skills he possesses means that he could develop into a very interesting player indeed over the coming seasons.
From a player comparison perspective, the only one that I can think of is long retired Manly Sea Eagle Cliff Lyons as a natural player who is more at home the less structured the game plan is and could throw some memorable passes.* The closest I can think of in terms of a current NRL player is a Jonathon Thurston with more speed in terms of his ability to do the unexpected with the ball in his hands.
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Liam Coghlan. The local young Mudgeeraba Redbacks centre was the standout player in the U15 Division Two competition scoring eighteen tries from just thirteen matches and started in the centres for the Redbacks in their tough Grand Final loss to Burleigh. Recently Liam Coghlan has been named in the 2018 U16 Gold Coast Vikings training squad which is a testament to his hard work and dedication.
The Merrimac State High School student scored three hat tricks over the course of the 2017 Division Two U15 season including two in consecutive weeks early in the season against Nerang and Burleigh and also a hat trick later in the season against Ormeau.* Liam Coghlan scored at least a try in nine of his matches this season and in the last five matches of the season including the Grand Final loss, Liam Coghlan scored nine tries.
Even though he does not have great top end speed Liam Coghlan is quick enough to take advantage of any space that he is given down the touchline by opposing defenders.* One good think about his play in attack is that he is regularly outside his opposite number allowing his inside players to be able to find him in attack and in the games that I have seen he stays back and does not over run the players that are inside of him.* He seems to be aware of his skill set as he does not take chances with the sideline and does his utmost to ensure that he is not taken over the sideline and knows when to cut back inside rather than taking his opposite number on along the touchline.
He will also come in and take his fair share of hit ups to give his forwards a rest, when the ball needs to be brought out of his end of the field even though he is not the biggest or strongest player.* In the situations previously described Liam Coghlan runs at the defensive line from dummy half with vigour and is definitely not intimidated by the size of any defender in front of him.* He will continue to pump his legs after he has engaged the defensive line and then will fight to get a quick play the ball.
In terms of defence, Liam Coghlan is solid and seemingly understands the attributes of his opposite number to the extent that he alters his defensive positioning if he is against speedy, elusive wingers and against larger wingers.* What I mean by that is that is that when he is up against speedier winger he will give them less room down the touchline, forcing then to look to come inside rather than being beaten down the touchline.* He will chase kicks very hard but usually ensures that he maintains a defensive line when chasing kicks rather than coming out of the line and leaving a gap for opposing players to exploit.
Liam Coghlan will play the 2018 season with the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in the U16 Division Two competition on the Gold Coast and once again should be at or near the top of the try scoring table.
Whilst he has played a fair bit of his junior rugby league career in the centres I believe that once he reaches the ranks of a senior rugby league competition Liam Coghlan would be better suited to playing on the wing.
From a player comparison perspective think Lachlan Maranta of the Brisbane Broncos, he may not have blazing speed, massive size, a big leap etc. but he gets the job done efficiently and effectively with few errors and he always seems to be in the right position to exploit breaks down the touch line.* He just comes across as a smart player who understands how his skills translate onto a rugby league field and does not try to do things that he knows that he is not capable of doing and doing well.
Connah Mills.* (Updated) The young fullback had an outstanding 2017 campaign with the Cudgen Hornets culminating in the youngster starting on the wing in the NRRRL First Grade Grand Final and scoring two tries in Cudgen’s 32 – 24 win over Casino RSM.* The week prior Connah Mills scored a try after retrieving a grubber kick in the NRRRL major semi-final to propel Cudgen into the Grand Final. That was after recovering from a high tackle early in the semi-final.
Connah Mills started the 2017 rugby league season in the U18 Nova Skills NRRRL competition for the Cudgen Hornets before being elevated to first grade, playing his debut match on Sunday 4 June against Evans Head scoring two tries to make it a memorable occasion for the young man.* All told in first grade in 2017 Connah Mills scored 20 first grade tries from just twelve matches including his finals appearances.
In addition to his tries in the finals, Connah Mills scored seventeen tries in the NRRRL regular season including four tries in the final regular season match against Lower Clarence and the week prior scored a hat trick against Mullumbimby.* Mid-season Connah Mills scored a hat trick against Casino RSM.* Connah Mills had an outstanding start to his NRRRL first grade career when he scored at least a try in each of his first five first grade matches including doubles in his first two matches against Evans Heads and Kyogle.* Only twice did Connah Mills not score in a 2017 first grade match with these matches against Murwillumbah and Tweed Coast.
Connah Mills started off the 2017 season in the NRRRL U18 competition in total scoring four tries from ten appearances, including a mid-season double against Mullumbimby. On four occasions Connah Mills backed up after starting in the U18 match to start on the wing in first grade for Cudgen.
Connah Mills earlier this season played for the East Coast Dolphins U18 squad for the New South Country Championships. The season was not be the first occasion that Connor Mills has gained representative honours, as he has made numerous Group 18 representative sides and in 2014 he was named in the Combined Catholic Colleges Squad.
In 2015 Connah Mills played in the Cyril Connell Cup competition for Gold Coast Green where a team mate was Titans linked star Max Dowd, in the CC Cup competition in 2015 Connah Mills spent a fair bit of time playing on the wing and scored a great try against Victoria where he used his evasive skills to generate space for himself down the sideline.
Connah Mills is an agile runner of the football who relies on his decent speed and elusiveness to make it difficult for larger opponents to line him up.* When lining up at fullback he always makes himself available for offloads in the centre of the ruck. One thing that impresses me is that he does not jog after the ball when it is kicked down field, he will flat out sprint to get there either on the full or as quickly as possible, thus eliminating the effectiveness of the oppositions kicking game.
When he retrieves the ball he makes a decision quickly about where to look to run around a staggered defensive line or to run straight in an effort to make as much ground as possible.* Connah Mills really does pay attention to details and is rarely if ever out of position.
Connah Mills also has the ability to sweep around the back of the ruck and also pop up in supporting in the middle of the ruck, either running himself or looking for offloads from his forwards and use his footwork against big tiring forwards.* His passing game is solid and on occasion he drifts across the field looking for runners to run into holes and has the ability to “freeze” the defensive line, making to easier for his support runners.* Also his hands at fullback are quite safe and dependable when collecting kicks.
Connah Mills is not the biggest or necessarily strongest player but will take the hit when needing to make the tackle in the last line of defence and uses the sideline well to redirect the opposition towards the sideline.* Connah Mills is also effective at forcing the attacker to make a decision with the football rather than allowing them the time and opportunity to progressively work through their options.
The 2018 season will hopefully see Connah Mills pushing for a spot in the Tweed Heads Seagulls or Burleigh Bears Colts squad if not Connah Mills will surely continue to enhance is reputation in the NRRRL First Grade competition with Cudgen Hornets.
From a position perspective even though he is playing on the wing in First Grade Connah Mills best position is at fullback where he may not be the most dynamic player but he has very safe hands to go along with great positioning, attention to details and sneaky quick speed.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of current St George Dragons fullback Kurt Mann as just a solid, safe and dependable player across the board.
Dane Wilson. (Updated) The tough young hooker from the Byron Bay Red Devils rugby league club just south of the border had a very good season in the 2017 NRRRL competition playing in all three grades for the Byron Bay Devils.* Earlier this year Dane Wilson represented Malta at the U18 level in a match against Lebanon.
In the U18 NRRRL competition Dane Wilson averaged just under a try a match on the way to scoring eleven tries from just twelve matches.* Across the season Dane Wilson scored three doubles which came against Kyogle, Mullumbimby and Tweed Coast.* In a seven match stretch from mid-April to mid-June Dane Wilson scored at least a try in every match on his way to scoring nine tries in that span of matches.
On 23 April this year, Dane Wilson played all three grades on the same day, including starting on the bench in first grade against Evans Head. Dane Wilson made his 1st Grade NRRRL debut in 2016 in a match against Lismore Marist Brothers.* All told Dane Wilson played in four NRRRL First Grade matches and two reserve grade matches.
Dane Wilson is an extremely talented all round hooker, who is effective in the* three critical aspects that a modern hooker must have to be a success, those being his distribution and game management out of dummy half, selective running and defending in the centre of the ruck where he is quite effective from a defensive stand point.
In terms of his distribution out of dummy half, he is extremely efficient in his passing and there is no wasted movement or energy as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand first then pass.* There is no discernible difference between his passing from either side of his body, and his passes are crisp and flat and also he can pass a reasonable distance off the ground when the first receiver is standing a little wider of the play the ball.
Where he is also extremely effective is leading his forwards onto the ball, he passes in front of the forward ensuring no loss of momentum to the run.* In short he is a very good game manager from the hooking position.* He is also a good communicator on the field, he is constantly encouraging his team both in attack and defence.* He does not yell and scream, like the other parts of his game, he is calm and composed and uses positive reinforcement rather than yelling and screaming to get his point across to team mates but he does make it clear that he is in charge however.
Where he really stands out in terms of attacking play, is his speed out of dummy half, he is extremely quick and has good footwork to take advantage of tiring forwards, using a step usually off his right foot, although he does not necessary run much out of dummy half.* The times that he does run though, he targets forwards who are offside, if the offside forward is called out of the play he has the speed to break into open space.* Once in open space he does not usually have the speed required to finish things off himself but he invariably will make the right decision with the ball in terms of whether to take the tackle or pass to a support player as he works progressively through the options that are available to him.
Around the try line he is also very good at making the right decision whether the go himself for the try line or pass, where he gets down low and drives with his legs between opposing forwards. In many respects this is due to the fact that he does not run too much meaning that when he runs he usually catches the opposition off guard.* He will not score many tries from close to the try line, but if opposing defences omit to consider him a threat he will take advantage of any situation that presents itself.* Even though I have noted he may not score too many tries, he has a very good strike rate so far this year and if it continues I will obviously have to revise my thought process.
His defence for a hooker is very good, he does not necessarily hit hard but as a result of his good low technique he can defend effectively one on one against far larger forwards, he sets a good base with his lower body and explodes upwards with his shoulders to drive into opposing forwards.* His intensity and continuous effort means that he will track the ball across the field and thus is in a good position when the ball is passed back inside.* He literally tackles everything that moves in the centre of the ruck even though he is always the smallest forward on the field.
It would not surprise at all to see Dane Wilson move up to the Gold Coast next year to chase a Colts spot with either Tweed Heads or Burleigh in the 2018 Hastings Deering Colts competition. If not Dane Wilson will likely be a permanent fixture in the Byron Bay Devils NRRRL First Grade side.
Dane Wilson seems to have all of the attributes that you would look for in a hooker and should stay there long term with the ability to play for the entire 80 minutes.
From a player comparison perspective, due to his distribution, running, defence and the speed and intensity that he plays the game at, a playing style akin to Danny Buderis formerly of the Newcastle Knights, New South Wales State of Origin and Australia is an appropriate comparison I would respectfully suggest.
Kobe Whalan. (Updated) The Southport Tigers youngster is a Titans linked fullback who started off the 2017 season in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM side before progressing through the local Gold Coast Rugby League competition at the U19 and first grade levels before being called up to the Tweed heads Seagulls U20 Colts Challenge side towards the end of the season including playing in Tweed’s three finals matches.
In the MM Cup competition for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Kobe Whalan started the first three rounds at fullback kicking five goals in those matches including three against the Ipswich Jets in Round One and two in Round Two against Victoria.* Kobe Whalan also came off the interchange bench in Round Seven.
Kobe Whalan made his U20 Colts Challenge debut for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in Round One against the Souths Logan Magpies coming off the interchange bench.* Since his Colts debut Kobe Whalan has played in an additional ten matches coming off the bench in all matches except in Round Thirteen when he started on the wing.* In Round Five against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls Kobe Whalan came off the bench to score a second half double playing primarily on the wing in that match.* Kobe Whalan came off the interchange bench in all three of the Tweed Heads Seagulls finals matches in addition to the nine regular season matches that he played in outside of starting Round Thirteen on the wing.
Prior to his call up to the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side, Kobe Whalan played six matches for the Southport Tigers in the local U19 competition scoring five tries including four against Tugun in his first match at that level.* In his last U19 match Kobe Whalan scored against Mudgeeraba.* Kobe Whalan also played two first grade matches for the Tigers, making his debut against Ormeau in May and playing his second first grade match the week after against Tweed Heads.
In 2016 Kobe Whalan played for Coombabah State High School in relation to Schoolboy rugby league and spent some time at fullback during Coombabah’s GIO Cup campaign.* Kobe Whalan’s younger brother Dakota is also linked to the Titans and will play for Gold Coast Green Vikings at the U16 level in 2017 and started at hooker when Gold Coast Green played an U16 Western Mustangs selection recently.
Kobe Whalan is not the biggest rugby league player running around but do not take his lack of size in any way as a lack of ability or courage, he has a lot of both, which is on display each time he runs onto the field.* With the ball he is a very good distributor and will take the ball to the line in an effort to set up his supports.* He is adept at drawing an opposing defender out of the defensive line and then putting his support runner through the resulting gap.* In terms of his speed, I would suggest that an appropriate definition of his speed would be that he is quick off the mark but does not have an extra gear when he breaks into open space.
Even when playing up an age group he will back his judgement and take the game on.* Assisting his play is the fact that he makes the decision what to do with the ball quickly thus enabling the ball to get out wide quickly.* In previous seasons when I have seen him play he sometimes took the line on himself too much, but the times that I have seen him play late last season Kobe Whalan has become more selective about when to pass and when to run.* His passing game is solid but seems to be slightly better when he is passing to the right side of the field.
Kobe Whalan has a good short kicking game but he does not have the strongest leg in terms of kicking deep but is accurate and regularly finds the ground to enable the chasers to get down field.* Kobe Whalan is also very vocal on the field always talking and encouraging his side both in attack and defence.
Kobe Whalan is not the biggest player but even when defending in the front line will tackle using his shoulder which assists when defending against larger forwards operating on the fringes of the ruck.* Whilst not the biggest he is strong and tough enough to effectively tackle one on one against opposing halves and with his solid speed and foot work he can cover a lot of ground as he tracks the ball across the field.* Kobe Whalan is certainly not going to be a liability in defence for his team and is more than willing to take on bigger forwards.
When defending at fullback Kobe Whalan forces the opposition to make a decision with the football rather than letting the attackers come to him with time on their side and at fullback has very safe hands and will get to a lot of kicks on the full thus enabling his team to start their set of six with good field position, courage is also not an issues for the young Gold Coast junior.
In 2018 Kobe Whalan will again be part of the Tweed Heads Colts squad and will also be eligible for Colts again in 2019.
For me, Kobe Whalan’s ultimate future lies at half back where he can use his solid footwork and his above average passing skills to put his supporting players into gaps created in the defensive line. Kobe Whalan’s game management skills have also taken a step forward over recent seasons and he looks like he is growing into a leader on the field as well.* I appreciate that he has played primarily at fullback this year but he has the skill set of a half back from my perspective.
For me a current NRL player with similar attributes from a skill and playing style perspective is Brisbane Broncos half back Ben Hunt.* Like Hunt Kobe Whalan is equally adept at taking the line on as he is at setting up his support runners and is definitely not a liability in defence.
Goor Beher Kuwot Chapari. The hard running and tackling second rower had a great 2017 rugby league season after being named Most Valuable Player for the Keebra Park Langer Cup (Open B) side after being named as player of the match in three of Keebra Park’s matches in that competition.* Keebra went through the competition undefeated after beating Marsden State High School in the final last week.* Goor Beher Kuwot Chapari also started from the bench for Keebra Park in their National GIO Cup victory 25 – 12 over Westfields Sports High.
For Keebra Park in the Langer Cup competition, as noted above Goor Beher Kuwot Chapari was named Most Valuable Player after earning three points from the coaches in three matches, which were in fact the first three matches that Keebra Park played in the competition, which were against Coombabah, Ipswich and Wavell State High Schools.
After transferring from Southport, Goor Beher Kuwot Chapari was also strong for Runaway Bay in the U17 Division One GCJRL competition.* In his twelve matches in that competition Goor Beher Kuwot Chapari scored ten tries including an outstanding match in late July when he scored five tries in a match against Mudgeeraba. Goor Beher Kuwot Chapari’s other tries came against Bilambil, Ormeau in two separate matches, Mudgeeraba earlier in the season and Helensvale.
Goor Beher Kuwot Chapari also played two matches in the Gold Coast U19 competition, making his U19 debut against Tugun and following that up with his second match against Mudgeeraba the weekend after.* On both occasions that Goor Beher Kuwot Chapari played in the U19’s he had played an U17 Division One match earlier on the weekend.
In attack Goor Beher Kuwot Chapari* is a straight runner of the football and there is little subtly to his game, it is get the ball and run straight ahead to gain as much ground as possible and get a quick play the ball.* On occasion he does use some footwork prior to the line but in the main it is head down and run straight.* If defences do not target his legs Goor Beher Kuwot Chapari will drag defenders with him as he continues to pump his legs and continue to fight until the tackle is finished, then he will fight to get a quick play the ball.* In short Goor Beher Kuwot Chapari just runs straight and hard and when you do you are effective and Goor Beher Kuwot Chapari is certainly that.
Goor Beher Kuwot Chapari can off load the football but usually seems cautious not to make a mistake, which based on the way that he has been asked to play, it is quite a wise choice.* His hands are actually more than decent and thus I think that he has some untapped potential to ball play a little more, but Goor Beher Kuwot Chapari is young enough that there is more than enough time for this skill to develop with experience and natural progression.
In defence the critique is simple, he relishes the contact in the centre of the ruck, and he hits hard and often and looks to dominate the opposition.* He tackles hard and is big and strong enough to win the wrestle on the ground and slow the play the ball down.* His lateral movement is quite reasonable for a big forward, but is not strength and thus he is more effective in defence when he is in the centre of the ruck. Again rugby league is a simple game when you do not try to over complicate things, Goor Beher Kuwot Chapari tackles hard, not trying to hold his opponent down or have his hand on the ball and thus he is successful.
Goor Beher Kuwot Chapari will be part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls Mm Cup squad for the 2018 season and once that competition concludes he will play the remainder of the 2018 season with Runaway Bay in the U19 competition. I would also anticipate that based on his form this season he may well also get more opportunities in the Keebra Park Open A side in their GIO Cup campaign in 2018.
The wide running hard tackling youngster is ideally suited to the second row position in rugby league especially if he can end some more weight without compromising his speed.* He certainly has the body shape to achieve this aim.
In terms of a player comparison, the player that I think has a similar playing style to Goor Beher Kuwot Chapari is Parramatta Eels second rower Manu Ma’u.* Like Manu Ma’u Goor Beher Kuwot Chapari just runs and tackles hard.* Rugby League is a simple game in most respects when you differentiate its basic components and Goor Beher Kuwot Chapari when he keeps it simple is a standard bearer for a young man who runs and tackles hard and seemingly enjoys every minute when he is on the field.
Koia Katu-Roberts. (Updated)* The young hooker from the Waikato region of New Zealand moved over to the Gold Coast at the start of this season to play for the Southport Tigers in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League competition. This season Koia Katu-Roberts played in six matches for the Tigers in the U15 Division One competition, scoring against Coomera and he also played three matches in the U16 Division One competition. Recently Koia Katu-Roberts has been named in the 2018 U16 Gold Coast Vikings training squad.
In 2016 Koia Katu-Roberts played for the Wai-Coa-Bay Stallions who represent the Upper Central Zone in New Zealand in the U15 National Youth Tournament held in September 2016.* In the tournament Koia Katu-Roberts played in two matches being against the South Island Scorpions and an Auckland Vulcans Development.* In the match against the Auckland Vulcans, Koia Katu-Roberts scored the Stallions second try in a 12 – 10 for Wai-Coa-Bay.* In the Waikato region, Koia Katu-Roberts played for the Ngaruawahia Panthers Junior Rugby League club for a number of years.
In terms of his distribution out of dummy half, he is extremely efficient in his passing and there is no wasted movement or energy as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand first then pass.* Where he is also extremely effective is leading his forwards onto the ball, he passes in front of the forward ensuring no loss of momentum to the run.* In short he is a very good game manager from the hooking position.
Where he really stands out in terms of attacking play, is his speed out of dummy half, he is extremely quick and has good footwork to take advantage of tiring forwards, using a step usually off his right foot, although he does not necessary run much out of dummy half.* Once in open space he does not appear to have the speed required to finish things off himself but he invariably will make the right decision with the ball in terms of whether to take the tackle or pass to a support player as he works progressively through the options that are available to him.
His defence for a hooker is very good, for a hooker his size his initial contact is more than solid and he can defend effectively one on one against far larger forwards, he sets a good base with his lower body and explodes upwards with his shoulders to drive into opposing forwards.* His intensity and continuous effort means that he will track the ball across the field and thus is in a good position when the ball is passed back inside.* He literally tackles everything that moves in the centre of the ruck and displays a solid repeatable defensive technique and is able to make multiple tackles in any given defensive set of six tackles.
As noted above, Koia Katu-Roberts has been named in the U16 gold Coast Vikings training squad for the 2018 South Queensland U16 pre-season competition which features two Vikings sides, three from Brisbane and an Ipswich Diggers selection.* Post that competition Koia Katu-Roberts will play for the Southport Tigers in the Gold Coast Rugby League U16 Division One competition for Southport.
From a position perspective, from what I understand Koia Katu-Roberts has played the majority of his junior rugby league at hooker and thus based on only limited views I am not in a position to consider that any positional change is required or even warranted.
Based on limited observations, I would suggest that a current NRL player with a similar playing style would be New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand International hooker Isaac Luke.* Like Isaac Luke, Koia Katu-Roberts is very good runner out of dummy half and a very solid defender.
Koia Katu-Roberts has been a good addition to the pool of talented junior rugby league players playing in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League competition and also he continues to showcase himself to Titans junior development staff in their own backyard.
Tamati Clarke. The talented young player originally from the Rockingham Sharks in the Western Australian Rugby League moved over at the start of this season to join the Nerang Roosters for the coming season where he played for the Nerang Roosters U15 Division One side.* Tamati Clark has recently been named in the 2018 U16 Gold Coast Vikings training squad and plays his schoolboy rugby league with Keebra Park.
Tamati Clark played primarily at fullback in Western Australia but spent a fair portion of this season playing in the second row for the powerful Nerang Roosters side including starting in the second row in their Grand Final victory over Helensvale. Over the course of the season Tamati Clarke played in eleven matches scoring against Currumbin, where he also converted his own try and Burleigh.
Tamati Clarke played the last two seasons in the U14 Western Australian Junior Rugby League competition for Rockingham and had a great year in 2016 amassing 102 points on the season, including 20 tries and eleven goals from sixteen matches.* In the U14 competition, Tamati Clarke scored hat tricks against the Kalamunda Bulldogs on three separate occasions as well as scoring a double against them.* He also scored a double against the Joondalup Giants late in the season.* Tamati Clarke started at fullback in the U14 Western Australian Junior Rugby League Grand Final scoring a try in the tough 24 – 20 loss to the Fremantle Roosters.
Running with the football, Tamati Clark has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders rather than trying to simply run over them and uses his solid frame to his advantage.* Tamati Clark does not have great speed off the mark or necessary great high end speed but seems to be able to sustain his top speed over a reasonable distance, but he will work hard and make the most of his ability.
Tamati Clark actually does have a decent off load when he has impacted the defensive line as well.* Where he is very effective is close to the opposition try line where gets down low and charges into the defensive line and has the strength to carry multiple defenders across the line.
Defensively he is not a big hitter, usually aiming for just under the ribs and first intention is to lock up the ball to prevent offloads. One area where is quite effective whether he is defending on the fringes of the ruck or in the centre of the ruck including when he is defending at marker, is against smaller attackers who look to use their foot work.* He has quite reasonable lateral mobility for a solid forward and is usually is able to wrap up the smaller attackers without his tackles slipping up to around the head or neck, and thus giving away penalties and thus field position.
Tamati Clark’s ability to successfully defend against these types of attackers as well as having the technique to defend against larger forwards is one of a number of reasons that I consider that a future in the second row is plausible where he can transition from defending on the fridges of the ruck to the centre of the ruck seamlessly.
As noted Tamati Clarke has recently been selected in the U16 Vikings and post that competition will play for the Nerang Roosters in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition as well as representing Keebra Park in numerous school boy competitions in 2018.
From a position perspective I appreciate that Tamati Clark played at fullback in Western Australia and in the second row this season but I think that he has the ability to develop into an effective centre as his time in rugby league progresses although I cannot rule out an eventual move to the second row.
From a style perspective think of someone like the North Queensland Cowboys and Queensland State of Origin backrower Gavin Cooper as a player with good size and speed and versatile enough to potentially play a couple of positions.
Trey Peni. (Updated) The powerful young Western Australian originally from the Rockingham Sharks is a classic example of why you should not be concerned about where a young player comes from but be only concerned about their ability on a football field and whether they can reach their full potential, Trey Peni has both covered in spades.
At the start of the 2017 season trey Peni moved over to the Gold Coast to continue his flourishing rugby league career with Coomera Cutters in the GCRL U15 Division One competition.* Trey Peni has recently been named in the 2018 U16 Gold Coast Vikings training squad.* In previous years Trey Peni has represented Western Australia at the U12 National Championships and has been a member of the West Coast Pirates Development Squad.
For the Cutters in the U15 Division Once competition Trey Peni played a number of positions centre and fullback playing in ten matches scoring eight tries and kicking seven goals to finish with 46 points on the season.* Trey Peni had an outstanding start to the season, scoring seven of his eight tries in a three game stretch from late April to early May, in that span scoring a hat trick against Helensvale and doubles against Currumbin and Burleigh.* Five of his seven goals also came in that period.* Trey Peni’s other try came late in the season against Nerang.
For a solidly built young man Trey Peni has above average speed for an outside back when he is running in a straight line, when he changes direction, either by using a side step or a swerve, his speed bleeds off and it will then take time for him to then progress back to full speed, thus he is most effective in the centres when he is running straight.* The Cutters have been very good at incorporating his skill set into their game plan by getting Trey Peni to run a straight inside shoulder line when opposition defences are sliding.* * Due to his size when defenders try to tackle him around the chest he can shrug them off but does lose momentum in his run in those circumstances.
From a defensive perspective, his timing and anticipation are his best attributes, he has developed an effective tackling technique in terms of coming out of the line to negate the opposition attack, Trey Peni will not aim of the big hit but he is effective at wrapping out the ball and preventing the play from developing further, his natural strength is a key attribute here.
When he is beaten on the outside, he has reasonable speed to be able to recover and chase but as he plays against faster outside backs this will become more problematic for him.* He can on occasion get caught on the inside shoulder of the opposing attacker but at present his awareness enables him to adjust quickly and negate the play.
After the conclusion of his representative duties with the U16 Vikings squad Trey Peni will play the 2018 club rugby league season on the Gold Coast with the Coomera Cutters in the U16 Division One competition.
I believe that Trey Peni will ultimately end up in the second row even though he is likely to continue to spend some time playing in the back line as least on an occasional basis over the next couple of seasons.* With his combination of size and speed he seems destined to be a hard running hard working all effort backrower.
Zhane (Raphana) Berryman. His 2017 season and his subsequent form in the recent trials has led to the young front rower being named in the 2018 U16 Gold Coast Vikings training squad.* Over the course of the 2017 season Zhane Berryman played in three separate divisions in the GCRL competition for the Currumbin Eagles including being part of their outstanding U16 Division One side that defeated Burleigh 34 – 4 in the Grand Final.* That Friday night Zhane Berryman started on the interchange bench.
Zhane Berryman started off the 2017 season for Currumbin in the U15 Division One competition playing in two matches including scoring a hat trick in Round One against Coomera.* After playing one match in the U15 Division Two competition in June scoring against Helensvale, Zhane Berryman played the remainder of the 2017 season in the U16 Division One competition playing six games in total and scoring in just his second match in that Division against Burleigh.
In attack Zhane Berryman is a straight runner of the football and there is little subtly to his game, it is get the ball and run straight ahead to gain as much ground as possible and get a quick play the ball.* On occasion he does use some footwork prior to the line but in the main it is head down and run straight.* If defences do not target his legs he will drag defenders with him as he continues to pump his legs and continue to fight until the tackle is finished, then he will fight to get a quick play the ball.* He just needs to make sure that he maintains his composure when fighting to get to his feet to ensure that he maintains possession.
Zhane Berryman can off load the football but usually seems cautious not to make a mistake, which based on the way that he has been asked to play, it is quite a wise choice.* His hands are actually more than decent and thus I think that he has some untapped potential to ball play a little more, but he is so young that there is more than enough time for this skill to develop with experience and natural progression.
In defence Zhane Berryman relishes the contact in the centre of the ruck, he hits hard and often and looks to dominate and intimidate his opposition full stop.* He tackles hard and is big and strong enough to win the wrestle on the ground and slow the play the ball down.* His lateral movement is quite reasonable for a big forward, but is not a strength and thus he is more effective in defence when he is in the centre of the ruck.
After the conclusion of his representative duties with the U16 Vikings squad Zhane Berryman will play the 2018 club rugby league season on the Gold Coast with the Currumbin Eagles in the U16 Division One competition. Based on the 2017 season he may also get some opportunities in the U17 Division One competition as well in 2018.
From a position perspective, there is no doubt in my mind that he will stay in the front row and continue his development towards becoming a damaging runner of the ball who will regularly find his way over the try line and get away the occasional great offload.
The way that Zhane Berryman handles himself on the football field reminds me of Sydney Roosters and New Zealand International enforcer Jarrod Warera-Hargraves as a big strong front rower with a good mix of skills all round and plenty of raw talent to work with as well.
Brodyn Gudgeon. The young Helensvale Hornets U15 Division One half was a solid performer in 2017 and after performing well in the recent trials has been selected in the 2018 U16 Gold Coast Vikings training squad for the 2018 representative season.* In 2016 Brodyn Gudgeon represented that Gold Coast Vikings at the U14 level and in 2014 was a South Coast U12 representative.
Over the course of the 2017 season the Coombabah State High School student scored eight tries from fourteen matches and started at half back in the 34 – 10 Grand Final loss to Nerang.* Brodyn Gudgeon scored an early season hat trick against Coomera and also doubles against Nerang and Southport as well as a try against Burleigh to account for his eight tries over the course of the 2017 rugby league season.
In attack, Brodyn Gudgeon is a young half who is a dynamic runner of the football who excels in taking on the defensive line with deft footwork around the ruck, looking to seek out bigger slower forwards when they are caught on the edge of the ruck, he also has a very good dummy which continues to be effective regardless of the frequency of its use as it is indistinguishable in process from when he is going to actually pass the ball.
Brodyn Gudgeon does not however have blinkers on, and when his backline is set deep, he can see an overlap or a another play developing he will get the ball out quickly and effectively, using his solid passing skills from both sides of his body, where he will put the football out in front of his runners.* Brodyn Gudgeon is able to impart a good spin on the ball, thus can get good distance on his passes whilst maintaining accuracy from both sides of his body all be it he seems to gets better distance when passing to the left hand side of the field.
Assisting his play is the fact that Brodyn Gudgeon seems to make the decision what to do with the ball quickly thus enabling the ball to get out wide quickly.* One aspect that is notable when you see him play is how he directs the team around the field, he is in charge of when and where the forwards run and also when he wants the ball to spread it out wide to his backline.
Defensively Brodyn Gudgeon has decent size for a half back, a facet which assists in him being a very effective defender for his position, in fact he is an asset to his team’s defensive pattern to the extent that he has the strength and technique to more than hold his own one on one against wide running forwards.
Once Brodyn Gudgeon’s 2018 U16 Vikings representative commitments have concluded he will play the season with Helensvale in the U16 Division One competition where once against they should have a great battle with Nerang for the top honours.
At this stage Brodyn Gudgeon’s running game is probably a touch ahead of his game management and play making skills but the gap is certainly closing quickly and thus I believe Brodyn Gudgeon has the potential and skill set to have a long and successful career in front of him as a rugby league half back.
My player comparison for Brodyn Gudgeon is New Zealand Warrior and New Zealand International Shaun Johnson. Shaun Johnson has a wicked side step and acceleration and those are two attributes that Brodyn Gudgeon also possesses.* No one can predict the future but how Brodyn Gudgeon’s game develops over the coming years will be something that I will be keeping a very close eye on especially in relation to his ball playing and game management skills.
Haze Tai-Rakena.* (Updated) The young Keeba Park second row/centre has recently been named in the centres in the 2017 Keebra Park Team of the Year. Haze Tai-Rakena played the 2017 Gold Coast Junior Rugby League season with the Helensvale Hornets in the U13 Division One competition including starting in the centres in their 22 – 10 Grand Final victory over the Nerang Roosters. The young Keebra Park student also represented South Coast at the U12 level in 2016, where South Coast went through the championships finishing third. Earlier this season Haze Tai-Rakena represented Gold Coast at the U13 level, where he played in the centres.
For the Hornets in the U13 Division One competition Haze Tai-Rakena played in a total of sixteen contests scoring eight tries in the process. Haze Tai-Rakena scored two early season doubles against Coomera in different and also scored against Jimboomba, Mudgeeraba and in consecutive matches’ mid-season against Nerang and Runaway Bay.
For a centre or second rower Haze Tai-Rakena is a big strong young man who does not rely just on his size and speed and using his natural running balance to either engage the opposing defenders and off load, run either an inside or outside shoulder route or an in and away to slow the forward momentum of the defender and accelerate on the outside.
For a player of his size, Haze Tai-Rakena also has a very good passing game especially to his left side. When the ball is passed out to the back line, Haze Tai-Rakena is very good at straitening up the attacking vector of his team and pass to his outside supports if they have room to move further out wide.
From a speed perspective has above average to plus speed for both his size and position and when he breaks into open space, he will not be caught from behind other than from only the fastest of opponents and he is also very good at positioning his support players when he gets to the fullback. The only possible question about Haze Tai-Rakena’s speed is whether it will stay at or near the plus category as he matures and inevitably fills out.
Defensively Haze Tai-Rakena uses his size to good effect, he drives with his shoulder into his opponent and has very good timing in terms of when to come out of the line and certainly has the speed to readjust and chase if his timing is slightly off and his opposing centre gets on his outside. For me when I saw him play for Keebra Park he was the defensive leader of the Renouf Cup side and other defenders keyed off him in terms of whether to use an up and in methodology and slide to the outside.
Haze Tai-Rakena on an individual level has the body control to redirect quickly and mirror the movement of the opposing attackers and anticipate what vector the attack comes from and innately understands when to allow the attacking play to develop in from of him and when to come out of the line to disrupt the attacking play prior to its formation.
In 2018 in addition to continuing his school boy rugby league career with Keebra Park in the U14 Michael Hancock Cup Competition, Haze Tai-Rakena will play for the Helensvale Hornets in the Gold Coast Rugby League U14 Division One competition.
From an ultimately position perspective, especially in relation to rugby league being an option, I think that Haze Tai-Rakena would ultimately end up in the second row and certainly one with above average speed and the ability to hit a hole at pace. Haze Tai-Rakena is a talented big strong young man with pace and power and also a very good passing game.
With his size, strength power and speed as well as the versatility to play in the centres or the second row, Haze Tai-Rakena reminds me of former Brisbane Bronco and Queensland State of Origin player Ben Teo.
Elijah Maihi. The powerful young Keebra Park State High School front rower was recently named on the interchange bench in the 2017 Keebra Park team of the year after a stellar season in the Gold Coast Rugby League U13 Division Two competition with the Southport Tigers.
Across his eleven U13 Division Two matches for Southport Elijah Maihi scored seven tries from twelve matches including a two match span early June where he scored doubles in each match against the Jimboomba Thunder and the Helensvale Hornets.* Elijah Maihi’s other three tries over the course of the 2017 season came against Parkwood, Coomera and Burleigh.
Elijah Maihi takes the ball to the line with speed, but he does not just put his head down and rush forward, he uses quick and subtle footwork prior to the line and seems to targets the gaps between defenders and will actively seek out opposing forwards who are slow to move up.* When the opposition are on the back foot he will target the smaller defenders on the edge of the ruck and burst through and for a big young bloke he has very good speed over the medium term and has the strength to drag defenders with him.
I would consider that his speed would be considered above average for a front rower but plays faster as a result of him timing his runs so well that the dummy half can present a flat pass to him and also as a result of the power that he runs at.* Elijah Maihi also has an extra gear when he breaks into open space, and only the quickest of outside backs can catch him once he is in open space.
With his continued development of which running lines he can utilise, such as running an inside shoulder line when close to the opposition try line he will become even more effective and will be an asset to the entire team as defences compress to combat his running thus leaving more room our wide.
One area of development for Elijah Maihi moving forward is his off-loading, his off-loading skill attributes in my eyes could be considered untapped.* He shows flashes of ability to off load when in contact with the defensive line, but on occasion can try to off load the miracle pass with multiple defenders handing off him, I am sure however that he will become more selective as he progresses.
I appreciate that to date, he is bigger, stronger and faster than the majority of his opponents to date, but it is the intensity and speed that he plays the game at that holds him in good stead as he starts to be selected in representative sides and plays against a higher quality of opposition.
Elijah Maihi does not just charge wildly up looking for a huge hit, but is calculating in where and when to hit.* He drives hard with his legs and always uses his shoulder and core body strength to drive into his opponent. He sets a strong lower base by setting his legs and generating force by driving through the tackle with his lower body, gaining leverage and momentum, culminating with the power projecting through his shoulders into his opponent.* Because of the zone he targets, his tackles derives a lot of dropped balls as his tackles hit the bottom of the football knocking it loose and forcing the mistake from the opposition player.
His defensive dominance will not continue at its current rate as he starts to play against higher quality opposition but the timing and defensive technique that he has will mean that he will always likely be a plus defender both in terms of technique and timing.* Elijah Maihi really does have a very good tackling technique. One understated area of his defensive game is the fact that he will turn and chase any breaks made by the opposition and in fact has been able to catch even some outside backs because of his willingness to chase until the play ends.
In 2018 in addition to continuing his school boy rugby league career with Keebra Park in the U14 Michael Hancock Cup competition, Elijah Maihi will play once again for the Southport Tigers in the Gold Coast Rugby League U14 competition with the Southport Tigers.
Elijah Maihi is likely going to be able to play in the front row but when you have such an explosive powerful runner of the ball, I would prefer to see him utilised on the fridges where he can use his speed, power and footwork to the best possible advantage of his team regardless of what number he has on his back.
With his strength and never say die attitude Elijah Maihi reminds me of how Manly Sea Eagles and New Zealand International front rower Martin Taupau plays both are big and strong and know how to use those attributes to their advantage on a rugby league field.
Lleyton Borg. The young Keebra Park winger has recently been named on the wing in the 2017 Keebra Park Team of the Year. Lleyton Borg played the 2017 GCRL season with the Southport Tigers in the U15 Division One competition and scored a total of 34 points over the course of the 2017 season. Lleyton Borg has also recently been selected in the 2018 U16 Gold Coast Vikings training squad.
Lleyton Borg’s 34 points came from two tries and thirteen with his tries coming in Round One against Coomera and against Helensvale late in the season.* In the match against Helensvale Lleyton Borg also kicked five goals for a game total of 14 points. The match prior Lleyton Borg kicked three conversions against Nerang.* Lleyton Borg also played one match in the orange and black of Southport in the U16 Division One competition scoring against Beaudesert.
Lleyton Borg is a big strong quick outside back with an effortless running style with a classic centres build with the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is rare in the modern game. His has used this skill set on multiple occasions on the right side of the field.
Lleyton Borg has a very strong left hand fend which prevents opposing centres getting in on him and forcing him towards the sideline.* Even though he has size, strength and power on the wing position, he does look for his support when confronted with the fullback, even though he is more than capable of beating fullbacks one on one if need be and certainly does on occasion when he outpaces his support players.
When the defence is sliding Lleyton Borg will cut inside and when the defence is playing an up and up style he has the plus speed and agile footwork to get on the outside of his direct opponent and beat him for speed to exploit the gap created.* In terms of his speed, in all aspects it would be considered at the plus level in terms of speed off the mark, top end speed and sustainability.
Another aspect where he is also very good is his ability to run out of dummy half.* Lleyton Borg’s size strength speed and power coupled with his plus footwork enables him to make a significant amount of ground out of dummy half and also give his forward a breather.
Defensively Lleyton Borg is a solid player who looks to mirror the movements of his direct opposite and slide staying inside his man before committing to the tackle.* If an opposing winger gets on his outside Lleyton Borg has the recovery speed to make up ground very quickly and eliminate the attacking threat prior to the requirement to get his team’s fullback to engage. Certainly a sliding defensive methodology suits Lleyton Borg’s skill set most appropriately although his speed timing and body control means that he can also adequately handle an up and in style of defending.
In 2018 in addition to continuing his school boy rugby league career with Keebra Park in the Open Age Group Lleyton Borg will play for the Southport Tigers in the Gold Coast Rugby League U16 Division One competition with the Southport Tigers. Lleyton Borg will also be pushing for a spot in the final U16 Gold Coast Vikings squad for the 2018 U16 South East Queensland competition commencing in February next year.
In Lleyton Borg* you have a player who would seem best suited to the wing in rugby league even though he could also play in the centres. He runs a very good line and his straight line speed is in the above average category and whilst he does have a solid in and away I think that Lleyton Borg is best suited to playing on the wing where he can also come into the centre of the ruck and either take pressure off the forwards with a hit up, which he has the size to be effective or to back up half breaks.
Brisbane Bronco and Queensland State of Origins Corey Oates is actually a solid comparison for Lleyton Borg from a playing perspective as a hard straight running player who will light up a match with his ability to crash through tackles and score some very good long range tries.
Taanei Heu.* The tall strong young Nerang Roosters front rower has recently been offered a position in the Titans Elite Performance Academy after a great 2017 campaign with the Nerang Roosters U15 Division One side.* The PBC student who is part of the schools Rugby League Excellence program has also been selected in the 2018 U16 Gold Coast Vikings training squad as well as the South Coast Maori representative side.
For the Nerang Roosters U15 Division One side in 2017 Taanei Heu played in eleven matches including their Grand Final victory over Helensvale and scored against Southport early in the season for his sole try of the season.* Taanei Heu also played one match up in the U16 Division Two competition which came against the Ormeau Shearers in early July.
He is quite a tall front rower with plus speed for a front rower, in fact his speed would be above average for a forward of any position.* Taanei Heu uses this speed to impact the defensive at top speed.* He does not necessarily get back deep, but his plus speed off the mark as well as plus top speed enables him to still fit the line hard.
Taanei Heu runs very front on but will lower his body into the defenders as the commit to the tackle, and through a combination of size, speed and determination regularly bumps the first defender off when they try to tackle Taanei Heu around the chest area.* Once he impacts the defensive line Taanei Heu also is adept at redirecting his momentum to address the next defender who is coming in the defend him.* Taanei Heu’s core body strength also enables him to make significant ground after contact dragging defenders with him.
In defence Taanei Heu regularly is the first player up to target the ball carriers, even though he is one of the bigger forwards in his team and will make solid initial contact as well as having the ability of defending one on one.* He is not averse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique and decent agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents, his technique is also quite decent for a taller player and he gets low in defence to look to mitigate the possibility of his tackles slipping up around the hard and neck area of shorter opponents.
His calling card though is the strength and power to effectively engage the opposing forward early in their run and use his natural strength to win the forward battle in the centre of the ruck.* He can defensively handle any one on one battle that presents itself.* At times in games he really does prevent opposing gaining any ground at all through the centre of the ruck.
Taanei Heu will be a difficult proposition to keep up of the final 2018 U16 Gold Coast Vikings squad and post that competition will line up once again for the Nerang Roosters, playing in the U16 Division Once competition.* From what I understand Taanei Heu’s determination and dedication to being the best he can be both on and off the field is second to none and that will stand him in very good stead into the future.
I must admit that I am not wedded to the idea of Taanei Heu being strictly a front rower.* With his elite size, strength, speed and power operating wider of the ruck would seem to be the ideal use is his immense skill set.* Whilst he may well end up in the front row in the long term it is equally possible for Taanei Heu to make a career in the second row as he moves towards the senior rugby league ranks.
For me a current NRL player who has an eerily similar playing style to Taanei Heu is Penrith Panther Reagan Campbell-Gillard as a young front rower who does not just hit the defensive line hard but makes a lot of ground post contact because of his strength and determination to make as much ground as possible on each and every carry of the ball.* Also like Campbell-Gillard Taanei Heu just exudes strength and power.
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Oscar Clarke.* (Updated) The ultra-talented young Tweed Coast Raiders forward had an outstanding 2016 season which culminated in Oscar Clarke being named as the Group 18 Junior Representative Player of the year after he starred for the Group 18 U16 side, he was also named as the U16 Group 18 most consistent player. Oscar Clarke has recently been selected in the Tweed Heads Seagulls 2018 MM Cup side.
His 2017 season has also started off well with Oscar Clarke being selected in the East Coast Dolphins U18 Development Squad for the New South Wales Age Championships.* Oscar Clarke who played both in the front row and second row over the course of the 2017 season represented the East Coast Dolphins U16 team in 2016 as well.* Earlier this season the Kingscliff High School student was selected in the North Coast Open Rugby League side for the New South Wales Combined High Schools trials.
Oscar Clarke finished as the leading try scorer in the Novaskills U18 NRRRL competition with fifteen tries from only fourteen matches played.* Oscar Clarke has scored three hat tricks which have come against Byron Bay, Evans Heads and Lismore Marist Brothers.* On Saturday June 3 Oscar Clarke made his NRRRL first grade debut as a 17 year old against Mullumbimby and played two further first grade matches which were against Byron Bay in July and against Casino RSM in August.
The young hard running backrower usually lines up on the right hand side of the field and runs with speed into the defensive line.* Oscar Clarke is not the biggest young forward you will ever see, but he is all effort in attack and will constantly run the ball into the heart of the opposition forward pack regardless of how big they are. He is a smart runner though to the extent that he does use good foot work prior to the defensive line to help negate his lack of size and he also has very good leg drive once initial contact has been made.* He also fights hard when tackled to ensure he gets a quick play the ball to maintain the momentum for his side.
Even against the some of the sides in the New South Wales Age Championships that had massive forward packs, including Newcastle, he was the most effective Dolphins forwards throughout the Championships. In addition, he has enough speed to be an effective runner of the football being able to run the ball on the edges of the ruck. He is not exceptionally quick but quick enough to rush defenders to make a decision of when to commit to the tackle.
I would consider Oscar Clarke a strong effective tackler who looks to use the angle of the attackers runs to his advantage, redirecting their momentum. His above average lateral mobility also enables him to not be over matched when defending against smaller quicker players on the edge of the ruck. In the context of defending in the centre of the ruck a continued focus on increasing his functional strength will enable him to better handle the biggest of forwards one on one, but I have no doubt with his dedication and the tools that are available to him, this will be easily addressed.* He seems to have the type of frame that could add muscle without compromising his speed or lateral movement attributes. His head placement always seems to be correct, thus reducing the possibility of injury to himself and increasing the effectiveness of the tackle.
The 2018 season will see Oscar Clarke line up for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the MM Cup competition and post that competition he will once against be eligible for the U18 competition but it is likely that he will play more NRRRL First Grade matches rather than U18’s in 2018 for the Tweed Coast Raiders.
Also Oscar Clarke will likely be one of the first players picked for the East Coast Dolphins U18 side in 2018 after starring for them this season as a 17 year old. It also would not surprise at all to see Oscar Clarke get a late season run with the Tweed Heads Colts side in 2018 even though he will still only be 18 years old.
I would think that Oscar Clarke will continue to alternate between front row and second row over the next season or so but ultimately I believe that he will end up in the second row long term where his burgeoning skill set can be best utilised.
A player comparison with Brisbane Broncos, Queensland State of Origin and Australian Test second rower Matt Gillett is fair and appropriate. Oscar Clarke is an effective runner of the ball with a deceptive off-load and is a harder hitter in defence that he is sometimes given credit for, he can on occasion be a devastating defender.* In short Oscar Clarke is a talented all round forward who has a big future in the game.
Walter Lauenstein. The big strong young predominately left winger had an outstanding first season in the Gold Coast rugby league competition after receiving a clearance in January of this year to transfer from the North’s Tigers in the Ipswich Rugby League competition to the Runaway Bay Seagulls.* Walter Lauenstein was also part of the Queensland Indigenous U18 side that participated in the QPIIC competition in October. Walter Lauenstein was selected in the second row with a team mate in the back row being Titan NYC star Reihana Marsh.
Upon his transfer to Runaway Bay Walter Lauenstein immediately bypassed the U19 competition to start on the wing in the Gold Coast A Grade competition In Round One and over the course of the 2017 season played in nineteen matches, including the finals series, scoring fourteen tries including starting on the wing and scoring a try in Runaway Bay’s 20 – 12 Grand Final loss to Burleigh, Walter Lauenstein also scored in the Preliminary Final the weekend prior to the Grand Final.* Walter Lauenstein scored three doubles in 2017 which came against Ormeau and Tugun on two separate occasions. Walter Lauenstein achieved all of this while still a 17 year old in his first season playing against men which is no small feat at all.
Walter Lauenstein also set up a couple of tries with deft passes to team mates who were running into defensive holes.* Even though his game is predicated on power Walter Lauenstein does in fact have some subtly his game his on occasion.
I have no statistics to back my assertion up but possibly up to half of Walter Lauenstein’s tries this season started from his own territory.* Over the course of the season Walter Lauenstein scored all types of long distance tries from fielding kicks near his own try line and going the length of the field, 80 metre runs from dummy half, at least one 90 metres intercept and multiple times he got the ball in open or broken play and just exploded down field crashing through the first line of defence and then outpacing the cover defence as it looked to converge on the talented youngster resulting in a futile long distance chase for the defenders.
The former Ipswich Grammar School student also played one GCRL U19 match in 2017 which was in August against Ormeau where he scored a hat trick and he also scored a double against Currumbin in July in his only Doug Lipp Cup match. Thus on the season Walter Lauenstein scored nineteen tries from a total of twenty one matches across three grades.
The young man is very difficult to stop once he is in motion, his speed, power and body height all contribute to this.* On the wing when he can wind up and build momentum he looks to run over his direct opponent rather than try to run around them.* In fact in the majority of occasions it is Walter Lauenstein that actually initiates the contact and I do not recall seeing a player being able to run over his direct opponent with absolutely no loss of momentum.
From a speed perspective I would argue that his speed is a tick above average for a winger but obviously the key attribute from an attacking perspective is how hard he hits the defensive line.* Like his overall speed Walter Lauenstein’s lateral mobility is probably just a tick above average.* Walter Lauenstein with his size and strength is also able to make a lot of ground after contact with his ability to absorb the defensive contact and maintain his balance and body control.
When he is close to the line Walter Lauenstein is able to absorb a significant amount of punishment and still hold his running line thus he is able to score close to the side line without being pushed over the sideline regardless of the number of defenders looking to do so. The ability to absorb contact is on display when he comes into the centre of the ruck to take the ball up into the teeth of the defensive line.
Defensively for a big strong powerful young man, Walter Lauenstein actually has good discipline for such a young player and in the main stays on his man rather than coming in and looking for the big hit.* Do not get me wrong he will on occasion aim to smash the opposing outside if they do not see him coming but in the main he is quite disciplined and looks to ensure his opposing winger does not get on his outside looking to use their speed against him.
The 2018 season will see Walter Lauenstein more than likely be part of the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts squad and he will also be Colts eligible once again in 2019.* If he is not in Burleigh’s 17 in the Colts squad in any particular weekend, Walter Lauenstein will play for Runaway Bay in the Gold Coast Rugby League A Grade competition where once again he is likely to be one of the competitions leading try scorers.* Walter Lauenstein may also get a taste of QCup as well later in the 2018 season especially after his outstanding performances this season as a 17 year old against men.
Whilst Walter Lauenstein played in the second row for the U18 Indigenous side recently his play on the wing in the Gold Coast Rugby League A grade competition this season for Runaway Bay should dispel any conjecture about where his future lies.* With his powerful determined running and ability to find the try line regularly even in the most unlikely situations and his knack for scoring long distance tries, his future on the wing seems assured.
New Zealand Warriors powerhouse winger Ken Maumalo is an ideal comparison for Walter Lauenstein.* The comparison not only stands up from a playing style perspective but also a physical perspective both are big strong young man learning to make the most of their physical size, speed and power.* When he has physically matured and gains added experience Walter Lauenstein will be an absolute sight to behold on the end of a backline in rugby league at a high level.
Ethan Roberts. (Updated) He is a young utility player from Northern New South Wales, specifically the Grafton/Lismore area, who spent the 2016 and 2017 seasons in the Titans NYC side playing mainly hooker but also spent time as a backrower in 2016 but played every match starting at five eight in 2017.
Ethan Roberts had a great year starting off the season in magnificent form in the first trial against the Melbourne Storm where in the second half in the first NYC trial.* In the second half Ethan Roberts was probably the Titans best and scored a very good try with about four minutes to go when he spilt the Storm defence on the left side of the field and then made a great break through the centre of the field and drew the fullback but unfortunately the ball went to ground with the try line open.
In 2017 Ethan Roberts started at five eight in twenty two of the Titans NYC matches contributing five tries and sixth six goals to finish with a points tally of 152 points.* In total across the NYC competition Ethan Roberts ran for 1 337 metres from 173 carries, made four line breaks, had sixteen try assists, eighteen offloads and made 327 tackle at a tackling efficiency of 79%.
Ethan Roberts per matches 2017 averages included 61 running metres from 8 carries and fifteen tackles from 75 minutes.* Ethan Roberts played the entire 80 minutes on eighteen occasions.* In Round Four against the North Queensland Cowboys Ethan Roberts ran for 109 metres and in Round Thirteen also against the Cowboys Ethan Roberts made twenty tackles missing none.
In the 2016 NYC season Ethan Roberts played in eighteen matches for the Titans NYC side including starting the first three rounds on the interchange bench before breaking into the starting line-up at hooker in Round Four in a victory over the Wests Tigers.* Ethan Roberts started ten matches at hooker, five in the second row as well as the first three rounds from the interchange bench.* Over the course of the 2016 season Ethan Roberts crossed for five tries with the first coming in Round Five against the Raiders with his remaining four tries coming against the Brisbane Broncos, Dragons, panthers and in the final round against the Cowboys.
Ethan Roberts season averages included 7.5 hit ups per match, 73 run metres per match and 19 tackles per match and a total of seven line breaks.* Ethan Roberts best match from a total metres perspective came against the Cronulla Sharks in Round Seven when he ran for 161 metres and against the Canterbury Bulldogs in Round Nine Ethan Roberts made 35 tackles.
The table below compares Ethan Roberts 2016 and 2017 NYC per game averages.
2016 2017
Games played 18 22
Minutes per game 68 75
Runs per game 7.5 8
Metres made per game 73 61
Tackles per game 19 15
The former PBC student has previously he has represented NSW at the U16 level in 2013 where he started the game at five eight in the NSW win and was named player of the match in that interstate game and was roundly praised by Brad Fittler on social media.* In MM he played at five eight and for Tugun he played five eight, back row and hooker and for a Titans U18 Invitational side he started at hooker and then played some back row in a match in late 2015.* He was originally contracted to the Brisbane Broncos who were the team that brought him up to PBC before coming over to the Titans.* Ethan Roberts’s two younger brothers are also talented players including centre Blake and backrower Tate with Blake being named in the 2018 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad for the 2018 season.
In attack, regardless of the position he is playing, Ethan Roberts is quick and strong and has good footwork to beat opposition defenders and then has very good speed, not necessarily speed off the mark, but definitely has good top end speed once he gets moving.* In the 2017 NYC competition he scored one or two tries from his own half where he stood up his opposing number and beat the cover defence over 60m.* Similarly when breaks were made by the outside backs, he had the speed to keep up with them, I won’t say comfortably but he kept up speed wise.
Where he excels is drawing defenders in to him and using his ball skills to put his runners into gaps, either through a short pass off his hip, like the Bulldogs forwards, or holding the ball until the last second when the defender commits and then gets the ball away, he is prepared to take the hit to open the gap in the defensive line. Similarly on one or occasions Ethan Roberts ran a great inside route to cut back against the defensive grain and exploit defenders who have not followed the ball across the field quickly enough.
In relation to his play at hooker in 2016 his passing is reasonably crisp and developed very well over the course of the 2016 season, especially to the right side, but on occasion he passes in two movements which is not surprising because prior to late 2015 I am not aware of him playing hooker at all, obviously he is used to playing at five eight and has not quite transitioned yet to passing off the ground in one fluid movement.* As he plays more at hooker, I would expect him to improve from the perspective of knowing when to run from dummy half.
On the field Ethan Roberts so calm and collected and rarely makes the wrong decision with the football in his hands.* You constantly see him talking to his team mates, letting them know what is going on and encouraging them, he just reads the play very well.
Defensively Ethan Roberts is more than strong enough to defend in the middle of the ruck and quick enough to defend on the fridges when playing at five eight.* In the centre of the ruck he sets a strong base to create the necessary leverage to defend against larger forwards and explodes upward through his core at very good initial contact regardless of the size of the attacker.
When defending on the fringes of the ruck, he has the size and strength to handle wide running backrowers one on one and his lateral movement and anticipation are good enough to combat smaller quicker players without impacting on the integrity of his defensive technique.
He can also kick in general play, more so tactical kicks to gain ground rather than attacking kicks such as grubber kicks or bombs.* I do not think that he will be a team’s primary general play kicker but has the skill set to be a secondary option when the primary kicker is under pressure. Like his tactical kicking I do not think that he ends up as a primary goal kicker but is effective enough to be a secondary option, where he is accurate from close range but his accuracy suffers the wider out the kicks are from.
For the 2018 season I believe that you will see Ethan Roberts as part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls QCup side and he may get the opportunity to play early and often with Ben Woolf now coaching the Seagulls.
For me his long term future is as a ball playing backrower who has the size and skill to operate effectively on the fringes of the ruck, in saying that it was great to see Ethan Roberts playing so well for the Titans NYC side in 2017.
From a player comparison perspective projecting to the 2018 season, a player with a similar style that I can think of is recently New Zealand Warriors signing and New Zealand International Kieran Foran as a powerful hard running half who can run very good lines and who is also a punishing defender.* He just looks like a natural footballer who was born to play rugby league, I really think that this young player has a massive future.
Phillip Sami – (Updated) He is a young utility back originally from Ipswich who signed with the Titans NYC squad for the 2016 season and has made every post a winner since including making his first grade debut late in the 2017 season, going on to play four NRL matches in total with the prospect of plenty more to come after he recently signed two year contract extension spurning interest from suitors including the Melbourne Storm.* Phillip Sami also this season started in the centres for the Queensland U20 side in their annual match against New South Wales U20’s and was named in the centres in the 2017 NYC team of the year.
Phillip Sami made his NRL debut in Round Fifteen against the South Sydney Rabbitohs and also played the final three rounds of the 2017 season in the NRL with matches against the Parramatta Eels in Round Twenty Four, the Bulldogs in Round twenty Five and Sydney Roosters in Round Twenty Six.* Phillip Sami started his first two matches on the wing before starting in the centres in the final two rounds and scored his first NRL try in Round Twenty Five at home against the Bulldogs when he was one of the best Titans players on a tough afternoon.
In total in the NRL in 2017 Phillip Sami played the entire 80 minutes in all four matches, took fifty hit-ups, ran for 451 metres and made 29 tackles with only two misses for a tackling efficiency of 93.5%. Phillips Sami’s 2017 NRL per game averages include 12.5 carries for 113 metres and 7.3 tackles in 80 minutes.* Incredibly Phillip Sami ran for over 100 metres in each of his four NRL matches including running for 123 metres in Round Twenty Six.* On two occasions Phillip Sami made nine tackles in a match coming in Rounds Twenty Five and Twenty Six and after missing two tackles in his first NRL match did not miss another tackle in the NRL in his final three matches.
In the NYC for the Titans in 2017, Phillip Sami made twenty appearances scoring nine tries including a Round Twenty hat trick against the Penrith Panthers, a double in Round Sixteen against the Wests Tigers and also tries against the Eels in Round Three, the Storm in Round Ten, the Sea Eagles in Round Eleven and against the Warriors in Round Fourteen.
In total in 2017 in the NYC Phillip Sami carried the ball on 347 occasions running for 3 487 metres, made sixteen line breaks, offloaded 33 times and made 120 tackles with a tackling efficiency of 81%.* Phillip Sami started thirteen matches in the centres and seven at fullback.* His 2017 NYC per game averages included 17.5 carries for a staggering 175 metres and six tackles playing the entire 80 minutes in each of his twenty matches.
Over the course of the 2016 NYC season Phillip Sami played in 24 of 26 possible matches and paced the Titans with 11 tries. On four occasions Phillip Sami crossed for doubles which came against the Rooster in Round 10, Raiders in Round 16, and in consecutive weeks in Rounds 22 and 23 against the Warriors and Wests Tigers respectively.
For the Titans NYC side Phillip Sami started on the wing on nine occasions and in the centres on 15 occasions.* *In total Phillip Sami ran for 2 750 metres on 275 carries and made eleven line breaks.* In addition Phillip Sami also made 197 tackles.* From a purely statistical perspective, Phillip Sami’s best match with the ball in hand was against Penrith and South Sydney in Rounds Eleven and Twelve respectively when he ran for 190 metres.* On 17 occasions Phillip Sami made more than 100 metres in a match.
Defensively Phillip Sami averaged just over eight tackles per match and against the St George Dragons in Round Seven made 20 matches, the most in any match during the 2016 NYC season. Phillip Sami was credited with 28 missed tackles.
The table below compares Phillips Sami’s 2016 and 2017 NYC and 2017 NRL per game averages.
2016 NYC 2017 NYC 2017 NRL
Games played 24 20 4
Minutes per game 80 80 80
Runs per game 11.5 17.5 12.5
Metres made per game 114.6 174.5 113
Tackles per game 8.2 7.3 6
Phillip Sami’s calling card when you see him play is his foot work, it is absolutely outstanding in the centres. He can step off both feet effortlessly and put multiple combinations of steps together in a short space of time and a small radius to get out of difficult situations and still make ground.* He does not just beat larger forwards with his footwork, he will make the fastest of outside backs and fullbacks look silly on occasion as they are left grasping at thin air.
Phillip Sami’s speed off the mark would have to be considered plus and whilst his top end speed may not necessarily be elite he can sustain it over an extended distance.* He also has a solid low centre of gravity type build and also a decent fend complicating the task of defending against him.
Regardless of where he receives the ball he is an exceptional attacking player. If he gets an off load from a forward through the middle he is through the gap before the defence can react, if he gets the ball in space out wide he is make it very difficult for the opposing defender to get a clean shot at him and if he gets the ball from a kick, if the defensive line is not straight in the chase he can make significant ground.* *Seemingly like all modern day outside backs he has exceptional body control enabling him to score some amazing tries along the touchline.
For me the area that he improved most during the 2017 season is in relation to the defensive aspects of the game, as can be seen by his NRL defensive statics.* Defensively Phillip Sami uses his size to good effect, he drives with his shoulder into his opponent and has very good timing in terms of when to come out of the line and certainly has the speed to readjust and chase if his timing is slightly off and his opposing centre gets on his outside. Other defenders keyed off him in terms of whether to use an up and in methodology and slide to the outside.
Phillip Sami on an individual level has the body control to redirect quickly and mirror the movement of the opposing attackers and anticipate what vector the attack comes from and innately understands when to allow the attacking play to develop in from of him and when to come out of the line to disrupt the attacking play prior to its formation.
As noted above Phillip Sami is now a full time member of the titans NRL Top 30 squad and is a big chance to be in the starting line come Round One next season likely on the wing.
Prior to the 2016 season, Phillip Sami played a variety of positions including, fullback, centre, wing and even some halfback when playing schoolboy rugby league for Ipswich State High School but he cemented himself in the centres in the NYC side in 2016 and 2017 and that is where his future likely lies although he may spend some time on the wing in the NRL prior to cementing an NRL centre spot hopefully before the end of the 2018 NRL season.
From a player comparison perspective I can see flashes of the same ability of Cronulla Sharks and Australian Test winger Valentine Holmes in Phillip Sami’s play.* Like Holmes, Phillip Sami is an exciting and naturally gifted player who has the ability to do something special, is a nightmare for defences and exciting for supporters to watch.
Tyronne Roberts-Davis. The young former Keebra Park student and Australian School boy has been with the Titans since he was 15 and in Round two this year made his NRL debut starting on the right wing in a 34 – 26 loss to the Newcastle Knights.* Tyronne Roberts –Davis was also part of the Titans Auckland Nines squad earlier this year. From a trivia perspective Tyronne Roberts-Davis is the cousin of former Titan James Roberts.
In his NRL debut Tyronne Roberts –Davis scored, ran for 80 metres from nine hit-ups, made a line break, off loaded the ball once and made five tackles without any missed tackles.* After his Round two debut, Tyronne Roberts-Davis played in five more NRL matches starting on the wing in all five matches from Rounds Three to Seven and scored his second NRL try in Round Four against the North Queensland Cowboys.
In total in the NRL in 2017, Tyronne Roberts –Davis accounted for 388 metres from 49 hit ups, made two line breaks, two off loads and twenty eight tackles.* His 2017 NRL per game averages included 64.7 metres on 8.2 carries and 4.7 tackles.
Tyronne Roberts –Davis started the 2017 season in the NYC for the Titans starting on the wing in Round One before his NRL debut and in total over the course of the 2017 NYC season, played in ten matches, scoring seven tries and kicking ten goals for a total point’s tally of 58.* Tyronne Roberts –Davis’s tries included doubles in Rounds Nine and Ten against the Newcastle Knights and Melbourne Storm respectively.* He also scored tries against the Sea Eagles in Round Eleven, the Cowboys in Round Twelve and Round Twenty One against the Wests Tigers.
In total in the NYC competition in 2017 Tyronne Roberts –Davis from his ten matches ran for 1 277 metres from 114 carries, made eight line breaks, had eight try assists and made 48 tackles.* His 2017 NYC per game averages included 128 metres on 11.5 carries and 5 tackles. Tyronne Roberts –Davis started three matches on the wing and seven at fullback for the Titans NYC side in 2017.
In 2016 Tyronne Roberts –Davis played in fifteen NYC contests for the titans scoring five tries and kicking 45 goals for 110 points on the season.* He scored tries against the Sharks in Round Six, the Dragons in Round Seven, the Storm in Round Eight, Roosters in Round Nine and against the Eels in Round Twenty.* In the Eels game Tyronne Roberts –Davis also kicked eight goals thus scoring 20 points in the big Titans win.
Tyronne Roberts –Davis started eleven matches on the wing and four at fullback in 2016. Tyronne Roberts –Davis in 2016 in the NYC ran for 1 275 metres from 135 hit-ups, made seven line breaks and made 61 tackles.* His 2016 NYC per game averages included running for 85 metres from nine runs and made four tackles.
As noted above Tyronne Roberts –Davis made his NYC debut for the Titans whilst he was still attending Keebra Park State High School, playing seven matches in totals starting on the wing in all and averaged a try a match after making his NYC debut in Round Fourteen of 2017 against the Canterbury Bulldogs.* His tries came against the Warriors in Round Fifteen, a double in Round Sixteen against the Warriors a hat trick in a Round Twenty Four clash against the Raiders and a Round Twenty Six try against the North Queensland Cowboys.
In total in the 2015 NYC competition for the Titans Tyronne Roberts –Davis ran for 690 metres in twenty three hit-ups and made twenty six tackles.
The table below compares Tyronne Roberts –Davis’s 2016 and 2017 NYC and 2017 NRL per game averages.
2016 NYC 2017 NYC 2017 NRL
Games played 15 10 6
Minutes per game 80 80 80
Runs per game 9 11.4 8
Metres made per game 85 128 65
Tackles per game 4 5 5
Tyronne Roberts-Davis has an extensive resume from a junior rugby league perspective including representing the Australian School Boys side against New Zealand in 2015 from Keebra Park State High School.* In 2015 Tyrone Roberts-Davis also represented the Queensland School Boys Open Rugby League side. The Kempsey Dragons junior Tyronne Roberts-Davis also played for Gold Coast White in the 2015 MM Cup competition prior to his elevation to the NYC alter in that year.
Even though he does not have great top end speed Tyronne Roberts-Davis is quick enough to take advantage of any space that he is given down the touchline by opposing wingers.* One good thing about his play in attack is that he stays on his wing and is regularly outside his opposite number allowing his inside players to be able to find him in attack and in the games that I have seen he stays back and does not over run the players that are inside of him.
Tyronne Roberts-Davis seems to be aware of his skill set as he does not take chances with the sideline and does his utmost to ensure that he is not taken over the sideline and knows when to cut back inside rather than taking his opposite number on along the touchline.
In terms of defence, Tyronne Roberts-Davis is solid and seemingly understands the attributes of his opposite number to the extent that he alters his defensive positioning if he is against speedy, elusive wingers and against larger wingers.* His time in the NRL has clearly helped in these situations in terms of positioning and when to tackle low compared to looking to when to wrap up the attacking player with a ball and all tackle.
Tyronne Roberts –Davis has been one of the more polarising players for the Titans this season with some supporters frustrated with some mistakes that he has made but he is a 20 year old who has played six NRL matches and has also performed very well for the Titans NYC side since making his NYC debut in 2015 whilst still at Keebra Park State High School.* Tyrone Roberts-Davis will be in the mix for an NRL wing spot with the Titans in 2018 and if he is not in the NRL side will play for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the QCup competition.
Over the course of his rugby league career to date, Tyronne Roberts –Davis has played fullback, centre and on the wing but I believe that his best opportunity for an NRL career is on the wing where he is a real try scorer and can also use his height to be an attacking threat in the air.* Tyronne Roberts –Davis has also shown flashes of Anthony Don like ability to be very safe defending cross field kicks.* At 186cm and 94kg Tyronne Roberts-Davis also has decent size for a winger in the modern game.
Titans Anthony Don for me is a good comparison for how Tyronne Roberts-Davis plays, he is a solid player with a touch more speed than he is given credit for and is also a steady defensive presence, a bit of a glue guy if you will. I would not say that Tyronne Roberts-Davis is as good as Anthony Don under the high ball (not sure anyone is) but he certainly has a safe pair of hands.
Justin Fai. (Updated) He is a young Titans NYC forward originally from South’s Logan and is a former Bob Gilder U17 GBJRL player of the year winner from the powerful Logan Brothers Junior Rugby League Club.* Justin Fai spent the 2016 season alternating between the NYC competition and playing for South Logan in the QCup Colts competition.
The 2017 season saw Justin Fai once again part of the Titans NYC squad playing in twenty two matches.* Justin Fai’s junior rugby league representative achievements include representing Metropolitan East at the U15 and Open School Boys levels. From a trivia perspective he is the younger brother of Brisbane Broncos front rower George Fai.
In 2017 for the Titans in the Holden Cup Justin Fai played in a total of twenty two matches.* He started in ten matches in the front row and one match at lock.* In his other eleven matches Justin Fai started from the interchange bench.* In the last seven rounds that he played in for the Titans starting in Round Seventeen against the St George Dragons Justin Fai started in the front row after coming off the inter change on the majority of occasions in the first half of the season.
In his twenty two matches in 2017 Justin Fai scored five tries including an early season double against the Broncos.* Justin Fai also scored a double against the West Tigers in Round Twenty One and he also scored in Round Ten against the Melbourne Storm.
In total in the NYC in 2017 for the Titans Justin Fai was on the field for 838 minutes took 184 hit ups, made 1 866 metres, made an impressive seven line breaks, off loaded the ball eleven times and made 382 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 88%.* Justin Fai’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing for 40 minutes, making 84.8 metres on 8.4 hit-ups and 17.5 tackles.* Those statistics may not jump out at you but you need to put in context that Justin Fai on average was only on the field for about half of the match.* Double those stats and they look very impressive to saw the least.
On seven occasions Justin Fai ran for in excess of 100 metres in a match including in Round Twenty One against the Wests Tigers when he ran for 151 metres on just fourteen hit-ups.* In nine occasions Justin Fai made more than twenty tackles in a match, with his “best” effort being against the New Zealand Warriors in Round Fourteen when in just 50 minutes of playing time, Justin Fai made twenty six tackles missing only two.
After starting the 2016 season playing for South’s Logan Colts, Justin Fai made his NYC debut in Round Six against the Cronulla Sharks and over the course of the 2016 season went on to play another seven matches, in all of the NYC matches that Justin Fai played in in 2016 he came off the inter change bench and also scored for his only NYC try of the year in Round 14 against the Parramatta Eels.
In total Justin Fai in the 2016 NYC competition Justin Fai ran for 602 metres from 43 hit-ups, made one line break and 75 tackles.* Coming off the interchange bench Justin Fai averaged just on 30 minutes per game with the most time that he spent on the field coming in Round 15 against Manly when he played 48 minutes.* In Round 15 against Manly, Justin Fai ran for his most metres in NYC when he ran for 113 metres and in Round 13 he made 20 tackles in just 43 minutes against South Sydney.
The table below compares Justin Fai’s 2016 and 2017 NYC per game averages:
2016 NYC 2017 NYC
Games played 8 22
Minutes per game 30 40
Runs per game 5 8.4
Metres made per game 78 85
Tackles per game 9.5 17.5
The pace and power in terms of how Justin Fai runs the ball is the outstanding feature, he takes the ball to the line with speed, but he does not just put his head down and rush forward.* He uses subtle footwork prior to the line and seems to targets the gaps between defenders and will actively seek out opposing forwards who are slow to move up.* Justin Fai’s movement prior to engaging the defensive line is actually quite impressive, from the moment that he receives the ball from the dummy half he is moving subtly from side to side thus not allowing defences to key in on him.
When the opposition are on the back foot Justin Fai will target the smaller defenders on the edge of the ruck and burst through and for a big young bloke he has very good speed over the medium term and has the strength to drag defenders with him.* Close to the line he was very effective for South’s Logan and scored a number of tries from reasonably close range where he just carried opposing forwards over the line with him.
Justin Fai is aggressive in defence whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or wider on the fringes, and due to his natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can and will stop even the biggest opposing forwards in their tracks and targets the area around where the attackers carry the football.* Justin Fai’s speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half.
I have noted that he is aggressive and seems to want to win every one on one battle and he invariably does even at the Holden Cup level.* He does however tend to drift inside and defend in the centre of the ruck as games progress rather than hold his spacing on the edges of the ruck, but heck that seems to be more to do with enjoying the physical aspects of rugby league and wanting to be in the thick of the action. Due to his speed and athleticism Justin Fai covers across the field well, thus putting him in a good position to make the tackle when the ball is turned back inside from the halves.
Justin Fai is no longer eligible for U20 Colts rugby league and will move back to his junior club being the Souths Logan Magpies as he looks to continue his rugby league career in the Queensland Cup competition.
From a position perspective, I note that prior to the 2016 season, Justin Fai played in the front row in the MM Cup competition but played in the second row for the South Logan Colts side and for the Titans when he played NYC in 2016 but moved back to primarily playing in the front row in 2017.
Whilst I think long term he may well end up in the front row, I think that a permanent move there is still a while away and the next couple of years playing as a rampaging second rower is the most likely scenario for the incredibly talented Logan Brothers junior.
From a player comparison perspective, someone that I think that Justin Fai has a similar playing style to is North Queensland Cowboy and Tongan International Jason Taumalolo as a wrecking ball of a backrower who can break open and dominate a game on his own.
At 193am and 101kg with above average speed and mobility Justin Fai certainly has all of the physical attributes to be a difference maker on a rugby league field.
Justin Fai will need a year or two in the Queensland Intrust Super Cup competition for Souths Logan but the sky is the limit for this amazing talent once he gains more experience, stamina and consistency.
Rory Lillis. The local young second rower originally from the Mullumbimby Giants just south of the border moved back to the Gold Coast mid-way through the 2016 season playing for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side before making the Titans Holden Cup squad for the 2017 season and played in twenty Two matches in the Holden Cup for the Titans including scoring his solitary 2017 NYC try in Round twenty Three against the St George Dragons.
Rory Lillis started in all twenty two of his 2017 NYC matches, all in the second row outside of Round Three against the Parramatta Eels when he started at lock.* In total across the 2017 NYC season Rory Lillis carried the ball on 199 occasions making 1 786 metres, one line break, two try assists, six off loads and 663 at a tackling efficiency of 86% all whilst on the field for 1 652 minutes.* Rory Lillis’s 2017 NYC per game season averages included running for 81.2 metres from 9.1 hit-ups and 30.1 tackles in 75 minutes of game time.
On fifteen occasions Rory Lillis played all 80 minutes including from Rounds Ten to Nineteen when he did not come off the field in those eight matches.* On four occasions Rory Lillis ran for more than 100 metres with his highest number of metres in a match coming in Round Fourteen against the Warriors when he ran for 137 metres from fourteen charges into the Warriors defence.
Defensively Rory Lillis had an outstanding year, making the most tackles by a Titans NYC player in 2017 both in terms of total tackles and tackles per match with 663 and 30.1 respectively.* In all twenty two matches that he played Rory Lillis made in excess of twenty tackles including making more than 30 tackles on eleven occasions including a huge game against the Cronulla Sharks when he made 39 tackles in Round Nineteen.
In 2016 Rory Lillis played the season with the South Sydney NYC side where he played a total of eight matches, scoring one try in the process which came against the Newcastle Knights in Round Two.* *Of the eight matches Rory Lillis played, he started at either lock or second row in five of those and came off the interchange bench in the other three rounds that he played in.* In two of the matches that he started Rory Lillis played the entire 80 minutes, which were in Rounds One and Three against the Roosters and Dragons respectively, showcasing his endurance abilities.
In the remaining six rounds Rory Lillis averaged around 40 minutes a match to finish to an average of 50 minutes per match during the 2016 NYC season.* His 2016 averages also included an average of eight runs for 70 metres and 20 tackles per match.* From a run metres perspective his best match was against Newcastle in Round Two when he ran for 105 metres and in Round Three he made 31 matches against St George.* In addition to the NYC matches that he played in 2016, Rory Lillis also played two matches for La Perouse United in the local South’s Sydney A grade competition which were against the Coogee Dolphins and Moore Park.
The table below compares Rory Lillis’s 2016 and 2017 NYC per game averages:
2016 NYC 2017 NYC
Games played 8 22
Minutes per game 53 75
Runs per game 8 9.1
Metres made per game 70 81.2
Tackles per game 20 30.1
Upon his return from Sydney in mid-2016 Rory Lillis linked with the Tweed Heads Seagulls QCup Colts squad making his first appearance for them in Round 17 against the Sunshine Coast Falcons and proceeded to play eight matches straight, including scoring three tries which came on debut, in Round 22 against the Toowoomba Clydesdales and in Round 25 against the Redcliffe Dolphins.* Rory Lillis lined up in the second row in all of the matches that he played for the Tweed Heads Colts in 2016.
Prior to moving to Sydney, Rory Lillis had a distinguished junior representative career on the Gold Coast and Northern New South Wales, including representing Group 18 at the U15 level in 2012 and playing in the CC Cup competition in 2013 and the MM Cup competition in 2015 including scoring a try against the Redcliffe Dolphins in Round Three.* *Rory Lillis was also part of the South Coast team for the 2015 QSSRL U18 championships where team mates includes Tyrone Roberts-Davis and AJ Brimson who will be Titans NYC team mates this year.
The young hard running backrower usually lines up on the right hand side of the field and runs with speed into the defensive line.* Rory Lillis is not the biggest young backrower you will ever see, but he is all effort in attack and will constantly run the ball into the heart of the opposition forward pack regardless of how big they are. Rory Lillis is a smart runner though to the extent that he does use good foot work prior to the defensive line to help negate his lack of size and he also has very good leg drive once initial contact has been made.
Rory Lillis also fights hard when tackled to ensure he gets a quick play the ball to maintain the momentum for his side.* In addition, he has enough speed to be an effective runner of the football to run the ball on the edges of the ruck. He is not exceptionally quick but quick enough to rush defenders to make a decision of when to commit to the tackle.
In terms of his defence, Rory Lillis has a very good low tackling technique, which he displayed on a number of occasions for the Titans NYC side, a skill that is not always present in rugby league and is also an exceptional cover defender, in part because of the effort he puts in to track the ball across the field when opposition teams spread the ball wide.* His head placement always seems to be correct, thus reducing the possibility of injury to himself.
In the context of defending in the centre of the ruck a continued focus on increasing his functional strength will enable him to better handle the biggest of forwards one on one, but I have no doubt with his dedication and the tools that are available to him, this will be easily addressed.* He seems to have the type of frame that could add muscle without compromising his speed attributes.
The 2018 season will see Rory Lillis in the QCup competition likely with the Tweed Heads Seagulls and from there the young hard working second rower will be looking to get noticed by the right NRL club who needs a hard working all effort type of second rower who has the will and endurance to play big minutes and tackle all day yet is still able to take the ball into a defensive line with vigour.
Rory Lillis has played his entire career in the second row and I am sure that is where he will be considered for the QCup competition for the Tweed Heads Seagulls who are to be coached by his former Titans NYC coach in Ben Woolf.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of South Sydney’s second rower Kyle Turner as a solid all round type of backrower who runs at the defensive line with speed and a hard approach and regularly makes good ground as well as being an effective defender.
Keegan Hipgrave. The former Gold Coast and Nerang Roosters junior was a 2017 mid-season acquisition from the arch rival Brisbane Broncos, playing a handful of NYC and QCup matches before making his NRL debut in the Titans tough final round loss to the Sydney Roosters.* The former Australian School boy representative and Palm Beach Currumbin student had an outstanding NRL debut for the Titans running for 123 metres on 13 hit-ups for a 9.5 metre per carry average and he also made 23 tackles to cap off an outstanding NRL debut for the young firebrand.
Keegan Hipgrave is contracted with the Titans until the end of the 2018 season but I am sure that his performances over the course of the early rounds of the 2018 season will see a contract extension on the table before too long.
Keegan Hipgrave played seven matches in the QCup competition for the tweed Heads Seagulls and was also awarded the 2017 Players Player award at their recent Presentation night.* Keegan Hipgrave made his QCup debut for Tweed Heads in Round Sixteen against the Townsville Blackhawks when he came of the inter change bench.* In that match Keegan Hipgrave played 67 minutes, ran for 78 metres and made fourteen tackles for a solid QCup debut.
Of his seven matches in the QCup this season Keegan Hipgrave started four at lock and the remaining three from the inter change bench.* In total in the QCup in 2017 Keegan Hipgrave played 370 minutes, ran for 687 metres and made 165 tackles.
Keegan Hipgrave’s per match 2017 QCup averages included playing 53 minutes, running for 98 metres and making 24 tackles.* On four occasions Keegan Hipgrave ran for in excess of 100 metres in a match including a 135 metre performance in Round Twenty Five against the PNG Hunters. On three occasions Keegan Hipgrave made more than 20 tackles in a match including in Round Twenty Two against the Easts Tigers when he made 40 tackles in just 53 minutes of playing time.
When he joined the Titans mid-season, Keegan Hipgrave played in four NYC matches prior to his elevation to the Tweed Heads QCup side and then onto his NRL debut.* Keegan Hipgrave made his Titans NYC debut against the North Queensland Cowboys in Round Thirteen including scoring after starting from the interchange bench. Keegan Hipgrave started the following week at lock and scored this time against the Warriors.* Prior to moving to the Titans Keegan Hipgrave played in five NYC matches for the Broncos in 2017. Earlier in the 2017 season Keegan Hipgrave was part of the Brisbane Broncos Auckland Nines squad playing in three of their four matches I believe.
Combining his statistics from both the Titans and the Broncos NYC side in 2017 Keegan Hipgrave played in nine matches, ran for 907 metres, ran the ball 87 times and made 183* tackles at a tackling efficiency of 95%. His 2017 NYC per game averages included running for 101 metres from 10 carries and 20 tackles.
Keegan Hipgrave had an injury interrupted 2016 NYC season with the Broncos playing in only nine matches scoring three tries which came against the Penrith Panthers in Round Three and a double against the Titans in Round Five.* In total in the 2016 NYC competition Keegan Hipgrave ran for 980 metres from 91 hit-ups, made four line breaks and 184 tackles.* His per game averages included 109 metres from ten runs and twenty tackles.
In 2015 for the Broncos NYC side even though he was still eligible for U18’s Keegan Hipgrave played in twenty five matches running for 2 755 metres and made 536 tackles.* He averaged 110 metres and 23 tackles across those twenty five matches.
The table below compares Keegan Hipgrave’s 2016 and 2017 NYC and 2017 NRL per game averages.
2016 NYC 2017 NYC 2017 NRL
Games played 9 9 1
Minutes per game 50 39 52
Runs per game 10 10 13
Metres made per game 109 101 123
Tackles per game 23 20 23
Keegan Hipgrave has had an outstanding representative rugby league career to date including earlier this season captaining the Queensland U20 State of Origin side, he also made the side in 2016.* In 2015 Keegan Hipgrave captained the Queensland U18 side and in 2014 from PBC State High School was an Australian School boy representative.* In 2015 Keegan Hipgrave was the joint winner of the Brisbane Broncos Players Player award, in a quirk of fate the other joint winner was soon to be Titans team mate Jai Arrow.
Keegan Hipgrave has also played in both the MM and CC Cups for Gold Coast based sides and also represented the Gold Coast in multiple Vikings under age representative sides over the course of his junior rugby league career.
The 182cm 101kg former Australian Schoolboy is a powerful aggressive ball runner who is adept at using late and quick footwork just prior to contact line which he hits with power and force in absolutely every hit up that he makes dropping his shoulder into the first defender that is looking to make the initial contact.* His ability to get low to engage the defenders with his shoulder rather than allowing them to get in and under his ribs and also a substantial leg drive means that he drives defenders backwards even after they had engaged him with significant force rather than allowing them to impact on his momentum.
In terms of ball skills, Keegan Hipgrave was able to regularly get his right hand free to deliver offloads when engaged with the defensive line especially when he was running one pass up the ruck and deliver some very good offloads to his support runners.
Once he is in space, Keegan Hipgrave actually has very good speed, I would consider it above average when analysing his speed from a rugby league forward’s perspective, to add to the difficulties for the defensive line, he runs with a high knee lift and also has a powerful fend.
Whilst his ball running skills are the first thing that you will likely notice when seeing Keegan Hipgrave his defence is equally effective even though it may not be as noticeable at first glance. Defensively Keegan Hipgrave has a hard edge to his play and his initial contact is more than sufficient to redirect the momentum of the ball carrier either in the centres or when defending in the forwards.* Keegan Hipgrave sets a very good base which he uses to explode into the ball carrier looking to use their own momentum against them.
Defensively Keegan Hipgrave hits very hard and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls. He also has a touch of aggression in his play and definitely finishes off each tackle that he is involved in. He is equally adept at defending in the centre of the ruck as he is defending on the fringes and his initial contact is more than sufficient to make an impact on the ball carriers momentum.
Defensively the most impressive aspect of Keegan Hipgrave’s play is his ability to make effective tackle after effective tackle.* For Tweed Heads and the Titans NYC side he continually made up to three and four tackles in a row on multiple occasions and still back up looking to take a hit up the next set of six tackles.
Whilst his stamina is impressive, so is his initial contact, he uses his strength and leverage to hit the ball carrier hard forcing momentum changes to the ball carrier.* Keegan Hipgrave is also adept at wrapping up the ball and preventing offloads as he uses his functional strength to engage ball carriers. Defensively in a covering role he is also very effective as even though he is a big strong forward he has very good catch up speed and a solid low tackling technique from a side aspect.
Keegan Hipgrave good situation awareness also enables him to be well positioned when he is defending against smaller quicker players and he endeavours to minimise the time available for the opposing attacker to generate speed and to utilise their footwork, he is also able to change direction quickly to adjust to the directional changes of the attacker especially when he is marking up against multiple attackers running in his direction where he will hold his ground to let the play to develop in front of him before committing to a specific defensive course of action.
Keegan Hipgrave will immediately come into NRL calculations in 2018 specifically in Round two as he was hit with a one match suspension after the Round twenty Six clash with the Roosters as a result of a shoulder charge suspension.* It is obviously up to Gareth Brennan but it hard not to see Keegan Hipgrave playing the entire season in the NRL in 2018, likely more often than not off the inter change bench but it will not be long before he cements a starting NRL spot and looms as a ten year Titan who would also be odds on to break into representative rugby league over the course of his rugby league career.
Keegan Hipgrave has essentially played in the front row or at lock for the majority of his career to date but I would much prefer the 182cm 101kg power house play a touch more on the fringes of the ruck where he can use his speed and foot work more to their advantage. Regardless he is a powerful intense aggressive Gold Coast local who looms as an outstanding member of the Titans 2018 NRL squad after making a great NRL cameo in the final round of the 2017 season against the Sydney Roosters.
In relation to a player comparison, Keegan Hipgrave reminders me of a bigger faster version of former Titans, New South Wales State of Origin, Australian Test International and current English Super League enforcer Greg Bird, like Bird, Keegan Hipgrave is ruthless and makes the opposition earn any success that they obtain through a brutal and aggressive tackling technique and a running style designed to initiate contact with the opposition defensive line and force the defensive line to work hard to get him to the ground every time that he runs the ball.
Aiden Kennedy. Updated.* The young front rower from Northern New South Wales has had a solid 2017 in the U18 NRRRL competition averaging a try a match in the nine matches that he played for Lismore Marist Brothers, including scoring a hat trick in April against Byron Bay and also a double in June against Cudgen.
Aiden Kennedy also played in four NRRRL First Grade matches, making his debut in late July against the Byron Bay Devils scoring two tries which came against Lower Clarence in his second First Grade gam and also against Murwillumbah in his fourth. In the 2016 season Aiden Kennedy scored nineteen tries in sixteen matches including four tries in a late season match against Murwillumbah and a hat trick against Lower Clarence.
He is another St Johns College Woodlawn student and thus plays matches in various school boy competitions with them including the National GIO Cup competition.* Aiden Kennedy along with his twin brother started in eth front row for St Johns College Woodlawn in their tough 14 – 10 loss to Sydney School Holy Cross Ryde in the semi-final of the New South Wales Catholic Cup. From St Johns College Woodlawn Aiden Kennedy represented New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges in the 2016 and 2017 ASSRL U18 Championships and also represented NSWCCC in the U15 age group previously.
Aiden Kennedy is a hard running player who never seems to just put his head down and runs straight, he always uses a slight step prior to contacting the defensive line, coupled with the fact that he drops his shoulder into defenders, means that he is a bit of a handful to tackle and he is not often knocked back onto his heals.* He is also good at maintaining his momentum after impacting the defensive line.
Aiden Kennedy seems to have a high work rate and I would suggest that he would normally be at or near the top of his team’s statistics in terms of the number of hit ups he makes and on occasion runs a very good inside shoulder route to supplement his other attacking attributes.* He does not off-load the ball much however and probably never be one based on how he asked to play the game.
Defensively Aiden Kennedy aims hits very hard and usually hits around the top of the ball region and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls by using wrestling techniques well. Last year his speed and mobility seemed to have increased and as a consequence he was better able to mirror the opposition attackers more effectively.
Aiden Kennedy will probably not make a large amount of hits that are going to knock opposing forwards backwards, but opposing forwards are going to feel everyone and start to look out for where he is in the defensive line.
Aiden Kennedy has recently been selected in the Western Mustangs Colts squad for the 2018 Hastings Dearings competition where he will be under the scrutiny of the Titans High performance Staff over the course of the 2018 rugby league season. Aiden Kennedy will also be eligible to play for the Western Mustangs U20 Colts side in 2019.
From a position perspective, Aiden Kennedy seems to have the skill attributes and mentality to stay in the front row as he moves through the upper echelons of junior rugby league towards senior rugby league competitions.
Aiden Kennedy is a big strong tough rugby league front rower with a touch of aggressiveness in his game and therefore from an NRL player comparison perspective, I would suggest that a better player comparison for Aiden Kennedy would be Titans and Queensland State of Origin front rower Jarrod Wallace as a front rower who will continue to take the ball up all day long and also be very effective at it as well and one who is a touch underrated defensively in terms of how hard his initial contact is in defence.
Hedi Moani-Kafoa.* The giant 117kg front rower played the 2017 rugby league season in Hervey Bay after moving over from Auckland New Zealand where he was part of the 2015 Otahuhu College side that won the New Schools Championship.* Hedi Moani-Kafoa’s story is a great one as the 117kg front rower was born without a right hand but that has not stopped him from chasing his NRL dream which starts in earnest next year when he lines up with the Western Mustangs U20 Colts side in what shapes to be a giant and powerful forward pack for the Toowoomba based side.
In 2017 Hedi Moani-Kafoa played in the 4bu/Hitz FM Bundaberg Rugby League A Grade competition. He started off the season with Maryborough Brothers playing in eight matches scoring against the Devils in Round One and also against Eastern Suburbs.
Hedi Moani-Kafoa then received a clearance to play the remainder of the Bundaberg Rugby League season with Hervey Bay for whom he played six matches scoring three tries and kicking two conversions for 16 points in total.* His tries came in a two week span including scoring a double and kicking his two conversions against the Devils and the following week also scoring against Bundaberg Past Brothers.
Hedi Moani-Kafoa is a big powerful young man at 117kg who whilst using his size to his advantage by running hard and straight, he does have quite decent footwork prior to the defensive line, which he uses to cut back behind the play the ball to take advantage of defenders who are slow to get back into the defensive line.* Hedi Moani-Kafoa continually put his hand up all day to take the ball up and has a very quick play the ball so that his team can maintain momentum.
In defence Hedi Moani-Kafoa uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. He is not averse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage and reasonable agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck, although clearly he is more effective in the centre of the ruck, as most rugby forwards are.
Hedi Moani-Kafoa’s is a great story in that he is pursuing his NRL dream regardless of the fact that he was born without a right hand.* If that is not a reason to cheer for the young man then I do not know what is.
Hedi Moani-Kafoa has taken the first steps towards to fulfilling his NRL dream after making the Western Mustangs U20 Hastings Dearings Colts side for 2018 where he will be in an intense battle for a starting spot with the squad full of Titans linked young forwards.
With his size and innate strength and power Hedi Moani-Kafoa is the ideal modern day front rower who has already shown the desire and dedication to leave no stone unturned to look to make it in the NRL. His attitude and desire is highlighted by the fact that he has lost 22kgs in the last year alone as he gets closer and closer to his dream.
The way that Hedi Moani-Kafoa handles himself on the football field reminds me of Sydney Roosters and New Zealand International enforcer Jarrod Warera-Hargraves as a big strong front rower with a skill set that belies the intimidating presence that he projects on the field, and you also add in leadership skills in the most demanding position on a football field.
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Hedi Moani-Kafoa.* The giant 117kg front rower played the 2017 rugby league season in Hervey Bay after moving over from Auckland New Zealand where he was part of the 2015 Otahuhu College side that won the New Schools Championship.* Hedi Moani-Kafoa’s story is a great one as the 117kg front rower was born without a right hand but that has not stopped him from chasing his NRL dream which starts in earnest next year when he lines up with the Western Mustangs U20 Colts side in what shapes to be a giant and powerful forward pack for the Toowoomba based side.
In 2017 Hedi Moani-Kafoa played in the 4bu/Hitz FM Bundaberg Rugby League A Grade competition. He started off the season with Maryborough Brothers playing in eight matches scoring against the Devils in Round One and also against Eastern Suburbs.
Hedi Moani-Kafoa then received a clearance to play the remainder of the Bundaberg Rugby League season with Hervey Bay for whom he played six matches scoring three tries and kicking two conversions for 16 points in total.* His tries came in a two week span including scoring a double and kicking his two conversions against the Devils and the following week also scoring against Bundaberg Past Brothers.
Hedi Moani-Kafoa is a big powerful young man at 117kg who whilst using his size to his advantage by running hard and straight, he does have quite decent footwork prior to the defensive line, which he uses to cut back behind the play the ball to take advantage of defenders who are slow to get back into the defensive line.* Hedi Moani-Kafoa continually put his hand up all day to take the ball up and has a very quick play the ball so that his team can maintain momentum.
In defence Hedi Moani-Kafoa uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. He is not averse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage and reasonable agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck, although clearly he is more effective in the centre of the ruck, as most rugby forwards are.
Hedi Moani-Kafoa’s is a great story in that he is pursuing his NRL dream regardless of the fact that he was born without a right hand.* If that is not a reason to cheer for the young man then I do not know what is.
Hedi Moani-Kafoa has taken the first steps towards to fulfilling his NRL dream after making the Western Mustangs U20 Hastings Dearings Colts side for 2018 where he will be in an intense battle for a starting spot with the squad full of Titans linked young forwards.
With his size and innate strength and power Hedi Moani-Kafoa is the ideal modern day front rower who has already shown the desire and dedication to leave no stone unturned to look to make it in the NRL. His attitude and desire is highlighted by the fact that he has lost 22kgs in the last year alone as he gets closer and closer to his dream.
The way that Hedi Moani-Kafoa handles himself on the football field reminds me of Sydney Roosters and New Zealand International enforcer Jarrod Warera-Hargraves as a big strong front rower with a skill set that belies the intimidating presence that he projects on the field, and you also add in leadership skills in the most demanding position on a football field.
Lolani Faleiva. The powerful New Zealand born No. 8 will shortly move over to Toowoomba to be part of the Western Mustangs U20 Colts squad for the 2018 Hastings Dearings competition after a very good New Zealand School’s rugby career with Napier Boys High School over the last couple of seasons.* In 2015 Lolani Faleiva was selected to attend Super Rugby’s Wellington Hurricanes U17 Training Camp.* Earlier in his school boy rugby career Lolani Faleiva was a front rower and hooker over recent seasons he has made an outstanding transition to No. 8.
This season for Napier Boys High School Lolani Faleiva had a couple of exceptional matches including an incredible match against New Plymouth Boys High School when he ran for in excess of 200 metres including returning kicks and scored a powerful try from close range after a series of pick and drive efforts from Napier Boys High.* Another match where Lolani Faleiva was a standout was against the No. 1 ranked New Zealand High School Rugby side being Hastings Boys High School.* Even through Napier were defeated Lolani Faleiva had a storming game on his way to scoring a double.
Lolani Faleiva also scored a number of other tries whilst playing No. 8 in the Napier Boys High School First XV including scoring in a 19 -1 4 loss to Auckland’s Kings College and also in a tough 21 – 20 loss to Palmerston Boys High School.
There is no denying that Lolani Faleiva is a big strong young man, but there is also no denying the skills that he displays on a football field either. His style of play is that of a wide running back rower with above average speed for the position. I would actually argue that in fact a better definition of his speed would be well above average for his position.
He is exceptionally quick off the mark, but what makes him even more impressive from a speed perspective is that when he gets into space, he has an extra gear again, making it almost impossible for the cover defence to catch him once he is open space.* When he runs on the fringes of the ruck Lolani Faleiva uses his foot work to beat defenders with a variety of moves, including a step off both feet and a very good in and away as well as simply running over people.
For a No. 8 of his size, he runs with pace, strength and power every time he touches the ball during a game.* For a young player, he seems to have a good understanding of when to off load the ball, currently most of his off loads occur when he is part way through the defensive line and can get his right arm free to pass to his outside support runners.
Defensively Lolani Faleiva is a powerful player who uses his size and strength to combat opposing forwards front on, setting a solid foundation from which to project his strength through.* His initial contact is more than sufficient to halt the momentum of any size ball carrier.
Lolani Faleiva’s speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running off the back of a ruck or maul and he also does a very good job of keeping his hands down in situations where he is tracking smaller, quicker players.* Lolani Faleiva also has a quite a good defensive technique and thus does not use purely brute strength but timing and technique as well to be effective in defence.
Lolani Faleiva has taken the first steps towards an NRL career with the Titans after making the Western Mustangs U20 Hastings Dearings Colts side for 2018 where he will be in an intense battle for a starting spot with the squad full of Titans linked young forwards.* Lolani Faleiva is eligible for Colts Rugby League in both 2018 and also in 2019.
With his size, strength, speed and subtle footwork, Lolani Faleiva presents as a big strong powerful hard running second rower in rugby league who has game breaking skills at his disposal.
Bryce Cartwright of the Penrith Panthers, with his size and skill set is a sound player comparison for the exceptionally talented you former New Zealand School boy international Lolani Faleiva.
Dylan Glynn. The young Hervey Bay fullback was a successful trialist for the recent Western Mustangs U20 side and joins the 2018 training squad pushing for the No. 1 jersey when Round One kicks off in March 2018.
Over the course of the Bundaberg Rugby League 2017 season, Dylan Glynn played in three divisions for Hervey Bay including nine U18 matches, one reserve grade matches twelve in the A Grade competition.
Dylan Glynn started off the season in the U18’s and across nine matches scored five tries which all came in separate matches against Wallaroos and Western Suburbs on two separate occasions and also against Bundaberg Past Brothers.* Dylan Glynn scored in each match in a four match span from late May to early July.* Dylan Glynn’s sole Reserve Grade came against Bundaberg Past Brothers in early May when he kicked a conversion.
Dylan Glynn made his Bundaberg A Grade debut against Western Suburbs in late May and he went on to play twelve A Grade matches scoring a double against Across the Waves in June and earlier in the season against the Devils.
Dylan Glynn also represented the Central Crows in the Mal Meninga Cup competition in 2016 starting in the centres in all six of the Central Crows matches scoring two tries across the season.* He scored in Round One against the Central Queensland Capra’s and also scored in Round Five in a match against the Mackay Cutters.
Dylan Glynn is an agile runner of the football who relies on his decent speed and elusiveness to make it difficult for larger opponents to line him up, I would say that is speed would be above average for a fullback but just a tick above average for a winger. When lining up at fullback he always makes himself available for offloads in the centre of the ruck when his forwards are bringing the ball out of their own territory.
One thing that impresses me is that he does not jog after the ball when it is kicked down field, he will flat out sprint to get there either on the full or as quickly as possible, thus eliminating the effectiveness of the oppositions kicking game.* When he retrieves the ball he makes a decision quickly about where to look to run around a staggered defensive line or to run straight in an effort to make as much ground as possible.
He has the ability to sweep around the back of the ruck and also pop up in supporting in the middle of the ruck, either running himself or looking for offloads from his forwards and use his footwork against big tiring forwards.* His passing game is solid and on occasion he drifts across the field looking for runners to run into holes and has the ability to “freeze” the defensive line as well as drawing opposition defenders out of the line, making to easier for his support runners to determine which holes to run into.
Currently when receiving and running the ball in relation to a traditional fullback play when they chime into the backline, Dylan Glynn normally seems to run an outside shoulder line but when he adds an inside shoulder line he will be even more difficult to handle especially one on one.
In terms of running the ball back from kicks, his timing and anticipation means that he gets to a lot of balls on the full and makes a quick decision whether to run the ball flat out back into the oncoming defenders or look to create an opportunity by running across field.* Regardless he is an absolute handful to tackle.
Defensively in the fullback position if an attacker runs directly at him, Dylan Glynn will come forward to cut down the time the attacker has to make a decision and he will hit very hard.* An impressive attribute that he does have he is ability to force attackers in the clear to try to beat him down the side line.* He will stay inside the attacker and force him in the needed direction and then use his timing and anticipation to make the tackle, usually forcing the attacker into touch.* His timing and anticipation in defence are one of the reasons that I think that he could also handle playing in the centres as he progresses to senior football.
Dylan Glynn has recently been selected in the Western Mustangs Colts squad for the 2018 Hastings Dearings competition where he will be under the scrutiny of the Titans High performance Staff over the course of the 2018 rugby league season and beyond. Dylan Glynn is eligible for Colts Rugby League in both 2018 and also in 2019.
From a player comparison perspective, I would say a reasonable comparison to Josh Duggan of the St George Dragons would be fair for Dylan Glynn as a player who is a very good runner of the football and who has the confidence to back himself in both attack and defence regardless of the state of the game.
Fasitau Simati. The powerful New Zealand born School boy rugby front rower will shortly move over to Toowoomba to be part of the Western Mustangs U20 Colts squad for the 2018 Hastings Dearings competition after a solid New Zealand School’s rugby career with Napier Boys High School over the last two seasons when he was part of their First XV starting in the front row.
Fasitau Simati is a powerfully built young front rower with a low centre of gravity, which makes him quite difficult to tackle as he is also adept at dropping his shoulder into defenders as he impacts the defensive line.* *There is no subtlety to his game, he runs straight and hard, with the only concession to this being a slight step off his left foot in occasion prior to impacting the defensive line.* For a player his size he actually has quite decent footwork and for a front rower in rugby above average speed off the mark but certainly does not have an extra gear in open space.
One thing that Fasitau Simati does do will however is continuing to pump his legs once his initial momentum is halted by the defensive line, he makes more metres than he should as a result and also forces defending teams to commit multiple defensive assets to stopping his progress.* He does not have a real off load to his attacking game, but that is not his role, his role is to take the ball into the heart of the opposition’s defensive line and make as many metres as possible.
Due to his size and strength Fasitau Simati is clearly best suited to defending in the centre of the ruck and that is where you will almost always find him and for a solidly built young player, he moves well in terms of moving up and back in defence.* His lateral movement is reasonable for a front rower but he will on occasion have some difficulty with smaller faster stepping opposition players due to the fact that he does not redirect his feet well once he has committed to a vector towards his opponent.
Another impressive aspect of his play from a defensive stand point is the speed at which he gets around the field, in the streams of New Zealand School Boy rugby games that I have seen him play, he is always in and around the ball, constantly getting low to disrupt the momentum of the attackers.
Fasitau Simati has recently been selected in the Western Mustangs Colts squad for the 2018 Hastings Dearings competition where he will be under the scrutiny of the Titans High performance Staff over the course of the 2018 rugby league season and beyond. Fasitau Simati is eligible for Colts Rugby League in both 2018 and also in 2019.
Clearly due to his size and relative lack of foot speed in open space, from a rugby league perspective Fasitau Simati would be confined to playing in the front row but a player with the ability to seal off the centre of the field with his strength power and aggressiveness is certainly intriguing even though he does not have the ‘measurables’ that you associate with current rugby league players.
From a player comparison perspective, I would consider that a player with a similar build and a similar playing style is North Queensland Cowboys, Queensland and Australian front rower Matt Scott as a front rower who is not flashy but works hard to put his team on the front foot through gaining ground through the centre of the ruck.
Nofoasa Malutoa. The young New Zealand born five eight is one of a number of young Kiwi who will be heading over to Australia to play in the Hastings Dearing’s U20 Queensland Colts competition after he was recently named in the Western Mustangs U20 side for the upcoming 2018 rugby league season.
In 2017 Nofoasa Malutoa played for Otahuhu in the Auckland Rugby League competition specifically in the Sharman Cup Crown Lift Trucks Premiership which is the second division competition.* Nofoasa Malutoa played in fourteen regular season matches scoring three tries and he also played in finals matches for Otahuhu scoring a try in those finals.* In the main Nofoasa Malutoa played five eight but he did start a number of matches at fullback and a couple from the inter change bench.
Earlier this season Nofoasa Malutoa represented Samoa in the U18 Pasifika Youth Cup tournament scoring against Niue and in 2015 was part of a Samoan U17 side that played against a New Zealand Warriors Invitational side.
Nofoasa Malutoa also had a distinguished junior rugby league representative career for Counties Manukau including at the U17 level in 2016 when they won the New Zealand Rugby League U17 National Tournament.* In that tournament Nofoasa Malutoa scored three tries including tries against the Auckland Vulcans, Northern Swords and Wellington Orcas.
I am a big fan of how Nofoasa Malutoa plays rugby league, granted I have not necessary seen a great deal of him but he just seems to be always be a step ahead of the play and seemingly always having time on his side.* For a five eight he does have a bit of size about him which enables him to take the defensive line on himself if his back line is either not set or if the opposing outside backs move up quickly and cut off any potential plays on his outside.
In an attacking sense he stands quite deep and wide and thus is able to generate decent momentum when engaging he defensive line himself.* His speed is probably only average for a five eight but plays bigger as a result of his strength although his lateral movement is a touch above average.
When he looks to move the ball out to his back line Nofoasa Malutoa plays at the line rather than before it.* What this means is that the defensive line cannot just slide from one player to the next progressively limiting the room of the attacking team and must make a decision who to commit to.* Nofoasa Malutoa also normally straightens up the attack which also slows the lateral movement of the defensive line when they are sliding enabling his outside runners the time and ability to pick the appropriate line to run knowing that Nofoasa Malutoa will put the ball into the gap for them to run on to.
Defensively Nofoasa Malutoa plays like a second rower he moves up with the aim to win the individual battle against the opponent running at him and hit them hard.* When an opponent runs either side of him, Nofoasa Malutoa has a decent low tackling technique but when they run directly at him his sole motivation is to hit them hard and around the chest.
Barring injury it is likely that Nofoasa Malutoa will be hard to keep out of the Western Mustangs starting side come Round One of the Queensland Colts 2018 competition and as noted previously is eligible once again for the Colts competition in 2019.
From a position perspective Nofoasa Malutoa has played the majority of his junior rugby league in Auckland at five eight although he did play one or two matches in different positions but for me he has a chance to stay at five eight for the duration of his rugby league career which is no mean feat at all.
I really do think that Nofoasa Malutoa really does have some skills that bodes well for his future, he defends like a backrower but has above average ball playing skills as well as the ability to successfully take the line on himself, thus for me he plays like the Manly version of former New Zealand Warrior and soon to be Canterbury Bulldog and New Zealand International Kieran Foran.* The only area that he is probably lacking is pure top end straight line speed, all of the other ingredients are present however.
Nofoasa Malutoa has two years of Colts eligibility starting in 2018 and has been named in the Titans Affiliated Western Mustangs Colts side in 2018 along with a number of other New Zealand rugby and rugby league imports who will supplement the six Titans High Performance Unit members who have also been named in the Western Mustangs Colts squad.
Cody McNiece. The young Sydney hooker is making the trek up to the Western Mustangs and will be part of their 2018 Colts side where he will be hard to keep up of the No. 9 jersey come march.* In 2017 Cody McNiece had an outstanding season representing the Manly Sea Eagles in the SG Ball competition, playing a number of matches in the Ron Massey Cup competition for Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles and also was the St Gregory’s College Campbelltown hooker and captain of their Open School Boy Rugby League side and was a standout over the course of their 2017 GIO Cup campaign.
For the Manly Sea Eagles in the 2017 U18 SG Ball competition Cody McNiece played in a total of five matches all of them in consecutive weeks and all starting at hooker after he made his 2017 SG Ball debut in Round Four against the Newcastle Knights.
For the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles in the Ron Massey Cup competition Cody McNiece played in a total of six matches making his debut in Round Ten against Concord Burwood-Glebe and also coming off the interchange bench in week one of the Finals series when Blacktown were knocked out. In those six matches for Blacktown Cody McNiece started in two and came off the bench in the remaining four contests.
Where Cody McNiece really stands out in terms of attacking play, is his speed out of dummy half, he is extremely quick and has very good footwork to take advantage of tiring forwards, using a step off both feet.* *Around the try line he is also very good at making the right decision whether the go himself or pass, where he gets down low and drives with his legs.
Cody McNiece is solid all round hooker who distributes effectively to both sides of the ruck.* He is efficient in his passing and there is little wasted movement as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand then pass.* He passes well from both sides of his body.
Another skill that he has is the ability to kick out of dummy half.* He played fly half in rugby at school so this is obviously where he picked up his kicking ability. He is not a long kick, but is effective at finding the ground with his kicks.* Cody McNiece is an effective kicker in terms of game management, what I mean by that is that late in games when his team were up or needed a breather he kicked for touch in those instances, which showed a high level of maturity and game management skills.* With the ability to kick accurately out of dummy half he is going to be a 40/20 threat if the opposing fullback is not in the correct position or not aware that he has this attribute.
Cody McNiece defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and for his size quite an aggressive defender. He is also very good at getting out of marker quickly to harass the opposition kickers.* Cody McNiece is not going to wow you with his defence because you will not see big hits, but you will see an efficient and effective defender and a talker.* He constantly seems to be talking and “encouraging” his fellow forwards to continue to press up both in attack and defence.
He has very good endurance and I have been told that he played every minute of the SG Ball games that he was involved in this season and thus projects as a hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange at the higher competition levels.
Cody McNiece has recently been selected in the Western Mustangs Colts squad for the 2018 Hastings Dearings competition where he will be under the scrutiny of the Titans High performance Staff over the course of the 2018 rugby league season and beyond.
Cody McNiece projects as a modern day hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange at the higher competition levels and be effective both in attack and defence.
From a player comparison perspective think someone along the lines of North Queensland Cowboys hooker Jake Granville as a hard working player with speed out of dummy half especially when he takes off down the blind side, leadership skills, a diverse skill set and someone that his team mates will appreciate playing with.
Soni Finau. The big strong young New Zealand born front rower had a solid 2017 campaign in the Group Two competition playing in all three senior grades for the Nambucca Heads Roosters and also represented the East Coast Dolphins in the New South Wales Country U18 State Wide Championships after being named on the interchange bench early in the 2017 season. Not a bad effort at all for his first season in Australia.
Soni Finau moved over to Australia for the start of the 2017 Group Two rugby league season from Canterbury in the South Island of New Zealand for whom he had made a number of representative sides from the U13 age group and upwards.* In the Canterbury New Zealand Rugby League competition Soni Finau played for the Papanui Tigers a club that he first started playing for as a 12 year old youngster six years ago. In 2016 prior to his arrival in Australia Soni Finau played for the Papanui Tigers at the U18 level.
In the U18 Group Two competition Soni Finau played in eight matches scoring six tries including doubles against Macksville on two separate occasions and also tries against Sawtell and South Grafton.* Soni Finau also played in two Group Two reserve grade matches in 2017 but did not score in either of those two matches.
Soni Finau made his Group Two A Grade debut in Round One after playing in the U18 match earlier in the day against the Grafton Ghosts. In total in 2017 Soni Finau played thirteen A Grade matches for Nambucca Heads scoring two tries including an early season try against Sawtell and late in the season he also scored against Coffs Harbour.
Soni Finau is a big and I mean big strong front rower who is a powerful runner of the football, who knows only one way and that is straight ahead and can offload once he has impacted the defensive line or has crashed through it, in addition he is quite effective when his team is attacking close to the try line.* He can either take the ball himself, and when he gets low he is very difficult to stop or he can run as a decoy and attract defenders away from the real axis of attack.
For a big front rower Soni Finau does actually have quite decent speed and footwork, certainly well above average for a player of his size.* He does however seem to carry the ball in his right hand away from his body which whilst it can make offloading easier once he engages the defensive line it can lead to a number of dropped balls when opposing defenders engage him.
Soni Finau is obviously suited to defending in the centre of the ruck rather that the fringes and will understandably have some trouble with nippy runners out of dummy half. His calling card though is the strength and power to effectively engage the opposing forward early in their run and use his natural strength to win the forward battle in the centre of the ruck.* Soni Finau can defensively handle any one on one battle that presents itself.* At times in games Soni Finau really does prevent opposing gaining any ground at all through the centre of the ruck at all.
Now that the 2017 rugby league season is completed Soni Finau will now progress to the senior ranks and should get an opportunity if he wishes on the Gold Coast with either of the Colts squads, being the Burleigh Bears or the Tweed Heads Seagulls or a local club where he would likely bypass the U19 competition which he would still be eligible for and immediately compete for an A grade spot in the front row.
Soni Finau is a big strong young man who has played in the front row for the most if not all of his rugby league career to date and I have seen nothing to suggest that this situation will change any time into the future.
From a player comparison perspective, maybe some along the same lines as soon to be Wests Tigers and New Zealand International Ben Matelino would be a good comparison as a no nonsense type of front rower with size, strength and power.
Harley Wood.* The former Coonabarabran Unicorn’s junior had an outstanding first year on the Gold Coast for the Currumbin Eagles. Even though he was still eligible for the U19 competition Harley Wood played three times as many Gold Coast A Grade fixtures than he did U19 games.* From a junior representative perspective, Harley Wood represented the Western Rams U18 in 2016 in the New South Wales Country Championships playing primarily from the inter change bench.
Harley Wood started Round One of the Gold Coast Rugby League competition at fullback for the Eagles in the U19 competition and over the course of the 2017 season played in five U19 contests scoring four tries and two goals for a twenty point haul including kicking a conversion in his U19 debut with his other conversion coming the following week.* Harley Wood scored a double against Southport in a qualifying final victory and also scored in Currumbin’s Preliminary Final loss.
Harley Wood made his Gold Coast A Grade debut against the Ormeau Shearers in late April and celebrated by scoring on debut playing on the wing.* In total over his fifteen A Grade matches Harley Wood scored seven tries including doubles against Bilambil and Southport and tries also against Runaway Bay and Tweed Heads in addition to his debut try.
Harley Wood is an agile runner of the football who relies on his above average speed and elusiveness to make it difficult for larger opponents to line him up when he is targeting the defensive line.* When lining up at fullback he always makes himself available for offloads in the centre of the ruck.* He has decent speed but not absolute blazing speed, relying instead on his positioning to compensate, I would say it could be considered average speed for a fullback.
When he retrieves the ball Harley Wood makes a decision quickly about where to look to run around a staggered defensive line or to run straight in an effort to take the yards on offer. He will not charge into the defensive line like say Valentine Holmes but still runs straight but tries to run between defenders rather than over them.
To date he has not been asked to be a ball player out of the back of the ruck so it will be interesting to see how that skill develops as he plays at the higher levels, including as early as next year in the Colts competition. Also his hands at fullback are very safe regardless of the type of kick put towards him, this compensates for his not necessarily high standing leap, but he does extend his hands up to compensate.
His other calling card is his positioning, Harley Wood always seems to be the right place at the right time, to defuse bombs, attacking short kicks into the in-goal, potential 40/20 kicks etc. and thus his speed plays faster in those situations.
Harley Wood is not the biggest or necessarily strongest player but will take the hit when needing to make the tackle in the last line of defence and will focus exclusively on the ball carrier, forcing the attacking player to make the decision of what to do with the ball, rather than proving the attacker the avenue to make an easier decision.
In 2018 Harley Wood should have some opportunities in the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts side, if not he will surely be a starter for the Currumbin Eagles in the Gold Coast A Grade competition.
In the U19 competition in 2017 Harley Wood primarily played at fullback but in the A Grade competition eh played on the wing.* It is at fullback however with his height and speed that I think that his future ultimately lies.
From a player comparison perspective for Harley Wood I would say a reasonable comparison to Josh Duggan the Australian International and soon to be Cronulla Shark would be fair as a player who is a very good runner of the football and who has the confidence to back himself in both attack and defence and also someone who can play both at fullback and in the three quarter line.
Gabriel Salvo. The young local Gold Coast second rower started off the 2017 rugby league season with the Burleigh Bears in the MM Cup competition before having a great season in the local U19 competition with Runaway Bay.* Gabriel Salvo has had a fair bit of junior representative experience, representing the Gold Coast Vikings and South East Queensland in a number of junior age groups and also representing Gold Coast White in the CC Cup in 2015.
In the MM Cup competition for the Burleigh Bears in 2017 Gabriel Salvo played in three matches coming off the inter change bench in Rounds One and Two against Redcliffe and Norths respectively and started in the second row in Round Three against the Central Queensland Capra’s.
As noted earlier Gabriel Salvo had an outstanding season in the Gold Coast U19 competition scoring a total of 50 points from twelve tries and a single conversion.* Included in his twelve tries were hat tricks against Bilambil and Burleigh.* Gabriel Salvo also scored a last regular season round double against Burleigh.* Gabriel Salvo’s sole conversion came in early June in the match against Burleigh when he scored a hat trick and was on hand to convert his third try of the day.* Gabriel Salvo also played Doug Lipp Cup match in 2017 which came in the last round of the competition against Burleigh after he played and scored a double in the U19 match against Burleigh earlier in the day.
Gabriel Salvo is a hard running player who never seems to just put his head down and runs straight, he always uses a step prior to contacting the defensive line, coupled with the fact that he drops his shoulder into defenders, means that he is a handful to tackle and his rarely knocked back onto his heals.* Gabriel Salvo is also good at maintaining his momentum after impacting the defensive line. He seems to usually step off his left foot when he incorporates a left into a hit-up.
Gabriel Salvo* has a high work rate and I would suggest that he would normally be at or near the top of his team’s statistics in terms of the number of hit ups he makes and on occasion runs a very good inside shoulder route to supplement his myriad of other attacking attributes.* Whilst Gabriel Salvo has spent the majority of time so far on the left side of the field there is absolutely nothing to suggest that his skill set is not transferrable to the right side of the field.
From a defensive stand point Gabriel Salvo has an aggressive methodology to go along with a very good front on defensive technique.* He sets a good base and uses he legs to drive through the attacking player running at him.* The foundation and body position that Gabriel Salvo establishes prior to contact enables him to generate significant force which he uses to drive into his opponent.
When defending against smaller players on the fringe of the ruck, his above average lateral movement for a big strong forward enables him to quickly readjust to vector or speed changes and the majority of time defends effectively against the attacker who is trying to use speed and/or footwork against him.
Gabriel Salvo will more than likely line up for the Burleigh Bears Colts side in 2018 and he will be eligible once against for the Colts competition in 2019. If Gabriel Salvo on any given weekend is not in Burleigh’s Colts side in the Hastings Dearing’s Cup competition he will line up for Runaway Bay in the local competition where he should spend a fair portion of the 2018 rugby league season in the Gold Coast A Grade competition.
Over the course of his rugby league career to date Gabriel Salvo has played a number of positions including some time at five eight in his earlier years but over the last couple of season he has cemented a spot in the second row and that is where his rugby league future likely lies.
Corey Harawira-Naera of the Penrith Panthers with his power running coupled with his non-stop movement when running the ball into the defensive line as well as the intensity in his defence is an apt player comparison for the incredibly talented Gabriel Salvo. Even though he is still relatively young and inexperienced there some aspects of the play of Gabriel Salvo which stand out regardless of the level that he is playing at currently.
Nicholas Van Der Poel. The former Toowoomba Wattles centre spent the 2017 rugby league season in the Townsville Rugby League competition including starting from the inter change bench in the A Grade Grand Final in Townsville Brothers Grand Final 18 – 16 victory.* Recently he was named in the 38 man Western Mustangs U20 Colts squad for the 2018 Hastings Dearing’s Colts competition.
For Townsville Brothers in 2017 Nicholas Van Der Poel played across three competitions being the U18, U20 and A Grade competitions.* He started the season off in the U18 competition in total playing in eight matches scoring three tries including a hat trick in August against Burdekin and also tries against Centrals and Charters Towers.
Nicholas Van Der Poel made his Townsville Rugby League A debut in May against University and including the Grand Final victory, he played in nine A Grade matches scoring a total of six tries.* In a three game span in June Nicholas Van Der Poel scored five tries including doubles against Centrals and Norths and also a try against Herbert River.* Nicholas Van Der Poel also scored a late season A Grade try against Centrals to round out his six tries for the season.* Nicholas Van Der Poel also played in two U20 matches in the Townsville Rugby League competition with those matches being against Centrals and Western Lions both mid-season.
In 2016 Nicholas Van Der Poel played in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition for Wattles, playing in sixteen U18 matches and four Hutchies A Grade matches.* In the U18 competition Nicholas Van Der Poel scored thirteen tries including four doubles which came against Border, Goondiwindi on two occasions and also against Dalby.* The former Assumption College student made his Toowoomba A Grade debut in July 2016 against Toowoomba Souths and also played A Grade matches against Goondiwindi, Toowoomba Valleys and Dalby as a 17 year old.
Strong straight hard running is the key component of the attacking game of Nicholas Van Der Poel even though he does have some ball skills to call on when necessary.* There is not a great deal of lateral movement in his running style and certainly prefers running over the opposition rather than around them and this is one reason why I think that his future in Rugby League is in the second row in the long term at least.* He on occasion however did show that he can set up his outside support but ultimately his attacking success will be on the back of hard straight running.
The defensive side of Nicholas Van Der Poel’s game is impressive,* he does not just charge wildly up looking for a huge hit, but is calculating in where and when to hit.* He drives hard with his legs and always uses his shoulder and core body strength to drive into his opponent. He sets a strong lower base by setting his legs and generating force by driving through the tackle with his lower body, gaining leverage and momentum, culminating with the power projecting through his shoulders into his opponent.
Nicholas Van Der Poel is back in the Toowoomba region after a year in Townsville and will be eligible to play for the Western Mustangs in both 2018 and 2019.* The Western Mustangs are shaping up as quite a decent side in 2018 and I for one will be looking to catch quite a few games as it is likely that one or two of the squad will push towards the NRL in coming years likely with the Titans.* The association with the Western Mustangs may just be one of the better decisions that the titans management have made in recent years.
Nicholas Van Der Poel is a solidly built young centre and whilst he will probably stay in the centres for the next season or so, it would not surprise if he ultimately ends up in the second row in the long term.
For me will his solid frame and upper body strength Nicholas Van Der Poel reminds me of former Titan and current English Super League centre Brett Delaney who is now nearing the end of his rugby league career and has transitioned from the centres to the second row a scenario that Nicholas Van Der Poel may follow.
Not bad for a 17 year old against men
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAQFTYRo49I
Walter Lauenstein. The big strong young predominately left winger had an outstanding first season in the Gold Coast rugby league competition after receiving a clearance in January of this year to transfer from the North’s Tigers in the Ipswich Rugby League competition to the Runaway Bay Seagulls.* Walter Lauenstein was also part of the Queensland Indigenous U18 side that participated in the QPIIC competition in October. Walter Lauenstein was selected in the second row with a team mate in the back row being Titan NYC star Reihana Marsh.
Upon his transfer to Runaway Bay Walter Lauenstein immediately bypassed the U19 competition to start on the wing in the Gold Coast A Grade competition In Round One and over the course of the 2017 season played in nineteen matches, including the finals series, scoring fourteen tries including starting on the wing and scoring a try in Runaway Bay’s 20 – 12 Grand Final loss to Burleigh, Walter Lauenstein also scored in the Preliminary Final the weekend prior to the Grand Final.* Walter Lauenstein scored three doubles in 2017 which came against Ormeau and Tugun on two separate occasions. Walter Lauenstein achieved all of this while still a 17 year old in his first season playing against men which is no small feat at all.
Walter Lauenstein also set up a couple of tries with deft passes to team mates who were running into defensive holes.* Even though his game is predicated on power Walter Lauenstein does in fact have some subtly his game his on occasion.
I have no statistics to back my assertion up but possibly up to half of Walter Lauenstein’s tries this season started from his own territory.* Over the course of the season Walter Lauenstein scored all types of long distance tries from fielding kicks near his own try line and going the length of the field, 80 metre runs from dummy half, at least one 90 metres intercept and multiple times he got the ball in open or broken play and just exploded down field crashing through the first line of defence and then outpacing the cover defence as it looked to converge on the talented youngster resulting in a futile long distance chase for the defenders.
The former Ipswich Grammar School student also played one GCRL U19 match in 2017 which was in August against Ormeau where he scored a hat trick and he also scored a double against Currumbin in July in his only Doug Lipp Cup match. Thus on the season Walter Lauenstein scored nineteen tries from a total of twenty one matches across three grades.
The young man is very difficult to stop once he is in motion, his speed, power and body height all contribute to this.* On the wing when he can wind up and build momentum he looks to run over his direct opponent rather than try to run around them.* In fact in the majority of occasions it is Walter Lauenstein that actually initiates the contact and I do not recall seeing a player being able to run over his direct opponent with absolutely no loss of momentum.
From a speed perspective I would argue that his speed is a tick above average for a winger but obviously the key attribute from an attacking perspective is how hard he hits the defensive line.* Like his overall speed Walter Lauenstein’s lateral mobility is probably just a tick above average.* Walter Lauenstein with his size and strength is also able to make a lot of ground after contact with his ability to absorb the defensive contact and maintain his balance and body control.
When he is close to the line Walter Lauenstein is able to absorb a significant amount of punishment and still hold his running line thus he is able to score close to the side line without being pushed over the sideline regardless of the number of defenders looking to do so. The ability to absorb contact is on display when he comes into the centre of the ruck to take the ball up into the teeth of the defensive line.
Defensively for a big strong powerful young man, Walter Lauenstein actually has good discipline for such a young player and in the main stays on his man rather than coming in and looking for the big hit.* Do not get me wrong he will on occasion aim to smash the opposing outside if they do not see him coming but in the main he is quite disciplined and looks to ensure his opposing winger does not get on his outside looking to use their speed against him.
The 2018 season will see Walter Lauenstein more than likely be part of the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts squad and he will also be Colts eligible once again in 2019.* If he is not in Burleigh’s 17 in the Colts squad in any particular weekend, Walter Lauenstein will play for Runaway Bay in the Gold Coast Rugby League A Grade competition where once again he is likely to be one of the competitions leading try scorers.* Walter Lauenstein may also get a taste of QCup as well later in the 2018 season especially after his outstanding performances this season as a 17 year old against men.
Whilst Walter Lauenstein played in the second row for the U18 Indigenous side recently his play on the wing in the Gold Coast Rugby League A grade competition this season for Runaway Bay should dispel any conjecture about where his future lies.* With his powerful determined running and ability to find the try line regularly even in the most unlikely situations and his knack for scoring long distance tries, his future on the wing seems assured.
New Zealand Warriors powerhouse winger Ken Maumalo is an ideal comparison for Walter Lauenstein.* The comparison not only stands up from a playing style perspective but also a physical perspective both are big strong young man learning to make the most of their physical size, speed and power.* When he has physically matured and gains added experience Walter Lauenstein will be an absolute sight to behold on the end of a backline in rugby league at a high level.
The young man will be an asset to the Western Mustangs Colts side
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qe9cED3rvo&t=52s
Cody McNiece. The young Sydney hooker is making the trek up to the Western Mustangs and will be part of their 2018 Colts side where he will be hard to keep up of the No. 9 jersey come march.* In 2017 Cody McNiece had an outstanding season representing the Manly Sea Eagles in the SG Ball competition, playing a number of matches in the Ron Massey Cup competition for Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles and also was the St Gregory’s College Campbelltown hooker and captain of their Open School Boy Rugby League side and was a standout over the course of their 2017 GIO Cup campaign.
For the Manly Sea Eagles in the 2017 U18 SG Ball competition Cody McNiece played in a total of five matches all of them in consecutive weeks and all starting at hooker after he made his 2017 SG Ball debut in Round Four against the Newcastle Knights.
For the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles in the Ron Massey Cup competition Cody McNiece played in a total of six matches making his debut in Round Ten against Concord Burwood-Glebe and also coming off the interchange bench in week one of the Finals series when Blacktown were knocked out. In those six matches for Blacktown Cody McNiece started in two and came off the bench in the remaining four contests.
Where Cody McNiece really stands out in terms of attacking play, is his speed out of dummy half, he is extremely quick and has very good footwork to take advantage of tiring forwards, using a step off both feet.* *Around the try line he is also very good at making the right decision whether the go himself or pass, where he gets down low and drives with his legs.
Cody McNiece is solid all round hooker who distributes effectively to both sides of the ruck.* He is efficient in his passing and there is little wasted movement as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand then pass.* He passes well from both sides of his body.
Another skill that he has is the ability to kick out of dummy half.* He played fly half in rugby at school so this is obviously where he picked up his kicking ability. He is not a long kick, but is effective at finding the ground with his kicks.* Cody McNiece is an effective kicker in terms of game management, what I mean by that is that late in games when his team were up or needed a breather he kicked for touch in those instances, which showed a high level of maturity and game management skills.* With the ability to kick accurately out of dummy half he is going to be a 40/20 threat if the opposing fullback is not in the correct position or not aware that he has this attribute.
Cody McNiece defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and for his size quite an aggressive defender. He is also very good at getting out of marker quickly to harass the opposition kickers.* Cody McNiece is not going to wow you with his defence because you will not see big hits, but you will see an efficient and effective defender and a talker.* He constantly seems to be talking and “encouraging” his fellow forwards to continue to press up both in attack and defence.
He has very good endurance and I have been told that he played every minute of the SG Ball games that he was involved in this season and thus projects as a hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange at the higher competition levels.
Cody McNiece has recently been selected in the Western Mustangs Colts squad for the 2018 Hastings Dearings competition where he will be under the scrutiny of the Titans High performance Staff over the course of the 2018 rugby league season and beyond.
Cody McNiece projects as a modern day hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange at the higher competition levels and be effective both in attack and defence.
From a player comparison perspective think someone along the lines of North Queensland Cowboys hooker Jake Granville as a hard working player with speed out of dummy half especially when he takes off down the blind side, leadership skills, a diverse skill set and someone that his team mates will appreciate playing with.
Tevita Cocker. (Updated) The powerful young centre/backrower formerly of Harristown State High School has continued to refine his game playing for the Southern Suburbs rugby league club in the Toowoomba A Grade competition this season after being a stand out in the U18 competition in 2016.* This season For Southern Suburbs Tevita Crocker played in six Hutchies A Grade matches and scored in a mid-season match against Oakey.* In addition he played in one reserve grade match which was against Toowoomba Brothers in April.
Tevita Cocker also represented Darling Downs in 2015 in the Queensland U18 Schools championships where he played the majority of games at centre and also played in the centres in a number of CC games in 2014 including scoring in Round Six against the Central Crows.* Whilst he has played a lot of centre in the younger age groups as he has progressed towards senior rugby league in has started what seems to be a permanent transition to the back row which is where he is currently starring for Southern Suburbs in the Toowoomba U18 competition.
Running with the football, Tevita Cocker has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders rather than trying to simply run over them.* He does reasonably decent speed off the mark and that assists in his ability to hit the defensive line hard and with pace.* He does not have another gear once through the defensive line but continues to pump his legs and fights for every metre.
Tevita Cocker has a decent off load when he has impacted the defensive line as well but in saying that he has had only limited experience in eth forwards so there is still a fair bit of untapped potential to be unlocked.* The key to his running is that he stays low and does not present himself to be an easy target for defences and will drop his shoulder into the defensive line, but his all out running style does mean he can fatigue reasonably quickly but regardless he can be absolutely devastating for spurts during matches. In saying that the last year or so has seen Tevita Crocker more and more able to sustain these “spurts” for longer and longer periods of time, clearly showing that his training regime is bearing fruit.
Like his attacking game, his defensive methodology is simply constructed and enacted.* He moves up and hits the ball carrier as hard as he can, as often as he can, full stop.* He is best suited to defending in the centre of the ruck and that is where you will almost always find him and for a solidly built young player, he moves well in terms of moving up and back in defence.* His lateral movement is reasonable for a solidly built player.
In 2018 Tevita Cocker will be part of the Western Mustangs U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts U20 squad and if not playing on any particular weekend he will play for Toowoomba Souths in the Toowoomba Rugby League Hutchies A Grade competition.
From a position perspective, as already noted whilst he has played a fair bit of centre in his earlier years, I think that his transition to the back row will be a permanent one.
From a player comparison perspective, someone with a similar playing style that could be used for a comparison perspective would be the Brisbane Broncos backrower Alex Glenn as a strong hard running, hard tackling aggressive and effective backrower who can play for 80 minutes without the need for a break on the interchange bench.
Deon Samuela.* He is a young half/five eight from the Runaway Bay junior rugby league club where he played at the U15 Division One level in 2016 a year he also represented South Coast at the QSSRL U15 Championships.* In 2015 Deon Samuela was part of the U14 Titans development squad that defeated Samoa at Burleigh. Whilst he played the majority of his club football at five eight, he played at half for the Titans development squad, he has also represented the Gold Coast in Vikings and Kookaburra’ squads over the last couple of years across multiple age groups starting at U13’s.
In 2016 for Runaway Bay Deon Samuela played in eight matches in the U15 Division One competition scoring 44 points from four tries and fourteen goals.* All of Deon Samuela’s tries came in a two week early season span when he scored doubles in consecutive weeks against the Southport Tigers and the Currumbin Eagles.
Post the 2016 Gold Coast Junior Rugby League season, Deon Samuela transferred to TSS where this GPS season was a standout for the Gold Coast based school in the U16A competition in 2017.
Even though he did starting any First XV games for TSS this season he came off the bench on two occasions being against Ipswich Grammar School and Brisbane Grammar School.* Against Ipswich Grammar School he made an outstanding break through the centre of the field after retrieving a kick and was unlucky not to score.* In the Brisbane Grammar School Fist XV match Deon Samuela was on the end of a great TSS back line movement to score in the left corner. Deon Samuela was also part of the Queensland U16 side that won the Australian U16 Championships and recently was selected at fullback in the Australian U16 merit side this year.
His game for the Titans development squad against Samoa was understated compared to how he played with Runaway Bay.* For Runaway Bay he took the line on more, however rather than a negative, I see this as a sign of confidence and maturity, as the Titans U14’s backline in the second half were making huge inroads every time the ball went wide, thus Deon Samuela took it on himself to get quick clean football out to the backline, A task in which he succeeded.
In attack, as already noted Deon Samuela is a fullback/half/five eight who is a dynamic runner of the football who excels in taking on the defensive line with deft footwork around the ruck, looking to seek out bigger slower forwards when they are caught on the edge of the ruck.* He does not however have blinkers on, and when his backline is set deep, he can see an overlap or a another play developing he will get the ball out quickly and effectively, using his solid passing skills from both sides of his body, where he will put the football out in front of his runners.
Assisting his play is the fact that he makes the decision what to do with the ball quickly thus enabling the ball to get out wide quickly.* One aspect that was notable in the development squad game, was how Deon Samuela directed the team around the field, he was in charge of when and where the forwards ran and also when he wanted the ball to spread it out wide to his backline.
Deon Samuela has a solid all round kicking game but like most young general play kickers he just needs to ensure that he does not try to kick the ball too hard and lose accuracy as a result.* He will also chase his own kicks very hard looking to make them as effective as possible.
Defensively Deon Samuela is a very strong young man with exceptional functional strength to go along with an innate understanding of the attacking strategies of rugby league thus he is able to anticipate what an attacking side is looking to do with the ball and then be in the best position to negate it.* Deon Samuela has a very good low tackling technique which is simple and repeatable and effective against all size opponents and thus there is no need for a defensive minder on his side of the field.* In short just like his attacking play Deon Samuela is an outstanding defender.
Moving forward to the 2018 season he will play the 2018 season for TSS and Deon Samuela will be hard pressed to keep out of the First XV starting side for the GPS School Boy Rugby competition.* *Deon Samuela will be eligible again for the TSS First XV side in his senior year at TSS being 2019.
Even though he played half back in rugby league and fullback over the last season or two for TSS I think that he has the attributes necessary to play at five eight in the long term in Rugby League. If he continues in rugby it would not surprise to see Deon Samuela still at fullback where he played for the TSS U16A side this year.
From a player comparison perspective thing maybe someone like the Parramatta Eels Cory Norman as a player who whilst is a very effective runner of the football, can also direct his side around the field equally effectively including from a tactical kicking perspective.
Kaden Somerville. (Updated) He is a local young hooker from the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast where he played the 2017 season prior to injury at the U14 Division One level and has recently been selected in a Titans Elite Training U14 Squad which starts training in late November.* Unfortunately due to injury Kaden Somerville was only able to play in two U14 Division One contest for Burleigh but did score in both outings which were against Runaway Bay and eventual premiers Ormeau.
In 2014 Kaden Somerville represented South Coast in the U11 QPSRL competition.* South Coast went through the competition undefeated easily, with Kaden Somerville scoring a try against Wide Bay in round two of the competition.
Kaden Somerville is an extremely talented all round hooker, who excels at all three critical aspects that a modern day hooker must have to be successful, those being his distribution and game management out of dummy half, selective running out of dummy half and defending in the centre of the ruck where he is more effective than people would think when they first see him play.* In terms of his distribution out of dummy half, he is extremely efficient in his passing and there is no wasted movement or energy as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand first then pass.* There is no discernible difference between his passing from either side of his body, and his passes are crisp and flat and also he can pass a reasonable distance off the ground, more so to the right when the first receiver is standing a little wider of the play the ball.
Where Kaden Somerville is also extremely effective is leading his forwards onto the ball, he passes in front of the forward ensuring no loss of momentum to the run.* In short he is a very good game manager from the hooking position.* He is also a good communicator on the field, he is constantly encouraging his team both in attack and defence.* He does not yell and scream, like the other parts of his game, he is calm and composed and uses positive reinforcement rather than yelling and screaming to get his point across to team mates but he does make it clear that he is in charge however.
Where Kaden Somerville really stands out in terms of attacking play, is his speed out of dummy half, he is extremely quick and has good footwork to take advantage of tiring forwards, using a step usually off his right foot, although he does not necessary run much out of dummy half.* The times that he does run though, he targets forwards who are offside, if the offside forward is called out of the play he has the speed to break into open space.* Once in open space Kaden Somerville does not usually have the speed required to finish things off himself but he invariably will make the right decision with the ball in terms of whether to take the tackle or pass to a support player.
His defence for a hooker is quite good for a young hooker, he does not necessarily hit hard but due to his very good low technique he can defend effectively one on one against far larger forwards, he sets a good base with his lower body and looks to explode upward with his shoulders to drive into opposing forwards.
His intensity and continuous effort means that he will track the ball across the field and thus is in a good position when the ball is passed back inside.* He literally tackles everything that moves in the centre of the ruck even though he is usually one of the smaller forward on the field.* He is also very good at getting out of dummy half quickly to put pressure on the opposing teams kickers in all parts of the field and takes a great deal of pride in it.* Kaden Somerville is also a talker on the field, he can constantly hear him encouraging his team to work hard both in attack and defence.
Moving to the 2018 season, Kaden Somerville will miss the start of the season but when he comes back in the April to May period he will line up for Burleigh in the GCJRL U15 Division One competition.
From a position perspective, with his passing skills and quick first step out of dummy half, I believe that he is already settled in his long term position of hooker.* I do not think that he will ever score a great deal of tries, but that is not and will not be his role moving forward in his junior rugby league career.
From a player comparison perspective think someone along the lines of Andrew McCullough of the Brisbane Broncos as a hard working player with leadership skills and someone that his team mates would appreciate playing with.
Jayden Wright. (Updated) He is a talented young five eight/fullback from the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast who played at the U14 Division One level for the 2017 season but due to injury was only able to play in four matches but he did score in his third match of the season against the Nerang Roosters. Jayden Wright has recently been selected in a Titans U15 development squad starting in late November.
Jayden Wright is a silky smooth player, who looks like he glides across the field picking and choosing his time to get involved and wants to have the ball in his hands when the game is on the line.* He is very quick off the mark and when the ball is being brought out of his teams half he is always around the forwards looking for off loads.
He also can play the way a lot of the current fullbacks play when they receive the football, “out the back” from the half/five eight which is no surprise due to him spending a lot of time playing five eight.* In those circumstances, he seems to currently runs more than he passes, but he is usually one of the better players in all of the teams that he has played on to date, thus I have no doubt that his passing and decision making skills will improve in these situations as he continues to play with ‘better’ players.
Jayden Wright seems to also have a very good positional sense in terms of taking a high percentage of opposing teams general play kicks on the full, thus regularly giving his team good initial field position to start their set of six. Similarly his positional sense when close to his own goal line means he defuses a lot of attacking grubber kicks as well.* He will also take the responsibility to run the ball back himself rather than hand it off to his winger.
In relation to his play at five eight, Jayden Wright is a dynamic runner of the football who excels in taking on the defensive line with deft footwork around the ruck, looking to seek out bigger slower forwards when they are caught on the edge of the ruck.* If he continues to play at five eight, an area for him to continue to develop is his play making skills, including putting his runners, whether they are backrowers or centres into holes.* With experience however there is nothing to suggest that these type of play making skills will not develop over time.* I am not suggesting that play making skills will eclipse speed as his primary attacking attribute, but enhanced play making skills will make his speed more effective as defensive lines start to focus in his runners and thus leave more space for him.
In relation to his defence, one thing that stands out to me is that he will not take a dummy from attackers running at him and he will stay with the ball carrier on all occasions.* He seems to stand very shallow at fullback in defence, but with his speed he is able to compensate, also his fullback positioning is dependent on his teams coaching staff and thus I am absolutely not being critical when his positioning is almost certainly a coaching methodology issue.* He is also a good talker from full back, you can hear him talking to his team mates about their positioning in defence and offering encouragement.
Moving to the 2018 season Jayden Wright will play for Burleigh at the U15 Division One level and will be pushing for a position in the South Coast U15 School Boy side for the QSSRL U15 championships as well as fulfilling his Titans Development Squad commitments.
From a long term position perspective, I am a little conflicted as he is certainly capable of playing both fullback and five eight and will likely continue to alternate between the two positions for the foreseeable future.* If forced to decide, I would lean ever so slightly towards fullback, solely on the basis that at the moment his running game is better than his passing game, but again we are talking about a young player whose ball playing skills will inevitably develop as he progresses through the junior ranks.
From a player comparison, the closest fit that I can identify is former Newcastle Knights utility Kurt Gidley as a solid player who can play a multitude of positions well.
Flynn Daniel. The young Burleigh Bears second rower has recently been selected in a Titans U15 Development Squad which will start training in late November in a great initiative by the Titans to harness the multitude of talented youngsters on the Gold Coast.
Flynn Daniel played the 2017 season on the Gold Coast with Burleigh in the U14 Division One competition unfortunately losing the Grand Final 31 – 16 to Ormeau, Flynn Daniel started the Friday night Grand Final in the second row in maroon and white.
Over the course of the 2017 GCJRL U14 Division One competition, Flynn Daniel scored two tries from nine matches played with his tries coming against Nerang in May and against Runaway Bay in mid-July. In 2017 Flynn Daniel was also part of the Gold Coast Academy of Sport Rugby League Excellence Program which wound up for this year in early October.
Flynn Daniel is not the biggest young backrower you will ever see although he is reasonably tall, but he is all effort in attack and will constantly run the ball into the heart of the opposition forward pack regardless of how big they are. He is a smart runner though to the extent that he does use good foot work prior to the defensive line to help negate his lack of size and he also has very good leg drive once initial contact has been made.* Flynn Daniel also fights hard when tackled to ensure he gets a quick play the ball to maintain the momentum for his side.
In addition, he has enough speed to be an effective runner of the football to run the ball on the edges of the ruck. He is not exceptionally quick but quick enough to rush defenders to make a decision of when to commit to the tackle.* Another area where Flynn Daniel is quite effective is when he goes into dummy half to distribute the football, where he has a decent pass to both sides all be it in limited opportunities.
In terms of his defence, Flynn Daniel has a very good low tackling technique, a skill that is not always present in any level of rugby league and is also an exceptional cover defender, in part because of the effort he puts in to track the ball across the field when opposition teams spread the ball wide.* His head placement is always correct, thus reducing the possibility of injury to himself.* In the context of defending in the centre of the ruck a continued focus on increasing his functional strength will enable him to better handle the bigger forwards one on one.
In addition to his time with the Titans U15 Development Squad in 2018, Flynn Daniel will once again line up for the Burleigh Bears in the GCJRL U15 Division One competition who should once again have a solid side who will be looking to go one better than their 2017 U14 Division One Grand Final loss to Ormeau.
Flynn Daniel will also be pushing for a spot in the South Coast U15 school boy’s side for the 2018 QSSRL U15 State Championships from Palm Beach Currumbin State High School where he is part of their Rugby League Excellence Program.
Flynn Daniel has primarily been a second rower his entire junior rugby league career and there is no reason for the to change as he progresses to the senior rugby league ranks especially in relation to his standard of play this season now that he is seemingly over a raft of injuries and his subsequent selection in the U15 Titans Development Squad for 2018.
A current NRL player with a similar playing style to that of Flynn Daniel for me is Titans English second rower Joe Greenwood. Like Greenwood Flynn Daniel shapes as a talented young second rower who just needs the right opportunity to highlight his developing skill set and his straight running mind set, training with the Titans junior development squad may just give him that opportunity now that his injuries hopefully are a thing of the past.* Like Greenwood Flynn Daniel also runs a solid inside shoulder route especially when he is operating on the left side of the field.
Zain Dowding. The 14 year old former South Wagga junior who is already 192cm tall and still growing moved with his family to the Byron Bay/Lennox Heads area earlier this season and has made outstanding progress especially when you take into account that he has only been playing rugby league for a year or so. His outstanding late season form for the Byron Bay/Lennox Head Devils Dolphins has seen him be selected in the Titans Elite Training Academy which has its first session on November 22.
After arriving from the Wagga Kangaroos Zain Dowding played for Byron Bay/Lennox Head in the Group 18 Junior Rugby League U14 competition.* In that competition his side finished third with eleven wins and five losses, scoring 414 points and conceding 282 to finish with a for and against of positive 132.
The Xavier College student is also an outstanding athlete and was recently named as Xavier’s U14 Boys Athlete’s Age Champion and broke the school 400m record this year with a time of 64.75 seconds and also performed exceptionally well in shot up.
Zain Dowding showed a wide range of skills during the 2017 season with power running in the centre of the ruck, through the ability to break tackles on the fringes to high level off loading skills either before the defensive line or once he has engaged it. His ability to pick the ball up at the back of a ruck or maul and generate momentum quickly regularly got his Byron Bay U14 side on the front foot in games.
Zain Dowding is able to make a lot of ground by getting low to engage the defenders with his shoulder rather than allowing them to get in and under his ribs and also a substantial leg drive meant that he drove defenders backwards even after they had engaged him with significant force.
In terms of ball skills, Zain Dowding is able to regularly get his right hand free to deliver offloads when engaged with the defensive line especially when he was running one pass up the ruck and deliver some very good offloads to his outside backs. Similarly he showed a high degree of skill when delivering short pass prior to the defensive engagement.* Zain Dowding waits to the last moment to deliver the pass to enable the gap to widen.
Defensively as you would anticipate from a big strong young player he also had a big impact.* He engages attacker’s front on and with the strength in his legs and core is able to regularly drive attackers backwards. Also in the games I saw he regularly tracked the ball across field when the ball was passed to the backline and impressively rarely over ran the ball thus he was able to combat runners cutting back inside.
In addition to his eight sessions with the Titans Elite Training Academy Zain Dowding will play the 2018 season at the U15 level for the Byron Bay/Lennox Head Devil Dolphins and will also push for school boy representative rugby league from Xavier College as part of the Lismore Diocesan region at the U15 level.
Even though Zain Dowding has not played a great deal of rugby league he has already found his niche from a position perspective that being in the front row.
In relation to a current NRL player who plays with a similar style to that of Zain Dowding, Melbourne Storm and New Zealand International giant young forward Nelson Asofa-Solomona is a good fit.* Like Asofa-Solomona Zain Dowding is a big strong young man who attacks the defensive line with no fear and when he hits an attacker they stay hit.
Zac Beckwith. The young fullback has recently been named in the inaugural Warwick and District Junior Rugby League Academy Squad which is being run with the Western Mustangs and the Titans.
Zac Beckwith played the 2017 rugby league season for Collegians Red in the Warwick and Districts Junior Rugby League U14 competition. In that competition Zac Beckwith finished as the leading try scorer and points scorer with 156 points from just fourteen games.* Zac Beckwith scored a staggering tries to average 2.7 tries per match.
Zac Beckwith had an outstanding start to the season scoring seven tries in a Round One match against Eastern Suburbs and he also scored five tries in a match once again against Eastern Suburbs.* Through the first six rounds of the Warwick and Districts U14 competition, Zac Beckwith scored twenty tries.* In addition to his seven tries in Round One, in that span he also scored four tries against the MIT Jets and hat tricks against the Jets again and Goondiwindi Maroon.* Late in the season he also four tries against Collegians White.* Only once in the 2017 season was Zac Beckwith kept scoreless, with the Wattles the team that denied him that Saturday.
Early in the 2017 season Zac Beckwith was selected in the 2017 U14 Warwick representative side and from there was selected in the U14 South West Mustangs side for the Central Crows U14 trials.* At those trials Zac Beckwith played well enough to be selected in the Central Crows U14 side for the Queensland Age Championships.* At those Championships Zac Beckwith started in all four of the Central Crows matches and recorded a double against South East Queensland White on Day Two.
Zac Beckwith is an athletic fullback with an effortless running style who presents as a gifted athlete with speed and also an understanding of where the gap is going to be.* *Due to his elusiveness and speed he seems almost impossible to stop one on one with his ability to change direction very quickly without the loss of any forward momentum. Zac Beckwith is also developing* the ability to play as a second five eight and sweep around the back of the ruck and either take the line on himself or pass to his outside support when he receives the ball “out the back”.
In addition Zac Beckwith is always around the centre of the ruck when his side is coming out of their own half looking to take the pressure off his own forward pack where he uses his exceptional footwork to target the gaps between the forwards.* Zac Beckwith’* positioning enables him to field a lot of kicks on the full and then he accelerates towards the defensive line where he normally looks to gain as much ground as possible rather than looking to run around the defensive line. When the opposition puts in a short attacking kick, Zac Beckwith will attack the ball rather than wait to see what happens and invariably he makes the right decision.
Defensively in the fullback position Zac Beckwith makes are the tackles that need to be made.* If an attacker runs directly at him, he will come forward to cut down the time the attacker has to make a decision and he will hit very hard.* An impressive attribute that he does have he is ability to force attackers in the clear to try to beat him down the side line.* Zac Beckwith will stay inside the attacker and force him in the needed direction and then use his timing and anticipation to make the tackle, usually forcing the attacker into touch.
In addition to his Academy Squad commitments Zac Beckwith will play for Collegians in the Warwick and Districts U16 competition as there is no U15 competition at present.
Zac Beckwith could easily play in the centres but based upon the way that he played this season there is absolutely no reason to move him away from the fullback position anytime soon.
For me an NRL player with a similar playing style to Zac Beckwith is Melbourne Storm fullback and Australian utility Cameron Munster.* Like Munster Zac Beckwith presents as a near complete fullback, he can chime into the backline between the centres, play as a second five eight and also use his footwork through the centre of the ruck.* In addition he is a talented defender both on terms of cover defence as well as taking attacker’s front on as they converge on him after breaching the initial defensive line.
Letuia Eliu. The giant 183cm 110kg head geared centre had an outstanding 2017 season in the Bundaberg Rugby League A grade competition after moving over from Auckland New Zealand at the start of 2017.* As a result of his play in 2017 and his trial form, Letuia Eliu has been named in the Titans aligned Western Mustangs U20 Colts squad for the upcoming 2018 season.
Letuia Eliu played a total of ten Bundaberg Rugby League A grade matches in 2017, starting the season with Brothers Maryborough for whom he played three matches including scoring in just his second match which was against Wallaroos.
Letuia Eliu then received a clearance to play the remainder of the season for the Hervey Bay Seagulls, playing his first match for the Seagulls on 1 July and scoring on debut which was against Wallaroos again.* In total for Hervey Bay Letuia Eliu played in seven matches and scored six tries.* In addition to his try on debut, Letuia Eliu scored doubles in consecutive weeks against the Devils and Across The Waves and he also scored in his second match for the Seagulls against Western Suburbs,
Prior to his move to Australia Letuia Eliu played in the 2016 Auckland Rugby League competition for the Marist Rugby League club, playing one Premier First grade match, scoring a try and in nine U20 Open Division matches scoring four tries.
From a junior representative rugby league perspective, in 2015 Letuia Eliu was part of the U17 Auckland Vulcans side for the U17 New Zealand National Junior Championships after making the side from the Mt Albert Grammar School.* In the 2015 championships Letuia Eliu crossed for his sole try against Counties Manukau.* In 2015, as a 16 year old Letuia Eliu also played in the U17 National Championships this time for a U17 Auckland Invitation side and scored against het Wellington Orcas.
Letuia Eliu is a powerfully built hard running centre who seems to have a preference to run over an opponent rather than beating them with speed and guile.* He however does have the size, strength and power to achieve his goal.* He runs straight and hard and drops his shoulder into his opposing defender making him difficult to tackle one on one.* In terms of speed for a centre I would argue that it is average for a centre but it plays faster than that as a result of the strength and power that Letuia Eliu runs with as well as the fact that for his size he has a very good initial burst once he receives the ball.
Letuia Eliu can beat a defender on the outside or use a step to create an overlap but his most outstanding feature from an attacking perspective is his power and hard straight running and to be fair that is the trait that he uses more often than not.* From the games that I have seen, he usually lines up at right centre and certainly at present he seems far more comfortable lining up on that side of the field, similarly he plays on the right wing and for that matter when he has been used as an impact forward he normally runs to that side of the field as well.
Letuia Eliu probably just needs to work a little on positioning his winger when he is playing in the centres in relation to when two defenders commit to the tackle and his outside support has a clear path ahead of him, but the more he plays in the centres the better he will get in this regard.
Defensively Letuia Eliu is certainly a hard hitter and often looks to come out of the line in an attempt to hit the ball carrier around the same time as they are receiving the ball, consequently he seems more comfortable defending with an up and in methodology as he does not necessarily have the recovery speed if an attacker beats him for pace and gets on his outside, however his plus lateral movement negates some of the concern about an opposing centre getting on his outside, he is a able to mirror the movement of his opponent and commit to the tackle at the appropriate moment.
As noted previously Letuia Eliu has been named in the Western Mustangs U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts side for the 2018 season where he should complement what looks to be an exceptionally powerful forwards pack for the Darling Downs side.
In terms of a long term position, I think that ultimately Letuia Eliu is likely to end up in the second row, but that is not a certainly at all, as a result of his successful transition to the outside backs, if he stays in the three quarter line. Regardless of position he is a handful for a defensive line, especially when a defender is isolated against him.
From a player comparison perspective in relation to Letuia Eliu, think of someone along the lines of Titans fan favourite and Tongan International Konrad Hurrell as a current player with a similar playing style as a big strong hard running centre who is very difficult to tackle when he is running straight and hard and can dominate games for a period of time, it is just a case of consistently being able to do it on a regular basis.
Isaac Jones. The young lock forward from the Tenterfield Junior Rugby League club has recently been named in the inaugural Warwick and District Junior Rugby League Academy Squad which is being run with the Western Mustangs and the Titans.
Isaac Jones played for Tenterfield in 2017 in the Warwick and Districts Junior Rugby League competition in the U14 age group, the second year in a row in that Division for him.* Over the course of the season, Isaac Jones played in eleven U14 contests scoring ten tries in a tough season for Tenterfield.* Isaac Jones’s ten tries came from doubles against Collegians Red, Eastern Suburbs and the MIT Jets and also tries against Wattles on two separate occasions, Goondiwindi Blue and Collegians White.
The pace and power in terms of how he runs the ball is the outstanding feature of Isaac Jones’s game, he takes the ball to the line with speed, but he does not just put his head down and rush forward, he uses quick and subtle footwork prior to the line and seems to targets the gaps between defenders and will actively seek out opposing forwards who are slow to move up.
When the opposition are on the back foot Isaac Jones will target the smaller defenders on the edge of the ruck and burst through and for a big young bloke he has very good speed over the medium term and has the strength to drag defenders with him.* I would consider that his speed would be considered above average for a backrower but plays faster as a result of him timing his runs so well that the dummy half can present a flat pass to him and also as a result of the power that he runs at.
The defensive side of his game is similarly impressive,* Isaac Jones does not just charge wildly up looking for a huge hit, but is calculating in where and when to hit.* He drives hard with his legs and always uses his shoulder and core body strength to drive into his opponent. He sets a strong lower base by setting his legs and generating force by driving through the tackle with his lower body, gaining leverage and momentum, culminating with the power projecting through his shoulders into his opponent.
In addition to his Academy Squad commitments Isaac Jones will play for the Tenterfield Tigers in the Warwick and Districts U16 competition as there is no U15 competition at present in the region.
From a position perspective, from what I understand Isaac Jones has always played in the back row in rugby league and that seems to be his natural position going forward.
Isaac Jones may not be as big as the player that I am going to use for comparison purposes but he plays with the same type of power and intensity, that being Sydney Roosters forward Dylan Napa.
Ayden Bate. The young centre has recently been named in the inaugural Warwick and District Junior Rugby League Academy Squad which is being run with the Western Mustangs and the Titans.* In 2017 Ayden Bate was part of the wider Western Mustangs Academy Squad and also represented the Western Mustangs U13’s at the Central Division Junior Carnival.* In 2016 Ayden Bate represented the Darling Downs at the QSSRL U12 championships.
Ayden Bate played the 2017 rugby league season for Goondiwindi Maroon in the Warwick and Districts Junior Rugby League U14 competition. In that competition Ayden Bate played in thirteen matches and averaged just over a try a match on his way to scoring 58 points on the season from fourteen tries and a solitary goal which came in the middle of the season against Tenterfield.
Ayden Bate scored four tries in a late season match against Goondiwindi Blue and a fortnight prior scored a hat trick against Collegians Red.* Ayden Bate also scored three doubles including scoring doubles in consecutive finals matches against Collegians Red and the MIT Jets.* Ayden Bate also scored an earlier double against Collegians White.
Ayden Bate is quite quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside. I would not say that he has blazing speed but he does have decent top end speed and is unlikely to get caught from behind by anyone but the absolute quickest of opponents.* His best attribute from an outside back perspective is his ability to keep his width and be available for his team mates, when the opposing defender cheats inside.* When the ball is moved out the back line, he stays on the touchline.
In terms of chasing attacking kicks Ayden Bate has a very good leap and uses his forward momentum well to get above defenders, where the majority of the time he looks to catch the ball rather than hit it back to his team’s advantage.* He also has very good hands low to the ground on grubber kicks or when defenders drop bombs and uses his length to get to the ball quickly before defenders.* Ayden Bate also holds his line well when chasing kicks so that the opposing kick returner meets a straight line of defenders and not a staggered one.
In defence, he is not the strongest player but will certainly look to hold his line defensively.* When he plays on the wing, I did not often see him come in when he did not need to, preferring to stay on his opposing winger and trusting his teams inside defenders.* From my perspective at least, his skill set in defence is more suited to a sliding defence structure rather than an up and in one.
Due to his solid skills in the air and his length he is solid at defusing bombs, and positions himself well by making sure that he is in position to come forward to meet the ball, rather than standing directly under it and trying to jump flat footed.* This negates some of the advantage of the attacking team’s jumpers who can use their momentum to jump higher than defenders if the defender is caught under the ball, another sign of a player with good situational awareness.
In addition to his Academy Squad commitments Ayden Bate will play for Goondiwindi in the Warwick and Districts U14 competition in 2018.
Even though Ayden Bate has played a fair bit of centre especially in relation to his club commitments I believe that ultimately he will continue to develop and ultimately end up as a solid dependable rugby league winger who can fill in at centre and possibly fullback if the need arises.
In relation to how Ayden Bate plays his rugby league look to how new titans recruit Brendon Elliot plays as a more than reasonable comparison.* Like Elliot, Ayden Bate is more solid than dynamic but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Trae Bennetto.* The young half/five eight has recently been named in the inaugural Warwick and District Junior Rugby League Academy Squad which is being run with the Western Mustangs and the Titans. In 2017 Trae Bennetto was part of the wider Western Mustangs Academy Squad and also represented the Western Mustangs U13’s at the Central Division Junior Carnival.* Post that carnival Trae Bennetto was selected in the U13 Central Crows Development Squad.
Also in 2017 Trae Bennetto represented Goondiwindi State High School with distinction including being named player of the match in their B Grade Bronco’s Cup Final victory 24 – 10 over Assumption College.
Trae Bennetto played the 2017 rugby league season for Goondiwindi Maroon in the Warwick and Districts Junior Rugby League U14 competition. In that competition Trae Bennetto played in twelve matches and averaged just over a try a match on his way to scoring 108 points on the season from thirteen tries and twenty eight goals.
Trae Bennetto had an exceptional first half of the season in 2017, scoring all thirteen of his tries through his first seven matches, scoring at least once in each of those matches.* Included in that seven week span was a four try effort against Tenterfield and a Round One hat trick also against Tenterfield.* With the boot Trae Bennetto kicked four goals in a match on three occasions coming against Tenterfield on two occasions and Collegians Red.
Trae Bennetto’s calling card from an attacking perspective is his passing and game management abilities. In terms of his running game, Trae Bennetto is not going to be known as someone that is going to beat a defender with speed, but he does very good foot work that he uses to good effect in tight spaces.* He has a very good step off both feet and can put together combinations of steps over a short distance to break free of situations where he is seemingly surrounded by defenders.* Also maybe it’s only me, but he seemed to rarely take a big hit when running through the centre of the ruck.
Going back to his speed briefly, as noted he is not very quick, but he does have some reasonable speed off the mark, which is complemented by the fact that he runs at the right moment, for example when he is drifting across field he will dummy and run when defenders anticipate the pass rather than focussing on him running the ball.* Trae Bennetto’s running skills compliment his ability to put runners into holes rather than the other way around.
His kicking game is very accurate, and even though he is not a big player he can generate very good distance on his kicks whilst at the same time not losing any accuracy, thus he finds the ground for a lot of his kicks. He can also kick pin point bombs, allowing plenty of time for his chasers to get to the ball as it is coming down close to the try line.
Defensively Trae Bennetto tackles well low and that is seemingly his main tactic against wide running forwards rather than trying to tackle them ball and all and potentially being bumped off.* His quick feet and sense of timing and anticipation enable him to see plays developing in front of him quickly and he is able to adjust and look to shut down the attacking play prior to it fully developing. In short he is quite a solid defender regardless of position.
In addition to his Academy Squad commitments Trae Bennetto will play for Goondiwindi in the Warwick and Districts U16 competition as there is no U15 competition at present.
I believe that five eight is Trae Bennetto’s best position with his ball playing and game management skills to go with his ability to take the line on himself.
Boom youngster Brodie Croft from the Melbourne Storm is a good comparison in relation to how Trae Bennetto plays.* Trae Bennetto is a dynamic player in terms of running with the ball when the opportunity presents as well as being adept at being a ball playing and game manager.
Kai Williamson-Duggan. The young half from the U15 Toowoomba South’s junior rugby league club was one of the reason that South’s had such a successful year in the U15 Toowoomba junior rugby league competition. Kai Williamson-Duggan started at half back in South’s 38 – 18 Grand Final victory over Toowoomba Valleys.* In that Grand Final Kai Williamson-Duggan contributed a try and three goals to the victory with his try coming seven minutes into the second half.
In 2017 Kai Williamson-Duggan was also part of the U15/16 Western Mustangs Academy Squad and he will be in that squad again in 2018. Previous seasons has seen Kai Williamson-Duggan represent the Central Crows and the South West Mustangs across a number of age groups.
Over the course of the 2017 U15 Toowoomba Junior Rugby League season, Kai Williamson-Duggan scored 102 points in total from nine tries and thirty three goals.* In addition to his Grand Final try Kai Williamson-Duggan scored an early season hat trick against Pittsworth and a Round One double against Oakey.* Kai Williamson-Duggan also scored tries against Valleys (in addition to his Grand Final try), Highfields and Dalby.
With the boot even though he shared the goal kicking duties with Jack Pike, Kai Williamson-Duggan finished as the competitions leading goal kicker with thirty three and had some big matches including kicking seven goals in two separate matches against Pittsworth and Dalby.* Kai Williamson-Duggan also kicked six goals to Round One against Oakey where he finished with twenty points when you add in his two tries.* Kai Williamson-Duggan also kicked five conversions in consecutive matches in August against Valleys and Highfields.
In attack his calling card is his organisational and passing skills more so than his running game.* His speed would probably considered average for a half/five eight but he will throw a dummy and run when opposing defences are focussed on his support runners and provide him with opportunities.* He also does not have quick twitch feet, thus his step is more average than say a plus side step like Titans NYC player AJ Brimson.
Kai Williamson-Duggan also has a good long passing game thus enabling the ball to get out to his back line quickly when they are set deep.* He develops a good spiral on the ball and is able to lead his outside backs onto the ball through putting the ball out in front of them.* He will also take the ball to the line and delay the pass as long as possible to his support runners when necessary.
Assisting his play is the fact that Kai Williamson-Duggan makes the decision what to do with the ball quickly thus enabling the ball to get out wide or when the ball needs to be turned back inside.* In short he looks to dictate what the defensive line needs to do to combat his sides attack rather than waiting to see how the opposition is looking to defend at a particular time in a game.
One aspect that was notable in the 2016 and 2017 Grand Finals was how he directed the team around the field in difficult conditions and he looked to manage the game to take account of those conditions.* He seems like he maintains his composure on the field and does not yell or scream but obviously gets his message across to his team mates with a calm presence.
Kai Williamson-Duggan is also a very good goal kicker with both good range and accuracy, although when he is kicking from wider one, he sometimes tries to kick the ball too hard and his accuracy suffers as a result. Like his general play kicking, I would suggest that he is a real chance to be his side’s primary goal kicker regardless of the level progressing into the future.
Kai Williamson-Duggan has a solid all round kicking game in relation to general play kicking but like most young kickers he just needs to ensure that he does not try to kick the ball too hard with a loss of accuracy resulting.* Certainly his short kicking game close to the try line is good and he weights his attacking kicks quite well.* He probably will not be a team’s first choice general play kicker but will be a solid alternative when required.
Defensively Kai Williamson-Duggan has decent size for a half or five eight, and probably would be considered an average sized played for his age and position. This is a facet which assists in him being an effective defender for his position. Getting stronger over the off season though will make him more effective in the defensive aspects of the game especially as the forwards who will be running at him will continue to get bigger, stronger and faster.
The 2018 season will see Kai Williamson-Duggan play once again in the Toowoomba Junior Rugby League competition for South’s as they look to make it two premierships in a row, with the 2018 season being in the U16 competition.
Whilst he has played a fair bit of football at five eight, I think that ultimately Kai Williamson-Duggan plays half back in the long term, although I do expect that he will continue to play his club football for Toowoomba South’s at five eight for at least next year.
From a player comparison perspective think maybe someone like former Canberra Raiders and St George Dragons half Sam Williams, as a solid half who will play a steady game and look to exploit the skills of the players around him rather than trying to win the game himself.
Nicholas Currie. The young five eight has recently been named in the inaugural Warwick and District Junior Rugby League Academy Squad which is being run with the Western Mustangs and the Titans.
Nicholas Currie played the 2017 rugby league season for Collegians Red in the Warwick and Districts Junior Rugby League U14 competition. In that competition Nicholas Currie scored a total of 86 points which came from nine tries and twenty five goals in fourteen matches.
Six of his nine tries came from doubles with Nicholas Currie scoring those doubles against Goondiwindi Maroon, the MIT Jets and Tenterfield.* Nicholas Currie look over the goals kicking duties for Collegians Red late in the season and had back to back games against Eastern Suburbs and Tenterfield when he kicked eight goals in each match.* Against Tenterfield he also scored one of his doubles to finish with twenty four points for the match.
Nicholas Currie runs with the ball in both hands which enables him to put doubt into the defensive line in terms of whether he is going to run or pass on any given attacking play and has above average speed off the mark which he uses if he identifies even the smallest gap in the defensive line.
In relation to his play making ability, Nicholas Currie has both a very good long and short passing game and generates very good spin on the ball which aids accuracy in relation to his passing.* Another aspect that is very good is that there is no discernible difference in relation to his passing to either his left or right, in both instances he rotates his body well.* In relation to his short passing Nicholas Currie will run right to the line and present his outside runners with good pop passes which enables them to run right into gaps in the defensive line.
Defensively Nicholas Currie is also a strong presence on the field and more than held his own over the course of the 2017 season even against the largest of opposing forwards looking to target him on the fringes of the ruck.* He gets low and generates significant leverage with his lower body and drives into his opponent with a strong effect.* Against opposing halves Nicholas Currie uses his lateral mobility to mirror their movement to ensure that they do not get on his outside and Nicholas Currie is disciplined enough not to come out of the line and maintain the proper defensive spacing.
In addition to his Academy Squad commitments Nicholas Currie will play for Collegians in the Warwick and Districts U16 competition as there is no U15 competition at present in the region.
From a position perspective, Nicholas Currie has spent his entire career in the halves and will surely continue there for the foreseeable future.
For me a current NRL player with a similar playing style to that of Nicholas Currie is soon to be Penrith Panther and Australian International five eight James Maloney, being that of a solid talented all round five eight who will surprise a defensive line with some very good short balls when it looks for all money like he is going to run himself.
Jacob Gross. The gritty young hooker has recently been named in the inaugural Warwick and District Junior Rugby League Academy Squad which is being run with the Western Mustangs and the Titans. Earlier this season the youngster represented Darling Downs in the QSSRL U15 School Boy Championships.
The Warwick State High School student played nine matches for Collegians in the Warwick and Districts U16 competition and scored ten tries in an outstanding season for the young hooker.* He also kicked eight goals to finish the 2017 season with 56 points.* Over the course of this season Jacob Gross scored doubles against Stanthorpe twice and also against Collegians Blue and Eastern Suburbs.
Jacob Gross does not necessarily have great speed when he runs out of dummy half, but the times that he does run though, he targets forwards who are offside, if the offside forward is called out of the play he has the speed to break into open space.* Once in open space he does not have the speed required to finish things off himself but he invariably will make the right decision with the ball in terms of whether to take the tackle or pass to a support player.
In terms of his distribution out of dummy half Jacob Gross has a solid pass from both sides of his body and can also generate reasonable distance as well.* When you watch him distribute from dummy half you are not going to come away waxing lyrical about his passing, but it is solid and effective and he is smart enough not to cut his passes too fine when leading his forwards onto the ball.* Like the rest of his game, his passing out of dummy half is solid and virtually mistake free.
Defensively Jacob Gross is more than strong enough to defend in the middle of the ruck and quick enough to defend on the fridges. In the centre of the ruck he sets a strong base to create the necessary leverage to defend against larger forwards.* When defending wider of the ruck he due to his low centre of gravity and tackling technique can effectively engage wide running forwards as well as having the footwork and lateral movement to contain and eliminate the threat of smaller stepping players breaching the defensive line.
Jacob Goss is eligible again for the U16 competition in 2018 with Collegians and will also have a number of sessions with the Warwick and Districts Academy squad and playing for Warwick State High School to keep him busy over the course of the 2018 season.
Where Jacob Goss ends up from an ultimate position perspective is an interesting question, currently he is primarily a hooker but at the end of eth day I am not convinved that he can not also operate as a running backrower for short periods if not longer.
From a player comparison perspective, due to his size and tenacity, a playing style and comparison akin to current Titans and New South Wales State of Origin hooker Nathan Peats would be appropriate from a style, courage and determination perspective.
Carlos Smith. The young Warwick State High School fullback has recently been named in the inaugural Warwick and District Junior Rugby League Academy Squad which is being run with the Western Mustangs and the Titans.* Earlier this year Carlos Smith was also named at fullback in the U15 Darling Downs School Boys side that competed in the QSSRL U15 Championships.* In 2016 Carlos Smith represented the U14 South West Mustangs at the Central Division Junior Rugby League Carnival where he played in the fullback position.
The young Collegians fullback finished as the equal leading try scorer in the Warwick and Districts U16 competition with seventeen tries, scoring those in just twelve matches.* Early in the 2017 season Carlos Smith scored four tries against Goondiwindi and he also scored a hat trick against Collegians White later in the 2017 season.* Carlos Smith also scored doubles against Eastern Suburbs twice, Wattles and Goondiwindi.* In addition to his seventeen tries Carlos Smith also kicked five conversions to finish with 78 points for the 2017 season.
Carlos Smith is an agile runner of the football who relies on his speed and elusiveness to make it difficult for larger opponents to line him up.* It is interesting though to the extent that when he is open space, it does not look like he is running quickly, but he clearly is as he is rarely run down when he is in open space. When lining up at fullback he always makes himself available for offloads in the centre of the ruck where he has good footwork to beat forwards, including a good stutter step that ‘freezes’ the defensive line and then he can use his speed off the mark to make ground.* I would say that his speed is in the plus category, add to that plus evasive skills and you have a young man who creates matchup problems for a defensive line.
One aspect of his game in terms of the fullback position, he does on occasion take some risks in terms of taking the ball on the full from kicks, I.e. sliding etc. to look to take the ball on the full, but he has good hands and does not often lose control of the ball.* Carlos Smith also has a good leap, thus is able to normally get above the chasers to defuse bombs* and he has good hands, thus he is also efficient at defusing grubber kicks as well where a positive trait is that he will attack the ball rather than being passive and waiting for the ball to come to him.
Defensively if an attacker runs directly at him, Carlos Smith will come forward to cut down the time the attacker has to make a decision and he will hit very hard.* An impressive attribute that he does have he is ability to force attackers in the clear to try to beat him down the side line.* He will stay inside the attacker and force him in the needed direction and then use his timing and anticipation to make the tackle, usually forcing the attacker into touch.
Carlos Smith is eligible again for the U16 competition in 2018 with Collegians where he should also again be one of the star players in the competition and will also have a number of sessions with the Warwick and Districts Academy squad. Carlos Smith will also represent Warwick State High School in relation to his school boy rugby league commitments and will also be in line to represent the South West Mustangs at the U16 level at the Central Crows Junior Rugby league Championships.
Fullback seems the ideal position for Carlos Smith moving forward with his evasiveness and courage under the high ball and returning kicks. Jack Ward could also handle competently the wing position in higher age groups as well.
For me Carlos Smith plays similar to how former Canterbury Bulldogs fullback Luke Patten played in that he is a steady mistake free player appreciated by his team mates and coaching staff alike.
Jayden Lippi. The exciting young fullback has recently been named in the inaugural Warwick and District Junior Rugby League Academy Squad which is being run with the Western Mustangs and the Titans.
The outstanding young custodian had a great year for Collegians in the Warwick and Districts U14 JRL competition on his way to finishing the season as the competitions leading try scorer with twenty one tries from just twelve matches.* Add in two conversions which came in the last round against Goondiwindi Blue and Jayden Lippi finished the 2017 season with 88 points.
Jayden Lippi scored in ten of his twelve matches with only Goondiwindi Blue and Wattles keeping him scoreless. Jayden Lippi scored five hat tricks in 2017 including scoring a hat trick in each match of a four game run spanning the period from late May to mid-July with those four games coming against Eastern Suburbs twice and Tenterfield twice.* Jayden Lippi also scored a Round One hat trick against Wattles and he also scored doubles against the MIT Jets and Collegians Red.
In 2016 Jayden Lippi was a standout at the South West Mustangs trials and was ultimately selected at fullback for the Mustangs for the Central Division selection trials.
When he runs the ball, Jayden Lippi is exceptionally quick and explosive, with exceptional speed, both off the mark and when he gets into open space, teams in his age group in the Rockhampton U18 competition just could not handle him when he had the ball in his hands. He also can step off both feet exceptionally well and also has a great swerve whilst maintaining top speed.* On occasions when he made a break, his support could not keep up and thus he used his incredible footwork and speed to beat the opposing fullback by himself.* There is nothing that Jayden Lippi cannot do running the ball and it is only now about developing his ball playing skills, which to be fair improved exponentially as this season has progressed to make his footwork and running ability even more lethal.
In addition Jayden Lippi also has the ball playing skills to set up his support runners and get them lines to run into when defenders came out of the line to negate his time with the ball in hand.* In terms of running the ball back from kicks, his timing and anticipation means that he gets to a lot of balls on the full and makes a quick decision whether to run the ball flat out back into the oncoming defenders or look to create an opportunity by running across field.* Regardless Jayden Lippi is an absolute handful to tackle with his speed and evasion skills.
Defensively in the fullback position he does not make a huge amount of tackles but the ones he makes are the ones that need to be made.* If an attacker runs directly at him, Jayden Lippi will come forward to cut down the time the attacker has to make a decision and he will hit very hard and does not fall for a dummy in those situations.
An impressive attribute that Jayden Lippi does have is ability to force attackers who are in open space to try to beat him down the side line.* He will stay inside the attacker and force him in the required direction and then use his timing, closing speed* and anticipation to make the tackle, usually forcing the attacker into touch.
In addition to his Academy Squad commitments Jayden Lippi will play for Collegians in the Warwick and Districts U16 competition as there is no U15 competition at present in the region but hopefully over time one will be able to get up.
From a position perspective, Jayden Lippi is the ideal fullback for the modern game, with game breaking ability when returning the ball and when hunting for off loads through the middle of the field.
In relation to a player that you can compare Jayden Lippi’s skill set and playing style to, you need to look no further than boom Parramatta Eels rookie Bevan French, he just looks so classy every time he is near the ball and constantly maintains his composure under extreme pressure.
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Torben Milton. The explosive young Goondiwindi State High School centre has recently been named in the inaugural Warwick and District Junior Rugby League Academy Squad which is being run with the Western Mustangs and the Titans, a deserved reward for an exceptional 2017 campaign and both club school boy and representative level.
Torben Milton had an outstanding 2017 campaign for Goondiwindi in the Warwick and Districts JRL competition, averaging just under two tries per match to be the competition’s equal leading try scorer with seventeen with Collegians dynamic fullback Carlos Smith.* Torben Milton’s seventeen tries came from just ten matches and included an outstanding stretch of matches from late May through to late July 2017 when from seven matches in that span, Troben Milton scored an impressive fifteen tries.
Included in those fifteen tries was four tries in a match against Collegians White and a hat trick against Eastern Suburbs.* Torben Milton also scored three doubles in that period which came against Stanthorpe and Collegians Blue in two separate matches.* He also scored a late season double also against Collegians Blue.
In addition to his seventeen tries, Torben Milton also kicked thirty five to finish as the competitions leading point’s scorer with 138 points.* On two occasions Torben Milton kicked six goals in a match which came against Stanthorpe and Collegians Blue who must have been sick of the sight of him by seasons end.
Earlier in 2017 Torben Milton also represented the Darling Downs U15 School Boy side in the QSSRL U15 Championships where he was selected on the wing.* In 2016 he represented the South West Mustangs U14’s in the Central Division Junior Carnival and also represented Darlings Downs U12 at the QSSRL U12 School Boy Championships and on Day Three was named the Darling Downs Player of the Match and scored two tries in a big win over North West.
Torben Milton is just a silky smooth runner of the ball who seems to glide across the field effortlessly and certainly has an extra gear in relation to the speed he possesses as well as plus speed off the mark and plus lateral movement as well.* He also has the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is becoming increasingly rare in the modern game.
When he gets the ball early from his inside play makers, Torben Milton is incredibly difficult to deal with one on one, as whilst his speed has already been noted, he is also a powerful runner who has the power to also break tackles through sheer power and not just rely on his speed to beat his opponent, in short he has a myriad of moves to break through the defensive line regardless of the defensive methodology that they are incorporating at any given time.
The one thing he also seems to be able to do well, is to step back inside without the loss of his speed or forward momentum, opposing defenders seem to push out quickly when he has the ball expecting him to look to beat them on their outside, if they come across to far, Torben Milton has a very good step back side and if the inside defenders are not quick enough to cover across he has the speed to make a clean break in those circumstances.
Similarly when an opposing defender looks to come out of the line quickly to put pressure on him, Torben Milton’s quick twitch feet means that he can step off either foot quickly to negate the attempt to cut down his time.* In short he is a very talented attacking player who looks to beat his opponent with speed and guile rather than purely by brute strength.
Torben Milton must be an inside ball players dream in that teams will look to get up onto him quickly, potentially leaving space for them to dummy and run if the defensive line starts to cheat to the outside in an effort to combat the attacking prowess of Torben Milton.* Also when the team is struggling he can just make something happen out of nothing even against a set defensive line, he can just drift across the field and then explode through any gaps that develop as the play progresses.
In defence Torben Milton has good strength, but will certainly look to come out of the line to stop the attack before it has time to fully develop.* Like all younger players he just needs experience to ensure that he picks the right time to come out of the line.* He will show his opposite centre the sideline and is confident that his speed will enable him to get across to make the tackle.* As he fills out and gains more experience he will become more effective defensively, not that there is all that much wrong with how he defends at present certainly in relation to the standard he is playing at.
Torben Milton is eligible again for the U16 competition in 2018 where he should also again be one of the star players in the competition once again and will also have a number of sessions with the Warwick and Districts Academy squad with a view to progressing his developing rugby league career. Torben Milton will also represent Goondiwindi State High School in relation to his school boy rugby league commitments and will also be in line to represent the South West Mustangs at the U16 level at the Central Crows Junior Rugby league Championships.
Torben Milton has been a centre throughout his rugby league career and certainly looks like he has the skill set to stay there in the long term. Torben Milton has the ceiling of an above average NRL centre and the floor of an above average QCup centre, he just oozes class on a football field.
Torben Milton shapes as a talented centre and thus for player comparison purposes a comparison to ultra-talented Sydney Roosters centre Latrell Mitchell is not unwarranted.* Like Mitchell Torben Milton is an exceptional athlete with a significant amount of natural ability waiting to be harnessed.
Kavaua (Benji) Neliman.* The young Chinchilla based fullback from all reports was a standout at the Western Mustangs MM Cup trials in early November and shapes as a key member of the squad as they look to go back to back in 2018.* In 2017 Benji Neliman played for Chinchilla in the Roma and Districts Rugby League competition at the U18 level as well as playing for the Central Crows in eth MM Cup competition.
Over the course of the 2017 MM Cup competition, Benji Neliman started at fullback in all of the Central Crows matches and scored a final round double against the Western Mustangs in a tough 70 – 20 loss to the eventually 2017 MM Cup Champions.
In 2016 Benji Neliman was part of the South West U18 squad for the QSSRL Championships playing in all four of South West’s matches against Peninsula, Darling Downs, Met West and the Presidents XIII.* A team mate in that side was outstanding Titans linked youngsters Billy Mozer and Jaxson Paulo. Benji Neliman also represented South West at the U15 level in 2015. 2016 also saw Benji Neliman represent the Central Crows in the U16 State Junior Carnival including scoring a double in a big win against the Northern Marlins.
Benji Neliman is an agile runner of the football who relies on his speed and outstanding elusiveness to make it difficult for larger opponents to line him up, I would say that is speed would be above average for a fullback but just a tick above average for a winger. When lining up at fullback he always makes himself available for offloads in the centre of the ruck when his forwards are bringing the ball out of their own territory.
One thing that impresses me is that Benji Neliman does not jog after the ball when it is kicked down field, he will flat out sprint to get there either on the full or as quickly as possible, thus eliminating the effectiveness of the oppositions kicking game.* When he retrieves the ball he makes a decision quickly about where to look to run around a staggered defensive line or to run straight in an effort to make as much ground as possible.
He has the ability to sweep around the back of the ruck and also pop up in supporting in the middle of the ruck, either running himself or looking for offloads from his forwards and use his footwork against big tiring forwards.* His passing game is solid and on occasion he drifts across the field looking for runners to run into holes and has the ability to “freeze” the defensive line as well as drawing opposition defenders out of the line, making to easier for his support runners to determine which holes to run into.
Currently when receiving and running the ball in relation to a traditional fullback play when they chime into the backline, Benji Neliman normally seems to run an outside shoulder line but when he adds an inside shoulder line he will be even more difficult to handle especially one on one.
In terms of running the ball back from kicks, his timing and anticipation means that he gets to a lot of balls on the full and makes a quick decision whether to run the ball flat out back into the oncoming defenders or look to create an opportunity by running across field.* Regardless Benji Neliman is an absolute handful to tackle.
Defensively in the fullback position Benji Neliman understandably he does not a huge amount of tackles but the ones he makes are the ones that need to be made.* If an attacker runs directly at him, he will come forward to cut down the time the attacker has to make a decision and he will hit very hard.* An impressive attribute that he does have he is ability to force attackers in the clear to try to beat him down the side line.
Benji Neliman will stay inside the attacker and force him in the needed direction and then use his timing and anticipation to make the tackle, usually forcing the attacker into touch.* His timing and anticipation in defence are one of the reasons that I think that he could also handle playing in the centres as he progresses into senior rugby league.
Even though the Western Mustangs MM Cup squad has not been reduced, it currently stands at 93, it is hard to envisage that Benji Neliman will not be in the final squad when named and for that matter being one of their key players as they look to repeat their 2017 success.
Even though Benji Neliman has primarily played at fullback to date in his junior rugby league career, I can foresee more of a future in the centres for the powerful youngster. Whether I like it or not,* and I don’t fullbacks these days have to be also a second half or five eight and I just do not think that playing that way would be the best utilisation of Benji Neliman’s skill set. I would prefer to see him in the centres where he can concentrate on isolating his immediate opposite one on one and overwhelm him with speed, power and an exquisite side step.
Taane Milne who is currently starring for Fiji in the Rugby League World Cup and who has recently signed with the Wests Tigers is for me at least the ideal player comparison for the ultra-talented Benji Neliman.
Liam Horne.* The young former Wavell State High School student had an outstanding 2017 season including captaining his North’s Devils Colts side to the Grand Final which they unfortunately lost to the Redcliffe Dolphins 56 – 16.
Liam Horne played in fourteen of North’s fifteen regular season matches and all three of their finals matches.* Liam Horne started all of North’s regular season matches and their first final in the centres before moving to start the Preliminary and Grand Finals at lock.* Across his matches in the Colts Challenge this season, Liam Horne scored three tries including a double in Round Sixteen against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls and against Tweed Heads in Round Seven.
Liam Horne also represented the North’s Devils in the FOGS Colts Cup competition in 2017 starting four of the Devil’s six matches in the centres and scored a Round Six try against the South’s Logan Magpies.
The former Wavell State High School student also has some representative experience under his belt including representing the PNG Kokomo’s U18 side against Samoa in 2016 where he started at five eight and he also represented Met North in the QSSRL U18 championships the same year also at five eight.* Prior to that Liam Horne was selected in a Brisbane Stingers U15 representative side, in that side was outstanding Titans youngster Daniel Brownbill.
Liam Horne is a hard running centre who runs good lines on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into thus making the play makers on his team look good.* Where he really excels though is his footwork, obviously playing in the backline the majority of the time before moving to the back row late in 2017 has assisted greatly when he is running closer to the centre of the ruck and he has very good late and quick foot work which enables him to change direction quickly allowing him to readjust where he is running to take advantage of either a late developing hole in the defensive line or where the defensive line is repositioning late.
Even when he is taking a hit up in the centre of the ruck, Liam Horne’s feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight corrections to his running direction and he is also able to maintain his speed regardless of the multiple directional changes.* He seems just to run at a faster pace than other forwards on the field. These attributes lead to a lot of line breaks and he has the speed to convert them into tries himself.
As you would expect, due to his size and strength, Liam Horne is a very good defender regardless of position.* He will not necessarily hit hard, but he is very good at mirroring the movement of the opposing attacker and wrapping him up ball and all.* He is also quick enough to recover and chase if the opposing players gets on the outside. From a team defensive methodology stand point, he seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage.* Also regardless of where he defends he has a degree of aggressiveness in relation to how he defends.
Another area where he has a plus attribute is in relation to his leaderships skills.* He is a strong confident personality and that translates to a leader on and off the field.* In the warm ups prior to a game you can see that the other players gravitate towards him.* This is a trait that you cannot teach, you either have it or you don’t.* Even if he is not the nominated captain on the field he is a leader regardless of which team he is lining up for and acts accordingly.
Liam Horne is still eligible for Colts in 2018 and it appears that he will be lining up with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side in the 2018 U20 Hasting’s Deering’s Cup.* It would also not surprise to see him push for a couple of late season QCup matches in 2018 for the Seagulls.
In terms of a long term position for Liam Horne, even though he finished the 2017 season playing the Colts Preliminary and Grand Finals at lock, I firmly believe that Liam Horne still has a lot to offer in the centres for the short term at least and especially from a defensive perspective. However over the long term Liam Horne is likely to end up in the second row.
From a player comparison perspective, one player that springs to mind is Warriors and New Zealand captain and backrower Simon Mannering, as a* wide running backrower who started off in the centres but over time transitioned into a talented backrower with leadership skills to help his team through the tough stretches of games and the grind of training over the course of a long season especially when you take into account a lot of these boys have club, representative and school training sessions to deal with.
Jack Peoples.* In 2017 Jack Peoples played a lot of rugby league including playing for the North’s Devils Colts side and representing Australian Universities. In the QCup Colts competition for North’s the former Padua College First XV star started from the inter change bench in their Grand Final loss to the Redcliffe Dolphins.* In 2016 Jack Peoples was part of the North’s Devils MM Cup side that made the semi-finals.
In The Queensland Cup Colts Challenge competition, Jack Peoples played in twelve of North’s regular season matches and also all three of their finals matches, culminating in their Grand Final loss.* Jack Peoples started six matches in the second row, two at lock and the remaining matches from the interchange bench including the Grand Final.* Across those matches Jack Peoples scored four tries which came in Round One against the Easts Tigers, Round Twelve against the Ipswich Jets, against the Sunshine Coast Falcons in Round Fourteen and against a Tweed Heads Seagulls side containing a number of Titans contracted NYC players in their Preliminary Final victory.
Jack Peoples also played for North’s in the 2017 FOGS Colts Challenge competition, starting in the second row in all six of North’s matches and scored tries in Round Five against Victoria and Tweed Heads in Round Seven.
As noted above Jack Peoples was a member of the Australian Universities side that won the World Universities Rugby League crown earlier this season, scoring against England in a round robin match against England when he scored under the posts and he also scored in Australia’s Championship Final victory over the Pacific Islands.* Jack Peoples was also named in the World Universities XIII after the completion of the Championships.
To make the Australian Universities side Jack Peoples played for Queensland Universities in late 2016 from the Australian Catholic University in Brisbane and scored against New South Wales in their interstate match.* In that match Jack Peoples received the Queensland Coaches award.
The young giant’s best attribute from an attacking perspective is his off-loading ability primarily with his right hand.* He will attack the edge of the ruck looking to isolate a defender and keep his right arm free to off load.* If his support runner is on his inside he has the strength to maintain contact with the defensive line and pop a short pass.* Whilst Jack Peoples is a powerful runner on both sides of the ruck he primarily off loads when running to the right side, the sample size that I have seem is likely not conclusive so it is not clear whether this hypothesis will hold up with additional observations.
Jack Peoples runs with the primary intention to engage the defensive line front one, he does not over complicate the task and runs straight and hard getting his shoulders down low just prior to contact.* His broad shoulders and strong frame back him a difficult proposition to handle.* As noted he looks to isolate a defender, if that defender goes low Jack Peoples will off load with his right arm and if the defender looks to tackle him around the chest, Jack Peoples will initiate the contact and continue to pump his legs to either gain as much ground as possible or to break the tackle completely through sheer force of will.
Jack Peoples has above average speed for his position and his high knee lift and the constant pumping of his legs means that he will break through the initial defensive line more often than you think likely.* Jack Peoples also has decent mobility which enables him to get to his feet quickly once he has been tackled aiding in the continuation of the momentum that he has established for his team.
Defensively the aggressive nature of the initial contact made by Luke Moretti is the primary component of his defensive methodology, in short Jack Peoples attacks opposition runners front on. Jack Peoples looks for the big front on hit as often as possible but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage and reasonable agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck, although clearly he is more effective in the centre of the ruck, as most front rowers are.
Jack Peoples looks to obtain both physical and mental dominance over his opponents in all aspects of the game and as you would except with an aggressive player of his size Jack Peoples will also win the ground wrestle on the vast majority of occasions.
Jack Peoples is still eligible for Colts in 2018 and it appears that he will be lining up with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side.
Jack Peoples has primarily played in the second row over the last couple of seasons although I note that he played a fair bit in the front row earlier in his junior rugby league career. In school boy rugby for Padua College in the AIC competition Jack Peoples played as a No. 8.* Moving forward with his surprising speed for a big man, I believe that Jack Peoples has the ability to develop into a rare commodity that being a try scoring second rower in rugby league.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the line of Manu Mau from the Parramatta Eels and New Zealand Test Squad, as a tough hard running and tackling second rower who will not back down from a challenge.
Lachlan Twort. The young lock from the Wynnum Manly area in Brisbane played for Wynnum Juniors in 2017 U19 Brisbane Rugby League competition, scoring one try from a handful of matches in Wynnum’s green and red. Lachlan Twort has previously represented the Wynnum Manly Seagulls at the MM Cup level in 2016 and the CC Cup level in 2014.
Lachlan Twort is a solidly built forward with a low centre of gravity making him a difficult proposition to tackle for opposing defences.* He may not look it but he is actually quite quick especially off the mark and will surprise a defence line in terms of how fast he gets to them and thus he is in a position to bump off the initial defender who on occasion has been unable to set up for the tackle properly.* Lachlan Twort has some late and subtle footwork prior to the line and will drop his shoulder into the defenders as well.
To say that he continues to fight in the tackle once contact has been established is an understatement.* Lachlan Twort seems to take every confrontation personally and is intent on winning every individual battle.
Where his greatest impact on a game is going to be is his defence.* His has a great tackling technique and a hard hitting aggressive style to go with it.* I think that in every game that I have seen him play, including representative games he has made a solid impact defensively
Lachlan Twort sets a strong lower base by setting his legs and generating force by driving through the tackle with his lower body, gaining leverage and momentum, culminating with the power projecting through his shoulders with the effects projecting into his opponent.
Lachlan Twort is still eligible for Colts in 2018 and it appears that he will be lining up with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side in the 2018 U20 Hasting’s Deering’s Cup.
With his solid frame with a low centre of gravity, Lachlan Twort is certainly going to play in the centre third of a rugby league field, likely at lock for his side.
Luke Yates the rookie from the Newcastle Knights from my perspective has a similar playing style to that of Lachlan Twort.* Both really charge at the defensive line and have very subtle late foot work and both work extremely hard in defence.
Tyran Rundmann. The former John Paul College winger has never been a player that has been recognised by junior rugby league selectors outside of playing four matches for the Presidents XIII side in the 2016 U18 QSSRL Championships but the young flyer is slowly but surely adding to his resume of work each season.
In 2017 Tyran Rundmann played in two competitions being the Universities Rugby League Queensland Competition playing for the Griffith University Dragons and in the Brisbane Rugby League U19 competition playing for St Brendan’s/Greenbank.* In 2016 Tyran Rundmann played in the Brisbane Rugby League U18 Division One competition with St Brendan’s.
For St Brendan’s/Greenbank Tyran Rundmann played in eleven matches scoring three tries and across the nine rounds of the Universities Queensland competition, Tyran Rundmann scored three tries with his tries coming against the Griffith Logan Redbacks in Round Three, against the UQ Hounds in Rounds Six and in Round Nine against the Griffith Gold Coast Panthers.
Even though he does not have great top end speed Tyran Rundmann is quick enough to take advantage of any space that he is given down the touchline by opposing wingers.* One good thing about his play in attack is that he stays on his wing and is regularly outside his opposite number allowing his inside players to be able to find him in attack and in the games that I have seen he stays back and does not over run the players that are inside of him.
Tyran Rundmann seems to be aware of his skill set as he does not take chances with the sideline and does his utmost to ensure that he is not taken over the sideline and knows when to cut back inside rather than taking his opposite number on along the touchline.
In terms of defence, Tyran Rundmann is solid and seemingly understands the attributes of his opposite number to the extent that he alters his defensive positioning if he is against speedy, elusive wingers and against larger wingers.* Like most young outside backs though he will continue to work on when to come out of the line to cut down the time and space of opposing centre, against staying out on his opposing winger and when to drop back to cover the side line, his time at centre both in rugby league and rugby has clearly helped in these situations in terms of positioning and when to tackle low compared to looking to when to wrap up the attacking player with a ball and all tackle.
Tyran Rundmann is still eligible for Colts in 2018 and it appears that he will be lining up with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side in the 2018 U20 Hasting’s Deering’s Cup.
I think that it is set in stone that Tyran Rundmann will play on the wing exclusively from now on.
Titans Anthony Don for me is a good comparison for how Tyran Rundmann plays, he is a solid player with a touch more speed than he is given credit for and is also a steady defensive presence, a bit of a glue guy if you will. I would not say that Tyran Rundmann is as good as Anthony Don under the high ball (not sure anyone is) but he certainly has a safe pair of hands.
Let's hope the Titans get out to Warwick before it's too late. Other NRL clubs circling.
Caleb Ziebell. The big strong tough 22 year old front rower has recently been selected as the best player in the NRRRL First Grade competition where he led the Cudgen Hornets to the Grand Final and also being named in the second row in the Northern Star NRRRL 2017 Team of the Year.* In addition to being a more than handy rugby league player, Caleb Ziebell is also a very good cricketer.
Caleb Ziebell in years past was part of the titans Junior Development Program but a terrible knee injury meant he missed two years and precious development time, but since returning from the injury he has been the best player in the NRRRL competition over the last two years.* Over the last two years, Caleb Ziebell has also represented Northern Rivers at the New South Wales Country Championships.
Caleb Ziebell played in sixteen matches for the Cudgen Hornets in the NRRRL First Grade competition finishing with seven tries.* Caleb Ziebell scored a late season hat trick against Mullumbimby.* Caleb Ziebell also scored a mid-season double against Kyogle and tries in the two weeks prior against Lower Clarence and Evans Heads.* Caleb Ziebell made is NRRRL First Grade debut as a twenty year old in 2016, playing in twenty matches and scoring ten tries.
Running with the football, Caleb Ziebell has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders rather than trying to simply run over them.* Caleb Ziebell does not have great speed off the mark or necessary great high end speed, but he will work hard and make the most of his ability.* He actually does have a decent off load when he has impacted the defensive line as well.
Defensively Caleb Ziebell is not necessarily a big hitter, usually aiming for just under the ribs and first intention is to lock up the ball to prevent offloads. One area where is quite effective whether he is defending on the fringes of the ruck or in the centre of the ruck including when he is defending at marker, is against smaller attackers who look to use their foot work.* Caleb Ziebell has quite reasonable lateral mobility for a forward and due to the fact that he also is not that tall, usually is able to wrap up the smaller attackers without his tackles slipping up to around the head or neck.
Caleb Ziebell’s ability to successfully defend against these types of attackers as well as having the technique to defend against larger forwards is one of a number of reasons that I consider that a future in the higher echelons of senior rugby league feasible.
With his dual sport commitments Caleb Ziebell I believe will be back playing in the NRRRL competition for the Cudgen Hornets, but I really would like to see how he would go with the Tweed Heads Seagulls QCup side, I do not think that he would be out of place at all especially once he gets up to speed with the pace of the competition.
Whilst Caleb Ziebell has alternated between second row and front row over previous junior seasons, I would anticipate that based on his build and skill set certainly in relation to the NRL second row would be his best position.* He likely could play front row in an emergency type situation but second row seems like a more natural fit for him from my perspective at least.
From a player comparison perspective, one player with a similar playing style from my perspective for Caleb Ziebell is Titans rookie Max King as a solid forward who will probably never be a star but will be a solid contributor to a team’s forward pack both in attack and defence.
Kalani Hensby. The young local second rower is a bit older than your typical youngster looking for a start in the NRL but the 21 year old Tweed Coast Raider Kalani Hensby has a chance to break into the NRL none the less.* There is a rumour or two running around at the Tweed Coast that the Titans are keeping an eye on his progress.
In 2017 Kalani Hensby played for the Raiders in the NRRRL First Grade competition and was named in the second row in the NRRRL Team of Year as well as representing Northern Rivers at the U23 level in the New South Wales Country Championships where he started in the centres against Newcastle.
For the Tweed Coast Raiders this season, Kalani Hensby played sixteen NRRRL Firs Grade matches and scored six tries including a double in Rounds Two against Kyogle and also scored tries against Marist Brothers on two separate occasions, Evans Head and Casino RSM* Kalani Hensby made his NRRRL First Grade debut as a twenty year old in 2016.
In addition to representing Northern Rivers U23 this season, Kalani Hensby has previously represented Group 18 at the U16 and U15 levels including scoring against Group Three at the U16 level in 2012.
The pace and power in terms of how Kalani Hensby runs the ball is the outstanding feature of his game, he takes the ball to the line with speed, but he does not just put his head down and rush forward, he uses quick and subtle footwork prior to the line and seems to targets the gaps between defenders and will actively seek out opposing forwards who are slow to move up.
When the opposition are on the back foot Kalani Hensby will target the smaller defenders on the edge of the ruck and burst through and Kalani Hensby has very good speed over the medium term and has the strength to drag defenders with him.
I would consider that Kalani Hensby’s speed would be considered above average for a backrower but plays faster as a result of him timing his runs so well that the dummy half can present a flat pass to him and also as a result of the power that he runs at.
Kalani Hensby’s offloading ability is also improving as he refines his game.* Earlier in his career, he was almost too good at offloading compared to his team mates as he would pop some passes that they were not expecting but as he has matured and the quality of the opposition and his own team has increased so has the selective nature of his offloading.
In defence Kalani Hensby uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. Kalani Hensby is not averse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage and reasonable agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck.
I have a sneaky suspicion that Kalani Hensby will line up for the Tweed Heads Seagulls QCup side in 2018 where I believe that he will be able to handle the step up in class.* If not Kalani Hensby will continue to be one of the best players in the NRRRL First Grade competition for the Tweed Coast Raiders.
With the solid ball skills that Kalani Hensby has I can see a compelling argument to suggest that his ultimate position will be in the second row as a big tall reasonably quick second rower.
If you look at the play of Newcastle Knights second rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon, I think you will get an appreciation of how Kalani Hensby plays his football in that he will stay in the centre of the field defensively but in attack he has the skills to operate on the edge of the ruck and has decent off-loading skills if the opportunities present.
Tristian Lumley. The big strong young Tweed Heads Seagulls forward has certainly turned a few heads after an outstanding second half of the 2017 QCup season for the Seagulls.* The former North’s Devils forward has been a welcome addition to the Tweed Heads Seagulls forward pack in 2017.
The powerful 105kg second rower is developing into a hard running hard tackling difference maker who will likely soon garner interest from NRL clubs as a result of his tearaway style.* The former Brisbane Broncos U20’s centre or second rower was a mid-season transfer from the North’s Devils.
Tristian Lumley played his first match for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in Round Fourteen, starting in the second row.* In total for the Seagulls, Tristian Lumley played in nine QCup matches, starting eight in the second row and one, being Round Seventeen off the inter change bench.
In total for the Seagulls Tristian Lumley played 644 minutes, made 257 tackles and ran for 1 104 metres.* His per match averages for the 2017 QCup season relating to the Tweed Heads Seagulls included playing 71.5 minutes, making 28.5 tackles and running for* 123 metres. Tristian Lumley’s sole try came in the final QCup regular season round being Round Twenty Five against PNG.
In five of his nine games for the Seagulls Tristian Lumley played all 80 minutes and in seven of those contests he ran for in excess of 100 metres including running for 209 metres in Round Fifteen.* Round Twenty Four saw him run for 186 metres. Only once in his nine games for the Seagulls did Tristian Lumley not make more than 20 tackles in a match and in Round Nineteen he made forty tackles.* Rounds fourteen and Twenty Four saw Tristian Lumley make thirty six and thirty five tackles respectively.
Tristian Lumley’s style of play is that of a powerful wide running back rower with above average speed for the position. I would actually argue that in fact a better definition of his speed would be well above average to plus. He is quite quick off the mark, but what makes him even more impressive from a speed perspective is that when he gets into space, he has an extra gear again which is a plus attribute for such a strong powerful second rower, making it almost impossible for the cover defence to catch him once he is open space.
Tristian Lumley also has a very good fend meaning that he is a big strong powerful young player who can cause nightmares for any defensive line.* Tristian Lumley seems to line up on the right side of the field more so than the left, but I have no doubt moving forward that he will be able to play on either side of the field.
For a backrower of his size, Tristian Lumley runs with pace, strength and power every time he touches the ball during a game.* For a young player, he seems to have a good understanding of when to off load the ball, currently most of his off loads occur when he is part way through the defensive line and can get his right arm free to pass to his outside support runners.
Tristian Lumley is an aggressive defender whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can and will stop even the biggest opposing forwards in their tracks and targets the area around where the attackers carry the football.* His speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half.* I have noted that he is aggressive and seems to want to win every one on one battle and he invariably does.
Due to his speed and athleticism Tristian Lumley covers across the field well, thus putting him in a good position to make the tackle when the ball is turned back inside from the halves and he still seems to be going full speed at the end of games.
Tristian Lumley will play the 2018 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls QCup side once again in front of Titans officials and hopefully he catches the eye of new coach Gareth Brennan.
Positionally Tristian Lumley has been a second rower or centre dating all the way back to his junior and NYC days but with his physical development seems certain to now have a permanent future in the second row.
Tristian Lumley has the look of a very talented late bloomer with a playing style similar to that of St George Dragons second rower Tyson Fizzell as a powerful and devastating runner on the fringes of the ruck.
Lamar Liolevave. The young 22 year old second rower had an outstanding year for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the QCup competition including being awarded the Seagulls QCup Player of the year at their recent Awards Presentation.
The former Keebra Park student started off his rugby league career with the Wests Tigers NYC side and played one NRL match as well for the Tigers which came in Round Four of the 2015 NRL season.* Lamar Liolevave moved back to the Gold Coast in 2016 after also spending some time with the Canterbury Bulldogs and last off season spent some time training with the Titans NRL Squad.
In the 2017 QCup competition, in 185cm 112kg second rower missed only one of Tweed Heads twenty three matches when he missed Round Fourteen with suspension.* Over the course of the 2017 season, Lamar Liolevave scored three tries which came against the Burleigh Bears in Round Six, North’s Devils in Round Seven and Redcliffe Dolphins in Round Twelve.
Lamar Liolevave in 2017 in the QCup competition played a total of 1 741 minutes, ran for 2 417 metres and made 544 tackles.* His per game 2017 averages included playing 77 minutes, making 25 tackles and running for 110 metres.
In an incredible seventeen of his twenty two matches, Lamar Liolevave played all 80 minutes and on another occasion being Round twenty Three he played for 79 minutes.* When he played “only” 67 minutes In Round Four, Lamar Liolevave played his least amount of minutes on the season.
In fourteen of his twenty two matches Lamar Liolevave ran for in excess of 100 metres in a match including an incredible effort in Round Eleven when he ran for 179 metres.* In addition, Lamar Liolevave ran for between 90 and 100 metres on five other occasions.
Lamar Liolevave made more than twenty tackles in twenty of his twenty two matches displaying incredible consistency including a thirty three tackle effort in Round Two of this year’s competition.
Rarely can you find a young player who is equally at home running on both sides of the ruck but that is what a team has with Lamar Liolevave, he runs a superb outside shoulder line and his excellent footwork enables him to step off either foot to enable him to cut back against the movement of the defensive line to take advantage of gaps back on the inside of his direct opponent.* For a big strong young man, Lamar Liolevave also has above average speed, not just off the mark but also when he is in clear space, when he makes a break Lamar Liolevave is more than capable of going the distance and normally easily out paces the cover defence.
Lamar Liolevave is not just a strong runner of the ball he as noted above has excellent footwork prior to the line and also some very good short passing both before the line and when in contact with a defender.* Lamar Liolevave in schoolboy rugby league and junior age groups was a magnet for defenders and is adept at identifying when multiple defenders are vectoring towards him and identifying the appropriate force to be applied to his passing.* Lamar Liolevave also waits until the last possible second to off load the ball and most of the time he does not telegraph his pass to enable defences the readjust before the ball is passed.
On a lot of his runs Lamar Liolevave rather than trying to step his opposite number will really look to initiate the contact and then use his strength to hold the defender off his body to either push through the tackle or draw in the next defender to create space for his outside support.
Defensively Lamar Liolevave has a hard edge to his play and his initial contact is more than sufficient to redirect the momentum of the ball carrier. Lamar Liolevave sets a very good base which he uses to explode into the ball carrier looking to use their own momentum against them.
His good situation awareness also enables him to be well positioned when he is defending against smaller quicker opponents and he endeavours to minimise the time available for the opposing attacker to generate speed and to utilise their footwork, he is also able to change direction quickly to adjust to the directional changes of the attacker especially when he is marking up against multiple attackers running in his direction where he will hold his ground to let the play to develop in front of him before committing to a specific defensive course of action.
Lamar Liolevave will play the 2018 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls QCup side once again in front of Titans officials and hopefully he catches the eye of new coach Gareth Brennan.
Positionally Lamar Liolevave has been a second rower dating all the way back to his school boy days with Keebra Park and that will not change going forward.
Lamar Liolevave plays well like Lamar Liolevave, he is s solidly built second rower with deceptive speed and an outstanding right hand offload where he holds the defender off with his left arm and off loads with his right.* Defensively Lamar Liolevave is deceptively strong and making powerful initial contact all whilst playing big minutes in matches.
I am not sure that Lamar Liolevave can do any more to get noticed, he was outstanding in 2017 and if he can play as well once again in 2018 NRL clubs hopefully led by the Titans will come calling.
Simione Fatafehi. The former Titans NYC player had an outstanding first season at the Queensland Cup level for the South’s Logan Magpies and spending the previous two seasons being a solid performer in the second row for the Titans NYC squad.
The 21 year old second rower who stands 185cm and is 103kg handled the step up in class from the NYC competition in his stride and by the end of the 2017 season was a key member of a talented South’s Logan Queensland Cup forward pack which in most matches contained at least four NRL contracted Brisbane Bronco’s players.
For the Titans NYC side, Simione Fatafehi played in twenty seven matches, three in 2015 and twenty four in 2016.* In 2016 Simione Fatafehi scored four tries and averaged just on 100 metres and twenty tackles per match.
In the 2017 Queensland Cup competition Simione Fatafehi played in seventeen of South’s Logan’s twenty Three matches, starting all seventeen in the second row and contributed nine tries including a Round Eight double against the Ipswich Jets.* Simione Fatafehi’s other tries came in Round Five against Tweed Heads, Round Seven against Mackay, Rounds Nine and Sixteen against Redcliffe, Rounds Eleven and Twenty Two against the Northern Pride and Round Nineteen against the North’s Devils.
In total in the 2017 Queensland Cup competition Simione Fatafehi was on the field for South’s Logan for 1 316 minutes, made 370 tackles and ran for 1 577 metres.* His 2017 per game averages for seventeen games included playing 77.5 minutes, running for 93 metres and making twenty two tackles.
In fourteen of his seventeen matches Simione Fatafehi played all 80 minutes in the second row and he also played in excess of seventy minutes in two of his other three matches highlighting his durability and stamina.
Simione Fatafehi ran for in excess of 100 metres in five of his matches including running for 185 metres in Round Ten match. Simione Fatafehi made more than twenty tackles in thirteen of his 2017 matches including a thirty five tackle effort in Round Ten.
Running with the football, Simione Fatafehi has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders rather than trying to simply run over them although you can see that when he gets fired up all subtlety and thoughts of self-preservation goes out the window and he becomes a giant wrecking ball.
Simione Fatafehi does not have great speed off the mark or necessary great high end speed, but he will work hard and make the most of his ability.* He actually does have a decent off load usually with his right hand when he has impacted the defensive line as well and regularly showcases this in game situations.
Defensively Simione Fatafehi can certainly hit very hard, usually aiming for just under the ribs and first intention is to lock up the ball to prevent offloads. Simione Fatafehi* has quite reasonable lateral mobility for a larger forward and due to the fact that he bends his hips when looking to make a tackle he is usually is able to wrap up the smaller attackers without his tackles slipping up to around the head or neck, and thus giving away penalties.* He can however get fired up and really cause havoc defensively, he just needs to continue to channel his aggression.
In 2018 Simione Fatafehi will line up once again for South Logan in the Queensland Cup and is probably only a consistent season or two away from at least getting some recognition from NRL clubs.
Even though Simione Fatafehi spent some time in the centres earlier in his junior rugby league career, for the Titans NYC side over two years and this season with South’s Logan in the Queensland Cup Simione Fatafehi has made the second row position his own with his ability to use subtle footwork prior to the defensive line and a never say die attitude in defence.
From a player comparison perspective, one player with a similar playing style from my perspective is former Titans front rower/second rower and current Titans coaching staff member Anthony Laffranchi, as a solid forward who will may never be a star but will be a solid contributor to a team’s forward pack, but shows flashes of unique ability. Simione Fatafehi though has the potential to be a little bigger physically though than Laffranchi when he has stopped growing.
John Olive. The big strong young 186cm 96kg Titans outside back will in 2018 be in the last year of his three year Titans deal after moving up to the Titans from the South Sydney Rabbitohs for whom he made his NRL debut for in 2015.* John Olive’s NRL debut came in Round Fourteen in 2015 when he started on the wing for South Sydney against the Wests Tigers.* In that match the 2016 Junior Kangaroo started on the wing playing all 80 minutes taking the ball up nine times on the way to making 81 metres and seven tackles.
John Olive has suffered a number of injuries in his time with the Titans including a dislocated elbow in 2016 when he was training with the Junior Kangaroos and he suffered a severe shoulder injury in the ninth minute of the Titans Round Twenty Four clash against the Parramatta Eels a match in which he started in the centres.
Including the match against the Eels, John Olive played five matches for the Titans in 2017, being Rounds Fifteen, Sixteen and Rounds Twenty Two to Twenty Four inclusive.* In those matches John Olive started on the wing in Round Fifteen against his former team, from the interchange bench in Round Sixteen against the Wests Tigers and in the centre in his remaining matches.
In total in the NRL for the Titans in 2017, John Olive was on the field for 263 minutes, took 32 hit-ups, ran for 258 metres and made 35 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 75%. John Olive’s 2017 NRL per game averages included playing 53 minutes, running for 52 metres from 6.5 hit-up and making seven tackles.* It must be noted that these statistics are skewed by his ninth minute injury against the Parramatta Eels.* * John Olive played all 80 minutes in three of the matches that he started in and in Round Twenty Two against the Brisbane Broncos ran for 87 metres from eleven hit-ups and in that same match made seventeen tackles.
The 22 year old made his Titans NRL debut in Round One of 2016 against the Newcastle Knights.* In total in 2016 for the Titans John Olive played in four matches starting on the wing in Rounds One and in the centres in Rounds Three to Five.* John Olive scored in his Titans NRL debut and also scored in Round Four against the Canberra Raiders.* In total in 2016 in the NRL John Olive was on the field for the Titans for 320 minutes, took 42 hit-ups making 341 metres and made thirty tackles at a tackling efficiency percentage of 80%.
The table below compares John Olive’s 2016 and 2017 NRL per game averages. As previously noted the fact that in one NRL match in 2017 John Olive only played nine minutes must be considered when making a comparison.* If you discount Round 24 of 2017, John Olive’s per game averages are, 64 minutes, 8 hits-up for 61.5 metres and 7.7 tackles.
2016 NRL 2017 NRL
Games played 4 5
Minutes per game 80 53
Runs per game 10.5 6.5
Metres made per game 85.3 52
Tackles per game 7.5 7
Prior to his first NRL games for the 2017 season, John Olive played in five games for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Queensland Cup competition coming in the side in Round Ten. In those matches John Olive started all of them in the centres and played all 80 minutes on each occasion.* In total in his five Queensland Cup matches for Tweed Heads, John Olive played 400 minutes, made 592 metres and 52 tackles.* His 2017 Queensland Cup per games averages included running for 118 metres and making 10 tackles.
In four of his five Queensland Cup matches in 2017 John Olive ran for in excess of 100 metres including a 145 metre match against the Central Queensland Capra’s in Round Thirteen and in Round Fourteen just prior to his 2017 NRL call up John Olive made fifteen tackles.
The giant young man is very difficult to stop once he is in motion, his speed, power and body height all contribute to this.* On the wing when he can wind up and build momentum he looks to run over his direct opponent rather than try to run around them.* In fact in the majority of occasions it is John Olive that actually initiates the contact and I do not recall seeing a player being able to run over his direct opponent with absolutely no loss of momentum.
From a speed perspective I would argue that his speed is a tick above average for a winger but obviously the key attribute from an attacking perspective is how hard he hits the defensive line.* Like his overall speed John Olive’s lateral mobility is probably just a tick above average.* John Olive with his size and strength is also able to make a lot of ground after contact with his ability to absorb the defensive contact and maintain his balance and body control.
When he is close to the line John Olive is able to absorb a significant amount of punishment and still hold his running line thus he is able to score close to the side line without being pushed over the sideline regardless of the number of defenders looking to do so. The ability to absorb contact is on display when he comes into the centre of the ruck to take the ball up into the teeth of the defensive line.
Defensively for a big strong powerful young man, John Olive actually has good discipline for such a young player and in the main stays on his man rather than coming in and looking for the big hit.* Do not get me wrong he will on occasion aim to smash the opposing outside if they do not see him coming but in the main he is quite disciplined and looks to ensure his opposing winger does not get on his outside looking to use their speed against him.
John Olive is back training with the Titans NRL squad after his late season injury and will be in line to start the year with the Titans in the NRL.* He will likely pushing for a berth on the wing with Dale Copley and Konrad Hurrell seemingly locked in for the two centre positions.* John Olive will likely be up against the likes for Tyrone Roberts-Davis and Brendan Elliott for the wing spot opposite Anthony Don.
With his size and power I do think that he will be in the discussion for a starting spot come Round One especially with a full off season in front of him and continued work on the defensive aspects of the game.
Even though in the paragraphs above the discussion is in relation to him playing on the wing, I still cannot rule out John Olive developing into a very talented NRL centre.* Yes he may have made a couple of defensive mistakes in his ten match NRL career to date, but he is still very young and he has a lot of natural ability yet to be harnessed.
Cody McNiece is now officially a Titans high performance Unit Member.
Cody McNiece. The young Sydney hooker is making the trek up to the Western Mustangs and will be part of their 2018 Colts side where he will be hard to keep up of the No. 9 jersey come march.* In 2017 Cody McNiece had an outstanding season representing the Manly Sea Eagles in the SG Ball competition, playing a number of matches in the Ron Massey Cup competition for Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles and also was the St Gregory’s College Campbelltown hooker and captain of their Open School Boy Rugby League side and was a standout over the course of their 2017 GIO Cup campaign.
For the Manly Sea Eagles in the 2017 U18 SG Ball competition Cody McNiece played in a total of five matches all of them in consecutive weeks and all starting at hooker after he made his 2017 SG Ball debut in Round Four against the Newcastle Knights.
For the Blacktown Workers Sea Eagles in the Ron Massey Cup competition Cody McNiece played in a total of six matches making his debut in Round Ten against Concord Burwood-Glebe and also coming off the interchange bench in week one of the Finals series when Blacktown were knocked out. In those six matches for Blacktown Cody McNiece started in two and came off the bench in the remaining four contests.
Where Cody McNiece really stands out in terms of attacking play, is his speed out of dummy half, he is extremely quick and has very good footwork to take advantage of tiring forwards, using a step off both feet.* *Around the try line he is also very good at making the right decision whether the go himself or pass, where he gets down low and drives with his legs.
Cody McNiece is solid all round hooker who distributes effectively to both sides of the ruck.* He is efficient in his passing and there is little wasted movement as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand then pass.* He passes well from both sides of his body.
Another skill that he has is the ability to kick out of dummy half.* He played fly half in rugby at school so this is obviously where he picked up his kicking ability. He is not a long kick, but is effective at finding the ground with his kicks.* Cody McNiece is an effective kicker in terms of game management, what I mean by that is that late in games when his team were up or needed a breather he kicked for touch in those instances, which showed a high level of maturity and game management skills.* With the ability to kick accurately out of dummy half he is going to be a 40/20 threat if the opposing fullback is not in the correct position or not aware that he has this attribute.
Cody McNiece defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and for his size quite an aggressive defender. He is also very good at getting out of marker quickly to harass the opposition kickers.* Cody McNiece is not going to wow you with his defence because you will not see big hits, but you will see an efficient and effective defender and a talker.* He constantly seems to be talking and “encouraging” his fellow forwards to continue to press up both in attack and defence.
He has very good endurance and I have been told that he played every minute of the SG Ball games that he was involved in this season and thus projects as a hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange at the higher competition levels.
Cody McNiece has recently been selected in the Western Mustangs Colts squad for the 2018 Hastings Dearings competition where he will be under the scrutiny of the Titans High performance Staff over the course of the 2018 rugby league season and beyond.
Cody McNiece projects as a modern day hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange at the higher competition levels and be effective both in attack and defence.
From a player comparison perspective think someone along the lines of North Queensland Cowboys hooker Jake Granville as a hard working player with speed out of dummy half especially when he takes off down the blind side, leadership skills, a diverse skill set and someone that his team mates will appreciate playing with.
Max King. The talented young Titans rookie had an outstanding debut season with the Titans in 2017 and has deservedly been rewarded with a new two year contract.* Max King who was the 2016 Titans NYC player of the year shapes as a corner stone of the Titans pack going forward and is one of a number of talented young forwards on the books along with the likes for Morgan Boyle, Keegan Hipgrave, Jai Whitbread and Jai Arrow.
Incredibly Max King was not a sought after junior player at all in Sydney or Newcastle and in fact attended a Titans NYC Open trial in late 2015 and as they say the rest is history.* Max King is a fourth generation NRL player thus rugby league is certainly in this young man’s blood.
Max King started off the 2017 season in the NYC competition after training the entire off season with the NRL squad.* In total in the NYC competition in 2017 Max King played just three games being Rounds One, Two and Eleven.* His statistics in those three games make it quite clear why the Titans quickly moved him up to the NRL, he was just dominant.* In total in his three 2017 NYC games, Max King played 197 minutes, made 423 metres from 43 hit-ups and made 106 tackles at a tackling efficiency rating of in excess of 95%.
Max King’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing 69 minutes, taking 14.3 hit-ups for 141 metres and making 35.3 tackles. In all three matches Max King made in excess of 100m metres including making 173 metres in Round Two against the Knights and in Round One against the Roosters Max King made 46 tackles in just 67 minutes on the field.
Max King made his NRL debut in Round Three of the 2017 season when he came off the interchange bench of the Titans against the Parramatta Eels.* In that match Max King played twenty six minutes, took the ball up six times making fifty metres and made thirteen tackles without missing any.
In total in the NRL in 2017 Max King played 862 minutes, made 1 183 metres from 147 hit-ups and made 462 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 94.3%. Max Kings 2017 NRL per game averages included playing 50.7 minutes, running for 69.6 metres from 8.7 hit-ups and making 27.2 tackles.
In his seventeen NRL matches Max King came off the interchange bench on eight occasions and made his starting debut at lock in Round Eight against the Canberra Raiders.* Max King’s “best” match from a statistical stand point was Round Twenty Six against the Sydney Roosters when he started at lock played all 80 minutes, making 142 metres from fifteen hit-ups and missed only one tackle whilst on his way to making 52.
Max King made his NYC debut for the Titans in 2016, going on to play twenty four matches scoring tries against the Melbourne Storm and Round Twenty One double against the Cronulla Sharks.* In total in the 2016 NYC competition, Max King played 1 454 minutes, running for 2 994 metres from 317 hit-ups and making 817 tackles.
His 2016 NYC per game averages included playing 63.21 minutes, taking the ball up 13.8 times for 130 metres and making 35.5 tackles.* Max King had a big match in Round Eight against the Canterbury Bulldogs when he ran for 222 metres and made 54 tackles. Max King also made 58 tackles in a Round Seventeen match against the Warriors.
The table below compares Max King’s 2016 and 2017 NYC and 2017 NRL per game averages.
2016 NYC 2017 NYC 2017 NRL
Games played 24 3 17
Minutes per game 63.21 69 50.7
Runs per game 13.8 14.3 8.7
Metres made per game 130 141 70
Tackles per game 35.5 35.3 27.2
Max King is a hard running player who never seems to just put his head down and runs straight, he always uses a slight step prior to contacting the defensive line, coupled with the fact that he drops his shoulder into defenders, means that he is a bit of a handful to tackle and he is not often knocked back onto his heals.* He is also good at maintaining his momentum after impacting the defensive line.
Max King has a huge high work rate and I would suggest that he would normally be at or near the top of his team’s statistics in terms of the number of hit ups he makes and on occasion runs a very good inside shoulder route to supplement his other attacking attributes.* He does not off-load the ball much however and probably never be one based on how he asked to play the game.
Defensively Max King aims hits very hard and usually hits around the top of the ball region and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls by using wrestling techniques well. This season his speed and mobility seemed to have increased and as a consequence he was better able to mirror the opposition attacker’s movement more effectively.
Max King will probably not make a large amount of hits that are going to knock opposing forwards backwards, but opposing forwards are going to feel everyone and start to look out for where he is in the defensive line.
Even with the addition of Keegan Hipgrave and Jai Arrow Max King surely is in line to play an extensive amount of NRL in 2018 and I would argue should be the starting lock for the Titans come Round One although new recruit Jai Arrow will also be in the mix for that No. 13 jersey.
At an imposing 190cm and 103kg Max King has the ideal frame to be a long term NRL front rower and has had an outstanding start to his NRL career with the Titans and shapes as a corner stone of our forward pack for years to come.
Max King is a big strong tough rugby league front rower with a touch of hardness and aggressiveness in his game and therefore from an NRL player comparison perspective, I would suggest an accurate player comparison for him would be Titans and Queensland State of Origin front rower Jarrod Wallace as a front rower who will continue to take the ball up all day long and also be very effective at it as well and one who is a touch underrated defensively in terms of how hard his initial contact is in defence.
It is quite amazing to me just how well Max King went in 2017 and also to an extent how little media coverage he got outside of the Gold Coast.* In 2017 Max King was still eligible for the NYC competition but it was clear after just two rounds that he was a class above that competition and thus he deservedly made his NRL debut in Round Three.* His outstanding Round Twenty Six match against an International Sydney Roosters forward pack is just the tip of the iceberg for this Titans youngster.
Jai Arrow. The new Titans recruit is another example of the Titans targeting talented young former Gold Coast Juniors with the former Keebra Park and Australian School Boy joining the likes of Keegan Hipgrave and Jai Whitbread in the Titans 2018 NRL squad.* How well did Jai Arrow play for the Brisbane Bronco’s in 2017? Let’s just say that Wayne Bennett is not traditionally known for playing players who have already signed for another team, so Jai Arrow must have been doing something right.
Jai Arrow who is looking to cement is spot as the starting lock for the Titans recently signed a three year to transfer from the Brisbane Broncos.* Jai Arrow has also represented Queensland at the U16, U18 and U20 levels on multiple occasions and graduated from the NYC competition to the NRL in 2015.
Over the course of the 2017 season with the Broncos, Jai Arrow alternated between the Broncos NRL side and playing for the Norths Devils in the Queensland Cup.* Jai Arrow made his NRL debut for the Broncos in 2016 when he started from the interchange bench in Round Ten against the Manly Sea Eagles going on to feature in twelve NRL matches.* Jai Arrow also played in twelve NRL matches in the 2017 season.
In total in 2017 the 22 year old 189cm 97kg lock played in twelve NRL matches including two of the Broncos Finals matches.* Jai Arrow started all of his 2017 NRL matches from the interchange bench except for Round Nineteen when he started against the Newcastle Knights at lock and had an outstanding match.
In the NRL is 2017, Jai Arrow played 307 minutes, ran the ball on 94 occasions for 827 metres and made 193 tackles at an outstanding tackling efficiency of 96.5%, missing only seven tackles over the course of the 2017 NRL season.* Jai Arrows per game NRL averages included playing 25.6 minutes, running for 69 metres from 8 hit-ups and making 27 tackles.* In Round Nineteen against the Newcastle Knights in his only start in 2017 Jai Arrow ran for 150 metres, averaging 10 metres a hit-up and made twenty seven tackles in 80 minutes of game time.
In the Queensland Cup competition for the North’s Devils Jai Arrow played in seven matches coming into the side in the front row against the South’s Logan magpies in Round Six. Jai Arrow started all seven of his Queensland Cup matches this season, one in the front row, two in the second row and the remaining four at lock.
In total in the 2017 Queensland Cup competition Jai Arrow was on the field for North’s for 530 minutes, made 276 tackles and ran for 1 083 metres.* His 2017 per game averages for seven games included playing 76 minutes, running for 155 metres and making forty tackles. In five of his seven matches Jai Arrow played all 80 minutes and in all seven matches he also ran for more than 100 metres and made more than twenty eight tackles.
Jai Arrow made had some big matches in terms of running metres including running for 187 metres in Round Fifteen against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls and in Round Twenty against the Easts Tigers he ran for 174 metres. Defensively Jai Arrow made 52 tackles in a Round Seventeen match against the Townsville Blackhawks and in Round Fifteen against the Townsville Blackhawks Jai Arrow made 47 and in Round Twenty against Easts Jai Arrow made 46 tackles in 74 minutes.
In total in the NRL is 2016, Jai Arrow played 285 minutes, ran the ball on 66 occasions for 575 metres and made 195 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 93%, missing only twelve tackles over the course of the 2016 NRL season.* Jai Arrows per game 2016 NRL averages included playing 23.75 minutes, running for 48 metres from 5.5 hit-ups and making 16 tackles.* In 2016 Jai Arrow also scored his sole NRL try of his career which came in Round Twenty Five against the Melbourne Storm. In Round Nineteen of 2016 against South Sydney Jai Arrow ran for 142 metres and made 35 tackles in just 54 minutes on the field.
Incredibly over the course of his 24 NRL matches and two NRL seasons, Jai Arrow has been credited with only three errors that is an error only every 193 minutes of game time and is an outstanding statistic in anyone’s language. He was charged with one error in 2016 and two this season. Similarly impressive is that fact that over that span Jai Arrow has made 388 tackles and was noted as missing only twenty.
The table below compares Jai Arrow’s 2016 and 2017 NRL per game averages.
2016 2017
Games played 12 12
Minutes per game 23.75 25.6
Runs per game 5.5 8
Metres made per game 48 69
Tackles per game 16.3 27
Jai Arrow is a hard ball runner who is adept at using late and quick footwork just prior to contact line which he hits with power and force in absolutely every hit up that he makes dropping his shoulder into the first defender that is looking to make the initial contact.* His ability to get low to engage the defenders with his shoulder rather than allowing them to get in and under his ribs and also a substantial leg drive means that he drives defenders backwards even after they had engaged him with significant force rather than allowing them to impact on his momentum.
Whilst his ball running skills are the first thing that you will likely notice when seeing Jai Arrow his defence is equally effective even though it may not be as noticeable at first glance. Defensively Jai Arrow has a tough edge to his play and his initial contact is more than sufficient to redirect the momentum of the ball carrier when defending in the forwards.* Jai Arrow sets a very good base defensively as well and uses it to maintain his balance when setting up for a tackle.
Defensively Jai Arrow hits very hard and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls. He also has a touch of aggression in his play and definitely finishes off each tackle that he is involved in. He is equally adept at defending in the centre of the ruck as he is defending on the fringes and his initial contact is more than sufficient to make an impact on the ball carrier’s momentum.
Defensively the most impressive aspect of Jai Arrow’s play is his ability to make effective tackle after effective tackle.* For the Broncos in the NRL in 2017 Jai Arrow continually made up to three and four tackles in a row on multiple occasions and still back up looking to take a hit up the next set of six tackles.
Whilst his stamina is very impressive, so is his initial contact, he uses his strength and leverage to hit the ball carrier hard forcing momentum changes to the ball carrier.* Jai Arrow is also adept at wrapping up the ball and preventing offloads as he uses his functional strength to engage ball carriers. Defensively in a covering role he is also very effective as even though he is a big strong forward he has very good catch up speed and a solid low tackling technique from a side aspect.
Jai Arrow good situation awareness also enables him to be well positioned when he is defending against smaller quicker players and he endeavours to minimise the time available for the opposing attacker to generate speed and to utilise their footwork, he is also able to change direction quickly to adjust to the directional changes of the attacker especially when he is marking up against multiple attackers running in his direction where he will hold his ground to let the play to develop in front of him before committing to a specific defensive course of action.
Jai Arrow will be hard pressed not to start in the No. 13 jersey for the Titans come Round One in 2018 but he will not have it all his own way with another Titans youngster in Max King also pushing for that spot.* Potentially the suspension of Jarrod Wallace and Keegan Hipgrave means that Max King will push up to the front row for that match, leaving the lock forward spot for Jai Arrow.
Even though he not the biggest forward running around in the NRL Jai Arrow is as tough and as hard working as they come and has a future in the NRL at lock but could certainly play a bit wider of the ruck in the second row if need be and still do the required job for his team.
If anyone liked what they saw of Keegan Hipgrave in his Round Twenty Six NRL debut this year then they should be very much looking forward to seeing Jai Arrow in a Titans jersey in 2018 as they are very similar players although Jai Arrow is probably not as overtly “aggressive” but just as hard tough skilful and dedicated as his fellow Gold Coast junior and now Titans NRL team mate.
With the likes of Jai Arrow, Keegan Hipgrave, Jai Whitbread, Morgan Boyle, Karl Lawton and Max King, the Titans forward pack looks set for a number of years to come and that is not even mentioning the next generation of Titan’s forwards coming through such as backrowers Reihana Marsh, Apitia Neoma and outstanding young front row prospect Moeaki Fotuaika amongst many others, I also anticipate that classy centre Daniel Brownbill will make the transition to the second row in the coming seasons as well.
JunctionBlock
06-12-17, 09:34 PM
Can't do Thumbs Up anymore but just wanted to say thank you for the dossier. Amazing work as always mdrew.
Zac Butler. The young Singleton five eight who was named as the Group 21 U18 player of the year has moved up to Toowoomba to try his luck with the Titans aligned Western Mustangs Hastings Deering’s U20 Colts side in 2018. Zac Butler has been a long term member of the Northern Tigers academy junior squads and comes up to the Western Mustangs with the reputation of a great team mate and hard worker.
Over the course of the 2017 season Zac Butler played for Singleton in the Hunter Valley Group 21 competition, playing in the U18 reserve grade and First Grade competitions.* In the U18 competition for which was named the Group 21 player of the year, Zac Butler played in fourteen matches scoring twenty two points from four tries and three goals playing primarily at five eight.* Zac Butler tries came against Muswellbrook in two separate matches and also against Scone and Denman.
Zac Butler made his Group 21 First Grade debut on Saturday June 17 against Muswellbrook going onto paly four First Grade games in total and scoring in his final First Grade match of the season against Muswellbrook.* Zac Butler also played two reserve grade matches which were against Denman and Merriwa.
At 170cm and 80kg, Zac Butler relies on speed and guile on the field to make his mark and is only slight of build but do not take his lack of size in any way as a lack of ability or courage, he has a lot of both, which is on display each time he runs onto the field.* With the ball he is a very good distributor and will take the ball to the line in an effort to set up his supports.* Zac Butler is adept at drawing an opposing defender out of the defensive line and then putting his support runner through the resulting gap.
In terms of his speed, I would suggest that an appropriate definition of Zac Butler’s speed would be that he is quick off the mark but does not have an extra gear when he breaks into open space.
Zac Butler will back his judgement and take the game on especially when the game is on the line.* Assisting his play is the fact that he makes the decision what to do with the ball quickly thus enabling the ball to get out wide quickly.* In previous seasons when I have seen him play he sometimes took the line on himself too much, but the times that I have seen him play this season* Zac Butler has become more selective about when to pass and when to run.* His passing game is solid but seems to be slightly better when he is passing to the right side of the field.
Zac Butler has a good short kicking game but he does not have the strongest leg in terms of kicking deep but is accurate and regularly finds the ground to enable the chasers to get down field to enhance his team’s field position.
In defence, due to his size he is obviously not going to come up with the big hit but reads the play well and can hold his own when defending much bigger players.* Zac Butler is also very vocal on the field always talking and encouraging his side both in attack and defence.
Zac Butler has been named in the Western Mustangs U20 Hastings Deering’s squad for the 2018 season and will be eligible again for that competition in 2019.
I would think that regardless of what level of competition rugby league takes Zac Butler that he will be in a No. 7 jersey as a tough feisty half back.
From a player comparison perspective thing maybe a Gary Freeman type player as someone who will give everything on the field regardless of their size and will not back down and has the organisational, leadership and game management skills that will give him an opportunity to succeed.
Dylan Collett. (Updated) The 21 year old Grafton Ghosts centre played his third year in the Grafton Ghosts first grade side in the Tooheys Group Two competition in 2017 finishing the season with a premiership and as the competition’s leading try scorer.* *The Grafton Ghosts also won the Clayton Cup in 2017 which is awarded to the most outstanding New South Wales
From just fourteen games for the Grafton Ghosts in the Tooheys Group Two First Grade competition, Dylan Collett averaged two tries per match on his way to scoring twenty eight for the season for a total point’s tally of 112. Only against the Sawtell Panthers in June was he kept scoreless.* Dylan Collett’s biggest single game haul came against Coffs Harbour in May when he scored for five tries.* Dylan Collett also scored four hat tricks which came against Nambucca Heads, local rivals and Grand Final opponents the South Grafton Rebels, Macksville and Woolgoolga.* Dylan Collett had an outstanding first seven rounds of the 2017 season when he scored eighteen tries through those rounds.
In 2017 Dylan Collett was also part of the Group Two U23 representative side and had a day out against Group Three when he scored five tries and from there was selected in the East Coast Dolphins U23 side for the New South Wales U23 Championships narrowly missing out on New South Wales Country selection as a consequence of his outstanding form.
Dylan Collett is a solid young centre weighing in the 96-98 kg range, include above average speed and you can see why even his Grafton Ghosts coaches think that he will ultimately end up in the back row, at the moment however he is successfully handling the centre position.* He deservedly won the Rookie of the Year for the Grafton Ghosts in 2015.
For a solidly built young man Dylan Collett has above average speed for an outside back when he is running in a straight line, when he changes direction, either by using a side step or a swerve, his speed bleeds off and it will then take time for him to then progress back to full speed, thus he is most effective in the centres when he is running straight.* The Ghosts have been very good at incorporating his skill set into their game plan by getting Dylan Collett to run a straight inside shoulder line when opposition defences are sliding.
Dylan Collett is particularly effective when attacking close to the line as he runs with pace and regularly drags defenders over the try line.* Due to his size when defenders try to tackle him around the chest he can shrug them off but does lose momentum in his run in those circumstances.* As he is reasonably new to the centre position he is still learning the nuances of setting up his winger when he beats his opposite centre.* For Grafton he seems to line up at right centre the majority of the time.
From a defensive perspective, his timing and anticipation are his best attributes, Dylan Collett has developed an effective tackling technique in terms of coming out of the line to negate the opposition attack, he will not aim of the big hit but he is effective at wrapping out the ball and preventing the play from developing further, his natural strength is a key attribute here.* When Dylan Collett is beaten on the outside, he has reasonable speed to be able to recover and chase but as he plays against faster outside backs this will become more problematic for him.
At just 21 years old Dylan Collett will start his third year in the Group Two First Grade competition in 2018 and I still am finding it hard to believe that he has not gotten opportunities at a higher level specifically the Queensland Cup but with his youth it is not out of the realms of possibility that he will throw his hat into the ring for a Queensland Cup opportunity.* Dylan Collett will also be a certain starter in the East Coast Dolphins U23 side and from there will push for a New South Wales Country U23 jersey.
Anthony Don also played for the Grafton Ghosts prior to linking with the Titans as a “mature” age player, so hopefully lightning will strike twice for the Titans and Dylan Collett.
For the last couple of seasons I have been waiting for Dylan Collett to move into the second row and I am still waiting.* This season Dylan Collett was once again not just the best centre in the Group Two competition but the best player overall.* I still think that Dylan Collett ends up in the second row but maybe I am just stubborn.
If you look at how Isiah yeo of the Penrith Panthers plays you may get an understanding of how Dylan Collett currently plays, Yeo started off as a straight running centre who has developed his skills to be a hard working backrower, I believe that Dylan Collett will have a similar path from a position perspective.
Austin (Aussie) Cooper. The exceptionally athletic South Grafton Rebels youngster has endured a lot since signing with the Gold Coast Titans as a 14 year old when he was spotted and signed by former coach John Cartwright.* Horror knee and shoulder injuries amongst other issues have conspired to impact on his development however.* The 2017 year was different however as the 20 year old showed what he can do when he is fit, healthy and motived.
The young second rower had a great year in the Group Two First Grade competition showcasing his incredible athletic skills accompanied by strength and power in a big strong frame.* It has been a long long time since I have seen such athleticism from such a big strong young man and the scary part his fitness will only continue to improve.
In the Group Two First Grade competition Austin Cooper played in fifteen matches for the Rebels and averaged a try a game on his way to finishing as the third leading try scorer in the competition.* In total Austin Cooper scored 62 points from his fifteen tries and sole goals which came in June against Coffs Harbour when he converted his final try of the Sunday afternoon.
Austin Cooper scored four tries in an April match against Nambucca Heads and also scored doubles against Coffs Harbour in two separate matches, Woolgoolga and Sawtell.* Austin Cooper started in the second row in the Rebels Grand Final loss to local rivals the Grafton Ghosts.
In 2017 Austin Cooper also represented Group Two at the U23 level being part of their dominant win over Group Three and post that match was selected in the East Coast Dolphins U23 side in the second row for the New South Wales Country U23 Championships.
Running the ball Austin Cooper is a powerhouse and in addition to unbelievable top end speed also has plus speed off the mark.* I do not recall a run of his in 2017 when he did not bend the defensive line backwards as he impacts the defensive line at an incredible velocity and it always takes multiple defenders to halt his progress.* He also continues to pump his legs after impact, making more yardage than you would think possible after contact.
On a couple of occasions for South Grafton he has received the ball in a bit of space and on those occasions, actually has a decent in and away to get around defenders and understandably a powerful fend.* He has tended to run to the right side of the field to date for South Grafton.
Austin Cooper is an unbelievably powerful young man, with a strong solid frame and a low centre of gravity and unbelievable speed for a young man his size.* I seriously cannot recall seeing someone with such a solid build being so fast regardless of the level of the competition.
Defensively Austin Cooper just smashes the opposition regardless of size, taking advantage of his strength advantage over most opponents, and he also very good at finishing off the tackle and then winning the wrestle on the ground. He does need to refine his defensive technique when tackling one on one as he seems to tackle a little chest on from my perspective at least but he compensates with his physical attributes.
At just 20 years old Austin Cooper will start his second year in the Group Two First Grade competition in 2018 with the South Grafton Rebels where he plays with his also very talented younger brothers.* Austin Cooper will also be a certain starter in the East Coast Dolphins U23 side and from there will push for a New South Wales Country U23 jersey.
It may take him another year or two of staying fit and healthy but if he can I can see opportunities at the Queensland Cup level.* With a 186cm 110kg frame and extraordinary speed and strength to go with it Austin Cooper has all of the physical attributes that you are looking for in a rugby league second rower. Austin Cooper actually was looking to test himself in the Queensland Cup Colts competition in 2014 with the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.
From a player comparison perspective I am going a touch left field, but with his size, strength, power and speed, Austin Cooper reminds me in many respects of former Warriors and New Zealand International Ali Lauitiiti who recently retired from the English Super League after stints with Wakefield Trinity and Leeds.
If Austin Cooper can stay fit, healthy and motivated, he has all of the requisite skills to be a contributor in the Queensland Cup and from there every player is a step away from the NRL.* Yes I acknowledge that that scenario is far from certain but you just never know where the next talented rugby league player will be found.
By the way his two younger brothers are also chances making a name for themselves in rugby league circles as well, in fact 18 year old Lewis Cooper is being chased by both rugby league and Super 12 rugby sides and like his brother is also an exceptionally athletic powerful athlete.
Nathan Watts. The former Titans NYC front rower had an outstanding debut season in the Queensland Cup for the Redcliffe Dolphins in 2017 including starting in Round One and also starting in the front row in the Dolphins finals series including a tough 6 – 4 finals loss to eventual premiers PNG.
Nathan Watts made his Queensland Cup debut in Round One this season when he started in the front row against the Burleigh Bears.* Injuries however meant that he played only one more Queensland Cup match until Round Sixteen when he came back in the Redcliffe side where he stayed for the remainder of the 2017 Queensland Cup season including the Dolphins finals matches.
In total Nathan Watts was on the field for 393 minutes through twelve matches’ games, making 976 metres and also making 199 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 89.6% in the Queensland Cup in 2017.* Nathan Watts also broke 24 tackles and had one offload on the season. Nathan Watts scored two Queensland Cup tries in 2017, his first coming in his debut in Round One against the Burleigh Bears and his second against Tweed heads in Round Twenty Three.
Nathan Watts’s 2017 per game Queensland Cup averages included playing 32.75 minutes per game, running for 75.1 metres and making 16.6 tackles.
Of the twelve matches that he played in Nathan Watts came off the interchange bench on five occasions, started at lock in two and started five in the front row including Redcliffe’s two finals matches.
Of the 976 metres that he made in 2017, Nathan Watts made 265 of those post contact thus 27% of all his running metres were made after he had impacted the defensive line, including running for 38 post contact metres against the Burleigh Bears in Round Seventeen.
In three of his twelve matches, Nathan Watts ran for in excess of 100 metres, by coincidence running for 103 metres on each occasion. Those matches were in Round Twenty Three against Tweed Heads, Round Twenty Five against the Northern Pride and Redcliffe’s Preliminary Final loss to PNG.
Defensively Nathan Watts made 38 tackles in just 29 minutes in Round Seventeen against the Burleigh Bears and in Round Twenty Five against the Northern Pride he made 34 tackles in just 36 minutes on the field.
For the Titans in the NYC competition in 2016, Nathan Watts played in twenty four matches running for in excess of 100 metres and 24 tackles a match.* In total Nathan Watts played in twenty eight NYC matches for the Titans over the course of the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Nathan Watts is a solidly built young front rower with a low centre of gravity, which makes him quite difficult to tackle as he is also adept at dropping his shoulder into defenders as he impacts the defensive line.* *There is no subtlety to his game, he runs straight and hard, with the only concession to this being a slight step off his left foot in occasion prior to impacting the defensive line.
One thing that Nathan Watts does do will however is continuing to pump his legs once his initial momentum is halted by the defensive line, he makes more metres than he should as a result and also forces defending teams to commit multiple defensive assets to stopping his progress.* He does not have a real off load to his attacking game, but that is not his role, his role is to take the ball into the heart of the opposition’s defensive line and make as many metres as possible.
For a player of his size and position Nathan Watts actually has decent speed off the mark but obviously does not necessary have great top end speed.* Nathan Watts shows flashes of the ability to off load the football when engaged with the defensive line but it is not a skill attribute that you see often not are you likely to into the future as that his not his primary role on a rugby league team.
When Nathan Watts hits you you stay hit, due to his height he is able to drive into the ribs of larger forwards and as his centre of gravity is usually lower than that of the person that he is defending against he is able to negatively impact on their momentum and balance and bring them to ground very quickly and is strong enough to win the wrestle and slow the play the ball down to allow his sides defensive line to re-establish itself before the opposition run their next play.
Nathan Watts will continue to enhance his growing reputation in 2018 once again with the Redcliffe Dolphins in the Queensland Cup and with the Dolphins losing two of their front rowers to the Bronco’s NRL squad the expectations and reliance on Nathan Watts will increase.
With his 183cm, 103kg low to the ground frame Nathan Watts will continue to play in the front row for the remainder of his rugby league career whether that is in the NRL or the Queensland Cup.
From a player comparison perspective, I would consider that a player with a similar build and a similar playing style is North Queensland Cowboys, Queensland and Australian front rower Matt Scott as a front rower who is not flashy but works hard to put his team on the front foot through gaining ground through the centre of the ruck.
Max Elliott. Sorry all, I could not help myself, Max Elliott has been one of my favourite players ever since I saw him play at the age of thirteen in Northern New South Wales for the Titans Development Squads, progressing all the way through to being outstanding for the Titans NYC squad in 2015 before heading to the Bronco’s with his brother Sam for the 2016 season.* Max Elliott played the 2016 season with the Brisbane Broncos NYC side before spending the 2017 season with the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in the Queensland Cup.
In 2016 the 21 year old former Lismore Marist Brothers junior represented New South Wales U20 and 2013 he was part of the Australian Institute of Sport School Boy side that toured New Zealand after making the side from St John’s College Woodlawn in Northern New South Wales.* Former Titans NYC star Sam Swift was also part of the AIS touring party.
For the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in 2017 Max Elliott played in thirteen contests in the Queensland Cup including starting on the inter change bench in Round One and moving into the starting line-up in Round Nine against the Townsville Blackhawks in the front row. Max Elliott started one match in the front row, two in the second row, two from the interchange bench and his remaining matches at lock and scored his sole 2017 try in Round Twelve.
In total Max Elliott was on the field for 516 minutes, making 947 metres and also making 289 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 90.6% in the Queensland Cup in 2017.* Max Elliott also broke 20 tackles and had four offloads on the season.
Max Elliott’s 2017 per game Queensland Cup averages included playing 40 minutes per game, running for 73 metres and making 22 tackles. On three occasions Max Elliott ran for in excess of 100 metres in a match including running for 137 in a Round Fifteen match against the North’s Devils and in Round Nineteen Max Elliott made 45 tackles in just 63 minutes on the field.
Of the 947 metres that he made in 2017, Max Elliott made 378 of those post contact thus 40% of all his running metres were made after he had impacted the defensive line, including running for 54 post contact metres in Round Thirteen and 51 post contact metres in Rounds Fourteen and Sixteen.
Over the course of the 2017 Max Elliott also played in the In Safe Hands Cup which is the Brisbane A Grade competition, playing four games and scoring a solitary try.
In total in the NYC competition for the Broncos in 2016, Max Elliott played 1 051 minutes across twenty four matches, running for 1 873 metres from 195 carries and made 526 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 93%.* Max Elliott’s 2016 NYC per game averages included playing 38 minutes, taking 8 runs for 78 metres and making 22 tackles.
In total in the NYC competition in 2015 for the Titans, Max Elliott played 921 minutes, running for 1 653 metres from 169 carries and made 473 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 89%.* Max Elliott’s 2015 NYC per game averages included playing 42 minutes, taking 7.7 hit-ups for 75 metres and making 21.5 tackles.
Max Elliott is a big strong powerful aggressive young man and uses these attributes when he runs with the ball, he will take the line on and look to drop his shoulder into the defender who is looking initiate contact. Max Elliott can also off load the football both before the line and when he is being tackled, he seems to be one of those players with the innate ability to get his hands free, or more accurately his right hand free.
Max Elliott is always the player standing back deep from kick ups to take the first hit up and will charge straight at the line. Max Elliott also is quite quick for a big young bloke, both in terms of explosive speed off the mark and agile from a footwork perspective but also with speed over an extended distance.
In defence, Max Elliott can certainly hit very hard and for a solidly built player has quite decent endurance thus allowing him to get back quickly into the defensive line play after play.* *Where he is also very good, due to his good athletic skills is for a front rower is effectively tackling smaller attackers in the centre of the ruck.* * Max Elliott does not fall for dummies and is difficult to step as he mirrors the lateral movement of the attacker to effectively wrap up the opposing player.
Max Elliott will line up for Wynnum Manly again I believe in 2018 in the Queensland Cup and hopefully will have a good run in the game day seventeen. I will admit I would love to see Max Elliott playing for either Burleigh or Tweed Heads but regardless he is great to watch with his tough aggressive attitude on display.
For me Max Elliott has been used incorrectly the last couple of seasons where he has spent a lot of time playing in the front row.* Whilst he is certainly tough enough to play there, Max Elliott is a little under sized there at 186cm and 103g and also cannot use his footwork as well as he can if he played wider of the ruck in the second row or at lock.
The Brisbane Broncos, Queensland State of Origin and Australian International lock Josh Maguire is a great player comparison for Max Elliott.* Like Maguire, Max Elliott works all day both in attack and defence and when you least except in, he will produce a great offload or massive hit to ignite his team. Also like Josh Maguire, Max Elliott is more effective when he has the freedom to use his footwork wider of the ruck rather than just taking the ball forward into a set defensive line.
Hayden Schwass. The young former Titans NYC player and Mudgeeraba Red backs junior spent the 2016-17 off season training with the Titans NRL squad but injuries prevented the hard tackling former centre from making his mark. As a result Hayden Schwass spent the 2017 playing with the Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup competition. Hayden Schwass’s twin brother Daniel was also a Titans NYC and Burleigh Bears player but has recently retired to continue his refereeing career.
In 2017 the 185cm 90kg second rower played fourteen matches primarily off the interchange bench and over the course of the season ran for 1 224 metres and made 430 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 85.1%, Hayden Schwass also offloaded the ball on seven occasions. Hayden Schwass’s 2017 Queensland Cup per game averages included running for 87.4 metres and making 31 tackles. Coming back from injury Hayden Schwass also played one match for Burleigh in the Gold Coast A grade competition in 2017.
Hayden Schwass is a hard running former centre with solid footwork, obviously developed from his time in the centres, he has good late and quick foot work which enables him to change direction well allowing him to readjust where he is running to take advantage of either a late developing hole in the defensive line or where the defensive line is repositioning late.
In terms of his play in the centres, like when he plays in the back row he runs straight lines with footwork, usually outside the opposing centre and looks to exploit his strength advantage against opposing centres. Hayden Schwass has decent top end speed and similarly decent speed off the mark but I would not categorise either in the above average or plus category.
Defensively Hayden Schwass hits very hard and usually aims for around the waist and has a solid, compact, repeatable technique. Hayden Schwass also has a touch of aggression in his play and definitely finishes off each tackle that he is involved in. He has quickly become adept at defending on the fringes and his initial contact is more than sufficient to make an impact on the ball carrier. His lateral speed is good and thus he can defend well against nippy runners.
At 22 years old Hayden Schwass will line up once again for the Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup in 2017 and the defensive minded second rower will also be pushing for a Queensland Residents side.
Even though at 90kg Hayden Schwass is on the small side for a rugby league second rower, with his defensive technique and speed from his days as a centre, Hayden Schwass has developed into a very talented second rower who would not let anyone down in the NRL.
A player comparison would possibly be someone like former Storm, Cowboys and Qld player Dallas Johnson, as a smaller player who will get absolutely everything out of the skills that he has both from a physical and technical perspective.
Mr Bods
15-12-17, 03:09 PM
MDREW-do you know of a PBC young man named Jordan Tauali’i??
If you do what comments can you make on him for me please.
MDREW-do you know of a PBC young man named Jordan Tauali’i??
If you do what comments can you make on him for me please.
Jordan Tauali’i. The giant young Tweed Heads Seagulls had a very solid 2017 season commencing with representing Group 18 at the U16 level and then progressing through to playing for the East Coast Dolphins U16 side in the New South Wales Country Age Championships. Jordan Tauali’i finished the season by participating in the Titans U16 High Performance Unit camp in Lennox Heads and starting for the Titans in their U16 match against a Western Mustangs selection.
The Palm Beach Currumbin High School student who is in the Rugby League Excellence program at the school scored two tries for the East Coast Dolphins U16 side earlier this season, both coming in the first round when he scored a double against the Central Coast. East Coast Dolphins U16 team mates included fellow Titans linked youngster Ben Liyou and Kade Hill.
The East Coast Dolphins U16 side actually made the New South Wales Country U16 final with Jordan Tauali’i starting the final in the front row. Post the final Jordan Tauali’i was named as a starting front rower in the New South Wales Country U16 side that toured New Zealand’s South Island convincingly winning both matches. Fellow Titans linked youngsters Ben Liyou and Kade Hill were also part of the New South Wales Country U16 touring side.
Jordan Tauali’i was born in Auckland and moved with his family in Australian when he was just 18 months old. In addition to playing rugby league Jordan Tauali’i also played two seasons in rugby with the Currumbin Alligators before moving back to rugby league. Jordan Tauali’i was also a nominee for the Aquis Sports Person of the Year. Jordan Tauali’i has also represented Samoa on a number of occasions including in 2015 playing for Samoa U14’s against a Titans U14 Development Squad captained by Brent Barnes. The Titans U14’s won the match 28 – 10.
Jordan Tauali’i is a big powerful young man who whilst using his size to his advantage by running hard and straight, he does have quite decent footwork prior to the defensive line, which he uses to cut back behind the ball to take advantage of defenders who are slow to get back into the defensive line. Whilst he does not seem to offload the ball too often, when he does get his arms free he only passes when his support is in a better position, which is a sign of maturity for such a young player. He continually put his hand up all day to take the ball up and due to his agility for a big young man is able to generate quick play the balls so that his team can maintain or generate momentum.
From a speed perspective for such a big strong young man, Jordan Tauali’i actually has a more than decent first step to generate speed to impact the defensive line and also quick foot work that may come as a surprise to some for a young man his size.
In defence Jordan Tauali’i uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. He is not averse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage and reasonable agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck, although clearly he is more effective in the centre of the ruck, as most rugby league forwards are. Jordan Tauali’i does however show flashes of above average lateral mobility which he uses to his benefit both in attack and defence.
Jordan Tauali’i will play the 2018 season at the U17 Division One on the Gold Coast and is line to represent the East Coast Dolphins at the U18 level as well as playing a leading hand for PBC in the school boy Super Six and GIO Cup competitions.
With his size strength and power Jordan Tauali’i is certainly going to stay in the front row for the duration of his rugby league career, even though he did spend some time in the centres a few years ago.
The way that Jordan Tauali’i handles himself on the football field reminds me of Sydney Roosters and New Zealand International enforcer Jarrod Warera-Hargraves as a big strong forward with a skill set that belies the intimidating presence that he projects on the field in the most demanding position on a football field, he has plenty of raw talent to work with.
DIEHARD
15-12-17, 03:36 PM
You are amazing mdrew
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