My take on our top juniors

[Mr Bods]

He’s a superstar and he should be on the Titans staff

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Thanks heaps mdrew by the way

[mdrew]

Nelson Grove. (Updated) The young PBC second rower has been a defensive stand out in his age group for the last couple of years and the 2017 season was no different with Nelson Grove who once again lining up for Burleigh in club rugby league and also for the Gold Coast Vikings Green U16 team that played a Western Mustangs U16 selection in a trial in Toowoomba as well as for PBC in relation to the GIO and Super Six competitions.

Nelson Grove’s outstanding 2017 season also included being selected in the Queensland U16 side where he was one of six Burleigh youngsters in the Queensland Side for the State of Origin curtain raiser. 2017 also saw Nelson Grove selected in the Queensland Academy of Sport U16 squad. Previously Nelson Grove has been part of the Brisbane Broncos Junior Development Program.

For the Burleigh Bears in the U16 Division One competition in 2017 Nelson Grove started at lock in their tough 34 – 4 Grand Final loss to the Currumbin Eagles. Over the course of the 2017 GCJRL U16 Division One competition, Nelson Grove played in thirteen matches and scored twenty points which came from four tries and two conversions. Nelson Grove’s tries came against Ormeau, Runaway Bay and Helensvale in two separate late season matches. His conversions came in consecutive mid-season matches against Runaway Bay (when he converted his own try) and against Ormeau.

Nelson Grove also played one match for the Burleigh Bears in the GCJRL U17 Division One competition with that match being against the Ormeau Shearers backing up from the U16 match earlier in the night.

In 2017 Nelson Grove also represented South East Queensland Green at the U16 level in the 2017 Queensland Rugby League U16 Boys Junior Championships. In those Championships, Nelson Grove played in four matches which were against Central, Northern and South East Queensland White, including the final. Nelson Grove’s sole U16 Championship try came on Day Two against Northern.

In 2016 Nelson Grove also started in Burleigh’s Grand Final winning side in the U15 Division One competition and across the 2016 season he scored five tries and kicked 13 goals and a field goal to finish with a total points tally of 47. Nelson Grove had a great start to the 2016 season scoring a hat trick and kicking eight goals in the first round of the season proper against the Ormeau Shearers for a 30 point haul in the match.

Nelson Grove’s other tries in 2016 came against Southport and Helensvale later in the season and in a match in July against Runaway Bay Nelson Grove kicked four goals. Nelson Grove over the course of the 2016 season also played two matches up in the U16 Division One competition and in his debut in that grade scored a try against Helensvale after backing up from the U15 match earlier in the night.

Nelson Grove represented South Coast in the U15 QSSRL Championships in 2016 and from there went on to represent Queensland Maroon at the U15 ASSRL Championships where a team mate was Brent Barnes against other Gold Coast based players in that team.

Nelson Grove is a very well balanced runner of the ball with exceptional hands for a back rower and can pluck bad passes from the dummy half effortlessly and continue his run into the defensive line with little loss of momentum and no wasted effort. The above average speed to Nelson Grove has is also an invaluable attribute that Nelson Groves possesses which enables him to be a very effective runner both in the middle of the ruck or wider out including running as far out as between centres from set pieces such as scrums where he can utilise the speed and also his size to great advantage.

Nelson Grove also has the ability to off load the ball both in tackles or prior to the defensive line where he will draw in one or two defenders before releasing the ball to his support runners. In terms of running wider out, Nelson Grove has almost perfected the art of getting his right free to off load to his outside backs.

Just like his attacking play, Nelson Grove has some very good defensive attributes not the least being an effective tackling technique which includes correct head placement. Too often even in first grade do you see players put their head in the wrong place even in front on tackles let alone side on tackles, but is something that you will not see from Nelson Grove in games.

Nelson Grove is drives with the correct shoulder and puts the ball carrier on the ground effectively and efficiently. Along with Kyle Fairbank and Kyah Watts, Nelson Grove has one of the best low tackling techniques for a forward in his age group in South East Queensland.

The Burleigh Bears will once again have the services of Nelson Grove for the upcoming 2018 season where he will play at the U17 Division One level and he may also get a run in the GCRL U19 competition. Nelson Grove will also be in line to part of the PBC GIO Cup and Super Six campaigns, playing in the open age group where PBC will battle the likes of local rivals Coombabah and Keebra Park.

Nelson Grove has consistently been one of the better, hardworking and most determined players in his age group on the Gold Coast and there is no reason to suggest that that trend will not continue. For me the way that Nelson Grove plays the game is similar to that of New Zealand Warrior and New Zealand International Simon Mannering as a solid all round backrower all be it a touch on the small side who is above average in all other aspects of the game of rugby league.

[mdrew]

Mitchell Farlow. The young lock or front rower from the Highfields club in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition has recently been awarded a Titans Development Scholarship after a solid season in the Toowoomba Junior Rugby League U16 competition as well as a solid performance for the Western Mustangs U16 Development Squad that played a match against the Titans U16 Development Squad in Lenox Heads in Northern New South Wales in early October this year.

Mitchell Farlow started a lock in the Grand Final but his Highfields side were defeated by Toowoomba South’s 32 - 20. Fellow Titans Scholarship recipients Connor Williams (lock - Toowoomba Souths) and Jack Sullivan (front row - Highfields) also started in the Grand Final that afternoon. Over the course of the U16 competition, Mitchell Farlow started in nine matches for Highfields, including the Grand Final but did not cross the try line, it certainly was not through lack of effort that is for sure.

In 2017 Mitchell Farlow represented Toowoomba U16’s at the South West Mustangs U16 trials and from there was selected in the front row for the South West Mustangs side that participated in the U16 Central Division Carnival. At the conclusion of the Central Division Carnival Mitchell Farlow was selected in the Central Crows U16 side for the Queensland Age Championships.

Running with the football, Mitchell Farlow 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. Mitchell Farlow 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. Mitchell Farlow actually does have a decent off load when he has impacted the defensive line as well.

Defensively Mitchell Farlow is a solid 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.

Mitchell Farlow 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, 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 a future in the higher echelons of senior rugby league is certainly feasible.

In relation to the upcoming 2018 season, Mitchell Farlow has been named in the 93 strong (yes 93) initial Western Mustangs MM Cup training squad and in relation to club rugby league, Mitchell Farlow will move up to the Toowoomba Senior Rugby League competition where he will play in the U18 competition for Highfields and Districts.

The big strong barrel chested young man is certainly going to play in the centre third of the field and thus will be either a front rower or a lock over the remainder of his rugby league career.

From a player comparison perspective, one player with a similar playing style from my perspective is Parramatta Eels front rower Nathan Brown, as a solid forward who will probably never be a star but will be a solid contributor to a team’s forward pack.

Likely there will be players with more natural ability that will not go as far in rugby league as Mitchell Farlow will, simply because he will make the most of the ability he has through sheer hard work, effort and determination.

[mdrew]

Good Q&A with the Western Mustangs Colts signing

http://www.kiwileaguecentral.com/latest/hedi-moani-kafoa-qa/


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.

[Wayne1969]

Cody McNiece is now officially a Titans high performance Unit Member.

Nice about Cody McNiece

[mdrew]

Ronin Rio. He is a local young utility originally from Wellington in New Zealand and plays on the Gold Coast for the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club and was part of the 2016 Gold Coast CC White side coached by Tim McIntyre. 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. Ronin Rio has been named in the Burleigh Bears 2018 MM Cup training squad. From a trivia perspective Ronin Rio is the younger brother of Titans linked Jaman Rio who played for Tweed Heads in MM Cup and U20 Colts competitions this year.

In relation to the 2017 season Ronin Rio played for the Burleigh Bears in the GCJRL U17 Division One competition, playing in a total of six contest scoring three tries including a double against Mudgeeraba and a try against Ormeau. Ronin Rio also played one match for Burleigh in the U19 Gold Coast Rugby League competition which was against Runaway bay in August. Interestingly in prior years Ronin Rio was a utility back but this season played primarily at hooker.

In terms of his distribution out of dummy half, Ronin Rio is 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.

Ronin Rio’s speed out of dummy half could be considered a touch above average for a hooker but due to his functional strength he is able to make ground through the centre of the ruck based on strength alone, however I note that with the increased standard of competition he is about to face Ronin Rio’s strength advantage will be mitigated somewhat. Once in open space he does not appear to have the speed required to finish things off himself but he invariably will make a quick 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.

Ronin Rio’s 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 drives upwards with his shoulders to drive into opposing forwards bodies. 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 head placement and is able to make multiple tackles in any given defensive set of six tackles over the course of a match.

Ronin Rio is part of the training squad for Burleigh Bears MM Cup squad this coming season and will also be a part of the Burleigh U19 side in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition.

Ronin Rio’s ultimate position is an interesting one, prior to this season I thought that he would be a utility back who could play a number of backline positions but he played well enough at hooker that staying in the hooker role is now the more likely scenario and thus the analysis above relates to his play at dummy half.

Based on limited observations of Ronin Rio playing at hooker, 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, Ronin Rio is a more than capable runner out of dummy half and a very solid defender with developing distribution skills.

[mdrew]

Glenn McGrady. (Updated) The talented young former Goondiwindi youngster from the Warwick and Districts Junior Rugby League had having an incredible first season for the Bilambil Jets, representing the club in both the U17 Division One and U19 competitions. Glenn McGrady was also a standout performer for PBC as they progressed all the way to the Queensland GIO Cup semi-finals losing in the end 22 – 20 to Marsden State High School.

Over the course of the 2017 season the young five eight played in fourteen U17 Division One matches scoring twelve tries to lead the competition try scoring tally and has also kicked twenty five goals to have 98 points on the season. Glenn McGrady also played in seven U19 matches scoring five tries and kicking fourteen goals for 48 points on the season.

Glenn McGrady had a great U19 debut in July against Ormeau after playing in the U17 match earlier in the day and what a debut the young man had, he scored a double and kicked three goals as well to finish with 14 points for the match. Glenn McGrady in fact started at fullback for Bilambil in the Gold Coast U19 Grand Final kicking three conversions in Bilambil’s 34 – 20 Grand Final win over Tugun.

In the U19 competition Glenn McGrady, in addition to his debut double he also scored a double against Tugun in a regular season match and also scored against Currumbin and on four occasions kicked three goals in a match.

At the U17 Division One level, Glenn McGrady scored an incredible five tries in a Round Two match against the Ormeau Shearers and also kicked five goals in that match as well for 30 points. Glenn McGrady also scored a double a fortnight later against Helensvale and in July against Mudgeeraba he scored 16 points in a match from a try and six goals. The following week against Burleigh Glenn McGrady kicked six conversions in a win over Burleigh and in the Preliminary Final Glenn McGrady scored a try and kicked a goal in their loss to Ormeau which knocked them out of the competition this season.

Glenn McGrady 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 Glenn McGrady 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. Glenn McGrady drifts across field very slowly and then just takes off through any gaps in a staggered defensive line.

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.

Glenn McGrady is eligible for the MM Cup competition in 2018 and has been named in the Tweed heads Seagulls MM Cup squad and when that competition is completed Glenn McGrady will play the remainder of the season in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition. It would not surprise at all to see Glenn McGrady play some Gold Coast First Grade with Bilambil and/or move immediately upon completion of the MM Cup competition to the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts side.

Glenn McGrady will also play for the PBC Open schoolboy side in their GIO Cup and Super Six campaigns and is also a likely starter in the South Coast U18 School boy side for the QSSRL U18 Championships and it would not surprise at all to see Glenn McGrady make the Queensland U18 Open School boys side for the ASSRL U18 Championships next year.

From a position perspective, due to how Glenn McGrady 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.

Glenn McGrady 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 and certainly for me at least the most surprising player that I have seen in the Gold Coast rugby league competition.

From my perspective, a talented, unselfish attacking player with similar attributes is Brisbane Broncos five eight Anthony Miford. Like Milford, Glenn McGrady has great acceleration to go along with a wicked sidestep and the play making skills to make opposition teams pay if defences look to focus too much on him.

[mdrew]

Tyler Mahon. The young Burleigh Bears U16 Division One player and Marymount College Year 11 student has continued to develop his skill set and as a consequence of his play with both Burleigh Heads and Marymount College Tyler Mahon has been selected in the 2018 Burleigh MM Cup training squad which starts next February.

For Burleigh in the U16 GCJRL Division One competition, Tyler Mahon played in twelve matches all at five eight including their Grand Final loss in early September to the Currumbin Eagles. Over the course of the season, Tyler Mahon scored five tries including a double in Round One against Helensvale and Tyler Mahon also scored against Ormeau and Helensvale on two other occasions. Tyler Mahon also played one match for Burleigh in the U17 Division Two competition.

The Year 11 Marymount College Burleigh Heads student represented his school with distinction at the 2017 Queensland Independent Secondary Schools Rugby League (QISSRL) Carnival held at Padua College in Brisbane earlier this year. Marymount College in fact were the Bob Linder trophy winners beating fellow Gold Coast School Aquinas College in the final and also the QRL Referees Fair Play Award Winners. In the QISSRL Carnival, Tyler Mahon played in all six of Marymount’s matches scoring in a 32 – 0 victory over Aquinas College in the Bob Lindner Trophy final and also in Marymount’s final match of the carnival against Emmaus College Bundaberg on a 12 – 6 victory.

In terms of running the ball, it is not something that Tyler Mahon necessarily did a lot of during the 2017 but when he does run he has reasonable speed off the mark and a subtle but still pronounced step, but Tyler Mahon’s running of the ball is likely only ever going to be a compliment to his passing and tactical kicking game rather than his primary skill however the ability to keep defences honest by taking running opportunities when they present themselves is still an important attribute in rugby league. When he does run Tyler Mahon runs with the ball out in front of his body in both hands casting a degree of doubt in the defensive line regularly.

Tyler Mahon’s calling card moving forward is clearly going to be his passing game, and this is what will set up the other parts of his game such as taking the line on and also differentiate him from other young play makers. From what I have seen Tyler Mahon is reasonably quick off the mark but still will be able to make some line breaks when teams focus on him passing and ignore him in terms of running the football especially as games progress into the second half.

Tyler Mahon reads the play well and is tenacious when defending against much bigger players who look to target him in the defensive line. He will hold on and look to slow the attacker down until defensive help arrives. Against players his size Tyler Mahon’s strength and technique is more than sufficient to address any attackers running in his direction.

Tyler Mahon will be back at Marymount College for his senior year and will play for his school side once again in the GIO Cup, Titans Cup and QISSRL competitions. Tyler Mahon will also play for the Burleigh Bears U17 Division One side and as previously noted has been selected in the Burleigh MM Cup training squad for 2018 that recently played development/trial matches against Redcliffe and Wynnum. Fellow Burleigh youngster Zane Harris and Tyler Mahon may well be great competition for each other in the race for the starting five eight position come the start of the MM Cup competition in February 2018.

With his trait of running with the ball on both hands and his quick release of the ball when passing Tyler Mahon projects as an ideal five eight and whilst I agree, it does intrigue me how Tyler Mahon would go playing at fullback where he could play as a second five eight as well as having the ability to exploit any gaps in the defensive line when returning kicks.

For me the playing style of Tyler Mahon is similar to that of St George Dragons England Test five eight and recent Dally M five eight of the year Gareth Widdop as a solid player who compliments the players around him rather than him being the dominating presence on an individual level.

[mdrew]

Dakota Whalan. (Updated) Dakota Whalan finished his 2017 rugby league commitments by attending a Titans U16 Elite Performance camp at Lenox Heads and at that camp was part of the Titans side that played against the Western Mustangs side that also attended the camp. Not that it is necessarily relevant but the U16 Titans High Performance Unit won in a high quality match eight tries to two.

The young hooker started in the 2017 season at hooker for the Gold Coast Vikings Green U16 side that played a Western Mustangs U16 selection in Toowoomba recently with the Gold Coast Green side winning the match 24 – 8 against a committed opposition side. As noted the Titans linked youngster represented Gold Coast Green in the South East Queensland U16 pre-season competition and then progressed to the GCJRL U16 Division One competition.

Dakota Whalan started off the U16 Division One season with the Southport Tigers playing in four matches for them before obtaining a clearance to move to the Burleigh Bears. Dakota Whalan made his U16 Division One debut for Burleigh in early June against Ormeau and in total played seven matches in the Burleigh’s maroon and white including starting at hooker in Burleigh’s 34 – 4 Grand Final loss against Currumbin.

Dakota Whalan scored two late season tries while playing for Burleigh with those tries coming in consecutive weeks against Currumbin in the final regular season round and in Burleigh’s first semi-final against Helensvale.

Dakota Whalan played the 2016 season for the Southport Tigers in the U15 Division One competition on the Gold Coast where he scored three tries from seven matches, including a double in the first regular season round against Beaudesert and Dakota Whalan also scored late in the season against the Helensvale Hornets.

Dakota Whalan 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. Dakota Whalan looks to lead his forwards onto the ball and provides a flat pass to enable his forwards to time their run onto the ball. Dakota Whalan 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 Dakota Whalan has reasonable speed off the mark, probably in the average category for a hooker but 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.

Just like he is when he is at dummy half Dakota Whalan is vocal when he is in the defensive line looking to direct his forwards towards where the ball is likely heading and individually identifying which forward defends which attacker. Dakota Whalan certainly has a tough streak and will look to hit opposing forwards regardless of their size as hard as possible and looks to finish off each tackle with aggression. Dakota Whalan is also a solid worker when at marker and will chase and look to harass both ball runners and tactical kickers alike.

Dakota Whalan will play the 2018 season with the Burleigh Bears at the U17 Division One level.

Dakota Whalan has spent the last couple of season 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 I can see aspects of a playing style similar to that of Sydney Roosters Jake Friend in the play of Dakota Whalan as a hooker who looks to control his forward pack from the dummy half position and lets his team know what he wants from them.

[mdrew]

Tommas Skerke. (Updated) If you are looking for distribution out of dummy half you need to look no further than Tommas Skerke the talented young hooker from the Beaudesert Kingfishers who started off the season in the 2017 Gold Coast Green Vikings U16 side and finished it participating in the recently completed Titans U16 High Performance Unit camp and playing against the Western Mustangs squad at Lennox Heads in Northern New South Wales.

For the 2017 season Tommas Skerke transferred to the Runaway Bay Seagulls JRL club and played for them in the GCJRL U16 Division One competition. In that competition Tommas Skerke played fourteen matches scoring a sole try which came against Helensvale in early July.

For the Beaudesert Kingfishers in the U15 Division One competition Tommas Skerke played in seven matches in 2016. In addition Tommas Skerke played one match in the U16 Division Two competition and three in the U16 Division Three competition.

Tommas Skerke’s best attribute is his passing skills from the dummy half position. His passing is effective from both sides of his body and leads his forwards onto the ball by putting the ball out in front of his runners so that they can maintain momentum. Tommas Skerke does not have an overly long pass but his passing is accurate regardless of whether he is passing to a forward running the ball up or the half back looking to get the ball out wider. The stand out feature is the speed in which he gets the ball out of his hands at dummy half.

Tommas Skerke is not a huge threat to run the ball out of dummy half but will take what he is given if the defence does not consider him a threat at any particular time. His initial burst off the mark is reasonable and he has decent feet to enable him to create space, but he does not have the top end speed to break clear of the defensive line if he gets through a gap either by accepting an off load or by exploiting a gap in the defensive line.

Tommas Skerke’s first thought when coming into dummy half is to distribute the ball effectively to his support players. When close to the line he will dummy and get down low to the line when the opportunity presents but again this is a secondary consideration as he progressively works through his options in that part of the field.

In relation to his defence, Tommas Skerke will get in front of opposing forwards and look to slow their momentum. Due to his size he tackles low on almost every occasion, he just does not have the size to try to take on opposing forwards one on one, but he is tenacious and courageous, because even at the U16 level there are some huge boys running around. Tommas Skerke has very good endurance and projects as a hooker who will be able to play the full match without interchange something that he is already used to doing with his club side at Beaudesert.

Tommas Skerke will play the 2018 season with the Runaway Bay Seagulls at the U17 Division One level. From a position perspective Tommas Skerke is ideally suited to the hooking position with his speed out of dummy half and his distribution skills.

To me the playing style of Tommas Skerke is similar to that of former Wests Tiger and new South Sydney Rabbitoh Robbie Farrah as a hooker with very good distribution skills and speed out of dummy half that plays better as a result of his knack to run at the right time and with a plan on each occasion that he runs rather than running just for the sake of it.

[mdrew]

Jack Kenworthy. (Updated) The young organising Helensvale Hornets U16 half back or hooker has already played a couple of matches for the Titans Development Squads including in February 2017 and was also part of the Gold Coast Green U16 side that played in the U16 Pre-season Challenge including scoring in Round Three against Brisbane Grey.

Over the course of the U16 Division One competition The Coombabah State High School student played in thirteen matches for Helensvale scoring three tries which came against the Ormeau Shearers in June, in the final regular season round against Runaway Bay and Helensvale’s Preliminary final loss to Burleigh.

Even though Jack Kenworthy has above average 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 Jack Kenworthy to put doubt into the minds of the opposing defensive line and thus me can dummy and run if there is a gap in the defensive line or put his support runners into gaps. 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.

His 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 Jack Kenworthy as he has a very good long passing technique which delivers the ball quickly and accurately to the right place.

Jack Kenworthy 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. Jack Kenworthy also has a decent short kicking game especially close to the opposition line. I am 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 kicks.

Defensively Jack Kenworthy has decent size for a half back, and probably would be considered a bigger half for his age group on the Gold Coast, 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.

Jack Kenworthy will play the 2018 GCJRL season with the Helensvale Hornets in the U17 Division One competition as well as playing for Coombabah State High School in their various school boy competitions.

With his ability to control the pace of the game and direct his team around the field, Jack Kenworthy shapes as a talented rugby league half back going forward. I do note however that Jack Kenworthy has also played hooker at both club and representative level so it is not set in stone that he will not carve out a future at hooker.

From a player comparison perspective for Jack Kenworthy, 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.

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Cole Geyer. The talented young Currumbin Eagles hooker had an outstanding 2017 rugby league season both from a club and school boy perspective. For his Currumbin side Cole Geyer started at hooker in their 34 – 4 grand Final win over Burleigh scoring a try as well and Xavier Coates also proudly represented his school side being Marymount College in a number of school boy competitions including the GIO Cup when they lost in the last minute to Redbank Plains State High School in a great match.

Over the course of the U16 Division One season for Currumbin Cole Geyer played in twelve matches scoring eight tries. Cole Geyer had an outstanding start to the season scoring in each of his five games against Southport, Ormeau, Runaway Bay, Helensvale and Ormeau again. In the match against Helensvale, Cole Geyer in fact crossed for a double. Later in the season Cole Geyer also scored against Runaway bay and as noted scored against Burleigh in the U16 Division One Grand Final.

The Year 11 Marymount College Burleigh Heads student represented his school with distinction at the 2017 Queensland Independent Secondary Schools Rugby League (QISSRL) Carnival held at Padua College in Brisbane this year. Marymount College in fact were the Bob Linder trophy winners beating fellow Gold Coast School Aquinas College in the final and also the QRL Referees Fair Play Award Winners. In the QISSRL Carnival, Cole Geyer played in all six of Marymount’s matches scoring in a tough 16 – 8 loss to St Augustines College Cairns.

Cole Geyer’s best attribute is his passing skills from the dummy half position. His passing is effective from both sides of his body and leads his forwards onto the ball by putting the ball out in front of his runners so that they can maintain momentum. Cole Geyer does not have an overly long pass but his passing is accurate regardless of whether he is passing to a forward running the ball up or the half back looking to get the ball out wider. The stand out feature is the speed in which he gets the ball out of his hands at dummy half.

Cole Geyer is not a huge threat to run the ball out of dummy half but will take what he is given if the defence does not consider him a threat at any particular time. His initial burst off the mark is reasonable and he has decent feet to enable him to create space, but he does not have the top end speed to break clear of the defensive line if he gets through a gap either by accepting an off load or by exploiting a gap in the defensive line.

Cole Geyer’s first thought when coming into dummy half is to distribute the ball effectively to his support players. When close to the line he will dummy and get down low to the line when the opportunity presents but again this is a secondary consideration as he progressively works through his options in that part of the field.

In relation to his defence, Cole Geyer will get in front of opposing forwards and look to slow their momentum with solid initial contact. Cole Geyer is tenacious and courageous, because even at the U16 level there are some huge boys running around. Cole Geyer has very good endurance and projects as a hooker who will be able to play the full match without interchange something that he is already used to doing with his club side and School Boy sides.

Cole Geyer will be back at Marymount College for his senior year and will play for his school side once again in the GIO Cup, Titans Cup and QISSRL competitions. Cole Geyer will also play for the Currumbin Eagles U17 Division One and has been selected in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad for the upcoming 2018 season.

Cole Geyer is probably a fraction taller than your typical hooker but it has not stopped him at all being a very good distributor at dummy half and also being a more than solid defender. It is these attributes as well as his determination that has me convinced that Cole Geyer can develop into a very good hooker in coming seasons.

Cole Geyer for me has a similar playing style and mentality to talented Cronulla Sharks hooker Jayden Brailey. Both are incredibly hard working young players with a high level of endurance and heart in their game.

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Matt Kinchin. (Updated) He is a local young front rower who plays his club rugby league on the Gold Coast with Runaway Bay and over the course of the 2017 season played eleven matches in the U16 Division One competition and three in the U16 Division One competition.

In the U16 Division One competition, Matt Kinchin scored three tries from his eleven matches including a Round One try against Ormeau and tries in separate matches against Helensvale. In relation to his matches in the U17 Division One competition Matt Kinchin on all three occasions played in the U17 match after playing in the U16 match earlier. In the U17 Division One competition Matt Kinchin scored in his third and final match against Mudgeeraba.

In 2017 Matt Kinchin also represented Gold Coast Vikings Green in the South East Queensland U16 pre-season competition and after that competition was selected in the South East Queensland U16 Training Squad.

Previous seasons has seen Matt Kinchin make a number of U14 representative sides including the Vikings and South East Queensland. Matt Kinchin also started on the bench for the Titans U14 Development Squad late in 2015 against a giant Samoan side, a match which the Titans won 28 - 10.

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. The one thing that will stand out once you have watched him play in a number of games is the amount of defence he does. After watching him in a couple of games, you will just shake your head, because you will notice that it is the Number 8 or 10 making yet another tackle.

Matt Kinchin 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, including working hard out of the marker position.

Matt Kinchin will play at the U17 Division One level in 2018 for Runaway Bay and it will be interesting to see how many games he will play up an age group at the U19 level as in each of the last couple of years he has played a few matches up at a higher age group, which he again did in 2016.

In terms of position, Matt Kinchin 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 new Gold Coast Titan Jarred Wallace as a front rower who will probably take a little while to develop but will be a hard working player who knows his role within a team and does not deviate from it regardless of the circumstances of the match.

Matt Kinchin will never be a star but will work hard to a team player and get the most of his ability. Young players with more natural ability will fall by the way side while Matt Kinchin will not due to his professionalism and understanding of his role and his understanding and adherence to it.

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Jayden Tuapawa. (Updated) The young forward from the Coomera Cutters junior rugby league club had a great 2017 season on the Gold Coast across two competitions being the U143 Division Two and U15 Division One competitions. As a result of his hard running style, he proved to be a difficult proposition for defences to handle, crossing for 14 tries from 15 U14 Division Two matches and a try from five U15 Division One matches.

In the U14 Division Two competition for the Cutters, Jayden Tuapawa scored a Round One hat trick against Mudgeeraba and also scored a late season hat trick against Helensvale. He also scored doubles in consequetive mid-season matches against Nerang and Jimboomba. Unfortunately for Jayden Tuapawa and his U14 team mates they lost their 2017 Grand Final 32 -26 to Mudgeeraba, that day Jayden Tuapawa started in the front row.

In the U15 Division One competition Jayden Tuapawa made his debut in May against Helensvale and had a debut to remember by crossing the try line that Friday night.

Jayden Tuapawa currently attends Keebra Park State High School and obviously is part of a strong schoolboy program.

Jayden Tuapawa’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 forward, making it almost impossible for the cover defence to catch him once he is open space and he can also finish off the breaks he makes himself as on occasion his support players have had trouble keeping up with him when he is in open space.

Defences have had all sorts of trouble trying to contain him this season especially early in games, both in terms of him taking the ball up into the centre of the ruck, but he is almost unstoppable when he runs on the fringes of the ruck and he 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 big strong powerful young player who can cause nightmares for any defensive line.

For a forward 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.

At this stage Jayden Tuapawa does not off load prior to the line, but again we are talking about a young player here, who is still developing his skills and understanding of the game. I do not necessarily think that offloading is ever going to be a major part of his game but if this attribute continues to progress it will compliment other aspects of his game.

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. Jayden Tuapawa’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. 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 all of the time.

He will play the 2018 season with the Coomera Cutters at the U15 level.

From a position perspective, I cannot see a reason for Jayden Tuapawa to move away from the back row position where he is currently playing very good football. I appreciate that he played a fair bit of front row last season but I think that Jayden Tuapawa ends up in the second row when he has stopped developing physically.

From a style perspective, the one that stands out for me is Gavin Cooper, formally of the Titans and now a key member of the Cowboys forward pack, as a mobile, wide running backrower with some hardness to his game.

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Jayden Fazey. (Updated) He is a local young fullback from the Jimboomba Thunder junior rugby league club and over the last three or four years he has come on in leaps and bounds and whilst he may not be a “name” player in junior rugby league circles on the Gold Coast I would suggest that should change quickly.

In 2014 Jayden Fazey was playing with the Thunder in the U13 Division Three competition and since progressed through U14 Division One in 2015 the U15 level in 2016 and this season he played for the Thunder in the U16 Division Two competition.

This season for Jimboomba Jayden Fazey was only able to play in seven matches but still crossed for four tries including a late May double against Currumbin and early in the 2017 season he also scored against Beaudesert in Round One and Nerang in Round Three.

Over the course of the last couple of seasons, Jayden Fazey has been averaging around a try a game, including scoring 13 tries in 12 games at the U13 Division Three level in 2014 and in the U14 age group last season scored nine tries in only eight matches, but the most impressive part of his season was the last four matches he played in the 2015 where he crossed for 8 of his nine tries with a hat trick against Nerang, doubles against Robina and Currumbin and also a try against Runaway Bay. He has carried his form over to the 2016 season in the U15 grading competition, to be the leading try scorer through the grading rounds with 11 tries in seven matches including hat tricks against Robina and Coomera 2 as well as a double against Southport 2.

Jayden Fazey is a 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.

Jayden Fazey 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. The key thing for Jayden Fazey is that he has already this year shown that he will in the main make the right decision with the ball.

Jayden Fazey is making real progress in terms of identifying the defensive pattern in front of him and how it is adjusting to how the attack is unfolding in front of him. He is also very good at picking the right line to run without the ball so that his inside play makers are able to get the ball to him knowing that he is running the right line invariably into a gap.

Another attribute that Jayden Fazey has is his running out of dummy half, he takes off and tries to use footwork to beat the opposing forwards, he is especially good at this when one of his wingers returns a kick and he runs out of dummy on the next ruck, attacking the defensive line before it can be set correctly.

Jayden Fazey 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. When the kick goes to a winger, he is good at running out of dummy half prior to the defensive line getting set. In the game against Samoa, the conditions were difficult for fullbacks, thus I am not going to be critical but he normally has very safe hands.

In relation to his defence, one thing that stands out to me is that Jayden Fazey 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 what I would consider above average 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.

Jayden Fazey 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 to continue to push to get back into the defensive line and make the necessary adjustments.

Jayden Fazey will play the 2018 season with the Jimboomba Thunder in the U17 competition.

From a position perspective, I think that based on his skill set and his exponential improvement over the last couple of seasons he will continue to play at fullback and continue his positive developmental curve and also continue to be a great team mate and member of the Jimboomba Thunder who are really developing as a club, with the likes of Jayden Fazey and Campbell Gray and Jack Barrow present.

From a style perspective, I think that a player who has a similar type of skill set is Brisbane Bronco and Queensland State of Origin full back Darius Boyd, as a player who moves well with or without the ball, has good anticipation and can create for himself or others from the fullback position.

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Syddarys Cassidy. (Updated) The giant young Coombabah State High School student was too much for the majority of teams that played in the QSSRL U15 Schoolboy championships in Cairns during the 2017 season and as a result Syddarys Cassidy was been named in the Queensland White U15 side for the ASSRL U15 Championships.

Syddarys Cassidy from a club stand point moved from Southport to play for the Helensvale Hornets for the 2017 season and played in five matches in the Yellow and Green. Late in 2017 Syddarys Cassidy was named in the 2018 U16 Gold Coast Vikings Training squad for the South East Queensland U16 pre-season which kicks off next month.

Syddarys Cassidy 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, Syddarys Cassidy 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 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 rugby league forwards are. Syddarys Cassidy does however show flashes of above average lateral mobility which he uses to his benefit both in attack and defence.

Syddarys Cassidy will play for the Helensvale Hornets in the GCJRL U16 Division One competition in addition to his representative commitments with the Vikings and school bot rugby league commitments with the Titans aligned Coombabah State High School.

With his size, strength and power Syddarys Cassidy’s ultimate rugby league position was set in stone a few years ago, that being in the front row.

The way that Syddarys Cassidy handles himself on the football field reminds me of Sydney Roosters and New Zealand International forward 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, a good mix all round and plenty of raw talent to work with. Syddarys Cassidy really does have some skill and talent to work with as his rugby league career progresses.

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Kienan Tempest. The young custodian played the 2017 GBJRL season with Carina in the U14 premier Division competition as well as representing Brisbane Stingers Red and South East Queensland Green at the U14 level and from those matches was identified by the Titans and played recently in a Titans U15 Invitational side against the visiting Balmain Tigers on their annual North Coast tour not a bad effort at all considering the Balmain Tigers side had only one U14 player and around half of the Titans side played in various U14 competitions this season.

Kienan Tempset has also recently been selected in the 2018 U15 Queensland Emerging Origin squad.

In addition to playing sixteen matches for Carina in the GBJRL U14 Premier Division competition, Kienan Tempest also played two matches in the U15 Division One competition.

Earlier this season Kienan Tempest represented Brisbane Stingers Red U14’s and from there was selected in the South East Queensland Green U14 side for the Queensland Age Championships that were held in Toowoomba. In 2015 Kienan Tempest represented Queensland at the U12 level, scoring on Day One against New South Wales. On Day Two Kienan Tempest scored against Victoria and also scored a double and kicked a goal against Victoria in Queensland’s semi-final victory.

In attack his speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice when you see Kienan Tempest 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. Kienan Tempest 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.

Kienan Tempest 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.

At present due to his age and quality of competition, Kienan Tempest 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. Kienan Tempest 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.

Kienan Tempest 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 2018 season, Kienan Tempest will once again play for Carina in the GBJRL U15 Premier Division competition and also be in line for Met East selection for the QSSRL U15 championships.

From a position perspective, I would suggest that Kienan Tempest 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. I believe that Kienan Tempest could certainly handle the half back position comfortably.

I know that it is a huge call based in his form in the NRL finals series but I can see similar aspects in Kienan Tempest’s game to that of North Queensland Cowboy and Queensland State of Origin player Michael Morgan. I appreciate that they play different positions but both run with the ball out in front of their bodies in two hands putting doubt into the defence and have a knack of taking the right option at the right time to the immense benefit of their team.

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Daniel Butterini. (Updated) He is a local young fullback/wing from just south of the border, who is part of the Titans High Performance Unit and this year moved to PBC State High School as part of their Rugby League excellence program. Daniel Butterini was also part of the Titans U15 squad that played against a Balmain Tigers selection recently. In that match Daniel Butterini spent the majority of the game in the centres.

Daniel Butterini was selected this season in the South Coast U15 QSSRL side as well in 2017. Earlier in the 2017 season Daniel Butterini was also selected in the Group 18 U15 squad after representing Group 18 at the U14 level in 2016 where he played primarily at fullback in the New South Wales Country Age Championships.

In late 2015 Daniel Butterini was named on the wing for the Titans U13 development squad for their match against a Toowoomba U14 selection, but unfortunately he did not participate in the match due to injury. In 2014 Daniel Butterini was named in the NSW North Coast U12 rugby league side from the Burringbar Public School in Murwillumbah.

I will preface the discussion below, on the basis that the comments mainly relate to Daniel Butterini’s 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 Daniel Butterini 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 positioning perspective.

Even though Daniel Butterini 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.

Daniel Butterini 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, Daniel Butterini 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 2018 Daniel Butterini will play his club football at the U16 level in the Group 18 junior rugby league competition and as noted above will play representative football for his group as well. Daniel Butterini will also move up to the Open Division of school boy rugby league for PBC who this year made the Queensland GIO Cup semi-finals before losing in heart breaking fashion to Marsden State High School through a side line conversion with time running down.

From a position projection perspective, even though Daniel Butterini has also played at centre and fullback, probably more so than wing in truth, I think that ultimately he ends up on the wing long term. I would think that Daniel Butterini will continue to play his club football, school boy 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 who will not let anybody down.

From a player comparison perspective for Daniel Butterini think of the Titans 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 like Anthony Don, Daniel Butterini always seems to be in the right position to exploit breaks or opportunities and convert them into points.

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Ethan Kane – (Updated) He is a local young utility back who has played a variety of positions in club, representative and Titans Development Squad football, including fullback, five eight and halfback.

Ethan Kane played the 2017 rugby league season with the Cudgen Hornets in the NRRRL U18 competition amassing 106 points from fifteen matches, coming from seven tries and 39 goals. With his 106 points Ethan Kane finished third on the NRRRL U18 points scoring list. Outside of Round One against Byron Bay when Ethan Kane scored a double all of his tries came in different matches against Murwillumbah on two separate occasions, Tweed Coast on two separate occasions and Evans Heads.

With the boot, Ethan Kane kicked five goals in a match three times, coming against Murwillumbah and Mullumbimby in consecutive weeks and Byron Bay later in the season. In the match against Byron Bay when he scored a double Ethan Kane also kicked four goals for 16 points for the match.

Early in the 2017 season, Ethan Kane was selected on the bench for the Open Maitland/Newcastle Diocese Representative Rugby League team. In 2016 Ethan Kane was part of the Gold Coast White CC Cup squad. Ethan Kane played a fair portion of the 2015 season at halfback, including playing at half for the Group 18 U15 side this year in the New South Wales Country Age Championships. It was a tough competition for the Group 18 side, but Ethan Kane did well, including scoring a try in the Plate competition.

Ethan Kane has previously represented Group 18 at the U14 level and also played a number of games for the Titans Development squads, at the U13, U14 and U15 age levels, including teaming with Dea Jarn Asi (who is now playing first XV GPS school boy rugby with Brisbane Grammar School) in the halves against Samoa in 2014.

Ethan Kane 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 Ethan Kane.

Ethan Kane 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.

Ethan Kane 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.

Ethan Kane 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. I am not sure that he will be a primary tactical kicker for a side, but Ethan Kane certainly will be an option to consider especially when talking about attacking kicks such as grubber kick. Ethan Kane 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.

Ethan Kane 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.

Ethan Kane 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 in the past he forces the opposition to make a decision with the football rather than letting the attackers come to him with time on their side.

Ethan Kane is still eligible for U18’s in 2018 and will likely play once against for Cudgen in the U18 Nova Skills U18 competition and if he plays in the NRRRL competition, Ethan Kane should also get an opportunity in the first grade competition.

For me, Ethan Kane’s ultimate future lies at fullback with the ability to sweep around the back of the ruck using his solid footwork or his above average passing skills to put his supporting players into gaps created in the defensive line. He would also have the ability to 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.

Ethan Kane’s game management skills have also taken a step forward this season and he looks like he is growing into a leader on the field as well. I know that he has played some five eight in the past but I think that ultimately his best long term position lies elsewhere.

From a style perspective, I think that a player who has a similar type of skill set is Brisbane Bronco and Queensland State of Origin full back Darius Boyd, as a player who moves well with or without the ball, has good anticipation and can create for himself or others from the fullback position.

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Logan Cootes. (Updated) He is a big strong Titans linked local young front rower who played in the 2017 MM Cup competition for the Tweed Heads Seagulls as well as for the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in the GCJRL U17 Division One competition.

For Tweed Heads in the MM Cup competition, Logan Cootes played in five of the six matches. Logan Cootes started the first two rounds from the interchange bench before breaking into the starting line-up in Round Three against the eventual MM Cup Champions the Wester Mustangs. Logan Cootes was also in the starting line-up in Rounds Six and Seven before missing Round Eight. Round Seven saw Logan Cootes cross for his only ty of the 2017 MM Cup competition when he scored against the North’s Devils.

For the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in the U17 Division One competition this season, Logan Cootes played in nine matches, scoring five tries, including doubles in consecutive matches in June against Bilambil and Runaway Bay and in late July, Logan Cootes also scored against Runaway Bay again. Logan Cootes also played for Coombabah State High School in the Super Six and GIO Cup School boy competitions.

The big strong young Mudgeeraba Red backs front rower was over the course of the 2016 GIO Cup competition a powerhouse for Coombabah in their charge to the Queensland finals which they unfortunately lost to Keebra in a golden point thriller. For Coombabah he formed a very good front row partnership with former Titans NYC front rower Luke Mastraionni and they continually made metres in the centre of the field against bigger and older forward packs, the game against Townsville’s Kirwan High School was a prime example of this. Another member of the underrated Coombabah pack was another Titans contracted player in second rower David Butler.

For the Mudgeeraba Red Backs in the 2016 U16 Division One club competition, he scored five tries across eight matches and also added two goals which came in the last match of the season against Southport. Interestingly all of his tries came in the last four matches of the regular season, including a double against Southport and also tries against Burleigh, Southport again and Ormeau. For Gold Coast Green in the 2016 CC Cup, Logan Cootes scored three tries being against Easts Tigers in Round One and again against the Tigers in Round Five and also crossed against Gold Coast White in Round Two. Logan Cootes only missed one match in the CC competition which as in Round Three and started every other match for GC Green, including their semi-final loss to Toowoomba. Logan Cootes also represented South East Queensland at the U16 level during the 2016 season, coming off the bench in a majority of those games.

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. Regardless he does not shirk contact and seems the more physical the contest the more he enjoys himself.

In defence Logan Cootes is not an overly big hitter but definitely makes solid initial contact and is very effective at targeting the football in order to reduce the possibility of off loads. For a front rower his lateral movement is solid meaning that he can make tackles against smaller attackers running out of dummy half or on the back of off loads. Due to his aerobic fitness and relentless attitude, Logan Cootes 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 needed.

When at marker Logan Cootes works hard and always gets out of marker quickly to put pressure on the kicker, but then will be one of the first forwards back to take his turn to bring the ball out from his own territory. Logan Cootes is also disciplined in his defensive attitude and rarely gets penalised for holding down or having his hands on or near the football. His aim is to win the defensive battle and then be ready to make the next tackle.

Logan Cootes will be eligible again for the MM Cup competition in 2018 and has been selected in the Burleigh Bears MM Cup squad. . In relation to club rugby league, he will play in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition in 2018.

Due to his size and solid foot speed and lateral mobility I am certain that he will stay in the front row, a position that he has seemingly always played

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.

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Kyle Fairbank. (Updated) He is a young backrower with a strong work ethic who played the 2017 season at the U16 Division One level for Runaway Bay for whom he played in thirteen matches crossing for a try against Helensvale late in the season.

Kyle Fairbank who is also part of the Titans High Performance Academy represented the U16 Gold Coast Vikings side in the 2017 U16 South East Queensland pre-season competition and as a result of his performances there also represented South East Queensland White at the U16 Queensland Age Championships and scored on Day Two in a 26 – 10 victory over Central.

Kyle Fairbank was also a member of the South Coast U15 QSSRL squad in 2016 where he was named on the bench after representing PBC in the trials. Over the years he has also made numerous junior representative sides at the U13 and U14 level for the Vikings. Kyle Fairbank stands out regardless of how many times that you watch him play is the intensity and effort that he puts in to every moment that he is on the field, both in attack and defence.

Kyle Fairbank 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 a 2015 U14 Titans 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 works hard when tackled to ensure he gets a quick play the ball to maintain the momentum for his side.

In addition, Kyle Fairbank has enough pace to be an effective runner of the football to effectively 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. Kyle Fairbank has not, to the best of my knowledge ever played hooker fulltime but is effective enough at distributing the ball when called upon.

In terms of his defence, Kyle Fairbank 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.

Kyle Fairbank 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 go, his forte is that of a young player with an exceptional low tackling technique who can use both shoulders, ensuring his head is always in the right position, thus limiting possible injury. Whoever was responsible to teaching him 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.

Moving forward, Kyle Fairbank will play the 2018 season at the U17 Division One level for Runaway Bay. For a young player he really throws himself into everything that he does on a football field. The question for some will be whether he is going to be big enough to continue to be effective in both attack and defence as he moves into the higher age groups of junior football, but I will not count him just yet out due to the effort he puts in to all aspects of his performance.

With rugby league likely to continue to trend to towards the adage that size of the forwards is the be all and end all, Kyle Fairbank is a throwback to the days when size was less important. He projects to be a smaller backrower who due to his aerobic capacity will be able to play the full 80 minutes, something that will become more important as the number of interchange continues to reduce over time.

A player comparison would possibly be someone like former Storm, Cowboys and Queensland State of Origin player Dallas Johnson, as a smaller player who will get absolutely everything out of the skills that he has both physically and technically.

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Kyah Watts. (Updated) He is a local young second rower from the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast where he played the 2017 season at the U16 Division One level, including starting in the second row in the Grand Final which Burleigh lost 44 – 4 against the talented Currumbin Eagles. For Burleigh in the U16 competition, Kyah Watts crossed for a single try which came against Helensvale in Burleigh’s first final in 2017.

Kyah Watts is currently a member of the Titans High Performance Unit and has previously played for the U13 and U14 Titans Development squads.

2017 also saw Kyah Watts play for the U16 Gold Coast Vikings side in the U16 South East Queensland pre-season competition. In 2016 Kyah Watts was also part of the South Coast U15 side that competed in the U15 QSSRL competition where he was selected on the bench scoring three tries across four games. From there Kyah Watts was selected in the U15 Queensland White side for the U15 ASSRL national Championships.

In previous season 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.

Kyah Watts’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. 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.

Kyah Watts 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.

Kyah Watts 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.

Moving to the 2018 season, Kyah Watts will play at the U17 Division One level for Burleigh and he also been names in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad and will also be looking to break into the PBC Open side for the GIO Cup and Super Six schoolboy competitions.

Earlier in his junior career, Kyah Watts 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 former Titan 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.

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Blake Campbell. (Updated) He is a backrower from the Gold Coast Region who has been part of the Titans Junior Development set up for a number of years. Over the course of the 2017 season Blake Campbell played a number of matches in the MM Cup competition for Tweed Heads Seagulls and also played for the Runaway Bay Seagulls in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition.

To round out an outstanding 2017 campaign Blake Campbell has recently been selected in the 2018 Queensland U18 Emerging Origin squad which will be coming together from January 21 to 24 for their first training camp.

For the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the MM Cup competition Blake Campbell started all six of Tweed Heads matches in the second row and showed his try scoring ability crossing for four tries including a double in Round One against the Ipswich Jets, a try in Round Three against eventual champions the Western Mustangs and his final try of the MM Cup competition came in Round Six in the local derby against the Burleigh Bears.

In the red, white and blue of Runaway Bay in 2017 Blake Campbell has played eleven matches in the U17 Division One competition and also three matches in the U19 GCRL competition. At the U17 level Blake Campbell scored four tries and kicked four goals for 24 points in total including a Round Two double against Bilambil and also tries late in the season against Helensvale and Mudgeeraba. Blake Campbell made his U19 debut in May against Southport and has also played matches at that level against Mudgeeraba and Southport a second time.

In 2016 Blake Campbell played his football at the U16 level both in terms of club rugby league and in the CC Cup during the 2016 season. Blake Campbell as also involved in Coombabah State High School’s great GIO Cup campaign where he actually played on the wing in a number of games including a nationally televised match against Townsville’s Kirwan High School. Blake Campbell stellar play was rewarded in 2016 when early in the year he was selected in the Queensland Academy of Sport U16 squad, before being named in the interchange bench for the Queensland U16 team in their annual match against New South Wales. Fellow Titans players Geordie Brand and Laz Sua were also part of the Queensland team that night which took place as a State of Origin curtain raiser. Unfortunately the Queensland side lost 12 – 10.

In the CC competition for Gold Coast White in 2016, Blake Campbell crossed for four tries two of which came against Gold Coast Green in Rounds Two and Five. Blake Campbell also scored a double in GC White’s semi-final loss to the Toowoomba Clydesdales. In all of his matches in the CC competition for Gold Coast White Blake Campbell started in the second row. On more than one occasion Blake Campbell was mentioned by Titans High Performance Junior Co-ordinator Jamie McCormack as being one of his team’s best in the weekly update posted on the Titans Official Site during the CC/MM season.

From a club perspective, Blake Campbell played for Runaway Bay in the U16 Division One competition playing in six matches and contributing seven tries over the course of the 2016 season. Six of his seven tries came from doubles coming against Burleigh on two separate occasions and also against Mudgeeraba, with his seventh try coming against the Helensvale Hornets.

He was been in the Titans junior development system for a couple of years now, and is one of a number of talented backrowers in our system and certainly in the region. He has represented the Vikings and Kookaburra’s on multiple occasions in the different age groups over the last couple of years and is part of the Gold Coast Rugby League Academy program in 2015, and was part of the Titans U14 development side that drew 32 all against a giant Samoan team at the end of 2014 at Burleigh.

Blake Campbell 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, Blake Campbell 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 Blake Campbell 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. He is also a disciplined player who rarely gives away penalties and also has good hands.

From a speed perspective his speed would easily be considered above average for a backrower and actually quite close to be considered in the plus category, both in terms of speed off the mark as well as sustainable top end speed. Clearly his pace was one of the reasons that the Coombabah coaches played him on the wing on occasion where he certainly did not let anybody down. His above average speed is also a reason why he is such a good cover defender.

Defensively Blake Campbell 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. Blake Campbell 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.

The 2018 season will see Blake Campbell line up in the MM competition once again for the Tweed Heads Seagulls where he may even spend some time out in the backline depending on where he is needed especially with the forward pack depth that is likely in the Tweed Seagulls MM squad.

Blake Campbell upon completion of the MM competition will line up for the Runaway Bay Seagulls in the U19 competition and will also likely get an opportunity at the U20 Colts level for Tweed Heads as well. With his selection in the 2018 Queensland U18 Emerging Origin Squad Blake Campbell is also in line for selection in the Queensland U18 in 2018.

Even though Blake Campbell spent some time on the wing in schoolboy rugby league for Coombabah in 2016 for me he has played almost exclusively in the second row this season and that is where his future lies as a wide running second rower who knows how to get to the try line as well as a player who will do a lot of the little things well, such as chasing kicks, defending inside passes etc.

From a style perspective think of a young Ryan Hoffman currently of the New Zealand Warriors as a well-rounded backrower with the ability to break the line by himself or as a result of running a good line and then has the pace to finish things off consistently as well as being just as damaging defensively.

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David Butler (Updated). He is a local young front rower who has been part of the Titans junior development set up since he was 13 years old and played for Helensvale in the U17 Division One competition on the Gold Coast and startied in the front row in their 34 – 20 Grand Final victory over Ormeau and scored a try to cap off a great night for the 17 year old.

Recently David Butler has been named in the Queensland U18 Emerging Origin squad and previously was named in the Tweed Heads Seagulls 2018 MM Cup squad.

For Helensvale in the U17 Division One competition in 2017 David Butler has played in nine matches including the Grand Final and also scored in Helensvale’s final’s win over Bilambil a fortnight earlier. During 2017 David Butler made his U20 Colts Challenge debut for Tweed Heads Seagulls a great achievement for a 17 year old.

In 2016, David Butler played for Gold Coast White in the CC Cup competition and played in the second row for Coombabah State High School in the Super Six and GIO Cup Schoolboy competitions along with plenty of other Titans linked players such as Luke Mastroanni, Logan Cootes, Blake Campbell, Reihana Marsh and Taine Tuaupiki.

David Butler had some outstanding matches in the 2016 GIO Cup competition including an outstanding effort against Kirwan State High School in a nationally televised match and also was one of the best for Coombabah when they comprehensively defeated Palm Beach Currumbin. Coombabah progressed all the way to the Queensland Grand Final where they were beaten in golden point extra time 13 – 12 by Keebra Park after a field goal attempt by Coombabah hit the upright with a minute to go in normal time.

In the CC Cup in 2016, David Butler scored five tries over the course of the six matches that he played in the competition, starting all in the front row, with those tries coming in consecutive games from Round Two to Seven. David Butler scored against Gold Coast Green and Easts Tigers twice and against South Logan as well. For Helensvale during the 2016 season, David Butler played in nine games averaging exactly a try a game to finish the second leading try scorer in the U16 Division One competition. David Butler scored three doubles coming in matches against Southport and Runaway Bay in consecutive weeks and against Runaway Bay again later in the season. David Butler also played two matches at the U17 Division Two level.

David Butler represented South Coast in the QSSRL U15 competition in 2015, where in my opinion was the best forward on show. He understandably made the Queensland U15 Maroons side for the national U15 school boy’s titles held in June 2015 and was part of the Championships winning Queensland side. He was actually named the Queensland Maroon’s player of the match in their first game against NSW Combined Catholic Colleges I believe it was. He was also selected for Queensland at the U12 level a couple of years ago.

David Butler runs exceptionally hard and there is little subtlety to his running, it is straight and hard and another positive is that 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. His running style means that he throws self-preservation out of the window, and fires up his team mates with his charges at full speed into a set forward defensive line.

David Butler will on occasion take advantage of slow defenders by angling back behind the play the ball, but outside of that he just flat out runs full throttle every time he touches the ball and runs fast and will fight for a quick play the ball every time. If anything he is more effective in the second half of games where his running style begins to wear down the opposition.

I have not seen a great deal of off loads from him, so whilst they will not necessarily be a significant part of his game moving forward developing this ability and the use of some foot work prior to the line will only make him even more effective. He has good lateral movement for a front rower so he does have the skills to develop some footwork but just needs more experience.

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 is best suited in the long run defending there and adds a degree of intimidation to any forward pack he plays for.

David Butler has been a bit of a favourite of mine, since I saw him play for our U13 development squad in a game at Redlands a few years ago now. He had come off for a rest, but a couple of injuries meant that the coach turned around and said to the players on the bench, “I need someone to play lock”, David Butler’s hand went straight up, when the coach told him to quickly warm up to go on, he turned to the player next to him and get a quick rundown of where he needed to defend on the field as he had never played lock before. A little thing like this goes to show the dedication and willingness of him to do what is necessary to help his team win.

David Butler will play the 2018 season in the MM Cup competition for Tweed Heads and post that competition will either play in the local U19 competition or make the immediate transition to the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts side. I would not bet against him moving straight to the Colts side even though the Tweed Heads Colts pack looks very strong.

From a long term perspective, I would consider it almost certain that David Butler will end up in the front row where he can be a strong physical and leadership presence for any team that he plays, although the way that locks play these days, they are essentially a third front rower so whilst he may have the No. 13 on his back, the way he plays the game will not change to any significant degree.

From a player comparison perspective, I know that it is a big call but I can see aspects of a playing style that is similar in style to Cowboys, Queensland and Australian front rower Matt Scott as a front rower who will make a lot of ground in attack to set up momentum and field position for his team. Like Matt Scott, David Butler gets on top of the opposition by out working them and wearing them down as the match progresses.

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Cooper Hornburg. (Updated) The tough hard working young Burleigh Bears forward played a lot of rugby league in 2017 including playing for Burleigh in the U17 Division One competition, in fact starting in the front row in their 36 – 10 loss to the finals loss to the Ormeau Shearers and also playing a number of matches for the Burleigh Bears MM Cup and U20 Colts Challenge sides. Not a bad achievement at all for a 17 year old. In 2016 Cooper Hornburg represented U16 South East Queensland Green in the Queensland Age Championships.

In the MM Cup competition for Burleigh Cooper Hornburg played five of Burleigh’s six matches, missing only Round Four. Copper Hornburg started four of his five matches from the interchange bench but started Round Three against the Central Queensland Capra’s at lock.

Cooper Hornburg broke into the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts Challenge side in Round Twelve and also played Rounds Thirteen and Fourteen coming off the interchange bench on all three occasions.

In the U17 Division One competition for Burleigh Cooper Hornburg appeared in eight matches, scoring in Round One against Mudgeeraba and also against Ormeau mid-season.

I saw Cooper Hornburg play in 2016 and whilst he was certainly a solid player then, he is almost a different player this season. He obviously has put on more muscle mass but he clearly has worked on his speed and flexibility. His speed and lateral mobility has increased and he is very very effective as a result.

Cooper Hornburg 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. His 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 Cooper Hornburg 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.

Cooper Hornburg also fights hard when tackled to ensure he gets a quick play the ball to maintain the momentum for his side. In addition, Cooper Hornburg 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.

I would consider Cooper Hornburg to be 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.

Cooper Hornburg 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.

Cooper Hornburg’s experience playing against players three years older than him will stand him in good stead into the future. The 2018 season will see Cooper Hornburg be a key member of Burleigh’s MM Cup side and he will also get more U20 Colts rugby league with Burleigh as well.

Whilst Cooper Hornburg has played mainly in the front row in his own age group, when he has played in the MM Cup competition and U20 Colts he has primarily played at lock, which is where I ultimately believe that he will end up. Cooper Hornburg is more than just a bash and barge type and can also run a bit wider of the ruck when necessary.

The Brisbane Broncos and Queensland State of Origin lock Josh Maguire is a great player comparison for Cooper Hornburg. Like Maguire, Cooper Hornburg, works all day both in attack and defence and when he least except in, he will produce a great offload to ignite his team.

I will admit that this year Cooper Hornburg has proved me wrong. Prior to this season I believed that his ceiling was that of a solid front row type who would put the ball under his arm and just take the ball forward. Cooper Hornburg’s ceiling is a lot higher than that.

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Kel Sheather. (Updated) The St Johns College Woodlawn half back in 2017 plyed his trade for the Ballina Seagulls in the NRRRL Northern Rivers Rugby League competition playing both first grade and U18’s this season as well as playing for St College Woodlawn in a number of Schoolboy competitions including the GIO Cup. Kel Sheather set up a great try in the semi-finals of the New South Wales Catholic Cup schoolboy competition when a great kick of his in the wet found the chest of centre Jordan Sly but a late try resulted in a 14 – 10 loss to Sydney’s Holy Cross Ryde.

Kel Sheather also scored a 100 metre try and was singled out for special praise by his coach in Woodlawn’s New South Wales GIO Cup Grand Final victory over Patrician Brothers Fairfield in Sydney in late August.

Kel Sheather in 2017 played ten matches in the U18 NRRRL competition scoring 52 points from five tries and sixteen goals. All of his tries have been scored in different games and came against Tweed Coast on two separate occasions, Byron Bay, Casino RSM and Kyogle. Kel Sheather also played nine NRRRL first grade matches and scored in his third first grade match against Byron Bay.

In 2016 Kel Sheather started from the bench for the Northern Country Combined Catholic College side in the NSW CCC trials. Over the last couple of years, the young halfback has not played a great deal of club rugby league for his club side the Ballina Seagulls but has played a fair amount of matches, including the National GIO Cup competition with St Johns College Woodlawn.

Kel Sheather came to prominence in the green of Woodlawn last year when he was part of the NSW CCC Cup Woodlawn side that made the semi-finals of that competition last year. That side included former Titan Sam Elliot and Zac Beecher who has previously played in the MM Cup competition of the Gold Coast.

In attack his initial burst of speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice when you see him play, he has a dynamic initial burst however he does not have an extra gear to move to when he is in open space. Coupled with a very good step off both feet, although he seems to step off his right foot on a more regular basis, his speed enables him to make breaks however his lack of plus top end speed does impact on his ability to score from his own breaks.

Kel Sheather 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. In previous year’s he has run quite a lot but this year he has seemingly taken a step back and become more of an organising type of halfback, but he still takes on the line when he sees an opportunity.

At present, one area for him to continue to develop is his play making skills, including putting his runners holes gaps. I am not suggesting that play making skills are currently under developed but an improvement in that area will enable his speed and footwork to play better in game situations as defensive lines start to focus in his runners and thus leave more space for him.

From a goal kicking perspective, he is very effective near the posts, his strike rate last year was a touch above 90% and will have his moments where he kicks then in bunches from the sideline as well. I am not sure whether he will be a team’s primary goal kicker going forward, but it is certainly not out of the question that he will not be either.

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 fringes 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 against wide running back rowers.

Kel Sheather will play the 2018 as part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side and then will likely transition back to the U18 NRRRL competition as its conclusion although if he heads back to the NRRRL with Ballina Kel Sheather will surely spend the remainder of the season in the first grade side.

From a position perspective, whilst he is making a good fist of playing at halfback, I would like to see him spend some time at hooker, he seems to have the attributes to be an effective hooker and I think that his initial burst of speed would be a plus attribute when running out of dummy half. His passing skills are also solid and his aggressive streak in defence would be no hindrance in that position.

I know I am using a bit of an odd example from a player comparison perspective but I think that he could develop into a Kieran Mosley type of player as an effective runner out of dummy half who can cause havoc with defensive structures especially late in halves of games. I appreciate it is an odd choice because I am not aware that he has played a great deal of hooker at all in the past but every time I have seen him play he just screams hooker for me.

[mdrew]

Jaxson Paulo. (Updated) In 2017 Jaxson Paulo made his NYC debut for the Titans after starting off the 2017 rugby league season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side before transitioning to Tweed Heads U20 Colts Challenge before making his NYC debut in Round 22 in a 36-34 loss against the Brisbane Broncos. In that match Jaxson Paulo played 35 minutes making 46 metres from five runs also making two tackles and off-loading the ball on one occasion.

In addition to his Round Twenty Two debut, Jaxson Paulo played two more NYC matches in 2017 being Round Twenty Five against the Bulldogs and Round Twenty Six against the Sydney Roosters, he started both of those matches on the left wing, playing all 80 minutes on both occasions and scoring against the Bulldogs at Cbus. In total in the NYC in 2017, Jaxson Paulo ran for 197 metres from 20 hit-ups and made five tackles. In the Round Twenty Five home clash against the Bulldogs Jaxon Paulo ran for 115 metres making a line break in the process.

After the conclusion of the 2017 club season Jaxson Paulo started on the wing for the New Zealand U18 side in their match against the Australian Schoolboys in September a team mate that afternoon was Titans contracted youngster Darius Farmer. Just prior to that International match Jaxson Paulo scored for New Zealand Taurahere (NZ Australian based players) against the U18 New Zealand Domestic based players.

Jaxson Paulo whilst he was part of the Tweed Heads MM Cup squad did not feature in any of their matches but started off his 2017 rugby league season in Round One of the U20 Colts Challenge competition starting on the wing in Round One against Souths Logan. Jaxson Paulo has only missed one of Tweed Heads U20 Colts matches being Round Thirteen a when he was making his NYC debut. Outside of Round Four when he started in the centres Jaxson Paulo has started every match for the Tweed Heads Seagulls on the left wing.

Jaxson Paulo went on a great try scoring run mid-season for the Tweed Colts side scoring doubles in four consecutive rounds prior to his NYC debut, no wonder he got an NYC debut just after that! In relation to the doubles, Jaxson Paulo scored them against Ipswich in Round Eight, against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in Round Nine, against the Burleigh Bears in Round Ten and against the Sunshine Coast Falcons in Round Twelve. Jaxson Paulo scored his ninth try of the U20 Colts Challenge competition when he scored in the corner against the Redcliffe Dolphins. This try can be seen at around the 3 minute mark of the highlights package posted on the QRL Official Site.

The young Keebra Park player played a major part in Keebra Park’s 2016 GIO Cup campaign which unfortunately ended with a tough loss in the National Final and also played well for Gold Coast White in the MM Cup competition where White made it all the way to the semi-final portion of that competition before being defeated 13 – 10 by North’s.

In the MM Cup competition in 2016 Jaxson Paulo played all bar one of GC Whites matches, missing Round Seven but was back for the quarter final the following week. Jaxson Paulo was also part of the South West team that played in the QSSRL U18 Championships where he was selected on the bench. Jaxson Paulo was also selected in the Team Toa side for a match between New South Wales and Queensland based NZ players. That afternoon, whilst Team Toa was beaten, Jaxon Paulo scored both of Team Toa’s tries.

For Keebra Park Jaxson Paulo was part of their 2016 GIO Cup campaign including scoring two tries in their Semi-final victory over Ignatius Park. For GC White in the MM competition in 2016, Jaxon Paulo scored four tries, including three in their Quarter Final victory over Ipswich and also another against South’s Logan in Round Six. For GC White, Jaxson Paulo split time between centre and wing, playing the first three rounds in the centres and the remaining matches on the wing, including the two finals matches.

Jaxson Paulo played the majority of the 2016 season in the centres both for Keebra Park and Gold Coast White in the MM competition and in that position, is a big strong runner of the football. He has however also played in the back row in previous years, including playing there for the U16 Titans Development Squad in a match against Samoa late in 2015.

Whilst in does not have a great deal of speed off the mark, Jaxson Paulo does have decent top end speed once he gets moving and can break tackles by running over his direct opposite defender as well as 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 he plays second row, he has got very good feet, in terms of not just charging straight at the set defensive line. He uses foot work before and after the defensive line to assist in breaking tackles and as the video shows he is adept at offloading in traffic. In terms of his attacking skills, he has the skills at this point in time to play either centre or second row.

In terms of his defence, he obviously during the course of this year, has defended both in the edge of the ruck and well as in the middle of the ruck. He was effective in both situations. One area that game him some slight issues was defending against smaller quicker centres, when defending out in the backline, but in saying that he is still quite effective as a defender in the backline. His initial contact is solid, especially when he is defending in the centres, and is more than enough to stop the momentum of the ball carrier. He is also effective at wrapping the ball up and preventing offloads. Due to his current attributes he is more effective when his team is using an up and in style of defensive strategy.

Jaxson Paulo will be part of the Burleigh Bears U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts Challenge side in 2018 and will be Colts eligible once again in 2019.

I think that ultimately he ends up in the back row, but not necessarily immediately, I certainly think that for the next couple of years, he will still be able to handle playing in the centres, but I think that by the time he gets to the senior level, he will likely transition to the back row full time where he will be a tall, rangy, mobile, wide running backrower who will also be a solid goal kicker.

From a style perspective, one player who comes to mind is retied Sydney Roosters back rower Craig Fitzgibbon I think that Jaxson Paulo ends up around the same size with a similar skill set and long term project as Craig Fitzgibbon that being as a running backrower, who can fill a centre position if necessary.

[mdrew]

Brenton Daley-Holten. (Updated)The young Titans linked utility back had a great 2017 season which commenced with a spot in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side and from there Brenton Daley-Holten had an outstanding season in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition with the Bilambil Jets in the U17 Division One, U19 and first grade competitions.

Benton Daley-Holten has been with the Titans for a number of years now and has already played multiple matches for titans junior development squads across a number of age groups.

For the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side, Brenton Daley-Holten played in all six of their matches, starting the first three matches on the wing and the final three at fullback. Across the six matches Brenton Daley-Holten scored four tries, scoring in Round One against the Ipswich Jets, Round Two against Victoria, Rounds Seven against the Norths Devils and Round Eight against Souths Logan.

Upon the completion of the MM Cup competition, Brenton Daley-Holten played for the Bilambil Jets in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition, playing one match at the U19 level which came against Ormeau in July, eleven in the U17 Division One competition including scoring a late season double when he started at fullback. Brenton Daley-Holten’s other U19 tries came against Ormeau on two separate occasions and Mudgeeraba.

Brenton Daley-Holten made his Gold Coast Rugby League A Grade debut on Sunday 23 July against Runaway Bay scoring a double and the following week scored a hat trick against Currumbin to have a great start to his Gold Coast Rugby League A Grade career. All told in 2017 Brenton Daley-Holten played in three Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade matches scoring five tries.
In 2016 Brenton Daley-Holten was part of the South Tweed U16 side that won their Group 18 junior rugby league grand final 34-6 over the Bilambil Jets and has played in multiple Gold Coast Titans Development Squad matches over the last couple of seasons.

From a representative perspective he also had a very good season in 2016 representing Group 18 at the U16 level and then progressing to being selected in the East Coast Dolphins U16 side for the New South Wales Country age championships where he was selected on the wing and played in all four of their matches, including a semi-final loss to Newcastle. He has previously represented Group 18 at the U14 level in 2014 where he played a couple of games at five eight.

Brenton Daley-Holten played the majority of his football in 2016 in the centres, except for time on the wing for the East Coast Dolphins U16 side but in 2017 he has also spent time at fullback, certainly when playing for his club side and in that position, is a strong runner of the football.

Whilst in does not have blinding speed off the mark, Brenton Daley-Holten does have decent speed overall but I would not consider it at the plus level and can break tackles by running over his direct opposite defender as well as 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 rather than being forced towards the sideline.

One skill that Brenton Daley-Holten does possess when playing in the centre position is a more than decent in and away and he will wait until the last possible minute to step to commit the defender before getting on his outside reducing the time for his direct opponent to react to his movement.

In terms of his defence, he obviously during the course of this year, defended in multiple positions and in each position Brenton Daley-Holten commits wholeheartedly to every tackle. His initial contact is more than solid and is more than enough to stop the momentum of the ball carrier immediately upon contact. He is also effective at wrapping the ball up and preventing offloads. Due to his current attributes he is more effective when his team is using an up and in style of defensive strategy rather than a sliding methodology.

Brenton Daley-Holten made incredible strides over the course of the 2017 season and the scary thing is that he is still eligible to play in the MM Cup in 2018 and has been named in the Tweed Heads Seagulls squad.

A long term position perspective for Brenton Daley-Holten is a little more clouded, he has played, wing, centre, fullback and five eight so far in club and representative rugby league, but based on his skill and physical attributes, I am leaning towards centre being his best position in the short term, but I would not rule out a move to the back row when he progresses to senior rugby league competitions.

From a player comparison perspective for Brenton Daley-Holten I think that you could look at either of the Morris brothers for a suitable playing comparison , being that of a big strong, fast, powerful centre who as well as being dominant defensively will create things in attack when give the ball early.

This young man is an exceptional talent and is one to keep an eye on in the future.

[mdrew]

Jayden Sveistrup. The big strong young local Gold Coast front rower or second rower had an exceptional 2017 rugby league season, starting the year in the local Gold Coast competition and progressing through the MM Cup competition to the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts Challenge side. Not a bad effort at all for a still 17 year old playing in the centre of the field.

In the MM Cup competition for Burleigh Jayden Sveistrup came into the side in Round Three against the Central Queensland Capra’s and stayed in the side for the remainder of the MM Cup campaign for Burleigh coming off the interchange bench in all bar Round Five against the Northern Pride when Jayden Sveistrup started in the front row.

In relation to his time in the U20 Colts Challenge competition, Jayden Sveistrup made his debut in Round Twelve against South Logan off the interchange bench and also came off the bench in Round Thirteen against Wynnum Manly scoring a try as well. Jayden Sveistrup was in the starting line-up for the first time the following week in Round Fourteen against the Ipswich Jets.

When he was not been representing the Burleigh Bears Jayden Sveistrup played for the Southport Tigers in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition. For the Southport Tigers Jayden Sveistrup played eleven U19 matches scoring three tries which came in games against Runaway Bay, Tugun and Beaudesert. Jayden Sveistrup has also played one match at the Doug Lipp Cup level which was against Burleigh in July and also in July Jayden Sveistrup also played one match in the U17 Division Two competition scoring against Coomera.

In attack Jayden Sveistrup 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 Jayden Sveistrup 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.

Jayden Sveistrup 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 a wise choice. His hands are actually quite decent and thus I think that he has some untapped potential to ball play a little more, but he is still eligible for U18’s in 2017 so he has plenty of time.

In defence the critique is simple, Jayden Sveistrup 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. Jayden Sveistrup’s lateral movement is reasonable, but is not strength and thus he is more effective in defence when he is in the centre of the ruck.

After such an impressive 2017 campaign it is scary to think that Jayden Sveistrup is eligible again for the MM Cup competition in 2018.

Even though Jayden Sveistrup has spent some time in the second row of the Southport Tigers in the Gold Coast U19 competition in the long term front row is the ideal position for Jayden Sveistrup with his size and strength.

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. Jayden Sveistrup has a huge amount of potential and hopefully for him everything comes together and he can develop into the best player he can be there is certainly a lot of raw ability and untapped potential to work with.

[mdrew]

Cooper Woods. (Updated) The classy young Grafton Ghosts fullback had a great 2017 campaign for the Grafton Ghosts starring for the U18 Group Two side as well as playing a number of first grade matches primarily on the wing in the Danny Wicks coached side which was awarded the Claytons Cup as the most outstanding New South Wales Country Rugby League Club.

In the Group Two U18 Durbridge Family Trophy Cooper Woods finished the regular season as the leading try scorer and points, scoring 118 points in total from twelve tries and 35 goals. Cooper Woods scored a hat trick against Bellingen and doubles against Coffs Harbour and Macksville. Against Coffs Harbour in late July Cooper Woods scored a try and kicked eight goals in the match.

Cooper Woods played just the one first grade match in the 2017 season which came against Macksville in July when he started on the wing and also scored in a solid Grafton win and he also played four reserve grade matches scoring against Orara Valley and against Woolgoolga kicked seven goals. The 2017 season is the third season that Cooper Woods has played in the U18 competition after he made his U18 debut whilst still eligible for U16’s in early 2015 against the Sawtell Panthers including scoring on debut going on to score four tries that season.

Cooper Woods is no stranger to playing up in competition level after making his Group Two Tooheys New Shield First Grade debut for the Ghosts in May 2016 against Sawtell, going on to play five first grade matches in total. In 2016 Cooper Woods also played four Reserve grade matches scoring 30 points from tries against Coffs Harbour and Woolgoolga a match in which he also kicked five goals. In the U18 competition in 2016, Cooper Woods scored 82 points from seven tries and 27 goals.

Cooper Woods 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. Cooper Woods 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 Cooper Woods 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. Cooper Woods’ positioning enables him to field a lot of kicks on the full and then he accelerates towards the defensive lien 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, Cooper Woods will attack the ball rather than wait to see what happens and invariably he makes the right decision.

Defensively in the fullback position Cooper Woods makes 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. Cooper Woods 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 2018 Cooper Woods shapes as a permanent member of the Grafton Ghosts first grade side in 2018.With former NRL player Danny Wicks as the captain Coach of the Ghosts First Grade side Copper Woods will also be around some experienced people who know what it takes to succeed in the NRL.

Even though Cooper Woods has spent some time in the centres and on the wing in first and reserve grade I like his game at fullback where he can see the entire field and judge where and when he can best impact the game.

For me an NRL player with a similar playing style of Cooper Woods is Melbourne Storm fullback Cameron Munster. Like Munster Cooper Woods 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 attackers front on in open space.

[mdrew]

Tahne Robinson. (Updated) The young Casino RSM half who has already donned a Titans jersey in Titans junior development matches a couple of years ago was a stand out for Casino RSM in the NRRRL First Grade competition this season even though he was still eligible for U18’s. Unfortunately for Tahne Robinson and his Casino RSM team mates they were defeated 32-20 in their NRRRL semi-final by the Tweed Coast Raiders. Tahne Robinson towards the end of last year was named the NRRRL Rookie of the season.

The former St Mary’s College Casino student was also selected in the MCC 18 years Presidents Rugby League team in 2017. Tahne Robinson over his junior career has made numerous Group One Junior Representative sides as well.

Tahne Robinson only played in one U18 NRRRL match in 2017 season but he made the most of it, scoring 18 points from a try and seven goals against Mullumbimby in April. Tahne Robinson played thirteen Novaskills NRRRL First Grade matches scoring nine tries and a conversion over those matches. In addition to the double in the final regular season round against the Tweed Coast Raiders, Tahne Robinson scored a double in mid-July against Mullumbimby.

Earlier in 2017 season Tahne Robinson was named at half back for the East Coast Dolphins U18 side in the New South Wales Country Championships. Tahne Robinson played the 2016 season in the U18 NRRRL Competition with Casino RSM and finished as the leading points scorer in the competition with 106 points which came from four tries and 45 goals.

Tahne Robinson is only slight of build even when up against players in his own age group but looks even smaller against men. 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. Tahne Robinson is particularly adept at using the blind side when he sees an opportunity.

Tahne Robinson has an exceptional show and go and step has scored a number of tries in 2017 in first grade using these traits including his first try against the Tweed Coast Raiders late in the 2017 season. Once he is open space his above average speed off the mark allows him to gain separation from the defence and enables him the time to make the correct decision with the ball.

From kicking perspective Tahne Robinson has a very good short tactical kicking game especially in relation to grubber kicks into the in goal area where he is able to weight the ball well. From a goal kicking perspective Tahne Robinson displays both range and accuracy and has the opportunity going forward to be a team’s first choice goal kicking option.

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 and against players with similar size is very aggressive when finishing off his tackles. He is also very vocal on the field always talking and encouraging his side to move up in a straight line and make hard initial contact with the ball runner.

Tahne Robinson is good enough to push for playing time in the Queensland Cup Colts competition in 2018 but will likely play this season in the NRRRL First Grade competition for Casino RSM where he will be one of the competition stand outs even though he will play the entire NRRRL season as a teenager.

Tahne Robinson always has been and always will be a half back when playing rugby league although he would likely be able to full in at hooker should the need arise.

From a player comparison perspective think 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 regardless of his size is an appropriate player comparison for Tahne Robinson. Like Freeman, Tahne Robinson also seems to have a bit of mongrel in his game as well and he will not back down from any challenge that presents itself.

[mdrew]

Sua Aiiloilo. (Updated)The giant young former Keebra Park front rower was back on the Gold Coast linking with the Titans and played for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the 2017 MM competition then moved on to play a number of matches for the Burleigh Bears in the U20 Colts Challenge competition before heading back to New Zealand.

Sua Aiiloilo played for Haeata Community College from Canterbury in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships in 2017. For those Championships Sua Aiiloilo was named as one of the ten players to watch by the New Zealand National Talent Manager David McMeeken curtesy of the New Zealand Official Rugby League website made the following observation:

Sua Aiiloilo – Haeata Community Campus – “A big, powerful, prop forward who returns home to a newly established team playing in the Development grade, Haeata Community Campus, after a season with the Gold Coast Titans”

Sua Aiiloilo and his Haeata Community Campus team mates were defeated 32-12 in their first match in the 2017 New Zealand National Secondary Schools Development Tournament by Onehunga High School on Monday 4 September but bounced back in Round two on Tuesday 5 September against Papakura High School with Sua Aiiloilo at his rampaging best to score a hat trick in a Haeata Community Campus 30 - 16 win including the first and last tries of the Round Two match. Round Three saw Haeata Community Campus defeat Francis Douglas memorial College 28 – 20.

In the semi-finals of the NZ National Secondary Schools Development Tournament Haeata Community Campus went up against Trident High School from Whakatane in the Bay of Plenty Region winning 14 -10 enabling them to progress to the next round of the Development Tournament Finals. In the final Haeata Community Campus were up against Marcellin College from Auckland with the result being a tough loss for Haeata Community Campus 30 – 8 however Sua Aiiloilo was named the Most Valuable Player of the final.

Sua Aiiloilo played in all six of Tweed Heads MM Cup matches starting the first three rounds in the front row and coming off the bench in the final three. Sua Aiiloilo then started the U20 Colts Challenge competition with Burleigh playing in five matches in total before he headed back to New Zealand. Sua Aiiloilo started on five occasions from the interchange and in Round Three against the Western Mustangs he started in the front row.

After a stint with Keebra Park Sua Aiiloilo returned to New Zealand in 2016 and attended St Thomas of Canterbury College on New Zealand’s south island and represented the South Island Scorpions in the 2016 New Zealand National Youth Tournament starting in the front row in all of their matches including a match against the Akarana falcons who were led by Titans NYC player and fellow New Zealander Zae Wallace.

2016 was the second occasion that Sua Aiiloilo represented the South Island Scorpions as he also represented them at the U15 level in 2014. Sua Aiiloilo also represented the Canterbury Bulls in the Open Age New Zealand National Premiership not bad at all for a 17 year old and from media reports dominated the Canterbury School Rugby League competition last year.

In relation to club rugby league Sua Aiiloilo played for the Celebration Lions in the Maserati Cup scoring eight tries including four in a match against the Aranui Eagles, with his other tries coming against Aranui Eagles in another match and against the Northern Bulldogs, Halswell Hornets and Pananui Tigers.

In attack Sua Aiiloilo 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 Sua Aiiloilo 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.

Sua Aiiloilo 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 a wise choice. His hands are actually quite decent and thus I think that he has some untapped potential to ball play a little more both before the line or whilst he is in contact with the defensive line.

In defence the critique is simple, Sua Aiiloilo relishes the contact in the centre of the ruck as could be seen in the MM Cup and U20 Colts Challenge competitions, 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.

I only saw a small bit of one of his games in the Open Division of the recent game via live streams, but even in those games he defended using the same methodology that he uses in junior football, thus clearly he does not get intimidated at all. His lateral movement is reasonable, but is not a strength and thus he is more effective in defence when he is in the centre of the ruck.

I am not sure where he will play in 2018 but it would be great to see him back on the Gold Coast playing for either Burleigh or Tweed Heads in the Colts competitions. Front row is the ideal position for Sua Aiiloilo with his size, strength and power coupled with his intensity of effort.

The power and intensity of Canterbury Bulldog and New South Wales State of Origin forward David Klemmer is mirrored by Sua Aiiloilo he is just an intimidating presence on a football field and a young player who will only to continue to get better and better as he gains more experience there is certainly a lot of raw ability and untapped potential to work with.

[mdrew]

Kaleb Fuimaono. The big strong young former North Queensland Cowboys front rower has joined the Burleigh Bears Queensland Cup side for the 2018 season after two season in the NYC competition for the Cowboys.

In the 2017 NYC competition for the Cowboys Kaleb Fuimaono played in twenty two matches, starting eighteen in the front row and four from the interchange bench. In total Kaleb Fuimaono was on the field in a NYC Cowboys jersey for 918 minutes, took 158 hit-ups to make 1 451 metres and made 379 tackles at a solid tackling efficiency of 93.21%.

Kaleb Fuimaono’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing 42 minutes, taking 7.2 hit-ups for 66 metres and making 17.2 tackles. Kaleb Fuimaono scored two tries in 2017 which came against the Canberra Raiders in Round One and against the Broncos in Round Two. On four occasions Kaleb Fuimaono ran for in excess of 100 metres including running for 107 metres in Round Nineteen against the Rabbitohs and against the Newcastle Knights in Round Eight made twenty five tackles.

In the NYC competition in 2016,Kaleb Fuimaono played sixteen matches for the Cowboys with similar per game averages to that he achieved in 2017.

At 190cm and 102kg Kaleb Fuimaono is a tall strong young front rower who runs hard and straight and does not take a backward step, for the North Queensland Cowboys NYC side last season he constantly ran into the heart of some giant forward packs. One thing that did impress me was that he did not just put his head down and run into the first defender he saw, he would actually have a plan in relation how he should take a hit up rather than setting himself up as a target for the defensive line.

On a number of occasions he cut back behind the play the ball to take advantage of defenders who were slow to get back into the defensive line, similarly he also ran wider on occasion to target the smaller defenders, when opposition sides started to compress their defensive line when Ipswich had the momentum on their side.

Whilst he did not offload the ball too many times, Kaleb Fuimaono did get his arms free but only passed when his support was in a better position. He 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.

The New Zealand born Kaleb Fuimaono has continued to get bigger and stronger over the last few years and impressively has also been able to maintain has above average speed for his position, in fact I would consider his speed for a front rower to be in the plus category.

In defence Kaleb Fuimaono 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. Kaleb Fuimaono has the size, strength and power to seal off sections of the field in defence and impressively can sustain that dominance for the majority of a match.

As noted above Kaleb Fuimaono has joined the Burleigh Bears Queensland Cup squad for the 2018 season where he will look to break into an experienced forward pack. I would anticipate that the 2018 season will be a year of transition for Kaleb Fuimaono and he will probably move in and out of the Burleigh Queensland Cup side as he gets used to the rigours of the Queensland Cup competition.

The 21 year old Kaleb Fuimaono is a tall strong powerful player who could quite easily play either in the second row or front row for the next couple of season but due to how he plays I can for see a future in the front row for the former New Zealand born Easts Tigers junior.

From a style perspective, think along the lines of the James Tamou of the Penrith Panthers as a tall front rower with good footwork both in attack and defence.

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Jake Frame. The 22 year old Grafton Ghosts half back had an outstanding 2017 season in the Tooheys Group Two competition in Northern New South Wales which culminated in a 32 – 12 Grand Final victory over local rivals the South Grafton Rebels. Jake Frame is no stranger to wearing a Titans jersey with the young man playing a season in the MM Cup competition a few seasons ago.

For the Grafton Ghosts in the Group Two First Grade competition in 2017 Jake Frame played in fifteen matches, primarily starting at half back scoring seven tries in the process. Jake Frame had an outstanding end to the regular season from a try scoring perspective scoring four tries in the final three rounds including double against Woolgoolga and tries against Coffs Harbour and Orara Valley. Earlier in the 2017 season Jake Frame also scored against Sawtell in two separate matches and Bellingen. Jake Frame also played one Group Two Reserve Grade match in 2017.

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. Jake Frame 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 Jake Frame’s speed would be that he is quick off the mark but does not have an extra gear when he breaks into open space.

Jake Frame 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. His passing game is solid but seems to be slightly better when he is passing to the right side of the field.

Jake Frame 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.

Defensively Jake Frame is quite a strong player for his size with good 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. Jake Frame 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.

Jake Frame in 2018 will line up for his third season in First Grade for the Grafton Ghosts who will be looking to repeat their 2017 premiership success in 2018.

Through his junior rugby league career with the Grafton Ghosts in Northern New South Wales, when playing in the MM Cup competition as part of the Titans Junior Development set-up and now in the ranks of senior rugby league Jake Frame has always played at half back and he will continue to do so while he plays the greatest game of all.

The NRL player comparison for Jake Frame was very simple, with his aggressive in your face style of play, Gary Freeman seems to be a perfect fit if you are looking to compare Jake Frame’s style to someone who played in the NRL.

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Beau Cordtz. The New Zealand born and raised custodian had two outstanding season with the South Sydney Rabbitohs NYC side in 2016 and 2017 but in 2018 he will be wearing the black and white of the Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup side.

The Auckland born youngster moved over to Australia for the start of the 2016 NYC season after graduating from St Paul’s College Auckland in 2015. For St Pauls College Beau Cordtz played in two National School Bot winning sides and played a fair but of five eight prior to his move to fullback when he came over to Australia.

In the 2017 NYC competition for South Sydney Beau Cordtz played in twenty one matches, starting at fullback in eighteen, one on the wing and he also came off the interchange bench twice. In total Beau Cordtz was on the field in the NYC for 1 594 minutes, took 261 hit-ups to make 2 787 metres and made 105 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 77.78%. In nineteen of his twenty one matches Beau Cordtz played all 80 minutes.

Beau Cordtz’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing 76 minutes, taking 12.4 hit-ups for 132.7 metres and making 5 tackles. Beau Cordtz scored twelve tries including doubles in Rounds Six and Twelve against the Penrith Panthers and Parramatta Eels respectively.

On fourteen occasions Beau Cordtz ran for in excess of 100 metres in a match and of those he ran for in excess of 200 metres on four occasions including running for 219 metres against the Melbourne Storm in Round Eleven.

In 2016 Beau Cordtz played in three NYC matches for the Rabbitohs starting two at five eight and one on the wing and in Round Twenty Three of 2016 ran for 150 metres against the Warriors and in Round Nine of 2016 whilst playing at five eight made 31 tackles against the Wests Tigers.

Beau Cordtz is just a smooth mover, he can create for himself or others and if a defensive line does not chase a kick in one straight line the young Kiwi flyer will simply cut them apart. Beau Cordtz ’s speed is in the plus plus category and when accompanied with exceptional body control and balance he is a handful for defensives especially when the defensive line is not set. Just like his explosive speed off the mark, Beau Cordtz ’s body and body control are in the plus plus category as is his ability to step off both feet and can, just like Benji Marshall in his heyday, step multiple times in a small time frame and area to change both his direction and momentum as well as defenders.

Beau Cordtz also has exceptional hands when defending against kicks especially when low short attacking kicks are put in, Beau Cordtz attacks the ball at full speed aiming to get there prior to the arrival of the attacks and look to make ground while the opposition are still in an attacking mode. Once or twice Beau Cordtz made at least 30 metres or so after retrieving the ball in the in goal area and similarly gets back into the field of play from seemingly impossible positions.

Defensively Beau Cordtz is more than strong enough to confront any attacker who has broken through the initial defensive line and if he is caught out of position has the dynamic closing speed to address this situation efficiently and effectively. When a break has been made, Beau Cordtz ’s primary objective is to more forward to reduce the time available for the attacker to work through is options. Beau Cordtz is also effective at maintaining his composure and taking the player with the ball and not fall for any dummies, he makes an opposing team earn the ground that they make.

In 2018 the 21 year old Beau Cordtz will line up as part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup squad looking for playing time either at fullback or on the wing.

From a position perspective from what I have seen Beau Cordtz is a fullback pure and simple with fullback in the modern game being one of the most important positions on the field, Beau Cordtz presents as a dynamic game changing type of fullback.

From an NRL player comparison perspective, when seeing Beau Cordtz in full flight you are seemingly looking at a mirror image for New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand test International fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Like Tuivasa-Sheck, Beau Cordtz has blazing speed and balance when he has the ball in his hands. Simply put he looks like he is gliding across the field, Beau Cordtz also has an extra gear to accelerate to and literally just explodes through gaps. When he is either returning a kick or hunting around the centre of the ruck looking for am off load, Beau Cordtz just accelerates to full speed in a split second and leaves multiple defenders grasping at thin air.

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Hiale Roycroft. The2017 Queensland U20 second rower will line up for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Queensland Cup competition after playing three season in the NYC competition. In 2015 Hiale Roycroft was part of the Broncos NYC side but has spent the last two NYC season with the North Queensland Cowboys.

In 2017 Hiale Roycroft was part of the Queensland U20 side and came off the interchange bench for the Maroons, team mates that night included Titans Phillip Sami, AJ Brimson and Apitia Neoma. In 2014 the former Aspley junior also represented the Maroons this time at the U16 level when his side took on a New South Wales Country side. In 2014 Hiale Roycroft won the Te’e Levu award at the Greater Brisbane Junior Rugby League Awards night.

In the 2017 NYC competition for the Cowboys Hiale Roycroft played in fifteen matches, starting all bar one match in the second row in his other match being the Cowboys final he started from the interchange bench. In total Hiale Roycroft was on the field in a NYC Cowboys jersey for 943 minutes, took 108 hit-ups to make 1 006 metres and made 405 tackles at a very impressive tackling efficiency of 93.52%. In twelve of his nineteen matches Hiale Roycroft played all 80 minutes.

Hiale Roycroft’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing 63 minutes, taking 7.2 hit-ups for 67 metres and making 27 tackles. Hiale Roycroft’s sole 2018 NYC try came in Round Three against the Manly Sea Eagles. On two occasions in 2017 in the NYC competition Hiale Roycroft ran for in excess of 100 metres including a 114 metre effort in Round Four against the Titans and in Round Twenty Four against the Cronulla Sharks he made an impressive 36 tackles. In fact in thirteen of his fifteen matches in 2017 Hiale Roycroft made in excess in 20 twenty tackles.

In 2016 Hiale Roycroft played in eighteen NYC matches for the Cowboys, running for 1 597 metres and making 445 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 93.5%. His 2016 NYC per game averages included playing 70 minutes, taking 8.7 hit-ups making 88.72 metres and 24.72 tackles. Hiale Roycroft scored two NYC tries in 2016 which came against the Parramatta Eels in Round Eight and the Manly Sea Eagles in Round Sixteen. Hiale Roycroft made his NYC debut in 2015 playing for the Brisbane Bronco’s, all three from the interchange bench late in the season whilst he was still eligible for U18 rugby league.

At 181cm and 101kg Hiale Roycroft is a nuggetty powerful hard running backrower who really does look to run straight over people, however towards the end of his NYC career he did use more footwork prior to the line and was improving at running on the fringes of the ruck, rather than straight up the centre. Hiale Roycroft has decent to above average top end speed but he does take a little bit of time to get up to his top speed. I would suggest his speed is above average for a back rower.

Hiale Roycroft also has a very good left hand fend to add to his stocky frame and good strength. His low centre of gravity and power make him a difficult proposition to defend against, regardless of where he lines up in attack.

Defensively Hiale Roycroft 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. Towards the end of the year, his defensive technique seems to have improved and he set a good stable base with his lower body, which he them used to explode into the attacker.

As noted above Hiale Roycroft has joined the Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup squad for the 2018 season where he will look to break into an experienced forward pack. I would anticipate that the 2018 season will be a year of transition for Hiale Roycroft and he will probably move in and out of the Burleigh Queensland Cup side as he gets used to the rigours of the Queensland Cup competition.

From an ultimate position perspective, the 21 year old Hiale Roycroft has firmly established himself as a powerful young backrower with some very aggressive tendencies.

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 solid speed for a backrower and someone who is very aggressive in defence.

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Eli Levido. The Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup side in 2018 under former Titans NYC coach Ben Woolf will have an influx of youth including 22 year old former North Sydney Bears, New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership half back Eli Levido. Eli Levido had a brief taste of the NRL when he started at five eight in South Sydney’s first trial in 2017 against Manly.

Eli Levido started off his rugby league career in the Hunter region before being picked up by the Wests Tigers NYC side from the Cessnock Goannas. Eli Levido left the Wests Tigers mid-way through the 2015 season to play for South Sydney as subsequently North Sydney in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership in 2016 and 2017.

The 183cm, 87kg youngster had an outstanding season for the Bears in 2017, starting at half back in 23 matches scoring 140 points from seven tries and 56 goals at 64.4%. In total in the NSW Intrust Super Premiership in 2017, Eli Levido ran for 1 389 metres, had the ball in his hands over 1 400 times, forced 10 drop outs, had 14 try assists, made 14 line breaks and made 244 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 79%.

Eli Levido’s 2017 NSW Intrust Super Premiership per game averages included running for 60.4 metres, kicking for 99.4 metres and making 10.61 tackles.

Even though Eli Levido 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 Eli Levido to put doubt into the minds of the opposing defensive line and thus me can dummy and run if there is a gap in the defensive line or put his support runners into gaps.

Eli Levido’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 Eli Levido as he has a very good long passing technique which delivers the ball quickly and accurately to the right place.

Eli Levido 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 the Logan Brothers makes them pay for their error in judgement.

Defensively Eli Levido 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. In the NSW Intrust Super Premiership last season he was constantly battered by huge forwards running at him but he held his own on each occasion. 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 in the half back position.

Eli Levido is also very vocal in the defensive line as well constantly talking and pushing his side to get the defensive line set and ensure that the initial contact makes on impact on the attacking play that is being run against them.

The former Wests Tigers NYC player should immediately push for playing time in the Queensland Cup in 2018 in fact it would not surprise at all to see him start at half back for Tweed Heads come Round One and pushing for a spot with the Titans in future seasons.

With his scheming nature and kicking ability especially in relation to short attacking kicks Eli Levido is an ideal rugby league half back and one who also has the strength of personality to command the respect of his team mate to lead them around the field and also ensure that they stick to the type of game plan that they need to be successful over the course of a match.

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 yet under rated Eli Levido including the way that he commands the ruck in attack, his very good short kicking game and his sniping runs.

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Cheyne Whitelaw. In 2017 Cheyne Whitelaw was named in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership team of the year and the New South Wales Residents side but the 23 year old former Australian School Boy representative North Sydney Intrust Super Premiership front rower and South Sydney Rabbitohs contracted player will be part of a youthful Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup squad in 2018 under the tutelage of former Titans NYC coach Ben Woolf.

The 182cm, 100kg 23 year old front rower had an outstanding season for the Bears in 2017, starting in the front row in twenty one matches scoring two tries. In total in the NSW Intrust Super Premiership in 2017, Cheyne Whitelaw ran for 2 184 metres with 685 of those metres post contact being 31.36%, made sixteen tackle breaks and made 810 tackles at an exceptional tackling efficiency of 92.2%. Cheyne Whitelaw’s 2017 NSW Intrust Super Premiership per game averages included running for 104 metres on 11.6 hit-ups and making an impressive 37 tackles.

Cheyne Whitelaw was contracted to the South Sydney NRL squad in 2015 and 2016 and in fact played in the Charity Shield for the Rabbitohs in both of those years, prior to that Cheyne Whitelaw spent three season in the NYC competition with South Sydney. Cheyne Whitelaw played for the Australian School Boys in 2013 and also represented New South Wales U18’s in the same year.

Running with the football, Cheyne Whitelaw 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. Cheyne Whitelaw 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. Cheyne Whitelaw actually does have a decent off load when he has impacted the defensive line as well.

Defensively Cheyne Whitelaw is a solid 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. Cheyne Whitelaw 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 too often.

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 NRL feasible in the near future. I would anticipate that the Titans will look very closely at this young front rower in coming seasons if he can stay injury free.

Cheyne Whitelaw should immediately push for playing time in the Queensland Cup in 2018 in fact it would not surprise at all to see him start in the front row come Round One in March. He shapes as a very good pick-up for the Seagulls and shows the benefits for both Tweed Heads and the Titans in the feeder club arrangement that is in place.

At 22 years old Cheyne Whitelaw is just starting to come into his own and whilst he may not have ideal size for the front row position in modern day rugby league he is certainly tough and hard working enough to eliminate size as an obstacle to his NRL dream.

From a player comparison perspective, one player with a similar playing style from my perspective is Parramatta Eels front rower Nathan Brown, as a solid forward who will probably never be a star but will be a solid contributor to a team’s forward pack.

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Daniel Shannon. (Updated) He is a local young front rower was part of the Burleigh Bears MM Cup squad and also played for the Southport Tigers in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition specifically at the U17 and U19 levels. Even though he was named in the Burleigh Bears MM Cup side, Daniel Shannon did not feature in any of their matches this season. Daniel Shannon also represented the Queensland Indigenous side in 2017 at the QPICC carnival at Beenleigh in October.

Daniel Shannon has alternated between the U17 Division Two and U19 levels for Southport, playing six matches in each competition and had a very busy weekend. On Saturday Daniel Shannon lined up for the Southport U19 side coming off the interchange bench in their semi-final loss 21 – 14 to Currumbin and on Sunday started in the front row for Southport in their 21 – 14 Grand Final loss to Burleigh. In the U17 Division Two competition, Daniel Shannon crossed for two tries on the season, the first coming against Coomera in July and the second in early August against Helensvale.

In 2016 Daniel Shannon was 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 alongside Titans High Performance Unit member Jesse Brasslin.

In attack Daniel Shannon 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 Daniel Shannon 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. 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 2018 season Daniel Shannon is eligible once again for the MM Cup competition and has been named in the Burleigh Bears MM Cup squad. Once that competition is finished he will line up for Southport in the GCRL U19 competition and will likely also spend some time in the Gold Coast First Grade competition.

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.

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Thomas Weaver. The young half backs 2017 rugby league commitments ended when he was part a 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 in every match.

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 who will be looking to repeat their premiership success once again in 2018 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 the prize.

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 through the Titans junior development ranks.

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Jack Sullivan. (Updated) The big strong young front rower from the Highfields Club in the Toowoomba Junior Rugby League Competition had a solid 2017 season in the U16 competition as well as being culminating in his selection in the 2017 Toowoomba 15/16 Academy Squad.

Jack Sullivan was also part of the Titans camp at Lennox Heads for the 2017 Western Mustangs Development Squad members including playing a match at the camp for the Mustangs against the Titans were he started in the front row and has subsequently signed a Titans scholarship deal. In previous seasons Jack Sullivan was part of the Brisbane Bronco’s Elite Development Squad.

Jack Sullivan finished the season with twelve tries from his twelve matches including scoring a hat trick early in the season against Pittsworth and doubles against Valleys, Pittsworth and Brothers. Jack Sullivan started in the front row for Highfields in the TJRL U16 Grand Final however his U16 side was defeated by the talented Toowoomba Souths U16 squad.

The young front rower is an all effort type of forward who runs with determination, 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. 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.

Jack Sullivan 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 Jack Sullivan 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.

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. Jack Sullivan 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.

Jack Sullivan’s 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.

Jack Sullivan will play the 2018 season at the U18 level in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition with Highfields and will also push for a spot in the Western Mustangs MM Cup squad.

Jack Sullivan is a bog strong young man who has played essentially his entire junior rugby league career in the front row and I believe with his ascension to the senior rugby league ranks in 2018 will also stay in the same position that being in the front row.

From a player comparison perspective think of new Titans recruit Jarrod Wallace as a big strong powerful hard running and hardworking forward and someone who his team mates will follow as he leads by example.

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Callum Boomer. The young Burleigh Bears MM winger had a great start to the MM season on Sunday when he scored two tries, 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. Callum Boomer is currently training with the Titans U20 High Performance Squad.

For Burleigh in the 2017 MM Cup competition Callum Boomer started in all six of Burleigh’s 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 a goal kicking conversion rate of 64.28%.

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 U20 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 likely also get some Gold Coast First Grade opportunities with Runaway Bay as well. Callum Boomer is eligible for the U20 Colts competition 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.

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Zane Prophet. The young second rower is my nomination for most improved junior player in the Gold Coast Rugby League Competitions in 2017. The Ormeau Shearers youngster had an exceptional year in the U17 Division One and U19 competitions. In 2016 Zane Prophet played a number of matches off the interchange bench for Gold Coast Green in the Cyril Connell Cup competition.

For Ormeau across the 2017 season Zane Prophet played in thirteen U17 Division One matches including starting in the second row in their 34 – 20 Grand Final defeat to Helensvale and three matches in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition.

In the U17 Division One competition Zane Prophet finished as the second leading try scorer with twelve tries including a late May double against Runaway Bay and doubles in consecutive weeks in August against Mudgeeraba and Burleigh. The two matches prior to these two doubles which were against Runaway Bay and Burleigh also saw Zane Prophet cross the try line. Zane Prophet’s three U19 matches were against Bilambil, Burleigh and Currumbin.

The pace and power in terms of how Zane prophet 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 young bloke he has very good speed over the medium term and has the strength to drag defenders with him.

I would consider that Zane Prophet’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.

Zane Prophet’s offloading ability is also improving as he refines his game. Earlier in his junior 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.

The defensive side of Zane Prophet’s 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. Zane Prophet 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 to complete the tackle.

Zane Prophet has been named in the Burleigh Bears squad for the upcoming MM Cup competition and post that competition, Zane Prophet will play in the U19 GCRL competition with the Shearers and late in het 2018 season Zane Prophet may also get an opportunity in the Burleigh U20 Colts squad.

Zane Prophet 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.

A current NRL player with a similar playing style for me is talented Newcastle Knights rookie second rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon. Like Fitzgibbon Zane Prophet shapes as a talented young second rower who just needs the right opportunity to highlight his burgeoning skill set.

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Daniel Brownbill – (Updated) He is a centre who has had an outstanding season for the Titans in the NYC competition in 2017 and is certainly destined for higher honours in rugby league. Daniel Brownbill started in the centres for the Queensland U20 side in side and was one of five Titans who represented Queensland in that match.

For all intents and purposes Daniel Brownbill played 80 minutes per match in 2017. Only on two occasions out of his twenty four matches did he not, those came in Round Three against the Newcastle Knights when he played 66 minutes and in Round Twenty against the Penrith Panthers when he played 55 minutes.

In total in the 2017 NYC season for the Titans, Daniel Brownbill was on the field for 1 881 metres, ran the ball on 263 occasions making 2 708 metres, made sixteen line breaks, had five try assists, off loaded the ball on thirteen occasions and made 237 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 77%. Daniel Brownbill’s per game 2017 NYC season averages were an incredible 112 running metres on eleven carries and just less than one line break and ten tackles.

On fifteen occasions Daniel Brownbill has run for more than 100 metres with his “best” effort coming in Round Sixteen against the Wests Tigers when he ran for 185 metres on sixteen carries. Defensively Daniel Brownbill made nineteen tackles against South Sydney in Round Fifteen and on fifteen occasions has made more than ten tackles in a match. Daniel Brownbill also averages less than half an error per match.

Daniel Brownbill also crossed for seventeen tries including four doubles which have come against the Knights in Round Three, the Raiders in Round Four, the Storm in Round Ten and the Penrith panthers in Round Twenty.

Daniel Brownbill played the 2016 season at the MM level for the Gold Coast White side before progressing to the Tweed Heads Seagulls QCup Colts side towards the end of the 2016 season. For Gold Coast White in the MM competition, Daniel Brownbill played in all eight of GC Whites matches including their two semi-finals, scoring four tries in the process, including a first half double against Gold Coast Green in Round Five and also against South’s Logan and the Easts Tigers in Rounds Six and Seven respectively. Daniel Brownbill started all of the matches at centre.

Daniel Brownbill made his 2016 QCup Colts debut in Round Ten for the Tweed Heads Seagulls going onto to play nine Colts matches in total, scoring five tries, including scoring after two minutes in his debut against the Sunshine Coast Falcons. His other tries came in Round 12 against North’s, Round 13 again against North’s, Round 16 against East’s and in Round 17 against the Sunshine Coast Falcons. From a position perspective, Daniel Brownbill debuted in the centres, also playing in the centres on three other occasions. He also started in the second row in three matches and in Rounds 15 and 16 actually started at fullback.

In 2014 Daniel Brownbill played in the CC Cup competition with the Easts Tigers and also represented the Tigers in the MM Cup competition in 2015 before signing with the Titans.

Daniel Brownbill was originally part of the Titans junior developments squads, before signing with the North Queensland Cowboys junior development system, before coming back to the Titans at the start of the 2016 season. Previously he has represented Queensland at the U16 level and prior to that made multiple South Coast junior representative sides, including schoolboy football, playing both in the centres and second row out of Coombabah State High School.

Prior to the 2016 season, Daniel Brownbill played the majority of his football in the centres, but during the 2016 season he spent a lot more time in the second row and in either position is a strong runner of the ball. Whilst in does not have blinding speed off the mark, he does have decent top end speed and can break tackles by running over his direct opposite defender as well as 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.

One skill that he does possess when playing in the centre position is a decent in and away especially from the right hand side of the field. He will wait until the last possible minute to step to commit the defender before getting on his outside.

When he breaks through the main defensive line Daniel Brownbill is also very effective at setting up his outside support, by drawing the fullback. This is a skill that is more difficult that it may seem, as the attacker needs to ensure that he draws the fullback before passing, but the fullback moves too early he has the pace to score himself as he can sustain his top speed over a reasonable distance.

When Daniel Brownbill has played second row previously, he has got very good feet, in terms of not just charging straight at the set defensive line. He uses foot work before and after the defensive line to assist in breaking tackles. In terms of his attacking skills, he has the skills at this point in time to play either centre or second row.

In terms of his defence, Daniel Brownbill obviously during the course of this year, defended almost exclusively in the centres but past experience indicates that defending on the edge of the ruck does not cause him too many issues either. One area that game him some slight issues was defending against smaller quicker centres but in saying that he is still quite effective as a defender there.

Daniel Brownbill’s initial contact is more than solid and is more than enough to stop the momentum of the ball carrier. He is also effective at wrapping the ball up and preventing offloads. Due to his current attributes he is more effective when his team is using an up and in style of defensive strategy rather than a slide methodology.

Daniel Brownbill will start the 2018 season off with the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts squad and look to push for a spot in their Queensland Cup side and a possible Titans Development contract in 2019.

I think that ultimately Daniel Brownbill ends up in the back row, but not necessarily immediately, I certainly think that for the next couple of years, he will still be able to handle playing in the centres exclusively, but I think that by the time he gets to 1st grade level, whether that be NRL or QCup etc., he will likely transition to the back row full time where he will be a rangy, mobile, wide running backrower who is capable of playing the entire eighty minutes. At 191cm and 98kg, Daniel Brownbill certainly has the size to make the transition to the second row.

From a rugby league player comparison, I would think that a good comparison would be boom Brisbane Bronco youngster Jayden Sua, as a powerful player who also followed a similar career path, that being a centre in junior rugby league before transitioning permanently to the second row.

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Angus Campbell. To say the young Robina Raptors custodian had an outstanding 2017 campaign would be an understatement. Angus Campbell played primarily in the U13 Division Three competition in 2017 including starting at fullback in the Grand Final against Ormeau contributing a double to Robina’s score. The result of the Grand Final was a 36 – 28 for Robina over Ormeau.

Angus Campbell finished the 2017 as the U13 Division Three leading try scorer with an incredible thirty three tries from just nine matches to average just less than four tries a match. No team was able to keep Angus Campbell from scoring in 2017 with the young man at least two tries in every match. Below is a rundown of his 2017 try scoring feats per game:

Burleigh 3
Mudgeeraba 7
Parkwood 6
Jimboomba 3
Ormeau 2
Helensvale 4
Nerang 3
Burleigh 3
Ormeau 2 (Grand Final)

In 2017 Angus Campbell also played four matches in the U14 Division Two competition and also four matches in the U13 Division Two competition where once again he scored in every match including doubles against Beaudesert, Nerang and Southport as well as a try against Mudgeeraba to finish with seven more tries meaning that in the U13 age group Angus Campbell scored 40 tries from just thirteen matches in 2017.

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. Angus Campbell 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.

Angus Campbell 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 Angus Campbell 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. Angus Campbell 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.

Angus Campbell 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. Angus Campbell is also adept at using the sideline to his advantage when he is defending against opposition breaks.

Angus Campbell will play once again for Robina in 2018 in the U14 age group and may also get an opportunity with the Gold Coast Vikings U14 squad.

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.

I can see similar aspects in Angus Campbell’s Tempest’s game to that of North Queensland Cowboy, Queensland State of Origin and Australian International Michael Morgan. I appreciate that they play different positions but both run with the ball out in front of their bodies in two hands putting doubt into the defence and have a knack of taking the right option at the right time to the immense benefit of their team.

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Apiata Noema-Matenga (Noema) – (Updated) He is a local young second rower who has had a solid 2017 NYC campaign with the Titans and was been rewarded with being selected on an extended bench for the Titans final NRL match of that season against the Sydney Roosters. He did not however make his NRL debut. Apiata Noema-Matenga has also had the honour of captaining the Titans NYC side in 2017.

Over the course of the 2017 NYC season Apiata Noema-Matenga played in 23 of the Titans 26 matches scoring five tries which came against the Parramatta Eels in Round Three, the Cowboys in Rounds Four, against the Raiders in Round Six, and in Rounds Sixteen and Seventeen against the Wests Tigers and St George respectively. Of the 23 matches that he featured in Apiata Noema-Matenga started every match in the second row except for two matches where he started at lock being Rounds Four and Ten.

In total Apiata Noema-Matenga spent 1,657 minutes on the field for the Titans NYC side in 2018 which equates to a per game average of approximately 72 minutes per game with Apiata Noema-Matenga playing the entire 80 minutes on 18 occasions. Apiata Noema-Matenga was on the field for every minute from Rounds Seventeen to Twenty-five inclusive.

Apiata Noema-Matenga’s 2017 season per game averages included 74 run metres on eight carries and 21 tackles at a tackling efficiency of just over 80%. On six occasions in 2018 Apiata Noema-Matenga ran for in excess of 100 metres in a match with his “best” effort coming against the Wests Tigers in Round Twenty-One when he ran for 151 metres on just nine carries. From a defensive perspective in Round Seventeen against the Dragons Apiata Noema-Matenga made 35 tackles.

The table below compares Apiata Noema-Matenga’s 2016 and 2017 NYC per game averages:

2016 2017

Minutes per game 40 72

Runs per game 5.5 8.1

Metres made per game 62.5 74.1

Tackles per game 17.5 20.8

Apiata Noema-Matenga made his NYC debut in Round 17 of the 2016 season against the New Zealand Warriors from the inter change bench, playing 33 minutes in his debut and taking a heavy knock to the head. Apiata Noema-Matenga then kept his position in the 17 for the remainder of the season, playing five matches off the inter change bench and the other four matches starting at lock. Apiata Noema-Matenga scored his first and only NYC try for the year in Round 19 against Parramatta. Apiata Noema-Matenga in his nine NYC matches averaged just on 40 minutes per game with the most minutes being against the Penrith Panthers in Round 25 when he played the remainder of the match after coming off the inter change bench in the 19th minute of the first half.

In his nine matches in 2016 Apiata Noema-Matenga averaged 62.5 run metres per match on 5.5 hit ups and 17.5 tackles. His best match purely from a total run metre perspective came on his debut when he ran for 117 metres and tackling wise in his starting debut in Round 19 against St George, he made 28 tackles. Apiata Noema-Matenga however did miss 31 tackles but I would agree that had more to do with his over enthusiasm rather than a defensive positioning or technique deficiency.

For Gold Coast White in the 2016 MM competition, Apiata Noema-Matenga played in all of Gold Coast White’s matches including their quarter and semi-finals scoring one try which came against the Ipswich Jets in the big quarter final win. Apiata Noema-Matenga started his first five matches at lock before moving to the second row in Round Seven and then staying in the second row for the two finals matches.

Over the course of his junior football the former PBC student made numerous representative sides including the Vikings, Kookaburras, South East Queensland, Queensland Maroon and South Coast at the U15 and U18 level. He attended PBC and was part of their GIO Cup side that lost the Queensland Grand Final, however they did defeat Keebra Park in the Queensland quarter finals in a high quality contest in front of a crowd of around 5,000. Other Titans linked PBC team mates in that game included former NYC team mate Ethan Roberts. In the Keebra side that day was AJ Brimson. Previously he was part of the Broncos Elite Player Development Squad and was so for a number of years before signing with his local NRL club.

Apiata Noema-Matenga is a hard running backrower who really does look to run straight over people, especially when he played in the centres, towards the end of the year, in the back row, 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. Apiata Noema-Matenga still has decent to above average top end speed but he does take a little bit of time to get up to his top speed. I would suggest his speed is above average for a back rower. Apiata Noema-Matenga also has a very good left hand fend to add to his stocky frame and good strength. His low centre of gravity and power make him a difficult proposition to defend against, regardless of where he lines up in attack.

Defensively Apiata Noema-Matenga 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.

Towards the end of the year, Apiata Noema-Matenga’s defensive technique in the forwards had improved immensely, especially as he transitioned to the NYC ranks and he set a good stable base with his lower body, which he them used to explode into the attacker. Apiata Noema-Matenga’s aggression can on occasion get the best of him but he certainly does make an impact defensively.

It is clear from his selection on the extended First Grade bench that Apiata Noema-Matenga is highly thought of by the Titans and is currently trialling for a Development contract with the NRL side.

Apiata Noema-Matenga is still eligible for the Colts competition in 2018 and will be part of a powerful Burleigh Bears U20 Colts side as well as continuing to push for a Titans Development contract come 2019. Obviously Apiata Noema-Matenga will also be looking to break into the Burleigh Bears Queensland Cup side in 2018. Apiata Noema-Matenga has also been named in the 2018 Queensland U20 Emerging Origin Squad and thus is in a good position to represent Queensland at the U20 level for the second year in a row.

From an ultimate position perspective, his transition from centre to the back row has now been completed and Apiata Noema-Matenga has now firmly established himself as a powerful young backrower.

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. With Apiata Noema-Matenga in a team, that team will definitely not lack aggression in both attack and defence.

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AJ (Alexander) Brimson. (Updated) He is a young fullback/half who was outstanding for the Titans NYC side in 2017 season and was rewarded with being selected on the extended bench for the Titans final NRL match against the Sydney Roosters. In 2017 AJ Brimson was named the Titans NYC player of the season sharing the award with giant young front rower Moeaki Fotuaika. AJ Brimson was also named in the 2017 NYC team of the year along with fellow Titans Top 30 player Phillip Sami.

AJ Brimson has signed a three year deal with the Titans at will keep him at the club until the end of the 2020 season and in 2018 is part of the Top 30 squad even though he is still eligible to play in the U20 Colts competition.

AJ Brimson’s 2017 season kicked off when he played for the Titans in the Auckland Nine’s where he would have gained invaluable experience playing against NRL calibre players. From a trivia perspective, AJ Brimson’s older brother is Will Brimson who progressed through the Broncos U20 ranks.

In the 2017 for the Titans NYC side AJ Brimson played in twenty one matches and averaged just under a try a match with twenty tries. AJ Brimson scored two hat tricks tin 2017 which came against the North Queensland Cowboys in Round Four and against the Manly Sea Eagles in Round Eleven and also doubles against the Newcastle Knights in Round Two and the St George Dragons in Round Seventeen. AJ Brimson has scored a try in every match from Rounds Twenty to the Round Twenty-five loss to Canterbury.

AJ Brimson’s per game 2017 averages were 100 run metres on ten carries and 17 tackles at a tackling efficiency of around 85%. On seven occasions AJ Brimson has run for more than 100 metres in a match including an exceptional match in Round Eleven against Manly when he ran for 215 metres from just thirteen carries. Defensively AJ Brimson has made more than 20 tackles on six occasions with his best tally coming in Round Three against the Newcastle Knights.

For all intents and purposes AJ Brimson has been an 80 minutes player with the Titans as on only one occasion did he not played the entire match that was against the Parramatta Eels in Round Four when he “only” played 71 minutes.

The table below compares AJ Brimson’s 2016 and 2017 NYC per game averages. It should be noted that in the 2016 season AJ Brimson played six matches at fullback.

2016 2017

Minutes per game 72 80

Runs per game 11 10

Metres made per game 97 100

Tackles per game 12 17

AJ Brimson made his NYC debut in 2016 starting half back against South Sydney in Round 13 then playing every game up to Round 25 when he was injured after 51 minutes. Over the course of the twelve matches that he played AJ Brimson scored three tries on top of running for a total of 1 162 metres on 114 carries. His tries came in Round 15 against Manly, Round 20 in his fullback debut against Parramatta and finally against the Warriors in Round 22. In total AJ Brimson played his first six NYC matches at half back before playing his final six at fullback. The move to fullback was a master stroke by the NYC hierarchy.

AJ Brimson’s 2016 season averages per game included 97 metres on 11 carries and 12 tackles. His best running game came in Round 20 in his fullback debut when he ran for 159 metres against the Wests Tigers and in his NYC debut AJ Brimson made 21 tackles against South Sydney. In addition to the exceptional statistics noted above AJ Brimson also made nine line breaks including three against the Wests Tigers in Round 23 on top of his 159 metres. It was only in Round 25 when he was injured that AJ Brimson did not play the entire 80 minutes in a match.

Surprisingly AJ Brimson only scored two tries in the MM competition in 2016 where he played all of the Gold Coast White’s matches at half back. Upon completion of the MM season, AJ Brimson played a handful of matches with the Tweed Heads Seagulls QCup Colts side before finishing the 2016 in the Titans NYC side where he primarily played fullback. 2016 also saw AJ Brimson made GC White MM Player of the Year and joint MM Player of the year.

In 2016 he also played his schoolboy football for Keebra and made the South Coast QSSRL U18 squad. He also made his QCup Colts debut Tweed Seagulls late in the 2016 season, and scored a try on debut. Understandably he was also a very good touch rugby player.

AJ Brimson started attending Keebra Park State High School in 2013 with absolutely no rugby league experience at all focussing on touch instead including representing the Queensland U15 side at the Australian Touch Championships.

In attack AJ Brimson’s speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice when you see him play live. Any video’s, including the video on the official site does not do his speed off the mark justice, watching him play live, it is great to see when he takes off. AJ Brimson 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 long distance, thus the apparent lack of an extra gear in speed has no discernible impact that I have identified.

Coupled with a very good right foot step, AJ Brimson’s speed enables him to make numerous line 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. He also backs up any line breaks and loves to score tries.

The area that for me AJ Brimson has developed the most over the last couple of seasons is in relation to his play making skills, including putting his runners, whether they are backrowers or centres into holes. His enhanced plays making skills has made his speed with his show and go more effective as defensive lines start to focus in his runners and thus leave more space for him. As games progress AJ Brimson is very good at identifying tired forwards in the defensive line, and he will ruthlessly exploit that when he sees that. Multiple times this season he has left forwards clutching at air as they began to tire.

AJ Brimson 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. 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, due to his size AJ Brimson 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. AJ Brimson 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.

AJ Brimson has signed a three year deal with the Titans starting in 2018 and is a member of the Titans 30 man NRL squad. AJ Brimson is still eligible to play in the U20 Colts competition in 2018 but I believe that if not in the NRL squad come Round One will bypass the U20 Colts competition and be part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup side.

AJ Brimson has also been named in the 2018 Queensland U20 Emerging Origin squad and barring injury should represent Queensland at the U20 level for the second year in a row.

From a player comparison perspective, think of the Canterbury Bulldogs version of Ben Barba from a speed perspective but his rapidly developing play making skills warrant a Daly Cherry Evans comparison although AJ Brimson’s speed far exceeds that of the Manly half back. All in all with his blinding speed, especially off the mark and his play making skills as well as his ability to create for himself means that AJ Brimson is truly exciting player of the very near future.

AJ Brimson is 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.

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Jacob Leach. The young centre has flown under the radar a bit in his rugby league career to date but with his form across the three levels of the Toowoomba Rugby League competition for Highfields and is selection in the Western Mustangs U20 Colts side for 2018 and is seemingly all about to change.

Over the course of the 2017 Toowoomba Rugby League season Jacob Leach played in seventeen U18 matches, four Reserve Grade matches and seven Hutchies A grade matches. In the U18 competition, Jacob Leach scored an impressive thirteen tries including scoring seven tries in just three matches in May 2017.

In that span Jacob Leach scored a hat trick against Oakey and then followed that match up with doubles against Toowoomba Valleys and Southern Suburbs. Jacob Leach also scored an early season double against Gatton and a late season double against South Burnett.

Jacob Leach made his A Grade debut in Round One against Brothers Toowoomba backing up from the U18 clash earlier in the day and played his final A Grade match of the season in July 2017 against Gatton. On six of the seven occasions hat Jacob Leach played for the Highfields A Grade side he was backing up after the U18 contest.

I would not say that Jacob Leach 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, and a lot of the tries that he scored in 2017 were when he was able to beat his opposite defender when they had come in just a fraction.

Jacob Leach 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. Jacob Leach is also adept at making ground out of dummy half.

When playing in the centres Jacob Leach looks 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 either the centre or wing position.

Jacob Leach can certainly hold his line defensively without necessarily being a dominant defender. When Jacob Leach he played 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.

Jacob Leach has been named in the 38 man Western Mustangs U20 Colts squad for the 2018 Queensland Rugby League season and is also eligible for that competition in 2019. If Jacob Leach is not in the Western Mustangs 17 for a particular round he will play in the Toowoomba Rugby League A Grade competition likely for the Highfields and Districts side.

Over the course of the 2017 season in the TRL U18 and A Grade competitions Jacob Leach spent team both in the centres and on wing and this was also the case in 2016 in the TRL U18 competition. Due to the fact that he is only reasonably slight of build and his ability to understand how to use limited space, I can see a future on the wing for the Darling Downs youngster.

From a player comparison perspective with his speed and smaller build for a winger, Jacob Leach has a playing style similar to that of current Brisbane Bronco’s fringe NRL player Jonas Pearson. If you want to go back a touch further Scott Minto formerly of the Bronco’s as well is another player who seems to have similar attributes to Jacob Leach.

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Daron Bligh (Saltner-Bligh). (Updated) The exciting young centre from the Cherbourg Junior Rugby League club who play in the South Burnett Junior Rugby League competition had a flying start in the U16 competition, his second in that age group, scoring 17 tries from just the first six matches of the season.

In total over the course of the 2017 season, Daron Bligh finished as the competitions leading try scorer with twenty eight tries from fourteen matches. In March of 2017 Daron Bligh was selected on the wing for the South Burnett U16 47th Battalion side representative side.

In that span of matches to start the season Daron Bligh scored five tries against the Central Burnett Brumbies and in Round One scored four against Wondai. He also scored a hat trick against Nanango and doubles against Chinchilla and Kingaroy. Daron Bligh scored two further hat tricks in the 2017 season which came against Chinchilla and Nanango and he also scored a mid-season double against Wondai Murgon.

In terms of his attacking play Daron Bligh 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.

Daron Bligh 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. Daron Bligh 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.

Defensively Daron Bligh has a very good 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 junior rugby league. 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. Due to the defensive attributes noted Daron Bligh is clearly more effective defending in a side with a sliding defensive methodology rather than an up and in approach.

It will be interesting to see where the Murgon State High School student plays in 2017 and may decide to play in the Toowoomba U18 with South Burnett who are renowned for their attacking style of play.

With his speed and elusiveness there is nothing to suggest that Daron Bligh cannot stay in the centres long term although he could also certainly be able to wing on the wing at a high standard and potentially at fullback as well.

From a player comparison perspective for Daron Bligh, 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.

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Jake Keating. (Updated) The young U16 backrower has had two outstanding seasons in a row in the South Burnett region and was a member of the 2017 South Burnett Academy squad.

In 2017 Jake Keating moved up from the U14 South Burnett Rugby League competition as there is no U15 competition in the region but the step up in age was no barrier to the young Nanango Stags second rower. In the U16 competition in 2017 Jake Keating finished as the competitions second leading try scorer one behind talented Cherbourg centre Daron Bligh with twenty seven tries from just thirteen matches.

Jake Keating had an outstanding start to the 2017 season scoring nineteen tries in the first six rounds, including in that span scoring five tries in a match against the Central Burnett Brumbies, four tries in matches against Kingaroy and Chinchilla, a double against Wondai Murgon and ‘only” one try in a another match against Chinchilla. Jake Keating also finished the 2017 season with a bang scoring hat tricks in consecutive matches against Chinchilla and Cherbourg.

While his Nanango side were defeated in their 2016 Preliminary Final, on an individual level Jake Keating had an unbelievable season topping the U14 try scoring and points scoring lists with 36 tries for 144 points in total from 14 matches at an average of 2.5 tries and just over ten points per game. Jake Keating scored in every match he played including Nanango’s matches in the finals series, including scoring five tries on one occasion against Wondai Proston. He scored four tries in four others matches against Kingaroy twice, Chinchilla and Central Burnett, he also scored a hat trick against Central Burnett and too many doubles to write about.

Tear a way would be an apt description of how Jake Keating 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 games that I have seen 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.

Jake Keating’s 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 a change to his running angle rather than a specific 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. He is a real motivating force for his team when he runs the ball. With his stamina and determination, this approach whilst it must wear him down it also wears down his opponents.

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.

Jake Keating 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. 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.

Jake Keating will play the 2017 season at the U16 level for Nanango in the South Burnett Rugby League competition and will be eligible for that age group again in 2018. Along with Daron Bligh Jake Keating was the stand out player in the U16 competition and come 2018 he should once again dominate.

In terms of his best position I would consider that where Jake Keating is currently playing which is in the second row is by far his best position moving forward, even though he could also probably handle playing in the centres as well due to his speed.

From a player comparison perspective if you watch the Brisbane Broncos Matt Gillett play he hopefully get an appreciation of how Jake Keating plays, that being of a hole running tough tackling second rower.

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Mitchell Malone. The talented young five eight from the Bilambil Jets junior rugby league club continues to develop his game in both club and school boy football as part of the PBC side that were defeated 22-20 by Marsden recently after the very young PBC played so well to lead until late in the match. In relation to club rugby league in 2017 Mitchell Malone has played eight matches for the Bilambil Jets in the U17 Division One GCJRL competition including starting at half back in the majority of them.

In 2016 Mitchell Malone was selected in the New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges Northern Coast side. In 2015 Mitchell Malone was part of the Combined Catholic College Northern side as well as representing Group 18 at the U15 level in the New South Country age championships over the weekend. He started at five eight in both of their matches being a 28-18 loss Group 21 and a heart breaking 18-16 loss to Group 3 when after coming back from 10 points down were beaten when Group 3 kicked a penalty goal to break a 16 all deadlock with two minutes to go. Over those two games he kicked five goals to finish Group 18’s top point’s scorer and kicked at approximately 80% over the course of the two matches. He kicked two conversions against Group 3 and three against Group 21.

Mitchell Malone’s calling card from an attacking perspective is his passing and game management abilities, these were on show in the Group One U15’s matches when along with half back Kade Hill he directed the Group One around the ground. In terms of his running game, he 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.

Mitchell Malone 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. His 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. He is also a decent goal kicker but I have not seen enough of him kicking to have an opinion as to whether he can be a front line kicker for his side moving forward.

Defensively Mitchell Malone 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. Against Marsden State High School in the GIO Cup Mitchell Malone was constantly battered by huge forwards running at him but he held his own all day. 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 in the five eight position.

The Bilambil Jets will continue to benefit from having him at the club and Mitchell Malone will be a key component of their push for success at the U19 Level as will PBC with their very young side as they build towards the various schoolboy competitions in 2018.

Mitchell Malone has had a great deal of success at five eight with his ball playing and game management skills to go with his ability to take the line on himself and there is no reason for a coach to move him from the five eight position or half back from my perspective. In note however that Mitchell Malone has spent some time at hooker this year but I would really like to see him stay in the halves for the next couple of seasons at least.

Mitchell Malone reminds me of the Titans own Ashley Taylor in relation to how he plays and manages the game of rugby league.

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Isaiah Barker. (Updated) He is a big strong young front rower who moved up to the Gold Coast to attend PBC as part of their Rugby League Excellence program and play for Burleigh from Kempsey at the start of the 2016 season after being named in the New South Wales U16 Ingenuous squad in 2015 where a team mate was fellow Kempsey product and Titans contracted centre/five eight/fullback Will Lockwood.

2017 saw Isaiah Barker start in the front row for the South Coast U18 QSSRL side alongside fellow Titans players Kai O’Donnell, David Butler, Logan Cootes, Laz Sua and Blake Campbell.

In the MM Cup competition for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in 2017 Isaiah Barker played in all six of Tweed Heads matches starting five in the front row and one being Round Three against Wynnum Manly at lock. Across those six matches Isaiah Barker crossed for two tries which came in Round two against Victoria and also in Round Three against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.

Isaiah Barker made his U20 Colts Challenge debut for the Tweed Heads Seagulls when he came off the bench in Round One against the South’s Logan Magpies. Isaiah Barker also came off the bench in Rounds Nine and Sixteen. Even though he had only played three matches in the regular season, Isaiah Barker also started from the interchange bench in all three of the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts matches in 2017 against Redcliffe, Easts and Norths.

Isaiah Barker has also played in one U19 Gold Coast Rugby League match in 2017 for the Bilambil Jets which came in late July against Currumbin when he started in the front row.

In relation to his club rugby league in 2016 Isaiah Barker played in the Burleigh Bears side in the U17 Division One competition and was part of the 18 – 12 Grand Final winning side where Isaiah Barker started at lock and scored a try. Over the course of the 2016 season, Isaiah Barker scored four tries from ten matches including a try against Currumbin in Round One, with tries following against Southport and Beaudesert and Runaway Bay in the Grand Final.

Isaiah Barker 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. Isaiah Barker played the 2016 season for the Gold Coast MM Green side and this season started once again in the MM Cup competition prior to progressing to the U20 Colts Challenge competition with Tweed Heads.

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.

Isaiah Barker 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. Isaiah Barker 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 Isaiah Barker 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 Colts coaching that he will be getting they will have this corrected in short order.

Isaiah Barker 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. Isaiah Berker can however get fired up and really cause havoc defensively, he just needs to continue to channel his aggression on occasion. In the vast majority of occasions however the aggression is a true positive for his team.

2018 should see Isaiah Barker be a part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts squad where he will still have two years of eligibility.

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 for the talented Kempsey youngster.

From a player comparison perspective, I would consider a player such as St George Dragons front rower Paul Vaughan as a current NRL 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.

Local print media from the Kempsey area noted on his departure from the region to the Gold Coast that he is considered a talented player of the future with the right attitude to succeed and Isaiah Barker has done nothing since to suggest that they were wrong.

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Damion Dumas. (Updated) The former Sawtell Panther has made a big impression for Keebra Park since he moved to the Gold Coast based school at the start of the 2016 season and in 2017 he started at fullback for Keebra Park including in their GIO Cup national Final victory.

In addition Damion Dumas made his Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade debut and was also selected in the 2017 South Coast Open Schoolboys Open side for the Queensland Secondary School Championships. Damion Dumas also kicked a conversion in that match. Damion Dumas was part of the Parramatta Eels development program in 2015.

Damion Dumas started off the Gold Coast Rugby League competition at the U19 level with the Southport Tigers playing in twelve matches finishing the season with ten tries and sixteen goals for a total points tally of 72. Damion Dumas scored his tries in single matches except for a double against Mudgeeraba and in his first U19 matches scored in every one.

Damion Dumas started the season as Southport’s first choice goal kicker and kicked thirteen goals in the first three matches including five against Mudgeeraba (the same match as his try scoring double) and four goals in matches against Tugun and Runaway Bay.

Damion Dumas made his GCRL First Grade debut in May 2017 and scored a kicked a goal on debut against Runaway Bay backing up after playing in the U19 match earlier in the day. In fact in each of the three GCRL First Grade matches that Damion Dumas played in 2017 he backed up after playing in the U19 fixture.

Damion Dumas 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, Damion Dumas 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 Damion Dumas 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 Damion Dumas is also a strong presence on the field and more than held his own over the course of the 2016 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 Damion Dumas uses his lateral mobility to mirror their movement to ensure that they do not get on his outside and Damion Dumas is disciplined enough not to come out of the line and maintain the proper defensive spacing.

Damion Dumas is in the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts squad for the upcoming 2018 season and has two years of U20 Colts eligibility remaining.

From a position perspective, Damion Dumas has spent his entire career in the halves up until the last year or so and whilst I still think that he is more likely than not to play primarily in the halves into the future his play at fullback for Keebra Park would indicate that he is more than capable playing at the back as well. Damion Dumas also played some of his club football at hooker last season.

For me a current NRL player with a similar playing style to that in Damion Dumas is Cronulla Sharks five eight James Maloney, being that of a solid talented all round half 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.

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Charlie Gee. (Updated) He is a local young Titans contracted half/five eight/hooker from the Beaudesert Kingfishers club who started off the 2017 season playing for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the MM Cup competition before moving back to the Kingfishers in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition.

Charlie Gee played every match in the MM Cup competition for Tweed Heads this season starting five matches at hooker and coming off the interchange bench in Round Six when he alternated with Josh Frier. In those six matches Charlie Gee scored two tries the first coming in Round Two on an away trip to Victoria and in Round Eight against Souths Logan. In Round Three against the Western Mustangs Charlie Gee had the honour of captaining the side.

Charlie Gee has had a stellar season for the Beaudesert Kingfishers in both the U19 Gold Coast Rugby League competition and in the Doug Lipp Cup. In the U19 competition, Charlie Gee is averaging better than a try a match scoring eleven tries from just ten matches, including four against Runaway Bay in Round One and also a mid-season double against Southport. At one stage during the season from 10 June through to 8 July Charlie Gee scored at least one try in each of the four matches that he played in.

Charlie Gee made his Doug Lipp Cup debut in May 2017 scoring a double in his debut against Ormeau. Since that debut match Charlie Gee has played in an additional eight Doug Lipp Cup matches scoring additional tries against Southport and Bilambil.

Charlie Gee played the 2016 season at the U17 Division One level on the Gold Coast, scoring three tries in ten matches with the tries coming against Currumbin in two separate matches and also against Runaway Bay. Charlie Gee also started every match at hooker of the Gold Coast Green MM side in 2016, including their tough semi-final loss to the North’s Devils 13 - 10. He also started at half for the Titans U16 Development squad in their game against Samoa in late 2015 which was played in difficult conditions.

In attack his calling card is Charlie Gee’s 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 necessarily have quick twitch feet, thus his step is more a touch above average than say a plus side step like AJ Brimson. Charlie Gee also 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 attitude.

Charlie Gee 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 Charlie Gee 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.

Charlie Gee 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 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 Charlie Gee has decent size and 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.

Charlie Gee will be in line for a spot in the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side in 2018 as well as playing for the Beaudesert Kingfishers in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition where even though he will be eligible for the U19 age group he will likely play the season in the first grade side.

Whilst he has played a fair bit of football at five eight or half previously Charlie Gee spent a significant portion of the 2017 season at hooker in the MM Cup competition. Based on the amount of time that he spent at hooker in 2016 and 2017 logic would suggest that he will likely stay at hooker in the short term to medium term at least.

From a player comparison perspective think maybe someone like former Canberra Raiders and St George Dragons half Sam Williams, as a solid player 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.

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Matthew Wilton-Waldron. (Updated) 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 at the end of the 2015 as an invited player. Matthew Wilton-Waldron will line up for Helensvale in the second row on Friday night in the GCJRL U15 Division One Grand Final against Runaway Bay. Matthew Wilton-Waldron was also part of the Titans U15 side that played a Balmain U15 side at Cudgen late last year.

From club rugby league perspective Matthew Wilton-Waldron played the 2017 season for Helensvale in the GCJRL competition in the U15 Division One competition. Matthew Wilton-Waldron played in sixteen matches for the Hornets including starting in the second row in their 34 – 10 Grand Final loss to Nerang. Over the course of his sixteen matches Matthew Wilton-Waldron scored three tries including an early season double against Currumbin and he also scored in Helensvale’s finals victory over Burleigh.

Matthew Wilton-Waldron has player in a further twelve matches and early in the year scored a double against Currumbin. Matthew Wilton-Waldron has also played one match up at the U16 Division Level for Helensvale.

In 2016 Matthew Wilton-Waldron was part of the U14 Gold Coast Vikings side that went through the 2016 Hill Stumer Championships undefeated and from there was selected in the U14 South East Queensland Training squad.

Matthew Wilton-Waldron 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. Matthew Wilton-Waldron is also good at maintaining his momentum after impacting the defensive line. Matthew Wilton-Waldron 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.

Matthew Wilton-Waldron 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 Matthew Wilton-Waldron 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. Matthew Wilton-Waldron 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.

Matthew Wilton-Waldron will don the Green and Yellow of the Helensvale Hornets in 2018 in the U16 Division One Gold Coast Junior Rugby League Competition and also line up for the Titans linked Coombabah State High School in their various School boy competitions. Matthew Wilton-Waldron has also been selected in the U16 Gold Coast Vikings Training Squad that will contest the 2018 South East Queensland U16 pre-season competition which kicks off next month.

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 second row and one that has reasonable mobility and speed for his size.

Matthew Wilton-Waldron has a variety of skills at his disposal when he plays and the next couple of years are simply about gaining experience and allowing his skills to develop at the appropriate pace. A current NRL player with similar qualities from my perspective is rookie Newcastle Knights second rower Sam Stone.

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Bodhi Banister. The multi-talented five eight played for the Helensvale Hornets in 2017 including starting at five eight in their 32 -12 Grand Final victory over Runaway Bay in the U16 Division Two competition. In that match his brother Taj started in the centres. Bodhi Banister scored a key try in the Grand Final with his brother also scoring in the match.

Over the course of the 2017 U16 Division Two competition, Bodhi Banister played in fourteen matches scoring eleven tries and kicking five goals to finish with 54 points, to edge out his brother who scored 48, Taj however did score twelve tries so both have a degree of bragging rights.

Bodhi Banister started off the season with a bang scoring doubles in the first three weeks against Ormeau, Runaway Bay and Nerang. Later in the 2017 Bodhi Banister also scored doubles against Runaway Bay and Ormeau for a second time. With ten of his eleven tries coming from doubles, once he scored one try in a match it was almost certain that he would get a second.

In 2017 Bodhi Banister also played two matches for the Hornets in the U16 Division One competition against Burleigh and Runaway Bay and four in the U17 Division One competition including scoring against Southport in his first match at that level.

Bodhi Banister also played at five eight for the PNG Kokomos U16 team in the 2017 QPICC carnival that was held in Beenleigh in October 2017. PNG went on to win the U16 carnival with Bodhi Banister scoring against Tonga and a crucial try against Queensland Maori to put PNG in front.

When the ball is passed to him early, Bodhi Banister straightens the attack up well and 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.

Bodhi Banister 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 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 runs with the ball Bodhi Banister looked like a natural ball runner and intuitively knows where to run and accelerate through gaps in the defensive line.

Bodhi Banister 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 Bodhi Banister 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.

Bodhi Banister will play the 2018 season with the Helensvale Hornets in the GCJRL U17 competition.

For me Bodhi Banister 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 Bodhi Banister ultimately ends up as a very talented, quick centre and one who also has some developed skills to set up his outside supports when the opportunity presents.

From a player comparison perspective for Bodhi Banister, think along the lines of Manly centre/five eight Dylan Walker from a style perspective as a talented 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.

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Jesse Braslin. (Updated) The young hooker or half who is a member Titans High Performance Unit member may only be small in stature but has a big heart on the football field, which has been identified both at club and representative level over the course of the 2016 and 2017 rugby league seasons. Jesse Braslin was part of the Gold Coast Green U16 side that competed in the U16 South East Queensland pre-season competition in February of 2017.

Jesse Braslin has played the 2017 GCJRL season with the Helensvale Hornets at the U16 Division One level, scoring two tries through eleven matches with the tries coming against Ormeau in May and Runaway Bay in July. Helensvale in the U16 Division One competition finished the regular season third and won their elimination semi-final 33-16 against Runaway Bay with Jesse Braslin starting at five eight for the Hornets. Unfortunately Helensvale were defeated in the Preliminary Final by a red hot Currumbin Eagles side that went on to defeat Burleigh 34 -4 in the Grand Final.

In the 2016 club season with Helensvale, Jesse Braslin started the U15 Division One grand final at five eight against Burleigh but unfortunately the Hornets were defeated 44-0 on that night by a red hot Burleigh side this time. Over the course of the ten matches that Jesse Braslin played in the Green and Yellow of the Hornets in 2016 he crossed for two tries, the first was in the first match of the season proper against Currumbin with the second coming against Runaway Bay towards the end of the season. Jesse Brasslin also played for the Titans U15 side in their annual match against the Balmain Tigers, unfortunately the Titans lost that match 22-18.

Jesse Braslin has also made a number of representative sides over the last couple of seasons, including being part of the Queensland Murri U15 side last year that went on a two match tour of Fiji, with the side winning both matches. He made the U15 side after representing Murri United. Earlier this season he then represented the Queensland Murri U16 side in their annual match against New South Wales Kurri U16, with that match ending in a 16 all draw. Jesse Braslin started at hooker in that match and tackled his heart out like he always does.

In late 2016 Jesse Braslin was selected in the Queensland Murri U16 side after playing well again for Murri United at their annual carnival. To round out his representative commitments, earlier in 2016 he represented South Coast at the Queensland U15 State Schools championships from Coombabah State High School, from there he was selected in the Queensland Maroon side for the Australian U15 championships. In 2014 he represented South East Queensland at the U14 level and was part of the Gold Coast Academy of Sport 2016 rugby league intake.

Even though he has played matches this season at five eight, half and hooker, the comments below relate to Jesse Braslin’s play at hooker, as ultimately I think that that will be his best position moving forward towards the senior ranks.

He 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 Jesse Braslin’s 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, he 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 Jesse Braslin 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.

Jesse Braslin’s 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. He literally looks to tackle everything that moves in the centre of the ruck even though he is normally one of the smallest forwards on the field, and I mean always, he is also one of the toughest though.

Moving forward he will play the 2018 season at the U17 Division One level in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League competition for the Helensvale Hornets and may also play a match or to up in the U19 competition as well.

Jesse Braslin certainly projects as an 80 minute player, who will be known for his organisational and distribution skills as well as his courage and determination. 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 current Titans and New South Wales State of Origin hooker Nathan Peats would be appropriate from a style, leadership courage and determination perspective.

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Joshua Paiyo. The young Helensvale Hornets and PNG QPICC U16 representative front rower played a lot of rugby league in 2017 including playing twenty six matches for the Hornets across four separate competitions on the Gold Coast as well as representing PNG. In the QPICC carnival PNG won the U16 Division with Joshua Paiyo and Cruise Ten captaining the squad to their victory with Joshua Paiyo scoring a number of tries including against Queensland Maori and Tonga.

From a trivia Joshua Paiyo is the son of former Kumuls hooker Elias Paiyo whose 22 year old World Cup points scoring record was recently exceeded by second rower Reece Martin.

Joshua Paiyo played in fifteen U16 Division Two matches including starting in the centres and scoring a double in Helensvale’s 32 – 12 Grand Final victory over Runaway Bay. In addition to the Grand Final double, Joshua Paiyo scored eight further tries in 2017 including a hat trick in the final regular season round against Ormeau. Joshua Paiyo also kicked a single conversion which he kicked against Coomera to finish with 42 points on the season.

In 2017 Joshua Paiyo also played three matches in the U16 Division One competition scoring against Runaway Bay. He also played five U17 Division One matches and one U17 Division Two match, on a number of occasions backing up after playing a match earlier in the weekend.

Joshua Paiyo 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. This good footwork enables Joshua Paiyo to step prior to the line, creating little half breaks which enhances the ability to off-load the football.

Joshua Paiyo 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. Joshua Paiyo’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.

Joshua Paiyo 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.

Joshua Paiyo will play the 2018 season with the Helensvale Hornets in the GCJRL U17 competition and will be line to represent PNG again in the annual QPICC carnival in October 2018 in the U18 age group.

Joshua Paiyo 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. Joshua Paiyo 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.

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Taj Banister. The try scoring centre played for the Helensvale Hornets in 2017 including starting in the centres in their 32 -12 Grand Final victory over Runaway Bay in the U16 Division Two competition. In that match his brother Bodhi started at five eight with both brothers scoring in the match.

Over the course of the 2017 U16 Division Two competition, Taj Banister played in fifteen matches scoring twelve tries to edge out his brother who scored eleven. Taj Banister scored doubles against Nerang and Coomera and scored in each of Helensvale’s finals matches.

Whilst he does not have blinding speed off the mark, Taj Banister does have decent speed overall but I would not consider it at the plus level and can break tackles by running over his direct opposite defender as well as 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. One skill that Taj Banister does possess is a decent in and away and he will wait until the last possible minute to step to commit the defender before getting on his outside.

Taj Banister is not the biggest centre 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. Taj Banister will show his opposite number the sideline and is confident that his speed will enable him to get across to make the tackle at the appropriate time.

Taj Banister will play the 2018 season with the Helensvale Hornets in the GCJRL U17 competition.

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 at present.

In many respects the way Taj Banister’s 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.

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Kade Hill. (Updated) He is a young half/five eight from the Murwillumbah Colts junior rugby league club who play in the Group 18 junior rugby league competition, and who is part of our junior development set up in the NRRRL region and attended a Titans Elite Academy Camp that was held for 18 young Titans contracted players at Lennox Heads.

Over the course of the 2017 season Kade Hill along with two other Titans linked youngsters in second rower Ben Liyou and Jordan Tauali’i stood out for the East Coast Dolphins U16 side which made the New South Wales Country U16 Age Championship final and also along with his two team mates made the New South Wales Country U16 side that were undefeated on a two match tour of New Zealand’s South Island playing an U17 Canterbury selection as well as a West Coast selection in Greymouth. Kade Hills was able to cross for a double in their semi-final victory over the Bidgee Bulls and recently he was named the Group 18 U16 Player of the Year.

During the 2016 season, Kade Hill represented Group 18 at the U15 level where he played at half back partnering talented five eight Mitchell Malone. Kade Hill as also part of the Titans squad that played the Balmain Tigers in an U15 trial match on the Gold Coast late in 2016.

For Group 18 in 2016, Kade Hill played in two matches being against Group 21 and Group Three over the course of the 18/19 June weekend and scored a good solo try on the Sunday against Group Three. Kade Hill also represented the North Coast in a match against the Hunter Region in the New South Wales Greater Northern Rugby League Exchange competition scoring a very good individual try in the process showcasing his speed off the mark and deft right foot step.

In 2015 Kade Hill represented Group 18 in that year being in the U14 age group. 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, Kade Hill plays 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.

Moving forward to the 2018 season, he will play the season at the U18 level with the Murwillumbah Colts as well as continuing to play school boy rugby league. Kade Hill will also be line to represent Group 18 at the U18 level for their series against Group One etc. for an opportunity to make the East Coast Dolphins U18 side for the New South Wales Country U18 Championships.

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 rather than an analysis of his current play.

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. At this stage in his career Kade Hill does not have the size of Kane Elgey but he still has plenty of growing and filling out to do.

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Paigge Taipari-Maxwell. The 2017 season was the first playing rugby league on the Gold Coast for the Runaway Bay Seagulls centre and he made an impression, playing in three different competitions over the course of the season, including starting in the centres for Runaway Bay in their 32 -12 Grand Final loss to Helensvale in the GCJRL U16 Division Two competition. Prior to his move to the Gold Coast for the 2017 season Paigge Taipari-Maxwell played school boy rugby for New Zealand powerhouse New Plymouth Boys High School.

In total in the U16 Division Two competition for Runaway Bay, Paigge Taipari-Maxwell played in twelve matches scoring five tries and kicking three goals to finish the season with twenty six points. All of his tries came in different matches and where against Mudgeeraba, Ormeau (in consecutive weeks), Coomera, Nerang and Beaudesert.

Paigge Taipari-Maxwell also played three matches in the U16 Division One competition with those matches being against Ormeau on two occasions and Burleigh. Paigge Taipari-Maxwell also played four matches in the U17 Division One competition, scoring against Ormeau in his last match in that Division in 2017. His other U17 Division One matches were against Ormeau for a second time, Burleigh and Bilambil.

Paigge Taipari-Maxwell ’s main ability when you see him play is his foot work, it is absolutely outstanding in the centres. He can step off both feet 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.

Paigge Taipari-Maxwell ’s speed off the mark would have to be considered above average 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 Paigge Taipari-Maxwell receives the ball he is a sound 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 makes it difficult for the opposing defender to get a clean shot at him. Seemingly like all modern day outside backs Paigge Taipari-Maxwell has exceptional body control enabling him to score some impressive tries along the touchline.

Defensively Paigge Taipari-Maxwell 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.

Paigge Taipari-Maxwell has the body control to redirect quickly and mirror the movement of the opposing attackers and anticipate what vector the attack comes from and 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 and execution.

Paigge Taipari-Maxwell will play the 2018 season with the Runaway Bay Seagulls in the GCJRL U17 competition.

From a position perspective, Paigge Taipari-Maxwell has the requisite size strength speed and power to continue play in the centres for the duration of his rugby league career.

A current NRL player with a similar skill set and playing style to Paigge Taipari-Maxwell is Penrith Panthers and New Zealand International centre Dean Whare.

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Matthew Hindmarsh. The Helensvale Hornets had a solid campaign for the Hornets in the GCJRL U16 Division Two competition including starting in the centres in their 32 – 12 Grand Final victory over Runaway Bay.

Matthew Hindmarsh did not score in the Grand Final but over the course of his fifteen matches in the U16 Division Two competition he did score for twelve tries including a hat trick against Coomera and doubles against Nerang, Beaudesert and Jimboomba. Matthew Hindmarsh also played one match in the U16 Division One competition in 2017 which was against Runaway Bay in July 2017.

Matthew Hindmarsh has the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him on the outside. When he gets the ball early from his inside play makers, he is difficult to deal with one on one, as whilst his speed has already been noted, he is also a hard runner who can break tackles through strength and not just rely on his speed to beat his opponent.

The one thing Matthew Hindmarsh 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, Matthew Hindmarsh 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, Matthew Hindmarsh’s quick twitch feet means that he can step off either foot quickly to negate the attempt to cut down his time.

In defence Matthew Hindmarsh has good strength, but will certainly look to come out of the line to stop the attack before it has time to fully develop. 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 Nathan Hindmarsh 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.

Matthew Hindmarsh will play the 2018 season with the Helensvale Hornets in the GCJRL U17 competition.

Matthew Hindmarsh has been a centre throughout his rugby league career and I can see a future in the centres for the talented youngster.

From a player comparison perspective think of someone like former Brisbane Broncos and English test centre Jack Reed as a hard running hard tackling centre who is a strong presence in a team’s back line.

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Brody Smitka. (Updated) Brody Smitka was part of a Titans U15 Invitational side that played their annual match against a Balmain Tigers selection in Cudgen late last year and has recently been named in the Queensland U15 2018 Emerging Origin Squad that just finished their first camp on the Sunshine Coast.

The local young front rower from the Helensvale Hornets junior rugby league on the Gold Coast was part of the U14 Gold Coast Vikings side that went through the 2017 Hill Stumer championships undefeated after victories against Stingers Red and White sides and the Ipswich Diggers.

Post those championships Brody Smitka was selected in the U14 South East Queensland Green side for the Queensland Age Championships which were played in Toowoomba and scored on Day Three in a big win over South East Queensland White.

The U14 Vikings was the third representative side that Brody Smitka has made, after he was part of the dominant U13 Vikings side in 2016 and the South Coast U12 schoolboys side in 2015 which also went through their competition undefeated, he made the South Coast U12 side from Coomera Anglican College. Also this season Brody Smitka was part of the 2017 Gold Coast Academy of Sport Rugby League Excellence Program.

Brody Smitka played the 2017 Gold Coast Junior Rugby League season with the Helensvale Hornets primarily in the U15 Division One side although he did play one match for Helensvale in the U14 Division Two competition in July where he dominated Nerang to score a double.

In the U15 Division One competition in 2017, Brody Smitka started in sixteen matches including starting in the front row in their 34 – 10 Grand Final loss to Nerang. In those sixteen matches Brody Smitka scored five tries including a great first two rounds of the season when he scored four of his five tries including a hat trick in Round two against Southport and scoring against Burleigh in the season opener. In the U15 Division One Preliminary Final also against Burleigh Brody Smitka scored his fifth try of the year.

Brody Smitka is a reasonably tall young guy but when he runs he does look to put his shoulder into the defensive line rather than just straight up which would make him susceptible to being driven back, aiding in his running style is that he actually gets back and runs onto the ball hard rather than looking only to get to top pace once he has received the ball.

Last year for Helensvale Brody Smitka seemed to play a little wider of the ruck where enabled him to off load the ball more but on Sunday he was very effective playing in the role that the coaches had set for him in the second half. Brody Smitka is always on of the first forwards to take the hit up and works hard while he is on the field.

Defensively for a taller young player he is adept at getting low and setting a good base so that he can drive with his legs into the attacker. For his taller height he is quite disciplined in terms of not hanging an arm out when defending against a smaller quicker attacker and uses his reasonable lateral movement to look to mirror the attacker’s movement and make the tackle. Brody Smitka is not a big hitter but will drive with his legs to stop the momentum of the ball carrier effectively in the centre of the ruck.

In 2018 Brody Smitka will still be eligible to play in the U15 age group on the Gold Coast but like in previous seasons he may play in the U16 competition. Brody Smitka will also be in line to represent Couth Coast at the U15 school boy level in what shapes as an exceptionally talented South Coast side.

Where Brody Smitka ultimately ends up from a position perspective is an intriguing question. At present he has the height and size to play in the front row, but he shows flashes of the ability to play as a second rower I would argue mainly because he has above average speed for a front rower and whilst he has a bit of height, I am not sure whether he will be able to put on the bulk needed to play in the front row long term. Also with the solid ball skills that Brody Smitka has I can see a compelling argue 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 Brody Smitka 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.

I think that as he progresses, the followers of junior rugby league on the Gold Coast will see a hard working player with some decent skills thrown in for good measure. He will not likely to stand out in terms of big hits or line breaks or miracle one handed off loads but regardless he will be an effective player, an honest hard working player if you will.

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Jack Boswell. The nippy young Runaway Bay Seagulls half back highlighted his durability over the course of the 2017 GCJRL season playing a total of twenty six matches in the Red, White and Blue. Jack Boswell played fifteen matches in the U16 Division Two competition including starting at half back in their 32 -12 Grand Final loss to Helensvale where he kicked two conversions, six matches in the U16 Division One competition and five in the U17 Division One competition.

In the U16 Division Two competition Jack Boswell finished the season with a total points tally of 110 from twelve tries and thirty one goals. Over the course of the 2017 season Jack Boswell scored three doubles which came against Coomera, Jimboomba and Currumbin in the Preliminary Final. Goal kicking wise Jack Boswell kicked four goals in a match on three separate occasions.

With the ball Jack Boswell is a 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.

Jack Boswell will not die wondering and will back his judgement and take the game on. He makes the decision what to do with the ball quickly thus enabling the ball to get out wide quickly. His passing game is solid all round.

Jack Boswell has a good short kicking game but he does not have the strongest leg in terms of kicking deep. Jack Boswell is also very vocal on the field always talking and encouraging his side both in attack and defence.

Jack Boswell is not the biggest player but even when defending in the front line will tackle using his shoulder which helps 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. Jack Boswell is certainly not going to be a liability in defence for his team and is more than willing to take on bigger forwards.

Jack Boswell will play the 2018 season with the Runaway Bay Seagulls in the GCJRL U17 competition.

For me, Jack Boswell’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. Jack Boswell’s game management skills have also taken a step forward and he looks like he is growing into a leader on the field as well.

For me a current NRL player with similar attributes from a skill and playing style perspective is Australian International and soon to be St George Dragons half back Ben Hunt. Like Hunt Jack Boswell 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.

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Clarke Vorhauer. The young centre from the Mudgeeraba Redbacks Junior Rugby League club on the Gold Coast played the 2017 season in the U14 Division Three competition including starting in the centres in the Grand Final against Parkwood, unfortunately for Clarke Vorhauer and his team mates Parkwood won the Grand Final 22 – 8.

Over the course of the 2017 Clarke Vorhauer averaged a try a match through fifteen matches, including four in Round One against Coomera and doubles against Parkwood, Helensvale, Burleigh and Beaudesert as the 2017 season progressed.

Whilst Clarke Vorhauer does not have a great deal of speed off the mark, he does have decent top end speed once he gets moving and can break tackles by running over his direct opposite defender as well as 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 Clarke Vorhauer 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.

Defensively Clarke Vorhauer is able 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 just under the ribcage, redirecting the momentum of the ball carrier and thus eliminating the attacking threat in the short term. Clarke Vorhauer sets a good base and uses his leg strength to direct his strength through the core of his body into his opponent.

Clarke Vorhauer will play the 2018 season with the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in the GCJRL U15 competition.

Even though he may not have the “measurables” of typical modern day centres Clarke Vorhauer has a skill set that gives him a chance to stay in the centres long term.

From a player comparison perspective consider someone along the lines of North Queensland Cowboys centre Kane Linnett as a solid centre who is a very effective defender but not necessarily one who is going to be near the top of any try scoring list.

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Tyler Szepanowski. (Updated) The big tall young St Brendan’s College front rower who signed with the Titans mid-way through the 2017 season was part of the Central Queensland Capra’s U18 squad for the 2017 season after having a solid season in Schoolboy rugby league in 2016. The young front rower was the St Brendan’s College Co-captain a great achievement for the young man who came to the school from Moranbah and also was part of the St Brendan’s side that made the 2016 Final of the Confraternity Shield where they played Ignatius Park.

Tyler Szepanowski was approached by the Titans after the Capra’s Round Three match against the Burleigh Bears MM side in 2017 at Browne Park and is probably the first player the Titans have signed with a Prussian heritage.

For the Central Queensland Capra’s MM side in 2017 Tyler Szepanowski started in five of their six matches, in each of his starts Tyler Szepanowski played in the front row. Tyler Szepanowski only missed the final round being Round Six. Tyler Szepanowski scored two tries in the five matches with his tries coming in Rounds One and Two against the Central Crows and Redcliffe Dolphins. Tyler Szepanowski also captained the Capra’s in their Round Five matches against eventual MM champions the Western Mustangs.

At the completion of the MM competition in 2017, Tyler Szepanowski moved to playing first grade in the Rockhampton Rugby League competition with Brothers Rockhampton making his First Grade debut in late April against the North’s Chargers. In total Tyler Szepanowski played in thirteen Rockhampton RL First Grade matches and scored his sole first grade try in June against Woorabinda. Tyler Szepanowski started all of his first grade matches in the second row. Late in the 2017 season, Tyler Szepanowski also played one match in the Rockhampton Rugby League U20 competition with the match being against Brothers Rockhampton.

At the Rockhampton Senior Rugby League awards in late 2017 Tyler Szepanowski was named at the Rockhampton RL First Grade Rookie of the Year.

Tyler Szepanowski who trailed for the Parramatta Eels Harrold Matthews side in 2015 who the Coaches Award at the 2016 St Brendan’s Sports Awards night and represented the Queensland Capra’s in the CC Cup competition in 2016 and also Capricornia U15 side in 2014 at the QSSRL U15 Championships.

The young front rower who currently weighs around the 100kg mark has what I would consider plus speed for a front rower, in fact his speed would be above average for a forward of any position. He 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.

Tyler Szepanowski 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 Tyler Szepanowski around the chest area. Once he impacts the defensive line he also is adept at redirecting his momentum to address the next defender who is coming in the defend him.

When he is close to the line he seems to have an extra gear again and crashes into the defensive line low and hard and is very difficult to stop. He scores a high proportion of his tries coming from situations where he took on a set defensive line from reasonably close range and was able to carry defenders across the line. I have not seen too many off loads from him in relation to when he has engaged the line, the majority of his offloads have come from situations where his momentum is stopped but he is able to get an arm free, usually his right arm and then pop the ball out the back.

In defence he 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.

Tyler Szepanowski will also track the ball across the field and just needs to ensure that he stays vigilant when the ball is moved further out and continue to cover the inside channel so that he is not caught out of the ball is passed back inside. At this stage he has the speed to compensate and close the distance to the attacker quickly but as he progresses in the upper age groups he just needs to ensure that he is in the right position, and to be fair he is in the right position the vast majority of the time.

Tyler Szepanowski will play the 2018 season with the Burleigh Bears in the U20 Hastings Deerings Colts competition and will be Colts eligible again in 2019 in the final year of his Titans contract.

With his build (190cm and 99kg) and style of play, I can envisage Tyler Szepanowski playing in the front row as he continues his junior rugby league career although he will likely to continue to spend some time in the second row while he continues to develop physically.

From a style perspective, think along the lines of the James Tamau of the Cowboys as a tall front rower with good footwork both in attack and defence and he is also a leader on the field who can set the direction and tempo for his team by leading from the front in the most demanding position on a football field regardless of the age group or level of competition.

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Ben Edwards. The young Ormeau half played for the Shearers across three competitions in 2017, playing twelve matches including the Grand Final in the U16 Division Two competition, three matches in the U16 Division One competition and one in the U17 Division One competition.

From a try scoring perspective, Ben Edwards had a solid U16 Division Two campaign scoring ten tries, including four in a match in July against Nerang and an early season double against Coomera.

Ben Edwards 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. Ben Edwards 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.

Ben Edwards will also wait until the last possible moment to release the football, this could be seen on the weekend where he would take the ball to the line looking for space to get his support players in gaps as they are developing in the defensive line. His best attribute in his passing game is the speed, timing and accuracy when he passes to his outside backs.

Ben Edwards 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 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.

Ben Edwards 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. Ben Edwards will get from of even the largest ball carrier and use his determination to hold the attacker primarily using a solid low tackling technique against larger forwards running a little wider of the ruck.

Ben Edwards will play the 2018 season with the Ormeau Shearers in the GCJRL U17 competition.

From a long term position perspective, I think that Ben Edwards will more than likely stay at half.

For me Ben Edwards has a similar playing style to that of former St George and Canberra half back Josh McCrone who has recently signed with the Toronto Wolfpack. Like McCrone, Ben Edwards is a steady player who has a solid all round skill set.

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Tuy Schieb. The young Mudgeeraba Redbacks fullback was one of a number of stand outs in the GCJRL U14 Division Three competition and started at fullback and scored a try in the Redbacks 22 – 8 Grand Final loss to the Parkwood Sharks.

Over the course of the U14 Division Three season in 2017, Tuy Schieb scored 132 points from just thirteen matches coming from nineteen tries and twenty eight goals. Tuy Schieb had an outstanding start to the 2017 season scoring eight tries over the first three rounds including scoring five against Helensvale and also a double against Helensvale the week earlier.

Tuy Schieb was a nightmare for Helensvale over the course of the season as he scored hat trick against them in June as well. In total against Helensvale, Tuy Schieb scored 52 points against the Hornets in just three games from ten tries and six conversions meaning 53% of his tries and 40% of his points overall came against the Hornets alone.

In addition to the tries noted above Tuy Schieb also scored doubles Burleigh and Beaudesert. With the boot Tuy Schieb also had some good matches, including kicking five conversions in a mid-winter contest against Burleigh and four goals in matches against Parkwood and Beaudesert.

Tuy Schieb 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, including in the Grand Final last year when he broke through the line.

When lining up at fullback Tuy Schieb 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 not say that his speed is in the plus category, but once he gets to top speed I think that it would be in the above average category.

One thing that impresses me is that Tuy Schieb 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.

Tuy Schieb he has good hands and does not often lose control of the ball and he also has a good leap, thus is able to normally get above the chasers to defuse bombs, and as noted earlier 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, Tuy Schieb 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. Tuy Schieb 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.

Tuy Schieb will play the 2018 season with the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in the GCJRL U17 competition.

Throughout his junior rugby league career to date Tuy Schieb has played in the fullback position and there is no reason to suggest that that is not where he will stay going forward. He is solid under the high ball, attacks short kicks, runs the ball back with determination and looks to move forward to limit the attackers time when defending.

For me Tuy Schieb’s playing style resembles that of Brisbane Broncos fullback Darius Boyd as a key contributor from the fullback position who has a diverse skill set.

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Blake Mozer. (Updated) Blake Mozer is an exceptionally talented young hooker from the Runaway Bay Seagulls junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast and is the young brother of Titans linked back rower Billy Mozer who will play for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the MM Cup this season. Both brothers also attend Keebra Park State High School and are part of the Rugby League Excellence Program there.

Blake Mozer is part of the Titans U14 Development which has been training once a month since 24 November 2017. In total the Titans U14 Development Squad will have eight sessions run by two well respected coaches..

Blake Mozer played the 2017 GCJRL season with the Runaway Bay Seagulls in the U13 Division One competition playing a total of thirteen matches all at hooker and in the process scored ten tries and also converted one of his tries in a Round Two clash against Burleigh Maroon. In the match noted already being against Burleigh Maroon, Blake Mozer in fact scored a hat trick to cap off a great match. Blake Mozer also scored a double in an early season clash against Jimboomba and late in the year scored a double against Nerang. Blake Mozer also scored against Nerang in a semi-final clash.

For Keebra Park State High School Blake Mozer was part of the Renouf Cup squad that backed up their 2016 success with another dominant 2017 Renouf Cup competition defeating Coombabah State High School 20 – 18 in the final. Blake Mozer was named Player of the Match primarily for his big defensive effort.

In the 2016 U12 Division One grand final Blake Mozer started at hooker for Runaway Bay and in fact as their sole try scorer in their 10 – 6 loss to Helensvale in the 2016 Grand Final. Over the course of the 2016 season, Blake Mozer was Runaway Bay’s top scorer and finished third overall in the competition in that category. He crossed for ten tries and also kicked three goals for a total point’s tally of 46. Blake Mozer scored a hat trick against Southport and also a double against Currumbin. In addition he also played one match up at the U13 Division One level during the season.

From Keebra Park Blake Mozer was selected at hooker in the 2016 U12 South Coast side for the Queensland U12 championships which were held on the Gold Coast in July where South Coast finished third and from there was selected in the Queensland U12 side, also at hooker along with fellow Keebra student front rower Xavier Collins.

Unfortunately for Blake Mozer he was only able to play a couple of matches for South Coast before suffering a championship ending dislocation injury on Day Three but still impressed enough to make the Queensland side from his limited opportunities. Blake Mozer was also part of Keebra Park’s successful Renouf Cup side in 2016, no small feat as he was playing against boys a year older than himself.

Blake Mozer 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.

Blake Mozer 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 Blake Mozer regularly packs in at lock and thus is also the primary distributor from those situations as well.

In terms of his passing Blake Mozer 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.

Blake Mozer 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.

Blake Mozer 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. Blake Mozer also constantly seems to be talking and “encouraging” his fellow forwards.

Blake Mozer will play the 2018 season once again with the Runaway Bay Seagulls who like the 2017 season will, along with Helensvale, one of the teams to beat, he will also again be a key player for Keebra Park as they play in their multiple school boy competitions in his age group.

From a position perspective, with his passing skills and quick first step out of dummy half, I believe that Blake Mozer 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.

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 infectious enthusiasm and willingness to do what is best for his team. Blake Mozer probably will end up with a little more pace out of dummy half than McCullough however.

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Ethan Wilson. The elusive Parkwood Sharks centre showed that he was a try scorer from the centre position for the Sharks in the U14 Division Three competition in 2017 scoring seventeen tries from twelve matches. Ethan Wilson started in the centres scoring a try and also kicking a goal in Parkwood’s 22 – 8 Grand Final victory over the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in September 2017.

Ethan Wilson also added one try from three matches in the U14 Division Two competition, with the try coming against Beaudesert in May 2017. In that same match Ethan Wilson also kicked four goals to finish the match with twelve points.

In the U14 Division Three competition, Ethan Wilson did not score in only two matches which were against Mudgeeraba on both occasions. Ethan Wilson did score against Mudgeeraba however in the Grand Final. Over the course of the 2017 U14 Division Three competition Ethan Wilson scored hat tricks against Burleigh and Helensvale and doubles against Coomera, Helensvale, Beaudesert and Burleigh, with the last three doubles coming in consecutive matches.

Ethan Wilson was also the Sharks primary goal kicker during 2017 finishing with thirty five goals for a total points haul of 138 points, to lead the competition. Ethan Wilson had some big matches with the boot including eight in a match against Helensvale (he also scored a hat trick) and six against Burleigh where he also scored a hat trick. Ethan Wilson also kicked five goals in the U14 Division Two competition.

Ethan Wilson 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.

Ethan Wilson has more tools though than just an in and away, he will also use his 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 Ethan Wilson 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.

Ethan Wilson will not necessarily hit hard in defence, 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, Ethan Wilson seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage.

Ethan Wilson will play the 2018 season with the Parkwood Sharks in the GCJRL U15 competition.

With his ability to find the try line even under heavy pressure I am thinking that wing may just be Ethan Wilson’s best position moving forward, but it certainly not set in stone that he cannot stay in the centres long term.

For me with his ability to slip through gaps in the defensive line especially close to the line and a solid repeatable defensive technique, Ethan Wilson has a playing style similar to that of new Titans recruit centre Dale Copley as a solid reliable centre who find is way to the try line on a regular basis.

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Keanu Bannan. The young Beaudesert Kingfishers fullback played the 2017 GCJRL season in the U14 age group, playing nine matches in the U14 Division Three competition and two further matches in the U14 Division two competition.

In the U14 Division Three competition, Keanu Bannan played in just nine matches but contributed 64 points to the Kingfishers cause from fourteen tries and four goals. Keanu Bannan did not score in his first and last matches in the U14 Division Three competition but scored in every match in between including four in a July 2017 match against Helensvale( in that match he also kicked three goals to finish with 22 points) and a hat trick against Mudgeeraba. Keanu Bannan also scored doubles against Ormeau and Mudgeeraba during the 2017 season.

Keanu Bannan 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.

To date Keanu Bannan 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.

Keanu Bannan 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 come forward to reduce the time an attacking player has to make a decision with the ball.

Keanu Bannan will play the 2018 season with the Beaudesert Kingfishers in the GCJRL U15 competition.

Keanu Bannan could conceivably play a number of positions such as fullback, centre or winger but by a very small margin I think that the most appropriate utilisation of his skills is on a wing, but until then I am sure that Keanu Bannan will get opportunities certainly at fullback.

With is ability to gain separation from his opponent and sound positional sense, I see aspects of the game of new Titans fullback signing Michael Gordon in the play of Keanu Bannan.

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Henry Abdul-Rahman. (Updated) The talented young Dalby Devils hooker was a late call up to the Titans/Western Mustangs camp at Lennox Heads at the end of the 2017 rugby league season but that should not in any way concern anyone as Henry Abdul-Rahman is a talented distributor from the dummy half position as well as being very effective defensively. Another poster with a great knowledge of the Toowoomba region gave me a tip about this young man and deservedly so. ( Thanks you know who you are).

As a result of his performances at the Titans/Western Mustangs camp and throughout the 2017 and previous seasons, Henry Abdul-Rahman has been placed on a Titans scholarship for the next couple of years.

Henry Abdul-Rahman played the 2017 rugby league season with Dalby in the U16 Toowoomba Junior Rugby League competition, averaging a try a match through ten matches. Henry Abdul-Rahman had a great start to the season scoring a hat trick in his first match of the season against Toowoomba Brothers and also scored doubles against Pittsworth, Brothers and against eventual Premiers Souths in a finals loss.

In 2016 Henry Abdul-Rahman represented Darling Downs in the U15 QSSRL Championships starting the majority of matches from the interchange bench but certainly made an impact when he came on including scoring on Day One against South Coast and Day Two against Northern.

Henry Abdul-Rahman is a talented all round hooker, who excels at all three critical aspects of the modern day hooker, those being his distribution out of dummy half, selective running out of dummy half and defending in the centre of the ruck. In terms of his distribution out of dummy half, 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.

In the games that I have seen there is no discernible difference between Henry Abdul-Rahman’s 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 Henry Abdul-Rahman is a very good game manager from the hooking position.

Where Henry Abdul-Rahman really stands out in terms of attacking play, is his speed out of dummy half, he is extremely quick and has exceptional footwork to take advantage of tiring forwards, using a step off both feet. Henry Abdul-Rahman wins a lot of penalties by running at forwards who are offside, if the offside forward is called out of the play he has the speed to break into open space and has the pace to make it difficult for the cover defence to get to him.

Around the try line Henry Abdul-Rahman 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. Obviously as he progresses he will need to ensure that, especially close to the line he continues to make the right decisions. Due to the pace that Henry Abdul-Rahman plays the game at and his speed he is always available in terms of backing up in the centre of the ruck, when forwards get their arms free.

Henry Abdul-Rahman’s defence for a hooker is very good for a smaller type of 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 he will track the play across and thus is in a good position to effect the tackle if the ball is passed back inside.

Henry Abdul-Rahman will play the 2018 season in the Toowoomba Rugby League U18 competition and has also been named in the 93 man Western Mustangs MM Cup training squad for the upcoming season and I anticipate that he will make the final cut.

Henry Abdul-Rahman has played a bit in the backrow but for me I believe that hooker will be his best position moving forward although just like how the Titans used Nathan Peats on occasion late in the 2017 season, Henry Abdul-Rahman could play as a running backrower as well for periods.

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 Titans and New South Wales State of Origin hooker Nathan Peats.

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Kyah Hope. In his first season playing rugby league on the Gold Coast the custodian from the Helensvale Hornets Junior Rugby League club wore the green and yellow jersey in eighteen matches across three grades. Kyah Hope played the 2017 season primarily in the U16 Division Two competition, including starting the Grand Final at fullback. Helensvale defeated Runaway Bay in the Grand Final 32 – 12.

In his thirteen U16 Division Two matches Kyah Hope scored ten tries including a final’s hat trick against Currumbin and earlier in the 2017 he scored doubles against Beaudesert and Coomera. In addition to the matches that he played in the U16 Division Two competition, Kyah Hope also played four matches in the U16 Division One competition scoring a sole try against Runaway Bay in his first match at that level.

Kyah Hope also played one match in the U17 Division One competition against Runaway Bay after backing up from the U16 Division One match where he scored. Kyah Hope then backed up the next day to play in the U16 Division Two match meaning that he was involved in three matches in less than 24 hours which is no mean feat at all.

Kyah Hope’s’ main attribute when you see him play is his foot work, it is very good from the fullback position. He can step off both feet without the loss of momentum. Kyah Hope’s speed off the mark would have to be considered plus and whilst his top end speed may not necessarily be at the elite level compared to some he can sustain it over an extended distance.

Regardless of where he receives the ball Kyah Hope is a talented 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. Kyah Hope has solid balance and body control as well.

Defensively Kyah Hope uses his size to good effect at the fullback position, by driving with his shoulder into his opponent and he also has very good timing in terms of when to come out of the line and certainly has the speed to react and readjust and chase if his timing is slightly off and the attacking player initially beats him with a move.

Kyah Hope at the 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 understands when to allow the attacking play to develop in from of him and comes forward to mitigate the attacking play soon after a break has been made.

Kyah Hope will play the 2018 season with the Helensvale Hornets Redbacks in the GCJRL U17 competition.

With his timing and anticipation in returning kicks and his fearless defence, Kyah Hope presents as a fullback candidate in the years to come.

I appreciate that the comparison for Kyah Hope may on first glace seem a touch strange but the way he runs the ball and his elusiveness remind me of former Brisbane Bronco, Queensland State of Origin and Australian International winger Willie Carne.

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Karl Langi. The former Canterbury 2015 Canterbury Bulldogs U14 junior development squad player made an immediate impact in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League U16 Division Two competition with the Jimboomba Thunder in his first year on the Gold Coast in 2017 averaging a try a match through twelve matches.

Karl Langi had an outstanding try scoring run in a three match span that went from early June to early July 2017. In those three matches he scored a hat trick against Runaway Bay and in the two matches prior Karl Langi scored doubles against Helensvale and Coomera.

In attack, Karl Langi’s role which is to make ground in the middle of the ruck. 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 Karl Langi makes 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 Karl Langi 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. The one thing that will stand out once you have watched him play in a number of games is the amount of defence he does.

Karl Langi 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.

Karl Langi will play the 2018 season with the Jimboomba Thunder in the GCJRL U17 competition.

With his size, Karl Langi seems ideally suited to the front row position in rugby league.

From a player comparison perspective a player with a similar playing style is Titans and Queensland State of Origin front rower Jarred Wallace as a forward who will probably take a little while to develop but will be a hard working player who knows his role within a team and does not deviate from it.

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Ryan Rivett. (Updated) The nippy young Burleigh Bears U15 Division One half back’s good 2017 season culminated in him putting on a Titans jersey for the Titans U15 side that took on a Balmain Tigers selection at Cudgen late last year, 2017 also saw Ryan Rivett be part of the Gold Coast Academy of Sport Excellence Program.

Over the course of the GCJRL 2017 U15 Division One competition for Burleigh Ryan Rivett played in thirteen matches scoring five tries, kicking nine goals and a field goal for 39 points on the 2017 season. All of Ryan Rivett’s tries came in individual matches against Southport on two occasions, Coomera on two occasions and Helensvale. Ryan Rivett’s field goal came late in the season against Coomera. Ryan Rivett started off the season as Burleigh goal kicker, kicking four in a match against Southport and the following week, three against Coomera. All of his season’s goals came in the first four rounds of the competition.

In attack, Ryan Rivett 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 encountered within a game.

Ryan Rivett 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. Ryan Rivett 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 Ryan Rivett 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 as well as tactically for field position. 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 Ryan Rivett 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 through sheer force of will. He is also very vocal on the field always talking and encouraging his side both in attack and defence.

Ryan Rivett will transition to the U16 Division One competition in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League competition for Burleigh and is also in the training squad for the Gold Coast Vikings U16 side that will play in the 2018 U16 South East Queensland pre-season competition starting in February 2018 which includes three sides from Brisbane, two representing the Gold Coast and also Ipswich.

From a long term position perspective, based on his skill set and size, halfback seems to be Ryan Rivett’s ideal position going forward and a talented game manager at that. After saying what I just said it would be interesting to see how Ryan Rivett would solid at hooker with his decent speed off the mark and his solid kicking and passing game.

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.

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Wehi-Te Clarke. (Updated) He is a local young hard running backrower who in 2017 played for the Gold Coast Vikings U14 representative side where he started in the second row. In 2016 Wehi-Te Clarke was a standout performer for the U13 Gold Coast Vikings side.

Wehi-Te Clarke played the 2017 GCJRL season with the Runaway Bay Seagulls in the GCJRL U14 Division One competition playing in eleven matches and scoring four tries. Wehi-Te Clarke scored a Preliminary Final double in an outstanding display against Ormeau and also scored tries against Ormeau in the last match of the regular season and against Burleigh earlier in the year.

Wehi-Te Clarke also played one match in the U15 Division Two competition where he had a day out scoring two tries and kicking a conversion against Helensvale in late July.

Wehi-Te Clarke 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.

Wehi-Te Clarke 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.

Wehi-Te Clarke’s 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.

Wehi-Te Clarke 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 Wehi-Te Clarke is just tough in his approach to his defence just like he is with the other aspects of his game. 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.

Wehi-Te Clarke will play the 2018 GCJRL season at the U15 Division One level likely at a different club than in 2017 and will also be in line to represent the South Coast at the U15 level for the QSSRL Championships.

With his size, strength and above average speed for the position I am comfortable to anticipating that Wehi-Te Clarke will stay in the second row through his progression to senior rugby league competitions.

From a player comparison perspective for Wehi-Te Clarke, think of someone along the line of Manu Mau from the Parramatta Eels, as a tough, uncompromising hard running and hard tackling second rower who will not back down and will add some aggression and an intimidation factor to any side that he plays for.

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Carsil Vaikai. (Updated) The big strong young Coombabah State High School, Runaway Bay Seagull and Titans linked second rower continues to develop his game at an exceptional rate. Carsil Vaikai moved to Runaway Bay from Helensvale at the start of the 2017 season, and played the majority of the 2017 season with Runaway Bay in the U16 Division One competition, but also played four matches in the U17 Division One competition where he made an immediate impact.

In the U16 Division One competition in 2017 Carsil Vaikai played in fourteen matches scoring his sole try against his former club in July and in the last regular season round Carsil Vaikai converted a late Runaway Bay try. Carsil Vaikai also played four matches in the U17 Division One competition and across those four matches scored three tries including a try on debut against Burleigh and also tries against Ormeau and Helensvale. On all four occasions that Carsil Vaikai played in the U17 competition he was backing up after playing in the U16 competition earlier in the night.

Carsil Vaikai was also part of the Gold Coast Vikings Green U16 side that played in the 2017 U16 pre-season competition, scoring against Ipswich in Week Four in a tough 42 – 6 loss. Carsil Vaikai scored in Week Three when Gold Coast Green defeated Brisbane Grey at North Ipswich Reserve.

Carsil Vaikai had a solid season in 2016, at club, schoolboy and representative level, including representing the South Coast U15 side at the QSSRL State U15 championships. For his Helensvale Hornets club side he crossed for three tries in eight matches in the U15 Division One competition, with the tries coming against Runaway Bay, Beaudesert and eventual premiers Burleigh. He also played one match up at the U16 Division One level also against eventual premiers Burleigh in May 2016.

As noted he was selected in the 2016 South Coast U15 side that went through the U15 QSSRL competition undefeated through their four matches in the competition. Other Titans linked members of the U15 South Coast side included five eight Jessie Brasslin. Carsil Vaikai also started in the second row when the Titans U15 side were narrowly defeated 22 – 18 by a Balmain Tigers side in a trial game on the Gold Coast.

Carsil Vaikai 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, Carsil Vaikai 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 Carsil Vaikai is a very good athlete, with size, strength, speed and power. If he is not tackled around the legs, Carsil Vaikai’s strength means that he will continue to make ground after contact due to his never say die attitude.

Defensively Carsil Vaikai 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.

Carsil Vaikai 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 2018 season, Carsil Vaikai will play for Runaway Bay at the U17 Division One level and is also part of the 2018 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad as well as being part of the Coombabah Open Rugby League side which will once again contest the GIO Cup and Super Six competitions. Carsil Vaikai will also be in line for selection in the South Coast U18 QSSRL side which has had such success over the last couple of seasons.

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.

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.

[mdrew]

Jake Lenard. (Updated) The young centre/second rower a few other positions from the Clarence Coast Magpies junior rugby league club in the Group One Junior Rugby League competition in Northern New South Wales continued his outstanding try scoring feats throughout the 2017
Group One JRL U13 competition, where the former U12 New South Wales representative scored a staggering 35 tries in just eleven games. Understandably Jake Lenard leads the try scoring list for his age group.

Jake Lenard scored six tries in a May match against Grafton and five against Ballina in August. In addition Jake Lenard scored four tires twice, coming against Kyogle and Casino RSM and also hat tricks against Casino RSM, Marist Brothers, Ballina and Grafton. Jake Lenard in 2017 played two matches in the U14 Group One JRL competition with those matches being against Ballina and South Grafton.

Scoring tries is not a foreign experience for Jake Lenard as in 2016 at the U12 level he scored 20 tries from ten matches. To round off his points scoring this season, Jake Lenard also converted one of his tries in the Round Two clash against Casino RSM.

Jake Lenard 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 player with above average to plus speed. 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. 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.

Jake Lenard is almost untouchable when he runs on the fringes of the ruck and 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. Couple those two aspects with a very good fend and you have a young player who causes nightmares for a defensive line.

Jake Lenard is not a player but he runs with pace, strength and power every time he touches the ball. 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.

Jake Lenard 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.

Jake Lenard’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. Due to his speed and athleticism Jake Lenard 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.

Jake Lenard will play for the Clarence Coast Magpies in the Group One Junior Rugby League U14 competition in 2018.

From a position perspective I concede that I have no idea where Jake Lenard will actually end up, he can literally play anywhere from centre to second row and a few other positions, but ultimately I would consider that Jake Lenard will end up a devastating second rower in rugby league.

From a player comparison perspective for Jake Lenard, a 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 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.

[mdrew]

Ediq Ambrosyev. (Updated) He is a young utility who has recently signed a two year deal to join the Titans High Performance Unit after also being part of the Broncos Elite Junior Program.

Ediq Ambrosyev is part of the 2018 Queensland Academy of Sport U16 squad and was recently been named as part of the 2018 U16 Emerging Origin squad that finished their first camp on the Sunshine Coast last week. Ediq Ambrosyev also started for the Titans in an U15 match against the Balmain Tigers in late 2017 at Cudgen.

Over the course of the 2017 season Ediq Ambrosyev played in the U15 Division One competition on the Gold Coast with the Coomera Cutters, playing in a total of eight matches, including scoring a hat trick late in the season against Burleigh and early in the season also scored against the Southport Tigers.

The PBC student also represented South Coast in the 2017 QSSRL U15 Championships and from there was selected in the Queensland U15 White side for the ASSRL U15 national Championships. In those Championships Ediq Ambrosyev crossed on Day Two in a 44 – 0 victory over the ACT.

In 2016 Ediq Ambrosyev was part of the dominant Gold Coast Vikings U14 side that went through the 2016 Hill Stumer Championships undefeated playing a number of positions over the course of the three matches that the Vikings played including playing on the wing in the Sunday match against the Ipswich Diggers. Post Hill Stumer Championships, Ediq Ambrosyev was named on the inter change bench for the U14 South East Queensland Green team for the Queensland Age Championships.

Previously Ediq Ambrosyev represented Qld at the U12 level, where he was selected in the second row. In Ediq Ambrosyev also started from the inter change bench for the U13 Titans development squad in a game against an U14 Toowoomba selection. In that development squad match Ediq Ambrosyev played a significant portion of the game at centre, scoring two tries including an 80m run away intercept try when he raced down the left hand side of Pizzey park with the Toowoomba defenders chasing in vain.

Ediq Ambrosyev is a 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. Ediq Ambrosyev 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.

Ediq Ambrosyev 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.

Ediq Ambrosyev 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. Ediq Ambrosyev has very good endurance and projects as a hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange.

In the 2018 season, Ediq Ambrosyev will play in the U16 Division One level for the Currumbin and also has been named in the U16 Gold Coast Vikings training squad that will take part in the U16 South East Queensland Pre-season Challenge next month.

Positionally it appears that Ediq Ambrosyev will be moving permanently to hooker which is an interesting development as he played a lot of his junior rugby league at fullback or in the centres although he did spend some time in the second row in various U12 competitions a few years ago.

Focussing on his play at hooker I can envisage a playing style similar to that of former Brisbane Bronco and Manly and current Super League Hooker Matt Purcell, as a youngster with speed and guile out of dummy half.

[ALX25]

Agreed, Ediq did really well at hooker for QLD U15 White. Perhaps the same path as Jake Granville?

[mdrew]

Good call mate I agree


Agreed, Ediq did really well at hooker for QLD U15 White. Perhaps the same path as Jake Granville?

[mdrew]

Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt. (Updated) The big strong young forward from Lismore Marist Brothers Junior Rugby League in the U13 Group One competition was just too much for defences in that age group to handle. In addition to playing eleven matches in his ‘usual’ age group Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt also played six matches in the U14 Age Group with his older brother Michael.

Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt finished the U13 Group One JRL competition is the competitions leading try scorer with nineteen tries from just eleven matches and also added ten goals to finish the 2017 season with 96 points.

Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt scored in all eleven matches that he played in including hat tricks against Grafton and Casino RMS on two separate occasions. Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt also scored doubles against Ballina and South Grafton.

In 2017 Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt also played six matches in the Group One U14 competition and contributed two tries in separate matches against Ballina. On four occasions Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt backed up to play in the U14 match after playing for the Lismore Marist Brothers U13 side earlier in the day. Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt’s U13 side did not make the finals but he played both in Marist Brother’s U14 finals.

In the U12 age group in 2016, Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt scored 14 tries in just six matches with no team being able to prevent him from scoring. He scored five tries against Ballina, a hat trick against South Grafton and doubles against Grafton and Kyogle. His other two tries both came against Clarence Coast in consecutive matches in July and August. Add in two conversions which came against Grafton and Kyogle and you have a season point’s tally of 60 points in six matches.

In 2016 Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt also played seven matches up at the U13 level, scoring a try against Clarence Coast in July. On four occasions between July 2 and August 13, Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt played at both the U12 and U13 levels on the same day. Scoring tries is not a foreign experience for Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt as in 2015 he scored 24 tries from 12 matches in the U11 Group One JRL competition.

Whereas his brother Michael is an outside back, Ezekiel is a big strong young forward capable of playing either in the front row or in the second row.

Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt 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.

Whilst he is also very effective taking hit ups in the centre of the ruck, when you have someone with Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt’s 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 front rower or 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. Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt also is very strong and regularly shrugged off opposing defenders when they looked to tackle him front-on around the chest area over the course of the 2017 season in both age groups that he played in. 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.

Defensively Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt 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.

Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt 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 for long stretches of a game. Even at the U14 level where all of the opposition players were a year older he still shortened up a number of them with copy book tackles.

Moving towards the 2018 season Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt is eligible to play at the U14 level for Lismore Marist Brothers but just like the 2017 season he has the size, skill and maturity to play at the U15 level where he would once again team up with his brother Michael. Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt will also be in line to represent Group One at the U14 level in the New South Wales Country Age Championships.

From a long term position perspective I believe that Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt 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.

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 forward 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.

[mdrew]

Connor Williams. (Updated) The young Toowoomba South’s lock was solid throughout the 2017 season playing at the U16 level in the Toowoomba Junior rugby league competition. The 2017 Toowoomba 15/16 Academy Squad member and Titans/Western Mustangs squad member attended a Titans sponsored camp in Lennox Heads for three days including playing a match for the Western Mustangs against the Titans. As a result of his performances over the 2017 season Connor Williams has been placed on a Titans Scholarship for the next couple of seasons.

Connor Williams started at lock in the 2017 U16 TJRL Grand Final that Souths won 32 – 20 against Highfields. Connor Williams scored his first try of the Grand Final in the 27th minute of the first half to extend South’s lead to 14 – 6. Connor Williams second try came in the 21st minute of the second half to give Souths a 30 – 12 lead.

Over the course of the 2017 for Toowoomba Souths in the U16 Toowoomba Junior Rugby League competition Connor Williams scored eleven tries from thirteen matches. In addition to his Grand Final double, Connor Williams also scored doubles against Highfields in the regular season and Valleys.

2017 also say the St Marys College Toowoomba student represent the Toowoomba U16 representative side and from there was selected in the U16 South West Mustangs side in the second row for the 2017 U16 Central Division Selection Trials.

Connor Williams is a solidly built exceptional athlete and this can be seen when be he is running with the football. In his carries Connor Williams 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.

In the 2016 U15 Toowoomba Junior Rugby League Grand Final, especially in the second half when I thought he was the best player on the field he made some great runs, including on the last play of the Grand Final when he burst onto a pass on the half way mark, he outpaced the cover defence and broke the tackle of the fullback to score a deserved try.

Like one or two others mentioned over the course of these write-ups Connor Williams 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. One reason for this is that Connor Williams is an intelligent 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 in the tackle.

Connor Williams has very good speed off the mark for a second rower and can then translate that into very good top end speed which he can sustain over long distances. This was highlighted in the first half of the 2016 U15 TJRL Grand Final when Connor Williams broke through the line from around 40 metres out, he was brought down short of the line but a quick play from Connor Williams set up a try to winger Taegon Inmon from a great Jordan Lipp kick.

Connor Williams would be one of the faster back rowers running around for his age group in the Western Mustangs region. Also in the Grand Final he showed his speed down the left side of the field when he made a 40 metre break before setting up his centre Reece Liston to score his second try in the left corner. Playing on the left 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 right hand side of the field to increase his effectiveness on the field.

Defensively Connor Williams 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 Connor Williams 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.

Connor Williams made the best tackle of the U15 TJRL Grand Final in 2016 in the second half when he came out of the line and smashed his Highfields opponent with a perfectly timed front on tackle right on the half way mark jolting the ball lose and putting South’s back on the attack.

Connor Williams is quick enough to get to most outside backs in cover defence, in short he is one of the better back row cover defenders I have had the opportunity to see in junior football. Due to his speed and positional sense Connor Williams is usually one of the first players down field in relation to kick chase as well. These last two attributes are part athletic ability part determination. Connor Williams just does a lot of the little things well.

In the 2018 season, Connor Williams will play his football at the U18 level in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition for Toowoomba South’s and has also been named in the giant Western Mustangs MM Cup training squad but should also make the final squad when it is culled down shortly.

From a position perspective, Connor Williams seems to have the ideal build for a second rower in the modern game to go along with good pace and thus from a position projection perspective, second row seems to be Connor William’s ideal position moving forward.

From a player comparison perspective, someone along the lines of Boyd Cordner of the Roosters, New South Wales and Australia would be appropriate from a style perspective as a tall powerful well-rounded back rower who plays the game hard with toughness and at a pace above a lot of the players around him.

[mdrew]

Jardyn Watene. (Updated) The young New Zealand fullback from the Waikato region of New Zealand has moved over to the Gold Coast at eth start of the 2017 season and has made an instant impact progressing to the second round of the U14 Gold Coast Vikings trials.

In the GCJRL competition in 2017 Jardyn Watene played for the Coomera Cutters. He started off the 2017 season in the U14 Division Two competition kicking three goals before moving permanently to play twelve matches for the Cutters in the U15 Division One competition including their finals loss to Burleigh. In the U15 Division One competition Jardyn Watene kicked six goals including five in an early season match against Currumbin.

Jardyn Watene had a successful season in 2016 including representing Waikato at the U13 North Island Rugby League tournament where he was selected in the U13 all-tournament team after some outstanding displays for Waikato who are part of the Upper Central Zone region in New Zealand and in fact hosted the 2016 version of the tournament. As well as being named in the all-tournament side Jardyn Watene was part of the Waikato side that won the final 22 – 8 over Coastline.

Jardyn Watene is just a smooth mover, he can create for himself or others and if a defensive line does not chase a kick in one straight line the young Kiwi flyer will simply cut them apart. Jardyn Watene’s speed is in the plus plus category and when accompanied with exceptional body control and balance he is a handful for defensives especially when the defensive line is not set. Just like his explosive speed off the mark, Jardyn Watene’s body and body control are in the plus plus category as is his ability to step off both feet and can, just like Benji Marshall in his heyday, step multiple times in a small time frame and area to change both his direction and momentum as well as defenders.

Jardyn Watene also has exceptional hands when defending against kicks especially when low short attacking kicks are put in, Jardyn Watene attacks the ball at full speed aiming to get there prior to the arrival of the attacks and look to make ground while the opposition are still in an attacking mode. Once or twice Jardyn Watene made at least 30 metres or so after retrieving the ball in the in goal area and similarly gets back into the field of play from seemingly impossible positions.

Defensively Jardyn Watene is more than strong enough to confront any attacker who has broken through the initial defensive line and if he is caught out of position has dynamic closing speed to address this situation. When a break has been made, Jardyn Watene’s primary objective is to more forward to reduce the time available for the attacker to work through is options. Jardyn Watene is also effective at maintaining his composure and taking the player with the ball and not fall for any dummies, he makes an opposing team earn the ground that they make.

Jardyn Watene will play at the U15 Division One level on the Gold Coast for the Coomera Cutters and attend Keebra Park in 2018 where he will be in line to represent the South Coast U15 side for the QSSRL Championships.

From a position perspective from what I have seen Jardyn Watene could play multiple positions including centre and wing but for me with fullback in the modern game being one of the most important positions on the field, Jardyn Watene presents as a dynamic game changing type of fullback.

From an NRL player comparison perspective, when seeing Jardyn Watene in full flight you are seemingly looking at a mirror image for New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand test International fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Like Tuivasa-Sheck, Jardyn Watene has blazing speed and balance when he has the ball in his hands.

Simply put he looks like he is gliding across the field, Jardyn Watene also has an extra gear to accelerate to and literally just explodes through gaps. When he is either returning a kick or hunting around the centre of the ruck looking for am off load, Jardyn Watene just accelerates to full speed in a split second and leaves multiple defenders grasping at thin air.

[mdrew]

Noah Gafa. (Updated) The young centre is deservedly in the Titans High Performance Unit, signing a two year deal during 2017 and continues to go from strength to strength with Currumbin as well as with PBC in relation to school boy rugby league.

In the 2017 U16 GCJRL Division One competition, Noah Gafa scored 38 points for the Currumbin Eagles which has come from eight tries and three goals. All three of Noah Gafa’s goals came in the one match in June against the Ormeau Shearers. From a try scoring perspective, Noah Gafa had a great run of four matches from April 28 to May 26 where he scored in all four matches which, in order, where against Ormeau, Runaway Bay, Helensvale and against Ormeau a second time.

Noah Gafa also scored a hat trick against Burleigh in August against Burleigh and the match prior to that scored against Helensvale. Currumbin were the deserved Grand Final winners in the 2017 GCJRL U16 Division One competition, with Noah Gafa starting in the second row in their 34 – 4 Grand Final victory over Burleigh.

In 2017 Noah Gafa was also a key member of the PBC Open Rugby League side that performed so will in the GIO Cup competition and in fact he scored in their tough Queensland GIO Cup semi-final loss to Marsden State High School 22 – 20.

Earlier in 2017 season, Noah Gafa was selected in the Gold Coast Vikings Green U16 side for their South East Queensland U16 pre-season competition and in 2013 Noah Gafa was selected in the Queensland U12 side with fellow Titan Alofiana Khan-Periera.

For a centre Noah Gafa 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, Noah Gafa also has a very good passing game especially to his left side. When the ball is passed out to the back line, Noah Gafa 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 quickest of opponents and he is also very good at positioning his support players when he gets to the fullback. The only possible question about Noah Gafa’s speed is whether it will stay at or near the plus category as he matures and inevitably fills out.

Defensively Noah Gafa 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 key off Noah Gafa in terms of whether to use an up and in methodology and slide to the outside. Noah Gafa 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.

Noah Gafa will play the 2018 GCJRL season with Currumbin at the U17 Division One level as well as school boy rugby league with PBC. Noah Gafa has also been named in the powerful looking Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad for this coming season.

From a position perspective, Noah Gafa has played well in the centres in recent seasons including last’s U16 pre-season representative competition but there is just something about the way that Noah Gafa plays that suggests that he will ultimately end up in the second row, not necessarily for a few years though.

As a young player Noah Gafa seemingly has it all, size, strength, size and power and uses those attributes to his advantage on a football field. For me a current rugby league player with similar attributes and a similar playing style is St George Dragon’s backrower Joel Thompson, as a big strong player who can transition between centre and second row although I think that just like Joel Thompson, Noah Gafa’s skill set will ultimately play better in the second row over the long term.

[mdrew]

Jack Barrow. (Updated) The young front rower from the Jimboomba Thunder is yet another young played from the all-conquering U13 Vikings side from the 2016 season to impress for both club and representative sides over the last couple of seasons.

The Emmuas College student also represented the South East Queensland White U13 side in the Queensland Age Championships in 2016 where he started from the bench in their matches in Toowoomba against the likes of the Central Crows and Northern Marlins.

In the 2017 GCJRL competition Jack Barrow played for the Jimboomba Thunder in the U14 Division Two competition. Over the course of the 2017 season Jack Barrow played in eleven matches scoring fourteen tries and kicking a conversion to finish the season with 58 points. In May 2017 Jack Barrow scored five tries in a match against Ormeau (converting one of his tries), in Round One he crossed for four tries against Beaudesert and late in eth season Jack Barrow scored a hat trick against Robina. Jack Barrow’s other tries came against Burleigh and Coomera.

In 2016 Jack Barrow played for the Jimboomba Thunder in the U13 Division One competition where he played a total of eight matches, crossing for try late in the season against Currumbin. For the Vikings Jack Barrow started both of their matches against the Stingers Red and White teams on Saturday and then came off the bench on the Sunday in a big win against Ipswich. In that match Jack Barrow along with fellow front rower Brody Smitka were injected into the match in the second half and gained a lot of momentum for their side with their power running through the centre of the ruck.

Jack Barrow 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.

Jack Barrow 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 other attacking attributes. Jack Barrow does not off-load the ball much however and probably never will be one based on how he asked to play the game that is taking the ball into the heart of the opposition defensive line.

Defensively Jack Barrow 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. Over the course of the 2017 season his speed and mobility seemed to have increased and as a consequence he was better able to mirror the opposition attackers more effectively.

2018 will see Jack Barrow line up for the Jimboomba Thunder in the U15 Division Two competition on the Gold Coast with fellow Vikings representative centre Campbell Gray.

From a position perspective with his skill set, I believe that in the future no positional change away from the front row is warranted for the Jimboomba youngster.

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 Jack Barrow are not necessarily the biggest, strongest, fastest or most dynamic players and will likely take a while to reach their full potential, and the odds may be stacked against them but then again that is what dreams are made of. It is hard not to cheer for someone who puts in so much effort every time he walks onto a football field.

[mdrew]

Kai O’Donnell. (Updated) The young second rower who is part of the Titans High Performance Unit had a great 2017 season with Burleigh in MM and Colts competitions and South Coast in the QSSRL U18 competition moved down from the North Queensland region to continue to pursue his rugby league career in 2016.

The former North Queensland Cowboys Academy member has been a strong addition to the junior rugby league ranks on the Gold Coast after making his First Grade debut in the Mackay A Grade competition in 2016. 2016 also say Kai O’Donnell play for the Mackay Cutters in the MM Cup competition and he was named in the Cutters squad for 2017 but moved down to the Gold Coast to attend PBC as part of their rugby league excellence program.

For Burleigh in the MM competition in 2017 Kai O’Donnell played in all six of Burleigh’s matches scoring in Round Four against the South’s Logan Magpies. Kai O’Donnell started the first two MM Rounds at lock, then came off the interchange bench in Round Three before starting in the second row for the final three rounds.

Upon competition of the MM Cup competition Kai O’Donnell transitioned to the Burleigh Colts side where he played in six matches prior to injury. Kai O’Donnell started three matches being Rounds One, Six and Seven in the second row, Rounds Four and Five at lock and started from the inter change bench in Round two. Kai O’Donnell actually captained the side in Round Four against Souths Logan.

Kai O’Donnell may have played in only six matches but he scored five tries in that time including a hat trick inside 22 minutes against Ipswich in Round Seven and he also scored in Round Two against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls and Round Six in the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

In relation to School boy rugby league in 2017 Kai O’Donnell was part of the South Coast U18 QSSRL side that took all before them and from there was selected in the second row for the Queensland U18 side for the ASSRL U18 Championships from PBC.

In addition to playing a number of matches in the MM Cup competition, 2016 saw Kai O’Donnell start off for Proserpine in the Mackay U18 competition where he played in six matches scoring four tries including a double against Wests Mackay in his last match in the U18 competition before his promotion to the Proserpine First Grade side.

Kai O’Donnell made his Mackay First Grade debut in the centres on 23 July 2016 against North’s and celebrated his debut with a try. Kai O’Donnell scored his second try in First Grade in his third First Grade match against South’s. Kai O’Donnell made such an impact in First Grade for the Brahmans that he was awarded First Grade Rookie of the Year as well as being named the First Grade Best Back on the season at the 2016 Whitsunday Rugby League Awards night.

From a school boy rugby league perspective in 2016, Kai O’Donnell captained the Proserpine High School Open Rugby League team in 2016 including leading his team to victory in the final of the State-wide Queensland Country Cup Carnival beating local rivals Sarina High School in the final 25 – 18 in extra time. Kai O’Donnell was named player of the final and was noted by his coach Andrew Jolly as being an inspirational leader. Kai O’Donnell also represented the Northern Region in the U18 QSSRL Championships playing in all four of their matches which were against Met West, Capricornia, Sunshine Coast and South Coast in May 2016.

For a young player with an already strong frame, Kai O’Donnell has the type of build which suggests that he can continue to add more muscle mass without compromising his already above average speed. Kai O’Donnell is also able to get to his terminal velocity quite quickly and with his wing span when he is playing in the centres he is able to keep defenders from gaining significant contact under his rib cage which enables Kai O’Donnell to maintain his running line for a longer period of time enabling him to either position his outside support or even break clear of the tackle entirely.

In relation to playing in the second row, Kai O’Donnell is also effective and runs with movement on each occasion that he takes a hit up and is adept at lowering his shoulder onto the defender to make tackling him a difficult proposition for a defensive line. Kai O’Donnell due to his higher centre of gravity and less actual bulk is more suited to running on the edges of the edge where he can best utilise his speed and mobility for his team.

Defensively I like the intensity that Kia O’Donnell approaches his defensive duties with. In the centres he is his backlines defensive quarterback and other defenders keyed off him in terms of whether to use an up and in methodology and slide to the outside. On an individual level Kai O’Donnell 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 and execution.

Kai O’Donnell has two years of eligibility left in the Colts competition and will start in the second row for the Burleigh Bears Colts side as well as train as part of the Titans High Performance Unit and U20 squads.

From an ultimate position perspective, I appreciate that Kai O’Donnell broke into the Proserpine Braham’s First Grade side in the centres where he excelled but I think that ultimately Kia O’Donnell ends up in the second row as a rangy above average athlete for the position ,a position that he filled with distinction in 2017.

North Queensland Cowboy and 2016 State of Origin debutant Gavin Cooper is a strong wide running backrower who for me Kia O’Donnell has a similar playing style to. Like Gavin Cooper early in his career, including with the Titans, Kai O’Donnell can play in the centres and do so very effectively but as he continues to mature physically I think that his most effective position will be in the second row all be it will the ability to fill in in the centres on occasion if the need arises during a match.

[mdrew]

Elijah Winitana – (Updated) He is a young front rower or second rower from the Group One area of Northern New South Wales who pulled on a Titans jersey in late 2015 in the U14 development squads against Samoa where he started on the interchange bench and came on and played in the front row. In 2016 Elijah Winitana represented Group One in their U15 representative side for the New South Wales Junior Country Championships where he started in the back row alongside another Titans development squad member in Ben Liyou. For Group One, who made the quarter finals Elijah Winitana crossed for a try in their first match against Group 19. He also was one of the best for McLean High School in their various school boy campaigns.

In 2017 Elijah Winitana played in the U16.5 Group One Junior Rugby League competition for the Clarence Coast Magpies scoring six tries from eleven matches. All of his tries came in separate matches and in a span of three matches from mid-July to early August Elijah Winitana scored in each match against Marist Brothers, Grafton and Ballina.

In 2016 Elijah Winitana played for the Clarence Coast Magpies in the Group One U15 Junior Rugby League competition, playing in twelve matches and scoring ten tries in the process. Only once did Elijah Winitana score more than one try in a match which came in May against Kyogle, but he had an extraordinary run when in the span of ten matches, Elijah Winitana scored in nine of them. Elijah Winitana was the top forward try scorer in the U15 competition.

When playing club football or Group One junior representative football, Elijah Winitana does look like he has good size for the front row position, but when he played for the U14 Titans development squad, granted he was playing against a massive and I mean massive Samoan U14 side he certainly was the smallest of the front rowers who played in that match.

In attack Elijah Winitana runs very hard and straight. In club football in Group One he has been almost unstoppable over the last couple of seasons leading the way for the magpies with his powerful running into the opposing forward packs in the competition. Impressively as he has gone up in age group he has adjusted his running to take into account the opposition. Elijah Winitana 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 young front rower he has actually quite decent speed once he gets into the clear. Elijah Winitana is a bit of a tear a way and just charges flat out into the defensive line and with on occasion limited footwork prior to the defensive line however towards the end of last season Elijah Winitana started to incorporate more foot work into his game which stopped defences keying in on him and forced them to make a decision as to where he was going to impact the defensive rather than lining him up from a reasonable distance away.

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. Elijah Winitana also covers inside well. When at marker he works hard and always gets out of marker quickly to put pressure on the kicker. Elijah Winitana is not flashy but does a lot of the tough defensive work in the centre of the field.

Elijah Winitana is eligible again for the Group One U16.5 competition in 2018 and may also get some opportunities in the U18 NRRRL competition as well as continuing to play his schoolboy football for McLean High School.

From a position perspective, I note that he has played almost exclusively in the front row to date, except for some second row experience with the Group One U15 representative side, but moving forward I would envisage that a move to the second row would best suit his size and skill set.

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. Similarly Sam Thaiday can probably play front row if needed but is far better suited to the second row.

[mdrew]

Lochlyn Sheldon. (Updated) The young front rower/ second rower and Titans High Performance Unit member had a very good 2017 season on the field for Burleigh in the MM Cup competition and for Runaway Bay across multiple grades in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition. In addition, Lochlyn Sheldon played one match for the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts Challenge side which was in Round Fourteen against the Ipswich Jets, that afternoon Lochlyn Sheldon made his debut from the interchange bench and scored a second half try in a positive debut Colts match.

For Burleigh in the MM competition, Lochlyn Sheldon captained the side and started in five of their six matches in the front row and came off the interchange bench in Round Three. Lochlyn Sheldon crossed for three tries over the six matches, scoring in Round One against Redcliffe, in Round Three against North’s and also in Round Six in the local derby against Tweed Heads Seagulls a match in which Burleigh won and a match that also included a number of Tians linked players on both sides.

For Runaway Bay in the Gold Coast Rugby League Competition, Lochlyn Sheldon played twelve matches in the U19 competition, eleven in the Doug Lipp Cup including starting the Grand Final at lock (Unfortunately Runaway Bay were defeated 13 – 6 by Beaudesert) and one match in the A grade making his A Grade debut in August against Ormeau.

Across his twelve matches in the U19 competition, Lochlyn Sheldon scored five tries all coming in a stellar four game period mid-season where he scored double against Mudgeeraba and also tries in that period against Beaudesert, Burleigh and Bilambil. Lochlyn Sheldon made his Doug Lipp Cup debut in June against Bilambil and went on to make eleven appearances for Runaway Bay in that competition scoring three tries which came against Ormeau, Tugun and Bilambil. In five of his eleven Doug Lipp Cup matches, Lochlyn Sheldon played in the U19 contest and then backed up to play the Doug Lipp Cup fixture.

In 2016, Lochlyn Sheldon was named player of the carnival for the 2016 Confraternity Shield as well as being named in the second row for the Queensland Independent Colleges (QIC) Secondary Schools rugby league side after playing for Gold Coast based Aquinas College in the carnival which was held in September 2016. Fellow Aquinas College student Lachlan Douglas was also named in the all carnival side in the front row.

Previously Lochlyn Sheldon has made multiple representative sides, including the Queensland U13 side, South Coast U15’s where he was named player of the match on Day Two against Darling Downs, Qld Marron U15’s from which he made the U15 Australian Merit Team with Titans linked Konrad Edwards and also the Queensland U16 side in 2015, which also contained Titans Ben Thomas and Darius Farmer.

Lochlyn Sheldon was part of the Brisbane Broncos elite development squad for a number of years, but unfortunately for him he was not able to gain a contract with the Broncos, which was good news for the Titans.

Running with the football, Lochlyn Sheldon 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.

Where there has been a clear development in Lochlyn Sheldon’s game has been he is ability to off load prior to contact with the defensive line in the Round Three MM match against the North’s Devils Lochlyn Sheldon popped a great short ball to Noah Lolesio off his right hip who crossed untouched for one of his four tries that afternoon at Pizzey Park.

Defensively Lochlyn Sheldon 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.

Lochlyn Sheldon 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, and thus giving away penalties. His ability to successfully defend against these type 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 probable.

Lochlyn Sheldon 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.

Lochlyn Sheldon has transitioned fulltime to the U20 Colts ranks in 2018 to play for Burleigh where he will have two years of eligibility as well as training with the Titans High Performance Unit.

Whilst he has alternated between second row and front row over previous junior seasons, I would anticipate that based on his build and skill set that starting as early as next season Lochlyn Sheldon will likely transition to the second row full time. Lochlyn Sheldon 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 is former Titans second rower and current Titans coaching staff member Anthony Laffranchi, as a solid hard working back rower who will probably never be a star but will be a solid contributor to a team’s forward pack.

Likely there will be players with more natural ability that will not go as far in rugby league as Lochlyn Sheldon will, simply because he will make the most of the ability he has through sheer hard work and effort.

[mdrew]

Kruze Rimene. (Updated) He is a local young fullback who had a solid 2017 season for Runaway Bay at the U14 Division One level and also was rewarded with selection in the U14 Gold Coast Vikings side and from there went on to represent South East Queensland Green in the Queensland Age Championships held in Toowoomba.

For Runaway Bay in 2017 Kruze Rimene played in twelve U14 Division One matches scoring seven tries. Kruze Rimene scored doubles against Nerang, Ormeau and Burleigh with his other try coming in a finals loss to eventual premiers Ormeau.

In 2016 Kruze Rimene was selected in U13 Gold Coast Vikings side where he played on the wing in the Hill Stumer Championships. As a result of his play in those Championships Kruze Rimene was selected in the South East Queensland White U13 team for the Queensland Age Championships where once again he was selected on the wing.

For Runaway Bay in the U13 Division One competition in 2016, Kruze Rimene played in Eight matches in the regular season, finishing with 14 tries, including two hat tricks which came against Jimboomba and Ormeau in a semi-final. Kruze Rimene also crossed for double against Mudgeeraba in the first regular season round and also against Currumbin and Burleigh Heads. Kruze Rimene also scored eight tries in seven grading matches in the 2016 pre-season. For the U13 Gold Coast Vikings Kruze Rimene scored against both Brisbane sides being Stingers Red and Stingers White on Day One of the championships.

Kruze Rimene 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.

Kruze Rimene 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 U14 Vikings matches where on a couple of occasions he took advantage of tiring forwards to make ground in the centre of the ruck. For the Vikings he also came in regularly to take a run out of dummy half to give his forwards a rest.

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 Kruze Rimene 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. 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.

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. Kruze Rimene 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.

The 2018 season should see Kruze Rimene play at the U15 Division One level for Runaway Bay and he will also push for a South Coast U15 jersey as well.

From a long term position perspective, Kruze Rimene could undoubtly play a number of positions, including fullback and wing 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.

[mdrew]

Titan Vaikai. (Updated) The superbly named big, strong young front rower from the Runaway Bay junior rugby league club has had a solid 2017 rugby league season across school boy, club and representative competitions.

The young Coombabah State High School student was a strong contributor in his schools Hancock Cup campaign and was also a strong presence for Runaway Bay in the GCJRL U14 Division Once competition. Titan Vaikai is part of the Titans high performance unit as well.

Titan Vaikai represented the U14 Gold Coast Vikings side early in the 2017 season and consequently made the South East Queensland U14 train on squad and from there was selected in the South East Queensland White U14 side for the Queensland Age Championships.

In the U14 Division One competition for Runaway Bay in 2017 Titan Vaikai played in ten matches and even though he did not score in that competition he none the less was a strong presence. Titan Vaikai also played two matches in the U15 Division Two competition for Runaway Bay playing against Helensvale on both occasions and in their second encounter scored his sole try of the 2017 season.

Titan Vaikai 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 Titan Vaikai 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. His good footwork enables Titan Vaikai to step prior to the line, creating little half breaks which enhances the ability to off-load the football.

In defence Titan Vaikai is a big hitter of that there is no doubt and every tackle that he makes is felt by the ball runner and he is also good from a wrestling perspective once the tackle has been completed. Titan Vaikai 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. Titan Vaikai 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.

Titan Vaikai will play the 2018 season with Runaway Bay at the U15 Division One level and also be in contention for a spot in South Coast U15 School boy side as well as representing Coombabah State High School in their various School boy competitions.

From a position perspective, his physical attributes and skill set indicates that a continued future in the front row is a near certainty as he progresses up the junior and school boy ranks.

From a player comparison perspective for Titan Vaikai 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 considerable physical and skill attributes that he has at his disposal.

[Sunny86]

Keep up the good work mdrew looking forward to the update on darius

[mdrew]

About a week away mate just revising the initial draft


Keep up the good work mdrew looking forward to the update on darius

[Sunny86]

Cheers mate the whole family enjoys reading your reviews on him both here and bac in nz

[mdrew]

JT (John Thomas) Manuofetoa. (Updated) He is a powerful young fullback/centre/backrower from the Ormeau Shearers junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast who was part of the Shearers U14 Division One side in 2017 that defeated Burleigh in the 2017 Grand Final 31 – 16. JT Manuofetoa actually started the Grand Final at five eight.

Over the course of the 2017 GCJRL U14 Division One season, JT Manuofetoa played in thirteen matches for the Shearers, scoring eight tries including a final’s double against Runaway Bay. JT Manuofetoa had a great end to the regular season scoring in each of the last four rounds.

In 2016 JT Manuofetoa played at fullback for the all-conquering U13 Gold Coast Vikings side as well as being named in the centres for South East Queensland Green U13’s.

For the Ormeau Shearers in the U13 Division One competition in 2016, JT Manuofetoa played in ten matches and scored an impressive 17 tries for the season to finish third on the try scoring tally behind Shearers team mate Syris Schmidt who topped the list. At a team level, Ormeau had a very successful year culminating in a 34 – 22 Grand Final victory over Runaway Bay. JT Manuofetoa started the Grand Final at fullback. As noted JT Manuofetoa scored seventeen tries including an incredible span of five matches where he scored 14 tries alone including four against Helensvale, hat tricks against Helensvale again and Nerang and doubles Currumbin and Burleigh Heads. Earlier in the 2016 season he also scored a double against Jimboomba.

Previous seasons has seen JT Manuofetao make a number of representative sides, for example in 2014 he represented the South Coast U11 QPSRL side which won the Queensland championships and scored two tries against Wide Bay and in 2015 he played for the Queensland Invitational side which finished third in the Australian U12 championships, and across the pool matches scored four tries, one each against ACT, WA, SA and NT.

JT Manuofetoa is a tall, rangy exceptional 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.

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.

JT Manuofetoa 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.

There are a few big strong fast young centres/backrowers in his age group on the Gold Coast and JT is right up there in terms of speed. If anything he looked like his speed had improved over the course of the 2016 season meanly that the opportunity to continue in the outside backs rather than any future transition to the back row is potentially lessened.

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. JT Manuofetoa 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.

Moving to the current season JT Manuofetoa will play for Ormeau at the U15 Division One level and will also certainly be part of the South Coast U15 school boy side as well as playing his school boy rugby league for Coombabah High School.

From a long term position perspective, I believe that he will continue to alternate between the outside backs, including fullback and second row in the short to medium term but when all is said and done I think that he will develop into a big strong powerful runner of the ball with an intimidating defensive mindset most likely in the second row but that is certainly not set in stone. I will note that he did not play a lot of second row at all in 2016 or 2017 but I still anticipate that is where he will ultimately end up in the long term.

From a player comparison perspective, a player who could be considered to have a similar playing style is Brisbane Broncos backrower Matt Gillett as a skilled 80 minute backrower who stands out due to his determination and intensity both with the ball and defensively. This young guy is a very talented young rugby league player with a very bright future ahead of him.

[mdrew]

Darius Christie. (Updated) He is a local young utility back who played the 2017 GCJRL season with the Burleigh Bears U14 Division One side after transferring over from Runaway Bay for whom he played the 2016 with, he also played his school boy football for Keebra Park.

In 2017 with Burleigh Darius Christie averaged just under a try a match in his way to scoring ten tries from just eleven matches. Darius Christie started in the centres for Burleigh in their tough 31 – 16 Grand Final loss to an exceptional Ormeau Shearers side. Over the course of the 2017 season Darius Christie scored hat tricks against Runaway Bay and Ormeau and also a double against Nerang.

For Runaway Bay Darius Christie played the 2016 season at the U13 Division One level, where he played in ten matches scoring thirteen tries including hat tricks against Mudgeeraba and Jimboomba and in addition to the Grand Final double Darius Christie also scored a double against Ormeau in another finals match. Darius Christie also played five matches up in the U14 Division One competition and three in the U14 Division Two competition where he scored four tries, including a double against Nerang and also tries against Ormeau and Burleigh Heads.

In attack Darius Christie’s plus speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice. 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.

Darius Christie 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.

Darius Christie 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.

Darius Christie 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 Darius Christie 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.

Moving to the 2018 season Darius Christie will continue play for a very talented Burleigh Bears U15 Division One side and also be in line for a South Coast U15 jersey as well as continuing to represent Keebra Park.

From a playing position perspective, I am very conflicted, prior to this year Darius Christie spent a lot of playing time either at halfback or fullback but he played a lot of centres during 2016 and 2017 seasons and played effectively in that position as well. Ultimately though I think (just) that he ends up at fullback where his speed and elusiveness attributes and his developing play making skills would translate most appropriately.

From a player comparison perspective, think of the Brisbane Broncos, Queensland State of Origin and Australian Test Player Darius Boyd as a player with more speed than a lot of people give him credit for a good elusiveness and solid play making skills as well.

[mdrew]

Alexander Dunemann. (Updated) The talented young centre or five eight was part of the Western Mustangs MM Cup winning 2017 side that won the Queensland final with a 40-30 win over Souths Logan with the young man scoring the Western Mustangs second try in that match. Alexander Dunemann signed a Titans scholarship contract and played in every match in the Western Mustangs successful MM Cup campaign as well in 2017.

Alexander Dunemann came off the bench in Round Two but was in the starting side for the remainder of the MM Cup competition, playing all bar Round Eight in the centres, in Round Eight Alexander Dunemann started at five eight. Alexander Dunemann also started in the centres in the National Final against Parramatta but moved to five eight when Travis Turnbull was injured. In that final Alexander Dunemann set up a try for fullback Denzel Burns with a deft left foot chip.

Post the MM Cup Competition Alexander Dunemann played in the U18 Toowoomba Rugby League competition, playing three matches for South Suburbs, scoring in his first match in the competition against South Burnett and kicking a goal in a late season match against the Warwick Cowboys. Alexander Dunemann also played in a 2017 TRL Presidents Cup match as well.

Alexander Dunemann had a solid season in the U16 Toowoomba Junior Rugby League competition in 2016. For the Kingaroy Red Ants in 2016 Alexander Dunemann scored 14 tries and kicked 10 goals across 15 games, including four in a match against South’s and three doubles which came against Dalby, Pittsworth and Gatton.

Alexander Dunemann’s calling card from an attacking perspective is his passing and game management abilities, these were on show in the TJRL U16 competition over the course of the 2016 season when he directed his Kingaroy side around the paddock. In terms of his running game, he 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.

Alexander Dunemann 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 Alexander Dunemann is not super quick, but he does have some 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. His running skills compliment his ability to put runners into holes rather than the other way around.

Alexander Dunemann’s 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. An added bonus in relation to his kicking game is that he is a left foot kicker.

Defensively Alexander Dunemann 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. Against the bigger packs in the MM Cup competition, he was constantly battered by huge forwards running at him but he held his own all season.

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 and being executed. In short he is quite a solid defender regardless of the position that he is occupying.

Alexander Dunemann has been named in the 2018 Western Mustangs U120 side and starting this season has two years of eligibility in that competition remaining.

Prior to the 2017 season, I admit I really only considered Alexander Dunemann as a five eight but with his play in the centres in the MM Cup competition and at fullback in the Toowoomba Rugby League U18 competition a reassessment at least needs to be considered.

Whilst I still believe that five eight is his best position with his ball playing and game management skills to go with his ability to take the line on himself a longer term future at fullback is certainly not out of the question.

From a player comparison perspective for Titans linked Alexander Dunemann, 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 in terms of whether they see him at five eight in the centres or even at fullback.

[mdrew]

Jordan Lewis. The talented Ormeau Shearers youngster has moved around a bit from a position perspective including representing the Gold Coast Vikings at the U13 level in the back row but in 2017 at half, the young man had an outstanding season finishing with 117 points from ten tries, thirty eight goals and a field goal in the GCJRL U14 Division One competition including starting at half back, scoring a try, kicking three conversions and a field goal in the U14 Division One Grand Final against victory over Burleigh.

From a try scoring perspective, Jordan Lewis scored four tries in a match in early June kicking five goals in that match to finish with 26 points as well and in May against Runaway Bay in May he scored a hat trick and kicked seven goals for 26 points as well. Jordan Lewis also kicked seven conversions in a victory over Nerang in Round One of the competition and five goals against Runaway Bay in the Preliminary Final.

In 2017 Jordan Lewis represented the U14 Gold Coast Vikings side where he was selected at hooker and from there he was selected in the South East Queensland U14 White side for the Queensland Age Championships which were held in Toowoomba in July 2017.

In 2016 Jordan Lewis primarily came off the interchange bench for the U13 Vikings side including scoring on Day Two in a 58 – 6 victory over the Ipswich Diggers a match in which Titans linked front rower Brody Smitka was outstanding. After those Championships which were held at Carina Jordan Lewis was selected to represent South East Queensland Green at the Queensland Age Championships.

Jordan Lewis is not necessarily the quickest half running around 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. Jordan Lewis’s ability to put runners into holes complements his ability to run with the ball.

Jordan Lewis’s defence for a half is very good 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 into his opponent and is also very good at slowing the play the ball down. His intensity means that he will track the play across and thus is in a good position when the ball is passed back inside.

Jordan Lewis will play the upcoming 2018 once again with Ormeau Shearers in the GCJRL U15 Division One competition and he also is in line for a spot in the U15 South Coast QSSRL side with the trials for that squad commencing shortly. The South Coast U15 QSSRL squad should be very strong.

A final position perspective is an interesting one, in previous seasons Jordan Lewis spent a fair bit of time in the second row but this season he played in various positions including half back and hooker making a good fist of them as well. On that basis it is hard to go past Jordan Lewis staying at half for at least the short term.

Jordan Lewis may also get an extended opportunity to make his mark at hooker over the coming years. Dare I saw it, but Jordan Lewis looks like the perfect NRL interchange player with his developing ability to play in the halves, at hooker and as a running back rower.

From a rugby league player comparison perspective, I think that the play of Canterbury Bulldogs and New Zealand International five eight Keiran Foran is a good comparison for Jordan Lewis, as a solidly built, strong running, hardworking half with under rated play making skills.

[mdrew]

Ezra Ubaldino. (Updated) He is a local young centre who at the start of this season transferred from the Currumbin Eagles to the Burleigh Bears where he played in the U15 Division GCJRL competition even though the PBC student was still eligible for the U14 age group. Ezra Ubaldino was part of the Titans U15 side that played a Balmain Tigers selection late in 2017 with the young man being outstanding in that match. Ezra Ubaldino is also part of the PBC Rugby League excellence program and in 2018 will be part of a talented U15 side alongside the likes on backrower Bailey Martin.

Ezra Ubaldino played nine matches for Burleigh in the GCJRL U15 Division One competition including their semi-final campaign scoring three tries in the process. Ezra Ubaldino scored a double against the Southport Tigers and late in the season also scored against the Coomera Cutters. Ezra Ubaldino also played one match for Burleigh in the U15 Division Two competition against the Ormeau Shearers in May 2017.

2016 saw Ezra Ubaldino represent the Gold Coast Vikings at the U13 level where they went through the Hill Stumer Championships undefeated and from there Ezra Ubaldino was selected in the South East Queensland White side for the Queensland Age Championships. For the Vikings in 2016 Ezra Ubaldino was selected in the centres but for South East Queensland White he was selected in the second row.

At the 2016 Hill Stumer Championships held at Carina, Ezra Ubaldino played in all three of the U13 Vikings matches including scoring a great hat trick in the Sunday game against Ipswich including two long range efforts in a 58 – 6 victory for the Gold Coast youngsters.

In 2014, Ezra Ubaldino represented South Coast in the QPSRL U11 competition, a competition that South Coast dominated and went on to win, scoring 132 and conceding only 12 across the five matches. In those championships, Ezra Ubaldino scored three tries, one each against Capricornia, Sunshine Coast and Met West. Runaway Bay centre Connor Te Kani and Ormeau five eight Syris Schmidt were also part of that South Coast side and all three have continued to take positive steps with their development and look to have a lot of potential to work with moving forward.

The pace and power in terms of how Ezra Ubaldino 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 defenders who are slow to move up. When the opposition are on the back foot Ezra Ubaldino will target the smaller defenders on the edge of the ruck or wider out and burst through and for a big young bloke he has very good speed over the medium term and has the strength and power to drag defenders with him.

I would consider that his speed would be considered above average for a centre 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. Ezra Ubaldino also has a very powerful fend especially with his right hand.

Against Ipswich in the U13 Hill Stumer Championships in 2016 Ezra Ubaldino made a long break down the left hand touch line with no support, when confronted by the fullback, Ezra Ubaldino smartly changed the ball into his left arm and produced a great right hand fend when the Ipswich fullback went to tackle him high, knocking the Ipswich fullback to the ground with one push. Ezra Ubaldino then continued on to score a great solo try in the left corner, being one of three that he scored on the day.

The defensive side of his game is similarly effective, Ezra Ubaldino does not just charge wildly up looking for a huge hit (well maybe sometimes but not often), but is cold and calculating in where and when he hits. Quite a few of his tackles resulted in a knock on by the opposition as the ball came loose as a result of the impact of the tackle, he just hits so hard. He drives hard with his legs and always uses his shoulder and core body strength to drive into his opponent and force them off balance or off their running line.

With his strength and technique Ezra Ubaldino should likely always be considered a plus defender regardless of age group or quality of opponent. Ezra Ubaldino also has some aggression in his game which he will need to ensure that he moderates it and channels it correctly which I am sure will come with additional experience.

Moving forward to the 2018 season, even though Ezra Ubaldino is still eligible for the U15 competition he may once again play up an age group in the U16 Division One competition for Burleigh Heads. Ezra Ubaldino will also be in line for selection in the South Coast U15 school boy side for the QSSRL U15 championships later in the year from PBC. The South Coast U15 QSSRL side shapes to be an exceptionally talented side with size strength speed and power in every position.

From a position perspective prior to this season I would have argued that Ezra Ubaldino’s long term future lies in the second row but after his performances in the centres this season playing primarily against players a year older than him, I now have to change my thinking and based on the 2017 season a long term future in the centres is certainly on the cards.

From a player comparison perspective think of former Titans NYC player Daniel Brownbill as a player with similar attributes and who exhibits similar strength, power and speed.

People watching Ezra Ubaldino play for the first time may think that he is all speed, power and strength but whilst he does display those attributes there is a lot more to his game revolving around positioning, awareness, timing and anticipation.

The future is certainly bright on the Gold Coast with young players like Ezra Ubaldino coming through the ranks.

[mdrew]

Ezra Talau. The young Ormeau Shearers centre had a solid 2017 season in the Gold Coast JRL U15 Division Two competition, averaging a try a match through his seven matches. The former Sydney junior is currently training with the Gold Coast Vikings U16 squad which will be split into two teams for the upcoming South East Queensland U16 pre-season competition. Ezra Talau was the only Ormeau Shearer’s player named for the Vikings U16 squad.

For the Shearers Ezra Talau scored seven tries and kicked a conversion to finish the season with 30 points. Ezra Talau scored in the first regular season round against Nerang and also scored in eth last regular season round against Helensvale. In between in consecutive matches against Helensvale Green, Ezra Talau scored a double and a hat trick. Ezra Talau’s sole conversion came late in the season against Nerang.

In 2017 Ezra Talau also played one match in the U16 Division Two competition which was against Currumbin in June and he then backed up to play for his U15 side the next day.

In terms of his attacking play Ezra Talau is a smooth runner of the ball who has above average top end speed and good evasiveness to get on the outside of his opposing defender with a decent fend that enables him to keep all but the strongest outside backs at a distance and away from his body although his speed off the mark is not necessarily his best attribute.

Ezra Talau has quite a good step, predominately off the right foot, so he certainly has the skills to adjust his running line as he gains more experience and develops a better rapport with his team’s play makers in his inside. As he gains more experience, Ezra Tala’s ability to set up his outside support will also improve, he has the strength to get on the outside of his opposing centre and can pop a good ball to his winger either prior to contact or once the winger has engaged him.

Ezra Talau 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. 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, Ezra Talau 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 however Ezra Talau has above average top end speed which he uses to turn and chase.

In addition to his Gold Coast Vikings U16 duties Ezra Talau will play the 2018 GCJRL season with the Ormeau Shearers in the U16 Division Two competition and may also get some opportunities in the U17 Division Two competition.

From an ultimate position perspective, I think that in the short term Ezra Talau has a real opportunity to stay in the centres.

Taane Milne who starred for Fiji in the 2017 Rugby League World Cup and who recently signed with the Wests Tigers is for me at least the ideal player comparison for Ezra Talau.

[mdrew]

Ben Liyou. (Updated) He is a young player from the Grafton Ghosts who recently signed a two year deal with the Titans which will see him finishing his schooling in Northern New South Wales before moving up to the Gold Coast to continue his rugby league career. In October 2017 Ben Liyou was also awarded the Aquinas Sportsperson of the Year award at a gala dinner at the Southport Yacht Club.

Ben Liyou played the 2017 season at the U16.5 level for the Ghosts as well as playing three matches at the U18 level for Grafton in the Group Two U18 competition. Ben Liyou also attended a Titans Elite Academy session that was held at Lennox Heads a couple of months ago, another Grafton Ghost in centre Jake Martin was also an attendee.

Ben Liyou was also part of the East Coast Dolphins U16 side that performed well at the New South Wales Country Championships making the Championship final and as a result was selected for the U16 New South Wales Country side that played two matches in New Zealand as part of a South Island Tour. The NSW Country U16 side won both of their tour matches and in addition to Ben Liyou also had Titans youngsters Kade Hill and Jordan Tauali’i involved. Previously Ben Liyou has represented the Titans in a number of development squad matches including in 2014 when he came off the bench in a match against a Samoan side.

With his try and two goals in a Grafton Ghosts 24-4 win over Ballina Ben Liyou finished the U16.5 regular season competition as the leading point’s scorer with 62 points from ten matches. Ben Liyou scored eight tries and kicked fifteen goals. From a try scoring perspective Ben Liyou scored doubles against Casino RSM in June and also against Ballina in July. Ben Liyou also started in the second row in Grafton’s two finals matches against Clarence Coast and the Grand Final against Casino RSM.

As a 16 year old Ben Liyou also played three matches for the Grafton Ghosts U18 side in the Group Two competition, with his U18 debut coming in April against the Sawtell Panthers. His other two games were against Sawtell again in June and Coffs Harbour in July 2017.

In the U16 New South Wales Country Championships Ben Liyou scored three tries in their way to the Final where the East Coast Dolphins U16 side lost in extra time to the Western Rams. In that Grand Final Ben Liyou started in the second row. Two other Titans linked youngsters were also involved being Kade Hill who started at half and Jordan Tauali’i who started in the front row. Ben Liyou scored a double in the East Coast Dolphins 44-0 semi-final win over the Bidgee Bulls and he also scored in Round One against the Central Coast.

In 2016 Ben Liyou was the U15 Group One’s top try scorer with 18 tries from 12 matches to finish five tries clear of the next highest try scorer. Ben Liyou also started at lock for the Group One U15 representative side that had some good wins over the course of the New South Wales Country Age Championships. Ben Liyou has previous experience in a Titans jersey when he came off the bench in late 2015 in a U14 contest against Samoa.

For the Ghosts in the U15 competition, Ben Liyou started off the season with a bang scoring seven tries in the first three rounds, including a four try haul against Kyogle and a double against Minor Premiers Clarence Coast. Over the course of the season, Ben Liyou scored five other doubles which came against Ballina on three separate occasions, Lismore Marist Brothers and Kyogle. In April Ben Liyou also played one match at the U16.5 age group against Kyogle backing up after playing in the U15’s earlier in the day.

Ben Liyou is a tall lanky type of player with a solid passing game, which is understandable due to his experience at five eight, from my perspective his passing to his right hand side is a little better than to his left. Where he excels though is his running with the ball, as noted he is a tall young man who really did dominate opposing backline line defences and regularly carried opposing players with him before off-loading to his support players. His speed is quite good for his height but whether it stays that way as he fills out will determine when he transitions full time to the back row as at the moment he is dominating his age group regardless of position in the Group One junior rugby league.

In an U13 Titans development squad game against Samoa in late 2015 and considering he conceded a lot of weight to the opposition, he was very effective and making ground, mainly on the fringes of the ruck, where he used his footwork to get between defenders and make ground. The development squad game was a tough game and even with the step up in overall class of the game, Ben Liyou did well.

The only issue for his defence is that due to his height he needs to make sure he does not let his tackles slip up too high when defending against smaller opposition and in the Group One competition he had no problem at all dealing with opposition forwards running on the fringes of the ruck. In the development squad game, he obviously defended in the centre of the ruck and showed a quite decent low tackling technique and held his own even though he conceded weight to the opposing forward pack.

Moving forward to the 2018 season Ben Liyou is still eligible for the Group One U16.5 level for the Grafton Ghosts but he is likely to spend the majority of the 2018 season with the Grafton Ghosts U18 Group Two side. Ben Liyou will also be in line to represent the East Coast Dolphins at the U18 level.

From a position perspective, as noted, to date he has played a significant amount of rugby league at five eight in his junior career, but I can really see his move to the second row as a permanent one now.

From a player comparison perspective think along the lines of someone like Cronulla Sharks, New South Wales State of Origin and Australian International second rower Wade Graham as a player who played a lot of their junior football at five eight before transitioning to the back row and developing into a solid ball playing forward who can pop a short pass to his supports both prior to the line and when engaged with the defensive line as well as defending effectively.

[mdrew]

Kainoa Gudgeon. The Western Australian and former Newcastle Knights junior has made an outstanding start to his quest to secure a spot in the Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup squad when he scored a first half double, narrowly missing a hat trick for Tweed Heads when they played a trial match against their U20 Colts side recently.

In 2017 the South Perth Lions junior split time between the Newcastle Knights NYC side and their New South Wales Intrust Super Cup side, as well as playing a couple of matches in the local Newcastle competition with South Newcastle including reserve grade match in August 2017 when Kainoa Gudgeon scored a try and kicked four goals.

In the NSW Intrust Super Cup in 2017 , Kainoa Gudgeon played five matches making his debut in March and went on to score two tries and kick fourteen goals to finish the season with 36 points.

In total in the NSW Intrust Super Cup, Kainoa Gudgeon ran for 252 metres, had seven tackle breaks, two line breaks and made thirty four tackles at a tackling efficiency of 83.4%. Kainoa Gudgeon’s per game averages included running for 50.4 metres and making seven tackles.

In the 2017 NYC competition for the Knights, Kainoa Gudgeon scored seven tries and kicked forty two goals for 116 points from sixteen matches with his tries coming in seven individual matches including scoring against the Titans in Rounds Two and Nine and a try in Newcastle’s finals loss to the Bronco’s. With the boot Kainoa Gudgeon had a day out against the Titans in Round Nine when he kicked seven goals. Kainoa Gudgeon also kicked six goals against the Titans in Round Two.

In total for Newcastle in the 2017 NYC competition, Kainoa Gudgeon started on the wing in fifteen matches and in his other match which was in Round One he started in the centres, Kainoa Gudgeon played in all 80 minutes of each of the matches that he was involved in.

Kainoa Gudgeon was on the field for 1 280 minutes, ran the ball 147 times making 1 349 metres, made four line breaks, had three tries assists, off loaded the ball on eleven occasions and made 82 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 76.64. Kainoa Gudgeon’s 2017 NYC per game season averages included playing for 80 minutes, making 84.3 metres from 9.2 runs and 5.1 tackles.

On four occasions in 2017 Kainoa Gudgeon ran for in excess of 100 metres including running for 143 metres in a Round Twenty Four clash against the Melbourne Storm.

In 2016 in the NYC Kainoa Gudgeon scored twelve tries including a Round One double against the Titans and he also scored against the Titans in Round Twenty Four.

All told in his NYC career Kainoa Gudgeon played four matches against the Titans scoring at least a ty on each occasion. Kainoa Gudgeon also kicked thirteen goals against the Titans from just two games in 2017.

Prior to his move to Newcastle Kainoa Gudgeon, played for South Perth in the Western Australian Rugby League competition and in 2015 scored fifteen tries from nine games in the U18 competition. Kainoa Gudgeon made his Western Australian First Grade debut as a 17 year old in 2015, scoring on debut.

Kainoa Gudgeon is just a smooth runner of the ball 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, Kainoa Gudgeon is 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.

The one thing Kainoa Gudgeon 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 defence Kainoa Gudgeon has good functional strength, but will certainly look to come out of the line to stop the attack before it has time to fully develop. He will show his opposite centre the sideline and is confident that his speed will enable him to get across to make the tackle.

The upcoming 2018 season will see Kainoa Gudgeon line up in the black and white of the Tweed Heads Seagulls where he will look to push for a spot come Round One and certainly is making it difficult for Ben Woolf to keep him out of the side.

Kainoa Gudgeon played in the centres in Western Australia but has played primarily on the wing in his time with the Knights and that is also where he played in the Seagulls in-house trial recently against Tweed’s Colts side.

From my perspective Kainoa Gudgeon is similar to Brisbane Bronco and star Keebra Park junior Marion Seve.

[mdrew]

Theo Hippi. The young tearaway has moved back to Northern New South Wales from Sydney where he played for South Sydney in the 2017 NYC competition and will line up for Tweed Heads in the 2018 Queensland Cup competition.

For the Rabbitohs in the 2017 NYC competition, Theo Hippi played in nine matches, scoring his sole try against Parramatta in Round Twelve. Of hi nine matches Theo Hippi came off the interchange bench in seven, started in the second row in Round Nine against Manly and in Round Eleven against the Melbourne Storm started in the centres.

In total in the 2017 NYC competition, Theo Hippi was on the field for 194 minutes, took 41 hit-ups for 418 metres and made 111 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 81.62%. Theo Hippi’s 2017 per game averages included running for 46.4 metres from 4.6 hit-ups and making 12.3 tackles.

His “best” performance from a running perspective came in Round Ten against the Wests Tigers when he ran for 97 metres and in Round Eight against the Brisbane Broncos Theo Hippi made twenty tackles. On the 2017 season, Theo Hippi was credited with no errors which in over three hours on the field is a very good achievement.

Prior to his move to Sydney for the NYC competition, Theo Hippi played for Northern United in the 2016 NRRRL competition, playing in twenty First Grade matches scoring six tries including a double against Kyogle and he also scored tries against Cudgen, Murwillumbah, Byron Bay and Casino RSM. Theo Hippi primarily came off the bench for Northern United but made a significant impact each time that he came onto the field. Theo Hippi made his NRRRL first grade debut as an 18 year old in 2015 when he played in ten matches for Evans Head scoring eight tries in the process.

Tear a way would be an apt description of how Theo Hippi 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. 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 Theo Hippi 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. 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.

Defensively the situation is similar, Theo Hippi 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.

Theo Hippi will play the 2018 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Queensland Cup squad and may start the season on the interchange bench as a super sub type of player who will go full throttle when he comes on and regardless of the amount that he spends on the field. Theo Hippi was specifically named as a standout player in Tweed’s first trial by Ben Woolf, so he is off to a good start with his new club.

His smaller size and playing style suggests to me that Theo Hippi 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.

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 Theo Hippi has a smaller build.

[lonegull]

I have watched a bit of Theo hippo in the aboriginal knockout the last couple of years, he is a raw boned bloke and fears nothing and oozes talent, hopefully he fills out and I am sure he will catch the eye of Brennan has loads of upside and talent to burn

[mdrew]

Wally Pegler. (Revised) He is a young fullback/halfback from the Toowoomba region who played for the Western Mustangs Colts side in 2017 and has been named in the 2018 Colts squad for the fast approaching season.

In early 2017 Wally Pegler spent a day at the Titans training centre with four other young boys from the region and trained with the Titans NYC squad. Wally Pegler started at halfback for the Western Mustangs U20 side that drew with a Titans U20 selection in a 2017 trial, in fact Wally Pegler had an opportunity to win the game for the Mustangs but his 78th minute field goal attempt hit the left upright and bounced away unfortunately for the young man.

For the Western Mustangs in 2017 Wally Pegler played in both U20 competitions being the U20 State wide Challenge and the U20 Colts Challenge. In the State wide Challenge Wally Pegler started all of the Western Mustangs seven matches at half back including their semi-final loss to Redcliffe. Over the seven matches Wally Pegler scored three tries and kicked eighteen goals to finish with 48 points. Wally Pegler’s three tries came in consecutive weeks from Rounds Five to Seven and in order were against the Central Queensland Capra’s, Victoria and Ipswich. In the Round Seven match against Ipswich Wally Pegler also kicked six goals from as many attempts and in three other matches kicked three goals.

In the Colts Challenge competition, Wally Pegler played in the Western Mustangs first twelve matches before missing the final three with injury. Wally Pegler started at half back in the first four rounds and also started Rounds Ten to Thirteen at half back. In the intervening period Wally Pegler started five matches at five eight.

Through his twelve matches Wally Pegler scored three tries and kicked twenty six goals to finish the competition with 64 points. Wally Pegler’s tries came against Redcliffe in Round One, against South’s Logan in Round Five and against the Sunshine Coast Falcons in Round Ten. In the Round Five match against South’s Logan Wally Pegler also kicked five goals and on three other occasions he kicked three goals in a match.

In 2016 Wally Pegler played the first half of the season in the U18 Toowoomba TRL competition where he was one of the leading point’s scorers before transitioning to the Toowoomba Clydesdales QCup Colts side for the last two months of the season. In the Toowoomba U18 competition he scored eleven tries in 18 matches including doubles against Brothers, Dalby and Highfields and also kicked ninety goals for a total of 224 points on the season.

In one match against Highfields he kicked an incredible 16 goals from 18 attempts in one match alone, he also scored two tries that afternoon. On another occasion he kicked 10 goals in a match against Goondiwindi. On August 21, Wally Pegler made his TRL A Grade debut against Highlands (it was the same day he kicked 16 goals) scoring a try and kicking two goals in that game.

Subsequent to his first grade debut, Wally Pegler transitioned to the Toowoomba Clydesdales QCup Colts side for the remainder of the 2016 season. He made his Colts debut from the bench against South’s Logan in a tight 18 – 16 loss and kicked two goals from three attempts. In Round 21 he made his starting debut on the left wing scoring his first QCup Colts try. Rounds 22 and 23 saw Wally Pegler start at half and in those matches he kicked five from six and four from four respectively to finish with a try and eleven goals for 26 points overall and a goal kicking accuracy of 85%.

In 2013 Wally Pegler represented Queensland Murri U16’s coming off the bench in the annual interstate clash. Former 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 High 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 in that exhibition match.

Wally Pegler 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.

Wally Pegler is also a very good goal kicker with both good range and very good accuracy regularly kicking with above 80% accuracy over the course of a season. 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.

Wally Pegler is not the biggest or necessarily strongest player but will take the hit when he needs 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.

Wally Pegler will start the 2018 season with the Western Mustangs at the U20 level in the Hastings Deerings Cup U20 competition which kicks off in March.

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 although his running game will probably always take precedence.

From a player comparison perspective thing maybe someone like Titans half Ashley Taylor as a young play maker who was has all the skills necessary for a future at half back both in terms of game management and the ability to take the line on when the opportunity presents. I would agree though that Wally Pegler has more speed off the mark than Ashley Taylor.

[mdrew]

Blake Cullen. (Updated) The big strong burly young front rower was part of the Western Mustangs 2017 U18 Mal Meninga Cup winning team starting in their Grand Final winning side in the front row when they defeated South’s Logan 40 – 30 early in 2017. Blake Cullen also started in the front row for the Western Mustangs when they played against the Parramatta Eels in the U18 national final with Parramatta winning on the day. Blake Cullen is currently on a Titans Scholarship linking him to the Titans for the next couple of seasons.

Over the course of the 2017 MM Cup season, Blake Cullen started in the front row in all eight of the Western Mustangs matches including the semi-final against the Easts Tigers and the Grand Final against Souths Logan. In those eight matches Blake Cullen scored two tries, the first coming in Round Two against the Mackay Cutters and the second in Round Six against Victoria. Blake Cullen also played one U20 Colts match in 2017 for the Western Mustangs when he came off the bench in Round Two against the Ipswich Jets.

After the MM Cup competition was completed, apart from the one match that former Pittsworth State High School student played in the Colts competition, Blake Cullen plyed his trade with Pittsworth in the Toowoomba Rugby League Competition. Blake Cullen played six matches in the U18 competition and five in the Hutchies A Grade Cup competition.

On each of the five occasions that Blake Cullen played first grade, Blake Cullen backed up after playing in the U18 match earlier in the day. It is even more impressive when you consider that Blake Cullen starts in both the U18 and A Grade matches in the front row. In the 2017 season, Blake Cullen’s sole try was in the U18 competition against Wattles.

Blake Cullen 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. There is no subtlety to his running, it is straight and hard and another positive is that he will not just run upright, Blake Cullen will drop his should into the defender making it difficult if not impossible for him to be stopped one on one. He does though have quite foot speed when/if he gets into space, probably above average for a front rower.

In defence Blake Cullen is happy to go for the big hit with his target zone around the rib cage rather than the chest area thus mitigating the risk of the tackle slipping up around the head. He is obviously suited to defending in the centre of the ruck rather that the fringes and will have some trouble with nippy runners out of dummy half. It has been suggested to me that Blake Cullen is a very hard dedicated worker in training. 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.

Blake Cullen has been named in the 2018 Western Mustangs U20 Colts for the upcoming season along with seven or eight other Titans scholarship players and should be a key member of what is shaping to be a big strong tough forward pack.

Blake Cullen has been a front rower his entire rugby league career and with his strength and toughness will surely continue in that position where ever his career in rugby league takes him.

From a player comparison point of view, I think that a fair comparison from a style of play perspective would be former New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand International front rower Sam Rapira, as tough hard runner forward who does everything at 100 mph.

[mdrew]

Laz Sua. (Updated) The powerful young Gold Coast resident and Keebra Park student is only a reasonably recent signing with the Titans. In 2017 in addition to playing for Keebra Park, Laz Sua was selected in the South Coast U18 side and from there was selected in the Queensland U18 Open Schoolboy side for the ASSRL Championship including scoring a try on Day Three in a 28-18 loss to New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges.

Laz Sua and his Keebra Park Open team mates had an outstanding 2017 GIO Cup campaign with the Gold Coast based school winning the National final with Laz Sua starting the final in eth second row and playing on the left side of the field against Westfield’s Sports High School.

Laz Sua was also a member of the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side for the 2017 version of that competition and played for Queensland Samoa U18 squad for the QPICC tournament that was held in October 2017.

Laz Sua played in club football in 2017 with the Ormeau Shearers across a number of competitions including the U17 Division One competition, U19’s, the Doug Lipp Cup and five first grade matches. In the U17 Division One competition, Lazeryth Sua played in five matches scoring three tries including a double against Burleigh with his other try coming against Mudgeeraba. In the U19 competition, Laz Sua has played in nine matches scoring against Runaway Bay in June and also kicking a late conversion against Mudgeeraba.

Laz Sua made his Doug Lipp Cup debut in June against Tugun and celebrated by scoring on debut. Playing first grade at any level as a 17 year is no mean feat and Laz Sua achieved that feat on Sunday June 18 2017 when he came on from the interchange bench against Currumbin. His other first grade matches came against Runaway Bay, Bilambil, Currumbin again and Southport.

During the 2016 season Laz Sua was selected as a result of his good form to represent Queensland at the U16 level. Unfortunately for Laz Sua he only got a handful of minutes on the field when he came on late and played in the dummy half role.

In relation to his club rugby league on the Gold Coast in 2016 he played six matches for the Ormeau Shearers club in the U16 Division One competition and scored three tries in limited action, including scoring against eventual premiers Burleigh on two separate occasions and also against Helensvale.

For Gold Coast White in the CC Cup competition in 2016, Lazeryth Sua played in all six of their games, splitting his time evenly between starting at hooker and at lock. He started at hooker in Rounds One, Six and Seven and started at lock in the other three games. He also crossed for two tries which came in Rounds One and Two, against Souths Logan and Gold Coast Green respectively.

In addition, after the completion of the 2016 season he was a late replacement in the Team Toa side where he came off the bench in their loss to a NSW New Zealand side. In 2016 he was also a member of the QAS squad and in 2015 made the Queensland Maroon U15 side for the ASSRL U15 championships after playing a leading role for South Coast at the U15 QSSRL championships where he played the majority of his matches in the centres.

In attack, regardless of the position he is playing, he 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 relation to his play at hooker his passing is reasonably crisp, especially to the right side, but on occasion he passes in two movements, the first being a straightening motion with a distinct second motion being the delivery of the pass, on other occasions he does pass directly from the ground in one fluid motion, like he would be doing as a rugby half.

Laz Sua does like to run from dummy half and his strength and speed does compensate if there are no gaps in the defensive line. Once tackled he immediately starts fighting to get a quick play the ball in an effort to maintain momentum.

In terms of wider positions, such as in the back row or at centre, he can and will take on defenders and look to run over them, when he stays wide, like he did for Keebra good things happen for his team.

Defensively Laz Sua 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 out wide, he is better in an up and in type defensive scheme rather than a sliding defensive structure. He is also extremely fit thus getting back into the defensive line is no issue for him over the course of the entire game.

Laz Sua has been named in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad for this coming season and I believe is also back at Keebra Park State High School where he will be a key figure in their GIO Cup squad as they look to repeat their 2017 success.

The big question for he is where Laz Sua’s long term future lies. I can legitimately see a case for him to stay at hooker, similarly there are skills in his game which suggest a future in a wider playing position such as in the back row or even at centre.

Laz Sua has a diverse range of skills to take advantage of and with a reduction of the inter change down to eight from ten and potentially a further reduction in coming years, a player of his type will become very valuable.

Due to his versatility and varied skill set, I believe that an appropriate NRL player comparison for Laz Sua is current Newcastle Knights forward and former New South Wales State of Origin player Jamie Buhrer.

[mdrew]

Allan Lockwood. (Updated) He is a young fullback or centre who is originally from the Kempsey area, but moved to the Gold Coast to continue his career with the Titans at the start of 2016 as a part of the Titans High Performance Unit.

In early 2016 he captained the NSW Koori’s U16 side in their annual Murri v Koori U16 interstate clash, with the match finishing in a 16 all draw. For young 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, a cousin I believe.

The 2017 season saw Allan Lockwood play for Burleigh in the MM Cup competition and upon competition of that competition, the talented youngster made a successful transition to the Burleigh Colts side playing a number of matches at fullback and in the centres. Allan Lockwood also played a number of matches in Gold Coast Rugby League competition for the Bilambil Jets.

For Burleigh in the 2017 MM competition, Allan Lockwood played in five of their six matches missing only Round Three. Allan Lockwood started the first two rounds at fullback and then played in the centres in Rounds Four, Five and Six.

For the Burleigh Bears in the U20 Colts Challenge competition in 2017, Allan Lockwood played in thirteen of Burleigh’s fifteen matches scoring three tries the first of which came in Round Five against the Sunshine Coast Falcons. His other two tries came in consecutive matches in Round Nine against the Western Mustangs and Round Ten against Tweed Heads. Allan Lockwood started at fullback in his first four Colts matches and then transitioned to the centres for his remaining matches. Allan Lockwood’s first match for Burleigh in the Colts Challenge Competition was in Round Two when he started at fullback.

For Bilambil in the Gold Coast U19 competition, Allan Lockwood played in eight matches including starting in the centres in Bilambil’s 34 – 20 Grand Final victory over Tugun. In those eight matches Allan Lockwood scored five tries which all came in two consecutive matches the first when he scored a hat trick against Currumbin and in his next U19 match Allan Lockwood scored against Mudgeeraba. Allan Lockwood made his Gold Coast Rugby League A Grade debut in August against Burleigh.

Allan Lockwood played the 2016 season with the Burleigh Bears in the U17 Division One competition and started at fullback in their 18 – 12 Grand Final victory. Over the course of the season for Burleigh, Allan Lockwood played in ten matches, scoring seven tries including a double against Currumbin in Round One and a double against Grand Final opponents Runaway Bay mid-way through the season. Allan Lockwood also played for Gold Coast White in the CC Cup competition where he played both at five eight and in the centres scoring two tries in the process.

Allan Lockwood 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 Allan Lockwood 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 Allan Lockwood receives the ball with space to manoeuvre. Allan Lockwood 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.

Defensively Allan Lockwood was quite impressive last season and you could see that his physical development of the last couple of seasons has paid dividends. He has always had a solid tackling technique but with additional muscle mass, his initial contact is a lot stronger and he really can redirect the momentum of the ball carrier. At fullback Allan Lockwood will come forward when a break is made and force the attacking player to make a quick decision as to what to do, if they try to take him on, Allan Lockwood will make them pay for it.

Allan Lockwood is a member of the 2018 Burleigh Bears Colts squad and also part of the he Titans High Performance Unit.

From a position perspective, even though he played some five eight in CC in previous seasons and fullback for Burleigh in both MM and Colts competitions, 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 or fullback will only enhance his ball skills and assist in creating space for his support players.

Allan Lockwood obviously also has leadership skills to be selected as the NSW U16 Koori captain. The quote below is from U16s Indigenous All Stars chairman of selectors and former Gold Coast Seagull centre Scott Mieni.

“He 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 Allan Lockwood 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 (but Allan Lockwood is a better defender) is also a good comparison in terms of how Allan Lockwood plays.

[mdrew]

Darius Farmer. (Revised) He is a young second rower originally from Ipswich who signed an updated two year deal with the Titans at the end of 2016 and represented Queensland at the U16 level in 2015 with Titans team mates Ben Thomas and Reihana Marsh, starting in the second row in the annual interstate match. Darius Farmer originally signed with the Titans in 2015 after being part of the Sydney Roosters Junior Summer Training squad in 2014.

Due to injury Darius Farmer missed the start of the 2017 season but played the majority of the season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side but also made his NYC debut with the Titans as well as representing New Zealand U18’s with Titans team mate Jaxson Paulo.

Darius Farmer started in the second row for New Zealand in their match against the Australian School Boys in September in New Zealand playing on the left side of the field with Jaxon Paulo who played on the left wing. Even though New Zealand lost the International Darius Farmer matched up well with Australian School Boy star David Fifita who lined up on the right hand side of the field for the Australian Schoolboys.

Prior to the International match against the Australian School Boys Darius Farmer represented the New Zealand U18 Taurahere side (NZ eligible players playing in Australia) against the New Zealand Residents U18 side. Darius Farmer was one of four Titans players named in the Taurahere side with the others being Jaxson Paulo, Reihana Marsh and Moeaki Fotuaika, although only Darius Farmer and Jaxon Paulo played in the match with both then progressing to the New Zealand U18 side.

Darius Farmer made his NYC debut with the Titans in Round Twenty against Penrith, almost scoring with his first touch of the ball after coming off the interchange bench and in Round Twenty-Two Darius Farmer started at lock against the Broncos. In 2017 Darius Farmer went on to play in Rounds Twenty Five and Twenty Six against the Bulldogs and Roosters respectively, on both of those occasions starting off the interchange bench.

In total in the NYC competition Darius Farmer was on the field for 150 minutes, ran for 170 metres from twenty hit-ups and made forty four at a tackling efficiency of 72%. Darius Farmer’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing 37.5 minutes, running for 43 metres and making eleven tackles.

Darius Farmer’s best match from a running perspective was against the Panthers on his NYC debut when he ran for 78 metres and in Round Twenty Six against the Roosters he made thirteen tackles in limited minutes.

Darius Farmer missed the MM Cup competition but after spending the 2016 off season training with the Titans NYC squad including playing a couple of NYC trials for example against the Melbourne Storm at Langland’s Park, Darius Farmer was back for the start of the U20 Colts Challenge competition and played in twelve matches for Tweed Heads in that competition starting in the second row in every match that he played except for Round Four when he started at lock. Darius Farmer scored twice in the Colts competition including scoring in just the third minute of the Round One clash against South’s Logan. His other try came in Round Five against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.

During the 2016 season Darius Famer played for the Gold Coast White MM side scoring a try in Round Three against the Easts Tigers. He started all of the matches he played for Gold Coast White in the second row. In addition he also made his QCup Colts debut for the Ipswich Jets in Round 15 scoring a hat trick against Toowoomba and starting in the centres. Darius Farmer started in the centres as well for the other three games that he played for the Ipswich Jets in the Colts competition, being from Rounds 23 to 25 and in Round 24 against the Tweed Heads Seagulls scored a double.

Darius Farmer is a tall, rangy exceptional 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.

Darius Farmer 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.

Darius Farmer 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. Darius Farmer would be one of the faster back rowers running around in Queensland as can be evidenced by the fact that he handled the centre position well at the QCup Colts level.

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 Darius Farmer 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 initial contact as well as having the ability of defending one on one. As could be seen in the U16 development squad game, 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.

Moving towards the 2018 season, Darius Farmer will be a key figure in the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts side and it would not surprise if he got a couple of QCup matches under his belt towards the end of the 2018 season either. Darius Farmer will also be pushing for a Titans Development contract for the 2019 season.

I would expect that due to his size, speed and skill attributes that Darius Farmer 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 equally effectively.

I appreciate that Darius Farmer played some Queensland Cup Colts matches for the Ipswich Jets as a 17 year old previously in the centres and was very effective there but I do not envisage that this is anything permanent but Darius Farmer could probably fill in in the centres if the need arises.

From a player comparison perspective, 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.

Darius Farmer is really one to watch as the year’s progress and it is even better that you will see him in a Titans jersey for the foreseeable future at least. With new Titans coach Gareth Brennan emphasising local juniors, the re-signing for Darius Farmer at the end of the 2018 season is a must.

The Titans are building a core group of young forwards such as Max King, Keegan Hipgrave, Jai Arrow and Jai Whitbread. Darius Farmer may just be the next player to join that “core” group of young forwards.

[mdrew]

Chris Chambers. (Updated) The tall quick talented winger made the most of playing outside of a talented halves combination for the Western Mustangs MM Cup winning side including starting on the wing when they defeated South’s Logan 40 – 30 in the 2017 MM Cup Grand Final and also starting on the wing in the U18 National final against the Parramatta Eels. Chris Chambers was an ever present on the wing for the Western Mustangs over the course of the 2017 MM Cup season. Chris Chambers is currently a Titans Scholarship holder.

Chris Chambers had a stellar run in the 2017 MM Cup competition from a try scoring perspective scoring at least a try in every match except for the Grand Final victory over South’s Logan. Chris Chambers scored a double in Round Seven against the Easts Tigers, with his other tries coming in Round Two against the Mackay Cutters (Western Mustangs had a Round One bye), Round Three against Tweed Heads, Round Five against the Central Queensland Capra’s, Round Six against Victoria, Round Eight against the Central Crows and in the Western Mustangs semi-final victory over the Easts Tigers.

After the completion of the MM Cup competition, Chris Chambers played for Toowoomba Valleys in the U18 Toowoomba Rugby League competition scoring six tries and kicking four conversions from eight game, including a double against Southern Suburbs in his first U18 match of the season and single tries against Goondiwindi, Toowoomba Brothers South Burnett and Dalby. Chris Chambers also started in the centres in the Toowoomba Rugby League U18 Grand Final and kicked two conversions in his side’s 38 – 34 victory over the Warwick Cowboys.

Whilst in does not have a great deal of speed off the mark, Chris Chambers does have above average 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 Chris Chambers also has a reasonable offload and when he breaks through the main defensive line Chris Chambers is also very effective at setting up his outside support, by drawing the fullback.

Chris Chambers also has very good hands and over the course of the MM Cup season he had to pick up a number of passes from either low down or above his head and then can use his speed off the mark to look to create something for either himself or his team mates.

Chris Chambers has a good 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. Chris Chambers is just a solid attacking player and before you realise he has made a number of breaks and scored multiple tries.

Defensively the area that is impressive in relation to Chris Chambers is his ability to defend against any size opponent, from small quick outside backs to big strong powerful backrowers running wide of the ruck.

Defending on the wing Chris Chambers he sets a good base and uses his leg strength to direct his strength into his opponent. Purely from a skill and physical attribute perspective he seems more suited to a sliding defensive methodology rather than an up and in style. Like with his attacking attributes he is just solid there is really no other word to describe it.

Chris Chambers will play the 2018 rugby league with the Western Mustangs U20 Colts side.

Even though Chris Chambers could comfortably handle playing in the centres and perhaps even at fullback, with his ability to conceptually understand where the touch line is and use the limited space to his advantage I would consider it probable that Chris Chambers will continue to play on the wing as he begins his transition to the senior rugby league ranks.

For me how Chris Chambers plays is similar to the playing style of former Titan, PNG International captain and now English Super League player David Mead as a talented fearless winger who whilst he can score the incredible try out wide is regularly in the centre of the ruck giving his forwards a breather with a hit up or bringing the ball back on a kick return with a fearless approach.

[Mr Bods]

mdrew-what’s the story behind the Drongoes getting Payne Haas and not his hometown good guys???

[mdrew]

Payne Haas was a Titans junior for a number of seasons mate up until about the age of 15. At the time that the NRL took over juniors had to sign new contracts (don't get me started on clubs diving in and exploiting the situation) and he ended up with the Warriors on a two year deal. Post that it came down to the Broncos and Titans and he seriously considered the Titans but the Broncos won out, just.


mdrew-what’s the story behind the Drongoes getting Payne Haas and not his hometown good guys???

[Mr Bods]

Payne Haas was a Titans junior for a number of seasons mate up until about the age of 15. At the time that the NRL took over juniors had to sign new contracts (don't get me started on clubs diving in and exploiting the situation) and he ended up with the Warriors on a two year deal. Post that it came down to the Broncos and Titans and he seriously considered the Titans but the Broncos won out, just.

Thanks mdrew, hopefully he follows the Wallace/Whitbread/Arrow/Hipgrave development pathway.
Appreciate the prompt response.

[mdrew]

Jordan Crocker. (Updated) The tough hard as nails young front rower was a solid contributor in the middle of the field for the Western Mustangs MM Cup winning side over the course of the 2017 season including starting in the front row in the Grand Final over South’s Logan 40 - 30 and also starting in the front row in the National U18 final against the Parramatta Eels.

Jordan Crocker is currently a Titans scholarship holder along with a number of young players from the 2017 Western Mustangs U18 side and started all eight of the Western Mustangs MM Cup matches in the front row and scored his solitary try in Round Eight in a big 70 – 20 win over the Central Crows.

Post conclusion of the MM Cup Competition, Jordan Crocker transitioned back to the Toowoomba Rugby League where he played in six matches at the U18 level for Southern Suburbs including scoring a try against Toowoomba Valleys in his first U18 match of the 2017 season and also a late July try which came in a match against South Burnett.

Jordan Crocker 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.

Jordan Crocker 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 attributes and relatively simple, 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. Jordan Crocker’s lateral movement is reasonable for a front rower.

Jordan Crocker will play the 2018 season as part of the Western Mustangs U20 Hastings Deerings Colts squad which with the addition of a number of young New Zealand boys looks like it will have a giant pack of forwards.

From a position perspective, due to his solid build, Jordan Crocker 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 International forward Paul Gallen as a solidly built forward who has become a very effective player. Jordan Crocker is a bit bigger than Gallen and certainly less of an antagonist on the field.

[mdrew]

Indiha Saotui-Huta. The New Zealand born youngster has moved around a little in his junior rugby career to date but make no mistake Indiha Saotui-Huta is a talented outside back in either rugby or rugby league.

Indiha Saotui-Huta was born and raised in New Zealand but spent from 2013 to 2015 on the Gold Coast where he played both rugby and rugby league. Indiha Saotui-Huta made an immediate impact playing for Surfers Paradise in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby competition playing in the centres and also represented the Gold Coast Cyclones representative side on a number of occasions where a team mate was Titans youngster Rhian Stowers. In 2015 when his club side played in the Brisbane club rugby competition, Indiha Saotui-Huta finished as the leading points scorer with 147 points.

Indiha Saotui-Huta returned to New Zealand for the 2016 year, playing two years for the New Plymouth Boys High First XV, playing a number of outstanding matches including scoring against Auckland’s King’s College in 2016 and in 2017 scored against St Pats Silverstream. In 2017 Indiha Saotui-Huta also started for New Plymouth Boys High in a curtain raiser for a Reds v Chiefs Super Fifteen clash in New Zealand. Indiha Saotui-Huta also had an outstanding Rugby Sevens school boy career.
From a rugby league perspective, Indiha Saotui-Huta represented the U17 Taranaki Sharks rugby league side in 2017 and from there has been identified to take part in the 2018 New Zealand U18 talent squad.

Whilst in Australia previously Indiha Saotui-Huta only played four rugby league matches, which all came in 2015 for the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in the GCJRL U15 Division One competition, from those four matches, he scored for a solitary try which came against Southport.

Indiha Saotui-Huta is a solidly built young man with a low centre of gravity who has a very good right foot step and right hand fend. For his build, 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. Whilst his speed off the mark cannot be considered explosive he has good top end speed once he gets moving.

In addition to his speed Indiha Saotui-Huta 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. On the wing, with his low centre of gravity he is able to come in and take runs through the centre of the ruck, and effective runs at that. He will take off from dummy half and use his elite foot work make a lot of the “tough” yards.

Indiha Saotui-Huta is also not devoid of ball playing ability as was evidenced when he was playing sevens in 2016 and 2017.

From a defensive perspective Indiha Saotui-Huta is a very solid tackler who makes good initial contact and is able to generate momentum through his core and drive into his opponent with enough force to redirect the momentum of the ball carrier. Indiha Saotui-Huta has both a solid low tackling technique as well as having the functional strength to make ball and all tackles effectively against the biggest of players looking to target him in the defensive line.

A positive for Indiha Saotui-Huta is that he does not purely rely on strength and power to hit, timing is also a key attribute to ensure that he arrives at the attacker at around the same time that the ball does, this also reduces the likelihood of injury to himself or the defender getting on his outside setting up a two or one down the sideline.

Indiha Saotui-Huta is in line for 2018 U18 New Zealand recognition and will play, well I will just leave that for now.
In Australia for Surfers Paradise and the Gold Coast Cyclones Indiha Saotui-Huta primarily at inside centre, but when he moved back to New Zealand Indiha Saotui-Huta played on the right wing for New Plymouth Boys High. In sevens Indiha Saotui-Huta was a middle third player.

With his ability to stand up his direct opponent and break down the side line with above average speed, I can envisage a future on the wing for the talented Indiha Saotui-Huta.

It may sound like an odd comparison based on what has been said above but for me Indiha Saotui-Huta has the build of a mini Solomon Kata but with his speed and footwork he also definitely has similar skill attributes to New Zealand Warrior and New Zealand International Gerard Beale especially in terms of how he is able to stand up his opposite number of break a way down the side line.

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William Woolley. (Updated) He is a young second rower originally from the Ballina Seagulls in the Group One Junior rugby league competition. The 2017 season saw William Woolley on the Gold Coast playing for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the MM Cup and U20 Colts Challenge competitions and mid-season was for one match named in the Titans NYC extended 21 man squad but did not make his NYC debut.

William Woolley played the first four rounds of the MM Cup competition for the Tweed Heads Seagulls starting all four matches in the second row and scoring a double in Round Two against Victoria. William Woolley broke into the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts Challenge side in Round Two when he started from the inter change bench against Easts and also came off the bench in Rounds Three and Four.

After missing Round Five William Woolley came back into the starting line-up in the second row in the local derby against Burleigh and also started in the second row in Rounds Eight to Ten. Round Seven saw William Woolley start at lock. William Woolley was also involved in the Seagulls finals campaign starting in the second row in Week One of the Finals and from the interchange bench in Week Three against the North’s Devils.

In the final two regular season rounds against the Western Mustangs and South Logan William Woolley scored on both occasions and in his thirteen Colts matches in 2017, William Woolley started in the second row on eight occasions and from the interchange bench in his other matches.

William Woolley played the 2016 season at the U18 level in the NRRRL competition, playing seventeen matches across the season, including the Grand Final which Ballina won defeating Cudgen 28 – 20 with Williams Woolley starting in the second row in that match. Williams Woolley scored a double against the Lower Clarence Magpies with his five other tries coming in separate matches including scoring three times in four weeks in June and July.

William Woolley attended St Johns College Woodlawn and from that school made the 2014 U15 New South Wales Combined Catholic College (CCC) squad for the U15 ASSRL competition. In 2016 William Woolley was named in the starting second row for the U18 East Coast Dolphins squad for their NSW Country Cup campaign where they played the likes of the Northern Tigers, Central Coast and Newcastle Rebels.

From an attacking perspective, William Woolley 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, William Woolley 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 William Woolley 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.

The 2018 season will see William Woolley as part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts squad where he will be in the mix for a second row spot and will be eligible again for the U20 competition in 2019.

From a position perspective, William Woolley 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.

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Isaac Lee. (Updated) He is a tall rangy centre/second rower originally from Lismore Marist Brothers in the Northern River Regional Rugby League and has been with the Titans for a number of years now.

Over the course of the 2017 rugby league season, Isaac Lee was part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad and transitioned to the Tweed Heads U20 Colts Challenge side. From a trivia perspective he is the son of former Cronulla Sharks front rower Danny Lee, all be it he is a completely different body shape to his front row father.

For the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side Isaac Lee started in the centres in all six matches and scored against Victoria in Round Two, against the Western Mustangs in Round Three and in Round Six scored against local rivals the Burleigh Bears.

Upon completion of the MM Cup competition, Isaac Lee transitioned immediately to Tweed Heads U20 Colts Challenge side and had a great Round One scoring a hat trick inside 20 minutes in the first half against Souths Logan in Round One. Isaac Lee also started in the centres in Round Two before he missed Rounds Three to Six with injury before coming back into the side in Round Seven starting in the centres.

In addition to his hat trick in Round One, Isaac Lee scored a double in Round Ten against the Burleigh Bears and also scored in Rounds Thirteen to Sixteen against Easts, Redcliffe, the Western Mustangs and South Logan respectively.

Isaac Lee was also involved in all three of the Seagulls 2017 finals matches starting on the interchange in Week One of the finals against Redcliffe and on the wing in Weeks two and Three of the finals against Easts and Norths. In those two finals matches Isaac lee scored a double against Norths and also scored Easts in Week Two. In total in the Colts competition in 2018 for Tweed Heads Isaac Lee scored twelve tries to average a try a match.

Isaac Lee started five matches in the centres, four in the second row, two on the wing and one from the interchange bench highlighting his versatility. Isaac Lee had previously spent some time at fullback in the NRRRL competition in previous seasons.
In the NRRRL competition in 2016, Isaac Lee played for the Lismore Marist Brothers Rugby League club at both the U18 and Novaskill NRRRL First Grade level. In the U18 competition where Isaac Lee alternated between centre and fullback, he scored ten tries from twelve matches including doubles against the Murwillumbah Colts and the Ballina Seagulls.

Isaac Lee made his First Grade debut on June 5 2016 against Cudgen and played in four other matches scoring a try against the Tweed Coast Raiders in his third match in the top grade. In the First Grade competition Isaac Lee alternated between fullback, wing and centre in his five matches.

Isaac Lee also represented NSW Combined Catholic Colleges Northern U18’s in 2016 and played for St Johns College Woodlawn in numerous Schoolboy competitions throughout New South Wales. In addition to starting at centre in the late 2015 U16 development squad game against Samoa, he also played in the U15 development squad game against the Balmain Tigers late in 2014, where he was named best back by Balmain Tigers coaching and development staff in their loss.

Over the course of the last couple of years you can see the difference, additional size has made, not in relation to the style of play but to Isaac Lee’s effectiveness as a hard running centre. He has always been a straight running centre, who is not afraid to run over rather than around his opponent, but with increased size and strength his effectiveness has increased exponentially. He regularly gets half way through the line and with his length is very effective in getting his hands free to off load, including offloading with one hand and has a decent fend to complement his offloading abilities.

Normally though due to his length and speed he regularly attracts multiple defenders leaving opportunities for him to set up his outside support. Due to his length, he is effective both in attacking high attacking kicks as well as defusing them. He is better with high kicks rather than kicks along the ground.

Defensively his increased strength has meant that he is even more effective in the defensive aspects of the game, and can handle one on one situation’s against wide running opposition backrowers as well as smaller faster opposition backline players with his combination of strength and speed. He seems to rarely over commit in defence allowing the play to develop in front of him before committing to any particular defensive strategy.

The above paragraph would suggest that Isaac Lee is more suited to a sliding defensive methodology, but he is also able to defend using an up and in style of defensive strategy just as effectively. This ability to alternative between the two key defensive methodologies, depending on, the state of the game and where the game is situated on the field is an invaluable attribute for a potential NRL player to have.

Isaac Lee will play the 2018 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the U20 Hastings Deerings Colts competition and will also be eligible for that competition again in 2019.

I think that ultimately Isaac Lee will end up as a player who can alternate between centre and wing and one that will be very good under the high ball and someone who will cause all sorts of headaches for opposing defenders at either position, but it is certainly not set in stone that he cannot stay in the centres permanently as his development both physically and as a player this year has been great to see and bodes well for his future development as he has been able to maintain his speed as he has developed his strength.

I am aware that Isaac Lee spent some time at fullback over the course of the 2016 season including in the NRRRL First Grade competition but for me I think that he is better suited to the three quarter line in the short to medium term at least.

From a style perspective think of someone like the Roosters and New Zealand Test Player Shaun Kenny Dowell as a player who can give a team a real attacking edge through multiple avenues and also be versatile enough to move between the two wide back line positions of centre and wing and be equally effective in both positions.

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Billy Mozer. (Updated) He is a local young Titans linked backrower from the Runaway Bay Seagulls club on the Gold Coast, who had a very successful 2016 season, both in terms of club, schoolboy and representative football. Billy Mozer’s younger brother Blake is also a talented young rugby league player who is a hooker and part of the Titans U14 Development squad. Billy Mozer has as much potential as any young player I have seen.

Unfortunately Billy Mozer’s 2017 campaign was curtailed by injury early but he did play for the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side and had been selected in the South Coast Open Rugby League side from Keebra Park but missed the QSSRL Championships due to injury suffered in the MM Cup competition.

Billy Mozer only appeared in one MM Cup match this season before injury struck and that was in Round One in a 28 – 16 win over the Ipswich Jets. Fortunately Billy Mozer is eligible for the MM Cup again in 2018 and has been selected in the Tweed Heads Seagulls Squad for the competition which kicks off next month.

For Runaway Bay in 2016 at the U16 Division One level, Billy Mozer averaged a try a game in the seven matches that he played including scoring five tries in two matches against Southport, with a double in May and a hat trick coming in June. His other tries came against Ormeau and Mudgeeraba. His solitary conversion came against Southport. Billy Mozer as also selected in the South West squad for the QSSRL U18 State Championships playing all four of their matches in the second row. The matches were against Peninsula, Darling Downs, Met West and a Presidents XIII.

In the Cyril Connell Cup competition in 2016, Billy Mozer started all of Gold Coast White’s matches in the second row, scoring three tries along the way, all of which came in the first three rounds, with a double in Round Three against the East Tigers where he crossed for a try in each half as well as a try in Round One in a draw against eventual CC state finalists the South’s Logan Magpies.

In previous seasons he has made multiple representative sides at the U13, U14 and U15 levels, including the Viking, Kookaburra’s and South East Queensland as well as South East Queensland and in 2016 made the U15 Queensland Maroons side for the Australian U15 Schools competition that the Marron side won.

Billy Mozer also 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 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 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. Earlier in 2014 for the Titans U14 Development Squad in a match against Redlands Billy Mozer scored a length of the field try down the right hand touch line, displaying his speed.

Billy Mozer is a wide hard running backrower who runs a good 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, 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, Billy Mozer’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, Billy Mozer 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 both on and off the field.

Moving to the 2018 season, Billy Mozer will line up in the Tweed Heads Seagulls Mal Meninga Cup squad and at the conclusion of the MM competition he will transition back to playing for Runaway Bay at the U19 GCRL competition if he does not immediately move to the U20 Colts competition.

From a position perspective, even though Billy Mozer spent a fair portion of his junior rugby league career in the centres or on the wing his transition to the second row over the last couple of years has certainly suited him and as such it seems clear that is where his future lies although I am sure that he could still fill in in the centres if needed.

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 games and training sessions to deal with.

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James Robinson. The big strong tough young Western Mustangs second rower joined the Titans High Performance Unit late last year and had his first session with the Unit in October 2017.

In 2017 James Robinson was co-captain of the Western Mustangs MM Cup side that defeated Souths Logan in the Grand Final in a high scoring affair 40 - 30. After the completion of the MM Cup competition, James Robinson graduated to the Western Mustangs U20 Colts Challenge side after spending some time in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition with Gatton.

James Robinson played in all except one of the 2017 Western Mustangs MM Cup matches missing only Round Six. In all of the Western Mustangs matches that he played in James Robinson started in the second row including both MM Cup finals and the National U18 Final against the Parramatta Eels. In his 2017 MM Cup matches James Robinson scored two tries including scoring a key try in the MM Cup Grand Final that the Western Mustangs won 40 – 30. James Robinsons other try came in Round Five against the Central Queensland Capras.

James Robinson played in eight 2017 U20 Colts Challenge matches, starting seven in the second row and coming off the interchange bench in the other being Round Twelve. James Robinson broke into the Western Mustangs Colts side in Round Four against the Easts Tigers and also played Round Five. James Robinson came back into the U20 squad in Round Twelve and played the remainder of the season there scoring against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in Round Fourteen.

As previously noted James Robinson has also played a number of matches in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition for Gatton including four in the U18 competition and two Hutchies A Grade Cup matches. In his four matches at the U18 level James Robinson scored three tries including a double in his first U18 match of the season against Goondiwindi and he also scored the following week against Wattles.

James Robinson made his 2017 Hutchies A Grade debut in May 2017 against Wattles backing up from the U18 fixture and also played against Southern Suburbs in early August. 2017 is the second season that James Robinson has played in the Toowoomba Rugby League Hutchies A Grade Cup competition after he played ten matches A Grades matches as a 17 year old in 2016 scoring two tries which came against the Warwick Cowboys and Toowoomba Valleys.

The giant of a young man will only come back for the 2018 rugby league season with added size and strength to go along with his elite athleticism with another off season under his belt. James Robinson showed a wide range of skills during the 2017 season from 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.

James Robinson 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 means that he dries defenders backwards even after they had engaged him with significant force.

From the games that I have seem play James Robinson 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. James Robinson’s determination is one aspect that enables him to be in the right place at the right time.

Defensively as you would anticipate from a big strong young player James Robinson also had a big impact in games. James Robinson engages attacker’s front on and with the strength in his legs and core was able to regularly drive attackers backwards. James Robinson 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.

James Robinson will play the 2018 rugby league season with the Western Mustangs in the U20 Colts competition and will be eligible for that competition again in 2019. I would anticipate that 2018 will see James Robinson became a key member of the Western Mustangs Colts squad along with the likes of fellow Titans High Performance Unit members Luke Maiden, Jordan Crocker and Blake Cullen amongst others.

James Robinson has primarily played in the second row in his rugby league career and with his size and burst of speed prior to impacting the defensive line I would envisage that he will remain in the second row for the duration of his rugby league career.

James Robinson is a big strong powerful young player who has a front on running style and an extra burst of acceleration just prior to his impact with the defensive line and for those reasons I can see aspects of former Balmain Tigers, New South Wales State of Origin and Australian second rower Paul Sironen in the play of James Robinson.

It is players such as James Robinson that makes the Titans affiliation with the Western Mustangs such an exciting development.

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Leslie Hartvigsen. (Updated) The young Toowoomba based second rower had a big year for the Western Mustangs MM Cup being part of the MM Cup winning side before progressing onto the Western Mustangs U20 Colts Challenge squad. Along with a couple of other Western Mustangs MM Cup players Leslie Hartvigsen has joined the Titans on a scholarship with the Titans being one very very lucky club.

In the MM Cup competition for the Titans aligned Western Mustangs in 2017, Leslie Hartvigsen played in four of the Mustangs regular season MM Cup matches as well as their 29 – 22 semi-final win over Easts and their MM Cup Grand Final win over South’s Logan 40 – 30 and also the U18 National Championship final against the Parramatta Eels which the Western Mustangs lost but not outclassed.

Leslie Hartvigsen started all of his 2017 MM Cup matches from the inter change bench except for Rounds Six and Eight when he started in the second row. Leslie Hartvigsen was able to score two tries in the MM season coming against the Central Queensland Capra’s in Round Five (his first MM Cup match) and against the Central Crows in Round Eight.

Leslie Hartvigsen has also played in three of the Western Mustangs U20 Colts Challenge matches this season, making his debut in Round Thirteen against the Ipswich Jets. Leslie Hartvigsen came off the inter change bench in Rounds Fifteen against Tweed Heads and Round Sixteen against the Sunshine Coast Falcons.

After the Western Mustangs MM Cup success Leslie Hartvigsen went back in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition representing Southern Suburbs and played in the U18, reserve grade and first grade competitions. Leslie Hartvigsen’s 2017 Toowoomba Rugby League season finished when his Southern Suburbs U18 side were beaten 30 – 26 in their elimination final by the Warwick Cowboys.

Over the course of the TRL U18 competition in 2017, Leslie Hartvigsen played in nine matches and scored against Pittsworth and Goondiwindi. Leslie Hartvigsen made his reserve grade debut on 25 June 2017 against Wattles and proceeded to play in two more reserve grade fixtures which were against Warwick and Toowoomba Brothers. Leslie Hartvigsen also played two Hutchies A Grade matches making his debut against Toowoomba Brothers on a Sunday afternoon where he had already played in the U18 and reserve grade matches.

The Harristown State High School student and Toowoomba South junior represented the Toowoomba Clydesdales in the CC Cup during the 2016 season and then transitioned back to the TJRL U16 TJRL competition, where he scored two tries and also kicked two conversions from eleven games on the season, with the tries coming against Pittsworth in his first club match of the season and also against Brothers late in the year. In 2015 Leslie Hartvigsen was also named as the most outstanding junior rugby league player for Harristown at their annual sports awards night.

In 2016 Leslie Hartvigsen was also selected in the South West Mustangs U16 side and from there was selected in the U16 Central Crows side for the Queensland Age Championships. In the CC Cup competition, Leslie Hartvigsen started every match in the second row for the Toowoomba Clydesdales, including their quarter final win over Gold Coast Green. Over the season he scored three tries in total including scoring in the first minute of the first CC match of the season against the Central Crows and he also scored a double against Gold Coast Green in the above mentioned quarter final.

Leslie Hartvigsen’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 Leslie Hartvigsen 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. Leslie Hartvigsen 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.

Leslie Hartvigsen 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.

Leslie Hartvigsen 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 all of the time.

The scary thing is that Leslie Hartvigsen is eligible once again for the MM Cup competition in 2018 and upon completion of the MM competition he will surely push for an immediate jump to the U20 Colts side if not he play for Toowoomba South’s in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition likely across the U18 and First grade competitions once again.

In terms of the ultimate position that Leslie Hartvigsen plays, I believe that with his combination of hard running on the fringes of the ruck and his aggressive defensive style will ensure that he continues to play where he always has in his junior rugby league career to date, that being in the second row.

From a style perspective, the one that stands out for me is boom Titans new signing Bryce Cartwright as a mobile, wide running backrower with some toughness to his game.

As noted Leslie Hartvigsen is already on a Titans scholarship and is a great addition to the Titans junior development pool.

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Luke Maiden. (Updated) After being part of the Western Mustangs MM Cup winning side early in 2017, Luke Maiden graduated to the Western Mustangs U20 Colts side where he started a number of matches in the front row after starting the MM Cup Grand Final at lock and being a key contributor to the 40 – 30 grand final victory over the South’s Logan Magpies and similarly in the U18 National final against Parramatta.

Luke Maiden along with around eight other Western Mustangs players are currently on Titans scholarships for the next two seasons, which will cover his time in the U20 Colts competition.

The former St Mary’s Toowoomba High School student started all eight of the Western Mustangs MM Cup matches at lock, scoring in Round Two against the Mackay Cutters and also in Round Eight against the Central Crows. Luke Maiden broke into the Western Mustangs U20 Colts Challenge side in Round Five when he came off the bench against South’s Logan and also started on the bench in Rounds Six and Eight.

Luke Maiden’s first start at the U20 Colts Challenge level was in Round Nine when he started in the front row against the Burleigh Bears. In total in the U20 Colts competition in 2017 for the Western Mustangs, Luke Maiden played in nine matches, starting four from the interchange bench and five in the front row.

Luke Maiden also played a number of matches in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition over the course of the 2017 season for Southern Suburbs in the U18 and First Grade competitions. In the U18 TRL competition Luke Maiden played in two matches scoring in the first of those against Highfields and Districts and made his Hutchies A grade debut Toowoomba Valleys in July 2017.

Luke Maiden is a very 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 Luke Maiden 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 Luke Maiden 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, Luke Maiden’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. Luke Maiden’s lateral movement is actually more than reasonable for a front rower as for that matter is his overall straight line speed.

Luke Maiden has been selected in the 2018 Western Mustangs U20 Colts squad even though he is still eligible for the MM Cup competition.

Luke Maiden spent a fair bit of time at lock in the MM Cup competition, with Blake Cullen and Jordan Crocker in the front row 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, Luke Maiden 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 Luke Maiden was not that difficult, he has similar physical and playing attributes to those of Manly forward Jake Trbojevic, like Trbojevic, Luke Maiden will work hard all day both in attack and defence and will also bring an intense effort every time that he walks onto the field.

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Alofiana (Lofi) Khan-Periera. The young Burleigh Bears winger and current Keebra Park student had a great 2017 season culminating in starting on the wing for Keebra Park in their National GIO Cup Finals success and representing Queensland Murri U16’s in their annual clash against New South Wales Kurri with Titans linked Jesse Brasslin was a team mate.

In the interstate clash held in Newcastle Lofi Khan-Periera scored a double as Queensland Murri went down 16 – 14 in a tight clash. 2017 also saw Lofi Khan-Periera as part of the 2017 U16 Queensland Academy of Sport squad and he also won the Keebra Park 2017 Year 11 Sport Specialisation student of the year award.

Lofi Khan-Periera is a contracted Titans player and finished on top of the try scoring list in the U16 Division One competition in 2017, finishing with eight tries from twelve matches. Unfortunately for Lofi Khan-Periera he missed the U16 Division One Grand Final with injury as Burleigh were defeated 34 – 4. Lofi Khan-Periera had a great start to the U16 Division One season scoring all eight of his tries through the first five rounds including four tries in a match against Ormeau and a Round One double against Helensvale.

A the commencement of the 2017 season Lofi Khan-Periera represented the Gold Coast Vikings in the U16 South East Queensland pre-season competition and from there made the South East Queensland White U16 side for the Queensland Age Championships. In those Championships, Lofi Khan-Periera had an outstanding campaign, scoring a double on Day Two against Centre and a try on Day Three against South East Queensland Green. Lofi Khan-Periera also scored in each of SEQ Whites finals, including against Northern in a semi-final and against SEQ Green in the final which White won 42 – 30.

As a result of his play over the last couple of season Lofi Khan-Periera was identified by both the Titans and the Broncos but has signed a deal with the Titans after being in both NRL team’s development squads. Lofi Khan-Pereira has also represented Samoa including being named Samoa U14 player of the tournament in 2015 at the QPICC championships.

Lofi Khan-Periera was also named in the Queensland Murri Probables side after the 2016 Queensland Murri championships. Fellow Titans contracted player Jesse Braslin has made the Queensland Murri U15/16 side. His younger brother TuuVallo-Afoa Khan-Pereira is also an exceptionally talented young rugby league player.

There is no point trying to come up with a fancy way of describing his style of game, he is a talented 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 young man 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. He is also a smart player from a position perspective and does stay out on the wing and usually stays back to make sure that he does not overrun the pass.

When returning kicks Lofi Khan-Periera winds up and just runs straight and hard straight into the defensive line with speed and power. Someone like Lofi Khan-Pereira 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, Lofi Khan-Periera uses his size and speed 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 whether that is NYC, QCup or NRL need to constantly consider to ensure an overlap is not created on the outside, it is all about judgement.

Lofi Khan-Periera will play the 2018 MM Cup season with the Burleigh Bears Squad and in relation to club rugby league with the Burleigh Bears at the U17 Division One level as well as being a key member of Keebra Park Open side as they look to defend their 2017 Queensland and National GIO Cup successes.

Whilst I have no doubt that Lofi Khan-Periera could also play in the centres, but his straight line speed and power does project well on the wing and that is where I think that he ultimately ends up even if he does spend some time in the centres over the course of the next couple of seasons. I note that Lofi Khan-Periera also played a number of matches last season at fullback for Burleigh in the U16 Division One competition.

Sosaia Feki of the Cronulla Sharks is a good playing comparison for Lofi Khan-Pereira in terms of a hard straight running winger who is difficult to tackle every time he touches the ball and from both a technical and positional perspective very good defensively as well.

[mdrew]

Rhian Stowers. (Updated) The young former Ormeau Shearers utility is both a talented rugby and league player (as well as touch), making representative sides in both codes during the 2016 and 2017 seasons but thankfully has elected be join the Titans High Performance Unit and after playing well for Burleigh in the MM Cup competition transitioned to the Burleigh Colts side over the course of the 2017 season.

For Burleigh in the 2017 MM Cup competition, Rhian Stowers came into the side in Round Three against the Central Queensland Capra’s and scored on debut. Subsequent to that Rhian Stowers started the three remaining matches for Burleigh at fullback and scored further tries against the Northern Pride in Round Five and against the Tweed Heads Seagulls in Round Six. Rhian Stowers also started Round One of the FOGS Colts Challenge at fullback before injury struck.

In the U20 Colts Challenge competition for Burleigh, Rhian Stowers played in five matches starting Rounds One and Six at fullback and Rounds Ten, Fourteen and Sixteen on the wing. Rhian Stowers also played a number of matches for Ormeau in the GCJRL U17 Division One competition including starting at fullback and scoring a try in their 34 – 20 Grand Final loss to Helensvale.

In the U17 Division One competition, Rhian Stowers in total played in six matches in addition to the Grand Final and in total scored 30 points from six tries and three goals. In addition to the Grand Final try, Rhian Stowers also scored in Ormeau’s other finals appearance against Bilambil and scored a double against Runaway bay early in the season. In the same match that he scored a double in Rhian Stowers also kicked his three goals for 14 points in that match alone.

In relation to school boy rugby Rhian Stowers made the Queensland II schools side for the 2017 Australian Schools Championships after playing well for the Qld Independent Schools side in the Queensland Schools trials at Ballymore from Helensvale State High School. Queensland II made the final but were beaten in the Australian Schools finals but Rhian Stowers made one of the plays of the Championships on Day three when running at full pace backing up a break Rhian Stowers used his foot to flick a ball up into his hands without missing a beat and then passing to a support who scored in the right corner, an amazing piece of play.

In rugby, he was a member of the U16 Gold Coast Cyclones side that played in the Queensland age championships in 2016, unfortunately the Gold Coast side lost their final 8-7. Subsequently Rhian Stowers was named in the Queensland Country U16 side who played a City side in the main curtain raiser to a Reds match at Lang Park, Country were successful 20-14, a team mate, both for the Gold Coast Cyclones and Queensland Country was former Titans development squad centre Dennis Waight who is now at BGS where he started in the GPS rugby First XV in 2017 and will likely do so again in 2018. For both Gold Coast and Country in rugby, Rhian Stowers played half. In previous years when representing Gold Coast in rugby he played in the five eight or fly half position.

Rhian Stowers also played five matches for the Gold Coast White Cyril Connell Cup side in 2016, scoring a try which came against Gold Coast Green in Round Five. Over the course of the five matches he played in the CC Cup competition, he played a number of positions, including five eight in Round Two against Gold Coast Green, wing in Rounds three and five and fullback in rounds six and seven.

Over the course of the 2016 season for Ormeau, Rhian Stowers finished as the competitions leading point’s scorer with 82 points from five tries and 31 goals. He scored two doubles which came against Mudgeeraba and Southport. In that match against Southport, he also kicked seven goals for a personal point’s haul of 22 in that match, the previous week he also kicked seven goals against the Helensvale Hornets.

Rhian Stowers 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.

Rhian Stowers 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.

Rhian Stowers has a prodigious kick on him and seemingly also has good accuracy, in the footage seen to date, he kicked a couple of 40/20’s and they appeared effortless. His kicking game suggest he will be a real 40/20 threat when he comes over to Australia. Also his prodigious boot generates significant height on his bombs, and I mean they are huge bombs and again are seemingly quite accurate. He is also a very good goal kicker with both good range and accuracy and has an opportunity to be his team’s primary tactical and goal kicking option moving forward.

In relation to his defence, one thing that stands out to me is that Rhian Stowers 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.

Rhian Stowers will play the 2018 rugby league season in the Queensland Colts competition with the Burleigh Bears even though he is still MM eligible as well training with the Titans High Performance Unit. It would not surprise at all either for Rhian Stowers to get a late season opportunity in the Queensland Cup such is his skill level and toughness. In fact Rhian Stowers started at fullback in the MM trial against the Easts Tigers last Saturday afternoon, a match that Burleigh won 28 – 0.

Playing both rugby league and rugby union has been clearly advantageous, playing in the halves in rugby is accelerating his development in both the ball playing and kicking aspects of league and his defensive duties in league are enabling him to combat the lose forwards that target him in rugby. For me based on his skill set, I think that from a league perspective at least his future is in the fullback position.

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.

[mdrew]

Ben Thomas. (Updated) He is a local Titans contracted youngster from the Beaudesert Kingfishers who plays in the second row although he has spent some time in the centres in 2017. Ben Thomas started off the 2017 season representing the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the MM Cup competition before moving to the Tweed Heads U20 Colts Challenge side and also making his NYC debut for the Titans in Round Fifteen against South Sydney.

In addition to the match against South Sydney in Round Fifteen, Ben Thomas also played in Round Sixteen against the Wests Tigers on both occasions coming off the interchange bench. Ben Thomas only played 26 minutes in Round Fifteen and 24 in Round Sixteen but the experience was I am sure invaluable. Against South Sydney Ben Thomas ran for 47 metres on seven hit-ups and also made twelve tackles without missing any. Against the Wests Tigers, Ben Thomas took two hit-ups for fourteen metres and also made eight tackles.

For Tweed Heads in the MM Cup competition Ben Thomas only played in one match but he certainly made the most of it with a second half hat trick in Round Seven against the North’s Devils when he started from the interchange bench.

Ben Thomas started the first five rounds of the U20 Colts Challenge competition in the second row for the Tweed Heads Seagulls but missed a fair bit of the season with injury but he was able to make it back for the Round Fifteen clash against the Western Mustangs.

In the first five rounds Ben Thomas had a big impact scoring four tries including a double in Round Three against Redcliffe and tries in Round Two against Easts and in Round Five against Wynnum Manly. Ben Thomas also scored in all three of Tweed’s final’s matches in 2017 when he scored against Redcliffe, Easts and Norths. In total in 2017 Ben Thomas played in ten U20 Colts matches starting all in the second row, scoring eight tries in the process.

In 2016 Ben Thomas was part of the Gold Coast White MM side who progressed all the way to the semi-finals before being beaten 13 – 10 by North’s. Ben Thomas scored four tries in the MM Cup competition for Gold Coast White in 2016, scoring doubles in Round Five against Gold Coast Green with both tries coming in the second half and Round Seven against the Easts Tigers. Of the eight matches that he played in the MM competition, Ben Thomas started six from the interchange bench including the two semi-finals. Ben Thomas’s first start was in Round Six against South’s Logan, he also started the Round Seven class against the Easts Tigers before playing the two semi-finals off the bench.

Upon completion of the MM competition in 2016, Ben Thomas transitioned back to the U17 Division One competition with the Beaudesert Kingfishers, where a team mate was fellow Gold Coast White player and fellow Tians contract local junior Charlie Gee. For the Kingfishers Ben Thomas played in eight matches and scored against Currumbin.

In 2015, Ben Thomas a stellar year in CC competition finishing with a team leading eight tries across the games and winning the Queensland Cyril Connell Cup player of the year award. As a result of his good form in the CC competition, he was selected on the bench for the Queensland U16 side who went on to defeat NSW in Sydney in a State of Origin curtain raiser. Titan’s team mates that night were winger (now backrower) Reihana Marsh and second rower Darius Farmer. He also started at lock for the U16 Titans development squad in their 2015 against Samoa, where with Darius Farmer he was the Titans best for me in conditions best suited for forwards. He was also named best forward when our U15 development squad played the Wests Tigers late in 2014.

Ben Thomas 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. As a result of his foot work he does seem to get hit high reasonably often as defenders are not able to react quickly enough to the change in the directional aspects of his running.

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. In the Samoan game you could see how his running angles changed as the game progressed from a duration perspective as well as momentum perspective. As opposing forwards tire his directional changes go from cutting to the fringes of the ruck to cutting back behind the play the ball as gaps appear as forwards becoming increasingly slower to get back into the defensive line due to fatigue.

Ben Thomas’s defensive technique revolves around timing and execution. Ben Thomas’s head placement is always correctly positioned and he always drives with his shoulder and never just jersey grabs. Ben Thomas also tackles with both shoulders effectively as well. The impressive thing for me also is that Ben Thomas never seems to bounce off the ball when he makes a front on tackle meaning his target area and the ability to hit the area on a regular basis is exceptional.

Another defensive aspect that I have noted is that Ben Thomas does not just make one tackle at a time, he makes a series of tackles one after another all as clinical and effective as the one before. 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.

For the 2018 season, Ben Thomas will be part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts squad and should become a key contributor of that impressive looking side. I cannot see any positional change on the horizon and see no reason why he will not stay in the back row where he has played all of his junior football bar some brief stints in the centres.

Ben Thomas 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.

[mdrew]

Reihana (Rei Rei) Marsh. (Updated) He is another young former South’s Logan player who joined the Titans NYC side for the 2017 season. Reihana Marsh joined fellow South’s Logan MM Cup players Moeaki Fotuaika and Jack Sparey in the Titans NYC squad for 2017.

It is players like Reihana Marsh and Moeaki Fotuaika amongst others which should give hope to Titans supporters that the future could well be very bright indeed.

In total of the Titans in the 2017 NYC competition, Reihana Marsh was on the field in a Titans jersey for 664 minutes, running with the ball on 138 occasions and making and impressive 1 185 metres, off-loading the ball on twenty two occasions, made three line breaks and made 299 tackles all why averaging less than an error per game. Reihana Marsh has only contributed one try which came in Round Six against the Canberra Raiders but his influence has been much greater than that.

For the Titans in the 2017 NYC season, Reihana Marsh played in thirteen matches coming off the bench in eight of those matches and starting in the backrow on the other five occasions. Reihana Marsh’s per match 2017 season averages included being on the field for 51 minutes, taking eleven hit-ups a match for 91 metres gained, two offloads and twenty three tackles at a solid tackling efficiency of a touch above 88%.

On four occasions Reihana Marsh ran for more than 100 metres including running for 125 metres in Round Six against the Raiders on fifteen hit-ups. In Round Twelve Reihana Marsh was also credited with seven of-loads.

Defensively Reihana Marsh on nine occasions made more than 20 tackles in a match including 38 tackles in just 61 minutes against the Broncos in Round Twelve and 31 tackles against the Raiders in Round Six.

The 2017 season also saw Reihana Marsh named at lock for the Queensland U18 side where he really stood out both in terms of his strong running in the centre of the ruck as well as some brutal defensive work. Reihana Marsh started on the wing for the Queensland U16 side in 2015 where team mates included Titans contracted Ben Thomas and Darius Farmer and in the same year made the Queensland Academy of Sport U16 squad.

In 2016 Reihana Marsh represented South Coast in the QSSRL U18 State Schoolboy championships and played all four matches against Met North, Wide Bay, Met East and Northern on the wing. As a result of his play in those championships, he was selected on the wing for the Queensland U18 side for the ASSRL U18 National Championships where he came up against fellow 2017 Titans NYC recruit Curtis Dansey-Smaller. Also in the 2016 season Reihana Marsh played all of South’s Logan’s MM matches, stating the six matches in the centres with fellow 2017 Titans NYC player Jake Sparey, crossing for a try in Round Seven against Gold Coast Green.

Reihana Marsh also played for the powerful Logan Brothers Club at the U17 Division One level in the GBJRL competition in 2016 and has played for Logan Brothers his entire junior career winning multiple premierships including the 2015 U16 Premier Division premiership at Bishop Park with the brilliantly coached and managed junior club. I was on the sideline for that Grand Final and Reihana Marsh was a stand out in the centres for Logan Brothers that afternoon.

Capping off his 2016 season was captaining the Coombabah State High School Open Rugby League side that came within the width of the post of defeating Keebra Park in the Queensland GIO Cup Final. Unfortunately Coombabah lost in golden point, but along the way had some great wins against the likes of PBC and Kirwan State High School.

Fellow Titans contracted players in the Coombabah side included David Butler, Logan Cootes, Blake Campbell and Taine Tuaupiki amongst others. All the more amazing was that Reihana Marsh took a cracked sternum into the final and played through it in an amazing sign of courage and determination from the captain. For Coombabah Reihana Marsh played at lock whereas he played either centre or wing for the others sides that he played for in 2016.

In 2014 Reihana Marsh also represented Queensland Maroon at the ASSRL U15 national Championships and scored a try on Day Three in a 10 – 6 victory over New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges. Reihana Marsh has also recently been named in the 2017 U18 Queensland Academy of Sport squad.

Reihana Marsh was previously a Titans junior development squad member when he was 13 years old and played a number of development squad matches against Redlands sides before signing with the North Queensland Cowboys for two years, before coming back to the Titans for the 2017 season and beyond.

Seeming running more to the right hand side of the field, Reihana Marsh runs a very good outside shoulder route when playing in the centres and 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.

Running this type of line was a reason for one of his tries against Kirwan State High School in the GIO Cup Queensland semi-final when he took the ball one off the ruck from around 15 metres out from the try line, he was able to engage the defender in a one on one situation and hold them off his body and carry the defender across the try line to score just to the right of the posts.

Reihana Marsh also 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. His speed could probably be considered a touch above average for a centre but when he played in the back row for Coombabah you would have to consider it well above average for a backrower.

Defensively he 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. Reihana Marsh sets a very good base which he uses to explode into the ball carrier looking to use their own momentum against them.

Reihana Marsh’s good situation awareness also enables him to be well positioned when he is defending against smaller quicker centres 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.

Another area where he has a plus attribute is in relation to his leaderships skills. Reihana Marsh 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 Coombabah’s 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 Reihana Marsh is not the nominated captain on the field he is a leader regardless of which team he is lining up for and acts accordingly. I am a huge fan of the leadership skills of fellow former Coombabah and Titans NRL player Luke Mastroanni so for Reihana Marsh to be selected as captain in front of him is a huge vote of confidence.

Reihana Marsh has the type of leadership presence that could quite easily translate into an NRL club captain or representative captain one day. If the phrase “Born Leader” is correct, Reihana Marsh is as close to making that statement as true as I have ever seen in my time watching rugby league.

It is hard to see Reihana Marsh not making it to the NRL at some point in the future (potentially near future) he is just too talented and motivated not to, but first things first, Reihana Marsh will play the 2018 season with the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts side and will also be U20 eligible in 2019. For the 2019 season I am sure that Reihana Marsh will be pressing for a Titans Development Contract.

Reihana Marsh started off his 2018 rugby league campaign last weekend starting in the second row for the Burleigh Bears A Grade side in their trial match against the Easts Tigers at Mudgeeraba and even though they lost the very young Burleigh side gave a good account of themselves against an experienced Tigers side. Reihana Marsh will start Burleigh’s second 2018 trial against the Sunshine Coast Falcons in the Colts where he will start in the second row.

From a position perspective, even though he played exceptionally well at lock for the Titans NYC side and for Coombabah State High School I believe that his best position into the future will be as a dominant representative level second rower.

I would argue that the Brisbane Broncos, Queensland State of Origin and Australian Test back rower Matt Gillett is a very good comparison with the way that Reihana Marsh plays. Reihana Marsh is a hard running hard tackling young man with great leadership skills and a tough hard aggressive edge to every aspect of his game.

Along with Ryan James when he was playing SG Ball for the Titans a few years ago, Reihana Marsh is one of the best junior players that I personally has seen running around and that goes all the way back to when he was playing in the centres for the Titans U13 development squad in 2012 at Redlands playing against older bigger opposition.

[mdrew]

Jed Bignell. The young five eight is a recent Titans signing and had a solid match for a Titans U15 Invitational side at Nerang yesterday when they defeated a Western Mustangs selection six tries to three, with Jed Bignell scoring a first quarter try under the posts as a result of a good right foot step or two.

For the Titans on Sunday, Jed Bignell lined up on the right side of the field and played the first and last quarters of the victory on a very hot day. As strange as it to say, Jed Bignell did not necessarily stand out on Sunday for the Titans but it was clear from the touches that he had, including his first quarter try he is a talented player, he just oozes class.

Jed Bignell hails from Miles in outback Queensland and has had a storied junior representative rugby league career dating all the way back to 2015 when he was selected as part of the Queensland U12 side for the National Championships. Jed Bignell has represented the Central Crows at the U13 and U14 level the last two seasons being selected at five eight and in 2017 was named U14 Player of the Carnival at the Outback Challenge.

Jed Bignell 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 or a step on the inside or outside. When the ball is passed to him early, Jed Bignell straightens the attack up well, meaning he does not run himself or his support out of room on the outside.

Jed Bignell 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 outside supports at five eight.

Jed Bignell 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. Jed Bignell 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.

Defensively Jed Bignell 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. 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.

Jed Bignell will play the season at the U15 level and should make a number of representative sides this year including the Central Crows amongst others.

Jed Bignell has primarily played five eight over the course of the last couple of seasons, although he has also spent time in the centres. With his speed off the mark, immaculate step and above average passing game especially to the right side of the field, I would be very interested to see how Jed Bignell would go at fullback, a position I am unsure whether he has played before.

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 in his hands.

[Hail Sezer]

Jed Bignell. The young five eight is a recent Titans signing and had a solid match for a Titans U15 Invitational side at Nerang yesterday when they defeated a Western Mustangs selection six tries to three, with Jed Bignell scoring a first quarter try under the posts as a result of a good right foot step or two.

For the Titans on Sunday, Jed Bignell lined up on the right side of the field and played the first and last quarters of the victory on a very hot day. As strange as it to say, Jed Bignell did not necessarily stand out on Sunday for the Titans but it was clear from the touches that he had, including his first quarter try he is a talented player, he just oozes class.

Jed Bignell hails from Miles in outback Queensland and has had a storied junior representative rugby league career dating all the way back to 2015 when he was selected as part of the Queensland U12 side for the National Championships. Jed Bignell has represented the Central Crows at the U13 and U14 level the last two seasons being selected at five eight and in 2017 was named U14 Player of the Carnival at the Outback Challenge.

Jed Bignell 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 or a step on the inside or outside. When the ball is passed to him early, Jed Bignell straightens the attack up well, meaning he does not run himself or his support out of room on the outside.

Jed Bignell 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 outside supports at five eight.

Jed Bignell 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. Jed Bignell 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.

Defensively Jed Bignell 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. 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.

Jed Bignell will play the season at the U15 level and should make a number of representative sides this year including the Central Crows amongst others.

Jed Bignell has primarily played five eight over the course of the last couple of seasons, although he has also spent time in the centres. With his speed off the mark, immaculate step and above average passing game especially to the right side of the field, I would be very interested to see how Jed Bignell would go at fullback, a position I am unsure whether he has played before.

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 in his hands.

Saw this kid play for the first time on Sunday and that is a very accurate player comparison. Thanks mdrew.

[mdrew]

Josh Bevan. The former Titans Junior Development Squad member and PBC student is contracted to the Sydney Roosters but is currently plying his trade with the Bilambil Jets and started in the front row for the U16 Northern Rivers Andrew Johns Cup side in their Round One clash against the U16 Newcastle Knights Development squad on Saturday. Late last year Josh Bevan was selected in the New South Wales U16 Emerging Origin Squad, highlighting the high regard that he is held in across junior rugby league circles.

As noted Josh Bevan started in the No. 10 jersey for Northern Rivers on Saturday in the U16 Andrew Jones Cup competition where he led from the front in both attack and defence as Northern Rivers defeated Newcastle 22 – 12.

The 178cm, 96kg wrecking ball and former Titans Development Squad member had an outstanding 2017 rugby league campaign ending in his selection in the U15 ASSRL Merit side after a standout performance in the front row for the U15 Queensland Maroon side. Josh Bevan made the Queensland Maroon side after starring for South Coast in the QSSRL U15 Championships.

Josh Bevan 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.

A skill that I saw from Josh Bevan on Saturday that I had not seen too often in previous seasons was Josh Bevan looking to off load prior to the line. On a couple of occasions especially in the first half Josh Bevan looked as if he was going to take the hit-up, but just prior to the defensive line he popped a couple of good short balls to fellow forwards looking to move the giant Newcastle forward pack around.

Whilst his ball running skills are the first thing that you will likely notice when seeing Josh Bevan his defence is equally effective even though it may not be as noticeable at first glance. Defensively Josh Bevan 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. Josh Bevan sets a very good base defensively as well and uses it to maintain his balance when setting up for a tackle.

Defensively Josh Bevan 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 Josh Bevan’s play is his ability to make effective tackle after effective tackle. For the Queensland U15 White and Bilambil Jets in 2017 Josh Bevan 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. Josh Bevan 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.

Josh Bevan’s 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.

I note that Josh Bevan is not representing the Sydney Roosters in the Harrold Matthews Cup competition this season (certainly not in the opening rounds anyway) and if the Titans are serious about “buying back the farm” so to speak signing Josh Bevan once his contract is up with the Roosters would be a good start.

With his ability and perigee however he will be in demand, including by the Broncos who also had him in their Junior Development system prior to his signing with the Roosters. Of course I am sure that the Roosters will also not let him go without a fight.

Josh Bevan will play the 2018 season in the Group 18 U16 competition and it also for PBC in their various school boy competitions including the GIO Cup and Super Six competitions. Even at just 16 years old, Josh Bevan will be hard to keep out of the PBC Open School Boy side.

Josh Bevan has played a fair bit in the front row over the last couple of seasons but I would still prefer for him to be able to operate a touch wider of the ruck, at least for the short term at least. To that end I would like to see Josh Bevan in the No. 13 jersey for any side that he is playing for.

From a player comparison, a perfect comparison for me is new Titans signee and Queensland Emerging Origin player Jai Arrow. Like Arrow, Josh Bevan is a strong tough hard tackling forward with underrated ball running skills.

[Titanic]

Hey mdrew, how binding are those agreements if the Titans put an offer to a Roosters contracted junior for example? What does it really mean?

[mdrew]

Not a great deal mate, not at all


Hey mdrew, how binding are those agreements if the Titans put an offer to a Roosters contracted junior for example? What does it really mean?

[Titanic]

Ok so our goal should be to farm out as many players as we can’t handle then entice them back.

[mdrew]

Tyrelle Roberts. The young Casino RSM half had an outstanding year in 2017 in the Group One U15 competition and as a consequence was selected in the Northern Rivers U16 side for the 2018 Andrew Johns Cup competition. Tyrelle Roberts in fact started at half back in their Round One clash against the U16 Newcastle Knights Development squad on Saturday with Northern Rivers defeating Newcastle 22 – 12 in difficult slippery conditions.

In the match on Saturday Tyrelle Roberts kicked three goals from four attempts and also set up a try for exciting young fullback Layne hardy with a deft chip in the second half. The only goal attempt that Tyrelle Roberts missed was after the fulltime siren from right on the right hand touch line.

In 2017 Tyrelle Roberts finished the season as the Group One U15 competition’ leading points scorer and fourth leading try scorer. In total in 2017 Tyrelle Roberts scored 84 points from ten tries and twenty two goals. Tyrelle Roberts’s ten tries came from just eleven matches and included doubles against Clarence Coast early in the season and against Clarence Coast later in the season.
From a goal kicking perspective, Tyrelle Roberts kicked six from seven in a July match against Kyogle and five in a match against Clarence Coast when he also scored a double to finish the match with eighteen points.

Tyrelle Roberts also played one U16.5 competition match in 2017 which came against Lismore Marist Brothers in early June where he backed up after playing in the U15 match earlier on the Saturday afternoon.

From an attacking perspective at this stage of his career Tyrelle Roberts is more of a runner of the ball rather than necessarily being an organiser but certainly there are flashes that show Tyrelle Roberts is more than capable of being an organiser and leading his side around the field.

At this stage of his career however Tyrelle Roberts’s initial reaction seems to be to look to take the line on himself with above average to near plus speed off the mark as well as exceptional evasive skills to complement his speed off the mark, Tyrelle Roberts is especially effective later in halves when the big forwards start to visibly fatigue as thus he has more room to move.

In the second half of last year, Tyrelle Roberts started to balance his game a little more and started to become more of a distributor and play maker. Tyrelle Roberts has always had this ability but as he has progressed up in age groups you can see that he understands the game and his role in it with a more balanced approach to strategy and the game plan.

Interesting on Saturday for the Northern Rivers U16 side on a number of occasions, Tyrelle Roberts in fact lined up as the second receiver outside of Josh Bowden and on the occasions where he was the second receiver good things happened for Northern Rivers.

On the first occasion, Tyrelle Roberts threw a great cut out pass to winger Kailis Fourmile-Bolt for a long break down the right side touch line. The second occasion led to a try assist when a deft chip kick across his body led to a great try to outstanding young full back Layne Hardy from Kyogle at a critical juncture in the match.

Defensively Tyrelle Roberts is a feisty young man whose attitude in defence consistently defies his size. He will take on any size opponent and even against the biggest of opponents will get in front of them and aim to hit them as hard as possible. Against opponents closer to his size Tyrelle Roberts will aggressively make the tackle and let his opponent know about it on the ground.

Once his commitments with the U16 Northern Rivers side are completed in the Andrew Johns Cup Tyrelle Roberts will play out the 2018 season with Casino RSM in the U16.5 Group One Junior Rugby League competition and may also play a couple of matches in the U18 NRRRL competition.

From a position perspective, Tyrelle Roberts is only small in stature but with his organisational skills developing and speed off the mark nearing the plus category I believe that his best position as he transitions to senior rugby league is in the half back position.

For me Tyrelle Roberts has a similar playing style to that of former Titan and current English Super League player Albert Kelly. Like Kelly Tyrelle Roberts has the speed off the mark to be able to exploit gaps and also has a bit of unpredictability about him which keeps defensive lines honest especially when he runs with the ball in two hands out in front of his body towards the defensive line.

With continued development of his play making and passing skills Tyrelle Roberts has intriguing potential for the future and growing up in Ballina means that he sits squarely in the Titans catchment area.

[mdrew]

Ethan Foster. (Revised) Ethan Foster who signed a Titans development contract last year made his 2018 debut last Saturday starting in the centres for the Northern Rivers U16 Andrew Johns Cup side who went on to defeat Newcastle 22 – 12 on a wet and cold morning in Northern New South Wales. Prior to his signing with the Titans, Ethan Foster had also been invited to be part of the Newcastle Knights Junior Development program.

In 2017 Ethan Foster represented Group One U15’s at the New South Wales Age Championships. In those Championships Ethan Foster started in the centres in all three matches, scoring a double of Round One in a big win against Group 19.

The big strong young Titans contracted centre/second rower has made a seamless move from the Grafton Ghosts junior rugby league club to the Clarence Coast at the start of the 2016 season in the Group One Junior Rugby League. Over the last couple of seasons at Clarence Coast, he has teamed with the talented Julian Torrens to form a lethal pairing who have pushed Clarence Coast up the ladder in recent seasons.

For the Clarence Coast Magpies in 2017 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 in 2016 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. In previous seasons he did not really use 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.

Even though it is a small sample size, I saw a different methodology when Ethan Foster ran the ball on Saturday. Playing in the centres, Ethan Foster ran with more of a “jink” in his stride on occasion cutting back towards where the ball was coming from. I am talking just subtle movement which nicely straightened up the attack when the ball was being sent out wide.

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.

Post the five rounds and hopefully the finals of the U16 Andrew Johns Cup, 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. 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, I will admit I got it wrong last season, I thought that Ethan Foster would move into the forwards, specifically the second row permanently but he lined up in the centres for Northern Rivers on Saturday and played very well. In saying that he has played mainly in the second row in the Group One Junior Rugby League competition and I still think that Ethan Foster will likely end up in the second row but that may still be a few years away yet.

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, Canberra Raider and now Central Capra’s 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.

Ethan Foster is just a talented powerful player with a lot of untapped potential and a very impressive skill set at his disposal.

It is great to see the Titans getting a few players from Northern New South Wales signed especially when you consider that in last year’s New South Wales Country Origin side eight had links to the Northern Rivers region. In addition to Ethan Foster, other Northern Rivers youngsters with the Titans include talented second rower Ben Liyou and outstanding young fullback/centre Rowan Mansfield who recently signed with the Titans and started in the centres for the Titans U15 when they defeated the Western Mustangs at Nerang recently.

[mdrew]

Lee Turner. The young former New Zealand Warriors NYC winger has moved over to the Gold Coast and will play the 2018 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls, initially starting off in the U20 Hastings Deering Cup squad and then looking to progress from there.

Lee Turner who played a number of matches for the South Sydney Rabbitohs SG Ball squad in 2016 has already earned praise from Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup head coach Ben Woolf when he stood out in an inter-club trial a month or so ago when the Tweed Heads Colts side took on a Tweed Heads Queensland Cup selection. Lee Turner was particularly impressive in the second half of that trial when he came on.

In the NYC in 2017, Lee Turner played in twenty one matches for the New Zealand Warriors scoring three tries. Lee Turner’s tries came in Round Six against the Parramatta Eels, in Round Sixteen against the Canterbury Bulldogs and against Manly in Round Twenty Five. Lee Turner started from the interchange bench in the first two rounds of the NYC in 2017.

After missing Rounds Three and Four with injury Lee Turner came back into the Warriors side at fullback against the Titans in Round Five and proceeded to play the next twelve rounds at fullback before missing Round Twenty with an injury. In Round Twenty One Lee Turner came back into the Warriors NYC side starting on the wing and then moved back to fullback for the remaining rounds of the NYC competition.

In 2016, the former Northern Swords (New Zealand) U15 and U17 representative started on the wing in two matches for the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the SG Ball competition and late in 2016 was selected as part of the New Zealand Taurahere squad for a Gold Coast based camp. Titans linked winger Jaxon Paulo was also part of that camp.

Lee Turner’s speed plays very well on a rugby league field and he is exceptionally 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 although his situational awareness means that he understands when he should cut back inside thus not to risk being forced into touch.

Like most of the modern day wingers Lee Turner 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 straight line speed would be considered plus plus, he is just incredibly quick.

Lee Turner has very good hands low to the ground on grubber kicks or when defenders drop bombs and uses his reach to get to the ball quickly before defenders. Lee Turner will also chase general play kicks with vigour trying to improve the effectiveness of his teams kicking game.

In defence, Lee Turner is not the strongest winger, although I would argue that he is stronger than what he appears and will certainly look to come out of the line to stop the attack quickly. He will show his opposite winger the sideline and is confident that his speed will enable him to get across to make the tackle.

Lee Turner will play the 2018 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Hastings Deerings Cup side and if he not part of the game day 17 in any particular week will play first grade in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition.

Even though Lee Turner played the majority of the 2017 NYC season at fullback, I believe that his straight line speed is better suited to the wing. Also former Titans NYC winger/fullback Jordan Birch is in the Tweed Heads U20 squad and he will likely start the season at fullback, barring injury of course.

Campbell Graham the former Australian School Boy and boom South Sydney Rabbitohs rookie for me has a similar playing style to that of Lee Turner. Both have very good straight line speed and a willingness to take the ball into the centre of the ruck to take some pressure off their forward pack.

[mdrew]

Rowan Mansfield. (Revised) After being involved in both the Titans and Bronco’s Development Squads in recent years it is great to see Rowan Mansfield sign with the Titans and to see him play for the Titans U15 side when they defeated the Western Mustangs six tries to three at Nerang a fortnight ago. In that match Rowan Mansfield lined up at right centre where he opposed the talented Blake Cesseri from the Western Mustangs.

Rowan Mansfield is just one of a number of talented Northern Rivers juniors that have recently (the last year or so) linked with the Titans, a list also including second rower Ben Liyou and centre/second rower Ethan Foster amongst others.

Rowan Mansfield is a young fullback or centre 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 former Titans centre Brian Kelly played his junior rugby league for.

Early in 2017 Rowan Mansfield represented Group One U14’s in the New South Wales Age Championships were he was named in the centres. In those Championships, Rowan Mansfield was absolutely outstanding on his way to scoring four tries from just three matches, including a Round One hat trick against Group 14 and in Round Three he scored against the Central Coast.

For the 2017 season Rowan Mansfield was the leading try scorer in the Group One U14 competition scoring 23 tries from just twelve matches. Rowan Mansfield scored five in a match against Marist Brothers and also had hat tricks against the Grafton Ghosts and South Grafton Rebels. In a seven match span to start the season Rowan Mansfield scored an incredible nineteen tries. Rowan Mansfield was in fact named the U14 Ballina Seagulls Best and Fairest for the 2017 season.

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.

For the Titans U15 side recently Rowan Mansfield expertly got on the outside of his Western Mustangs opponent down the right hand grand stand side of the field at Nerang beating his opposing centre with speed and guile and even with a lot of cover defence coming across expertly set up his fullback with a great pass back on the inside. Even though the fullback was pulled down just short of the try line it was a great piece of play by Rowan Mansfield and personified his style of play perfectly in that brief moment of brilliance.

Rowan Mansfield 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 as he nears top speed.

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.

Even against such a talented centre as Blake Cesseri (the best U15 centre in Queensland) Rowan Mansfield held his own for the Titans U15 side, especially considering that Rowan Mansfield has not spent a great deal of time in the centres over the last couple of seasons.

Moving forward to the upcoming 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 and centre for the foreseeable future, although I believe when it is all said and done Rowan Mansfield will ultimately end up at fullback although with how he played in the centres for the Titans U15 side recently it cannot be ruled out that Rowan Mansfield will not stay in the centres and perform very well there as well.

From a player comparison perspective, think along the lines of Cowboys fullback Lachlan Coote as a fullback with outstanding pace and footwork in attack and who is also courageous when it comes to his defensive duties and on kick returns.

There is just something about how this young man moves that is impossible not to be impressed by and the scary part of me is that even though he was solid for the Titans U15’s there is plenty more to come from Rowan Mansfield.

[lonegull]

Great story on the titans website about the new junior program, by the sounds of things Garth is already having an impact into set ups of the junior systems

[mdrew]

Layne Hardy. The talented young Kyogle Turkeys fullback was outstanding last Saturday when he starred for Northern Rivers against Newcastle in the U16 Andrew Johns Cup including scoring a great second half try from a Tyrelle Roberts chip in their 22 – 12 victory.

Layne Hardy’s selection in the Northern Rivers side is the second season in a row that he has achieved representative selection as in 2017, he was selected at fullback for the Group One representative side for the New South Wales Age Championships. In those championships, Layne hardy started all three of Group One’s matches at fullback scoring three tries in the process with all three tries coming in Group One’s Round One match against Group 19.

In relation to his club rugby league in 2017, Layne Hardy represented the Kyogle Turkey’s in the Group One U15 competition, contributing 36 points from seven tries and four goals. Layne Hardy had an outstanding start to the 2017 season, scoring in his first three matches, which were against Clarence Coast and against Casino RSM in two separate matches.

In late June 2017, Layne Hardy scored a double against Clarence Coast and followed that up a week later when he scored once again against Casino RSM. Layne Hardy final try came late in the season against Ballina. From a goal kicking perspective all of Layne Hardy’s goals came in different matches towards the conclusion of the season.

In 2014 Layne Hardy attended school in Kyogle and starred for Kyogle Primary School as part of their Matt King Shield side who finished as runners up with Layne Hardy being named the competitions Best and Fairest.

Layne Harding is a 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. When returning kicks, 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.

On Saturday against Newcastle Layne Hardy showed his impressive acceleration and speed when he outpaced the defence to retrieve a deft chip kick from Northern Rivers half back Tyrelle Roberts. In what was a planned moved, Tyrelle Roberts stood two passes wide of the ruck on the right hand side of the field and chipped back across his body, Layne Hardy timed his run perfectly and retrieved the ball and outpaced the Newcastle cover defence to score a crucial second half try.

Also on Saturday, Layne Hardy regularly chimed into the backline, usually on the right side of the field and either made ground himself or set up his outside support, on one occasion setting up right winger Kailis Fourmile-Bolt for a try scoring run to the right corner.

The one thing Layne Harding 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 in the fullback position Layne Hardy 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 Layne Hardy 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.

On Saturday against Newcastle this attribute was on display late in the match with Newcastle only six points behind. Layne Harding pulled off a great try saving tackle in the right hand corner of the field closest to the grand stand when it looked for all money like the Newcastle winger would score in the corner and possibly tie to game up. Layne Hardy got across nicely to tackle the Newcastle winger into touch and alleviate the threat.

Once the Andrew Johns Cup competition is completed (it goes for five rounds and a final’s series), Layne Hardy will play out the 2018 season with the Kyogle Turkeys in the Group One U16.5 competition.

Layne Hardy has primarily been a fullback for the majority of his junior rugby league career to date and even though I am sure that he could handle wither the centres or on the wing, fullback seems to be his ideal position going forward.

From a player comparison perspective, think along the lines of Cowboys fullback Lachlan Coote as a fullback with above average pace and footwork who is also courageous when it comes to his defensive duties and retrieving and returning kicks.

[mdrew]

Ronan Kapi. (Revised) He is a local young centre who last played rugby league on the Gold Coast in 2015 with the Burleigh Bears but has played a number of trials in the MM Cup competition once again with the Burleigh Bears early this year.

In 2016 and 2017 Ronan Kapi focussed on school boy rugby where he represented TSS with distinction in the School’s First XV including being part of TSS’s 2017 joint GPS Premiership winning side playing primarily at outside centre in TSS’s blue and red.

For TSS in 2017 Ronan Kapi was part of the First XV joint GPS Premiership winning squad, going through the season losing only one match. In Round Five in a 37 – 29 win over Gregory Terrace Ronan Kapi a good try from a backline movement to score his only First XV try of the 2017 GPS rugby season. 2017 also saw Ronan Kapi named on the bench for the GPS Three representative side for the Queensland Schools trials held at Ballymore.

In 2016 Ronan Kapi was a standout performer for the TSS U16A squad and earlier that year was part of the U16 Queensland Rugby League Emerging Origin squad.

Ronan Kapi 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 Ronan Kapi 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 also played in the centres for the Gold Coast White CC side in the 2016 competition.

Ronan Kapi also represented the Titans U15 development squad in their match late in 2015 against the Balmain Tigers a match 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 former Tigers player Paul Sironen.

From a rugby perspective, Ronan Kapi was also named in the Queensland Reds U15 side to play against New South Wales in 2015.

Ronan Kapi 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 Ronan Kapi’s 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 Ronan Kapi has impressed me the most is his ability to defend close to his own try line. Ronan Kapi 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, Ronan Kapi sets a good base and uses his leg strength to direct his energy through the core of his body into that of his opponent.

Moving forward to this season it is great to see Ronan Kapi playing rugby league again and it will be interesting to see how many matches he will play in the MM Cup competition with Burleigh this season and then what is in store for him after the completion of that competition from a rugby league perspective.

In terms of his school boy rugby commitments Ronan Kapi will be back at TSS for his second season as a regular member of their First XV where he will surely start at outside centre and be a strong contender for one of the three GPS representative sides for the second season in a row in the Queensland Open School’s Championships which precedes the start of the GPS First XV competition.

From a position perspective, even though he has spent some time on the wing for a couple of representative sides, I believe that Ronan Kapi’s medium/long term future lies as a talented centre with the ability to make breaks using his foot work and evasive skills. Playing outside centre (No. 13) for TSS in the highly competitive GPS First XV competition has only enhanced his skill set and will continue to do so this year.

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.

[mdrew]

Joshua Stothard. The young hard working back rower from Casino RSM in the Group One junior rugby league competition in Northern New South Wales, was one of a number of young Northern Rivers forwards to stand out last Saturday in Northern New South Wales as his U16 Northern Rivers Andrew Johns Cup side prevailed in a high quality contest against the Newcastle Knights U16 Development Squad 22 – 12 on New South Wales North Coast in wet and windy conditions.

The next match that Joshua Stothard plays in for Norther Rivers should be a good one as it is the “local” derby when his Northern Rivers side take on the North Coast with both sides unbeaten at this stage of the U16 Andrew Johns Cup competition.

Joshua Stothard started the 2017 off playing in the Group One U15 competition playing four matches with Ballina and scoring against Casino RSM. Post those four matches, Joshua Stothard received a clearance to play the remainder of the 2017 season with Casino RSM.

In the Group One U15 competition with Casino RSM, Joshua Stothard played in six matches scoring four tries. Joshua Stothard’s tries all came in a three match period from late July to mid-August 2017. His try scoring span started with a try against Kyogle he scored a double the next match out also against Kyogle and then finished his try scoring the following week against Lismore Marist Brothers. In total in the Group One U15 competition, Joshua Stothard scored five tries from ten matches for a strike rate of 50%.

In 2017 Joshua Stothard also played five matches for Casino RSM in the U16.5 competition, on three of those occasions backing up after playing in the U15 match earlier in the day highlighting his stamina.

2017 also saw Joshua Stothard play three matches off the interchange bench for the Group One U15 representative side that finished third on the ladder in the U15 New South Wales Age Championships.

Joshua Stothard is a talented wide running backrower with a decent turn of speed once he breaks through the line accelerating well once he has broken through the initial contact. 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, Joshua Stothard can also throw a solid short pass in those situations as well, where he tries to wait as long as possible before popping the short pass.

On top of those attributes, Joshua Stothard is impressive at running a good 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. He will also take his share of runs in the middle where he uses foot work prior to the line so as not to constantly absorb big hits against, usually much larger opposition forwards.

Defensively Joshua Stothard looks to wrap up the ball on initial contact, he will not constantly come up with big hits per say, but will rarely miss makeable 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.

Joshua Stothard is quick enough to get to most outside backs in cover defence. Due to his above average speed for his position speed, tackling technique and positional sense Joshua Stothard is usually at or near the top of the tackle count for his team.

Once the Andrew Johns Cup competition is completed (it goes for five rounds and a final’s series for the top two teams in each Division), Joshua Stothard will play out the 2018 season with Casino RSM in the Group One U16.5 competition and may also get a game or two in the NRRRL U18 competition.

I personally cannot see Joshua Stothard playing anywhere but second row as his career progresses towards the upper echelons of junior rugby league. I appreciate that he started at lock for the Northern Rivers U16 side on Saturday but Joshua Stothard played like the talented second rower that he is even though he was wearing the No. 13 jersey for the Northern Rivers side last Saturday.

From a style perspective in relation to Joshua Stothard think of former Titans backrower Ben Ridge as a player with similar attributes, being a solid in all aspects backrower who on occasion will flash an above average skill set, including but not limited to a very good tackling technique.

[mdrew]

Reno Gerrard. (Revised) He is a local young front rower/second rower who has been named to start in the front row for the Burleigh Bears MM Cup this weekend against the Sunshine Coast Falcons.

Reno Gerrard played for the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club in 2016 and also attends The Southport School (TSS) where he was part of their First XV squad in 2016 and 2017 where he played No. 8. Previously Reno Gerrard was linked with the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

For TSS in 2017 Reno Gerrard started every First XV GPS match at No. 8 and was outstanding in a number of matches none more so than in Round Six against Brisbane Grammar School (BGS) when Reno Gerrard scored a hat trick and was named TSS player of the match in their 55 -12 demolition of the Brisbane inner city school.

In the Round Six clash Reno Gerrard’s first try came just after he made a barnstorming 50 metre kick-off return, scoring in the right corner from a pick and drive. His second try came as a result of a TSS line out move when Reno Gerrard got low and barged over from short range and his third came from backing up a break by front rower Zane Nonggorr and then out pacing the BGS cover defence.

Reno Gerrard also scored against Brisbane Boys College in Round Four when he ran an outstanding outside shoulder line off five eight Campbell Perata to crash over half way between the goal posts and the touch line. Earlier in 2017 Reno Gerrard started at No. 8 for the GPS Three representative side at the Queensland Rugby Schools Championships held at Ballymore in July 2017.

In 2016 Reno Gerrard was an ever present for the TSS U16A side and made his First XV debut in a match against Downlands College. In the U16 GPS rugby competition, Reno Gerrard score two tries with the first one coming against Toowoomba Grammar School in a 28 – 5 win for TSS and he scored again in Round Eight in a 17 – 11 victory Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie).

The former PBC student represented South Coast in the QSSRL U15 State Championships in 2015, 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. Reno Gerrard played a number of CC matches in 2016 in the front row including scoring in week one of the CC semi-finals in a tough loss for the Gold Coast side.

For Burleigh, Reno Gerrard played for the U15 Division One side in 2015, 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 named in the 2016 Gold Coast Green side for the CC competition. Reno Gerrard was also 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.

Reno Gerrard 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 Reno Gerrard 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 clearly this is the case from a rugby perspective for players in the No. 8 jumper.

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 Reno Gerrard 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.

The one aspect of Reno Gerrard’s game that has increased over the last season or two is his ball playing skills which is prerequisite for playing No. 8 in rugby which he has done over the last couple of seasons.

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. Reno Gerrard 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.

Reno Gerrard 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 forward to this season it is great to see Reno Gerrard playing rugby league again and it will be interesting to see how many matches he will play in the MM Cup competition after being named to start in the front row to play against the Sunshine Coast Falcons this weekend with Burleigh this season and where he goes after the completion of that competition from a rugby league perspective at least.

In terms of his school boy rugby commitments Reno Gerrard will be back at TSS for his second season as a regular member of their First XV where he will surely start at No. 8 and be a strong contender for one of the three GPS representative sides (likely GPS 1) for the second season in a row in the Queensland Open School’s Championships which precedes the start of the GPS First XV competition.

From a long term position perspective I believe that Reno Gerrard ultimately ends up in the front row in senior rugby league, but for me that is still a few years away at least. 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. Playing No. 8 for TSS in the highly competitive GPS First XV competition has only enhanced his skill set from both a running and ball playing perspective.

From a player comparison for Reno Gerrard think of South Sydney Rabbitoh and English International Sam Burgess as a big strong powerful hard running forward with some good ball skills when the opportunity presents and an aggressive tackling technique to inflict the maximum amount of damage to his opponents.

[mdrew]

Gerard Ah-Nau. The big Wellington New Zealand born youngster moved over to Australia for the 2017 season, finding himself in the Group 20 competition playing for the Yanco Warnoon Hawks. The Group 20 competition is situated around the Griffith region of New South Wales close to Canberra.

2018 sees the young man on the Gold Coast as part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Hastings Deerings Cup side and he has been named on an extended interchange bench for their Round One clash on Sunday against Norths at Bishop Park.

The former New Zealand school boy rugby and rugby talent had an incredible 2017 season winning three awards at the Yanco Warnoon Hawks awards night. The awards that Gerard Ah-Nau won were the Speed and Agility Award, the David Barnhill Rookie of the Year and Pud Taylor Best Prospect Award.

For the Yanco Warnoon Hawks in 2017 Gerard Ah-Nau played across three grades, being the Harold Eckley U18 Cup, the Tony Blunt Reserve Grade Cup and the XXXX Gold First Grade competition. Gerard Ah-Nau started off the season in the Group 20 U18 competition, playing a total of twelve matches, scoring eighteen tries, to finish as the U18 Group 20 equal leading try scorer.

Gerard Ah-Nau started off the 2017 season with a bang scoring doubles in his first two U18 matches against Leeton and Tullibigeal Lake Cargelligo. In the regular season Gerard Ah-Nau also scored a hat trick against Hay and doubles once again against Tullibigeal Lake Cargelligo and also against Griffith Black and Whites.

In the U18 Group 20 finals series Gerard Ah-Nau was outstanding scoring five tries in Yanco Warnoon Hawks’s finals victory against Yenda Blueheelers and he also scored in Yanco Warnoon Hawks’s 28 – 22 Grand Final loss to Griffith Black and Whites where he started in the second row.

Gerard Ah-Nau was promoted to reserve grade in late April 2017 playing three consecutive reserve grade matches before his inevitable promotion to First Grade. In his three reserve grade matches Gerard Ah-Nau scored in his just second match against Tullibigeal Lake Cargelligo.

Gerard Ah-Nau made his first grade debut for the Yanco Warnoon Hawks on May 14 2017 against Yenda Blueheelers and to cap off a great debut scored as well. Gerard Ah-Nau went on to play in eleven XXX Gold First Grade matches scoring thirteen tries. Gerard Ah-Nau went on a try scoring spree in his final six First Grade matches of 2017 scoring eleven tries in that span, including a hat trick against Hay and doubles against the West Wyalong Mallee Men, Griffith Black and Whites and the Darlington Point Coleambally.

Prior to his arrival in Australia Gerard Ah-Nau played both rugby and rugby league in New Zealand, making a number of junior representative rugby league sides for the Wellington Orca’s including at the U14, U15 and U17 levels. From a school boy rugby perspective, Gerard Ah-Nau was part of the St Patricks First XV where he played in the front row.

In New Zealand Gerard Ah-Nau was also an outstanding athlete winning the 2016 Senior Discus title at the New Zealand National Secondary Schools Athletics Championships. Such was Gerard Ah-Nau’s performances in both athletics and rugby league in 2016, that he was nominated for the Wellington School’s Sports Person of the year award.

Gerard Ah-Nau runs exceptionally hard and there is little subtlety to his running, it is straight and hard and another positive is that 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, especially when you take into account his low centre of gravity. He runs very much front on and perpendicular to the defensive line and uses his strong lower body to power through tackles.

With the power that he has in his legs when opposing defenders try to tackle him around the legs, it is almost impossible for them to bring Gerard Ah-Nau down quickly which enables him to either break the tackle completely or to off load to his support runners. When they look to tackle him around the chest his upper body strength enables him to absorb the initial contact and also to maintain his balance and momentum.

Defensively Gerard Ah-Nau is able to engage and defeat opposing attacker one on one regardless of size. He does not just charge up trying to hit attacker’s chest on but Gerard Ah-Nau is clinical about how and where he hits the opponent and sets a solid base with his legs and drives directly into their body. In short he is a difference marker with his defence in the centre of the ruck.

Gerard Ah-Nau’s obvious size and strength is a huge advantage when he is defending against an attacker with similar size to himself. Even though he does not necessary have great straight speed, Gerard Ah-Nau’s lateral movement is very good and on the majority of occasions is able to mirror the movement of smaller attacker looking to exploit a perceived speed and/or mobility.

Gerard AH-Nau has two years of eligibility in the U20 age group starting this coming season with Tweed Heads. Clearly 2018 is a big year for Gerard Ah-Nau, no matter in what competition that he plays in Gerard Ah-Nau will face a step up in the standard of the opposition and thus he will to continue to dominate just like he did in 2017.

Positionally, Gerard Ah-Nau played in the second row in the Group 20 U18 competition but played primarily in the centres in the Group 20 A Grade competition. To complicate things Gerard Ah-Nau played in the front row in School Boy rugby for St Patricks Wellington in New Zealand prior to his arrival in Australia. At the end of the day though it is likely that Gerard Ah-Nau will play in the second row for the remainder of his rugby league career.

I know it may sound a touch odd considering that Gerard Ah-Nau played in the centres on occasion in 2017, but for me he plays a touch like former Brisbane Bronco, Queensland State of Origin and Australian Test front rower Shane Webcke (I appreciate that there is a different body shape involved) in that he runs straight and hard with a low centre of gravity.

Also like Webcke, in defence Gerard Ah-Nau uses his natural strength and leverage to get in under the ribs of taller forwards and get them off balance quickly and violently and is more than strong enough to slow the play the ball down legally.

[mdrew]

Simon Pratt. The big strong young Casino RSM second rower and St Johns College Woodlawn student was one of a number of Northern Rivers U16 Andrew Johns Cup forwards that stood out in their 22 – 12 victory over Newcastle in Round One of the competition. Simon Pratt has been selected to start in the second row for the Northern Rivers side in Round Three against North Coast tomorrow in Coffs Harbour today.

With his hard running and strong front on tackling technique Simon Pratt, along with the likes of fellow Northern Rivers forwards Josh Bevan and Joshua Stothard consistently halted the bigger Newcastle forwards in their tracks in Round One, to help set up the Northern Rivers victory which was sealed only in the last minute.

Simon Pratt will line up once again in the second row for Northern Rivers in Round Three of the Andrew Johns Cup when they take on the North Coast Dolphins in the “local” derby. The fact that both sides won their opening round matches will add a little extra spice to the upcoming clash on the weekend.

In 2017 Simon Pratt played eight matches, including the Grand Final for Casino RSM in the U15 Group One Junior Rugby League competition scoring just the once which came against Lismore Marist Brothers mid-season. Simon Pratt started in the second row in all eight of his matches.

2017 also saw Simon Pratt represent Group One at the U15 level in the New South Wales Country Age Championships starting all three of his matches in the second row and from St Johns College Woodlawn was selected in the New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges U15 Northern Region squad once again in the second row. A team mate in the NSW CCC U15 side was Titans contracted outstanding young half back Thomas Weaver.

The young hard running backrower usually lines up on the right hand side of the field and runs with speed into the defensive line. Even though he is not small Simon Pratt 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.

Simon Pratt 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. Simon Pratt also fights hard when tackled to ensure he gets a quick play the ball to maintain the momentum for his side.

Defensively Simon Pratt 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.

Simon Pratt 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 Simon Pratt is able to effectively mirror their movements to wrap them up in the tackle.

Once the Andrew Johns Cup competition is completed (it goes for five rounds and a final’s series for the top two sides in each Division), Simon Pratt will play out the 2018 season with Casino RSM in the Group One U16.5 competition and may also get a game or two in the NRRRL U18 competition such is the maturity of his game.

From a school boy perspective Simon Pratt will line up for St Johns College Woodlawn as they compete in various school boy rugby league competitions in 2018 including the GIO Cup. St Johns College Woodlawn has a proud school boy history and there is no reason to suggest that with the likes of Simon Pratt that that storied tradition will not continue.

From an ultimately position perspective with his combination of size, speed and strength Simon Pratt seemingly has the ideal skill set to be a very effective second rower as he progresses up the junior rugby league ranks.

From a player comparison perspective if you watch the Brisbane Broncos Matt Gillett play he hopefully get an appreciation of how Simon Pratt plays, that being of a hole running tough tackling second rower.

Simon Pratt has a bit of size about him and is also quite quick for that size, thus he has all of the ingredients to be an outstanding young second rower and at St Johns College Woodlawn has a number of talented and experienced development coaches to assist and will get plenty of game experience against high quality opposition in the various school boy competitions that Woodlawn are involved in both at a National level in the GIO Cup and News South Wales level.

[mdrew]

Kaleb Ngamanu. (Revised) He is a Gold Coast based youngster originally from Western Australia where he played two years of rugby league for the Joondalup Giants who moved over to the Gold Coast at the start of 2016 season, making every post a winner since that time in his junior rugby league career.

Kaleb Ngamanu has had an outstanding start to the 2018 season including starting on the left wing for the Titans U15 side a fortnight ago in their six tries to three win over the Western Mustangs and his selection in the South Coast U15 QSSRL side last week at the completion of the South Coast Trials.

Other Titans linked boys to make the 2018 U15 South Coast QSSRL squad include front rower Brody Smitka, centre/second rower Ezra Ubaldino, front row Titan Vaikai, centre JT Manuofetoa and second rower Flynn Daniel.

When he moved over to the Gold Coast, Kaleb Ngamanu started attending Keebra Park State High School making a big impression in their U13 side even though he missed portions of the 2016 season with an injury. Kaleb Ngamanu however was identified by The Southport School (TSS) and for 2017 transferred there standing out in their U14A GPS rugby side in 2017 in Term Three.

Kaleb Ngamanu played the 2016 season for the Southport Tigers at the U14 level splitting time between the U14 Division One and Division Two competitions even though he was still eligible to play in the U13 competition.

The 2017 season Gold Coast Junior Rugby League season saw Kaleb Ngamanu once again play up an age group in the U15 Division One competition after transferring from Southport to the Coomera Cutters. In the U15 Division One competition, Kaleb Ngamanu played in eight matches scoring 28 points in total from three tries and eight goals, with the tries coming against Southport, Helensvale and Nerang. In the match that he scored against his former club Southport, Kaleb Ngamanu also kicked six goals for a sixteen point haul on the night.

Kaleb Ngamanu also played one match for Coomera in the U14 Division Two competition (his regular age group) which was against the Robina Raptors, he then backed up to play for his “regular” U15 Division One side later that Friday night.

For TSS in the U14A GPS competition in 2017, Kaleb Ngamanu played in the centres, forming a dangerous combination with the outstanding Jojo Fifita scoring on a number of occasions, including in Round Four against Brisbane Boys College and in Round Six against Ipswich Grammar School.

2017 also saw Kaleb Ngamanu represent the Gold Coast Vikings at the U14 level and from there going on to make the South East Queensland Green U14 side for the Queensland Age Championships that were held in Toowoomba on July last year. In those Championships, Kaleb Ngamanu scored on the first four days, in order against Central, Northern South East Queensland White and Central again.

Kaleb Ngamanu 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 2016 where he played the majority of the trials in the centres after playing almost exclusively at five eight in the Western Australian junior rugby league competition.

Kaleb Ngamanu 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, Kaleb Ngamanu 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.

Kaleb Ngamanu had a very solid match for the Titans U15 side at Nerang recently playing on the left wing outside of Titans contracted youngster JT Manuofetoa who was also outstanding on the day. In fact their combination was responsible for Kaleb Ngamanu’s try that Sunday when they used their numbers perfectly to send Kaleb Ngamanu down the left touch line in the second half for him to score in the corner to open up the Titans lead.

For the Titans I would really have liked to see Kaleb Ngamanu operate in the centres but on the day the exceptionally talented Rowan Mansfield and the a fore mentioned JT Manuofetoa started in the centres and excelled so you can understand Kaleb Ngamanu operating on the wing in the match.

That Sunday morning against the Western Mustangs at Nerang I was also impressed by the amount of runs Kaleb Ngamanu took from dummy half helping the Titans bring the ball out of their own end. The outstanding feature of his paly however for the Titans was his spacing out wide. Kaleb Ngamanu stayed on the touch line and was regularly able to exploit room down the touch line when space was created by JT Manuofetoa and halves, Jed Bignell and Thomas Weaver on his inside.

In terms of chasing attacking kicks Kaleb Ngamanu 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, in my opinion that is not a bad thing at all.

Kaleb Ngamanu also has very good hands low to the ground on grubber kicks or when defenders drop bombs and uses his reach to get to the ball quickly before defenders. Kaleb Ngamanu will also chase general play kicks with vigour trying to improve the effectiveness of his teams kicking game.

Like all well coached youngsters Kaleb Ngamanu displays a sound defensive technique and a disciplined approach both from an individual and team perspective. From a defensive technique perspective Kaleb Ngamanu uses his shoulder well to disrupt the momentum of the ball carrier and does not “jumper” grab but rather drives through the tackle with his shoulder both in regards to a front on tackle or a side on tackle

Kaleb Ngamanu will play the 2018 Gold Coast Junior Rugby League season with the Coomera Cutters but it will be interesting to see whether he continues to play up an age group playing in the U16 Division One competition or repeats the U15 level, it will depend I presume what Divisions the Coomera Cutters teams in the U15 and U16 age group make. Kaleb Ngamanu would certainly be capable of starting the season in the U16 Division One competition from both a physical and mental aspect.

Kaleb Ngamanu will also continue to play school boy rugby with TSS, this season in the U15A competition once again likely in the centres as well as being in line for U15 Gold Cup rugby selection and as previously noted has been selected in the South Coast U15 QSSRL side where he has been named on the wing for the school boy representative side.

From a position perspective, even though Kaleb Ngamanu 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 as well.

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 Kaleb Ngamanu’s running skills will be better suited to playing in the centres or on the wing rather than imposing added pressure to be a play maker at five eight or potentially also fullback when it does not necessarily come as naturally as when he is running the ball out wider of the ruck.

I really am a proponent of youngster playing different sports, in this case in relation to Kaleb Ngamanu rugby at a high level in the GPS school boy competition. The “second” sport whether it is touch or rugby assists in the skill set development and exposure to different critical skill sets, tactical situations and coaching philosophies.

From a player comparison perspective, consider the game of Cronulla Sharks fullback and Queensland State of Origin and Australian International winger Valentine Holmes in relation to Kaleb Ngamanu as a player who attacks the game full on and has the speed, timing, anticipation, skill and confidence to make things happen.

[mdrew]

Jayden Sharp. The big strong young front rower or lock who won the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League U17 Division One player of the year started on the bench for the Burleigh Bears MM Cup in their Round One clash against the Sunshine Coast Falcons on Saturday morning.

Jayden Sharp had a good day up on the Sunshine Coast on Saturday, being part of Burleigh’s 52 – 22 MM Cup victory as well as scoring a first half try for the Bears.

Jayden Sharp had an outstanding 2017 season with the Helensvale Hornets in the GCJRL U17 Division One competition culminating in him starting at lock in Helensvale’s 34 – 20 Grand Final victory over the Ormeau Shearers. Titans linked team mates of Jayden Sharp that night included centre Braden Amusden and front rower David Butler.

Jayden Sharp played in fourteen U17 Division One contests and three more in the U17 Division Two contests for Helensvale this season. In the U17 Division Two competition, Jayden Sharp scored all of his three tries in that grade in his last match for the year there when he scored a hat trick against Beaudesert in July.

From his fourteen U17 Division One matches, Jayden Sharp scored eleven tries to finish third on the try scoring list. Jayden Sharp scored a hat trick against Ormeau in June and scored doubles in consecutive matches late in the season including a semi-final against the Bilambil Jets. The match prior to the semi-final Jayden Sharp scored a double against Runaway Bay.

In addition to playing for Helensvale in 2017, Jayden Sharp also represented the U18 PNG Kokomo’s in the QPIIC tournament held late last year and had an outstanding match in that competition against the Cook Islands when in addition to scoring PNG’s first try set up a second half PNG try with a deft chip kick for his winger to cross. Jayden Sharp was almost the hero for PNG against Queensland Maori but unfortunately he had a try disallowed which would have broken an 8 all deadlock.

Jayden Sharp 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. Jayden Sharp 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.

Jayden Sharp is always the player standing back deep from kick ups to take the first hit up and will charge straight at the line. Jayden Sharp 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, Jayden Sharp 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. Jayden Sharp 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.

As discussed earlier Jayden Sharp will start from the interchange bench in Burleigh’s Round One MM Cup match against the Sunshine Coast Falcons tomorrow. Once the MM Cup competition is completed, Jayden Sharp will complete the 2018 season with the Helensvale Hornets at the U19 level and may even get a game or two in the Gold Coast Rugby League A Grade competition.

From a position perspective Jayden Sharp will be a centre third of the field type of player and thus with either line up in the front row or lock for any team that he plays for in rugby league.

The Brisbane Broncos, Queensland State of Origin and Australian International lock Josh Maguire is a great player comparison for Jayden Sharp. Like Maguire, Jayden Sharp 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.

[mdrew]

Lewis Cooper. (Revised) He is a young backrower/front rower who has recently moved with his older brother and former Titans junior development squad member Austin “Aussie” Cooper to the Sawtell Panthers from the South Grafton Rebels in the Tooheys New Group Two competition in Northern New South Wales.

Lewis Cooper who played a number of U14 matches for the Titans junior development squads was named in the North Coast Dolphins U18 side starting in the front row (wearing the No. 17 jersey) for their first match in the Laurie Daley Cup competition against the Sydney Roosters aligned Central Coast Centurions last Saturday, being Round Two after having a Round One bye. Lewis Cooper also started in the front row in Round Three against Northern Rivers in Coffs Harbour on Saturday a match that North Coast won 36 – 6 over their local rivals.

Lewis Cooper scored a double for the North Coast U18 side in their 40 – 20 win in Round Two against Central Coast, the first try coming inside the first two minutes and the second coming in the 54th minute. In fact Lewis Cooper could have had two more tries but was brought down inches short of the try line directly under the posts in the second half twice just prior to his second try.

Lewis Cooper did not impact the score board in Round Three against Northern Rivers like he did in Round Two but still had a couple of highlights, including a great right arm off load in the eight minute when he shook off a defender who went to tackling him around the chest, a huge collision with Titans linked Northern Rivers front rower Jordan Tauali’i which shook the entire ground and in the second half made a run of about 20 metres where after smashing through the Northern Rivers defensive line dragged a number of defenders with him as a result of sheer strength and power and the ability to keep his legs pumping even under extreme duress.

A team mate in the North Coast side is Titans contracted second rower Ben Liyou. Lewis Cooper also represented the East Coast Dolphins at the U16 level in 2016 and was named in the U18 East Coast Dolphins 2017 squad but did not play any matches.

Lewis Cooper played the 2017 season with the South Grafton Rebels playing in both the first Grade and U18 competitions and was a key contributor to both sides. In the U18 Durbridge Family Trophy competition, Lewis Cooper scored five tries from as many matches including doubles against Coffs Harbour and Sawtell and in the Group Two Tooheys New Shield Lewis Copper scored a single try from eight matches with the try coming against Orara Valley in early July.

Lewis Cooper played the 2016 season in the Group One U16.5 competition, playing in nine matches and averaging just under two tries a match to pace the competition from a try scoring perspective. Only in the final game of the season was an opposition side able to keep him try less, that opponent being Casino RSM. Lewis Cooper scored four tries in a match against Kyogle in August and he also crossed for a hat trick against Marist Brothers in May 2016. Lewis Cooper also crossed for four doubles being against Kyogle, Clarence Coast, Ballina and Casino RSM.

Lewis Cooper also played rugby in 2016, including making the Mid North Coast Axemen representative side and from there he was selected in the New South Wales Country Cockatoos U16 side. In rugby he played both centre and No. 8 and apparently even played some fullback as well.

In 2016 Lewis Cooper was also selected in the New South Wales Combined High School’s Open Schoolboy rugby side that toured South Africa for the St John’s College Annual Easter Rugby Festival, a great achievement considering that he missed the trials with injury.

On the South African tour Lewis Cooper played in all four of NSW CHS’s matches, starting the first two from the interchange and coming into the starting line-up for the final two matches, including playing against South African side Paarl Boys High who have not lost a match in four years that includes matches against the top New Zealand School Boy sides. From his four matches, Lewis Cooper was named Man of the Match in two and was also named as the NSW CHS Best Back of the tour, an impressive feat as a 16 year old.

In short Lewis Cooper is a big strong young man with surprising speed for his size both in terms of the initial burst and extended straight line speed. 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.

Both of Lewis Cooper’s two tries on Saturday a fortnight ago In Round Two of the Laurie Daley Cup highlighted the strength and power discussed above. On both occasions he took the ball from around ten metres out and just charged through a set defensive to score. In fact Lewis Cooper’s first three runs on Saturday were all outstanding. His first try scoring run was his first run of the game, his second came from the third hit-up from the kick off from his try and his third was in the next set of six that North Coast had.

In terms of his speed, once Lewis Cooper gets past the initial contact, he really move and his speed would be considered as plus for a back rower of his size and to be fair it is also at the above average to plus level for a centre.

In defence Lewis Cooper 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 Lewis Cooper is more effective in the centre of the ruck, but he has the speed and lateral mobility to defend wider out as well.

In relation to the upcoming 2018 season as noted Lewis Cooper has moved to the Sawtell Panthers and even though he is still eligible for the U18 competition it is likely that Lewis Cooper will play the entire season in the Panthers First Grade side. Considering he made his Group Two first grade debut for the South Grafton Rebels at only 17 years of age it is a great effort by Lewis Cooper to be playing against men so early in his career.

From an ultimate position perspective, due to his combination of size and speed playing in the second row seems the most plausible position projection for Lewis Cooper.

The power and intensity of Canterbury Bulldog, New South Wales State of Origin and Australian International forward David Klemmer is mirrored by Lewis Cooper he is just an intimidating presence on a football field and a young player who will only to continue to get better and better as he gains more experience there is certainly a lot of raw ability and untapped potential to work with.

If Lewis Cooper 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 rugby league 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 although he is now fit and performing very well in the Group Two First Grade competition with the brothers sure to line up together this season with the Sawtell Panthers there.

[mdrew]

Michael Naseri. The former New Zealand Warriors 2017 NYC squad member has made the move to Australia and was selected in the starting line-up in the front row for the Western Mustangs in their Hastings Deerings U20 Colts side for their Round One match against Victoria at Casey Fields in Victoria on the weekend of 8 - 9 March 2018. With a Round Two bye, Michael Naseri and his Western Mustangs Colts team mates will be back in action in Round Three.

In the Round One match against Victoria, Michael Naseri was part of a big strong starting forward pack containing Titans Rookie squad members, hooker Cody McNiece and second rower and Captain James Robinson amongst others.

Unfortunately the Western Mustangs U20 Colts side lost 52 – 10 but Michael Naseri did celebrate his first competitive match on Australian soil with a try, scoring the Western Mustangs second try of the match with just four minutes remaining on the clock.

In 2017 even though he was part of the Warriors NYC squad Michael Naseri did not play in any matches instead playing the SAS Fox Memorial Premier First Grade competition in Auckland with the Pt Chevalier Pirates. In the Auckland SAS Fox Memorial Premier First Grade competition, Michael Naseri alternated between front row and second row playing in fourteen matches and scoring five tries for a strike rate of 35.71%. Michael Naseri’s Auckland Junior Rugby League Club was the Otahuhu Leopards.

Michael Naseri 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 Michael Naseri 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 Michael Naseri 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 or missed tackles. He is obviously suited to defending in the centre of the ruck rather that the fringes.

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. Michael Naseri 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.

Even though he suffered a minor knee strain in the Western Mustangs first U20 trial of 2018 Michael Naseri recovered in time to take his place in the front row In Round One of the Hastings Deerings U20 competition.

At around 116kg and just 181cm Michael Naseri is a formidable presence on a rugby league field one who should be a long term front rower or lock in the modern version of rugby league or a “middle third” player using the modern day rugby league vocabulary.

From a player comparison perspective for Michael Naseri, think of someone along the lines of New Zealand International and Melbourne Storms Kenny Bromwich as a hard working front rower who will be a solid player but will also on occasion flash some plus skills akin to Jesse Bromwich.

[mdrew]

Aublix Tawha. The youngster originally from the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand is another player (and another former Canberra Raider) who has moved to the Gold Coast to try to progress his rugby league career linking up with the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Hastings Deerings Cup side for the 2018.

Aublix Tawha started on the left wing in Tweed Heads Round One clash against the Norths Devils with Tweed going 20 – 10 after being named on the inter change bench earlier in the week. Aublix Tawha has been named to start on the left wing for Tweed’s Round Two match this coming weekend against the Victorian Thunderbolts in Victoria on Saturday afternoon.

Aublix Tawha played the 2017 rugby league season in Canberra playing for the Raiders U18 SG Ball side and also attending Erindale College. For the Raiders U18 SG Ball side Aublix Tawha played in six matches scoring three tries and kicking a goal to finish with fourteen points on the season. Aublix Tawha’s tries came from a double against the North Sydney Bears and also a late season try against the Balmain Tigers. Aublix Tawha kicked his sole goal of the season against the Canterbury Bulldogs. Aublix Tawha played primarily at fullback in the 2017 SG Ball competition.

Late last year Aublix Tawha played at fullback for New Zealand Maori U18’s in the Pacifika Youth Cup held in Auckland and was named at fullback in the U18 All-Tournament team and late last year, Aublix Tawha also represented a New Zealand U18 Select team starting on the wing in their match against the Australian School Boys in New Zealand. New Burleigh Colts recruit Mikey Williams started on the inter change bench for the U18 New Zealand Select side that were defeated by the Australian School Boys.

The 2017 season was the second year that Aublix Tawha represented New Zealand Maori after he was named on the wing for the U17 NZ Maori side in 2016.

Post the 2017 SG Ball competition Aublix Tawha played for the Belconnen Sharks in the Canberra Raiders Cup competition, playing across three grades being the U18, reserve grade and first grade competitions in the Canberra Raiders Cup.

Immediately after the completion of the SG Ball competition last year, Aublix Tawha transitioned into the Belconnen United U18 side and in total in 2017 played in six matches scoring five tries and kicking three goals to finish that competition with 26 points. Aublix Tawha scored a double against the Yass Magpies and he also scored against the Tuggeranong Bushrangers, Queanbeyan Kangaroos and the Gungahlin Bulls to account for his three other tries.

Prior to his call up in the Belconnen first grade side Aublix Tawha played in three reserve grade making his reserve grade debut in late May against the Goulburn Workers Bulldogs.

Aublix Tawha made his Canberra Raiders Cup First Grade debut on Saturday 17 June 2017 against the Queanbeyan Blues and went on to play in four additional First Grade matches which were against the Yass Magpies, Gungahlin Bulls, West Belconnen Warriors and the Tuggeranong Bushrangers. On three occasions Aublix Tawha played in the U18 match and then backed up to play in the First Grade contest later in the day.

In 2017 Aublix Tawha was also part of the Canberra U18 School Boys side that played in the U18 ASSRL Championships. Aublix Tawha started at fullback for the Canberra region in their four matches.

Plus speed is the calling card of Aublix Tawha, his straight line speed is scintillating which is probably the main reason why I think that he is best suited to the wing in the long term. When he gets outside of his opposite number he will not be caught full stop. He is however not the biggest or strongest outside back running around and thus needs to utilise his speed to be successful as he progresses.

At around 85kg give or take, Aublix Tawha does not have the bulk to run over opposing backs and even though he has a strong fend it suits him best to get the ball early and exploit his speed advantage. He is also not afraid to get into dummy half and take some pressure off his forwards when needed. It is a similar situation in terms of returning kicks, he will get back quickly and try to take advantage of any gaps in the kick chase.

Defensively due to his weight Aublix Tawha will not intimate opposing outside backs but does look to push up quickly to reduce the time afforded to the opposition when they are on the attack. He also has the speed to turn and chase in cover defence when breaks are made on the inside of him. He also has quite a good leap for a youngster around 183cm and is go up and attack the ball when defending kicks.

As noted Aublix Tawha is part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 squad in 2018 and started Round One on the left wing and is also eligible for the Colts level in 2019.

Aublix Tawha has alternated a fair bit between fullback and wing so far in his rugby league career and by the smallest of margins I would anticipate that ultimately he will line up on the wing but continuing to play at fullback is certainly not out of the question.

The play of Aublix Tawha reminds me of how former Titan Kevin Gordon played when he first came into first grade and was able to exploit his speed advantage over the opposition before injuries cruelled his career and forced his retirement.

The Gold Coast has actually become a destination for players from the Canberra region looking for an opportunity, the most well-known being current Titans NRL player Morgan Boyle but the likes of former Titans NYC players Trae Williams and Kody Parsons started off their careers in the Nation’s capital before heading up to the Gold Coast.

The 2018 season also sees Aublix Tawha joined by Gideon Afemui and Jese Smith-Shields on the Gold Coast playing for the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts side with all three taking part in Round One against the Norths Devils and all three being named for Round Two against Victoria.

[mdrew]

Mikey Williams. The young Auckland New Zealand born centre has moved over to Australia to be part of the Burleigh Bears U20 Hastings Deerings Colts side in 2018, starting at right centre in their 28 – 24 victory over the Sunshine Coast Falcons in Round One. Mikey Williams will also start in the centres for Burleigh in Round Two in their home clash against the Redcliffe Dolphins at Pizzey Park tomorrow.

2017 saw Mikey Williams play a lot of matches for both his school boy side, being Auckland’s St Pauls College and well as in the SAS Fox Memorial competition which is essentially an Auckland based U20 competition with the standard being quite high as well.

In 2017 Mikey Williams was part of the St Pauls First XIII side that won the SAS College Open Rugby League Championship for the third straight season with a victory over Kelston Boys High for whom new Burleigh Bears MM Cup player Larryon Tevita started at lock. Mikey Williams was also part of the 2016 St Pauls Open side.

To cap off a great 2017 rugby league season, Mikey Williams was named in the 2017 SAS College Rugby League team of the year in the centres with Burleigh MM Cup player Larryon Tevita named at lock. Mikey Williams also took home the leading try scorer of the season award with eight tries including a double in a victory over Aorere College in one of the early rounds of the competition in a dominant display.

Mikey Williams played in the SAS Fox Memorial competition for Richmond, playing in a total of twelve matches scoring four tries including a double in June against the Te Atatu Roosters and tries in consecutive weeks against the Mangere East Hawks and Mt Albert. Mikey Williams also played one match in the 2017 SAS Fox Memorial Premier competition, which is the Auckland equilivant to the Gold Coast Rugby League First grade competition, an impressive feat for an 18 year old school boy.

In 2017 Mikey Williams was also selected in a New Zealand Select U18 side that played against the Australian School Boys with Mikey Williams starting on the interchange bench for the New Zealanders. Starting on the wing for the New Zealand Select U18 side was Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts recruit Aublix Tawha.

Mikey Williams made the New Zealand Select side after starting in the centres for the U18 New Zealand Residents side in their 28 – 10 victory over New Zealand Taurahere with Mikey Williams scoring in the match. Mikey Williams was also selected for the New Zealand U18 side in 2016.

A team mate in the U18 New Zealand Residents side was Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts recruit Aublix Tawha and opponents in the New Zealand Taurahere side were Titans contracted Jaxson Paulo (try scorer) and Darius Farmer, both of whom are also team mates in the Burleigh Bears Colts side.

Mikey Williams, Jaxson Paulo (centre) and Darius Farmer (second row) all started for Burleigh in their 28 -2 4 U20 Round One victory over the Sunshine Coast Falcons last weekend and all three have been named in the starting line-up for Round Two against the Redcliffe Dolphins this Saturday at Pizzey Park. Darius Farmer and Jaxon Paulo both scored in Round One and Jaxson Paulo set up a try for new recruit Reece Tapine to cap off a great game for the young man who has already spent a bit of time training with the Titans NRL squad over the off season.

From an additional representative perspective Mikey Williams has represented the Akarana Falcons at the U15 level in 2014 and U17 level in 2015 in the New Zealand National Age Championships, scoring three tries in 2014 and one in 2015.

In attack one of the positives in how Mikey Williams plays is when he is given the ball early he seems to have a lot of room to move and this is something that he is able to exploit. When he gets the ball early Mikey Williams is able to the opposing centre on the inside and out pace the converging cover defence.

Whilst he is a big strong powerful young centre, Mikey Williams also has a myriad of attacking moves, including a great in and away, and also being able to cut back on the inside of his defender if they over commit to the outside.

From what I have seen I would consider that his speed would in the above average category for a centre, add his power and strong fend and you really have a young centre who could develop in anything on a football field. Mikey Williams must be a five eight’s dream, when he gets the ball early he seems to cause real havoc for the defensive line.

Defensively Mikey Williams hits very hard and constantly is in a position to disrupt the attacking movement of the opposition. I would suggest that he would be more than capable to adapt and excel in either an up and in or sliding methodology.

The other point I will make is that he certainly does not shirk contact, both in attack or defence. Mikey Williams clearly has a strong appreciation of the defensive aspect of the game in that he knows when to come in and when to slide and let the play develop prior to committing.

Mikey Williams started at right centre with Jaxson Paulo at left centre in Round One of the U20 Hastings Deerings Colts competition for Burleigh in their 28 – 24 victory over the Sunshine Coast Falcons and will be eligible again for the U20 age group in 2019.

Mikey Williams is a solid strong fast and powerful young man who has the physical and skill attributes to stay in the centres for the duration of his rugby league career.

Current Australian Test centre, Queensland State of Origin and Melbourne Storm centre Will Chambers is the ideal player comparison for the talented Mikey Williams. Like Chambers, Mikey Williams has the speed, elusiveness and line running ability teams crave for in the centre position in the modern game.

I have not necessarily seen a great deal of Mikey Williams and only on four occasions live but he flashes some real class in patches and now it is down to consistency, luck (with injuries) and opportunity for the talented youngster to make his mark.

[mdrew]

Lewis Cooper had yet another powerful game for the North Coast U18 this afternoon in their loss to the Northern Tigers. Lewis Cooper scored a barnstorming try as North Coast clawed his way back into the game in the second half and also pulled off some big tackles in defence.

Titans contracted second rower was a stand out as well with his all action style, he made a huge amount of tackles and alo provide a good link on the right hand side of the field between the forwards and the backs a was a key part of North Coasts first try in the right corner


Lewis Cooper. (Revised) He is a young backrower/front rower who has recently moved with his older brother and former Titans junior development squad member Austin “Aussie” Cooper to the Sawtell Panthers from the South Grafton Rebels in the Tooheys New Group Two competition in Northern New South Wales.

Lewis Cooper who played a number of U14 matches for the Titans junior development squads was named in the North Coast Dolphins U18 side starting in the front row (wearing the No. 17 jersey) for their first match in the Laurie Daley Cup competition against the Sydney Roosters aligned Central Coast Centurions last Saturday, being Round Two after having a Round One bye. Lewis Cooper also started in the front row in Round Three against Northern Rivers in Coffs Harbour on Saturday a match that North Coast won 36 – 6 over their local rivals.

Lewis Cooper scored a double for the North Coast U18 side in their 40 – 20 win in Round Two against Central Coast, the first try coming inside the first two minutes and the second coming in the 54th minute. In fact Lewis Cooper could have had two more tries but was brought down inches short of the try line directly under the posts in the second half twice just prior to his second try.

Lewis Cooper did not impact the score board in Round Three against Northern Rivers like he did in Round Two but still had a couple of highlights, including a great right arm off load in the eight minute when he shook off a defender who went to tackling him around the chest, a huge collision with Titans linked Northern Rivers front rower Jordan Tauali’i which shook the entire ground and in the second half made a run of about 20 metres where after smashing through the Northern Rivers defensive line dragged a number of defenders with him as a result of sheer strength and power and the ability to keep his legs pumping even under extreme duress.

A team mate in the North Coast side is Titans contracted second rower Ben Liyou. Lewis Cooper also represented the East Coast Dolphins at the U16 level in 2016 and was named in the U18 East Coast Dolphins 2017 squad but did not play any matches.

Lewis Cooper played the 2017 season with the South Grafton Rebels playing in both the first Grade and U18 competitions and was a key contributor to both sides. In the U18 Durbridge Family Trophy competition, Lewis Cooper scored five tries from as many matches including doubles against Coffs Harbour and Sawtell and in the Group Two Tooheys New Shield Lewis Copper scored a single try from eight matches with the try coming against Orara Valley in early July.

Lewis Cooper played the 2016 season in the Group One U16.5 competition, playing in nine matches and averaging just under two tries a match to pace the competition from a try scoring perspective. Only in the final game of the season was an opposition side able to keep him try less, that opponent being Casino RSM. Lewis Cooper scored four tries in a match against Kyogle in August and he also crossed for a hat trick against Marist Brothers in May 2016. Lewis Cooper also crossed for four doubles being against Kyogle, Clarence Coast, Ballina and Casino RSM.

Lewis Cooper also played rugby in 2016, including making the Mid North Coast Axemen representative side and from there he was selected in the New South Wales Country Cockatoos U16 side. In rugby he played both centre and No. 8 and apparently even played some fullback as well.

In 2016 Lewis Cooper was also selected in the New South Wales Combined High School’s Open Schoolboy rugby side that toured South Africa for the St John’s College Annual Easter Rugby Festival, a great achievement considering that he missed the trials with injury.

On the South African tour Lewis Cooper played in all four of NSW CHS’s matches, starting the first two from the interchange and coming into the starting line-up for the final two matches, including playing against South African side Paarl Boys High who have not lost a match in four years that includes matches against the top New Zealand School Boy sides. From his four matches, Lewis Cooper was named Man of the Match in two and was also named as the NSW CHS Best Back of the tour, an impressive feat as a 16 year old.

In short Lewis Cooper is a big strong young man with surprising speed for his size both in terms of the initial burst and extended straight line speed. 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.

Both of Lewis Cooper’s two tries on Saturday a fortnight ago In Round Two of the Laurie Daley Cup highlighted the strength and power discussed above. On both occasions he took the ball from around ten metres out and just charged through a set defensive to score. In fact Lewis Cooper’s first three runs on Saturday were all outstanding. His first try scoring run was his first run of the game, his second came from the third hit-up from the kick off from his try and his third was in the next set of six that North Coast had.

In terms of his speed, once Lewis Cooper gets past the initial contact, he really move and his speed would be considered as plus for a back rower of his size and to be fair it is also at the above average to plus level for a centre.

In defence Lewis Cooper 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 Lewis Cooper is more effective in the centre of the ruck, but he has the speed and lateral mobility to defend wider out as well.

In relation to the upcoming 2018 season as noted Lewis Cooper has moved to the Sawtell Panthers and even though he is still eligible for the U18 competition it is likely that Lewis Cooper will play the entire season in the Panthers First Grade side. Considering he made his Group Two first grade debut for the South Grafton Rebels at only 17 years of age it is a great effort by Lewis Cooper to be playing against men so early in his career.

From an ultimate position perspective, due to his combination of size and speed playing in the second row seems the most plausible position projection for Lewis Cooper.

The power and intensity of Canterbury Bulldog, New South Wales State of Origin and Australian International forward David Klemmer is mirrored by Lewis Cooper he is just an intimidating presence on a football field and a young player who will only to continue to get better and better as he gains more experience there is certainly a lot of raw ability and untapped potential to work with.

If Lewis Cooper 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 rugby league 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 although he is now fit and performing very well in the Group Two First Grade competition with the brothers sure to line up together this season with the Sawtell Panthers there.

[mdrew]

Liam Hampson. (Revised) The former Keebra Park Student was originally contracted to the Wests Tigers but after not making their NYC squad for the 2017 season headed across the Tasman where he played two matches off the interchange bench for the New Zealand Warriors in the NYC competition, but after those two matches headed back to the Gold Coast to play out the 2017 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts side.

So far this season Liam Hampson has been involved in both of Tweed Heads U20 Colts matches, starting Round One against the North’s Devils on the interchange bench but came into the starting side at hooker for Round Two against Victoria in Victoria on Saturday, a match which Tweed Heads lost 36 – 16. When he came on in Round One in Tweed Heads 20 – 10 loss, Liam Hampson provided a real spark and in fact scored the Seagulls first try of the match and the season for that matter in their hard fought ten point loss.

Liam Hampson’s two NYC matches for the Warriors in 2017 came in Rounds Three and Four against the Bulldogs and Dragons respectively both off the interchange bench. Against the Bulldogs Liam Hampson played for 40 minutes making 32 tackles and against the Dragons he made 16 tackles in just 24 minutes of game time.

In 2017 for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the U20 Colts competition, Liam Hampson played in eight matches coming into the side and starting at hooker and scored the Tweed Heads Seagulls first try in Round Five in a 64 – 0 win over the Wynnum Manly Seagulls. Liam Hampson’s other try for the Tweed Heads Colts side came in Round Eight against the Ipswich jets.

Liam Hampson started all eight Colts matches at hooker that he played in 2017. After coming into the side in Round Five he played every round from then until Round twelve before injury meant that he missed the remainder of the season including Tweed Heads three Finals matches which ended in a Preliminary Final loss.

The 83kg 176cm hooker was the starting hooker for the Keebra Park side that lost the 2016 GIO Cup School Boy final in heart breaking fashion to Westfield’s Sports High School and was selected at hooker in the 2016 Keebra Park Team of the year after representing South Coast at the QSSRL U18 Championships.

In terms of his distribution out of dummy half, Liam Hampson 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 Liam Hampson is also 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. Liam Hampson is also a good communicator on the field, he is constantly encouraging his team both in attack and defence.

Liam Hampson 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 Liam Hampson really stands out in terms of attacking play, is his quickness 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 per say. The times that he does run though, Liam Hampson targets forwards who are offside or slow to get back into the defensive line or line-up correctly at marker. If the offside forward is called out of the play he has the speed to break into open space though not necessarily to finish off the movement himself.

Liam Hampson’s speed out of dummy half was on display in Round One against Norths. With Tweed Heads attacking the line, Liam Hampson got a quick play the ball about ten metres out and exploded out of dummy half down the blind side in the left corner of Bishop Park. He caught the North’s defence still back peddling and before North’s defender could get back on side and look to start to move forward, Liam Hampson had covered the ten metres and dove over for the Seagulls first try of both the match and the season.

Once in open space Liam Hampson 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.

Liam Hampson’s 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. Liam Hampson’s 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.

Liam Hampson will play out the 2018 season for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Colts competition with a view to be picked up by the Titans or another NRL club in the coming years.

With his build, quick feet and solid distribution skills Liam Hampson has the ideal skill set and mentality to continue in the hooking role.

From a player comparison perspective for Liam Hampson, due to his distribution, running, defence and the speed and intensity that he plays the game at, a playing style akin to former NRL player Matt Purcell is an appropriate comparison I would respectfully suggest.

[mdrew]

Bostyn Hakaraia. (Revised) He is a young half/five eight originally from New Zealand who spent the 2017 rugby league season alternating between the Titans NYC side and the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts squad. Bostyn Hakaraia started at half back for the Titans NYC side in their last ever match against the Sydney Roosters in Round Twenty last season to be forever a part of Titans NYC history.

Bostyn Hakaraia this season is part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Hastings Deerings Cup side and has started both of Tweed Heads matches so far at five eight, being against North’s in Round One and Victoria in Round Two. Bostyn Hakaraia has been named at five eight and captain for Tweed's Round Three clash against local rivals the Burleigh Bears

Interestingly Bostyn Hakaraia is not the first choice goal kicker for Tweed Heads so far this season at least, with fullback Bayley Gill given that opportunity initially at least. In saying that Bostyn Hakaraia did convert Tweed Head’s third try and Titans contracted Ben Thomas’s second on Saturday in their 36 – 16 loss against Victoria. He kicked that conversion with around five minutes on the clock as Tweed Heads scored a couple of late tries.

Bostyn Hakaraia made his NYC debut for the Titans came in Round One of 2017 year against the Sydney Roosters and in total was involved in thirteen matches averaging around 42 minutes a match to have played a total of 544 minutes of the Titans NYC side.

Bostyn Hakaraia was a jack of all trades for the Titans in 2017, starting seven matches and coming off the interchange bench in his six other matches. Incredibly in the seven matches that he started Bostyn Hakaraia played in four different positions, including half back three times, hooker twice and he has also started at five eight once and against Canterbury Bostyn Hakaraia in fact played the entire match in the centres.

Bostyn Hakaraia tallied eight points on the season from a try in Round Twenty Five against the Bulldogs and conversions against the Broncos in Round twenty two and in Round Twenty Four against the Parramatta Eels.

Bostyn Hakaraia’s 2017 per game season averages in the NYC competition include making 27 run metres on four carries and 14 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 90%. In Round Twenty Five against the Bulldogs Bostyn Hakaraia made the most metres that he has this season running for 75 metres on seven runs. From a tackling perspective, playing at five eight in Round Twenty Four against Parramatta Bostyn Hakaraia made 25 tackles.

Bostyn Hakaraia also played a number of matches for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side in 2017 when he was not been in the Titans NYC squad. Specifically Bostyn Hakaraia played in two matches for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side in the U20 State wide Challenge starting Rounds Seven and Eight at five eight.

Bostyn Hakaraia has also played five matches for Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts in the U20 Colts Challenge Competition starting at five eight on four occasions and off the interchange bench in Round Nine. In those contests Bostyn Hakaraia has scored three tries including a double in Round Five against Wynnum Manly and also against Souths Logan in Round One.

For Gold Coast White in the 2016 MM competition, Bostyn Hakaraia played all seven of their matches starting at five eight each time, including their tough semi-final loss to North’s 13 – 10. Bostyn Hakaraia scored a solitary try against Gold Coast Green but surprisingly his goal kicking was at 64% accuracy, he did have some big games with the boot however including kicking seven from seven against Gold Coast Green in Round Five, the same round that he scored his try and five from eight against the Easts Tigers in Round Seven.

Bostyn Hakaraia played in three competitions across the 2016 season being the MM Cup, QCup Colts and local U19 competition. Bostyn Hakaraia was actually named joint U19 Best and Fairest in the Powergard competition.

Bostyn Hakaraia also made his QCup Colts debut for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in Round 17 of 2016 off the inter change bench and also came off the inter change bench to play in the halves in Rounds 19 and 20 against North’s and Ipswich respectively.

In the local U19 Powergard Competition in 2016 Bostyn Hakaraia led Southport to the Grand Final where they started short priced favourites but lost to the Bilambil Jets 28 – 26. In the Grand Final Bostyn Hakaraia started at five eight and scored two tries and kicked three goals. Over the course of the 2016 U19 season Bostyn Hakaraia scored nine tries and kicked 30 goals for a total point’s tally of 96. He had a day out against Runaway Bay late in the 2016 season when he scored hat trick and kicked six goals for a haul of 24 on that day alone and against Mudgeeraba in May Bostyn Hakaraia scored 18 points from a try and seven goals.

In addition to the double in the 2016 Grand Final he also scored another double against Bilambil in June. Bostyn Hakaraia also played one match in the Gold Coast Tweed Rugby league Reserve Grade competition which was against Runaway Bay in August after making his First Grade debut against Ormeau in July 2016 in a match that he kicked two goals in.

Bostyn Hakaraia was also selected for Team Toa where was a team selected from Queensland based New Zealand eligible players who played a New South Wales based NZ side. The Queensland side were soundly defeated however Bostyn Hakaraia converted one of two tries by Titans linked Jaxson Paulo that September afternoon.

In 2015 Bostyn Hakaraia captained the New Zealand Secondary Schools team and also represented New Zealand U18’s in their two match series in Brisbane against the Australian Schoolboys side where he played against fellow Titan Tyronne Roberts-Davis. Unfortunately for Bostyn Hakaraia, Australia won both matches convincingly.

In addition to the representative sides mentioned above he made numerous other representative sides including making the NZ U18 high performance squad camp during the 2015 season year. Previously he has represented NZ at the U16 level, NZ Maori at the U16 and U18 level and was also part of the Akarana high Performance squad for the 2015 New Zealand National age championships.

Bostyn Hakaraia is a former student of Mt Albert Grammar School (MAGS) in Auckland who from my understanding are one of the most powerful NZ schools from a rugby league perspective and he was a key player in their run to the New Zealand National All Schools semi-finals in 2015.

Bostyn Hakaraia is a solidly built half/five eight/hooker who is more of an organising type of player rather than a running player at this stage of his career. He can be seen directing his forwards when and where to run and seemingly makes it clear that he is in charge of directing the team around the field and adhering to the game plan. Considering he was one of the younger players on the field in U19’s and QCup Colts over the last couple of seasons and he was directing around a number of young players who had previously played NYC it is a good sign of his maturity and leadership skills.

Bostyn Hakaraia’s passing from both sides of his body is crisp and accurate and when passing to the left side generates good spin and distance whilst maintaining accuracy.

Bostyn Hakaraia does not take the line on that often, but based on his play in the MM and QCup Colts competitions, he can and will take on forwards when he sees that they are isolated in the edges of the ruck, although his passing percentage would be much higher than his running percentage, at an estimate I would say 85% passing, 15% running.

Bostyn Hakaraia seems to be quite quick off the mark and seems to have a good right foot step, when he gets into space he really does work progressively though his options as he does not seem to have the top end speed to finish off breaks himself.

Bostyn Hakaraia 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 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 I mean they are huge bombs and again 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 Bostyn Hakaraia 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. His defence is an area that stands out when you watch him play in person.

The 2018 season sees Bostyn Hakaraia being part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts squad where he has started the first two rounds at five eight.

Initially, based on the NZ footage I thought that his long term position would be five eight, but based on his play in 2017 and the start of 2018 I have revised that to a long term future at half back or hooker for me.

From a player comparison perspective, someone like the new St George Dragon and Australian International ben Hunt Ben Hunt seems appropriate as a half with good game management skills, a very good kicking game and a better defensive presence than he is sometimes given credit for. Bostyn Hakaraia has a touch more size than Ben Hunt however.

Like Hunt Bostyn Hakaraia also has the ability to play a couple of different positions such as five eight and he can also fill in in the hooking role when needed.

[mdrew]

William Malone. The local young front rower has made an impression on the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Hastings Deerings Colts coaches in the offseason just gone and as a result was named on an extended interchange bench for their Round One clash against the Norths Devils but in the end was not part of the 17.

William Malone played the 2017 season with the Bilambil Jets in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition, playing sixteen matches in the U19 competition and also making his First Grade debut at just 18 years old when he played against Ormeau backing up from the U19 clash earlier in the day.

The former St Joseph’s College Benora Point High School student played sixteen matches for the Bilambil Jets in the U19 competition including starting in the front row in their 2017 Grand Final victory over Tugun 34 - 20. Across his sixteen matches William Malone scored two tries which came against Currumbin and Beaudesert both mid-season and a fortnight apart.

In attack William Malone 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 William Malone 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. William Malone 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.

In saying all of that though William Malone 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. William Malone 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.

As noted William Malone is part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 squad in 2018 and was named on an extended interchange bench for the Round One match against the Norths Devils.

It is more than likely that William Malone will continue to line in the front row for the remainder of his rugby league career.

From a style perspective for William Malone 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 within the confines of it and not cause any issues at all.

William Malone will probably not stand out as he progresses but he will take hit ups and tackle all day and do all of the little things necessary to help his team have the best chance to succeed.

[mdrew]

Jacob Tekii – (Revised) He is a local young half back who plays his club football for the Coomera Cutters in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League competition. In 2018 Jacob Tekii will play for the Cutters in the GCJRL U16 Division One competition.

Jacob Tekii is currently playing for the Gold Coast Yellow U16 Vikings side who are currently unbeaten in their pre-season competition including victories over Brisbane Grey 12 - 10, Brisbane Blue 24 – 4 and Ipswich 22 - 12 with Jacob Tekii playing five eight and being the primary goal kicker. Titans linked centre Daniel Butturini has been one of a number of stand-outs for the Vikings Yellow side, including Jacob Tekii himself.

In the Round Two match against Brisbane Blue, Jacob Tekii contributed a try and two conversions to GC Yellow’s 24 points. This coming weekend Jacob Tekii and his team mates will be at Valleys when they take on Brisbane Red.

In 2017 Jacob Tekii played for the Coomera Cutters in the U15 Division One competition scoring eighteen points from eleven matches. All three of Jacob Tekii’s tries came in the one early season match against the Currumbin Eagles and all three of his goals came late in the season against the Burleigh Bears.

Jacob Tekii also made a number of representative sides in 2015, including the Vikings and South East Queensland White U13’s for the Queensland age championships in July of this year. He had a very good competition for South East Queensland White, including scoring a double in their 48-4 victory over the Northern Marlins. Titans High Performance Unit member Ediq Ambrosyev also scored a double in that match. Jacob Tekii also started at half back for the Titans U13 Development Squad in their 2015 victory over a U14 Toowoomba Development Squad.

In attack, his speed off the mark is one attribute that you will notice when you see him play. Jacob Tekii 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 long 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 both feet, his speed and deception with his ball handling skills, enables him to make numerous line breaks himself and create many more for his team mates.

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. An example of what I am referring to could be seen in the U13 Development Squad game in 2015, as the Titans side got on top and the outside backs, such as Damon Somerville, Rixon Andrew, Matamatagi Ripley etc. were running riot he did not even look to run himself, instead he put the team first and got the ball out wide cleanly and efficiently.

In that same game in 2015, after a break by centre Matamatagi Ripley Jacob Tekii had every right to look to go himself as there was only one opposition in front of him with the line open, but again he made sure of the try by drawing the defender and passing to backrower Jayde Williams giving him a clear run to the line with a nicely timed and directed pass instead of being selfish and going for the line himself.

Jacob Tekii has a very good kick on him and seemingly also has good accuracy to go with the power that he generates. His kicking game suggest he will be a real 40/20 threat as he matures and progresses through the age groups, he also gets his kicks away quickly thus not allowing the defenders to put an undue amount of pressure on him.

Also his power generates very good height on his bombs. He does have some subtly though in his kicking, he is adept at grubber kicking into the opposition in goal line as well as putting appropriate weight on his chip kicks, in an effort to get a repeat set of tackles. In short he is a very good tactical kicker, who is above average in all aspects and flashes plus ability in a few attributes such as range and weighting of the kicks.

Jacob Tekii 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.

Jacob Tekii 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 him play in person.

From my perspective at least Jacob Tekii 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 with Jacob Tekii in it and on the side of the field that Jacob Tekii is defending.

Moving forward he will play the 2018 season at the U16 Division One level for the Coomera Cutters in what shapes to be a very keenly contested competition this season which kicks off next month.

From a long term position perspective, I have no doubt that Jacob Tekii has already found his position, that being a halfback or five eight, where he combines a good skill set, leadership and maturity level to have the opportunity to become a very good rugby league player in future years.

From a player comparison perspective thing maybe someone like the Titans own Ashley Taylor as a young play maker who whilst having all the skills necessary for a future in the halves at the NRL level also shows the ability to alter his game based on what his team needs during the course of a match and whose kicking game can have a major impact both from a tactical and goal kicking perspective.

[mdrew]

Tate McCormack. (Revised) The bustling hard running hard tackling St Mary’s College Toowoomba student made the step up to the Toowoomba Rugby League senior grades in 2017 playing in the Toowoomba Rugby League U18 competition.

Tate McCormack has started off the 2018 season as part of the Western Mustangs MM Cup squad that contains the likes of Titans High Performance Unit members, Chris Chambers, Alex Dunneman, Connor Williams, Henry Abdul-Rahmann, Leslie Hartvigsen, Luke Maiden, Jack Sullivan and Jordan Crocker.

Tate McCormack started from the inter change bench in Round One of the MM Cup competition recently with the Western Mustangs drawing 34 all with Victoria scoring a late converted try to tie the game up. After a Round Two bye the Western Mustangs are back in action in Round Three against the Ipswich Jets, however Tate McCormack has not been named in the side.

Tate McCormack was also part of the St Mary’s Open Rugby League side that defeated Coombabah State High School recently 22 -16 on the Gold Coast to make the Super Six competition. Tate McCormack has also recently been selected in the Darling Downs U18 QSSRL School Boy side alongside two Titans High Performance Unit members in hooker/lock Henry Abdul-Rahman and lock Connor Williams who are also Western Mustangs MM team mates.

In the 2017 U18 Toowoomba Rugby League competition for Southern Suburbs, Tate McCormack started all of the matches that he played in the second row. From a try scoring perspective, Tate McCormack finished as not just one of the leading try scoring forwards but one of the top try scorers overall.

Tate McCormack finished the 2017 U18 season with nine tries, including doubles in consecutive weeks against Brothers Toowoomba and South Burnett. Tate McCormack’s other tries came against Wattles in Round One, Warwick Cowboys in Round Two and against Gatton in Rounds Three and Round Six and Dalby in Round Seven. In 2016 Tate McCormack scored eight tries from 16 matches in the U16 age group once again for Southern Suburbs.

Tate McCormack 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. Tate McCormack is also good at maintaining his momentum after impacting the defensive line and makes a fair portion of his metres gained of the post contact variety.

Tate McCormack 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 other attacking attributes. Tate McCormack 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 Tate McCormack 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. Over the last season or two his speed and mobility seemed to have increased and as a consequence he was better able to mirror the opposition attackers more effectively.

Tate McCormack will probably not make a large amount of hits that are going to knock opposing forwards backwards, but opposing forwards are going to feel every one of them none the less.

Tate McCormack will play out the MM Cup competition with the Western Mustangs after coming off the bench in Round One against Victoria and post that will play in the Toowoomba Rugby League U18 competition with the Southern Suburbs club based in Toowoomba. With the talent in the Southern Suburbs U18 side, including five Titans High Performance Academy side and Broncos contracted hooker Jake Simpkins, Southern Suburbs look the team to beat.

Tate McCormack will also be heavily involved in St Mary’s GIO Cup and Super Six School boy campaigns and the Darling Downs Open School Boys side as well as for Southern Suburbs so the young man certainly has a lot of football in front of him this year.

Tate McCormack is the ideal second rower in terms of modern day rugby league, he just runs and tackles hard whilst putting in the absolute most he can every run or tackle and fights for every metre that he makes. With the Western Mustangs now under the Titans banner from a development perspective, players like Tate McCormack are one step closer to realising an NRL opportunity and deservedly so.

From a player comparison perspective, he is a tough running hard tackling second rower with a playing style similar to former Titan new Wests Tiger and Queensland State of Origin player Chris McQueen although Tate McCormack does not necessarily have the foot speed of Chris McQueen but certainly has the same toughness and hardness about him and the same never say die attitude that Chris McQueen had at his time with the Titans and for the Queensland State of Origin side.

[mdrew]

Isreal Higgins. (Revised) He is a local young second rower from the Currumbin Eagles junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast who played in the U15 age group in the 2017 season. Isreal Higgins also represented South Coast at the U15 level last year and is currently representing Gold Coast Vikings Yellow in the South East Queensland U16 Challenge, starting the first four rounds in the second row.

Gold Coast Vikings Yellow are currently undefeated so far after wins against Brisbane Grey 12 - 10, Brisbane Blue 24 – 4, Ipswich 22 – 12 and Brisbane Red on Saturday 15 – 14 at Valleys on Saturday.

Isreal Higgins is also part of the U16 Queensland Emerging Origin alongside Titans contracted jack of all trades Ediq Ambrosyev. In 2016 Isreal Higgins represented the Gold Coast Vikings at the U14 level where he was selected at lock for the U14 South East Queensland Age Championships.

Isreal Higgins was only able to play one match for the Currumbin Eagles U15 side in 2017 which was against Southport in April but was selected in the South Coast U15 side for the QSSRL competition after playing well for PBC and them went on to be named in the Queensland White team for the U15 ASSRL Championships.

For Currumbin in the U14 Division One competition in 2016 Isreal Higgins played in eight matches scoring six tries along the way. Isreal Higgins had a big day out in June 2016 when he scored a hat trick against Mudgeeraba and he also scored in the next two club matches that he played in which were against Burleigh Heads and Coomera. Isreal Higgins other try on the season came against Nerang in the first round of the U14 Division One season proper.

Isreal Higgins has already played in a Titans jersey starting in the second row for the U13 Titans development squad against a Toowoomba U14 selection in late 2015. In that match Isreal Higgins scored a strong try under the posts when he charged through the Toowoomba forward pack from about ten metres out. In 2015 Isreal Higgins also was part of the U13 Gold Coast Vikings representative side and also made the South East Queensland U13 side for the Queensland Age Championships where he was selected on the inter change bench.

In attack 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 Isreal Higgins 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.

Isreal Higgins 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 the critique is simple, Isreal Higgins relishes the contact in the centre of the ruck he tougher harder the better. Isreal Higgins hits hard and often and looks to dominate and intimidate his opposition full stop.

Isreal Higgins 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 solidly built forward, but is not a major strength and thus he is more effective in defence when he is in or close to the centre of the ruck.

The 2018 season will see Isreal Higgins play at the U16 Division One level for the Currumbin Eagles once he finishes his commitments with the Gold Coast Vikings Yellow side are completed as well as being involved in PBC’s multiple school boy competitions including the GIO and Super Six Cup campaigns.

From a position perspective, there is no doubt in my mind that Isreal Higgins will stay in the back row and continue his development towards becoming a damaging runner of the ball who will regularly find his way over the try line. There may be a temptation to play him in the front row but I think that if his ball running passing skills continue to progress at a similar rate to the past couple of years, he should stay in the second row long term, there is a lot to like about this young player.

From a player comparison perspective I would consider a less bulky version of former Penrith Panther, Parramatta Eel Canterbury Bulldog and New Zealand International Frank Pritchard as someone with a similar style, being that of a damaging running back rower with underappreciated offloading skills and a tough hard defensive mentality.

[ja4220]

Pretty sure Issy is with the Roosters now

[mdrew]

Senn Kane. The former Northern Territory front rower has made the move to the Tweed Heads Seagulls this season and was named in the starting line-up in the front row for the Seagulls in their Hastings Deerings U20 Colts side for their Round One match against Norths at Bishop Park in Brisbane but did not end up being part of the game day seventeen.

Senn Kane however started from the inter change bench in Round Two of the U20 Hastings Deerings Cup with the Seagulls when Tweed Heads took on the Victorian Thunderbolts in Victoria with Tweed unfortunately going down 36 – 16 with Titans contracted second rower (although he started that particular match in the front row) Ben Thomas scoring a second half double to help close up the scores.

Round three also saw Senn Kane start the local derby against Burleigh in the front row on Saturday a match that Tweed Heads won 28 – 24 after a great second half comeback. The Tweed Heads Seagulls have a Round Four bye over the Easter Long weekend. They will be back in action in Round Five with an away clash against the Blackhawks in Townsville.

Senn Kane has had quite a journey getting to the Tweed Heads Seagulls this season. In 2016 he finished up in the Northern Territory before moving down to Newcastle where he played a number of matches for the Newcastle Knights U18 SG Ball side in 2017 as well as playing for South Newcastle in the local Newcastle Rugby League competition before heading north to try his luck with the Tweed Heads Seagulls this season. Certainly no one can fault his dedication, determination and commitment to his rugby league career that’s for sure.

In total Senn Kane played in three U18 SG Ball matches for the Knights in 2017 with those matches coming against Manly, Western Suburbs and the Western Sydney Academy of Sport (which in basic terms is the boys from the Parramatta and Penrith Districts who are not part of those NRL teams’ junior squads). Senn Kane started from the inter change bench in all three of his 2017 SG Ball matches for the Knights.

Post the SG Ball competition, Senn Kane played in nine matches for the South Newcastle Lions in the 2017 OAS Newcastle U19 competition alternating between the front row and second row in those matches.

In his nine matches in the U19 competition, Senn Kane scored four tries for a strike rate of 44.44% including a double against Kurri Kurri and tries against the Maitland Pickers and Western Suburbs. Senn Kane also played in two Reserve Grade matches in the Newcastle competition with those matches coming against Lakes United and the Cessnock Goanna’s.

In 2016 Senn Kane played in the Northern Territory Harvey Norman U18 competition for the Palmerston Raiders Rugby League club, scoring six tries from nine matches including scoring a double against Litchfield.

Also in 2016 Senn Kane represented the Northern Territory in the ASSRL Affiliated States Championships playing matches against Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria crossing for a try against WA on Day One in an 18 all draw.

The Western Australian school boy fullback that day and who also scored one of the Western Australian tries was Titans 2017 NYC and 2018 Titans Rookie Squad member Curtis Dansey-Smaller who is currently plying his trade with the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts side with the two being on opposite sides once again last weekend.

In attack Senn Kane 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. Senn Kane does not have a great deal of foot work prior to or at the line and this is something he will likely work on over the course of the next couple of seasons, a similar situation exists for his off-loading. A linear development in both footwork and/or offloading will increase Senn Kane’s effectiveness exponentially.

In defence Senn Kane 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 as well. Senn Kane 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 both in terms of looking to address the next hit-up or putting pressure on the opposition kicker.

As noted Senn Kane is part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 squad in 2018 starting Round Two against the Victorian Thunderbolts from the interchange bench and Rounds Three and Four in the starting side in the front row and is eligible once again for the U20 competition in 2019.

Even though he played a number of matches for South Newcastle in the second row, Senn Kane has primarily been a front rower to date, even though he played a handful of matches in the second row for the South Newcastle U18’s and I envisage that is where his likely future is.

From a player comparison perspective for Senn Kane, think of someone along the lines of current New Zealand Warriors, former Brisbane Broncos and New Zealand International front rower Adam Blair as a solid hard working front rower who does a lot of the little things well and makes the most of his ability every minute that he is on the field.

[mdrew]

Jai Arrow. (Revised) The 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. 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.

This season Jai Arrow is also part of the Queensland Emerging Origin Squad with Ashley Taylor and all going well on the injury front Jai Arrow may just get an opportunity in State of Origin in the coming couple of years. He certainly would not let anybody done if he does get an opportunity at that level.

Through the opening rounds of the NRL season, Jai Arrow, even though he has been playing out of position in the front row for the Titans has been outstanding and even in their horror Round Three match against the St George Dragons was one of the few Titans that could hold their head high that Sunday afternoon. It is good to see jai Arrow named at lock for the Round Four NRL match against his former team the Bronco’s at Suncorp Stadium.

Through three NRL games this season Jai Arrow has run for 455 metres, 176 of those post contact (38.68%) and made 86 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 87.21%. Jai Arrow has also off-loaded on four occasions and broken three tackles.

Jai Arrow’s per game 2018 NRL season averages include playing for 54 minutes, taking fifteen hit-ups for 151.7 metres and making 28.7 tackles through 54 minutes on the field. Understandably Jai Arrow leads the Titans in a number of statistical categories.

In Round One against the Canberra Raiders, Jai Arrow ran for 156 metres from fifteen hit-ups and made twenty tackles. In Round Two Jai Arrow was outstanding against the New Zealand Warriors running for an incredible 213 metres from twenty-one hit-ups and made 33 tackles as well.

Even though the Titans were soundly beaten in Round Three against St George Jai Arrow still ran for 86 metres on nine hit-ups and made 33 tackles, considering the progression of the match, that was in fact a more than solid effort in the circumstances.

The table below compares Jai Arrow’s 2016 2017 and 2018 NRL per game averages:

2016 2017 2018

Games played 12 12 3
Minutes per game 23.75 25.6 54
Runs per game 5.5 8 15
Metres made per game 48 69 151.7
Tackles per game 16.3 27 28.7

One take away from the statistics above is that the added responsibility Jai Arrow has had this year at the Titans is doing wonders for his overall game at the NRL level. Jai Arrow came to the Titans for more game time and responsibility, and so far he has made every post a winner on those two fronts.

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 in 2017 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.

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 every NRL match that he is fit for in the reminder of the 2018 NRL season and for me in the early going has easily been the top Titans player. From a wider NRL perspective he was probably been the buy of the year, even though the likes of Cooper Cronk and Mitchell Pearce are getting all of the press from that perspective. Jai Arrow certainly has been the most important Titans acquisition in 2018.

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. I am not convinced that he is a front rower but with injuries form etc, I can understand why Gareth Brennan has started him there so far this season, although it was good to see him named at lock for Round Four.

A player comparison for Jai Arrow is pointless as he has an outstanding skill set of his own. Jai Arrow in a short period of time has been outstanding in the NRL and has gone to a higher level this season in a Titans jersey even though as a team the Titans have struggled in the main. No fault at all can be laid at Jai Arrow’s feet however.

With the likes of Jai Arrow, Keegan Hipgrave, Jai Whitbread, Morgan Boyle 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.

[mdrew]

Taine Tuaupiki. (Revised) He is a local young Titans linked halfback or five eight who has started off the 2018 season in great form for the Burleigh Bears U20 Hastings Deerings Colt’s side including a dominant display in Round Two in a 28 – 20 victory over Redcliffe at Pizzey Park on the Gold Coast.

In that match, Taine Tuaupiki had the ball on a string and also scored a great try highlighting his speed and elusiveness. Taine Tuaupiki also scored in Round One against the Sunshine Coast Falcons. Taine Tuaupiki however missed the MM Cup match against the Tweed Heads Seagulls over the weekend and has been named on an extended interchange bench for Saturdays match against the Souths Logan Magpies at Pizzey Park.

In addition to his two tries, Taine Tuaupiki has at least four try assists on the season that I can recall including one from a deft banana grubber kick in Round Two against the Redcliffe Dolphins and three from sublime passes right at the defensive line.

If anything Taine Tuaupiki looks like he has put on a bit of size over the recent off season but a huge positive is that his outstanding speed off the mark has not been compromised at all nor has his elusiveness in general.

Taine Tuaupiki has started Rounds One and Two of the 2018 Colts competition for Burleigh at five eight and has been one of the best for Burleigh on each occasion including a sublime performance against Redcliffe in Round two.

Taine Tuaupiki’s Round One try came as a result of a great short ball to his right side to Titans linked second rower Apiata Neoma-Matenga who went through the line untouched before drawing the fullback and passing back inside to Taine Tuaupiki to score under the posts untouched for an outstanding Burleigh try.

Taine Tuaupiki’s try in Round Two against Redcliffe was as a result of a dummy where after receiving the ball two wide of the ruck on the right side he shaped to pass wider out and then exploded through a gap to score just wide of the right hand upright.

Over the course of the first three rounds Taine Tuaupiki seems to have forged a successful combination on the right side of the field with fellow Titans youngster Apiata Neoma-Matenga which I am sure will lead (and has already) to a lot of line breaks and tries for both over the course of the season.

Taine Tuaupiki started the 2017 season in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side and upon completion of the competition progressed to the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts Challenge side. From a representative perspective Taine Tuaupiki has represented South East Queensland at the U16 level in 2016 was one of the key reasons that Coombabah State High School had such a great GIO Cup run which finished in heart breaking fashion against Keebra Park.

For the 2017 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side Taine Tuaupiki played all six matches at half back including scoring in Round Two against Victoria. Immediately upon completion of the MM Cup competition, Taine Tuaupiki was drafted into the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts Challenge side and except for Round Six which he missed, he played every match. Taine Tuaupiki started Rounds One to Five at fullback scoring tries in Round Two against Easts, Round Three against Redcliffe and Round Five against Wynnum Manly.

Taine Tuaupiki switched to five eight in Round Seven, making an immediate impact scoring against the North’s Devils and except for Round Ten where he started from the interchange bench, Taine Tuaupiki started at five eight, scoring doubles in Round Eight against Ipswich and Round Thirteen in a comeback win against the Easts Tigers. Taine Tuaupiki also scored against the Sunshine Coast Falcons in Round Twelve. Taine Tuaupiki also started at five eight in Round Fourteen through Sixteen.

In the 2017 finals series Taine Tuaupiki started in Tweed Heads three matches, starting Week One at five eight before starting at half back in Tweed Heads second final and their Preliminary Final loss. Isaac Worboys started at five eight in the last two Seagulls Finals matches of 2017.

In 2016, Taine Tuaupiki played for Runaway Bay in the U17 Division One GCJRL competition where his side finished as the minor premiers, however they were beaten 18 – 12 in the Grand Final by Burleigh. Taine Tuaupiki started the 2016 Grand Final at half back.

Over the course of the 2016 U17 Division One season, Taine Tuaupiki scored five tries and conversion and field goal to finish with a total points tally of 23 on the season with the field goal coming in a semi-final against Burleigh.

In attack, Taine Tuaupiki’s speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice when you see him play, he has a dynamic initial burst off the mark. 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. His try in Round Two detailed above highlighted his speed off the mark.

Taine Tuaupiki 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.

Holding the ball out in front of his body in both hands enables Taine Tuaupiki to put doubt into the minds of the opposing defensive line and thus me can dummy and run if there is a gap in the defensive line or put his support runners into gaps. His 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 Taine Tuaupiki as he has a very good long passing technique which delivers the ball quickly and accurately to the right place at the right time from either side of his body.

The one thing that has stood out through the opening rounds of the U20 Colts competition this season is Taine Tuaupiki’s willingness to take the ball right to the line before passing. A couple of examples highlight this including a number of plays in Round Two against Redcliffe.

On one occasion, Taine Tuaupiki operating on the right popped a great short ball to New Zealand born centre Mikey Williams who as a result had a big 50 metre run down the field which led directly to a try to Reece Tapine on the opposite side of the field on the next play. Also against Redcliffe Taine Tuaupiki took the ball to the line and popped a short ball to Apiata Neoma-Matenga who scored after a barn storming run just right of the uprights at the ‘hill’ end of Pizzey Park.

I have noted a couple of very good plays from Taine Tuaupiki when he has been operating on the right side of the field, but it would be patently unfair to suggest that he cannot operate on the left equally effectively.

In Round One against the Sunshine Coast Falcons, Taine Tuaupiki in fact set up two tries down the left side of the field, on both occasions he got outside his opposite defender and presented left centre Jaxson Paulo with passes directly to his chest leading him onto the ball nicely. On the first occasion Jaxson Paulo scored untouched and the second Jaxson Paulo drew the Falcons winger for Reece Tapine to score also untouched.

Taine Tuaupiki also has a solid kicking game both from a tactical and attacking perspective and in Round two against Redcliffe got a try assist when in broken play and facing the sideline, Taine Tuaupiki put in a right footed banana grubber kick that was perfectly weighted to the in goal for Burleigh fullback Corey Alexander to dive on the ball in the in goal area and score.

In defence, Taine Tuaupiki reads the play very well 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. His additional size and strength this season has certainly assisted Taine Tuaupiki defensively this season.

Taine Tuaupiki will play the 2018 season out with the Burleigh Bear’s Colts side and a key member of the Titans Rookie Squad. Taine Tuaupiki is U20 Colts eligible once again in 2019.

Taking into account his speed off the mark and his solid passing skills, I am leaning towards half back as the ultimate landing sport for Taine Tuaupiki where if everything falls into place, he could develop into a dynamic runner of the ball from the half back position who could cause a degree of havoc towards the end of each half as opposing forward packs fatigue as well as being able to direct his team around the field and play within the game plan.

From a player comparison perspective for Taine Tuaupiki the speed, footwork, game management and passing skills of Parramatta Eels play maker Corey Norman are comparable. If anything Taine Tuaupiki’s passing skills and to a lesser extent his game management skills have already exceed that of Corey Norman.

Taine Tuaupiki is a young player of immense potential who has had an outstanding start to the 2018 rugby league season and appears destined for higher honours in rugby league and is on the fast track to an NRL berth almost certainly in the coming years. Let’s hope that it is a Titans jersey.

Through the first two rounds of the Hastings Deering’s U20 Cup competition and even though he is part of an outstanding side, Taine Tuaupiki has been an absolute stand out in his own right for Burleigh and the scary part is that Taine Tuaupiki has barely even scratched the surface of the immense potential that he possesses.

[mdrew]

Jese Smith-Shields. The young backrower from the Canberra region made to move to the Gold Coast to link with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Hastings Deering’s U20 side for 2018 and started at lock for their Round One clash against the Norths Devils at Bishop Park in Brisbane’s northern suburbs which Tweed Heads lost 20 – 10 in a hard fought encounter.

Jese Smith-Shields also started at lock in Round Two against Victoria unfortunately Tweed Heads were defeated in that game 36 – 16 and in Round Three against the Burleigh Bears he started from the interchange bench for Tweed Heads with the Seagulls winning 28 – 24 with Jese Smith-Shields scoring his first try of the season and his first try in the Seagulls black and white overall.

Jese Smith-Shields has had a good representative career in his junior days in New South Wales including being named in the second row for the 2016 New South Country U18 side as well as the U18 Group Eight side and in 2015 was part of the Australian Capital Territory U15 side that played in the U15 ASSRL Championships.

In 2017 Jese Smith-Shields played in the Canberra Raiders Cup First Grade competition playing in sixteen matches for the Gungahlin Bulls scoring four tries, the first of which came in late April against the Queanbeyan Blues. Jese Smith-Shields other three tries were as a result of a hat trick against the Belconnen United Sharks in mid-July 2017. Jese Smith-Shields lined up in the second row for Gungahlin.

In 2017, Jese Smith-Shields broke a record of sorts when he and his two brothers, one older and one younger were the first set of three brothers in the same First Grade side in the Canberra Raiders Cup competition.

In 2016 Jese Smith-Shields was part of the ACT U18 ASSRL side and scored against the Combined Affiliated States side which contained 2017 Titans NYC player, 2018 Titans Rookie Squad member Curtis Dansey-Smaller.

Running with the football, Jese Smith-Shields 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.

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. Jese Smith-Shields 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 region.

As noted Jese Smith-Shields is part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 squad in 2018 starting the first two Round Ones at lock and Round Three on the interchange bench.

With decent mobility and for his size, Jese Smith-Shields has the ideal skill set and physical characteristics to stay in the backrow for the remainder of his rugby league career.

From an NRL player comparison perspective for Jese Smith-Shields, consider how Melbourne Storms forward Christian Welch plays. Like Welch, Jese Smith-Shields is an all effort type of player, who will make the occasional error, but makes up for them with non-stop hard work and effort.

The Gold Coast has actually become a destination for players from the Canberra region looking for an opportunity, the most well-known being Titans NRL player Morgan Boyle but the likes of former Titans NYC players Trae Williams and Kody Parsons started off their careers in the Nation’s capital before heading up to the Gold Coast.

The 2018 season also sees Jese Smith-Shields joined by Gideon Afemui and Aublix Tawha on the Gold Coast playing for the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts side with all three being part of the Hastings Deerings U20 Colts Round One. Two and Three sides.

The Titans could certainly do worse than getting Jese Smith-Shields younger brother Harley up to the Gold Coast to join his older brother once he finishes school in Canberra at the end of this year. Harley Smith-Shields a centre is making a name for himself with Erindale College and the Canberra Raiders SG Ball side this year.

[mdrew]

Sean Garner. (Revised) He is a talented aggressive young backrower who is currently captaining the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts Hastings Deering’s side starting the first four rounds at lock for the Burleigh including their Round Three match on the weekend against local rivals the Tweed Heads Seagulls. Unfortunately after leading early the Bears were defeated 28 – 24 by Tweed Heads.

Sean Garner also started at lock for the Burleigh Bears Colts side in Round Four as they take on the South’s Logan Magpies at Pizzey Park this afternoon.

Sean Garner has already been singled out by his coach this season for his outstanding play and leadership skills especially in their Round One victory over the Sunshine Coast Falcons. Sean Garner also captained the Burleigh Colts side in 2017 highlighting the high regard that he is held in at the Bears, the club that he has played his entire career with.

Sean Garner is a former PBC student where he captained the schools Open Rugby League side and was part of the NSW U18 Emerging Origin Pathways program in 2016 as well as previously representing South Coast across a number of age groups. Sean Garner started with the Titans at the U13 level in their development squad, before moving to the Broncos for a number of seasons.

Sean Garner started off the 2017 rugby league season in the Colts State Wide Challenge Competition coming into the Burleigh side in Round Four starting off the interchange bench against South’s Logan before coming into the starting line at lock in Round Five against the Northern Pride and also playing at lock in Round Six.

Sean Garner showcased his leadership skills by captaining the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts Challenge side in 2017, in total playing nine of the sixteen rounds, starting at lock in all of the matches he played except for Round One where Sean Garner in fact started at half back after a late injury. In total across his nine Colts Challenge matches Sean Garner scored six tries including five from two matches against the Western Mustangs, In Round Three Sean Garner scored a hat trick against the Mustangs and in Round Nine he followed that up with a double. Sean Garner’s other try came in Round Two against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.

For Gold Coast Green in the MM Cup competition in 2016, Sean Garner played in five of the six games, missing Round Six. In the first three rounds Sean Garner scored tries which came against the Easts Tigers in Round One, Gold Coast White in Round Two and South’s Logan in Round Three. Over the course of the MM season, Sean Garner played both in the second row and centre, starting Rounds One and Three in the centres and the remaining rounds in the second row.

Sean Garner is a former PBC student where he captained the Open Rugby League side and represented South Coast in the 2016 QSSRL U18 schoolboy championships and from there was selected in the Queensland U18 Schoolboy side for the ASSRL U18 championships, another member of the Queensland side was Titans Rookie Squad member and current Burleigh Colts team mate Reihina Marsh.

On Day One of the ASSRL Championships, Sean Garner kicked two goals in a loss to New South Wales Combined High Schools and on Day Five scored a try and kicked three goals over the Combined States side which included Titans Rookie Squad member and Burleigh team mate Curtis Dansey-Smaller who played at fullback that match for Combined States.

Sean Garner 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 Sean Garner 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 Sean Garner 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 Sean Garner 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 Sean Garner’s 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 Sean Garner regularly is the first player up to target the ball carriers, even though he is not one of the bigger forwards (he is not small though) 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 Sean Garner 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.

Sean Garner will play out the 2018 rugby league season for the Burleigh Bears Colts side and it would not surprise at all to see Sean Garner also get an opportunity for Burleigh in the Queensland Cup competition later in the 2018 season, he is certainly big strong tough and aggressive enough to make an immediate impact.

I can see Sean Garner spending a year or two in the Queensland Cup competition and then getting a shot in the NRL. I am not saying that Sean Garner is going to play State of Origin etc, but he at the least has a solid long NRL career in front of him hopefully with the Titans.

Sean Garner also has the leadership potential not to be just an NRL captain but an NRL club captain and rugby league Ambassador as well. Leadership is one of those intangible qualities that you cannot teach and for Sean Garner it just comes naturally.

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 Sean Garner will not transition into a player who can play on both sides of the ruck. With his experience in the centres Sean Garner will also be able to fill in out wide for the next couple of seasons at least.

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.

Sean Garner is also an extremely efficient and effective defender as well as aggressive 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.

Sean Garner really does play with an aggressive streak and has outstanding leadership skills as well which is a rare combination, highlighting the fact that Sean Garner has maturity beyond his years.

[mdrew]

Reece Tapine. The former Sydney Roosters U18 SG Ball outside back has made every post a winner so far on the Gold Coast and was rewarded with a starting spot on the left wing for the Burleigh Bears U20 side for their Round One matches against the Sunshine Coast Falcons. Reece Tapine also started Rounds Two, Three and Four on the left wing. Burleigh have a bye this coming weekend and will be back playing in Round Six when they play fellow Titans aligned side the Western Mustangs at Beaudesert.

Reece Tapine’s debut was a good one scoring in Burleigh’s big 52 -22 victory over the Sunshine Coast Falcons. Reece Tapine also started on the left wing for Burleigh’s Round Two match against the Redcliffe Dolphins on the Gold Coast and once again scored to have a 100% strike rate after the first two rounds of the 2018 season. Reece Tapine also started Round Three on the left wing against the Tweed Heads Seagulls and Round Four against the South’s Logan Magpies on the Saturday just gone.

The former Springfield Panthers junior rugby league player played in two matches for the Sydney Roosters in the 2017 U18 SG Ball competition. In that competition the former Trinity College Beenleigh student played in matches against the Cronulla Sharks and the Penrith Panthers starting both matches being Rounds One and Two on the wing.

The Sydney Roosters signed Reece Tapine from the Ipswich region where he played for the Springfield Panthers with his last year there being the 2016 season representing the Panthers in the Ipswich U17 competition scoring eleven tries from just thirteen matches. For the Springfield Panthers, Reece Tapine spent the vast majority of his playing time in the centres.

Reece Tapine also represented Trinity College with distinction across a number of seasons including at the Open level in the 2015 QISSRL Confraternity Shield Division Two competition as a 16 year old starring against St Joseph’s Assumption College when he scored a double starting in the centres.

Reece Tapine’s Round One try against the Sunshine Coast Falcons came as a result of him maintaining his position and spacing. It was not a spectacular try in the context of a dive for the corner and so forth but as the ball went to the left through the hands of Titans due five eight Taine Tuaupiki and left centre Jaxon Paulo, Reece Tapine stayed on his wing and did not over run the ball to make it easy for Jaxson Paulo (who was outstanding on the day and on eh season for that matter) to draw and pass to send Reece Tapine over in the left corner untouched.

Reece Tapine’s try in Round Two against the Redcliffe Dolphins can also be put down to his positioning. After a long break by Burleigh and with the Redcliffe defence all over the place it would have been easy for Reece Tapine to come in from the left wing looking to be the hero, but instead he stayed on his wing.

Burleigh half back Harry Fitzhugh got the ball from the dummy half and seeing Reece Tapine out wide to the left unmarked put in a deft chip which Reece Tapine took easily on the full to cross untouched and was even able to bring the ball around to near the posts to make the conversion a lot easier for Jaxson Paulo.

Whilst in does not have a great deal of speed off the mark, Reece Tapine does have above average 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 support players, by committing the fullback before off-loading.

Reece Tapine also has a more than 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.

Reece Tapine 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.

Reece Tapine 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 Reece Tapine is just solid defensively there is really no other word to describe it.

As noted Reece Tapine is part of the Burleigh Bears U20 squad in 2018 and has started on the left wing for the Burleigh Bears in all four rounds of the 2018 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition. Reece Tapine will also be eligible for Colts once again in 2019.

Whilst he has spent some of his junior rugby league career in the centres I think that where he is playing for Burleigh Colts, being the left wing is his best position in terms of the utilisation of his key skills being his straight line speed and discipline in terms of the positioning and spacing.

From a player comparison perspective for Reece Tapine, think of someone like St George Dragons and New Zealand International Shaun Nightingale as an extremely competent winger who may not make highlight reel plays on a regular basis but quietly does what needs to be done in terms of safe hands, positioning and spacing.

Reece Tapine is a quietly effective player will not make mistakes either with his hands or his positioning and will also be a regular contributor on the score board from a try scoring perspective. He is definitely not a flashy winger like say Canberra Raiders winger Jordan Rapana but Reece Tapine is an effective one none the less.

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Gideon Afemui. The young second rower and former Erindale College student from the Canberra Raiders made to move to the Gold Coast to link with the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Hastings Deerings side for 2018 and started from the interchange bench for their Round One clash against the Norths Devils at Bishop Park.

Gideon Afemui also started on the inter change bench in Tweed Heads Round Two match against Victoria in Melbourne and broke into the starting line-up at lock in Tweed Heads 28 – 24 come from behind victory against the Burleigh Bears. With Tweed Heads having a bye in Round Four, Gideon Afemui will be back in action in Round Five when the Tweed Heads Seagulls head to Townsville to take on the Blackhawks on Saturday, for that match Gideon Afemui has been named on an extended interchange bench.

Gideon Afemui started the 2017 season off in the U18 SG Ball competition for the Canberra Raiders playing in seven matches, starting either in the second row or from the interchange bench. Gideon Afemui crossed for two tries over the course of the seven SG Ball matches that he was involved in with the tries coming against the North Sydney Bears and the Illawarra Steelers in Round Nine.

Post the 2017 SG Ball competition Gideon Afemui played for the Queanbeyan Kangaroos in the Canberra Raiders Cup competition playing in seven U18 matches and twelve in the First Grade competition.

Across his seven U18 matches Gideon Afemui scored one try which came in his first U18 match of the season against the Tuggeranong Bushrangers. On five occasions Gideon Afemui played in the U18 match before backing up for the First Grade contest later in the day.

Gideon Afemui made his First Grade debut for the Queanbeyan Kangaroo’s against the Gungahlin Bulls in late April. Through his twelve Fist Grade matches Gideon Afemui had a 67% strike rate with eight tries including scoring in all five of his 2017 First Grade matches which were against the Gungahlin Bulls, Belconnen United Sharks, Goulburn Workers Bulldogs, Yass Magpies and the Woden Valley Rams.

Later in the 2017 season Gideon Afemui scored again against the Belconnen United Sharks and in the last round scored a double against the Woden Valley Rams to round out his 2017 First Grade try scoring.

Running with the football, Gideon Afemui 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.

Gideon Afemui 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.

In defence Gideon Afemui 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. 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 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.

Gideon Afemui will also track the ball across the field and just needs to ensure that he stays vigilant when the ball is moved further out and continue to cover the inside channel so that he is not caught out of the ball is passed back inside.

As noted Gideon Afemui is part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 squad in 2018 starting Round One against the Norths Devils from the interchange bench as well as Round Two against Victoria before breaking into the Seagulls starting line-up for Round Three against Burleigh and is eligible for the U20 competition once again of 2019.

From what I understand Gideon Afemui has been a second rower his entire rugby league career to date and with how he has started the 2018 season in that position I cannot see any compelling reason for that scenario to alter anytime soon based on the opening rounds of the 2018 U20 Hastings Deering’s Cup.

The Gold Coast has actually become a rugby league destination for players from the Canberra region looking for an opportunity, the most well-known being Titans NRL player Morgan Boyle but the likes of former Titans NYC players Trae Williams and Kody Parsons started off their careers in the Nation’s capital before heading up to the Gold Coast.

The 2018 season also sees Gideon Afemui joined by Aublix Tawha and Jese Smith-Shields on the Gold Coast playing for the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts side with all three being part of the Seagulls side for the opening three rounds as well as all three being named for this weekend’s match against the Townsville Blackhawks.

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Kel Sheather. (Revised) The talented young half may still be eligible to play in the MM Cup competition and in fact was named in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad for this season late last year, but in fact has by-passed the U18 competition all together and commenced the 2018 season as the starting half back for the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts side and scored a good try in Round One against the North’s Devils when he split the North’s defence from around ten metres out.

Kel Sheather also started Rounds Two where he had a try assist and Three against Victoria and Burleigh respectively at half back. Kel Sheather has primarily played on the left side of the field so far this season for the Tweed Heads Seagulls. Round Three against Burleigh once again saw Kel Sheather lead Tweed Heads around the field well especially in the second half with the Seagulls coming from behind to beat their local rivals by four points with two late tries.

Kel Sheather will be back in action this coming weekend when the Tweed Heads Seagulls head north to take on the Townsville Blackhawks on Saturday morning where he has once again been named at half back.

The St Johns College Woodlawn half back in 2017 plyed his trade for the Ballina Seagulls in the NRRRL Northern Rivers Rugby League competition playing both first grade and U18’s this season as well as playing for St College Woodlawn in a number of Schoolboy competitions including the GIO Cup. Kel Sheather set up a great try in the semi-finals of the New South Wales Catholic Cup schoolboy competition when a great kick of his in the wet found the chest of centre Jordan Sly but a late try resulted in a 14 – 10 loss to Sydney’s Holy Cross Ryde.

Kel Sheather also scored a 100 metre try and was singled out for special praise by his coach in Woodlawn’s New South Wales GIO Cup Grand Final victory over Patrician Brothers Fairfield in Sydney in late August.

Kel Sheather in 2017 played ten matches in the U18 NRRRL competition scoring 52 points from five tries and sixteen goals. All of his tries have been scored in different games and came against Tweed Coast on two separate occasions, Byron Bay, Casino RSM and Kyogle. Kel Sheather also played nine NRRRL first grade matches and scored in his third first grade match against Byron Bay.

In 2016 Kel Sheather started from the bench for the Northern Country Combined Catholic College side in the NSW CCC trials. Over the last couple of years, the young halfback has not played a great deal of club rugby league for his club side the Ballina Seagulls but has played a fair amount of matches, including the National GIO Cup competition with St Johns College Woodlawn.

Kel Sheather came to prominence in the green of Woodlawn last year when he was part of the NSW CCC Cup Woodlawn side that made the semi-finals of that competition last year. That side included former Titan Sam Elliot and Zac Beecher who has previously played in the MM Cup competition of the Gold Coast.

In attack his initial burst of speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice when you see him play, he has a dynamic initial burst however he does not have an extra gear to move to when he is in open space. Coupled with a very good step off both feet, although he seems to step off his right foot on a more regular basis, his speed enables him to make breaks however his lack of plus top end speed does impact on his ability to score from his own breaks.

Kel Sheather’s initial burst off the mark was the primary reason for his try in Round One against the North’s Devils. He received the ball on the left side of the play the ball about ten metres out from the North’s line. Kel Sheather ran across field with the ball out in front of him in both hands and when the North’s defensive line hesitated not knowing whether he would run or pass, Kel Sheather stepped off his left foot and exploded through a small gap to score with the North’s fullback trying in vain to make the tackle as Kel Sheather dived across the line to score near the left upright.

Kel Sheather 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, like he did against North’s.

A good left foot step in Round Two against the Victorian Thunderbolts highlighted the effectiveness of his step to create opportunities. With a couple of minutes to go in the match, Kel Sheather took the ball on the field (where he has primarily played) stepped off his left foot to elude a defender who had rushed out of the line and then popped a good short inside ball to Ben Thomas who scored near the posts. The try from Kel Sheather’s perspective involved good footwork in limited space and then appropriate timing, direction and weight on his pass to set up Ben Thomas’s try.

In previous year’s he has run quite a lot but last year and so far this season he has seemingly taken a step back and become more of an organising type of halfback, but he still takes on the line when he sees an opportunity as was evidenced in Round One against North’s.

At present, one area for him to continue to develop is his play making skills, including putting his runners holes gaps. I am not suggesting that play making skills are currently under developed but an improvement in that area will enable his speed and footwork to play better in game situations as defensive lines start to focus in his runners and thus leave more space for him.

Kel Sheather continues to refine his passing especially to his left and has thrown a number of good passes this season, none more so than a good long spiral to left centre Lee Turner which put him outside his defender and then Lee Turner just had to draw the winger and pass Gerard Ah Nau for his first try in the left corner and his first in Seagulls colours since his move from Group 20.

From a goal kicking perspective, he is very effective near the posts, his strike rate last year was a touch above 90% and will have his moments where he kicks then in bunches from the sideline as well. I am not sure whether he will be a team’s primary goal kicker going forward, but it is certainly not out of the question that he will not be either.

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 fringes 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 against wide running back rowers.

As noted even though he was named in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup quad he has played the opening rounds of the season in the Tweed Heads Colts side and has not let anybody down at all. Based on this I would envisage that he will continue to be part of the Tweed Heads Colts side for the remainder of this season. Kel Sheather will then have two years of Colts eligibility starting in 2019.

From a position perspective, Kel Sheather is making a good fist of half back and even after a couple of Rounds he clearly has made great strides in his game management and ball playing skills and thus there is no reason to consider a move from half back.

With his evolving game management and ball playing skills to compliment his running game a Nathan Cleary comparison is not unwarranted. Like Cleary Kel Sheather is also a very good goal kicker.

Kel Sheather has had a very good start to the 2018 season and certainly has an intriguing skill set and has come on in leaps and bounds this season in Colts and has adapted to the size and speed of the older players he is up against very quickly indeed. Kel Sheather certainly has had to deal with a steep learning curve this season but he has handled it with aplomb.

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Ben Thomas. (Revised) He is a local Titans contracted youngster originally from the Beaudesert Kingfishers Junior Rugby League club who plays in the second row although he has spent some time in the centres in 2017 and in the front row this season for Tweed Heads Colts, through the opening three rounds. For Round Five, Ben Thomas has been named in the second row for the Seagulls match against the Blackhawks in Townsville tomorrow.

After taking a knock in a trial at Waterford where he left the field against South’s Logan it was good to see Ben Thomas start the 2018 season being named in the front row for the opening three rounds of the Hastings Deering’s U20 Colts competition for the Tweed heads Seagulls and in Round Two against the Victorian Thunderbolts in Melbourne scored a second half double in the Seagulls 36 – 16 loss. Ben Thomas will be back in action tomorrow when the Tweed Heads Seagulls head north to take on the Townsville Blackhawks at Jack Manski Oval.

Ben Thomas started off the 2017 season representing the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the MM Cup competition before moving to the Tweed Heads U20 Colts Challenge side and also making his NYC debut for the Titans in Round Fifteen against South Sydney.

In addition to the match against South Sydney in Round Fifteen, Ben Thomas also played in Round Sixteen against the Wests Tigers on both occasions coming off the interchange bench. Ben Thomas only played 26 minutes in Round Fifteen and 24 in Round Sixteen but the experience was I am sure invaluable. Against South Sydney Ben Thomas ran for 47 metres on seven hit-ups and also made twelve tackles without missing any. Against the Wests Tigers, Ben Thomas took two hit-ups for fourteen metres and also made eight tackles.

For Tweed Heads in the MM Cup competition in 2017 Ben Thomas only played in one match but he certainly made the most of it with a second half hat trick in Round Seven against the North’s Devils when he started from the interchange bench.

Ben Thomas started the first five rounds of the 2017 U20 Colts Challenge competition in the second row for the Tweed Heads Seagulls but missed a fair bit of the season with injury but he was able to make it back for the Round Fifteen clash against the Western Mustangs.

In the first five rounds Ben Thomas had a big impact scoring four tries including a double in Round Three against Redcliffe and tries in Round Two against Easts and in Round Five against Wynnum Manly. Ben Thomas also scored in all three of Tweed’s final’s matches in 2017 when he scored against Redcliffe, Easts and Norths. In total in 2017 Ben Thomas played in ten U20 Colts matches starting all in the second row, scoring eight tries in the process.

In 2016 Ben Thomas was part of the Gold Coast White MM side who progressed all the way to the semi-finals before being beaten 13 – 10 by North’s. Ben Thomas scored four tries in the MM Cup competition for Gold Coast White in 2016, scoring doubles in Round Five against Gold Coast Green with both tries coming in the second half and Round Seven against the Easts Tigers. Of the eight matches that he played in the MM competition, Ben Thomas started six from the interchange bench including the two semi-finals. Ben Thomas’s first start was in Round Six against South’s Logan, he also started the Round Seven class against the Easts Tigers before playing the two semi-finals off the bench.

Upon completion of the MM competition in 2016, Ben Thomas transitioned back to the U17 Division One competition with the Beaudesert Kingfishers, where a team mate was fellow Gold Coast White player and fellow Tians contract local junior Charlie Gee. For the Kingfishers Ben Thomas played in eight matches and scored against Currumbin.

In 2015, Ben Thomas a stellar year in CC competition finishing with a team leading eight tries across the games and winning the Queensland Cyril Connell Cup player of the year award. As a result of his good form in the CC competition, he was selected on the bench for the Queensland U16 side who went on to defeat NSW in Sydney in a State of Origin curtain raiser. Titan’s team mates that night were winger (now backrower) Reihana Marsh and second rower Darius Farmer.

Ben Thomas also started at lock for the U16 Titans development squad in their 2015 against Samoa, where with Titans contracted Darius Farmer he was the Titans best for me in conditions best suited for forwards. He was also named best forward when the Titans U15 development squad played the Wests Tigers late in 2014. Balmain forward Paul Sironan was the judge of the player awards that night.

Ben Thomas 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. As a result of his foot work he does seem to get hit high reasonably often as defenders are not able to react quickly enough to the change in the directional aspects of his running.

These critical attributes mean that Ben Thomas 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. In the Samoan game in late 2015 you could see how his running angles changed as the game progressed from a duration perspective as well as momentum perspective.

As opposing forwards tire his directional changes go from cutting to the fringes of the ruck to cutting back behind the play the ball as gaps appear as forwards becoming increasingly slower to get back into the defensive line due to fatigue.

Late in the Round Two Colts competition this season, Ben Thomas took advantage of a gap on the fringes of the ruck to score his second try of the day for the Seagulls. Tweed half Kel Sheather took the ball wide of the ruck, stepped a defender and sent a good inside ball to Ben Thomas who had run a good line into a big gap and was able to outpace the inside defenders and crash over near the posts in the Victorian fullback’s tackle.

Ben Thomas’s defensive technique revolves around timing and execution. Ben Thomas’s head placement is always correctly positioned and he always drives with his shoulder and never just jersey grabs. Ben Thomas also tackles with both shoulders effectively as well. The impressive thing for me also is that Ben Thomas never seems to bounce off the ball when he makes a front on tackle meaning his target area and the ability to hit the area on a regular basis is exceptional and quite rare in the modern version of rugby league.

Another defensive aspect that I have noted is that Ben Thomas does not just make one tackle at a time, he makes a series of tackles one after another all as clinical and effective as the one before. 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.

For the remainder of the 2018 season, Ben Thomas will be a member of the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts squad and will continue to be a key contributor of that side as well. Ben Thomas is also Colts eligible again in 2019.

Whilst Ben Thomas has played in the front row (or at least been named there) for the opening rounds of this season I see no reason why he will not stay in the back row where he has played all of his junior football bar some brief stints in the centres in recent seasons.

Ben Thomas has the look of a very talented youngster with a playing style similar to that of St George Dragons second rower Tyson Fizzell as a powerful and hard runner on the fringes of the ruck and one who also has a hard edge defensively coupled with a very determined attitude.

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Tyronne Roberts-Davis. (Revised) The young former Keebra Park student and Australian School boy has been with the Titans since he was just 15 years of age and in Round two of 2017 made his NRL debut starting on the right wing in a 34 – 26 loss to the Newcastle Knights in the steel city, including scoring on debut. Tyronne Roberts –Davis was also part of the Titans Auckland Nines squad in 2017. From a trivia perspective Tyronne Roberts-Davis is the cousin of former Titan and current Bronco 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 in 2017 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 was credited with 388 metres gained from 49 hit ups, made two line breaks, two off loads and twenty eight tackles at a tackling efficiency of approximately 75%. His 2017 NRL per game averages included running for 64.7 metres on 8.2 carries and 4.7 tackles.

To date in the 2018 season Tyronne Roberts-Davis has started on the left wing for Burleigh in the Queensland Cup in all of his matches and has performed exceptionally well including scoring four tries from just three matches to date at a strike rate of 133% after he missed Round One.

Tyronne Roberts-Davis has also been named in the Titans NRL extended bench on a number of occasions including for this weekend’s match against Manly and will line up on the left wing again in Round Five of the Queensland Cup tomorrow when Burleigh head north to play the Central Queensland Capra’s in Gladstone in a curtain raiser to the Titans/Manly NRL match.

Tyronne Roberts-Davis’s four tries came in Round Two against the Redcliffe Dolphins, Round Three against Tweed Heads and a double in Round Four last weekend against the Souths Logan Magpies where Tyronne Roberts-Davis’s speed enabled him to cross both tries in the corner in the first half.

In Round Two against Redcliffe Tyronne Roberts-Davis’s try came as a result of a great cut-out pass by Burleigh half back Jamal Fogerty who found Tyronne Roberts-Davis hugging the left touch line for an easy try for the Titans contracted youngster. In Round Three his try came in the wet when he dived over in the left corner under immense defensive pressure after an off load.

Last weekend both of Tyronne Roberts-Davis’s tries were as a result of back line moves to the left by the Bears when Tyronne Roberts-Davis received the ball early and outpaced the cover defence to score in the left corner. Both of those tries were scored in the first half as Burleigh ran out 40 – 28 winners against Souths Logan. On both occasions Tyronne Roberts-Davis displayed outstanding pace and instincts as well as a safe pair of hands.

To date in 2018 in the Queensland Cup for the Burleigh Bears through his first three matches Tyronne Roberts –Davis has run for 297 metres at an average of 99 metres per match and made three tackles at an average of 1 per game all whilst playing all 80 minutes per game on the left wing. Tyronne Roberts –Davis also has made 82 of his running metres post contact being 27.61% of his total running metres, has four line breaks and broken nine tackles.

In his Queensland Cup debut in Round Two against Redcliffe Tyronne Roberts-Davis ran for 101 metres, 35 of those post contact from ten runs and made two tackles missing none. Tyronne Roberts-Davis was also credited with one line break and four tackle breaks.

In the Round Three local derby Tyronne Roberts-Davis ran for 78 metres, 29 of those post contact from eleven carries and one tackle with no missed tackles. Tyronne Roberts-Davis was also credited with one line break and five tackle breaks.

Last weekend Tyronne Roberts-Davis in addition to his two tries ran for 118 metres, 18 of those post contact from eight carries. Tyronne Roberts-Davis was also credited with two line breaks.

The table below compares Tyronne Roberts –Davis’s 2017 NYC and NRL per game averages and his 2018 Queensland Cup averages:

2017 NYC 2017 NRL 2018 Q Cup

Games played 10 6 3

Minutes per game 80 80 80

Runs per game 11.4 8 9.5

Metres made per game 128 65 99

Tackles per game 5 5 1

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.

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. The evidence in relation to this is incontrovertible after his double last weekend against Souths Logan.

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 over the last season or two 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 this season for the Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup.

Tyrone Roberts-Davis has been outstanding in the opening rounds of the Queensland Cup this season for the Burleigh Bears playing on the left wing and will be in the mix for an NRL wing spot with the Titans in 2018 if injuries or a loss of form impact on the NRL wingers.

Of course the way that Phillip Sami is playing on the left wing in the NRL this season for the Titans means that he may have to wait for his opportunity but Tyrone Roberts-Davis has experience playing right wing, including six NRL matches last season and is clearly in Gareth Brennan thoughts after playing in both NRL trials earlier in the season and being named on the extended NRL bench on a number of occasions.

Over the course of his rugby league career to date, Tyronne Roberts –Davis has played fullback, centre and on the wing, both left and right 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 188cm and 96kg 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 more than Anthony Don as well for that matter)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 and he is an out and out try scorer and tackle breaker as well.

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Tyronne Roberts –Davis with a double this afternoon for Burleigh as they defeated CQ Capras 28-20.

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Jaxson Paulo. (Revised) The Gold Coast Titans Rookie Squad member has made an outstanding start to the 2018 season as part of the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts side where he has started all four of their 2018 matches to date at left centre.

As a result of his outstanding training performances with the Titans Rookie Squad, Jaxson Paulo also spent some time training with the Titans NRL squad over the off-season along with fellow Rookie Squad member Curtis Dansey-Smaller.

In addition to scoring In Round One against the Sunshine Coast Falcons when he crossed untouched after running a good line off a Taine Tuaupiki pass, Jaxson Paulo also set up his winger Reece Tapine for an easy try when he was able to run onto a great pass by five eight Taine Tuaupiki and draw the winger for Reece Tapine to cross untouched in the left corner.

The work of Jaxson Paulo in the try may have looked easy but it wasn’t. First Jaxson Paulo had to stay in his position when the prescribed play broke down on the inside, anticipate that Taine Tuaupiki was going to beat his direct opponent, stay onside as Taine Tuaupiki broke free and then draw the winger Sunshine Coast Falcons winger who was coming out of the line quickly looking to shut down Jaxon Paulo’s time. Jaxson Paulo executed all aspects of play precisely and timed appropriately.

Jaxson Paulo’s try came as a result of him staying wide when in broken play five eight Taine Tuaupiki got on the outside of his defender a put a great ball on Jaxon Paulo’s chest for him to score untouched in the left corner.

In Round Two against Redcliffe Jaxson Paulo also kicked two conversions to have eight points in the early going this season. Point’s tallies don’t tell the whole story however, in short Jaxson Paulo has been outstanding through the opening rounds of the Colts competition this season.

The Round Three clash against the Tweed Heads Seagulls saw Jaxon Paulo cross for a double in Burleigh’s four point loss to their local rivals, scoring a try in each half and for that matter being outstanding over the course of the entire match.

Jaxson Paulo’s first try came as a result of a back line move by Burleigh inside Tweed Heads 20 metre line. When the ball got out to Jaxson Paulo on the left side of the field he was able to get outside his opposing centre and hold him off with his right arm to score in the corner.

Jaxson Paulo’s try in the second half could not have been more different to the first. With Burleigh attacking two metres out from the Seagulls try line, Burleigh hooker Zac McCormack went to a short five metre blind side passing to Jaxson Paulo. Jaxson Paulo received the ball three or four metres out from the try line and about the same distance from the left side line. Jaxson Paulo got low disrupting the centre of gravity of the Seagulls defender to barge over for his second try of the afternoon.

In 2017 Jaxson Paulo made his NYC debut for the Titans after starting off the 2017 rugby league season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side before transitioning to Tweed Heads U20 Colts Challenge before making his NYC debut in Round 22 in a 36-34 loss against the Brisbane Broncos. In that match Jaxson Paulo played 35 minutes making 46 metres from five runs also making two tackles and off-loading the ball on one occasion.

In addition to his Round Twenty Two debut, Jaxson Paulo played two more NYC matches in 2017 being Round Twenty Five against the Bulldogs and Round Twenty Six against the Sydney Roosters, he started both of those matches on the left wing, playing all 80 minutes on both occasions and scoring against the Bulldogs at Cbus. In total in the NYC in 2017, Jaxson Paulo ran for 197 metres from 20 hit-ups and made five tackles. In the Round Twenty Five home clash against the Bulldogs Jaxon Paulo ran for 115 metres making a line break in the process of making those metres.

After the conclusion of the 2017 club season Jaxson Paulo started on the wing for the New Zealand U18 side in their match against the Australian Schoolboys in September a team mate that afternoon was Titans contracted youngster Darius Farmer. Just prior to that International match Jaxson Paulo scored for New Zealand Taurahere (NZ Australian based players) against the U18 New Zealand Domestic based players.

Jaxson Paulo whilst he was part of the Tweed Heads MM Cup squad did not feature in any of their matches but started off his 2017 rugby league season in Round One of the U20 Colts Challenge competition starting on the wing in Round One against Souths Logan. Jaxson Paulo has only missed one of Tweed Heads U20 Colts matches being Round Thirteen a when he was making his NYC debut. Outside of Round Four when he started in the centres Jaxson Paulo has started every match for the Tweed Heads Seagulls on the left wing.

Jaxson Paulo went on a great try scoring run mid-season for the Tweed Colts side scoring doubles in four consecutive rounds prior to his NYC debut, no wonder he got an NYC debut just after that! In relation to the doubles, Jaxson Paulo scored them against Ipswich in Round Eight, against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in Round Nine, against the Burleigh Bears in Round Ten and against the Sunshine Coast Falcons in Round Twelve. Jaxson Paulo scored his ninth try of the U20 Colts Challenge competition when he scored in the corner against the Redcliffe Dolphins. This try can be seen at around the 3 minute mark of the highlights package posted on the QRL Official Site.

The young Keebra Park player played a major part in Keebra Park’s 2016 GIO Cup campaign which unfortunately ended with a tough loss in the National Final and also played well for Gold Coast White in the MM Cup competition where White made it all the way to the semi-final portion of that competition before being defeated 13 – 10 by North’s.

In the MM Cup competition in 2016 Jaxson Paulo played all bar one of GC Whites matches, missing Round Seven but was back for the quarter final the following week. Jaxson Paulo was also part of the South West team that played in the QSSRL U18 Championships where he was selected on the bench. Jaxson Paulo was also selected in the Team Toa side for a match between New South Wales and Queensland based NZ players. That afternoon, whilst Team Toa was beaten, Jaxon Paulo scored both of Team Toa’s tries.

For Keebra Park Jaxson Paulo was part of their 2016 GIO Cup campaign including scoring two tries in their Semi-final victory over Ignatius Park. For GC White in the MM competition in 2016, Jaxon Paulo scored four tries, including three in their Quarter Final victory over Ipswich and also another against South’s Logan in Round Six. For GC White, Jaxson Paulo split time between centre and wing, playing the first three rounds in the centres and the remaining matches on the wing, including the two finals matches.

Jaxson Paulo played the majority of the 2016 season in the centres both for Keebra Park and Gold Coast White in the MM competition and in that position, is a big strong runner of the football. He has however also played in the back row in previous years, including playing there for the U16 Titans Development Squad in a match against Samoa late in 2015 when he came off the interchange bench after an early injury.

Whilst in does not have a great deal of speed off the mark, Jaxson Paulo does have decent top end speed once he gets moving and can break tackles by running over his direct opposite defender as well as 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.

An area that has really impressed me through the early rounds of this season in relation to Jaxson Paulo is his ability to set up his winger down the touchline. On a number of occasions already this season Jaxon Paulo has put his left winger, being Reece Tapine into acres of space including in Round One against the Sunshine Coast Falcons when Jaxon Paulo expertly drew the Redcliffe winger and put the ball on Reece Tapine’s chest for him to score in the left corner untouched.

When he plays second row, he has got very good feet, in terms of not just charging straight at the set defensive line. He uses foot work before and after the defensive line to assist in breaking tackles and as the video shows he is adept at offloading in traffic. In terms of his attacking skills, he has the skills at this point in time to play either centre or second row.

In terms of his defence, he obviously during the course of this year, has defended both in the edge of the ruck and well as in the middle of the ruck. He was effective in both situations. One area that game him some slight issues was defending against smaller quicker centres, when defending out in the backline, but in saying that he is still quite effective as a defender in the backline.

Jaxson Paulo’s initial contact is solid, especially when he is defending in the centres, and is more than enough to stop the momentum of the ball carrier. He is also effective at wrapping the ball up and preventing offloads. Due to his current attributes he is more effective when his team is using an up and in style of defensive strategy.

Jaxson Paulo continue to be part of the Burleigh Bears U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts Challenge side for the remainder of the 2018 season and will be Colts eligible once again in 2019. I would anticipate that in 2019 Jaxson Paulo will be a permanent member of the Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup squad similar to Jai Whitbread this season who whilst still U20 Colts eligible has played the entire season to date in the Queensland Cup.

Towards the end of this season, it would not surprise if Jaxson Paulo got a game or two in the Queensland Cup with the Seagulls. If he does he is likely to play on the wing and regardless of the step up in class and experience I am sure that he would still be an attacking threat.

I think that ultimately he ends up in the back row, but not necessarily immediately, I certainly think that for the next couple of years, he will still be able to handle playing in the centres, but I think that by the time he gets to the senior level, he will likely transition to the back row full time where he will be a tall, rangy, mobile, wide running backrower who will also be a solid goal kicker.

From a style perspective think of someone like the Brisbane Broncos and Queensland State of Origin winger Cory Oates as a player who can give a team a real attacking edge through multiple avenues and also be versatile enough to move between the two wide back line positions of centre and wing and be equally effective in both positions.

Unlike Oates though, who I think is a second rower doing very well on the wing, I think that Jaxson Paulo is first a foremost a centre who overtime may very well move into the second row and continue to perform well. Even though it is not set in stone, I can envisage a career time line for Jaxson Paulo along the lines of former Queensland great Gene Miles, in terms of starting out an outstanding centre who developed over time into a talented rangy second rower.

I saying that, I hope that Jaxson Paulo stays in the centres for the entire season and longer as he has made a great start at left centre and if his form holds he has the opportunity to cement a spot for the next couple of seasons including a progression to the Queensland Cup and then onto the NRL with the Titans on an accelerated timeline.

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Apiata Neoma-Matenga (Revised) He is a local young second rower who has had a solid 2017 NYC campaign with the Titans and was rewarded with being selected on an extended bench for the Titans final NRL match of the season against the Sydney Roosters. He did not however make his NRL debut that afternoon late last year. Apitia Neoma-Matenga has also had the honour of captaining the Titans NYC side in 2017 and spent the pre-Christmas off-season training with the Titans NRL squad.

Apitia Neoma-Matenga is part of the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts side in 2018, starting the first four rounds of the competition in the second row with the Bears currently having a two – two win/loss record after wins in Rounds One and Two against Sunshine Coast and Redcliffe and a 28 – 24 loss to Tweed Heads in the local derby a fortnight ago. Apitia Neoma-Matenga lined up in the second row against South’s Logan in Round Four at Pizzey Park with Burleigh losing 24 – 10.

So far in the competition Apitia Neoma-Matenga has scored a try and set up another, both instances occurring in Round Two against the Redcliffe Dolphins at Pizzey Park on the Gold Coast.

Apitia Neoma-Matenga’s try in that match came purely as a result of a powerful barn storming run. Apitia Neoma-Matenga who has been lining up on the right side and took a pass off Burleigh five eight Taine Tuaupiki and simply steam rolled over the couple of Redcliffe defenders score just to the right of the goal posts.

Apitia Neoma-Matenga’s try assist came once again on the right side of the field. Running a good inside shoulder route Apitia Neoma-Matenga took a great flat pass off Taine Tuaupiki once again, going through the Redcliffe line untouched about twenty metres out, Apitia Neoma-Matenga could have easily taken on the fullback himself but instead he drew the fullback and passed back to his left to Taine Tuaupiki who was backing up for the young five eight to score under the posts to extend the Burleigh lead.

Apitia Neoma-Matenga has already established a very good combination with Taine Tuaupiki on the right hand side of the field and over the course of this season there is no doubt both will benefit greatly from it, as will the entire Burleigh Bears Colts team.

The table below compares Apitia Neoma-Matenga’s 2016 and 2017 NYC per game averages:

2016 2017

Minutes per game 40 72

Runs per game 5.5 8.1

Metres made per game 62.5 74.1

Tackles per game 17.5 20.8

Over the course of the 2017 NYC season Apitia Neoma-Matenga played in 23 of the Titans 26 matches scoring five tries which came against the Parramatta Eels in Round Three, the Cowboys in Rounds Four, against the Raiders in Round Six, and in Rounds Sixteen and Seventeen against the Wests Tigers and St George respectively. Of the 23 matches that he featured in Apitia Neoma-Matenga started every match in the second row except for two matches where he started at lock being Rounds Four and Ten.

In total Apitia Neoma-Matenga spent 1,657 minutes on the field for the Titans NYC side in 2018 which equates to a per game average of approximately 72 minutes per game with Apitia Neoma-Matenga playing the entire 80 minutes on 18 occasions. Apitia Neoma-Matenga was on the field for every minute from Rounds Seventeen to Twenty-five inclusive.

Apitia Neoma-Matenga’s 2017 season per game averages included 74 run metres on eight carries and 21 tackles at a tackling efficiency of just over 80%. On six occasions in 2018 Apitia Neoma-Matenga ran for in excess of 100 metres in a match with his “best” effort coming against the Wests Tigers in Round Twenty-One when he ran for 151 metres on just nine carries. From a defensive perspective in Round Seventeen against the Dragons Apitia Neoma-Matenga made 35 tackles.

Apitia Neoma-Matenga made his NYC debut in Round 17 of the 2016 season against the New Zealand Warriors from the inter change bench, playing 33 minutes in his debut and taking a heavy knock to the head. Apitia Neoma-Matenga then kept his position in the 17 for the remainder of the season, playing five matches off the inter change bench and the other four matches starting at lock.

Apitia Neoma-Matenga scored his first and only NYC try for the year in Round 19 against Parramatta. Apitia Neoma-Matenga in his nine NYC matches averaged just on 40 minutes per game with the most minutes being against the Penrith Panthers in Round 25 when he played the remainder of the match after coming off the inter change bench in the 19th minute of the first half.

In his nine matches in 2016 Apitia Neoma-Matenga averaged 62.5 run metres per match on 5.5 hit ups and 17.5 tackles. His best match purely from a total run metre perspective came on his debut when he ran for 117 metres and tackling wise in his starting debut in Round 19 against St George, he made 28 tackles. Apitia Neoma-Matenga however did miss 31 tackles but I would agree that had more to do with his over enthusiasm rather than a defensive positioning or technique deficiency.

For Gold Coast White in the 2016 MM competition, Apitia Neoma-Matenga played in all of Gold Coast White’s matches including their quarter and semi-finals scoring one try which came against the Ipswich Jets in the big quarter final win. Apitia Neoma-Matenga started his first five matches at lock before moving to the second row in Round Seven and then staying in the second row for the two finals matches.

Over the course of his junior football the former PBC student made numerous representative sides including the Vikings, Kookaburras, South East Queensland, Queensland Maroon and South Coast at the U15 and U18 level. Apitia Neoma-Matenga attended PBC and was part of their GIO Cup side that lost the Queensland Grand Final, however they did defeat Keebra Park in the Queensland quarter finals in a high quality contest in front of a crowd of around 5,000.

Other Titans linked PBC team mates in that game included former NYC team mate and current tweed Heads Seagull Ethan Roberts. In the Keebra side that day was Titans NRL contracted AJ Brimson. Previously Apitia Neoma-Matenga was part of the Broncos Elite Player Development Squad and was so for a number of years before signing with his local NRL club three years ago.

Apitia Neoma-Matenga is a hard running backrower who really does look to run straight over people, especially when he played in the centres, towards the end of the year, in the back row, 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. Apitia Neoma-Matenga still has decent to above average top end speed but he does take a little bit of time to get up to his top speed these days.

I would suggest his speed is above average for a back rower however. Apitia Neoma-Matenga also has a very good left hand fend to add to his stocky frame and good strength. His low centre of gravity and power make him a difficult proposition to defend against, regardless of where he lines up in attack.

Defensively Apitia Neoma-Matenga 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 definitely has a touch of aggression in his play and definitely finishes off each tackle that he is involved in. With both Apitia Neoma-Matenga and Sean Garner in the Burleigh Colts no side is going to have an easy match, that’s for sure.

Apitia Neoma-Matenga 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.

Towards the end of the year, Apitia Neoma-Matenga’s defensive technique in the forwards had improved immensely, especially as he transitioned to the NYC ranks and he set a good stable base with his lower body, which he them used to explode into the attacker. Apitia Neoma-Matenga’s aggression can on occasion get the best of him but he certainly does make an impact defensively.

It is clear from his selection on the extended First Grade bench for Round Twenty-Six last year and spending the off-season training with the NRL side that Apitia Neoma-Matenga is highly thought of by the Titans.

Apitia Neoma-Matenga is part of the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts side this season and through the opening rounds has been one of a number of stand-outs as well as continuing to push for a Titans Development contract come 2019. Obviously Apitia Neoma-Matenga will also be looking to break into the Burleigh Bears Queensland Cup side in 2018.

Apitia Neoma-Matenga has also been named in the 2018 Queensland U20 Emerging Origin Squad and thus is in a good position to represent Queensland at the U20 level for the second year in a row. Fellow Titans youngster AJ Brimson is also part of the 2018 Queensland U20 Emerging Origin Squad.

From an ultimate position perspective, Apitia Neoma-Matenga’s transition from centre to the back row is now complete and Apitia Neoma-Matenga has now firmly established himself as a powerful young backrower with a low centre of gravity and aggressive attitude.

From a style perspective, a player that stands out with a similar playing style, especially in terms of attack is former Titan Greg Bird 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 (very aggressive) in defence. With Apitia Neoma-Matenga in a team, that team will definitely not lack aggression in both attack and defence on the right hand side of the field.

When you add in Sean Garner to the same forward pack like they are with Burleigh in the U20 Colts competition, you have a pack that no-one will be able to run rough shod over or dominate. The only question from an aggression stand point is who is more aggressive on a rugby league field, Apitia Neoma-Matenga or fellow Burleigh Bears Colts backrower Sean Garner, both are tough, hard aggressive young players who revel in the physical contact that rugby league has built its reputation and appeal on.

[mdrew]

Blake Campbell. (Updated) He is a backrower from the Gold Coast Region who has been part of the Titans Junior Development set up for a number of years dating all of the way back to the U13 age group in 2013 when he played his first matches for the Titans Junior Development squad.

Blake Campbell is currently captaining the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side has been a standout through the opening rounds including an impressive performance against the North’s Devils in Round One and a dominant individual performance in Victoria against the Thunderbolts which included him scoring a double in a big Tweed Heads victory 42 – 10.

Blake Campbell’s performance in Tweed Heads Round Three win 36 – 6 over the Burleigh Bears was also exceptional. Currently Blake Campbell is lining up on the right side of the field for the Seagulls. Blake Campbell’s early season form is not a surprise considering his trial form including a standout performance in a trial against the South’s Logan Magpies at Waterford in February. That trial at Waterford was a difficult one for Tweed Heads but Blake Campbell was very good that night, and has been in all of his MM Cup matches to date this season.

In Round Five of the MM Cup last weekend Tweed Heads travelled north to take on the Townsville Blackhawks with the Seagulls winning 72 - 6. Blake Campbell once again captained the side and scoring the Seagulls first try in the just the second minute. Blake Campbell has been named again as captain for this weekends match against Wynnum Manly.

Already this season Blake Campbell has been mentioned by Titans High Performance Junior Co-ordinator Jamie McCormack as being one of his team’s best in the weekly junior update posted on the Titans Official Site during the MM/Colts season.

To round out an outstanding 2017 campaign Blake Campbell was selected in November to be part of the 2018 Queensland U18 Emerging Origin squad which came together from January 21 to 24 this year for their first training camp. Other training camps are scheduled over the course of the 2018 season prior to the annual match against New South Wales.

Over the course of the 2017 season Blake Campbell played a number of matches in the MM Cup competition for Tweed Heads Seagulls and also played for the Runaway Bay Seagulls in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition.

For the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the 2017 MM Cup competition Blake Campbell started all six of Tweed Heads matches in the second row and showed his try scoring ability crossing for four tries including a double in Round One against the Ipswich Jets, a try in Round Three against eventual champions the Western Mustangs and his final try of the MM Cup competition came in Round Six in the local derby against the Burleigh Bears.

In the red, white and blue of Runaway Bay in 2017 Blake Campbell has played eleven matches in the U17 Division One competition and also three matches in the U19 GCRL competition. At the U17 level Blake Campbell scored four tries and kicked four goals for 24 points in total including a Round Two double against Bilambil and also tries late in the season against Helensvale and Mudgeeraba. Blake Campbell made his U19 debut in May against Southport and has also played matches at that level against Mudgeeraba and Southport a second time.

In 2016 Blake Campbell played his football at the U16 level both in terms of club rugby league and in the CC Cup during the 2016 season. Blake Campbell as also involved in Coombabah State High School’s great GIO Cup campaign where he actually played on the wing in a number of games including a nationally televised match against Townsville’s Kirwan High School.

Blake Campbell stellar play was rewarded in 2016 when early in the year he was selected in the Queensland Academy of Sport U16 squad, before being named in the interchange bench for the Queensland U16 team in their annual match against New South Wales. Fellow Titans player Laz Sua was also part of the Queensland team that night which took place as a State of Origin curtain raiser. Unfortunately the Queensland side lost 12 – 10.

In the CC competition for Gold Coast White in 2016, Blake Campbell crossed for four tries two of which came against Gold Coast Green in Rounds Two and Five. Blake Campbell also scored a double in GC White’s semi-final loss to the Toowoomba Clydesdales. In all of his matches in the CC competition for Gold Coast White Blake Campbell started in the second row. On more than one occasion in 2017 Blake Campbell was mentioned by Titans High Performance Junior Co-ordinator Jamie McCormack as being one of his team’s best in the weekly update posted on the Titans Official Site during the CC/MM season.

From a club perspective, Blake Campbell played for Runaway Bay in the U16 Division One competition playing in six matches and contributing seven tries over the course of the 2016 season. Six of his seven tries came from doubles coming against Burleigh on two separate occasions and also against Mudgeeraba, with his seventh try coming against the Helensvale Hornets.

He was been in the Titans junior development system for a couple of years now, and is one of a number of talented backrowers in our system and certainly in the region. He has represented the Vikings and Kookaburra’s on multiple occasions in the different age groups over the last couple of years and is part of the Gold Coast Rugby League Academy program in 2015, and was part of the Titans U14 development side that drew 32 all against a giant Samoan team at the end of 2014 at Burleigh.

Blake Campbell 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, Blake Campbell 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 Blake Campbell 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. He is also a disciplined player who rarely gives away penalties and also has good hands.

From a speed perspective his speed would easily be considered above average for a backrower and actually quite close to be considered in the plus category, both in terms of speed off the mark as well as sustainable top end speed. Clearly his pace was one of the reasons that the Coombabah coaches played him on the wing on occasion where he certainly did not let anybody down.

One of Blake Campbell’s tries in Round Two of the MM Cup this season against Victoria highlighted both his strength and speed. Blake Campbell took the ball on the right side of the ruck and took the line on directly, Blake Campbell pushed out of a front on tackle by one of the giant Victorian front rowers and then bounced to the outside, using his speed to get around a number of defenders and also using his speed and a strong left arm fend pushed through a gap between the Thunderbolt left centre and left wing to score an outstanding individual try near the right corner of the field.

Blake Campbell’s second try against the Victorian Thunderbolts came as a result of his speed. Half Tom Dearden put in a good grubber kick, Blake Campbell timed his run perfectly and outpaced the Victorian cover defence to dive on the ball to score a good second half try for the Seagulls.

Defensively Blake Campbell 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. Blake Campbell’s strength and mobility also means that he is an effective defender on the fringes (sorry cannot bring myself to use the term edge) of the ruck against both big forwards and smaller halves alike.

Blake Campbell 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. His above average speed is also a reason why he is such a good cover defender.

The 2018 season sees Blake Campbell captaining the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side and post that competition he will be line to move directly to the Hastings Deering’s U20 Colts competition such is his ability. If he does not make the immediate move to Colts, Blake Campbell will line up for the Runaway Bay Seagulls in the local Gold Coast U19 competition.

With his selection in the 2018 Queensland U18 Emerging Origin Squad Blake Campbell is also in line for selection in the Queensland U18 in 2018 to add to his U16 Queensland jersey.

Even though Blake Campbell spent some time on the wing in schoolboy rugby league for Coombabah in 2016 for me he has played almost exclusively in the second row in 2017 and so far in 2018 and that is where his future lies as a wide running second rower who knows how to get to the try line as well as a player who will do a lot of the little things well, such as chasing kicks, defending inside passes, leading by example, getting quick play the balls etc.

From a style perspective think of a young Ryan Hoffman of the Melbourne Storm and former New South Wales State of Origin player as a well-rounded backrower with the ability to break the line by himself or as a result of running a good line and then has the pace to finish things off consistently by himself as well as being just as damaging defensively. You can also like Mannering throw positive leadership skills into the mix when talking about Blake Campbell.

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Jai Whitbread. (Revised) The former Gold Coast Titans and Northern Rivers junior was signed late last year by the Titans on a Top 30 two year contract and deservedly so after standout performances for the Brisbane Broncos NYC side in 2016 and 2017 as well as a storied school boy rugby career with the Southport School (TSS) in the GPS First XV School boy rugby competition.

Even though Jai Whitbread is still eligible to play U20’s in 2018 he has started the season with the Burleigh Bears Queensland Cup side, starting the first four rounds of the competition on the interchange bench, scoring in Round Three against Tweed Heads and also getting a try assist in that match when he broke through the Tweed Heads defensive line before passing to half back Jamal Fogerty to score.

Jai Whitbread broke the Tweed Heads line right through the middle of the ruck on about his own 20 metre line and showed quite good pace especially on the wet and muddy field to draw the fullback and pass to his right to Fogerty near the half way line.

Jai Whitbread’s try against the Tweed Heads Seagulls can be put down solely to perservence. A long break was made and the ball spun wide late in the first half but Jai Whitbread, who once again showed quite decent speed kept up with the play nicely and was rewarded for his efforts when he received an inside pass from Jamal Fogerty, Jai Whitbread had the presence of mind to also bring the ball around to score close to the left upright.

In Round Four against the South’s Logan Magpies, Jai Whitbread suffered concussion like symptoms and had to be replaced when he was hit by a shoulder charge by Souths Logan interchange and Brisbane Bronco’s contracted front rower, Thomas Flegler who was immediately sent off. Jai Whitbread was however named for Burleigh’s Round Five match against the Central Queensland Capra’s.

Over the course of the recent off-season, Jai Whitbread started on the interchange bench in all of the Titans NRL trials and was one of the Titans best in their NRL trial loss to the Brisbane Bronco’s in Toowoomba as well as a solid performer against the Warriors on the Sunshine Coast a fortnight later.

So far in the Queensland Cup this season through his four matches, Jai Whitbread is averaging 32 minutes, just over seven hit-ups for 76.7 metres and 15.67 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 89.45. Jai Whitbread has also been credited with six tackle breaks and a line break (the one that led to Jamal Fogerty’s try in Round Three) and a try assist this season. Also 28.02% of Jai Whitbread’s metres have come post contact. (364 running metres, 102 of those post contact)

In Round One against the Sunshine Coast Falcons in his debut Queensland Cup match, Jai Whitbread played 32 minutes, making 57 metres from six hit-ups, 13 of those post contact and sixteen tackles at a tackling efficiency of 88.89%.

In Round Two against the Redcliffe Dolphins, Jai Whitbread played 33 minutes, making 94 metres from twelve hit-ups, 34 of those post contact and fifteen tackles at a tackling efficiency of 88.25%.

In addition to his try and try assist in Round Three against the Tweed Heads Seagulls, Jai Whitbread played 33 minutes, making 79 metres from six hit-ups, 16 of those post contact and fifteen tackles at a tackling efficiency of 100% in a more than solid display in wet and windy conditions at Tweed Heads in a solid Burleigh victory 32 – 12 where fellow Titans NRL contracted youngster Tyrone Roberts-Davis also scored for Burleigh.

In Round Four Jai Whitbread started on the interchange bench for the fourth match in a row this time against a giant South’s Logan Magpies pack and played 34 minutes, running for 77 metres, twenty two of those post contact on nine carries and made 13 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 92.86%, yet another solid game for the South Tweed junior even taking into account being knocked out by a deemed shoulder charge. Jai Whitbread was also credited with one tackle break.

The table below compares Jai Whitbread’s 2016 and 2017 NYC per game averages as well as his 2018 Queensland Cup per game averages:

2016 NYC 2017 NYC 2018 Q Cup

Games played 21 23 5

inutes per game 45 55 32

Runs per game 8.5 12 7.5

Metres made per game 78 118 72.8

Tackles per game 21 26 15.67

In 2017 Jai Whitbread was the 18th man for the New South Wales U20 State of Origin side. Jai Whitbread in addition to his rugby league commitments is studying a Bachelor’s Degree in Clinical Phycology so he is also a very intelligent young man.

Jai Whitbread who originally hails from the Tamworth region of New South Wales and played his junior rugby league with the South Tweed Bears in the Group 18 junior rugby league competition and played a First Grade trial with the Broncos in February 2017 when he came off the bench against the Ipswich Jets in Ipswich.

In 2017 Jai Whitbread played in twenty three matches for the Broncos NYC side including their finals matches, starting twenty one of those matches in the front row and the other two matches being Rounds Four and Five from the interchange bench. On those matches Jai Whitbread scored two tries which came against the Wests Tigers in Round Eleven and against Newcastle in the Bronco’s first final match this season.

Jai Whitbread’s 2017 per match averages included 118 running metres on 12 hit-ups and 26 tackles (90% tackling efficiency) in just over 55 minutes. On sixteen occasions Jai Whitbread ran for more than 100 metres including an incredible effort in Round Eleven against the Wests Tigers when he ran for 201 metres. On sixteen occasions also Jai Whitbread made more than twenty tackles including Round Eleven against Wests Tigers when he made 47 tackles. Over the course of the 2017 NYC season Jai Whitbread also made six line breaks and off loaded the ball on seven occasions.

In 2016 whilst still U18 eligible, in fact he represented New South Wales U18 that year, Jai Whitbread made twenty one NYC appearances for the Broncos starting in the front row thirteen matches and coming off the interchange bench in eight more, His 2016 per match season averages included 78 running metres on 8.5 hit ups and 21 tackles (92% tackling efficiency) in 45 minutes.

Jai Whitbread’s two 2016 NYC tries came in Round Eight against the Rabbitohs and Rounds Twenty Six against the Sydney Roosters. His best running metre performance in 2016 was in Round Twenty Two against the Dragons and defensively Jai Whitbread in Round Seventeen made 35 tackles with no misses against the Melbourne Storm.

The 186cm 107kg Jai Whitbread was a former Titans contracted junior from just south of the Border and played for New South Wales at the U16 and U18 levels and also CC and MM Cup for Gold Coast based squads in previous seasons. At the start of the 2016 season Jai Whitbread was signed by the Broncos after a successful GPS rugby career with the Southport School where he played three years in the school’s First XV and making a number of GPS representative sides. Interestingly Jai Whitbread played school boy rugby in the centres but in rugby league has played either front row or second row exclusively.

Jai Whitbread is a hard running forward who is very good at running the right line including both and inside shoulder and outside shoulder line and consistently hits the pass off either the dummy half or play maker flat thus generating his best possible speed and momentum to hit the defensive line at full speed. Where he really excels though is his footwork, Jai Whitbread 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.

Jai Whitbread is adept at cutting back behind the play the ball area when the markers do not work hard and make ground as a result. When the Broncos NYC side were in the attacking area, Jai Whitbread was regularly used to draw the defence into the centre of the ruck thus stretching the defensive line out wide to allow the backline more room to move. Jai Whitbread also accepted the responsibility of regularly taking the first hit-up from kick offs and was regularly the first forward to take a hit-up after an opposition tactical kick.

Even when he is taking a hit up in the centre of the ruck, Jai Whitbread’s feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight corrections to his running vector and he is also able to maintain his speed regardless of those multiple directional changes. He seems just to run and think 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.

Jai Whitbread’s speed is probably a bit above average but it is the speed that he is able to generate from only a few paces which makes it play faster from a defenders perspective. Obviously playing high level school boy rugby for TSS has assisted in the development of this particular attribute.

Defensively he hits very hard and had one of the better defensive technique s in the NYC competition this season. Jai Whitbread’s technique revolves around timing and execution. Jai Whitbread’s head is almost always correctly positioned and he always drives with his shoulder and never just jersey grabs. From the matches that I have seen Jai Whitbread also tackles with both shoulders equally effectively.

The impressive thing for me also is that Jai Whitbread never seems to bounce off the ball when he makes a front on tackle meaning his target area and the ability to hit the area on a regular basis is quite exceptional for a reasonably inexperienced forward.

Another defensive aspect that I noted during the 2017 season was that Jai Whitbread does not just make one tackle at a time, he makes a series of tackles one after another all as clinical and effective as the one before. 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.

In addition Jai Whitbread continues to display the leadership attributes that you like to see in a player/person, not just in junior rugby league, but across any level of our game and the community. He shapes as someone who has the attributes to be not just an NRL captain but also a club captain one day and a well-respected one at that. A better role model you will not find.

As noted Jai Whitbread has signed a Top 30 contract with the Titans and even though he has started the season in the Queensland Cup competition must be a real chance to make his NRL debut over the course of the 2018 NRL season.

Even though he played a number of matches in the NYC competition in 2017 for the Broncos in the front row I can see Jai Whitbread better suited to the second row in het short term at least as he progresses towards the NRL especially with his mobility, work ethic, foot work and intelligence way above average if not in the plus category for all attributes.

In many respects Jai Whitbread has a similar playing style to that of two other former Gold Coast youngsters who are now back on the Gold Coast after stints with the Broncos that being Jai Arrow and Keegan Hipgrave.

Like both Keegan Hipgrave and Jai Arrow, Jai Whitbread is a mobile yet powerful forward who is not just a tackling machine but also a player who has far more to his attacking game than just putting his head down and running straight into the defensive line. His game in Round Three of the Queensland Cup this season should dispel any doubt about that.

Make no mistake those three mentioned above plus the likes Max King and outstanding 18 year old Moeaki Fotuaika are the future of the Gold Coast Titans forward pack for the next ten years or so. They are all hard working, skilful young men with leadership skills who you can look to build an NRL club around.

I know that it is a big call but there is no reason to suggest that when (not if) Jai Whitbread breaks into the NRL with the Titans his impact will be any less than Jai Arrow, Max King and Keegan Hipgrave have had.

[mitchusonfire]

@mdrew

Would you be able to list the U20 guys who are still Titans contracted players? Paulo and Farmer etc?

Great write ups.

[mdrew]

Kai O’Donnell. (Revised) The young hooker/second rower who is part of the Titans Rookie Squad had a great 2017 season with Burleigh in MM and Colts competitions and South Coast in the QSSRL U18 competition moved down from the North Queensland region to continue to pursue his rugby league career in 2016.

This season Kai O’Donnell has started all of Burleigh’s five matches in the U20 Colts competition with four of those in a different position being hooker after making the transition from the backrow in the offseason. Kai O’Donnell started Burleigh’s first four matches at hooker but moved back to the second row for Saturdays match against the Western Mustangs, a match that the Bears won 46 – 0.

After five rounds, Kai O’Donnell has a 40% strike rate, scoring in Round Two against the Redcliffe Dolphins and in Round Four against Souths Logan. Ironically both tries were almost identical in terms of the style and even the place on the field that they were scored.

In relation to both of his tries, Kai O’Donnell was at dummy half with Burleigh attacking, Kai O’Donnell took the odds to it, getting down low and burrowing over from close to the line. Kia O’Donnell scored both tries at Pizzey Park at the non-car park end crossing mid-way between the left upright and touch line on each occasion.

The former North Queensland Cowboys Academy member has been a strong addition to the rugby league ranks on the Gold Coast after making his First Grade debut in the Mackay A Grade competition in 2016. 2016 also say Kai O’Donnell play for the Mackay Cutters in the MM Cup competition and he was named in the Cutters squad for 2017 but moved down to the Gold Coast to attend PBC as part of their rugby league excellence program early that year.

For Burleigh in the MM competition in 2017 Kai O’Donnell played in all six of Burleigh’s matches scoring in Round Four against the South’s Logan Magpies. Kai O’Donnell started the first two MM Rounds at lock, then came off the interchange bench in Round Three before starting in the second row for the final three rounds.

Upon competition of the MM Cup competition Kai O’Donnell transitioned to the Burleigh Colts side where he played in six matches prior to injury. Kai O’Donnell started three matches being Rounds One, Six and Seven in the second row, Rounds Four and Five at lock and started from the inter change bench in Round two. Kai O’Donnell actually captained the side in Round Four against Souths Logan.

Kai O’Donnell may have played in only six matches but he scored five tries in that time including a hat trick inside 22 minutes against Ipswich in Round Seven and he also scored in Round Two against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls and Round Six in the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

In relation to School boy rugby league in 2017 Kai O’Donnell was part of the South Coast U18 QSSRL side that took all before them and from there was selected in the second row for the Queensland U18 side for the ASSRL U18 Championships from PBC.

In addition to playing a number of matches in the MM Cup competition, 2016 saw Kai O’Donnell start off for Proserpine in the Mackay U18 competition where he played in six matches scoring four tries including a double against Wests Mackay in his last match in the U18 competition before his promotion to the Proserpine First Grade side.

Kai O’Donnell made his Mackay First Grade debut in the centres on 23 July 2016 against North’s and celebrated his debut with a try. Kai O’Donnell scored his second try in First Grade in his third First Grade match against South’s. Kai O’Donnell made such an impact in First Grade for the Brahmans that he was awarded First Grade Rookie of the Year as well as being named the First Grade Best Back on the season at the 2016 Whitsunday Rugby League Awards night.

From a school boy rugby league perspective in 2016, Kai O’Donnell captained the Proserpine High School Open Rugby League team in 2016 including leading his team to victory in the final of the State-wide Queensland Country Cup Carnival beating local rivals Sarina High School in the final 25 – 18 in extra time. Kai O’Donnell was named player of the final and was noted by his coach Andrew Jolly as being an inspirational leader. Kai O’Donnell also represented the Northern Region in the U18 QSSRL Championships playing in all four of their matches which were against Met West, Capricornia, Sunshine Coast and South Coast in May 2016.

For a young player with an already strong frame, Kai O’Donnell has the type of build which suggests that he can continue to add more muscle mass without compromising his already above average speed.

Kai O’Donnell 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 Kai O’Donnell 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.

In relation to playing in the second row, Kai O’Donnell is also effective and runs with movement on each occasion that he takes a hit up and is adept at lowering his shoulder onto the defender to make tackling him a difficult proposition for a defensive line. Kai O’Donnell due to his higher centre of gravity and less actual bulk is more suited to running on the edges of the edge where he can best utilise his speed and mobility for his team.

Defensively I like the intensity that Kia O’Donnell approaches his defensive duties with, just look at the match against the Souths Logan Magpies when he made 45 tackles. On an individual level Kai O’Donnell 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 and execution.

Kai O’Donnell is eligible once again for the U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition in 2019 and may also spend some time next season in the Queensland Cup ranks for Burleigh. It would also not surprise to see Kai O’Donnell in line for a Titans Development contract over the next year or so.

Kai O’Donnell’s ultimate position has become a touch clouded. Prior to this season, I expected Kai O’Donnell to have a successful career in the second row and did not see a move to hooker coming. In saying that, even though he is new to the hooker position, Kai O’Donnell has started out the season very well there and thus may just end up there long term.

Kai O’Donnell may with his continued development at hooker, present coaches will a great option of starting him at hooker and then bringing on a hooker from the interchange bench allowing Kai O’Donnell to transition to a running forward role as he has the mental toughness and physical endurance to play an entire game without fatiguing too much.

The scenario that I am postulating is similar to how Gareth Brennan is using Nathan Peats so far this season. He starts at hooker and then has spent some time as a running backrower when Mitch Rein comes on.

From a player comparison perspective, due to 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 leadership, courage and determination perspective.

[mdrew]

Daniel Brownbill – (Revised) He is a centre (or primarily so at least) who had an outstanding season for the Titans in the NYC competition in 2017 and is certainly destined for higher honours in rugby league. Daniel Brownbill started in the centres for the Queensland U20 side and was one of five Titans who represented Queensland in that interstate match.

This season Daniel Brownbill is part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts side, starting three of the Seagulls matches to date. Daniel Brownbill started the opening round against North’s in the centres and then moved to start in the second row in Round Two against Victoria and Round Three against the Burleigh Bears. Daniel Brownbill scored his only try of the season so far against Burleigh in Round Three when his power running enabled him to crash over.

On the Titans Official website Daniel Brownbill was singled out for praise by Titans Junior Development Co-ordinator Jamie McCormack for his outstanding performance against Burleigh Bears in Round Three. Daniel Brownbill missed Rounds Five and Six through injury.

For all intents and purposes Daniel Brownbill played 80 minutes per match in 2017 in the NYC. Only on two occasions out of his twenty four matches did he not, those came in Round Three against the Newcastle Knights when he played 66 minutes and in Round Twenty against the Penrith Panthers when he played 55 minutes.

In total in the 2017 NYC season for the Titans, Daniel Brownbill was on the field for 1 881 minutes, ran the ball on 263 occasions making 2 708 metres, made sixteen line breaks, had five try assists, off loaded the ball on thirteen occasions and made 237 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 77%. Daniel Brownbill’s per game 2017 NYC season averages were an incredible 112 running metres on eleven carries and just less than one line break and ten tackles per match.

On fifteen occasions Daniel Brownbill has run for more than 100 metres with his “best” effort coming in Round Sixteen against the Wests Tigers when he ran for 185 metres on just sixteen carries. Defensively Daniel Brownbill made nineteen tackles against South Sydney in Round Fifteen and on fifteen occasions has made more than ten tackles in a match. Daniel Brownbill also averages less than half an error per match, an impressive statistic in the NYC competition.

Daniel Brownbill also crossed for seventeen tries including four doubles which have come against the Knights in Round Three, the Raiders in Round Four, the Storm in Round Ten and the Penrith panthers in Round Twenty. In 2017 Daniel Brownbill was simply dominant for the Titans NYC side and if it had not been for Phillip Sami, AJ Brimson and Moeaki Fotuaika, he would have received a lot more recognition and coverage.

Daniel Brownbill played the 2016 season at the MM level for the Gold Coast White side before progressing to the Tweed Heads Seagulls QCup Colts side towards the end of the 2016 season. For Gold Coast White in the MM competition, Daniel Brownbill played in all eight of GC Whites matches including their two semi-finals, scoring four tries in the process, including a first half double against Gold Coast Green in Round Five and also against South’s Logan and the Easts Tigers in Rounds Six and Seven respectively. Daniel Brownbill started all of the matches at centre.

Daniel Brownbill made his 2016 QCup Colts debut in Round Ten for the Tweed Heads Seagulls going onto to play nine Colts matches in total, scoring five tries, including scoring after two minutes in his debut against the Sunshine Coast Falcons. His other tries came in Round 12 against North’s, Round 13 again against North’s, Round 16 against East’s and in Round 17 against the Sunshine Coast Falcons. From a position perspective, Daniel Brownbill debuted in the centres, also playing in the centres on three other occasions. He also started in the second row in three matches and in Rounds 15 and 16 actually started at fullback.

In 2014 Daniel Brownbill played in the CC Cup competition with the Easts Tigers and also represented the Tigers in the MM Cup competition in 2015 before signing with the Titans.

Daniel Brownbill was originally part of the Titans junior developments squads, before signing with the North Queensland Cowboys junior development system, before coming back to the Titans at the start of the 2016 season. Previously he has represented Queensland at the U16 level and prior to that made multiple South Coast junior representative sides, including schoolboy football, playing both in the centres and second row out of Coombabah State High School.

Prior to the 2016 season, Daniel Brownbill played the majority of his football in the centres, but during the 2016 season he spent a lot more time in the second row and in either position is a strong runner of the ball. Whilst in does not have blinding speed off the mark, he does have decent top end speed and can break tackles by running over his direct opposite defender as well as 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.

One skill that he does possess when playing in the centre position is a decent in and away especially from the right hand side of the field. He will wait until the last possible minute to step to commit the defender before getting on his outside.

When he breaks through the main defensive line Daniel Brownbill is also very effective at setting up his outside support, by drawing the fullback. This is a skill that is more difficult that it may seem, as the attacker needs to ensure that he draws the fullback before passing, but the fullback moves too early he has the pace to score himself as he can sustain his top speed over a reasonable distance.

When Daniel Brownbill has played second row previously, he has got very good feet, in terms of not just charging straight at the set defensive line. He uses foot work before and after the defensive line to assist in breaking tackles. In terms of his attacking skills, he has the skills at this point in time to play either centre or second row.

In terms of his defence, Daniel Brownbill obviously during the course of this year, defended almost exclusively in the centres but past experience indicates that defending on the edge of the ruck does not cause him too many issues either. One area that game him some slight issues was defending against smaller quicker centres but in saying that he is still quite effective as a defender there.

Daniel Brownbill’s initial contact is more than solid and is more than enough to stop the momentum of the ball carrier. He is also effective at wrapping the ball up and preventing offloads. Due to his current attributes he is more effective when his team is using an up and in style of defensive strategy rather than a slide methodology.

Daniel Brownbill continue to play for the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts squad for the remainder of this season and look to push for a spot in their Queensland Cup side and a possible Titans Development contract in 2019.

I think that ultimately Daniel Brownbill ends up in the back row, but not necessarily immediately, I certainly think that for the next couple of years, he will still be able to handle playing in the centres almost exclusively, but I think that by the time he gets to 1st grade level, whether that be NRL or QCup etc., he will likely transition to the back row full time where he will be a rangy, mobile, wide running backrower who is capable of playing the entire eighty minutes.

At around 191cm and 98kg, Daniel Brownbill certainly has the size to make the transition to the second row especially taking into account natural growth and development.

From a rugby league player comparison, I would think that a good comparison would be boom Brisbane Bronco youngster Jayden Sua, as a powerful player who also followed a similar career path, that being a centre in junior rugby league and rugby before transitioning permanently to the second row over the course of a number of seasons.

[mdrew]

Glen Fisher. (Revised) The talented young five eight Glen Fisher has come out of the blocks firing in the U16 South Burnett Junior Rugby League season for Murgon in his first year in the age group after dominating in the U14 competition in 2017.

This season Glenn Fisher has moved up from the U14 competition and has not missed a beat scoring fourteen points from three tries and a goal in the early going. All of Glen Fisher’s points came in his last match out against ccb. This season Glenn Fisher has played half and playing at five eight through the 2017 season.

In the U14 South Burnett junior rugby league competition in 2017, Glenn Fisher, primarily playing at five eight for Murgon paced the competition by scoring twenty – one tries from just thirteen matches. In addition, Glenn Fisher also kicked fourteen goals to finish the 2017 season with 112 points.

In the 2017 U14 competition, Glen Fisher scored hat tricks against the Central Burnett Brumbies and Wondai Preston. In 2016 also at the U14 level, Glen Fisher scored ten tries from eleven matches for Murgon.

When Glen Fisher 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 South Burnett junior competition just could not handle him when he runs with the ball. Glen Fisher 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 up and thus he used his incredible footwork and speed to beat the opposing fullback by himself. There is nothing that Glen Fisher 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 addition Glen Fisher has rapidly developing 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 Glen Fisher 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 intriguing to say the least.

Defensively Glen Fisher 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. He is regularly targeted by opposition forwards but always stands up well to the confrontation and more than holds his own. 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 in the five eight position.

Glen Fisher will continue his incredible start to the 2018 junior rugby league season with Murgon in the U16 South Burnett Junior Rugby League competition and is eligible once again for the U16 age group in 2019.

From an ultimate position perspective for Glen Fisher with his speed and ball running ability I think that he would make an outstanding fullback as he progresses to the senior rugby league ranks but in saying that he has been outstanding at five eight and half back over the last year or so.

The one player that does spring to mind when watching Glen Fisher play 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.

Glenn Fisher may well end up at a different position, being fullback but the elusive running ability on top of rapidly developing ball skills translate to a similar playing style to the exciting Anthony Milford.

[mdrew]

Jordan Birch. (Revised) He is a local young fullback/winger who has played a number of matches for the Titans NYC side in 2017 after making his NYC debut late in 2016. 2017 also saw Jordan Birch line up for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side including their semi-final campaign.

Jordan Birch started at fullback for the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts side in the trials this season including starting there in the trial at Waterford against South’s Logan. In terms of the 2018 season proper, to date Jordan Birch has played in three matches in the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition starting on the wing in all three.

Jordan Birch started Round One against the North’s Devils before missing a number of weeks, coming back into the side in Round Five against the Townsville Blackhawks a match which also saw Jordan Birch score his first try of the 2018 season in a tough 18 – 16 loss. Jordan Birch also played in Round Six against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.

Jordan Birch played in eleven matches for the Titans NYC side in 2017 starting every match on the wing and playing the entire 80 minutes on each occasion. In those eleven matches Jordan Birch scored four tries coming against the Newcastle Knights in Round Two, the New Zealand Warriors in Round Five, the Manly Sea Eagles in Round Eleven and in Round Sixteen against the Wests Tigers.

Jordan Birch’s 2017 NYC per match season averages included running for 78 metres on nine carries and just under three tackles. On three occasions Jordan Birch ran for in excess of 100 metres in a match including in Round Seventeen when he ran for 143 metres on fifteen carries. Jordan Birch’s best defensive effort came in Round Three against the Parramatta Eels when he made six matches on the wing.

Jordan Birch has over the course of the 2017 rugby league season played in seven matches for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts squad. In the U20 State wide Challenge Colts competition Jordan Birch started at fullback in Rounds One and Eight. In the U20 Colts Challenge competition, Jordan Birch came into the side in Round Twelve against the Sunshine Coast Falcons starting at fullback has also started at fullback through to the final round last weekend being Round Sixteen when he played five eight against the South’s Logan Magpies. Jordan Birch scored against the Easts Tigers in Round Thirteen.

In 2016 prior to being injured Jordan Birch had a very good season across a number of levels including the MM competition for Gold Coast White, Tweed Heads Seagulls in the QCup Colts competition his NYC debut for the Titans.

In 2016 Jordan Birch made his debut against South Sydney in Round 13 and proceeded to play a further two games before injury struck, but in those matches he certainly made an impression, including scoring four tries with three coming in a great first half hat trick in Round 15 against Manly and a try against the Parramatta Eels in Round 14. Starting on the wing in all three of his NYC matches, Jordan Birch ran for a total of 237 metres at an average of 79 metres per match, with his best match from a total metre perspective being his debut where he ran for 101 metres in thirteen carries.

Jordan Birch also made three line breaks and five tackles, however he did miss three tackles against Parramatta. Jordan Birch also did not make a handling error across his three NYC matches in 2016 which highlights his calmness and composure.

Starting off the season 2016 playing for Gold Coast White in the MM competition, Jordan Birch scored four tries across the eight matches that he played with his tries coming in consecutive weeks from Rounds Three to Seven against the Easts Tigers on two occasions, Gold Coast Green and South’s Logan. Jordan Birch started at fullback in all matches.

Upon completion of the MM competition, Jordan Birch transitioned immediately to the Tweed QCup Colts side making his debut in Round Ten against the Sunshine Coast Falcons where he started on the wing a crossed for a well-deserved double. Jordan Birch also started Rounds Eleven and Twelve on the wing, including scoring in Round Eleven against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.

Jordan Birch 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.

Jordan Birch 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.

Jordan Birch 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. Jordan Birch 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 Jordan Birch 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. Jordan Birch 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.

For 2018 Jordan Birch will continue to play for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts squad and from there who knows. Players that just know how to score tries are very rare commodities indeed.

For me Jordan Birch 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 Jordan Birch 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 Jordan Birch. Jordan Birch just has an uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time to score at any level.

[mdrew]

Curtis Dansey-Smaller. (Revised) The young Western Australian and Rockingham Sharks fullback signed a two year deal with the Gold Coast Titans at the end of 2016 and spent the 2017 season alternating between the Titans NYC side and the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side including playing in their 2017 finals campaign. Curtis Dansey-Smaller is currently a member of the Titans Rookie Squad.

After spending some time training with the Titans NRL squad, Curtis Dansey-Smaller has started the 2018 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side playing in four matches to date starting all four in the centres after missing Round One and has also been named in the centres for Tweed Heads home clash this weekend against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in Round Seven.

Curtis Dansey-Smaller had a successful first and only season in the NYC competition in 2017 playing in sixteen matches including starting on the wing in all bar Round Three against Parramatta when he came off the interchange bench playing 40 minutes. In all of his other fifteen matches Curtis Dansey-Smaller played the entire matches. Over his sixteen Curtis Dansey-Smaller scored nine tries including three doubles which came against the Melbourne Storm in Round ten, the Brisbane Broncos in Round Twenty two and Parramatta in Round twenty Four.

Curtis Dansey-Smaller’s 2017 per matches NYC statistics included running for 78 metres on eight hit-ups and five tackles. On four occasions Curtis Dansey-Smaller ran for in excess of 100 metres with his best effort against Parramatta in Round Twenty Four when he ran for 172 metres from just nine hit-ups. Round Thirteen against the North Queensland Cowboys saw Curtis Dansey-Smaller make eleven tackles, his highest defensive total of the season.

Curtis Dansey-Smaller has also played a number of matches for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side in 2017 including playing in Round One of the Colts State wide Challenge Competition. In Round One Curtis Dansey-Smaller started in the centres and scored two second half tries against the Ipswich Jets. In the U20 Colts Challenge competition, Curtis Dansey-Smaller played in five regular season matches starting four in the centres and in Round Sixteen last weekend at fullback.

Curtis Dansey Smaller played his first match in the 2017 U20 Colts Challenge competition in Round Six in the local derby against the Burleigh Bears. Across his five U20 Colts Challenge matches Curtis Dansey-Smaller scored five tries including a hat trick in Round Eight against Ipswich and he also scored in Round Seven against Norths and in Round Sixteen against Souths Logan.

Curtis Dansey-Smaller also played in all three of the Tweed Heads Seagulls 2017 finals matches, starting their first final against Redcliffe in the centres, including scoring in their 17 – 16 loss. Curtis Dansey-Smaller then moved to fullback for Tweed Heads remaining two finals matches against Easts and Norths.

In 2016 Curtis Dansey-Smaller was named in the Western Australian U18 ASSRL squad from Rockingham Senior High School after representing the West Coast Pirates in the New South Wales SG Ball competition earlier this year. Unfortunately the Pirates had a horror season in SG Ball, losing all eight of their games and conceding in excess of 350 points in the process.

On the other side of the coin in attack they averaged around 18 point per game but could not prevent sides piling on the points when they turned the ball over. Curtis Dansey-Smaller was one of a number of the Western Australian U18 side that met the Titans at a joint Titan – Western Australian Rugby League Promotional event in 2016 when the Titans were in Perth for a match against South Sydney.

For Rockingham in the Western Australian rugby league competition in 2016 even though he was eligible to play in the U18 competition, Curtis Dansey-Smaller played the entire 2016 season in the Smarter than Smoking first grade side, mainly on the wing where he scored eight tries in eleven matches, including a hat trick in the opening round against South West Warriors and later in eth season scored a double against the Joondalup Giants. In the U18 competition he scored five tries in seven matches alternating between fullback and centre, including a double against the Joondalup Giants.

Curtis Dansey-Smaller was named in the Combined Affiliated States U18 side for the 2016 ASSRL U18 championships which were held in July 2016 in Brisbane. Over the course of the Championships, Curtis Dansey-Smaller scored three tries with two coming in the first match of the Championships against NSW Combined Independent Schools and he also scored on Day Four against the ACT.

From an attacking perspective, Curtis Dansey-Smaller has very good footwork to go along with above average to plus evasive skills and above average speed off the mark, he does not necessary have great top end speed, but he can get to his top speed rapidly. 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. It is still a bit of a mystery for me as to why he does not score more tries.

Curtis Dansey-Smaller 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. Curtis Dansey-Smaller will also take the responsibility to run the ball back himself rather than hand it up to his winger even though he is a smaller type of fullback.

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 and force the attacker to make a decision rather than making it for him. Curtis Dansey-Smaller 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.

Curtis Dansey-Smaller will continue to line up for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side for the remainder of the 2018 season.

From a position perspective, I appreciate that he has played both at fullback, centre and on the wing but with his timing, footwork and anticipation, I think that ultimately he ends up at fullback in the long term although Curtis Dansey-Smaller will likely break into either the NRL or Queensland Cup on the wing prior to any potential move to fullback subsequent to that.

From a player comparison perspective if you consider how former Canterbury Bulldogs fullback Luke Patten plays you may get an understanding of how Curtis Dansey-Smaller plays. He is a solid fullback or centre with safe hands and a great sense of timing and anticipation in both attack and defence that he can rely on.

[mdrew]

Alexander (AJ) Brimson. (Revised). The outstanding young 181cm 89kg flying fullback or half back late last year signed a three year NRL deal which will keep him with the Titans until the end of the 2020 season. AJ Brimson donned a Titans jersey in two pre-season trials this year including scoring a try in an NRL trial against the Brisbane Broncos in Toowoomba in February when he sliced through the broncos defence on the left side of the field to score midway between the touch line and the uprights.

AJ Brimson is also part of the Queensland U20 Emerging Origin Squad this year after representing Queensland U20’s last year with four Titans team mates being Daniel Brownbill, Apitia Neoma-Matenga, Keegan Hipgrave and Phillip Sami. Apitia Neoma-Matenga is also part of the 2018 Queensland U20 Emerging Origin Squad.

AJ Brimson is currently plying his trade in the Queensland Cup with the Tweed Heads Seagulls starting at five eight in Rounds One, Three and Four and at fullback in Rounds Five and Six. AJ Brimson was the travelling 18th man for the Titans when they played New Zealand thus he missed Round two for Tweed Heads. Also in almost every NRL round so far in 2018 AJ Brimson has been named as an emergency for the Titans NRL side.

To date in the 2018 Queensland Cup competition, AJ Brimson has played a more understated role than in the NYC in 2017 but he has been quietly effective, especially in relation to his kicking game, both tactical and attacking. Certainly his move to fullback over the last fortnight seems to have been a great move as AJ Brimson has looked more confident especially in terms of running with the ball.

Against Townsville in his first match at fullback AJ Brimson was a handful for the Blackhawks regularly chiming into the back line on the right side of the field and narrowly being tackled short of the try line after slicing through the defensive line. AJ Brimson also had some good touches on the left especially in terms of getting the out wider to the centres and wingers.

In saying that however in the two games since he has moved back to fullback, AJ Brimson has been more prominent including a standout performance against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls on Saturday night when he had an outstanding match, including scoring a good second half try when he came into the backline off an inside pass and outpaced the cover defence to score.

AJ Brimson has had to do a lot more tackling this season but with the added strength from the offseason training with the Titans NRL side he has been effective defensively. Clearly also he is being targeted by sides running big forwards in his direction, which is fair enough as that is what will also occur when he comes into the NRL.

To date in the 2018 Queensland Cup competition AJ Brimson has from his five matches has been credited with two try assists, two line break assists and forcing a line drop out. He has run for 285 metres and made an impressive 62 tackles at a tackling efficiency of a more than solid 80.8%. On a per game basis AJ Brimson has run for 57 metres, made 12.5 tackles and kicked for 108.3 metres.

In his Queensland Cup debut in Round One against North’s AJ Brismon played the entire 80 minutes, ran for 55 metres, ten of those post contact made fourteen tackles at a tackling efficiency of 97.33% and kicked the ball on four occasions for 137 metres.

In the Round Three rivalry round against the Burleigh Bears AJ Brimson once again played the entire 80 minutes at five eight making 14 metres and 23 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 92.21% as the Bears ran a lot of traffic in his direction in difficult conditions.

In Round Four against the PNG Hunters in Port Moresby, AJ Brimson once again started at five eight and playing 67 minutes making 56 metres (season best), eight of those post contact and 10 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 89% against an aggressive Hunters forward pack that ran a lot of traffic in his direction the entire match. AJ Brimson was also credited with four tackle breaks in the match.

AJ Brimson moved back to fullback in Round Five against the Townsville Blackhawks and played the entire 80 minutes on his way to making 60 metres and seven tackles at a tackling efficiency of 87.5%. AJ Brimson also had a line break assist, a line break and eight tackle breaks and was unlucky not to have scored when he spun his way through the Blackhawks defence only to be pulled down just short of the try line.

AJ Brimson also played fullback in Round Six in Tweed Heads first win of the season over the Wynnum Manly Seagulls, 26 – 22 and having his best match to date in the Queensland Cup. In the match last weekend AJ Brimson once again played all 80 minutes on his way to making an even 100 metres (26 post contact) on eleven runs and eight tackles at a tackling efficiency of 80%. AJ Brimson also had a try assist, two line breaks and three tackle breaks to go along with his second half try.

AJ Brimson has been named at fullback for the third match in a row for the Seagulls for their Round Seven match this afternoon against the Easts Tigers at Tweed Heads.

The table below compares AJ Brimson’s 2016 and 2017 NYC per game averages and his 2018 Queensland Cup averages. It should be noted that in the 2016 season AJ Brimson played six matches at fullback:

2016 NYC 2017 NYC 2018 QCup

Minutes per game 72 80* 76

Runs per game 11 10 8

Metres made per game 97 100 63

Tackles per game 12 17 12.5

*AJ Brimson played 80 minutes in every game bar one when he played 71 minutes.

The key take away from the table above is the amount of tackling that a half in the Queensland Cup/NRL has to do compared to the NYC and also the less room and time play makers have at their disposal.

AJ Brimson was outstanding for the Titans NYC side in 2017 season and was rewarded with being selected on the extended bench for the Titans final NRL match against the Sydney Roosters. In 2017 AJ Brimson was named the Titans NYC player of the season sharing the award with giant young front rower and fellow Titans Top 30 contracted player Moeaki Fotuaika. AJ Brimson was also named in the 2017 NYC team of the year along with fellow Titans Top 30 contracted player Phillip Sami.

AJ Brimson has signed a three year deal with the Titans at will keep him at the club under the end of the 2020 season and in 2018 is part of the Top 30 squad even though he is still eligible to play in the U20 Colts competition.

AJ Brimson’s 2017 season kicked off when he played for the Titans in the Auckland Nine’s where he would have gained invaluable experience playing against NRL calibre players. From a trivia perspective, AJ Brimson’s older brother is Will Brimson who progressed through the Broncos U20 ranks and played for the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in the Queensland Cup in 2017.

In the 2017 for the Titans NYC side AJ Brimson played in twenty one matches and averaged just under a try a match with twenty tries. AJ Brimson scored two hat tricks in 2017 which have come against the North Queensland Cowboys in Round Four and against the Manly Sea Eagles in Round Eleven and also doubles against the Newcastle Knights in Round Two and the St George Dragons in Round Seventeen. AJ Brimson scored a try in every match from Rounds Twenty to last weekend’s Round Twenty-five loss to Canterbury.

AJ Brimson’s per game 2017 NYC averages were 100 run metres on ten carries and 17 tackles at a tackling efficiency of around 85%. On seven occasions AJ Brimson has run for more than 100 metres in a match including an exceptional match in Round Eleven against Manly when he ran for 215 metres from just thirteen carries. Defensively AJ Brimson made more than 20 tackles on six occasions with his best tally coming in Round Three against the Newcastle Knights.

For all intents and purposes AJ Brimson was been an 80 minutes player with the Titans NYC side in 2017 as on only one occasion did he not played the entire match that was against the Parramatta Eels in Round Four when he “only” played 71 minutes.

AJ Brimson made his NYC debut in 2016 starting half back against South Sydney in Round 13 then playing every game up to Round 25 when he was injured after 51 minutes. Over the course of the twelve matches that he played AJ Brimson scored three tries on top of running for a total of 1 162 metres on 114 carries. His tries came in Round 15 against Manly, Round 20 in his fullback debut against Parramatta and finally against the Warriors in Round 22. In total AJ Brimson played his first six NYC matches at half back before playing his final six at fullback. The move to fullback was a master stroke by the NYC hierarchy.

AJ Brimson’s 2016 season averages per game included 97 metres on 11 carries and 12 tackles. His best running game came in Round 20 in his fullback debut when he ran for 159 metres against the Wests Tigers and in his NYC debut AJ Brimson made 21 tackles against South Sydney. In addition to the exceptional statistics noted above AJ Brimson also made nine line breaks including three against the Wests Tigers in Round 23 on top of his 159 metres. It was only in Round 25 when he was injured that AJ Brimson did not play the entire 80 minutes in a match.

Surprisingly AJ Brimson only scored two tries in the MM competition in 2016 where he played all of the Gold Coast White’s matches at half back. Upon completion of the MM season, AJ Brimson played a handful of matches with the Tweed Heads Seagulls QCup Colts side before finishing the 2016 in the Titans NYC side where he primarily played fullback. 2016 also saw AJ Brimson made GC White MM Player of the Year and joint MM Player of the year.

In 2016 he also played his schoolboy football for Keebra and made the South Coast QSSRL U18 squad. He also made his QCup Colts debut Tweed Seagulls late in the 2016 season, and scored a try on debut. Understandably he was also a very good touch rugby player.

AJ Brimson started attending Keebra Park State High School in 2013 with absolutely no rugby league experience at all focussing on touch instead including representing the Queensland U15 side at the Australian Touch Championships.

In attack AJ Brimson’s speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice when you see him play live. Any video’s, including video’s on the official site does not do his speed off the mark justice, watching him play live, it is great to see when he takes off. AJ Brimson 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 long distance, thus the apparent lack of an extra gear in speed has no discernible impact that I have identified.

Coupled with a very good right foot step, AJ Brimson’s speed enables him to make numerous line 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. He also backs up any line breaks and loves to score tries.

AJ Brimson’s try in the February 2018 NRL trial against the Broncos can but put down to the analysis above, he took the ball on the left side and the field, stepped and exploded through a gap to score the Titans first try in their tough trial loss.

The area that for me AJ Brimson has developed the most over the last couple of seasons is in relation to his play making skills, including putting his runners, whether they are backrowers or centres into holes. His enhanced plays making skills has made his speed with his show and go more effective as defensive lines start to focus in his runners and thus leave more space for him.

As games progress AJ Brimson is very good at identifying tired forwards in the defensive line, and he will ruthlessly exploit that when he sees that. Multiple times this season he has left forwards clutching at air as they began to tire, for that matter it has not been just forwards as the Townsville Blackhawks backline can attest to.

AJ Brimson 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. 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, due to his size AJ Brimson 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. AJ Brimson 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. Certainly in the Queensland Cup so far this season the weight training that AJ Brimson did with the NRL squad has clearly benefitted him.

AJ Brimson has signed a three year deal with the Titans starting in 2018 and is a member of the Titans 30 man NRL squad. AJ Brimson is still eligible to play in the U20 Colts competition in 2018 but has bypassed the U20 Colts competition to start at five eight for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup side in the opening rounds before moving to fullback in eth last fortnight.

I would anticipate however that over the course of the season AJ Brimson will make his NRL debut it is just a matter of when and what position. If possible I would think that the ideal scenario for AJ Brimson to make his NRL debut would be at fullback to help him find his feet before a move to the halves, a situation akin to that of how Darren Lockyer was developed by the Brisbane Bronco’s.

AJ Brimson has also been named in the 2018 Queensland U20 Emerging Origin squad along with Apitia Neoma-Matenga and barring injury should represent Queensland at the U20 level for the second year in a row.

From an NRL player comparison perspective, think of the Canterbury Bulldogs version of Ben Barba from a speed perspective but his rapidly developing play making skills warrant a Daly Cherry Evans comparison although AJ Brimson’s speed far exceeds that of the Manly half back.

All in all with his blinding speed, especially off the mark and his play making skills as well as his ability to create for himself means that AJ Brimson is truly exciting player of the very near future in the NRL for the Titans.

AJ Brimson is 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. Certainly the key attribute that is developing well in the Queensland Cup is in relation to his play making skills which are continuing to develop in the harsh confines of the Queensland Cup against seasoned players including NRL veterans.

[mdrew]

Moeaki Fotuaika. (Revised) The giant young 18 year old Titans NRL contracted and former South’s Logan and Keebra Park front rower has make an immediate impact for the Tweed Heads Seagulls 2018 Queensland Cup side starting the first five rounds in the front row. His play in those five games has been nothing short of outstanding regardless of age.

Playing against hardened players, including NRL veteran’s at just 18 years old and performing so well is very impressive and bodes well for Moeaki Fotuaika’s future in the NRL for the Gold Coast Titans. Moeaki Fotuaika is so highly regarded at the Tweed Heads Seagulls that he is given the responsibility of taking the first hit-up from the first kick-off or game restarts, clearly designed to get the Seagulls on the front foot from a momentum perspective to start their set of six tackles coming off their own goal line.

The fact that Moeaki Fotuaika is the only 18 year old in the Queensland Cup speaks volumes for his skill and maturity level. When his four year NRL contract with the Titans expires at the end of the 2021 season he will just be coming into his own, which will be scary proposition for opposition forward packs.

In the pre-season the 193cm, 110kg Moeaki Fotuaika started from the inter change bench for each of the Titans NRL trials and had a particularly solid NRL trial against the New Zealand Warriors on the Sunshine Coast in wet and windy conditions. Moeaki Fotuaika also had a couple of solid runs in a youthful Titans side in their first NRL trial this year against the Brisbane Broncos in Toowoomba in February.

At the Tweed Heads Seagulls Moeaki Fotuaika has the ideal coach to help steer his fledgling rugby league career in Ben Woolf who was also his NYC coach in 2017 and the person who first saw him play in the Open NYC trial and who has gone on record to say that he was immediately impressed and got him signed to the Titans NYC that very same day, job well done Ben Woolf.

In Round One this season I thought that Woolf may have started Moeaki Fotuaika off the bench to ease him into the Queensland Cup competition. Ben Woolf was spot on however starting the big strong young man in the front row and Moeaki Fotuaika has not looked back in his matches since. Moeaki Fotuaika was named as Tweed Heads Seagulls best player in Rounds One and two.

To date in 2018 in the Queensland Cup for Tweed Heads through the first four rounds Moeaki Fotuaika has run for 618 metres at an average of 123.6 metres per match and made 132 tackles at an average of 26.4 per game at an outstanding tackling efficiency of 83.6% all whilst playing on average 62.5 minutes per game. Moeaki Fotuaika also has made 222 of his running metres post contact, being 35.92% of his total metres, has had ten off-loads, ten tackle breaks and one line break.

In Round One against the North’s Devils Moeaki Fotuaika ran for 148 metres, 64 of those post contact on fifteen hit-ups and made twenty eight tackles at a tackling efficiency of 88.75%. Moeaki Fotuaika backed that up in Round Two against South’s Logan by running for 168 metres, 53 of those post contact and making twenty nine tackles at a tackling efficiency of a staggering 96.67% (only one missed tackle), all in just 56 minutes on the field. In Round Two, Moeaki Fotuaika also had two off loads and a line break.

In the Round Three rivalry round against the Burleigh Bears, Moeaki Fotuaika continued his outstanding form on the way to 124 metres, 45 of those post contact on thirteen hit-ups and made 25 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 89.29%. Considering the difficult conditions and the dominance of the Burleigh Bears forward pack that afternoon, Moeaki Fotuaika’s performance was outstanding and received a considerable amount of praise from the Channel Nine commentators including former Gold Coast Charger Scott Sattler.

In the Round Four clash between Tweed Heads and the PNG Hunters Moeaki Fotuaika continued to hold his form against an aggressive Hunters forward pack on their home ground in Port Moresby on his way to running for 87 metres, 30 of those post contact on eleven hit-ups and made 22 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 100%. Moeaki Fotuaika was also credited with one line break and five tackle breaks.

Moeaki Fotuaika also scored his first Queensland Cup try in Round Four when he scored under the posts late in the second half to get Tweed Heads back into the game against the Hunters. Moeaki Fotuaika received the ball from the dummy half standing still about five metres out from the try line with three PNG Hunters forwards directly in front of him.

Moeaki Fotuaika proceeded to get low and barge his way over to score. It was quite an amazing show of strength and power considering that he received the ball with no momentum and was able to push back three Hunters forwards who had set themselves for the tackle but they were still unable to stop the ultra-talented Titans youngster.

Round Five saw Moeaki Fotuaika and his Tweed Heads Seagulls team mates travelled north to play the Townsville Blackhawks where Moeaki Fotuaika ran for 92 metres,30 of those post contact from eleven hit-ups and made 28 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 93.33%. Moeaki Fotuaika was also credited with three line breaks and three off-loads. Tweed Heads lost the match 38 – 4.

Moeaki Fotuaika missed Round Six through injury but has been named on the interchange bench for the Seagulls for their Round Seven clash this afternoon against the Easts Tigers.

The table below compares Moeaki Fotuaika’s 2017 NYC per game averages and his 2018 Queensland Cup averages:

2017 NYC 2018 QCup

Games 22 4

Minutes per game 64 62.5

Runs per game 14 11.4

Metres made per game 135 123.6

Tackles per game 26 26.4

The key take out for me from the table above is that Moeaki Fotuaika, for an 18 year old, development is exceptional from last year through to now. Moeaki Fotuaika’s statistics are just outstanding when you are talking about such a young man up against multiple NRL calibre players and Queensland Cup veterans. Usually when NYC players step up in class, their statistics drop to reflect the difference in skill level and experience of the opposition, the opposite is the case in relation to Moeaki Fotuaika.

For me Moeaki Fotuaika was one of the real success stories out of the Titans NYC squad in 2017, even more incredible was that Moeaki Fotuaika was still eligible for the MM Cup competition throughout the 2017 NYC season. Moeaki Fotuaika attended an Open Titans NYC trial in late 2016 and has been a revelation ever since including being named as the Titans 2017 NYC joint player of the year alongside fellow Titans Top 30 contracted and current Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup team mate youngster AJ Brimson.

For the Titans in the NYC competition in 2017, Moeaki Fotuaika played in twenty two matches starting all of those matches in the front row. Moeaki Fotuaika’s averages per match for the season include 14 hit ups for 135 metres, two offloads and 26 tackles with a 90% defensive efficiency rate. Moeaki Fotuaika has also scored six tries with those tries coming against the Knights on two separate occasions, the Sydney Roosters, New Zealand Warriors and a double in the televised Round Twenty match against the Penrith Panthers.

For a giant young front rower it is an impressive feat that Moeaki Fotuaika played 1 341 minutes to average 64 minutes a match and on four occasions he has played the entire 80 minutes, including against the Broncos in Rounds Twelve and Twenty-Two, the Wests Tigers in Round Sixteen and against the Parramatta Eels late in the season.

Running with the ball Moeaki Fotuaika had some huge matches including in 17 of his 21 matches running for more than 100 metres. His “best” match from a running metres perspective was against the Wests Tigers in Round Sixteen when he ran for 213 metres on 23 hit ups. Moeaki Fotuaika also ran for 199 metres against the Broncos in Round Twenty two and against the Parramatta Eels ran for 166 metres.

From an off-loading perspective Moeaki Fotuaika off loaded the ball against the Cronulla Sharks on six occasions in Round Eight as well as six occasions against the Wests Tigers in Round Sixteen.
Another positive in relation Moeaki Fotuaika is that he has continued to cut down his error rate from the start of last year through this season and is currently averaging well south than an error a match.

Defensively Moeaki Fotuaika made more than 30 tackles in a match on eight separate occasions in the NYC in 2017, three times making 34 tackles coming against the Raiders in Round Six and Broncos in Rounds Twelve and Twenty Two. Against the Parramatta Eels in Round Twenty Four Moeaki Fotuaika made 20 tackles.

Moeaki Fotuaika earlier in 2017 was named with fellow Titans Darius Farmer and Rehiena Marsh as part of the New Zealand Australian residents U18 side for a match in October with a New Zealand Residents U18 side. Moeaki Fotuaika was part of the Queensland Academy of Sport U18 squad earlier in the 2017 season and was named in the New Zealand U20 squad as well in 2017.

The young former Keebra Park student is a giant of a young man who exudes size, strength and power when he plays. In addition to playing in the Keebra Park Open Rugby League sides in 2016, Moeaki Fotuaika started every match in the front row for South’s Logan in the MM Cup and proved to be a handful in that competition for opposing defences.

For the 2016 South’s Logan MM Cup squad, Moeaki Fotuaika bookended the season with two great performances against the Gold Coast MM sides. In Round One against Gold Coast Green Moeaki Fotuaika scored a double within the first 12 minutes of the game and was basically unstoppable and compared favourably that day to Payne Haas.

In the last match of the 2016 season he was just as dominant against Gold Coast White (which was the side with the majority of Titans linked boys) on his way to a hat trick, including scoring two barn storming tries in the second half where he just crashed through the Gold Coast White forward pack which was no mean feat when you consider that he was lined up against the likes of Kobe Tararo and Blake Lenehan, two very good defenders both then and now.

Moeaki Fotuaika is a big powerful young man who whilst using his size to his advantage by running hard and straight, 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.

An area where Moeaki Fotuaika has really improved over the last two season is in relation to his off-loads in previous seasons he did not off load too much but this season he really has been able to get his arms free and get away some telling off-loads. Moeaki Fotuaika 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. Moeaki Fotuaika had an impressive off load in Round Three against the Burleigh Bears.

In the first set of six in the game, in driving rain Moeaki Fotuaika offloaded a great ball with his right hand. The fact that the off load was in the first set of six and only ten metres out from his own line, shows the confidence that Moeaki Fotuaika has in his ability and his team mates.

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. Moeaki Fotuaika 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 Moeaki Fotuaika 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. Moeaki Fotuaika’s raw natural strength means that he is also dominant when looking to slow the paly the ball down.

In Round Three against Burleigh, two tackles that Moeaki Fotuaika made are perfect examples of the impact that he can have in defence. The first tackle that Moeaki Fotuaika made was a brutal front on tackle on Burleigh front rower Luke Page. Luke Page ran straight at the 18 year old youngster. Moeaki Fotuaika set himself and smashed Luke Page front one with a perfectly timed and executed tackle which immediately halted Luke Page’s momentum.

The second tackle that can be critical reviewed was a tackle on Burleigh’s elusive winger Henere Wells. Wells had come off his right wing to take a hit-up in the middle of the ruck. He was able to isolate Moeaki Fotuaika, but Moeaki Fotuaika steadied himself and waited for Henere Wells to make his final move before coming forward and crunching the Burleigh winger in a copy book front one tackle.

In the Round Five match against the Townsville Blackhawks Moeaki Fotuaika also made an outstanding tackle on Townsville half Jalen Feeney. Feeney came back on the inside and looked like scoring but Moeaki Fotuaika had not stopped when the ball went past him and covered across on the inside to prevent an almost certain try and from the next play the ball was on hand to hold up the Townsville dummy half.

Moeaki Fotuaika has recently signed a four year NRL deal with the Titans and multiple reports that came out of the Titans over the off season revolved around his strength and fitness levels stunning his seasoned NRL team mates and coaching staff alike. Clearly the reports were accurate based on his early season Queensland Cup performances for the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

At the end of last season and through the 2018 pre-season, I expected Moeaki Fotuaika to start the season in the Queensland Cup Colts competition before breaking into the Queensland Cup mid-season before getting a game or two in the later rounds of the NRL. How wrong am i? Based on his performances in 2018 to date, Moeaki Fotuaika seems destined to break into the NRL sooner rather than later despite his youth and relative lack of experience at the Queensland Cup level.

I will acknowledge that I thought scrapping the NYC competition was the incorrect decision but seeing Moeaki Fotuaika’s development in the Queensland Cup, and also the play of Jai Whitbread and AJ Brimson, I have to take my lumps and say from a player development perspective the decision appears to be absolutely correct.

It also seems also certain that Moeaki Fotuaika will be part of the New Zealand U20 side when they play the Australian U20 side later in the year. Fellow Titans Darius Farmer, Reihana Marsh and Jaxon Paulo who has been a standout at left centre for Burleigh will also be in the mix for Kiwi selection.

Even more amazing for Titans fans is that Moeaki Fotuaika would still be eligible to play in the U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition in 2019 not that I anticipate that he will play in that competition however.

By 2019 with three years left on his Titans contract I anticipate that Moeaki Fotuaika will be well and truly in the frame for a permanent spot in the Titans NRL squad, even if he starts out in the inter change bench before coming a starting NRL front rower with a ten year career in front of him.

Moeaki Fotuaika has made the front row position his own with the Titans over the last 18 months and that will not change anytime soon. He looks to be a ten year NRL front rower and perennial New Zealand International as well. I am glad the Titans hierarchy got this young man signed to a long term deal over the off season.

Based on his performances to date for Tweed Heads in the Queensland Cup in 2018 and in the NYC competition in 2017 I am really struggling to come up with an NRL player comparison for Moeaki Fotuaika.

Moeaki Fotuaika has the size of the Titans own Ryan James, the speed of Brisbane Bronco Matt Gillett, the mobility of giant North Queensland Cowboys front rower Jordan McLean, the power of Canberra’s Shannon Boyd and the skill set of Sonny Bill Williams from an off-loading perspective.

I have not EVER seen a young front rower with Moeaki Fotuaika’s physical attributes and skill set all rolled into one. From what I understand Moeaki Fotuaika is also a dedicated hard working young man who has the motivation and dedication to make the most of the opportunity that he has with the Titans. All evidence to date suggests that is absolutely the case.

I expected Moeaki Fotuaika to play well this season but seriously he is that far in front of where I thought that he would be it is not funny. Without trying to put undue pressure on him, Moeaki Fotuaika has the ability, skill set, physical attributes and motivation to redefine how front rowers play in rugby league over the coming seasons.

The Titans over the last six to twelve months have assembled an outstanding crop of young forwards such as Jai Arrow, Morgan Boyle, Max King, Keegan Hipgrave and Jai Whitbread, you can also certainly add Moeaki Fotuaika to that list as well. That is not even taking into consideration the likes of Darius Farmer, Reihana Marsh Apiata Noema-Matenga, James Robinson, Luke Maiden and Blake Campbell amongst plenty of others in the U20 and U18 competitions and as part of the Titans Rookie Squad.

Below the U18 and U20 age groups the Titans have the likes of forwards Ben Liyou, Brody Smitka, Ethan Foster and Ezra Ubaldino who will be coming through as Moeaki Fotuaika starts to hit his prime. The future certainly looks bright for the Gold Coast Titans over the next couple of years.

There is a lot of hype about former Titan junior and current Brisbane Bronco front rower Payne Haas (and certainly deservedly so) but Moeaki Fotuaika is easily just as good, both from a skill and mobility perspective considering as well that Payne Haas is a year older than the outstanding Titans NRL contracted youngster.

Looking at both Moeaki Fotuaika’s and Payne Haas’s Queensland Cup statistics through the opening half a dozen rounds this season, Moeaki Fotuaika’s at least match and in some cases, exceed those of Payne Haas.

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James Robinson. The big strong tough young Western Mustangs second rower joined the Titans High Performance Unit late last year and had his first session with the Unit in October 2017. Currently the Titans High Performance Unit members from the Toowoomba region travel down once a fortnight to the Gold Coast for training with Titans staff.

Even though the Western Mustangs Colts side has struggled to date in 2018, James Robinson has been outstanding through the opening nine rounds, starting in the second row and captaining the side on each occasion. To date in the competition James Robinson has crossed the try line just once with the try coming in Round Eight in a tough 32 – 28 loss to the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

In 2017 James Robinson was co-captain of the Western Mustangs MM Cup side that defeated Souths Logan in the Grand Final in a high scoring affair 40 - 30. After the completion of the MM Cup competition, James Robinson graduated to the Western Mustangs U20 Colts Challenge side after spending some time in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition with Gatton.

James Robinson played in all except one of the 2017 Western Mustangs MM Cup matches missing only Round Six. In all of the Western Mustangs matches that he played in James Robinson started in the second row including both MM Cup finals and the National U18 Final against the Parramatta Eels. In his 2017 MM Cup matches James Robinson scored two tries including scoring a key try in the MM Cup Grand Final that the Western Mustangs won 40 – 30. James Robinsons other try came in Round Five against the Central Queensland Capras.

James Robinson played in eight 2017 U20 Colts Challenge matches, starting seven in the second row and coming off the interchange bench in the other being Round Twelve. James Robinson broke into the Western Mustangs Colts side in Round Four against the Easts Tigers and also played Round Five. James Robinson came back into the U20 squad in Round Twelve and played the remainder of the season there scoring against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in Round Fourteen.

As previously noted James Robinson has also played a number of matches in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition for Gatton including four in the U18 competition and two Hutchies A Grade Cup matches. In his four matches at the U18 level James Robinson scored three tries including a double in his first U18 match of the season against Goondiwindi and he also scored the following week against Wattles.

James Robinson made his 2017 Hutchies A Grade debut in May 2017 against Wattles backing up from the U18 fixture and also played against Southern Suburbs in early August. 2017 is the second season that James Robinson has played in the Toowoomba Rugby League Hutchies A Grade Cup competition after he played ten matches A Grades matches as a 17 year old in 2016 scoring two tries which came against the Warwick Cowboys and Toowoomba Valleys.

The giant of a young man will only come back for the 2018 rugby league season with added size and strength to go along with his elite athleticism with another off season under his belt. James Robinson showed a wide range of skills during the 2017 season from 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.

James Robinson 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 means that he dries defenders backwards even after they had engaged him with significant force.

From the games that I have seem play James Robinson 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. James Robinson’s determination is one aspect that enables him to be in the right place at the right time.

Defensively as you would anticipate from a big strong young player James Robinson also has a big impact in games. James Robinson engages attacker’s front on and with the strength in his legs and core was able to regularly drive attackers backwards. James Robinson 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.

James Robinson will play out the 2018 rugby league season with the Western Mustangs in the U20 Colts competition and will be eligible for that competition again in 2019. I would anticipate that once again in 2019 James Robinson will continue to captain and be a key member of the Western Mustangs Colts squad along with the likes of fellow Titans High Performance Unit members Luke Maiden, Jordan Crocker and Blake Cullen amongst others.

James Robinson has primarily played in the second row in his rugby league career and with his size and burst of speed prior to impacting the defensive line I would envisage that he will remain in the second row for the duration of his rugby league career.

James Robinson is a big strong powerful young player who has a front on running style and an extra burst of acceleration just prior to his impact with the defensive line and for those reasons I can see aspects of Sydney Rooster, New South Wales State of Origin captain and Australian International Boyd Cordner in the play of James Robinson.

It is players such as James Robinson that makes the Titans affiliation with the Western Mustangs such an exciting development for the future of the Titans NRL side.

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Kiah Cooper. The former Sydney Roosters fullback/centre has signed with the Titans on a Development contract for the 2018 season after two outstanding seasons in the NYC for the Roosters including starting at fullback in their NYC Grand Final winning side against the Penrith Panthers in 2016.

After training with the Titans NRL squad over the off season, Kiah Cooper is playing in the Queensland Cup for the Tweed Heads Seagulls alongside fellow Titans youngsters AJ Brimson, Tony Matautia and outstanding front row prospect Moeaki Fotuaika.

Through the opening nine rounds of the competition, Kai Cooper been on the field for 709 minutes, playing all 80 minutes in eight matches with Round Three against the Burleigh Bears the only match were he did not play the entire 80 minutes. On that occasion Kai Cooper played 69 minutes. Kiah Cooper started on the wing in the first four rounds and in the centres, primarily right centre in his matches since.

In total in 2018 Kiah Cooper has run for 699 metres, 219 of those post contact (31.33%) with 72 of those metres as a result of returning kicks. Kia Cooper has also made 49 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 73.7%. Thus Kiah Cooper’s 2018 Queensland Cup per game averages includes playing for 79 minutes, running for 77.8 metres and making 5.5 tackles.

Kai Cooper currently has a try strike rate of 55.55%, he scored in Round One in his Queensland Cup debut against Norths and also scored a double in Round Four against the Hunters in PNG. On Saturday against the Ipswich Jets Kiah Cooper scored two tires in the last seven minutes to help propel the Seagulls to a two point win. One of his tries was outstanding when he outleapt his Ipswich opponent and kept to balance to reach out and score under pressure in the right corner.

On the season Kiah Cooper also has three try assists, three line breaks and twenty one tackle breaks, five each in Rounds Seven and Eight and four in Round Ten.

Kiah Cooper’s best match from a ball running perspective came in Round Seven against the Easts Tigers when he ran for 141 metres, 49 post contact and broke five tackles. Defensively in Round Five in Townsville against the Blackhawks, in his first match in the centres, Kiah Cooper made fifteen tackles at a 100% tackling efficiency.

The table below compares Kiah Cooper’s 2016 and 2017 NYC per game averages with his 2018 Queensland Cup averages:

2016 NYC 2017 NYC 2018 QCup

Games played 27 23 9

Minutes per game 80 78 79

Runs per game 10 8.5 9

Metres made per game 93 85 77.8

Tackles per game 3 4 5.5

In the 2017 NYC competition Kiah Cooper played in twenty three matches for the Sydney Roosters starting in all twenty three contests. For the first twenty matches Kiah Cooper alternated between fullback and centre starting ten matches in each position and started on the wing in the final three rounds. In twenty two of his matches Kiah Cooper played the entire 80 minutes, playing 54 minutes in the other match. Kiah Cooper also scored nine tries including a double against the Titans in Round Twenty Six.

Kiah Cooper’s other seven tries came against the Rabbitohs in Round Four, Sea Eagles in Round Five, Knights in Round Seven, Round Eleven against the Bulldogs, Round Sixteen against the Storm, Round Seventeen against the Sharks and finally in Round Twenty against the Newcastle Knights.

Kiah Coopers totals in 2017 included running for 1 958 metres from 196 carries, nine line breaks, seven try assists, nine off loads and 87 tackles however he was also credited with 45 missed tackles thus he had a tackling efficiency of 66%. His per game totals included 85 running metres from 8.5 carries and four tackles.

On six occasions Kiah Cooper ran for more than 100 metres including in Round Twenty against the Newcastle knights when he ran for 151 metres. Defensively Kiah Coopers “best” match was against the Parramatta Eels in Round Ten when he made ten tackles.

In 2016 Kiah Cooper played in twenty seven matches including the finals series playing all 80 minutes in every match, scoring thirteen tries including a double against the Dragons in Round Eight. Over the course of the 2016 NYC season, Kiah Cooper ran for 2 514 metres from 272 carries, made eleven line breaks, twelve try assists ten off loads and made 75 tackles.

Kiah Coopers 2016 per game averages included carry the ball ten times for 93 metres and making three tackles. On eight occasions Kiah Cooper ran for more than 100 metres including twice running for 160 metres with those games being in Round Nine against the Newcastle Knights and the Roosters first 2016 final against the Canberra Raiders.

Kiah Cooper moved to the Sydney Roosters at the end of the 2015 season where he played in the SG Ball competition with the Central Coast Centurions and played for Newcastle Wests in the Newcastle U19 competition finishing as the second leading try scorer with ten tries from eleven matches. Kiah Cooper also kicked thirteen goals to finish with 66 points on the season. Kiah Cooper scored a hat trick against Kurri Kurri and a double the week prior against Lakes United.

In 2015 Kiah Cooper was a star with Hunter Sports High going on to represent New South Wales Combined High Schools at the ASSRL U18 championships that year as well as touring New Zealand with the NSWCHS squad and in 2013 Kiah Cooper toured France with the New South Wales Indigenous U16 squad.

The powerfully built young man has a variety of attacking moves that he utilises depending on where he is positioned on the field. It is interesting that when he is lining up at left centre his primarily attacking move is to run an outside shoulder route and just prior to contacting the defensive line Kiah Cooper will step off his left foot to cut back inside the left shoulder of his direct opponent, he scored from this on a number of occasions last season in the NYC. Kiah Cooper gets the defenders momentum moving to their right and then cuts back before the defender has time to adjust and redirect their momentum.

When he is lining up at right centre Kiah Cooper seemingly runs a straighter line more often than not and looks to get on the outside shoulder of his immediate defender after slowing or halting the defenders momentum by running directly at him. When he has played at fullback Kiah Cooper is constantly around the centre of the ruck looking to either snipe out of dummy half himself or benefit from an off load. In the instances when he runs from dummy half the majority of the time Kiah Cooper runs to his left and then looks to cut back behind the play the ball into open space.

When he is open space Kiah Cooper is able to step off either foot but seems to prefer stepping off his right foot. In addition to a very good step, Kiah Cooper has a powerful fend and usually with his right hand. He starts off with a bent arm looking to absorb the contact and then extends his arm out with explosive power to “shock” the defender. A number of fullbacks in the NYC over the last two seasons were knocked back in this fashion.

In relation to Kiah Cooper’s speed, it is probably in the above category but his speed off the mark is elite and he can maintain his top speed over an extended distance. Kiah Cooper does not necessarily score a lot of long range tries as he starts to progressively work through his support options as soon as he breaks into open space, but he is incredibly difficult to combat in his attacking twenty as he is often able to maintain his momentum through the initial defensive contact and keep defenders away from his body with his strength and fend and regularly drag defenders over the line from ten metres out.

In his games on the wing, Kiah Coopers best attribute is that his maintains his line and stays out wide meaning that his inside play makers have confidence to either throw the cut out pass after a back line move or when they attack on a short blind side.

Defensively Kiah Cooper’s strength and body control are his best attributes. When defending in the centres Kiah Cooper twists his body towards the side line so that his momentum does not stall and he can defend against an opposing player whether they cut back inside or try to beat him on the outside. This defensive technique can cause issues when an attacker looks to run directly at him but Kiah Cooper’s natural functional strength mitigates this potential issue significantly. When defending at fullback Kiah Cooper pushes forward to eliminate as much time that the attacker has as possible to make his decision in relation to the options available to them as Kiah Cooper converges.

Kiah Cooper is related to Ashley Taylor and was on hand at the Titans training facility when Ashley Taylor signed his new four year contract at the end of last year.

Kiah Cooper is currently on a Titans Development contract and thus is unable to play in the NRL this season therefore he will finish off the 2018 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Queensland Cup and see what happens from there.

Over his two seasons in the NYC with the Sydney Roosters, Kiah Cooper played primarily in the centres or at fullback but did play a couple of matches in 2017 on the right wing, specifically the final three regular season rounds.

Kiah Cooper started on the wing in the opening rounds of the Queensland Cup this season but since his move closer to the action in the centres has appeared much more assured and he has been more effective as a result.

Even though Kiah Cooper has a slightly different build to the Roosters centre Latrell Mitchell in that he is stockier and a touch shorter, they have a similar playing style in terms of deceptive speed and a powerful fend making them difficult to stop one on one especially inside the attacking 20 metre area.

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Charlie Gee. (Updated) He is a local young Titans linked utility from the Beaudesert Kingfishers Junior Rugby League Club. Charlie Gee has been with the Titans now for a number of seasons dating back to the age of 15.

To date for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side in 2018, Charlie Gee has been involved in all of their matches, starting Round One against Norths at hooker and the remaining matches from the inter change bench. In Round Eight however Charlie Gee in fact started at lock when the Seagulls held on to defeat the Western Mustangs 32 – 28 a match between two of three titans aligned Colts sides, with Burleigh of course being the other.

Through nine Colts matches (Tweed Heads had a Round Four bye) Charlie Gee has a try scoring strike rate of 22.22% with his two tries coming in consecutive rounds beings Round Five and Six against Townsville and Easts respectively.

In 2017 Charlie Lee started off the season playing for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the MM Cup competition before moving back to the Beaudesert Kingfishers in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition.

Charlie Gee played every match in the 2017 MM Cup competition for Tweed Heads starting five matches at hooker and coming off the interchange bench in Round Six when he alternated with Josh Fryer. In those six matches Charlie Gee scored two tries the first coming in Round Two on an away trip to Victoria and in Round Eight against Souths Logan. In Round Three against the Western Mustangs Charlie Gee had the honour of captaining the Tweed Heads side.

Charlie Gee has had a stellar season for the Beaudesert Kingfishers in both the 2017 U19 Gold Coast Rugby League competition and in the Doug Lipp Cup (Reserve Grade). In the U19 competition, Charlie Gee is averaging better than a try a match scoring eleven tries from just ten matches, including four against Runaway Bay in Round One and also a mid-season double against Southport. At one stage during the season from 10 June through to 8 July Charlie Gee scored at least one try in each of the four matches that he played in.

Charlie Gee made his Doug Lipp Cup debut in May 2017 scoring a double in his debut against Ormeau. Since that debut match Charlie Gee has played in an additional eight Doug Lipp Cup matches scoring additional tries against Southport and Bilambil.

Charlie Gee played the 2016 season at the U17 Division One level on the Gold Coast, scoring three tries in ten matches with the tries coming against Currumbin in two separate matches and also against Runaway Bay. Charlie Gee also started every match at hooker of the Gold Coast Green MM side in 2016, including their tough semi-final loss to the North’s Devils 13 - 10. He also started at half for the Titans U16 Development squad in their game against Samoa in late 2015 which was played in difficult conditions.

In attack his calling card is Charlie Gee’s 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 necessarily have quick twitch feet, thus his step is more a touch above average than say a plus side step like AJ Brimson. Charlie Gee also 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 attitude.

Charlie Gee 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 Charlie Gee 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.

Charlie Gee 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 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 Charlie Gee has decent size and 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.

Charlie Gee will continue to line up for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side in 2018 and will be eligible for Colts again in 2019.

Whilst he has played a fair bit of football at five eight or half previously Charlie Gee spent a significant portion of the 2017 season at hooker in the MM Cup competition and to date in Colts in 2018 and has even played some lock this season. I think that ultimately Charlie Gee ends up at hooker in the long term all be it one that could also play other positions if the need arises.

Watching Charlie Gee reminds me of the play of current Titans hooker Mitch Rein as a hooker who is a solid known quantity who distributes runs and kicks reasonably well out of dummy half and can also play in the halves.

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William Woolley. (Revised) He is a young second rower originally from the Ballina Seagulls in the Group One Junior rugby league competition who is part of the Titans Rookie Squad and is currently part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts squad for the 2018 season.

Through the opening ten rounds of the 2018 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition, William Woolley has been part of the game day 17 on five occasions and starting four of those matches in the second row. William Woolley came into the side in Round two against Victoria and also started in the second row against Burleigh in Round Three before missing a number of matches through injury but was back starting in the second row in Rounds Seven against the Easts Tigers and also started in the second row in a 32 – 28 Round Eight victory over the Western Mustangs. In Round Ten last weekend against Ipswich William Woolley started from the interchange bench.

The 2017 season saw William Woolley on the Gold Coast playing for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the MM Cup and U20 Colts Challenge competitions and mid-season was for one match named in the Titans NYC extended 21 man squad but did not make his NYC debut.

William Woolley played the first four rounds of the 2017 MM Cup competition for the Tweed Heads Seagulls starting all four matches in the second row and scoring a double in Round Two against Victoria. William Woolley broke into the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts Challenge side in Round Two when he started from the inter change bench against Easts and also came off the bench in Rounds Three and Four.

After missing Round Five William Woolley came back into the starting line-up in the second row in the local derby against Burleigh and also started in the second row in Rounds Eight to Ten. Round Seven saw William Woolley start at lock. William Woolley was also involved in the Seagulls finals campaign starting in the second row in Week One of the Finals and from the interchange bench in Week Three against the North’s Devils.

In the final two regular season rounds against the Western Mustangs and South Logan William Woolley scored on both occasions and in his thirteen Colts matches in 2017, William Woolley started in the second row on eight occasions and from the interchange bench in his other matches.

William Woolley played the 2016 season at the U18 level in the NRRRL competition, playing seventeen matches across the season, including the Grand Final which Ballina won defeating Cudgen 28 – 20 with Williams Woolley starting in the second row in that match. Williams Woolley scored a double against the Lower Clarence Magpies with his five other tries coming in separate matches including scoring three times in four weeks in June and July.

William Woolley attended St Johns College Woodlawn and from that school made the 2014 U15 New South Wales Combined Catholic College (CCC) squad for the U15 ASSRL competition. In 2016 William Woolley was named in the starting second row for the U18 East Coast Dolphins squad for their NSW Country Cup campaign where they played the likes of the Northern Tigers, Central Coast and Newcastle Rebels.

From an attacking perspective, William Woolley 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, William Woolley 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 William Woolley 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 through his work on the ground in the wrestle. He also has a touch of aggression in his play and definitely finishes off each tackle that he is involved in.

William Woolley 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.

The 2018 season sees William Woolley as part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts squad where he will continue be in the mix for a second row spot and will be eligible again for the U20 competition in 2019.

From a position perspective, William Woolley 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 far better suited to the second row over the course of his hopefully long and successful rugby league career.

Corey Harawira-Naera of the Penrith Panthers with his hard 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 William Woolley.

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Kaisa Apelu (Tony) Matautia. (Revised) The Titans snared this talented young second rower from the Sharks NYC side, signing him to a second tier Development contract for the 2018 and 2019 season.

Tony Matautia is currently playing for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup side alongside other Titans youngsters such as AJ Brimson, Kiah Cooper and outstanding front row prospect Moeaki Fotuaika.

Through the opening eight rounds this season Tony Matautia has played in seven matches, missing only Round Four and starting all of the others from the interchange bench. In total Tony Matautia has been on the field for 183 minutes, run for 294 metres, 95 of those post contact (32.31%) and made 75 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 85.1%.

Tony Matautia has also scored one try which came in Round Seven against Easts when he scored after a run down a short right blind side, crashing over in the company of a couple of Easts Tigers defenders.

Tony Matautia’s 2018 Queensland Cup per game averages include playing 26.14 minutes, making 42 metres and also making 10.71 tackles. Tony Matautia has also been credited with a line break and twelve tackle breaks, five of which came in Round Eight against the Mackay Cutters.

In Round Five in Townsville against the Blackhawks Tony Matautia ran for 61 metres and in Round One in his Queensland Cup debut against North’s he made 21 tackles in just 27 minutes of game time.

In addition to his time in the Queensland Cup this season, Tony Matuatia has also played two matches in the Gold Coast First Grade competition. In Round Three he came off the bench for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in Round Three in a 26-18 victory over Tugun on a weekend that the Seagulls Queensland Cup side had a bye. Last weekend in Round Four Tony Matuatia started in the front row for Tweed Heads as they defeated Bilambil 24 - 22.

Over the course of the 2017 NYC season for the Cronulla Sharks, Tony Matautia scored nine tries including doubles in Round Eight against the Titans, Round Fifteen against the Wests Tigers and Round Twenty Two against the Canberra Raiders. His other tries came in Round two against the Raiders, Round Three against the Dragons and Round Fourteen against the Storm.

Of the twenty four matches that he was involved in Tony Matautia started in the second row nineteen matches and came off the interchange bench in the remaining five. After Round Seven against Penrith Tony Matautia started in the second row in all of the matches that he was involved in for the Sharks NYC side.

In 2017 Tony Matautia who is 180cm and 104kg played in 24 NYC matches for the Sharks including their ill-fated finals campaign. His 2017 season averages included ten hit-ups, 98 metres and 20 matches a match. Tony Matautia played a total of 1 474 minutes this season at an average of 62 minutes a match. On ten occasions Tony Matautia played all 80 minutes including a five match stretch from Rounds Seventeen to twenty two when he did not come off the field in thus matches.

On Thirteen occasions Tony Matautia ran for more than 100 metres with his best match coming in Round Fourteen against the Melbourne Storm. On fourteen occasions Tony Matautia made in excess of 20 twenty tackles in a match including in Round Six also against the Melbourne Storm when he made 29 tackles. Across the 2017 season Tony Matautia had a tackling efficiency of 89.5% and only was credited with seven errors on the season and only in one match was he credited with more than one error in a game which is quite impressive certainly in relation to the NYC competition.

Tony Matautia moved over from New Zealand for the start of the 2015 rugby league season from the Upper Central Area of New Zealand where his junior club was The Taupo Phoenix in the Bay of Plenty region.

The former New Zealand Residents U16 representative also represented New South Wales Maori over the last three seasons at the U17 and U18 levels including captaining the U18 side in 2015. In 2015 Tony Matautia played a leading hand in Cronulla’s SG Ball premiership success and then in 2016 went on to play in eight NYC matches. Tony Matautia also played in a couple of trials for the Newtown Jets at the start of the 2017 season giving him some experience in the open age group prior to his Gold Coast move.

Tony Matautia’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. Tony Matautia 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. Tony Matautia 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, Tony Matautia 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 support runners.

Tony Matautia 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.

Tony Matautia will complete the 2018 Queensland Cup season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls and will also train with the Titans NRL squad.

Even though Tony Matautia has spent some time in the junior rugby league ranks in the centres, based on the way that he has played for Tweed Heads this season Cronulla at both the SG Ball and NYC levels previously I believe that his futures lies in the back row in the second row. Tony Matautia is a strong hard working backrower with power and strength in abundance but just needs additional experience in the Queensland Cup.

Tony Matautia has the look of a very talented player with a playing style similar to that of St George Dragons and New South Wales State of Origin second rower Tyson Fizzell as a powerful and devastating runner on the fringes of the ruck.

Tony Matautia obviously has a way to go to make it in the NRL but he has started the process and slowly but surely is adjusting to the standard of the Queensland Cup and is now starting to look to take the game on rather than letting the game come to him as he did earlier in the 2018 season.

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Repoama Morris-Ponga. The young Auckland New Zealand born hooker has moved over to the Gold Coast to continue his rugby league career with Burleigh for whom he is currently playing for in the Gold Coast U19 competition. Repoama Morris-Ponga received his clearance to move to Burleigh in March of this year.

Repoama Morris-Ponga has played in three of the four rounds of the GCRL U19 competition, starting two matches of those at hooker being Rounds One against Bilambil and Four against Southport. He started Round Three against the Beaudesert Kingfishers on the interchange bench.

Repoama Morris-Ponga’s sole try in the GCRL U19 competition to date came last weekend in Round Four against Southport where his Burleigh side came up against a rampant Callum Boomer who is a member of the Titans Rookie Squad in a tough 31 – 18 loss.

Repoama Morris-Ponga is a former student of powerhouse Auckland Rugby league school, Mount Albert Grammar School (MAGS) and played for the New Lynn Rugby League in Auckland in his junior rugby league days.

Repoama Morris-Ponga has also represented the Cook Islands on a number of occasions including last November in the Pasifika Youth Cup at the U18 level and in fact scored on Day One against New Zealand Maori. Repoama Morris-Ponga has also represented the Cook Islands in rugby, being part of the Cook Islands U18 World Sevens Tournament late last year.

Repoama Morris-Ponga is by no means a big rugby league player and relies on his speed and mobility to create opportunities on the field. His speed off the mark, acceleration and top end speed are all in the plus category. If Repoama Morris-Ponga sees a gap he is through it before the defensive line can react.

His plus speed manifests itself in two distinct ways, first when returning kicks, Repoama Morris-Ponga regularly gets the ball on the full and then explodes through the smallest of gaps in the defensive teams kick chase and secondly when a forward takes the ball up through the centre of the ruck, Repoama Morris-Ponga is always in support and if he gets an off load he can accelerate through the resultant gap.

Repoama Morris-Ponga does not necessarily have a big step but has an outstanding swerve which he uses when confronted with the fullback. He will run directly at the fullback to slow his lateral momentum and then swerve around him the second the fullback’s momentum stops or slows.

As a defender, like his attack due to his smaller size, Repoama Morris-Ponga relies on his speed, timing and technique. Repoama Morris-Ponga has an outstanding low tackling technique which he uses against all players running at him and he will move forward from the fullback to cut down the time that the opposition has to make a decision with the ball.

Repoama Morris-Ponga will play out the 2018 season with the Burleigh Bears in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition and will be Colts eligible again in 2019.

With his speed and elusiveness out of dummy half Repoama Morris-Ponga shapes as the ideal hooker in rugby league.

From a player comparison perspective think someone along the lines of North Queensland Cowboys hooker Jake Granville as a player with speed out of dummy half especially when he takes off down the blind side.

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Ashdon Randall. The Grafton local is part of the Titans Junior Development Squad in the Group One region and in addition to being a rugby league stand out with the Grafton Ghosts is also an outstanding rugby player, playing for the Grafton Redmen and is also a member of the New South Waratahs Development Squad. All told including representative sides, Ashdon Randall could play for up to eight different teams this season.

Recently Ashdon Randall was selected in the New England Representative Rugby side that will tour New Zealand in July this year and also have a dinner with the All Blacks. For the New England Rugby side Ashdon Randall recently scored six tries in a weekend competition which has led to a scholarship offer from Ipswich Grammar School who play in the GPS School Boy Rugby competition.

To date this season for the Grafton Ghosts U14 side in the Group One Junior Rugby League competition, Ashdon Randall has scored three tries and kicked three goals for a total of 18 points from the opening three rounds. Ashdon Randall scored a double a kicked a goal in Round Two against Casino RSM and a try and two goals in Round Three against Clarence Coast to account for his 18 points in the competition to date.

Ashdon Randall 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, Ashdon Randall 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, Ashdon Randall 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 Ashdon Randall his defence is equally effective even though it may not be as noticeable at first glance. Defensively Ashdon Randall 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. Ashdon Randall sets a very good base which he uses to explode into the ball carrier looking to use their own momentum against them.

Defensively Ashdon Randall 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 Ashdon Randall’s play is his ability to make effective tackle after effective tackle.

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. Ashdon Randall 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.

Ashdon Randall 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.

Ashdon Randall has plenty in front of him this season playing both rugby and rugby league, but he is also a talented athlete having represented his region in shot put and discus. At 14 Ashdon Randall has plenty of time to decide his career path and I am certainly in the camp that says the more sports youngsters play at school the better. Plenty of studies in American indicate that playing multiple sports in High School is a better indicator of success than youngsters starting to specialise at a young age.

Obviously I hope that he picks rugby league when he needs to make a decision and continues on as part of the Titans Junior Development Program in the region. In the short term however Ashdon Randall will play out the 2018 season with the Grafton Ghosts in the U14 Group One Junior Rugby League competition as well as his club and representative rugby commitments. That all may change if Ashdon Randall and his family choose to take up the scholarship offer with Ipswich Grammar School.

Ashdon Randall has played almost every position on a rugby league field from front row, through the second row, lock, five eight and even in the centres so at this stage no-one really has any idea where the he will ultimately end up but looking into my crystal ball, I thing that a future at lock may well be the end result for Ashdon Randall.

So much about Ashdon Randall is up in the air, for example if he going to play rugby league or rugby and regardless of which code he chooses what his ultimate position will be. Extrapolating that he will play rugby league leads me to a player comparison to aggressive Titans forward Keegan Hipgrave. Like Hipgrave, Ashdon Randall seems to really enjoy the competitive aspects of rugby league and he also clearly likes the physical contact aspects as well.

Well done to the Titans for getting such a talented young man as this into their Junior Development System from a rugby league mad region and one that is slowly but surely becoming a fertile junior development area for the Titans.

[mdrew]

Tyrin Ona-Murphy. The young former Manurewa Marlins Auckland Junior Rugby League hooker played the 2018 MM Cup season with the Northern Pride but post that competition has moved down to the Gold Coast to continue the season.

Tyrin Ona-Murphy played Round Two of the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition with the Burleigh Bears where he started at hooker against the Ormeau Shearers. Round Five saw Tyron Ona-Murphy come off the bench when Burleigh defeated Currumbin 26 – 22 in a closely contested match.

The 18 year old former St Pauls College (Auckland) student played in three matches for the Northern Pride MM Side scoring a try in Round two against the Souths Logan Magpies. Tyrin Ona-Murphy started at hooker in all of his MM Cup matches this season.

In New Zealand prior to moving over to Australia, Tyrin Ona-Murphy made a number of representative sides, including representing the U17 Counties Manukau Stingrays in the 2017 National Championships and scored in their national Final victory over the Akarana Falcons starting at match at hooker.

In relation to his school boy rugby league in New Zealand Tyrin Ona-Murphy played for St Pauls College in Auckland where a team mate was new Burleigh Bears Colts centre Mikey Williams. He was involved in their SAS College Championship side as well last year.

In 2015 Tyrin Ona-Murphy was also involved in the National Championships this time at the U15 level when he represented the U15 Auckland Development Squad. In 2015 Tyrin Ona-Murphy was also named in the New Zealand Maori U15 merit side at hooker.

In terms of his distribution out of dummy half, Tyrin Ona-Murphy 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, Tyrin Ona-Murphy 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 Tyrin Ona-Murphy 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.

Tyrin Ona-Murphy’s 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.

Tyrin Ona-Murphy literally looks to tackle 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 and make them effectively.

Tyrin Ona-Murphy will play out the 2018 season with the Burleigh Bears in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition and will be Colts eligible in both the 2019 and 2020 seasons. It will be interesting to see if Tyrin Ona-Murphy can push for a sport in this year’s Burleigh Colts side, he has the skill and pedigree to do so.

In New Zealand through his school boy and representative career as well as with both the Northern Pride MM and Burleigh U19 sides, Tyrin Ona-Murphy has played at hooker and with his speed and organisational skills is ideally suited to that position into the future.

Based on my observations of Tyrin Ona-Murphy playing at hooker, 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, Tyrin Ona-Murphy is a more than capable runner out of dummy half and a very solid defender with developing distribution skills.

[mdrew]

Levi Terepo. The Ormeau Shearers backrower earlier this year was selected in the centres for the South Coast U15 QSSRL side even though he spent the majority of the 2017 season for Ormeau in the back row including starting in the second row in their 31 – 16 GCJRL U14 Division One Grand Final victory over Burleigh.

Levi Terepo has started the 2018 season with the Ormeau Shearers in the U15 Division One competition to date playing in two matches. He started Round One from the bench but started at centre in Ormeau’s 18 – 14 win over Burleigh in Round Two.

Across the 2017 U14 Division One season for the Ormeau Shearers, Levi Terepo played in twelve matches and scored four tries for a 33% strike rate. Levi Terepo’s four tries came in a late season double against Burleigh and a semi-final double against Runaway Bay. Levi Terepo also kicked one conversion which came in Round One of 2017 against Nerang to finish the season with 18 points.

Strong straight hard running is the primary component of the attacking game of Levi Terepo 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.

He on occasion however did show that he can set up his outside support but ultimately Levi Terepo’s attacking success will be on the back of hard straight running in the forwards with the ability to off load the ball when he is in contact with the defensive line or pushing through it.

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 Levi Terepo is able to engage and defeat opposing attacker one on one regardless of size. He does not just charge up trying to hit attacker’s chest on but Levi Terepo is clinical about how and where he hits the opponent and sets a solid base with his legs and drives directly into their body.

Even though he does not necessary have great straight speed, Levi Terepo’s lateral movement is very good and on the majority of occasions is able to mirror the movement of smaller attacker looking to exploit a perceived speed and/or mobility difference.

In addition to playing for the South Coast U15 QSSRL side, Levi Terepo will play for the Ormeau Shearers in the GCJRL U15 Division One side in 2018 and Coombabah State High School in relation to his school boy rugby league commitments.

It is interesting that Levi Terepo has been selected in the centres for South Coast U15’s and even though he has played some club rugby league in the centres previously, he certainly has a lot more experience at lock or in the second row and certainly for me that is where he is best suited in the long term in my opinion.

From a player comparison perspective for Levi Terepo, consider a player along the lines of St George Illawarra Dragon’s and New South Wales State of Origin second rower 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.

[mdrew]

Daniel Shannon. (Revised) He is a local Titan’s linked young front rower was part of the Burleigh Bears MM Cup squad this season as well as in the 2017 season although in 2017 he did not play in any matches.

For Burleigh in the 2018 MM Cup competition, Daniel Shannon played in all six matches starting five in the front row and coming off the bench in Round Three in the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls. Daniel Shannon scored just the one try which was against Redcliffe in Round Two in an impressive Burleigh win.

Post the MM Cup competition, Daniel Shannon is playing for Southport and has played in three matches in the U19 competition and two in the Doug Lipp Cup competition. Daniel Shannon came into the Southport U19 side in Round Three starting in the front row in a 22 all draw against Bilambil and also started in the front row in Rounds Four and Five.

Daniel Shannon made his Doug Lipp Cup debut in Round Three this year when he started in the second row for Southport against Bilambil. Daniel Shannon also started in Round Five in fact starting in the centres on that occasion. It has been an impressive effort from Daniel Shannon to start in the front row in the U19 match in Rounds Three and Five and them back up to start in the Doug Lipp Cup matches immediately after.

In 2017 Daniel Shannon played for the Southport Tigers in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition specifically at the U17 and U19 levels. Daniel Shannon also represented the Queensland Indigenous side in 2017 at the QPICC carnival at Beenleigh in October.

Daniel Shannon has alternated between the U17 Division Two and U19 levels for Southport in 2017, playing six matches in each competition and had a very busy weekend. On Saturday Daniel Shannon lined up for the Southport U19 side coming off the interchange bench in their semi-final loss 21 – 14 to Currumbin and on Sunday started in the front row for Southport in their 21 – 14 Grand Final loss to Burleigh. In the U17 Division Two competition, Daniel Shannon crossed for two tries on the season, the first coming against Coomera in July and the second in early August against Helensvale.

In 2016 Daniel Shannon was 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 alongside Titans High Performance Unit member Jesse Brasslin.

In attack Daniel Shannon 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 Daniel Shannon 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. Daniel Shannon is also becoming increasingly effective in ensuring that his opponent does not get a quick play the ball.

For a front rower his lateral movement is reasonable. Daniel Shannon 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.

For the remainder of the 2018 season Daniel Shannon will continue to line up for Southport in the GCRL U19 and the Doug Lipp Cup competitions and will likely also spend some time in the Gold Coast First Grade competition 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 who has a more than decent off load in him as well as an aggressive tackling style.

[mdrew]

Kaleb White. The talented young fullback or centre from the Runaway Bay Seagulls Junior Rugby League club earlier this year was selected in the centres for the South Coast U15 QSSRL side at the completion of a number hard fought trials. Kaleb White currently attends PBC and usually starts in the centres for their Year Ten side in school boy competitions such as the Walters Cup.

Kaleb White has started the 2018 season with Runaway bay in the U15 Division One competition starting Round One at fullback in their big 54 – 2 win over Robina. Round Two saw Kaleb White once again start at fullback against Mudgeeraba in Runaway Bay’s 38 – 6 win.

Over the course of the 2017 GCJRL season, Kaleb White represented Runaway Bay in both the U14 Division One and U15 Division Two competitions. In the U14 Division One competition, Kaleb White played in eleven matches scoring two tries (18% strike rate) which came against Ormeau and Burleigh playing primarily at fullback for the Seagulls.

Kaleb White had a 100% strike rate across his four matches in the 2017 GCJRL U15 Division Two competition, and scored doubles against Ormeau and Helensvale Green in games two and four of his four match stint.

Kaleb White 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 is sliding but 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.

Kaleb White is just a solid attacking player and before you realise he has made a number of breaks and scored a fair amount of tries. 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 and should be scored.

Defensively if an attacker runs directly at him, Kaleb White 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. Kaleb White 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 playing for the Runaway Bay Seagulls in the GCJRL U15 Division One side in 2018 and obviously a fair bit of school boy rugby league as well playing for PBC in their Year Ten side in the Walters Cup amongst other school boy rugby league competitions.

It is interesting that Kaleb White has been selected in the centres for South Coast U15’s and even though he has played some club and school boy rugby league in the centres in the past, he certainly has more experience at fullback which is where he has started off in the 2018 club competition.

Versatility is never a bad think in relation to junior rugby league and being able to alternate between the centres, fullback and even the wing will not hurt Kaleb White’s future prospects at all.

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 rather than individual heroics and not making simple unforced errors to place his side under undue pressure.

[mdrew]

Carsil Vaikai. (Revised) The big strong young Titans contracted Runaway Bay Seagull second rower or lock continues to develop his game at an exceptional rate. From a trivia perspective Carsil Vaikai has been selected in the Australian Mixed Netball side highlighting his stamina and athleticism.

Earlier this season, Carsil Vaikai played for the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side playing in six of their matches, including their semi-final loss to eventual champions South’s Logan. Carsil Vaikai started at lock in the Seagulls first four matches, before missing Round Six. Carsil Vaikai came back into the side in Round Seven off the bench and also came off the bench against Souths Logan in Tweed Heads semi-final loss.

Carsil Vaikai scored one try in the MM Cup competition which came in Round Three against the Burleigh Bears. On that occasion, he received the ball from the dummy half to the left of the play and crashed over from around ten metres out carrying two Burleigh defenders across the line.

Post the MM Cup competition, Carsil Vaikai is playing for Runaway Bay in the Gold Coast Rugby League U17 Division One completion. In Round One against Ormeau Carsil Vaikai started at lock in Runaway Bay’s 24 – 14 win over Ormeau. Round Two saw Carsil Vaikai once again start at lock against Bilambil.

Carsil Vaikai moved to Runaway Bay from Helensvale at the start of the 2017 season, and played the majority of the 2017 season with Runaway Bay in the U16 Division One competition, but also played four matches in the U17 Division One competition where he made an immediate impact.

In the U16 Division One competition in 2017 Carsil Vaikai played in fourteen matches scoring his sole try against his former club in July and in the last regular season round Carsil Vaikai converted a late Runaway Bay try. Carsil Vaikai also played four matches in the U17 Division One competition and across those four matches scored three tries including a try on debut against Burleigh and also tries against Ormeau and Helensvale. On all four occasions that Carsil Vaikai played in the U17 competition he was backing up after playing in the U16 competition earlier in the night.

Carsil Vaikai was also part of the Gold Coast Vikings Green U16 side that played in the 2017 U16 pre-season competition, scoring against Ipswich in Week Four in a tough 42 – 6 loss. Carsil Vaikai scored in Week Three when Gold Coast Green defeated Brisbane Grey at North Ipswich Reserve.

Carsil Vaikai had a solid season in 2016, at club, schoolboy and representative level, including representing the South Coast U15 side at the QSSRL State U15 championships. For his Helensvale Hornets club side he crossed for three tries in eight matches in the U15 Division One competition, with the tries coming against Runaway Bay, Beaudesert and eventual premiers Burleigh. He also played one match up at the U16 Division One level also against eventual premiers Burleigh in May 2016.

As noted he was selected in the 2016 South Coast U15 side that went through the U15 QSSRL competition undefeated through their four matches in the competition. Other Titans linked members of the U15 South Coast side included five eight Jessie Brasslin. Carsil Vaikai also started in the second row when the Titans U15 side were narrowly defeated 22 – 18 by a Balmain Tigers side in a trial game on the Gold Coast.

Carsil Vaikai 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, Carsil Vaikai seemed from my perspective to play on the left 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.

Carsil Vaikai also has some off-loading skills both in terms of off-loading prior to contact with the defensive line as well as when he is in contact with it.

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 Carsil Vaikai is a very good athlete, with size, strength, speed and power. If he is not tackled around the legs, Carsil Vaikai’s strength means that he will continue to make ground after contact due to his never say die attitude.

Defensively Carsil Vaikai 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.

Carsil Vaikai really does know how to tackle effectively, as he sets a strong base to create the necessary leverage to defend against larger forwards. 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 forward with the remainder of the 2018 season, Carsil Vaikai will play for Runaway Bay at the U17 Division One level and also is likely to get some matches in the U19 competition as well. Carsil Vaikai will be eligible again for the MM Cup competition in 2019.

From a long term position perspective I believe that Carsil Vaikai ultimately stays at lock. Carsil Vaikai can certainly play in the front row now, and play very well, but I would much prefer for him to play exclusively at lock or in the second row for the near future to take advantage of his speed and hard running on the fringes of the ruck.

From a player comparison perspective, consider someone along the lines of the St George lock Jack De Bellin as a big strong mobile forward who hits the defensive line hard as well as the opposition when they are running the ball.

[mdrew]

Kyle Petersen. He is a big strong raw boned young country born and raised second rower from the Titans affiliated Western Mustangs who had an impressive MM Cup campaign this season.

For the Western Mustangs in the MM Cup this season Kyle Petersen played in all six of their matches, scoring four tries along the way. Kyle Petersen had an outstanding start to the MM Cup season scoring a double in Round One in a 34 all draw against Victoria and then backed that up in Round Two with a try against Ipswich. Kyle Petersen also scored later in the season in Round Seven against MM Cup Champions Souths Logan.

Kyle Petersen started in five of the Western Mustangs six matches coming off the inter change bench against the Sunshine Coast Falcons in Round Five. In the three games prior (Western Mustangs had a bye in Round Two) Kyle Petersen started in the second row and the two games post, he started at lock with Titans contracted Connor Williams coming into the second row.

Post the MM Cup Kyle Petersen has been playing for Southern Suburbs in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition. He has played four U18 matches scoring three tries including a double against Warwick and the following week scored against Pittsworth. Team mates in the Southern Suburbs side are Titans linked second rower Connor Williams and centre Alex Dunneman.

Kyle Petersen has also played in three TRL First Grade matches as well. He made his TRL First Grade debut in late April against Gatton and has also been involved in First Grade on two other occasions. On each occasion that he has in First Grade he backed up from the U18 match earlier in the day.

Kyle Petersen is a hard running forward who is very good at running the right line including both and inside shoulder and outside shoulder line and consistently hits the pass off either the dummy half or play maker flat thus generating his best possible speed and momentum to hit the defensive line at full speed. Where he really excels though is his footwork, Kyle Petersen 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.

Kyle Petersen is adept at cutting back behind the play the ball area when the markers do not work hard and make ground as a result. When the Western Mustangs MM Cup side were in the attacking area, Kyle Petersen was regularly used to draw the defence into the centre of the ruck thus stretching the defensive line out wide to allow the backline more room to move.

Even when he is taking a hit up in the centre of the ruck, Kyle Petersen’s feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight corrections to his running vector and he is also able to maintain his speed regardless of those multiple directional changes. He seems just to run and think at a faster pace than other forwards on the field. These attributes lead to a number of line breaks and he has the speed to convert them into tries himself.

Kyle Petersen’s speed is probably a bit above average but it is the speed that he is able to generate from only a few paces which makes it play faster from a defenders perspective.

Kyle Petersen’s defensive technique revolves around timing and execution. Kyle Petersen’s head is almost always correctly positioned and he always drives with his shoulder and never just jersey grabs. From the matches that I have seen Kyle Petersen also tackles with both shoulders equally effectively.

The impressive thing for me also is that Kyle Petersen never seems to bounce off the ball when he makes a front on tackle meaning his target area and the ability to hit the area on a regular basis is quite exceptional for a reasonably inexperienced forward.

Kyle Petersen’s 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.

Kyle Petersen will play out the 2018 season in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition where I assume that he will continue to be involved in both the U18 and First Grade sides. It will also be interesting to see if he is given an opportunity in the Western Mustangs Hastings Deering’s Colts side later in the year. He will almost certainly be part of that side in 2019 and 2020.

Kyle Petersen is a big strong young powerful second rower and shapes to stay in that position for the duration of his rugby league career. I guess there would be a temptation to move Kyle Petersen to the front row but with his ability beat a defender on the fringes of the ruck with subtle footwork or to just run straight over him, I believe that he is more suited to the second row.

With his solid frame and strength Kyle Petersen reminds me from a player comparison perspective of St George Dragons forward Leeson Ah Mau. Both are big strong and tough and lot quicker from a speed perspective than people seem to think. Also both Ah Mau and Kyle Petersen do not submit in tackles easily, constantly pumping their legs and then trying to get as quick a play the ball that they can.

If Kyle Petersen can keep refining his skills and stay committed to a potential rugby league career, he will be a very very intriguing player indeed.

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Jaiden West. (Revised) He is a local young fullback from the Nerang Roosters club for whom he is currently playing in the U16 Division One competition. Jaiden West also attends PBC as part of their Rugby league Excellence Program and was a standout for PBC in their two point Walters Cup victory over Keebra Park at Pizzey Park recently. That night he terrorised the Keebra Park defence especially the right side.

In Round One of the Gold Coast Rugby League U16 Division One competition, Jaiden West started at fullback in their 60 – 0 victory over Runaway Bay and crossed for one of the Roosters tries on the opening Friday night of the season.

In 2015 Jaiden West started on the wing for the Titans U13 development squad in a match against a Toowoomba U14 selection in the same year 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.

Jaiden West 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 U14 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 maintained his correct positioning throughout the course of the match.

Jaiden West is a 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. When returning kicks, 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.

The one thing Jaiden West 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, Jaiden West has a very good step back inside especially off his right foot when running to the left 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, Jaiden West’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.

In defence Jaiden West has good strength, and certainly looks to come forward to stop the attack before it has time to fully develop once a break has been made. Jaiden West also has the ability to show the attacker the sideline and is confident that his speed will enable him to get across to make the tackle which he invariably does.

Jaiden West will play for both the Nerang Roosters U16 Division One side and the PBC Year Ten side for the remainder of the 2018 campaign and that will entail quite a number of matches for the talented young custodian.

Jaiden West has primarily been a fullback for the majority of his junior rugby league career to date and even though I am sure that he could handle playing in the centres or on the wing, fullback seems to be his ideal position going forward. Certainly his performance against Keebra Park clearly supports my assertion.

From a player comparison perspective for Jaiden West, think along the lines of Cowboys fullback Lachlan Coote as a fullback with above average pace (maybe even a tick above that) and footwork who is also courageous when it comes to his defensive duties and retrieving and returning kicks. I believe that once he stops growing Jaiden West will probably end up a touch taller than Coote which can only assist under the high ball.

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Isaac Lee. (Revised) He is a tall rangy centre/second rower originally from Lismore Marist Brothers in the Northern River Regional Rugby League and has been with the Titans for a number of years now.

This season Isaac Lee has been a key member of the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts side and over the last couple of weeks has really started to hit a patch of outstanding form.

To date in 2018 for the Seagulls Colts side through the opening ten rounds, Isaac Lee has been involved in six matches, coming into the side in Round Three on the interchange bench against the Burleigh Bears. After Tweed Heads had a Round Four bye, Isaac Lee was in the starting line for Round Five and has there ever since. In Rounds Five and Seven Isaac Lee started in the second row but in Rounds Six Eight Ten Eleven and Twelve against Wynnum Manly the Western Mustangs Ipswich Jets Northern Pride and xxx respectively Isaac Lee started in the centres.

To date in 2018 Isaac Lee has scored three tries coming in Round Five against the Townsville Blackhawks and in Round Seven against the Easts Tigers when he scored after making a break down the left side of the field and in Round Ten in a 52 – 22 wing against the Ipswich Jets.
From a trivia perspective he is the son of former Cronulla Sharks front rower Danny Lee, all be it he is a completely different body shape and playing style to his front row father.

For the 2017 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side Isaac Lee started in the centres in all six matches and scored against Victoria in Round Two, against the Western Mustangs in Round Three and in Round Six scored against local rivals the Burleigh Bears.

Upon completion of the 2017 MM Cup competition, Isaac Lee transitioned immediately to Tweed Heads U20 Colts Challenge side and a had great Round One scoring a hat trick inside 20 minutes in the first half against Souths Logan in Round One. Isaac Lee also started in the centres in Round Two before he missed Rounds Three to Six with injury before coming back into the side in Round Seven starting in the centres.

In addition to his hat trick in Round One, Isaac Lee scored a double in Round Ten against the Burleigh Bears and also scored in Rounds Thirteen to Sixteen against Easts, Redcliffe, the Western Mustangs and South Logan respectively.

Isaac Lee was also involved in all three of the Seagulls 2017 finals matches starting on the interchange in Week One of the finals against Redcliffe and on the wing in Weeks two and Three of the finals against Easts and Norths. In those two finals matches Isaac lee scored a double against Norths and also scored Easts in Week Two. In total in the Colts competition in 2018 for Tweed Heads Isaac Lee scored twelve tries to average a try a match.

Isaac Lee started five matches in the centres, four in the second row, two on the wing and one from the interchange bench highlighting his versatility. Isaac Lee had previously spent some time at fullback in the NRRRL competition in previous seasons.

In the NRRRL competition in 2016, Isaac Lee played for the Lismore Marist Brothers Rugby League club at both the U18 and Novaskill NRRRL First Grade level. In the U18 competition where Isaac Lee alternated between centre and fullback, he scored ten tries from twelve matches including doubles against the Murwillumbah Colts and the Ballina Seagulls.

Isaac Lee made his First Grade debut on June 5 2016 against Cudgen and played in four other matches scoring a try against the Tweed Coast Raiders in his third match in the top grade. In the First Grade competition Isaac Lee alternated between fullback, wing and centre in his five matches.
Isaac Lee also represented NSW Combined Catholic Colleges Northern U18’s in 2016 and played for St Johns College Woodlawn in numerous Schoolboy competitions throughout New South Wales.

In addition to starting at centre in the late 2015 U16 development squad game against Samoa, he also played in the U15 development squad game against the Balmain Tigers late in 2014, where he was named best back by Balmain Tigers coaching and development staff in their loss.

Over the course of the last couple of years you can see the difference, additional size has made, not in relation to the style of play but to Isaac Lee’s effectiveness as a hard running centre. He has always been a straight running centre, who is not afraid to run over rather than around his opponent, but with increased size and strength his effectiveness has increased exponentially. He regularly gets half way through the line and with his length is very effective in getting his hands free to off load, including offloading with one hand and has a decent fend to complement his offloading abilities.

Normally though due to his length and speed he regularly attracts multiple defenders leaving opportunities for him to set up his outside support. Due to his length, he is effective both in attacking high attacking kicks as well as defusing them. He is better with high kicks rather than kicks along the ground.

Defensively his increased strength has meant that he is even more effective in the defensive aspects of the game, and can handle one on one situation’s against wide running opposition backrowers as well as smaller faster opposition backline players with his combination of strength and speed. He seems to rarely over commit in defence allowing the play to develop in front of him before committing to any particular defensive strategy.

The above paragraph would suggest that Isaac Lee is more suited to a sliding defensive methodology, but he is also able to defend using an up and in style of defensive strategy just as effectively. This ability to alternative between the two key defensive methodologies, depending on, the state of the game and where the game is situated on the field is an invaluable attribute for a potential NRL player to have.

Isaac Lee will play the balance of the 2018 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition and will also be eligible for that competition again in 2019. It would not surprise if the Titans look to transition him to the GCRL First Grade competition to give him experience against men just as they have done with fellow Titans Rookie Squad members Jaxson Paulo, Allan Lockwood, Callum Boomer and most recently Taine Tuaupiki.

Isaac Lee spent a significant portion of his junior rugby league career in the centres and even spent some time at fullback in the NRRRL First Grade competition in 2016 but this season is playing more and more in the second row and with continued physical development looks certain to stay there in the long term.

I would suggest however that he could still well in the centres for the next year or two at least if necessary. It is interesting that Isaac Lee started this season in the second row but recently has moved back to the centres.

For me a current NRL player with a similar skill set and playing style is to Isaac Lee is Penrith Panthers young gun Isiah Yeo as a multi-talented player who continues to develop his game through shear hard work.

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Indiha Saotui-Huta. (Revised) The New Zealand born youngster has moved around a little in his junior rugby career to date but make no mistake Indiha Saotui-Huta is a talented outside back in either rugby or rugby league.

This season Indiha Saotui-Huta was part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup playing in all six of their matches including their semi-final, starting each on the wing. In his seven matches Indiha Saotui-Huta scored five tries.

Indiha Saotui-Huta’s first try came in Round Three against the Burleigh Bears. Indiha Saotui-Huta followed that up with tries in Rounds Five and Six against Townsville and Wynnum Manly respectively. Indiha Saotui-Huta completed his 2018 MM Cup try scoring with a double in the final regular season being Round Seven against the Easts Tigers.

Indiha Saotui-Huta was born and raised in New Zealand but spent from 2013 to 2015 on the Gold Coast where he played both rugby and rugby league. Indiha Saotui-Huta made an immediate impact playing for Surfers Paradise in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby competition playing in the centres and also represented the Gold Coast Cyclones representative side on a number of occasions.
In 2015 when his club side played in the Brisbane club rugby competition, Indiha Saotui-Huta finished as the leading points scorer with 147 points.

Indiha Saotui-Huta returned to New Zealand for the 2016 year, playing two years for the New Plymouth Boys High First XV, playing a number of outstanding matches including scoring against Auckland’s King’s College in 2016 and in 2017 scored against St Pats Silverstream. In 2017 Indiha Saotui-Huta also started for New Plymouth Boys High in a curtain raiser for a Reds v Chiefs Super Fifteen clash in New Zealand. Indiha Saotui-Huta also had an outstanding Rugby Sevens school boy career.

From a rugby league perspective, Indiha Saotui-Huta represented the U17 Taranaki Sharks rugby league side in 2017 and from there has been identified to take part in the 2018 New Zealand U18 talent squad.

Whilst in Australia previously Indiha Saotui-Huta only played four rugby league matches, which all came in 2015 for the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in the GCJRL U15 Division One competition, from those four matches, he scored for a solitary try which came against Southport.

Indiha Saotui-Huta is a solidly built young man with a low centre of gravity who has a very good right foot step and right hand fend. For his build, 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. Whilst his speed off the mark cannot be considered explosive he has good top end speed once he gets moving.

In addition to his speed Indiha Saotui-Huta 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. On the wing, with his low centre of gravity he is able to come in and take runs through the centre of the ruck, and effective runs at that. He will take off from dummy half and use his elite foot work make a lot of the “tough” yards.

Indiha Saotui-Huta is also not devoid of ball playing ability as was evidenced when he was playing sevens in 2016 and 2017.

From a defensive perspective Indiha Saotui-Huta is a very solid tackler who makes good initial contact and is able to generate momentum through his core and drive into his opponent with enough force to redirect the momentum of the ball carrier. Indiha Saotui-Huta has both a solid low tackling technique as well as having the functional strength to make ball and all tackles effectively against the biggest of players looking to target him in the defensive line.

A positive for Indiha Saotui-Huta is that he does not purely rely on strength and power to hit, timing is also a key attribute to ensure that he arrives at the attacker at around the same time that the ball does, this also reduces the likelihood of injury to himself or the defender getting on his outside setting up a two or one down the sideline.

In Australia for Surfers Paradise and the Gold Coast Cyclones Indiha Saotui-Huta primarily at inside centre, but when he moved back to New Zealand Indiha Saotui-Huta played on the right wing for New Plymouth Boys High. In sevens Indiha Saotui-Huta was primarily a middle third player.

With his ability to stand up his direct opponent and break down the side line with above average speed, I can envisage a future on the wing for the talented Indiha Saotui-Huta.

It may sound like an odd comparison based on what has been said above but for me Indiha Saotui-Huta has the build of a mini Solomon Kata but with his speed and footwork he also definitely has similar skill attributes to New Zealand Warrior and New Zealand International Gerard Beale especially in terms of how he is able to stand up his opposite number of break a way down the side line.

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Samuel Shannon. (Revised) The big strong young Titans contracted backrower from the Southport Tigers junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast had an outstanding U16 South East Queensland U16 pre-season competition for the Gold Coast Vikings White side earlier this season after being a more than solid performer on the Gold Coast in recent seasons both from a club and representative perspective.

Samuel Shannon is currently playing for the Southport Tigers in the GCRL U16 Division One competition and started Round Two against the Burleigh Bears at lock (Southport had a Round One bye) with Southport winning 22 - 4. Samuel Shannon capped up a great start to the season with a try for the Tigers.

In 2017 Samuel Shannon was selected in the Queensland White U15 side for the ASSRL U15 Schoolboys Championships after playing for South Coast in the QSSRL U15 Championships held in Cairns. Samuel Shannon started primarily from the bench for South Coast after making the side from Robina State High School.

In 2017 Samuel Shannon played for the Southport Tigers in the U15 Division One GCJRL competition and performed strongly including scoring a double in Round Two against the Helensvale Hornets. In total in 2017 Samuel Shannon played eight matches scoring five tries to have a solid season in black and orange.

The pace and power in terms of how Samuel Shannon runs the ball is the outstanding feature of his game, he takes the ball to the line with speed and 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 his position 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. Samuel Shannon also runs a very good inside shoulder line to add variety to his running game.

With his low centre of gravity coupled with his speed and power, Samuel Shannon is a difficult proposition for defensives and is able to draw in multiple defenders and still get a quick play the ball to gain forward momentum for his side on a regular basis.

The defensive side of his game is similarly impressive, Samuel Shannon 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.

Samuel Shannon 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 through his shoulders. In short Samuel Shannon is an outstanding defensive player both from a technique and initial contact perspective.

Samuels Shannon’s initial contact is outstanding and more than enough to stop or redirect the momentum of the ball carrier and he is also able to his functional strength to slow the play the ball down sufficiently to allow his team’s defensive line to re-establish itself for the next play the ball.

Samuel Shannon will play out the 2018 GCRL U16 Division One season with Southport and will also be part of the Titans U16 side that is scheduled to play matches against PNG and New South Wales Country in September. It would also not surprise if he got one or two matches for Southport in the U17 Division One competition as well this season. He is both physically and mentally mature enough to handle the step up in age group.

Samuel Shannon currently presents as a strong hard running powerfully built lock forward and that will likely continue as he progresses through the junior rugby league ranks on the Gold Coast. For me at least playing lock is different to playing in the front row and I am more than pleased to see Samuel Shannon playing at lock where his skill set for me at least is far better suited.

Samuel Shannon is far more than just a bash and barge type and can certainly develop into a difference maker in coming years.

James Fisher-Harris of the Penrith Panthers with his power 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 NRL player comparison for Samuel Shannon.

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Logan Cootes. (Revised) He is a big strong Titans linked local young front rower who has been a try scoring machine in the opening half a dozen rounds of the U19 GCRL competition for the Mudgeeraba Redbacks.

Earlier this year Logan Cootes was part of the Burleigh Bears MM Cup side but was not involved in any matches.

In the first five matches that he has played in the U19 competition, all of which he has started in the front row, Logan Cootes has scored seven tries. Logan Cootes scored in Round One against Ormeau and since that time has scored doubles in three consecutive matches, being Rounds Three, Five and Six against Runaway Bay, Bilambil and Burleigh respectively.

When you add in a conversion of one of his own tries in Round Three against Runaway Bay, you have a front rower who has already scored 30 points in the 2018 U19 season.

In 2017 Logan Cootes played in the MM Cup competition for the Tweed Heads Seagulls as well as for the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in the GCJRL U17 Division One competition.

For Tweed Heads in the 2017 MM Cup competition, Logan Cootes played in five of the six matches. Logan Cootes started the first two rounds from the interchange bench before breaking into the starting line-up in Round Three against the eventual MM Cup Champions the Wester Mustangs. Logan Cootes was also in the starting line-up in Rounds Six and Seven before missing Round Eight. Round Seven saw Logan Cootes cross for his only try of the 2017 MM Cup competition when he scored against the North’s Devils.

For the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in the U17 Division One competition this season, Logan Cootes played in nine matches, scoring five tries, including doubles in consecutive matches in June against Bilambil and Runaway Bay and in late July, Logan Cootes also scored against Runaway Bay again. Logan Cootes also played for Coombabah State High School in the Super Six and GIO Cup School boy competitions.

The big strong young Mudgeeraba Red backs front rower was over the course of the 2016 GIO Cup competition a powerhouse for Coombabah in their charge to the Queensland finals which they unfortunately lost to Keebra in a golden point thriller. For Coombabah he formed a very good front row partnership with former Titans NYC front rower Luke Mastraionni and they continually made metres in the centre of the field against bigger and older forward packs, the game against Townsville’s Kirwan High School was a prime example of this. Another member of the underrated Coombabah pack was another Titans contracted player in second rower David Butler.

For the Mudgeeraba Red Backs in the 2016 U16 Division One club competition, he scored five tries across eight matches and also added two goals which came in the last match of the season against Southport. Interestingly all of his tries came in the last four matches of the regular season, including a double against Southport and also tries against Burleigh, Southport again and Ormeau. For Gold Coast Green in the 2016 CC Cup, Logan Cootes scored three tries being against Easts Tigers in Round One and again against the Tigers in Round Five and also crossed against Gold Coast White in Round Two.

Logan Cootes only missed one match in the CC competition which as in Round Three and started every other match for GC Green, including their semi-final loss to Toowoomba. Logan Cootes also represented South East Queensland at the U16 level during the 2016 season, coming off the bench in a majority of those games.

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 Logan Cootes will pop some very good passes to his supports but he will continue to work on being more selective in his offloads. Regardless he does not shirk contact and seems the more physical the contest the more he enjoys himself.

In defence Logan Cootes is not an overly big hitter but definitely makes solid initial contact and is very effective at targeting the football in order to reduce the possibility of off loads. For a front rower his lateral movement is solid meaning that he can make tackles against smaller attackers running out of dummy half or on the back of off loads. Due to his aerobic fitness and relentless attitude, Logan Cootes 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 needed.

When at marker Logan Cootes works hard and always gets out of marker quickly to put pressure on the kicker, but then will be one of the first forwards back to take his turn to bring the ball out from his own territory. Logan Cootes is also disciplined in his defensive attitude and rarely gets penalised for holding down or having his hands on or near the football. His aim is to win the defensive battle and then be ready to make the next tackle.

Logan Cootes will play out the 2018 season with the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in the GCRL U19 competition and will be Colts eligible for two years from 2019 and he should be in the Burleigh Colts squad then.

Due to his size and solid foot speed and lateral mobility I am certain that he will stay in the front row, a position that he has seemingly always played.

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. Like James, Logan Cootes can also surprise and score tries in bunches as well.

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Jordan Crocker. (Revised) The young front rower from the Toowoomba region is a Titans Rookie Squad member and is currently involved in the Western Mustangs Colts side.

Jordan Crocker started the 2018 season for the Western Mustangs MM Cup side and started all six of their matches in the front row.

Jordan Crocker has also played two matches in the Toowoomba Rugby League U18 competition, coming off the interchange bench on both occasions for Southern Suburbs. Jordan Crocker has played in Round One against Toowoomba Valleys and Round Five against Gatton.

In Round 13 of the Colts competition this weekend Jordan Crocker has been named on the bench for Western Mustangs match against the Easts Tigers.

In 2017 the tough hard as nails young front rower was a solid contributor in the middle of the field for the Western Mustangs MM Cup winning side over the course of the 2017 season including starting in the front row in the Grand Final over South’s Logan 40 - 30 and also starting in the front row in the National U18 final against the Parramatta Eels.

Jordan Crocker started all eight of the Western Mustangs MM Cup matches in the front row and scored his solitary try in Round Eight in a big 70 – 20 win over the Central Crows.

Post conclusion of the MM Cup Competition in 2017, Jordan Crocker transitioned back to the Toowoomba Rugby League where he played in six matches at the U18 level for Southern Suburbs including scoring a try against Toowoomba Valleys in his first U18 match of the 2017 season and also a late July try which came in a match against South Burnett.

Jordan Crocker 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.

Jordan Crocker 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 attributes and relatively simple, 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. Jordan Crocker’s lateral movement is reasonable for a front rower but he will on occasion have some difficulty with smaller faster stepping opposition players.

Jordan Crocker will play out the 2018 season as part of the Toowoomba Southern Suburbs U18 side alongside fellow Titans Connor Williams and Alex Dunneman and may also get an opportunity in their First Grade side.

Jordan Crocker has gotten his opportunity with the Western Mustangs U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts side in Round 13 this weekend against Easts.

From a position perspective, due to his solid build, Jordan Crocker will likely to continue to be a front rower or lock as he does not necessarily 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 International forward Paul Gallen as a solidly built forward who has become a very effective player. Jordan Crocker is a bit bigger physically than Gallen and certainly less of an antagonist on the field but equally effective in terms of making metres through the centre of the ruck.

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Shallin Fuller. Updated. The live wire young halfback originally from Woodenbong in Northern New South Wales has been an impressive player for the Beaudesert Kingfishers for the last couple of seasons in both the U19 and Doug Lipp Cup competitions after moving up from the Kyogle Turkeys for the start of the 2016 season.

Through the opening rounds of the 2018 season Shallin Fuller has played in four U19 matches and four Doug Lipp Cup matches.

In the U19 competition in his four matches to date, where he has started all at half back, Shallin Fullers tries have come against Helensvale and Burleigh in Rounds Three and Four respectively.

In the Doug Lipp Cup competition, Shallin Fuller may have played in just four matches but is the competitions leading try scorer with nine. Shallin Fuller had a big Round One scoring a hat trick against Southport and also has three doubles which have come in Rounds Three, Four and Six against Tugun, Currumbin and Ormeau respectively.

In the Doug Lipp Cup Shallin Fuller has started at half back in Rounds Four and Six and from the interchange bench in Rounds One and Third, backing up from the U19 match earlier on two occasions.

This season Shallin Fuller was also part of the Gold Coast Vikings U19 squad that won the South East Queensland U19 Challenge with the live wire young half outstanding including a dominant performance against Ipswich and recently was selected in the SEQ U18 squad as a result.

For the U19 Kingfishers in the 2017 season Shallin Fuller has scored a competition leading sixteen tries from just twelve matches and over a four week span from late June to late July he scored ten tries, including four tries on Sunday against Tugun and doubles against Southport, Bilambil and Burleigh. Earlier in the season, Shallin Fuller also scored doubles against Burleigh in Round One and Runaway Bay in Rounds Four. Shallin Fuller has also played two matches for Beaudesert in the Doug Lipp Cup scoring in his debut against Southport backing up after the U19 fixture where he also scored.

The young half who is also a talented touch player participated in the National Youth Touch Competition last year. In the 2016 season for the Kingfishers in the U17 Division One GCJRL competition, Shallin Fuller scored thirteen tries from just eleven matches including a hat trick against Nerang and four doubles which came against Burleigh on two separate occasions, Nerang and Currumbin.

In the 2015 season he played in the U16.5 competition for Kyogle alternating between half back and five eight, but due to other commitments he only played in seven matches scoring two tries and kicking three goals for a total points tally of 14 for the season, the tries he scored were against Ballina and Lismore Marist Brothers. He also played schoolboy rugby league for Woodenbong Central High School.

In attack he has plus to plus plus speed off the mark, it really is quite exceptional 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.

The majority of his tries do not come from long breaks, they come from either darting close to the line with the opposition defensive line back peddling or backing up a forward and exploding through the defensive line and outpacing the fullback.

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 and in a stronger overall competition however there is nothing to suggest that these type of play making skills will not develop over time. 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 is more comfortable with playing what is in front of him rather than just play to a set game plan. Playing a more structured type of game does on occasion cause him issues as this is not his natural inclination, thus he did struggle a little playing five eight for Kyogle but it was also a reason why he was very successful when he came off the bench as an impact player.

As noted he is by no means a big player and is more of an instinctive player than one that thrives under a structured game plan but if he can settle into a team that allows him to take the line on when he sees an opportunity I think that he can really thrive. Obviously there is a balance between running himself and distributing the ball but if he can find that balance, which is not easy, he will do well. I think that he has found the perfect place with the U19 Kingfishers side, their solid forward pack has enabled Shallin Fuller to operate behind a forward pack that consistently has the opposition moving backwards. He also does not mind at all putting in short attacking kicks for himself regardless of where he is on the field.

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. I have mentioned his size, but Shallin Fuller looks like he has put on some muscle over the offseason which has had a positive impact defensively.

Due to his speed off the mark Shallin Fuller is also a very good cover defender as he tracks the ball across the field and is also very good at tracking back to defend against short attacking kicks put in behind his team’s defensive line.

Shallin Fuller will play out the remainder of the 2018 season with the Beaudesert Kingfishers in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 and Doug Lipp Cup competitions. I really would like to see what Shallin Fuller could do in the Colts competition in 2019 if he chooses to go that route.

For Kyogle he alternated between half back and five eight and was even used as an impact player off the bench in a couple of games, but seemingly has found a home at half back for Beaudesert over the last two seasons where he continues to benefit from the crisp distribution out of dummy half by Titans linked hooker Charlie Gee.

A player comparison for Shallin Fuller is an interesting one and for a good comparison I am going back a while but for the people that saw former Gold Coast Seagull and Manly halfback Paul Shaw play you have someone in Fuller who is similar as a player who was dynamic when running the ball but also someone who was not as effective in a structured environment.

Obviously with the changes to the inter change Shallin Fuller is not going to be able to play as a Super Sub like how Paul Shaw made his name, but as noted if he can find a balance between being a game manager and distributor and playing on instinct, he will do very well.

[mdrew]

Thomas Farragher. (Revised) The young Kyogle half back has already been in and around Titans development squad after spending time in recent seasons training with the Titans.

To date in 2018 Thomas Farragher has played in two competitions for the Kyogle Turkeys. After the competition of the Andrew Johns Cup Thomas Farragher played a match for the Turkeys in the Group One U16.5 competition which was against Ballina.

Post that match Thomas Farragher has moved up to the U18 NRRRL competition, playing two matches in that competition with his debut coming against Murwillumbah and his other match being against Casino RSM. Playing in that competition as a 16 year old is quite an impressive feat for the young man.

Early in the season Thomas Farragher was part of the Northern Rivers U16 side that participated in the Andrew Johns Cup. In that competition Thomas Farragher played in three matches, coming off the bench on all three occasions, being Round One against the Newcastle Development Squad, Round Four against the Central Coast Roosters and Northern Rivers finals match against the Western Rams.

In those matches Thomas Farragher played primarily as a backup in the halves and hooker.

Early in the 2017 season Thomas Farragher was part of the U15 New South Wales Combined High Schools trials and was the starting five eight for the Group One U15 representative side and the New South Wales Combined High Schools U15 side. Thomas Farragher late last received a Northern New South Wales local sports champion award for his performances over the course of the 2017 rugby league season.

In 2017 season Thomas Farragher played eight matches in the Group One U15 JRL competitions 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 continue to play in the NRRRL U18 competition for Kyogle for the duration of this season.

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 for representative honours at the U18 level in 2018.

From a player comparison perspective, I can really see aspects of the play of former Titan and Manly utility Cameron Cullen as a player who provides a spark in both attack and defence when he is on the field.

[mdrew]

Caleb Hodges. (Revised) The young former Group 18 centre or second rower has had an outstanding start to the 2018 season, including playing for the PBC side in their Langer Cup victory over Keebra Park and also having a hand in the success of the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side in the 2018 season.

Caleb Hodges joined the Tweed Heads MM Cup squad and PBC with an impressive pedigree including representing the U16 New South Wales Indigenous side in 2017 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 and PBC student Jordan Tauali’i.

For the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the MM Cup competition this season, Caleb Hodges played in four matches scoring for two tries. Caleb Hodges scored his first try in Round Six against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls and also scored in Tweed Heads semi-final against Souths Logan.

Caleb Hodges was named to start on the interchange bench in Round One but did not make the final 17 but came into the Tweed Heads side in Round Five against the Townsville Blackhawks and stayed in the side for the remainder of the season.

Caleb Hodges started from the interchange bench in Rounds Five and Six and in the centres for Round Seven and the semi-final. Interesting Caleb Hodges was named to start at hooker in Round Six against Wynnum Manly but ended starting from the bench instead in that match.

Caleb Hodges’s style of play is that of a powerful wide running centre or 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 player 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 is eligible again for the MM Cup competition in 2019 and this season will continue to play for the PBC Open school boy in the Langer Cup and GIO Cup competitions.

Caleb Hodges is perfectly suited to the centres in rugby league and even though with his speed he could certainly play in the second row playing wider out in the centres is the ideal position for the young man in the short term at least.

Euan Aitken of the St George Dragons 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.

Caleb Hodges is just a solid ball of muscle who just seems to have a natural affinity for rugby league.

[mdrew]

Lochlyn Sheldon. (Revised) The Titans Rookie Squad member has been an ever present in the front row for the high flying Burleigh Bears in het Hastings Deering’s U20 Colts side this year, starting in the front row in all nine of their matches. Lochlyn Sheldon is not going to score many tries but did score in Round Three this season in the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

Lochlyn Sheldon made his Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade debut for Burleigh starting from the bench in Round Six when the Bears defeated Bilambil 40 – 10. Lochlyn has been named to start at lock in Round Seven alongside fellow Titans Rookie Squad members Darius Farmer, Api Noema-Matenga and Kai O’Donnell when the take on the Tugun Seahawks on Sunday.

Lochlyn Sheldon had a very good 2017 season on the field for Burleigh in the MM Cup competition and for Runaway Bay across multiple grades in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition. In addition, Lochlyn Sheldon played one match for the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts Challenge side which was in Round Fourteen against the Ipswich Jets, that afternoon Lochlyn Sheldon made his debut from the interchange bench and scored a second half try in a positive debut Colts match.

For Burleigh in the MM competition, Lochlyn Sheldon captained the side and started in five of their six matches in the front row and came off the interchange bench in Round Three. Lochlyn Sheldon crossed for three tries over the six matches, scoring in Round One against Redcliffe, in Round Three against North’s and also in Round Six in the local derby against Tweed Heads Seagulls a match in which Burleigh won and a match that also included a number of Tians linked players on both sides.

For Runaway Bay in the Gold Coast Rugby League Competition, Lochlyn Sheldon played twelve matches in the U19 competition, eleven in the Doug Lipp Cup including starting the Grand Final at lock (Unfortunately Runaway Bay were defeated 13 – 6 by Beaudesert) and one match in the A grade making his A Grade debut in August against Ormeau.

Across his twelve matches in the U19 competition, Lochlyn Sheldon scored five tries all coming in a stellar four game period mid-season where he scored double against Mudgeeraba and also tries in that period against Beaudesert, Burleigh and Bilambil. Lochlyn Sheldon made his Doug Lipp Cup debut in June against Bilambil and went on to make eleven appearances for Runaway Bay in that competition scoring three tries which came against Ormeau, Tugun and Bilambil. In five of his eleven Doug Lipp Cup matches, Lochlyn Sheldon played in the U19 contest and then backed up to play the Doug Lipp Cup fixture.

In 2016, Lochlyn Sheldon was named player of the carnival for the 2016 Confraternity Shield as well as being named in the second row for the Queensland Independent Colleges (QIC) Secondary Schools rugby league side after playing for Gold Coast based Aquinas College in the carnival which was held in September 2016. Fellow Aquinas College student Lachlan Douglas was also named in the all carnival side in the front row.

Previously Lochlyn Sheldon has made multiple representative sides, including the Queensland U13 side, South Coast U15’s where he was named player of the match on Day Two against Darling Downs, Qld Marron U15’s from which he made the U15 Australian Merit Team with Titans linked Konrad Edwards and also the Queensland U16 side in 2015, which also contained Titans Ben Thomas and Darius Farmer.

Lochlyn Sheldon was part of the Brisbane Broncos elite development squad for a number of years, but unfortunately for him he was not able to gain a contract with the Broncos, which was good news for the Titans.

Running with the football, Lochlyn Sheldon 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.

Where there has been a clear development in Lochlyn Sheldon’s game has been he is ability to off load prior to contact with the defensive line in the Round Three MM match against the North’s Devils Lochlyn Sheldon popped a great short ball to Noah Lolesio off his right hip who crossed untouched for one of his four tries that afternoon at Pizzey Park.

Defensively Lochlyn Sheldon 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.

Lochlyn Sheldon 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, and thus giving away penalties. His ability to successfully defend against these type 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 probable.

Lochlyn Sheldon 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.

Lochlyn Sheldon has transitioned fulltime to the U20 Colts ranks in 2018 with Burleigh and will play out the 2018 season there and will be Colts eligible once again in 2019 as well as training with the Titans Rookie Squad.

Lochlyn Sheldon will also get more opportunities in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition as the season progresses. The Bears/Titans have played a number of Colts eligible players in the local First grade competition this season with Burleigh to give them exposure against men. Fellow Titans Rookie Squad members such as Allan Lockwood, Jaxson Paulo, Mikey Williams and Darius Farmer amongst others have already through this experience like Lochlyn Sheldon.

Whilst he has alternated between second row and front row over previous junior seasons, I would anticipate that based on his build and skill set that starting as early as next season Lochlyn Sheldon will likely transition to the second row full time. Lochlyn Sheldon 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 is former Titans second rower and current Titans coaching staff member Anthony Laffranchi, as a solid hard working forward who will probably never be a star but will be a solid contributor to a team’s forward pack.

Likely there will be players with more natural ability that will not go as far in rugby league as Lochlyn Sheldon will, simply because he will make the most of the ability he has through sheer hard work and effort.

[mdrew]

Blake Cullen. (Revised) The young front rower from the Toowoomba region is a Titans Rookie Squad member and is currently playing for the Hastings Deering’s U20 Western Mustangs Colts side.

Blake Cullen has played in all ten of the Western Mustangs Colts matches this season starting all at lock bar Round Four against the North’s Devils when he started in the front row.

Blake Cullen’s sole Hastings Deering’s Colts try thus far this season came in Round Eleven against the South’s Logan Magpies.

The big strong burly young front rower was part of the Western Mustangs 2017 U18 Mal Meninga Cup winning team starting in their Grand Final winning side in the front row when they defeated South’s Logan 40 – 30 early in 2017. Blake Cullen also started in the front row for the Western Mustangs when they played against the Parramatta Eels in the U18 national final with Parramatta winning on the day.

Over the course of the 2017 MM Cup season, Blake Cullen started in the front row in all eight of the Western Mustangs matches including the semi-final against the Easts Tigers and the MM Cup Grand Final against Souths Logan. In those eight matches Blake Cullen scored two tries, the first coming in Round Two against the Mackay Cutters and the second in Round Six against Victoria.

Blake Cullen also played one U20 Colts match in 2017 for the Western Mustangs when he came off the bench in Round Two against the Ipswich Jets.

After the MM Cup competition was completed, apart from the one match that former Pittsworth State High School student played in the Colts competition, Blake Cullen plyed his trade with Pittsworth in the Toowoomba Rugby League Competition. Blake Cullen played six matches in the U18 competition and five in the Hutchies A Grade Cup competition.

On each of the five occasions that Blake Cullen played first grade, Blake Cullen backed up after playing in the U18 match earlier in the day. It is even more impressive when you consider that Blake Cullen started in both the U18 and A Grade matches in the front row. In the 2017 season, Blake Cullen’s sole try was in the U18 competition against Wattles.

Blake Cullen 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. There is no subtlety to his running, it is straight and hard and another positive is that he will not just run upright, Blake Cullen will drop his should into the defender making it difficult if not impossible for him to be stopped one on one. He does though have quite foot speed when/if he gets into space, probably above average for a front rower.

In defence Blake Cullen is happy to go for the big hit with his target zone around the rib cage rather than the chest area thus mitigating the risk of the tackle slipping up around the head. He is obviously suited to defending in the centre of the ruck rather that the fringes and will have some trouble with nippy runners out of dummy half.

It has been indicated to me that Blake Cullen is a very hard dedicated worker in training. 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.

Blake Cullen will play out the 2018 season with the Western Mustangs U20 Colts squad and is eligible for that competition again in 2019. Blake Cullen will also continue to train with the Titans Rookie Squad.

Blake Cullen has been a player who has been in the centre of a rugby league field his entire rugby league career and with his strength and toughness will surely continue playing either at lock or in the front row where ever his career in rugby league takes him.

From a player comparison point of view, I think that a fair comparison from a style of play perspective would be former New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand International front rower Sam Rapira, as tough hard runner forward who does everything at 100 mph and takes a committed defensive line to stop him.

[mdrew]

Tyler Szepanowski. (Updated) The big tall young former St Brendan’s College front rower signed with the Titans mid-way through the 2017 season and is currently a member of the Titans Rookie Squad as well as playing for the talented Burleigh Bears Hastings Deering’s U20 Colts squad. Tyler Szepanowski has started in the front row in all eleven of Burleigh’s Colts matches this season including their six point win over Ipswich this afternoon.

In 2017 Tyler Szepanowski was part of the Central Queensland Capra’s U18 squad after having a solid season in Schoolboy rugby league in 2016. The young front rower was the St Brendan’s College Co-captain a great achievement for the young man who came to the school from Moranbah and also was part of the St Brendan’s side that made the 2016 Final of the Confraternity Shield where they played Ignatius Park in that final.

Tyler Szepanowski was approached by the Titans after the Capra’s Round Three match against the Burleigh Bears MM side in 2017 at Browne Park and is probably the first player the Titans have signed with a Prussian heritage.

For the Central Queensland Capra’s MM side in 2017 Tyler Szepanowski started in five of their six matches, in each of his starts Tyler Szepanowski played in the front row. Tyler Szepanowski only missed the final round being Round Six. Tyler Szepanowski scored two tries in the five matches with his tries coming in Rounds One and Two against the Central Crows and Redcliffe Dolphins. Tyler Szepanowski also captained the Capra’s in their Round Five matches against eventual MM champions the Western Mustangs.

At the completion of the MM competition in 2017, Tyler Szepanowski moved to playing first grade in the Rockhampton Rugby League competition with Brothers Rockhampton making his First Grade debut in late April against the North’s Chargers. In total Tyler Szepanowski played in thirteen Rockhampton RL First Grade matches and scored his sole first grade try in June against Woorabinda. Tyler Szepanowski started all of his first grade matches in the second row. Late in the 2017 season, Tyler Szepanowski also played one match in the Rockhampton Rugby League U20 competition with the match being against Brothers Rockhampton.

At the Rockhampton Senior Rugby League awards in late 2017 Tyler Szepanowski was named at the Rockhampton RL First Grade Rookie of the Year.

Tyler Szepanowski who trailed for the Parramatta Eels Harrold Matthews side in 2015 won the Coaches Award at the 2016 St Brendan’s Sports Awards night and represented the Queensland Capra’s in the CC Cup competition in 2016 and also Capricornia U15 side in 2014 at the QSSRL U15 Championships.

The young front rower who currently weighs around the 101kg mark has what I would consider plus speed for a front rower, in fact his speed would be above average for a forward of any position. He 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.

Tyler Szepanowski 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 Tyler Szepanowski around the chest area. Once he impacts the defensive line he also is adept at redirecting his momentum to address the next defender who is coming in the defend him.

When he is close to the line he seems to have an extra gear again and crashes into the defensive line low and hard and is very difficult to stop. He scores a high proportion of his tries coming from situations where he took on a set defensive line from reasonably close range and was able to carry defenders across the line. I have not seen too many off loads from him in relation to when he has engaged the line, the majority of his offloads have come from situations where his momentum is stopped but he is able to get an arm free, usually his right arm and then pop the ball out the back.

In defence he 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.

Tyler Szepanowski will also track the ball across the field and just needs to ensure that he stays vigilant when the ball is moved further out and continue to cover the inside channel so that he is not caught out of the ball is passed back inside. At this stage he has the speed to compensate and close the distance to the attacker quickly but as he progresses in the upper age groups he just needs to ensure that he is in the right position, and to be fair he is in the right position the vast majority of the time.

Tyler Szepanowski will play out the remainder of the 2018 season with the Burleigh Bears in the U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition and will be Colts eligible again in 2019 in the final year of his Titans contract.

Tyler Szepanowski may also get an opportunity in the Burleigh Bears Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade side. The Bears/Titans have played a number of Colts eligible players in the local First grade competition this season with Burleigh to give them exposure against men.

Fellow Titans Rookie Squad members such as Allan Lockwood, Jaxson Paulo, Mikey Williams, Lochlyn Sheldon and Darius Farmer amongst others have already through this experience as they are being prepared for the Queensland Cup competition.

With his build (190cm and 101kg) and style of play, I can envisage Tyler Szepanowski playing in the front row as he continues his junior rugby league career although he will likely to continue to spend some time in the second row while he continues to develop physically.

From a style perspective, think along the lines of the James Tamau of the Cowboys as a tall front rower with good footwork both in attack and defence and he is also a leader on the field who can set the direction and tempo for his team by leading from the front in the most demanding position on a football field regardless of the age group or level of competition.

[mdrew]

Luke Kofutua. The former Western Australian raised youngster has taken the opportunity to move across to the Gold Coast to continue his sporting career at Keebra Park and made an immediate impact being selected on the bench for the South Coast U15 QSSRL side after the early season trials.

Even though he is still eligible to play at the U15 age group, Luke Kofutua has started off the 2018 season in the U16 Division One competition with the Southport Tigers and started Round Two(Southport had a Round One bye) against Burleigh from the interchange bench in Southport’s 22 – 4 victory in a hard fought clash. Since his debut match Luke Kofutua has played in all of Southport’s other matches in the U16 Division competition, starting all off the bench.

In Western Australia, Luke Kofutua was a talented junior rugby player from Perth’s Thornlie State High School and in 2017 was selected in the Western Australian U14 State Championship rugby side. Luke Kofutua played No. 8 for the Kalamunda Junior Rugby club in Perth at the U14 level in 2017. Kalamunda were defeated in the Preliminary final 13 – 5 of that competition last year.

Luke Kofutua is 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. Luke Kofutua 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 No. 8

Luke Kotutua’s speed thus makes it almost impossible for the cover defence to catch him once he is open space. Couple Luke Kofutua’s hard running style with a very good fend and you have a big strong powerful young player who can cause nightmares for any defensive line regardless of the code.

Defensively the most impressive aspect of Luke Kofutua’s play is his ability to make effective tackle after effective tackle. In the Perth Junior Rugby competition he continually made up to three and four tackles in a row on multiple occasions and then clean out in the rucks and mauls and then he was also the first Epping player to take the ball up. 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.

One match in the South Coast U15 QSSRL trials was outstanding, he came out of the line and smashed the Coombabah ball carrier (a more than talented youngster in his own right) with a superb front on tackle perfectly highlighting his timing toughness and technique regardless of his non-rugby league background.

Luke Kofutua 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.

Luke Kofutua will play the remainder of the 2018 season with the Southport Tigers in the U16 Division One competition and will also play for Keebra Park Year Ten side in their various school boy competitions including the Walters Cup where they will be up against PBC on a regular basis.

From a purely rugby league perspective the extremely talented Western Australian rugby No. 8 looks and plays like an outstanding second rower who can either play in the centre of the field or on the fringes as the game dictates and be equally effective in both situations.

The perfect NRL player comparison for Luke Kofutua is South Sydney Rabbitoh’s boom youngster and former School boy rugby star, Angus Creighton. Like Creighton, Luke Kofutua is a big strong powerful young man with more speed that people will initially give him credit for until this see him play of course that is.

Also like Angus Creighton, Luke Kofutua is a very good off loader of the ball both before the defensive line and whilst he is in contact with it and defensively he is a strong presence with a solid repeatable front on tackling technique with a touch of aggressiveness involved as well.

Luke Kofutua is one of a couple of Western Australian youngsters who have moved over to the Gold Coast. Another young player to come over is former South Perth Lions second rower Wailer Whaiapu who was earlier this year selected in the Gold Coast Vikings U13 Invitational trial squad.

[mdrew]

Brody Smitka. (Revised) The local young front rower recently signed a two year contract with the Titans and started in the front row in the Titans U15 Invitational side that defeated a Western Mustangs Invitational side in March at Nerang.

The Coomera Anglican College student recently was selected in the U15 Queensland White side for the U15 ASSRL National Championships after performing solidly for the South Coast U15 side for whom he started in the front row in the QSSRL U15 Championships held in Townsville in April of this year.

Even though he is still eligible for the U15 competition, Brody Smitka just like he has done in previous seasons has started the current season “up” an age group. Brody Smitka has played the opening four rounds in the GCRL U16 Division One competition starting each match at lock.

Late in 2017 Brody Smitka was part of the Titans U15 Invitational side that played their annual match against a Balmain Tigers selection in Cudgen late in the year and also was named in the Queensland U15 2018 Emerging Origin Squad and has already attended a number of camps including camp in February on the Sunshine Coast where on the last day they played a simulated match against the U16 side who were also present at the camp.

The local young front rower from the Helensvale Hornets junior rugby league on the Gold Coast was part of the U14 Gold Coast Vikings side that went through the 2017 Hill Stumer championships undefeated after victories against Stingers Red and White sides and the Ipswich Diggers.

Post those championships Brody Smitka was selected in the U14 South East Queensland Green side for the Queensland Age Championships which were played in Toowoomba and scored on Day Three in a big win over South East Queensland White.

The U14 Vikings was the third representative side that Brody Smitka has made, after he was part of the dominant U13 Vikings side in 2016 and the South Coast U12 schoolboys side in 2015 which also went through their competition undefeated, he made the South Coast U12 side from Coomera Anglican College. Also this season Brody Smitka was part of the 2017 Gold Coast Academy of Sport Rugby League Excellence Program.

Brody Smitka played the 2017 Gold Coast Junior Rugby League season with the Helensvale Hornets primarily in the U15 Division One side although he did play one match for Helensvale in the U14 Division Two competition in July where he dominated Nerang to score a double.

In the U15 Division One competition in 2017, Brody Smitka started in sixteen matches including starting in the front row in their 34 – 10 Grand Final loss to Nerang. In those sixteen matches Brody Smitka scored five tries including a great first two rounds of the season when he scored four of his five tries including a hat trick in Round two against Southport and scoring against Burleigh in the season opener. In the U15 Division One Preliminary Final also against Burleigh Brody Smitka scored his fifth try of the year.

Brody Smitka is a reasonably tall young guy but when he runs he does look to put his shoulder into the defensive line rather than just straight up which would make him susceptible to being driven back, aiding in his running style is that he actually gets back and runs onto the ball hard rather than looking only to get to top pace once he has received the ball. Brody Smitka is always on of the first forwards to take the hit up and works hard while he is on the field.

In 2016 and 2017 for Helensvale Brody Smitka seemed to play a little wider of the ruck which enables him to off load the ball more. For the Titans U15 Invitational side earlier this season Brody Smitka had some outstanding off-loads.

One in particular caught my attention, it was in the second half of the match. Brody Smitka took the hit-up to the left of the dummy half angling back behind the play the ball. He hit the defensive line at full speed pushing back the defenders on initial contact.

Instead of just looking for the quick play the ball, Brody Smitka was able to get his right arm free and offload a great ball to half and fellow Titans contracted youngster Thomas Weaver as he was heading towards the ground. A play or two later winger Kaleb Ngamanu crossed in the left corner for an outstanding Titans try which would not have been possible but for a piece of sublime skill from Brody Smitka earlier in the set of six.

Brody Smitka got another right arm off load in the second half. He was hit by three defenders but was still able to get an offload away to the back-up Titans hooker who crashed over when he ran into the gap created by Brody Smitka when he had hit the defensive line.

Defensively for a taller young player he is adept at getting low and setting a good base so that he can drive with his legs into the attacker. For his taller height he is quite disciplined in terms of not hanging an arm out when defending against a smaller quicker attacker and uses his reasonable lateral movement to look to mirror the attacker’s movement and make the tackle. Brody Smitka is not a big hitter but will drive with his legs to stop the momentum of the ball carrier effectively in the centre of the ruck.

Brody Smitka will complete the 2018 Gold Coast Rugby League season in the U16 Division One competition for Helensvale. Brody Smitka will also represent the Queensland White U15 side at the ASSRL U15 National Championships and play for Coomera Anglican College in a number of School boy rugby league competitions.

Where Brody Smitka ultimately ends up from a position perspective is an intriguing question. At present he has the height and size to play in the front row, but he shows flashes of the ability to play as a second rower I would argue mainly because he has above average speed for a front rower and whilst he has a bit of height, I am not sure whether he will be able to put on the bulk needed to play in the front row long term.

Also with the solid ball skills that Brody Smitka has I can see a compelling argue to suggest that his ultimate position will be in the second row as a big tall reasonably quick second rower or even at lock depending on how a coach wants his lock to play.

I will admit I was a touch surprised to see Brody Smitka playing lock through the opening rounds this year, but thinking about it I believe that it is an inspired move by the coach. Brody Smitka has far more to offer than just putting his head down trying to gain metres and get a quick play the ball.

At lock he has more freedom in terms of what lines he can run and has more opportunities to off-load the ball. Thinking about it, locks seems to be the perfect position for him. Well done to the coaching staff, it is a move which will reap rewards for both Brody Smitka and his team and of course the Titans as it will advance his development as a player exponentially.

I have said the same thing for the last two years in relation to Brody Smitka but I am going to say it again this year. He seems to have increased his speed and mobility compared to what it was the year before. I am not saying he has plus speed but for a big strong young forward he is quite quick, certainly off the mark and this and the intensity of his runs means that he invariably generates positive post contact metres on each of his hit-ups.

The continued development of both his skill set and physical attributes such as speed and mobility is a sure sign of a young man possessing the motivation and determination to succeed in his chosen sport.

If you look at the play of new Titan’s recruit Bryce Cartwright, (the second row or lock version that is), I think you will get an appreciation of how Brody Smitka 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 outstanding off-loading skills if the opportunities present.

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Chris Chambers. (Revised) The talented right winger made the most of playing outside of a talented halves combination for the Western Mustangs MM Cup winning side including starting on the wing when they defeated South’s Logan 40 – 30 in the 2017 MM Cup Grand Final and also starting on the wing in the U18 National final against the Parramatta Eels. Chris Chambers was an ever present on the wing for the Western Mustangs over the course of the 2017 MM Cup season. Chris Chambers is currently part of the Titans High Performance Unit.

Chris Chambers was back in the Western Mustangs MM Cup in 2018 playing in all six matches and scoring on three occasions he also kicked a conversion in Round One. Chris Chambers started on the right wing in each of his MM Cup matches this season.

In his six matches Chris Chambers had a 50% strike rate with his tries coming in Rounds Three, Six and Seven against Ipswich, Burleigh and Souths Logan respectively.

Chris Chambers came into the Western Mustangs U20 Colts side in their Round Ten match against the Mackay Cutters, scoring a double in his Colts debut. Post his debut, Chris Chambers has played an additional two Colts starting on the right wing in those matches as well.

Chris Chambers has also played one match in the TRL U18 competition this season which was in Round One for Toowoomba Valleys against Southern Suburbs and then as a result of his MM Cup and Colts commitments has not played again in the U18 TRL competition. In the opposing Southern Suburbs that Sunday were three fellow Titans linked players in Leslie Hartvigsen, Connor Williams, Luke Maiden and Alex Dunneman.

Chris Chambers had a stellar run in the 2017 MM Cup competition from a try scoring perspective scoring at least a try in every match except for the Grand Final victory over South’s Logan. Chris Chambers scored a double in Round Seven against the Easts Tigers, with his other tries coming in Round Two against the Mackay Cutters (Western Mustangs had a Round One bye), Round Three against Tweed Heads, Round Five against the Central Queensland Capra’s, Round Six against Victoria, Round Eight against the Central Crows and in the Western Mustangs semi-final victory over the Easts Tigers.

After the completion of the MM Cup competition, Chris Chambers played for Toowoomba Valleys in the U18 Toowoomba Rugby League competition scoring six tries and kicking four conversions from eight game, including a double against Southern Suburbs in his first U18 match of the season and single tries against Goondiwindi, Toowoomba Brothers South Burnett and Dalby. Chris Chambers also started in the centres in the Toowoomba Rugby League U18 Grand Final and kicked two conversions in his side’s 38 – 34 victory over the Warwick Cowboys.

Whilst in does not have a great deal of speed off the mark, Chris Chambers does have above average 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.

Even taking into account what I have said in the paragraph, from a speed perspective Chris Chambers is an interesting one. It does not appear when he is space that he is moving quickly but players that I consider who have above average speed for an outside back do not gain ground on him, thus clearly Chris Chambers is a lot quicker than he looks. The proof is in the pudding so they say and this season, Chris Chambers has been able to outpace some very quick players.

When engaged with the defensive line Chris Chambers also has a reasonable offload and when he breaks through the main defensive line Chris Chambers is also very effective at setting up his outside support, by drawing the fullback.

Chris Chambers also has very good hands and over the course of the MM Cup season he had to pick up a number of passes from either low down or above his head and then can use his speed off the mark to look to create something for either himself or his team mates.

Chris Chambers has a good 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. Chris Chambers is just a solid attacking player and before you realise he has made a number of breaks and scored multiple tries.

Defensively the area that is impressive in relation to Chris Chambers is his ability to defend against any size opponent, from small quick outside backs to big strong powerful backrowers running wide of the ruck. Defending on the wing Chris Chambers he sets a good base and uses his leg strength to direct his strength into his opponent.

Purely from a skill and physical attribute perspective he seems more suited to a sliding defensive methodology rather than an up and in style. Like with his attacking attributes he is just solid there is really no other word to describe it.

Chris Chambers will play out the 2018 rugby league with the Western Mustangs U20 Colts side and will also be Colts eligible in 2019 and 2020.

Even though Chris Chambers could comfortably handle playing in the centres and perhaps even at fullback, with his ability to conceptually understand where the touch line is and use the limited space to his advantage I would consider it probable that Chris Chambers will continue to play on the wing as he begins his transition to the senior rugby league ranks.

For me how Chris Chambers plays is similar to the playing style of former Titan, PNG International captain and now English Super League player David Mead as a talented fearless winger who whilst he can score the incredible try out wide is regularly in the centre of the ruck giving his forwards a breather with a hit up or bringing the ball back on a kick return with a fearless approach.

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Luke Maiden. (Revised) The Toowoomba based Titans Rookie Squad member is one of about a dozen Western Mustangs players that are part of the Rookie Squad. The squad travel to the Gold Coast once a month or so and on the alternate fortnight Titans coaches head up the range to work with the Darling Downs based Rookie Squad members.

After an outstanding MM Cup campaign in 2017, Luke Maiden this season was once again playing MM Cup for the Western Mustangs and just like last year, now that that competition has come to its conclusion, he has moved immediately to the Colts squad.

In his second season in the MM Cup with the Western Mustangs Luke Maiden played in all six matches and had a 50% try scoring strike rate. Luke Maiden scored in Rounds One, Five and Seven against Victoria, Sunshine Coast and South’s Logan respectively.

His progression to the Western Mustangs Hastings Deering’s Colts side has seen Luke Maiden play in four matches to date. Luke Maiden came into the side in Round Eight against Tweed Heads when he started on the interchange bench. Luke Maiden has also started on the interchange bench in Rounds Ten Eleven and thirteen against the Mackay Cutters South’s Logan and the Easts Tigers respectively.

Luke Maiden has also played one match in the TRL U18 competition this season which was in Round One against Toowoomba Valleys where he started in the front row and scored in Southern Suburbs 26 – 8 victory.

Team mates in the Southern Suburbs side that afternoon were fellow Titans linked players Leslie Hartvigsen, Connor Williams and Alex Dunneman and in the opposition side was Chris Chambers. As a result of his MM Cup and Colts commitments has not played again in the U18 TRL competition.

In 2017 after being part of the Western Mustangs MM Cup winning side early in 2017, Luke Maiden graduated to the Western Mustangs U20 Colts side where he started a number of matches in the front row after starting the MM Cup Grand Final at lock and being a key contributor to the 40 – 30 grand final victory over the South’s Logan Magpies and similarly in the U18 National final against Parramatta.

Luke Maiden along with around eight other Western Mustangs players are currently on Titans scholarships for the next two seasons, which will cover his time in the U20 Colts competition.

The St Mary’s Toowoomba High School student started all eight of the Western Mustangs MM Cup matches at lock, scoring in Round Two against the Mackay Cutters and also in Round Eight against the Central Crows. Luke Maiden broke into the Western Mustangs U20 Colts Challenge side in Round Five when he came off the bench against South’s Logan and also started on the bench in Rounds Six and Eight.

Luke Maiden’s first start at the U20 Colts Challenge level was in Round Nine when he started in the front row against the Burleigh Bears. In total in the U20 Colts competition in 2017 for the Western Mustangs, Luke Maiden played in nine matches, starting four from the interchange bench and five in the front row.

Luke Maiden also played a number of matches in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition over the course of the 2017 season for Southern Suburbs in the U18 and First Grade competitions. In the U18 TRL competition Luke Maiden played in two matches scoring in the first of those against Highfields and Districts and made his Hutchies A grade debut Toowoomba Valleys in July 2017.

Luke Maiden is a very 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 Luke Maiden 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 Luke Maiden 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, Luke Maiden’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. Luke Maiden’s lateral movement is actually more than reasonable for a front rower as for that matter is his overall straight line speed.

Now that the MM Cup competition has been finalised Luke Maiden has moved to the Western Mustangs U20 Colts squad where he will finish the season and from 2019 he will still have two years of Colts eligibility.

Luke Maiden spent a fair bit of time at lock in the MM Cup competition over the last two seasons, with the likes of Blake Cullen and Jordan Crocker in the front row 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, Luke Maiden 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 Luke Maiden was not that difficult, he has similar physical and playing attributes to those of Manly forward Jake Trbojevic, like Trbojevic, Luke Maiden will work hard all day both in attack and defence and will also bring an intense effort every time that he walks onto the field.

[mdrew]

Callum Boomer. The young Burleigh Bears Colts winger is looking to force his way into an impressive side over the course of the 2018 season and was named on an extended bench for Round Nine. Callum Boomer is also currently a member of the Titans Rookie Squad and has recently been selected in the 2018 Gold Coast Vikings U19 squad.

Callum Boomer started the 2018 season playing in the Gold Cost Rugby League First Grade competition for the Southport Tigers starting on the wing in the first two rounds against Currumbin and Tugun and kicked a conversion in each of those matches.

In Round Three after being named earlier that week on an extended bench for the Burleigh Colts side Callum Boomer played in the U19 Gold Coast Rugby League competition. He started in the centres and scored a try and kicked three goals in a 22 all draw with the Bilambil Jets.

Round Four saw Callum Boomer once again start in the centres for the Southport Tigers U19 side in their clash against Burleigh which they won 31 - 18. Callum Boomer had a day out in the win over Burleigh when he scored 19 of Southport’s 31 points. Callum Boomer scored two tries, kicked five goals and a field goal. Through his first two U19 games this season, Callum Boomer scored 29 points from three tries eight goals and the field goal.

After a couple of matches for the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s U20 Colts side Callum Boomer was back in eth Southport U19 side for Round Seven and starting at centre kicked three goals as the Tigers fell to a 28 – 28 defeat to Mudgeeraba.

Callum Boomer made his deserved Hastings Deering’s U20 Colts debut for Burleigh in their Round Eleven match against Easts, starting in the centres and kicking seven from seven in a 42 – 4 victory for the Bears.

Callum Boomer maintained his place in the Burleigh Colts side for their match against the Mackay Cutters starting on the wing as Burleigh won 14 - 6. Callum Boomer kicked three from three and through his first two Hastings Deering’s Colts matches Callum Boomer has kicked ten from ten.

Callum Boomer was once again on the wing for the Burleigh Colts side for their Round Thirteen match away to the Ipswich Jets.

In 2017 Callum Boomer played for the Burleigh Bears MM Cup squad having a great Round One when he scored two tries, 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 right wing.

For Burleigh in the 2017 MM Cup competition Callum Boomer started in all six of Burleigh’s matches on the right 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 a goal kicking conversion rate of 64.28%.

For Burleigh in the 2017 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.

Callum Boomer also played a number of matches in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition in 2017 for Runaway Bay. He played one match in the GCRL U19 competition and what a match it was. Against Ormeau Callum Boomer scored 22 points from a try and nine conversions in a dominant Runaway Bay performance.

Callum Boomer also played two matches for Runaway Bay in the Doug Lipp Cup competition, both matches being finals matches starting both on the wing. In his debut match (final) against Beaudesert Callum Boomer kicked four conversions and a fortnight later started on the wing in the Doug Lipp Cup Grand Final and kicked a conversion in a 13 – 6 loss to Beaudesert. A team mate for runaway Bay in the Grand Final was fellow Titans Rookie Squad member Lochlyn Sheldon who started in the front row and an opponent Charlie Gee.

The former Coombabah State High School student 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 2016 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 2017 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 positive traits. I would suggest that he is likely to be his side’s primary goal kicker regardless of the level that he progresses to into the future.

Callum Boomer will continue to press his claims for playing time in the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts side in 2018 and if he is not in the game day seventeen for any given match he will play for Southport in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition with Runaway Bay. Callum Boomer is eligible for the U20 Colts competition in 2019 as well.

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 in 2017 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 and New Zealand International 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.

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Larryon Tevita. The New Zealand born youngster moved over to the Gold Coast in January of this year and played for the Burleigh Bears MM Cup side for the 2018 season. Larryon Tevita came into the Bears MM side in Round Three being the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls in Burleigh’s tough 36 – 6 loss with the young man starting in the front row in his first match on Australian soil.

Larryon Tevita also started on the interchange bench in Round Four against the South’s Logan Magpies a match that Burleigh lost 34 – 20. In total in the MM Cup for Burleigh this season, Larryon Tevita played in four matches, starting in the front row on two occasions and from the bench in the other two.

Post the MM Cup competition, Larryon Tevita has started three matches from the interchange bench for Burleigh in the Gold Coast Rugby league U19 competition. On debut in Round Three of the U19 Gold Coast Rugby League competition, Larryon Tevita scored a double against Beaudesert and also started from the bench in Round Four in a tough 31 – 18 loss to Southport when Southport’s Titans Rookie Squad centre Callum Boomer was close to unstoppable, in Round Five also scored in Burleigh’s 26 – 22 victory over Currumbin.

In Round Eleven and Thirteen of the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition, Larryon Tevita was named on the extended bench for the Burleigh Bears side however did not make the final 17 for either match.

The former Kelston Boys High School student was rewarded for a solid season in late 2017 when he was named at lock in the 2017 SAS College team of the year. The majority of players named in the 2017 SAS College team of the year are now in NRL aligned U20 squads so Larryon Tevita’s inclusion certainly highlights his ability on the field against quality opposition and opposition in the main at least a year older than him.

2018 Burleigh Bears U20 Colts recruit Mikey Williams was named in the centres in the SAS College team of the year as well as the competitions leading try scorer with eight tries to his name.

In 2017 Larryon Tevita played for the Auckland based Glenora Rugby League club, playing a number of matches in the Open U17 competition and also one match in the SAS Fox Memorial Premier First Grade Competition, not bad at all for a 17 year old.

Larryon Tevita also represented Kelston Boys High at the 2017 NZ National Secondary Schools Premier Tournament starting at lock in all five of their matches which were against Southern Cross Campus twice including the Championship final, Wesley College, Rotorua Boys High School and St Thomas of Canterbury College.

From an attacking perspective Larryon Tevita 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 Larryon Tevita 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. Regardless he does not shirk contact and seems the more physical the contest the more he enjoys himself.

Defensively as you would anticipate from a big strong young player Larryon Tevita also had a big impact in games. He engages attacker’s front on and with the strength in his legs and core was able to regularly drive attackers backwards. Larryon Tevita 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 through his core.

After playing in four MM Cup matches for Burleigh, Larryon Tevita is playing for the Bears in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition where he will likely play the remainder of the season. With the strength of the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts side, Larryon Tevita may not be able to break into that squad this season, he will almost certainly start there in 2019.

A discussion in relation to an ultimate position is an interesting one in relation to Larryon Tevita, he has the size to play in the front row but the speed and foot work to operate wider out on the edges of the ruck. To that end I can envisage Larryon Tevita alternating between front row and second row for the next couple of seasons before finally settling in the front row long term.

From a player comparison perspective for Larryon Tevita, I would consider a player along the lines of current Titans forward and captain Ryan James as a big strong hard working player 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.

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Pita-Will Purcell. The Victorian raised 17 year old youngster is currently playing for Burleigh in the Gold Coast U19 competition and through the opening rounds of the competition has played in a number of backline positions for the Bears.

Pita-Will Purcell has been involved in six Rounds of the GCRL U19 competition, playing a variety of positions for the Bears. In Round One he started the match against the Bilambil Jets on the interchange bench. Round two against Ormeau saw him start in the centres and he was back on the interchange bench in Round Three against Beaudesert.

Round Four saw Pita-Will Purcell start at five eight against Southport. In Round Five Pita-Will Purcell was back at five eight and kicked three from five as Burleigh defeated Currumbin 26 – 22. The day prior he actually started Burleigh’s U17 Division One match at lock.

In Round Six Pita-Will Purcell started on the bench and scored a double and kicked two goals as the Bears defeated Mudgeeraba 34 – 28. The day prior in Round Three of the U17 Division One competition Pita-Will Purcell started from the bench and kicked three goals.

Pita-Will Purcell has to date in his five matches in the U19 competition, scored 28 points which have come from two tries and ten conversions, including kicking three from three in Round Four against Southport, he also kicked three goals against Ormeau in Round Two and two in Round One against the Bilambil Jets. Both of Pita-Will Purcell’s tries came in Round Six against Mudgeeraba when he came off the interchange bench and also kicked two goals.

Round Five of the GCRL competition saw Pita-Will Purcell move to the Burleigh U17 Division One side where he started at five eight in their 22 – 20 loss to Ormeau kicking two conversion from four attempts in the match.

In Round Three of the U17 Division One competition, Pita-Will Purcell came off the bench for Burleigh and kicked three goals in their 38 – 6 win over Mudgeeraba.

In Round Four of the GCRL U17 Division One competition Pita-Will Purcell started at lock against Runaway Bay and in a 32 – 10 victory for the Bears, he continued a try and four conversions from six attempts.

To summarise, Pita-Will Purcell has played in four matches at the U17 Division level scoring a try and kicking nine goals for 22 points and six matches at the U19 level scoring two tries and kicking thirteen goals for a 34 point total.

In 2017 Pita-Will Purcell played his club rugby league for Victoria for the Casey Warriors in the U16 competition. Pita-Will Purcell played thirteen matches and finished as the competitions leading point’s scorer with 106 points. His 106 points was derived from three tries and 47 goals. Pita-Will Purcell’s tries came against the Doveton Steelers, Altona Roosters and Northern Thunder.

Understandably when he kicked 47 goals in just thirteen matches, Pita-Will Purcell had some big matches with the boot, including kicking eleven in a June 2017 match against the Altoona Roosters, seven also against Altona in August and six goals in April 2017 against Doveton.

Pita-Will Purcell also played two matches up in the Victorian Rugby League U18 competition and had a great U18 debut in July 2017 against the Altona Roosters scoring a try and kicking six goals. His other U18 match in 2017 also came in July against the Eastern Raptors.

Prior to moving to the Burleigh Bears, Pita-Will Purcell represented Victoria in a number of competitions including starting at halfback for their 2016 U15 ASSRL side. In those Championships Pita-Will Purcell was named player of the match on Day One when he scored a try and kicked eight goals against South Australia. On Day Two the former Hallam Senior Secondary College student kicked two goals against Western Australian and on Day Four he scored a try and kicked a conversion against the Northern Territory.

Pita-Will Purcell also represented VictoriaU15’s in 2016 in the New South Wales Championships (no idea why Victoria are invited to compete), in those Championships, Pita-Will Purcell once against played half playing matches against Group 11 and Illawarra.

I really like the way that Pita-Will Purcell plays in attack he will try different things and play what is in front of him rather than stick to the same tactics. In many respects 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 Pita-Will Purcell 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 without committing to the tackle properly.

Pita-Will Purcell is able to drift across field and then just takes off through any gaps in a staggered defensive line. When he looks to take advantage of an overlap on the blind side and is adept at drawing in outside defenders to give his winger a clear path to the line by creating a two on one situations.

Defensively Pita-Will Purcell 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 impacting on the attacking play. His quick feet enable him to defend well especially against small light stepping attackers as he can mirror their movement and react accordingly.

From a kicking perspective, Pita-Will Purcell is a decent tactical kicker and whilst he does not have great distance is accurate and has a good short kicking game especially in relation to grubber kicks into the in goal.

From a goal kicking perspective, Pita-Will Purcell has accuracy down to a tee already and has been the primary goal kicker for basically all of the sides that he has been involved with over the last couple of seasons and has the opportunity to continue to be so now that he has progressed to senior rugby league.

Pita-Will Purcell will play out the 2018 season with the Burleigh Bears in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition and will be Colts eligible through to the 2021 season. An MM Cup spot beckons in 2019 for the talented utility.

It is certainly impressive that Pita-Will Purcell has gone straight into the Burleigh U19 side considering that he is still eligible to play in the U17 age group this season.

Pita-Will Purcell as has been evidenced this season can play a variety of backline positions from centre to in the halves, but with his enthusiasm and effort I can see him playing as a halfback when he settles into a fulltime position.

Pita-Will Purcell is fast becoming a favourite of mine with his enthusiasm and all-out effort regardless of the position and role that he is asked to play. To that end a player comparison with Wests Tigers utility Josh Reynolds would not be too far away. Pita-Will Purcell however does not have the niggle that Josh Reynolds has in his game however.

[mdrew]

Solomon Torrens. (Revised) The powerfully built young forward has moved up this year from Northern New South Wales and has made an immediate impression at PBC State High School and for me was the best player on the field when PBC defeated Keebra Park 26 – 22 in the Langer Cup (Open Age Group) recently. The match was a high quality affair but Solomon Torrens was a class apart with his powerful running on the fringes of the ruck for PBC.

Solomon Torrens started that match at lock and was dominant throughout regularly making metres through the centre of the ruck as well as on the right side of the ruck. For me Solomon Torrens performance on the Wednesday night against Keebra Park was the best performance I have seen from a school boy since watching Ryan James destroying everyone when he was in his senior year also at PBC seven or eight years ago now.

The former Casino RSM youngster generated a lot of buzz around him as a result of his great season in the U16.5 Group One junior rugby league competition in2017 and it was certainly deserved. As a result Solomon Torrens was selected in the Tweed Heads Seagulls U18 MM Cup squad for the 2018 version of the competition.

For Tweed Heads in the MM Cup competition Solomon Torrens played in two matches being Rounds One and Two against Norths and Victoria respectively coming off the inter change bench on both occasions.

Now that the MM Cup competition has reached its conclusion, In addition to playing for PBC Solomon Torrens is playing for the Bilambil Jets in the Gold Coast Rugby League U17 Division One competition. Round One saw Solomon Torrens start in the front row as the Jets lost 20 – 18 to the Tweed Heads Seagulls. An opponent in that match but a team mate for PBC in the Langer Cup match against Keebra Park was giant Titans linked front rower Jordan Tauali’i .

Solomon Torrens was back in the U17 Division One competition in Round Three when he came off the interchange bench. In Round Four Solomon Torrens started from the interchange bench for Bilambil and scored in their tough 18 – 10 loss to Currumbin.

In Round Five of the Gold Coast Rugby League competition, Solomon Torrens deservedly made his GCRL First Grade debut when he started in the centres for the Bilambil Jets in their 26 – 18 loss to the Tugun Seahawks. Making your GCRL First Grade debut at just 17 is an impressive feat.

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 finished last. Solomon Torrens 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.

Solomon Torrens has very good speed off the mark but not necessarily great high end speed, but he will work hard and make the most of his ability. 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. Keebra Park had all sorts of trouble defending against him and he seemed to break at least one tackle every time he ran the ball that Wednesday night. He was just an absolute powerhouse over the course of the entire match.

Defensively Solomon Torrens 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 is a naturally strong young man.

Solomon Torrens 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. Against Keebra Park he dominated their giant forward pack for large stretches of the match.

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 will be a key player for PBC this season in their various School boy rugby league campaigns including the Langer Cup and GIO Cup and will also be a key member of the Bilambil Jets U17 Division One side. I would also anticipate that Solomon Torrens will also get some matches in the GCRL U19 competition for the Jets as the season progresses. It is scary to think that this young man will be eligible again for the MM Cup competition in 2019.

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 at lock would seem the most likely scenario from my perspective.

From a player comparison perspective for Solomon Torrens, someone that I think that he has a similar playing style to is North Queensland Cowboy and New Zealand International Jason Taumalolo as a wrecking ball of a forward who can break open and dominate a game on his own.

Solomon Torrens just oozes class and the scary thing is that I do not think that he has even come close to realising his potential and likely will not until he plays at a higher level on a more regular basis. Playing in the MM Cup this season and for PBC as well as in the GCRL First Grade competition is a great base for him to excel with the outstanding coaching and experience available to him.

Solomon Torrens start to the 2018 season however, for both the Tweed Heads MM Cup side and PBC has been nothing short of absolutely outstanding and he still has a lot of potential that is yet to translate into production but it will and when it does opponents are in a world of trouble both in terms of how he attack them and hit them defensively.

I have seen Solomon Torrens play over the last couple of seasons where he was good, but this season he has taken yet another step in his development with the promise of plenty more to come.

[mdrew]

Thomas Weaver. (Revised) The talented young half back from Cudgen in Northern New South Wales recently signed a two year contract with the Titans and in March of this year started at half back for a Titans U15 Invitational side that defeated a Western Mustangs U15 side six tries to three (no goal kicks were taken) with Thomas Weaver being one of a number of stand outs for the Titans.

In that match he formed a solid combination with five eight Jed Bignell. To be honest, it was clear in that match that Thomas Weaver was the leader of the team, he dictated the Titans tempo and controlled the play well from a game management perspective determining who got the ball, where the play was to and the ultimate aim of the particular set up six tackles.

Thomas Weaver also had a try assist in the match when he threw an outstanding flat ball to left centre JT Manufeoata who ran into a whole to score out wide in the first half. Thomas Weaver was also the Titans primary tactical kicker in the match.

In April of this year Thomas Weaver was selected in the Northern Region New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges (CCC) U15 side for the New South Wales trials. Thomas Weaver was the half back in the side after being selected from St Joseph’s College Benora Point.

After those trials Thomas Weaver has been selected in the New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges U15 team for the ASSRL U15 Championships where he will be up against the Queensland Maroon and White sides which both contain Titans contracted boys. Josh Gilbert who was involved in the Titans U15 Invitational side earlier in the year was also selected.

Thomas Weaver has also been selected in the Group 18 U15 side that will head to France later in the year to play in the Battlefield Challenge to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the end of World War I. Fellow Titans linked players Ryan Foran and Josh Gilbert are also part of the touring party.

Thomas Weaver is also an outstanding touch player who has represented his region with distinction in multiple touch competitions and tournaments in both Queensland and New South Wales including last year’s Queensland Championships.

The Titans contracted young half backs 2017 rugby league commitments ended when he was part a 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 in every match.

The outstanding young Group 18 half back was a constant threat to opposing defences in the New South Wales Country Age Championships early in 2017 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 in 2017 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 finish the 2018 junior rugby league season with the Cudgen Hornets in the Group 18 U15 competition who will be looking to repeat their premiership success once again in 2018 as well as playing for St Joseph’s College Benora Point and representing New South Wales CCC.

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. The more that Thomas Weaver has the ball in his hands the better it is for his entire team

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 area 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 through the Titans junior development ranks.

[mdrew]

William Parslow. The young outside back is currently in the Rugby League Excellence Program at Wavell State High School in Brisbane’s North but that has not stopped the Titans from keepings tabs on the youngster who can play fullback, centre or wing equally effectively.

William Parslow is currently playing for Redlands in the GBJRL U16 Premier Division competition and has to date this season played in six matches against the likes of perennial powerhouse Logan Brothers and Waterford who Redlands defeated recently 32 – 8.

In those six matches William Parslow has scored three tries for a 50% strike rate including a double in Round Seven against Aspley when he scored within the first three minutes and then followed that up with an 18th minute second half try. William Parslow’s other try came in Round Two against Carina.

In 2017 William Parslow started at fullback for Met West in the QSSRL U15 Championships and in 2016 represented South East Queensland White. Previous to those two representative sides, William Parslow was been in representative sides since representing Met North at the U11 age group.

William Parslow is exceptionally quick and explosive, with exceptional speed, both off the mark and when he gets into open space, teams in the Brisbane Premier Colts 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 makes 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 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.

In addition William Parslow 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 William Parslow 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 appear 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 speed and evasion skills.

Defensively in the fullback position William Parslow understandably 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, he 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 William Parslow 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.

William Parslow has a lot of rugby league in front of him for the remainder of the 2018 year. In addition to continuing to play for Redlands in the GBJRL U16 Premier Division competition, he will also represent Wavell State High School in multiple school boy competitions.

Over the course of his junior rugby league career to date, William Parslow has spent time at fullback, centre and wing but recently including last year’s U15 QSSRL competition, William Parslow is spending more and more time at fullback which for me with his speed and guile is the ideal position for his development as a rugby league player.

A current NRL player with a similar playing style to that of William Parslow is Penrith Panthers elusive speedster Dylan Edwards. Like Edwards William Parslow threatens the line every time that he touches the ball and is more than solid defensively.

[mdrew]

Connor Williams. (Revised) The Titans contracted youngster started off the 2018 season in the Western Mustangs MM Cup side and since then has transitioned back to the Toowoomba Rugby League competition where he is playing with Southern Suburbs in the U18’s. A team mate in the U18 Southern Suburbs side is fellow Titan Alex Dunneman.

In the MM Cup, Connor Williams was involved in all six of the Western Mustangs matches and scored his sole try of the season in Round Six and a huge second half comeback against the Burleigh Bears.

Connor Williams came off the interchange bench in Round One, started at lock in Rounds Three and Four (Western Mustangs had a round two bye) and started in the second row in his remaining matches.

Since the completion of the MM Cup, Connor Williams has played in six matches in the TRL U18 competition for Southern Suburbs and currently has a 83% strike rate. Connor Williams scored in Round Seven against Warwick and followed that up with a double in Round Eight against Pittsworth. Connor Williams scored his second double of the TRL U18 season when he scored two first half tries In Round Nine in an 84 – 12 win over Wattles.

Connor William’s first TRL U18 match this season was in Round One against Toowoomba Valleys and then as a result of his MM Cup commitments did not play again in the U18’s until Round Six. In Rounds One and Six Connor Williams started from the inter change bench but since then has started all of his matches in the second row.

In Round One team mates in the Southern Suburbs side were fellow Titans linked players Luke Maiden, Connor Williams and Alex Dunneman and in the opposition side was Chris Chambers.

The St Mary’s student was also part of the Darlings Downs U18 side that participated in the recent QSSRL Championships.

The young Toowoomba South’s lock or second rower was solid throughout the 2017 season playing at the U16 level in the Toowoomba Junior rugby league competition. The 2017 Toowoomba 15/16 Academy Squad member and Titans/Western Mustangs squad member attended a Titans sponsored camp in Lennox Heads for three days including playing a match for the Western Mustangs against the Titans. As a result of his performances over the 2017 season Connor Williams has been placed on a Titans Scholarship for the next couple of seasons.

Connor Williams started at lock in the 2017 U16 TJRL Grand Final that Souths won 32 – 20 against Highfields. Connor Williams scored his first try of the Grand Final in the 27th minute of the first half to extend South’s lead to 14 – 6. Connor Williams second try came in the 21st minute of the second half to give Souths a 30 – 12 lead.

Over the course of the 2017 for Toowoomba Souths in the U16 Toowoomba Junior Rugby League competition Connor Williams scored eleven tries from thirteen matches. In addition to his Grand Final double, Connor Williams also scored doubles against Highfields in the regular season and Valleys.

2017 also say the St Marys College Toowoomba student represent the Toowoomba U16 representative side and from there was selected in the U16 South West Mustangs side in the second row for the 2017 U16 Central Division Selection Trials.

Connor Williams is a solidly built exceptional athlete and this can be seen when be he is running with the football. In his carries Connor Williams 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.

In the 2016 U15 Toowoomba Junior Rugby League Grand Final, especially in the second half when I thought he was the best player on the field he made some great runs, including on the last play of the Grand Final when he burst onto a pass on the half way mark, he outpaced the cover defence and broke the tackle of the fullback to score a deserved try.

Like one or two others mentioned over the course of these write-ups Connor Williams 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. One reason for this is that Connor Williams is an intelligent 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 in the tackle.

Connor Williams has very good speed off the mark for a second rower and can then translate that into very good top end speed which he can sustain over long distances. This was highlighted in the first half of the 2016 U15 TJRL Grand Final when Connor Williams broke through the line from around 40 metres out, he was brought down short of the line but a quick play from Connor Williams set up a try to winger Taegon Inmon from a great Jordan Lipp kick.

Connor Williams would be one of the faster back rowers running around for his age group in the Western Mustangs region. Also in the Grand Final he showed his speed down the left side of the field when he made a 40 metre break before setting up his centre Reece Liston to score his second try in the left corner.

Playing on the left 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 right hand side of the field to increase his effectiveness on the field.

Defensively Connor Williams 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 Connor Williams 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.

Connor Williams made the best tackle of the U15 TJRL Grand Final in 2016 in the second half when he came out of the line and smashed his Highfields opponent with a perfectly timed front on tackle right on the half way mark jolting the ball lose and putting South’s back on the attack.

Connor Williams is quick enough to get to most outside backs in cover defence, in short he is one of the better back row cover defenders I have had the opportunity to see in junior football. Due to his speed and positional sense Connor Williams is usually one of the first players down field in relation to kick chase as well. These last two attributes are part athletic ability part determination. Connor Williams just does a lot of the little things well.

For the remainder of the 2018 season, Connor Williams will play his football at the U18 level in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition for Toowoomba Southern Suburbs. Towards the end of the season he may also get a taste of the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition with the Western Mustangs although they have a decent forward pack with multiple Titans Rookie Squad members such as Cody McNeice, James Robinson, Luke Maiden and Leslie Hartvigsen involved. Connor Williams is also eligible for the MM Cup again in 2019.

From a position perspective, Connor Williams seems to have the ideal build for a second rower in the modern game to go along with good pace and thus from a position projection perspective, second row seems to be Connor William’s ideal position moving forward.

From a player comparison perspective, someone along the lines of Boyd Cordner of the Roosters, New South Wales State of Origin captain and Australia would be appropriate from a style perspective as a tall powerful well-rounded back rower who plays the game hard with toughness and at a pace above a lot of the players around him.

[mdrew]

Maranatha (AJ) Raeli. The big strong former Ipswich junior rugby league and school boy rugby star has popped up on the Gold Coast in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition playing for the Ormeau Shearers and scoring his first try against Bilambil in Round Eight. AJ Raeli has played five GCRL First Grade matches to date in 2018 starting all in the second row.

AJ Raeli was a standout junior rugby league player in Ipswich for the Brothers club including leading them to an U19 Premiership and was just as good in rugby where he played for Ipswich Grammar School in the GPS School Boy Rugby competition and was also selected in the Queensland U16 Rugby side back in 2013.

AJ Raeli signed a contract with the Newcastle Knights and spent some time in their Development System but now is on the Gold Coast playing for the Ormeau Shearers making his debut in their tough Round Eight loss to the Bilambil Jets 74 - 12. Another former GPS School Boys stand out Conrad Green scored for the Jets in AJ Raeli’s Gold Coast Rugby League debut.

The 182cm 101kg 21 year old 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.

Once he is in space, AJ Raeli 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 AJ Raeli his defence is equally effective even though it may not be as noticeable at first glance. Defensively AJ Raeli 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. AJ Raeli sets a very good base which he uses to explode into the ball carrier looking to use their own momentum against them.

Defensively AJ Raeli 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.

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. AJ Raeli is also adept at wrapping up the ball and preventing offloads as he uses his functional strength to engage ball carriers.

AJ Raeli 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.

It is great to see AJ Raeli back on a rugby league field and once he gets up to speed will be a handful for Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade defences with his power and footwork for the remainder of the 2018 season.

2019 will be an interesting season for AJ Raeli, he certainly has the pedigree and skill to push for a spot in either the Tweed Heads Seagulls or Burleigh Bears Queensland Intrust Super Cup squads.

AJ Raeli spent a fair bit of time in his formative years in the centres in both school boy rugby and rugby league but moved to the second row when he was playing for Ipswich Brothers in the U19 competition and looks like he will continue in the back row with the Ormeau Shearers.

Due to his aggressive streak and hard running and hard tackling tendencies, AJ Raeli is uncanningly similar from a playing style perspective to the Titans own Keegan Hipgrave, both are tough hard aggressive young men for whom backing down has never entered their minds and never will. Both also have good footwork and late movement prior to impacting the defensive line.

[mdrew]

Leslie Hartvigsen. (Revised) The young talented Toowoomba based second rower had a big year for the 2017 Western Mustangs MM Cup being part of the MM Cup winning side before progressing onto the Western Mustangs U20 Colts Challenge squad later in the season.

Along with a couple of other Western Mustangs MM Cup players Leslie Hartvigsen has joined the Titans on a scholarship with the Titans being one very very lucky club.

Leslie Hartvigsen’s 2018 season has followed the same course as his 2017 one. He started the season in the MM Cup and then moved immediately to the U20 Colts side for the Western Mustangs.

In the MM Cup this season for the Western Mustangs, Leslie Hartvigsen played in all six of the Western Mustangs matches starting in the second row on each occasion. In those six mates he had a 50% strike rate with his tries coming in Rounds One, Four and Seven against Victoria, Norths and Souths Logan respectively.

Leslie Hartvigsen made his 2018 Colts debut in Round Ten against the Mackay Cutters and since that time has played in five additional matches. Leslie Hartvigsen celebrated his 2018 Colts debut by scoring in the Western Mustangs victory over the Cutters.

Leslie Hartvigsen has also played one match in the TRL U18 competition this season which was in Round One against Toowoomba Valleys and then as a result of his MM Cup and Colts commitments has not played again in the U18 TRL competition. Team mates in the Southern Suburbs side that afternoon were fellow Titans linked players Luke Maiden, Connor Williams and Alex Dunneman and in the opposition side was Chris Chambers.

In the MM Cup competition for the Titans aligned Western Mustangs in 2017, Leslie Hartvigsen played in four of the Mustangs regular season MM Cup matches as well as their 29 – 22 semi-final win over Easts and their MM Cup Grand Final win over South’s Logan 40 – 30 and also the U18 National Championship final against the Parramatta Eels which the Western Mustangs lost but not outclassed.

Leslie Hartvigsen started all of his 2017 MM Cup matches from the inter change bench except for Rounds Six and Eight when he started in the second row. Leslie Hartvigsen was able to score two tries in the MM season coming against the Central Queensland Capra’s in Round Five (his first MM Cup match) and against the Central Crows in Round Eight.

Leslie Hartvigsen has also played in three of the Western Mustangs U20 Colts Challenge matches this season, making his debut in Round Thirteen against the Ipswich Jets. Leslie Hartvigsen came off the inter change bench in Rounds Fifteen against Tweed Heads and Round Sixteen against the Sunshine Coast Falcons.

After the Western Mustangs MM Cup success Leslie Hartvigsen went back in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition representing Southern Suburbs and played in the U18, reserve grade and first grade competitions. Leslie Hartvigsen’s 2017 Toowoomba Rugby League season finished when his Southern Suburbs U18 side were beaten 30 – 26 in their elimination final by the Warwick Cowboys.

Over the course of the TRL U18 competition in 2017, Leslie Hartvigsen played in nine matches and scored against Pittsworth and Goondiwindi. Leslie Hartvigsen made his reserve grade debut on 25 June 2017 against Wattles and proceeded to play in two more reserve grade fixtures which were against Warwick and Toowoomba Brothers. Leslie Hartvigsen also played two Hutchies A Grade matches making his debut against Toowoomba Brothers on a Sunday afternoon where he had already played in the U18 and reserve grade matches.

The Harristown State High School student and Toowoomba South junior represented the Toowoomba Clydesdales in the CC Cup during the 2016 season and then transitioned back to the TJRL U16 TJRL competition, where he scored two tries and also kicked two conversions from eleven games on the season, with the tries coming against Pittsworth in his first club match of the season and also against Brothers late in the year. In 2015 Leslie Hartvigsen was also named as the most outstanding junior rugby league player for Harristown at their annual sports awards night.

In 2016 Leslie Hartvigsen was also selected in the South West Mustangs U16 side and from there was selected in the U16 Central Crows side for the Queensland Age Championships. In the CC Cup competition, Leslie Hartvigsen started every match in the second row for the Toowoomba Clydesdales, including their quarter final win over Gold Coast Green. Over the season he scored three tries in total including scoring in the first minute of the first CC match of the season against the Central Crows and he also scored a double against Gold Coast Green in the above mentioned quarter final.

Leslie Hartvigsen’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 Leslie Hartvigsen 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. Leslie Hartvigsen 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.

Leslie Hartvigsen 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.

Leslie Hartvigsen 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 all of the time.

The scary thing is that Leslie Hartvigsen has two years of Colts eligibility left after this season.

In terms of the ultimate position that Leslie Hartvigsen plays, I believe that with his combination of hard running on the fringes of the ruck and his aggressive defensive style will ensure that he continues to play where he has almost always played in his junior rugby league career to date, that being in the second row.

From a style perspective, the one that stands out for me is Titans Bryce Cartwright as a mobile, wide running backrower with a diverse skill set. Leslie Hartvigsen could really turn into a special player and sooner rather than later.

[mdrew]

Conrad Green. The lightning quick youngster is back on the Gold Coast after spending a couple of seasons going to school in Brisbane at Brisbane Boys College (BBC) where injuries really did curtail his promising GPS First XV School Boy Rugby career.

Conrad Green is a Mackay product who signed with the Brisbane Broncos as a 15 year old and moved down to the Gold Coast, playing with the Gold Coast Green Cyril Connell Cup squad in 2015 and in that same year was selected as part of the Queensland U16 Emerging Origin side. For the Gold Coast Green CC Cup side in 2015, Conrad Green was solid throughout and scored in Round Seven in a dominant win 6 2 – 4 win against Wynnum Manly.

This season Conrad Green is playing for the Bilambil Jets in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition and played his first match for the Jets in Round Seven in a 32 – 12 loss to the Currumbin Eagles. Conrad Green started the match on the wing and crossed for one of the Jets three tries.

Conrad Green also started in Round Eight against Ormeau on the wing and once again was on eth score board in a big Jets victory.

For BBC unfortunately Conrad Green had two injury riddled years in the BBC First XV side especially in 2017 but did perform exceptionally well towards the end of the 2016 season including a starring role against Anglican Church Grammar (Churchie) in Round Seven when he scored a double in a BBC 32 – 14 victory. Both of his tries that Saturday afternoon were as a result of his outstanding speed, footwork, balance and body control.

In attack his speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice when you see Conrad Green play. Conrad Green has outstanding acceleration off the mark and 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 and can then finish them off himself.

Conrad Green 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 has very good hands for 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.

Conrad Green 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.

Where Conrad Green will struggle when he is at fullback is in relation to his height and being able to combat much taller chasers from getting above him and whilst he does have a very good standing leap, addressing this issue will be more of a team methodology as he is not going to grow taller overnight.

Conrad Green will play the remainder of the 2018 season with the Bilambil Jets and even though he is eligible to play in the U19 competition I would anticipate that he will play the majority of the remaining of the Jets matches in First Grade.

With Conrad Green still being Colts eligible in 2019 it will be interesting to see if he looks for an opportunity with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side next season. He certainly has the skill set to be an effective player at that level and potentially beyond.

Over the course of his junior rugby league career to date, Conrad Green has played a variety of positions including fullback, centre (inside centre in school boy rugby)and in the halves but for me, and again my opinion means absolutely nothing to anyone but me, Conrad Green’s future lies at fullback.

Conrad Green 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 particularly towards the end of halves.

In relation to a player that you can compare Conrad Green’s skill set and playing style to, you need to look no further than Parramatta Eels fullback or winger Bevan French, he just looks so classy and assured every time he is near the ball and constantly maintains his composure under extreme pressure.

[mdrew]

Troy Leo. The 22 year old lightning quick flyer is currently playing for the Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup and has made a significant contribution on the left wing, not just in terms of his try scoring ability but also as a result of his ability at just 90kg to make ground out of dummy half and his solid defensive outcomes.

Troy Leo has above a 100% strike rate in his eighteen game Queensland Cup career for Burleigh and this season in the first seven matches that he has played Troy Leo has scored at least a try in all bar one of his matches this season on his way to a strike rate of 121%. Troy Leo scored a first half hat trick in Round Thirteen last weekend against the Ipswich Jets and in Round Eight against PNG scored a double.

Troy Leo’s other tries have come in Round One against the Sunshine Coast Falcons, Round Seven against Wynnum Manly, Round Nine against Townsville, Round Eleven against the Easts Tigers and Round Twelve against the Mackay Cutters.

In total in the 2018 Queensland Cup competition Troy Leo has been on the field for 518 minutes, running for 708 metres, 158 of those post contact (22.32%) and made 24 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 86%. Troy Leo has also broken twenty five tackles and made nine line breaks.

Troy Leo’s “best” match from a ball running perspective was in Round One against the Sunshine Coast Falcons when he ran for 160 metres and breaking six tackles. In Round Eight against the PNG Hunters Troy Leo made seven tackles at a tackling efficiency of 100%.

Troy Leo moved over from Auckland for the 2016 season linking up with the Southport Tigers in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition scoring twenty-six tries from fifteen matches that season and after being approached by a number of Queensland Cup side chose to stay on the Gold Coast and play for Burleigh.

One of the reasons Troy Leo is so successful on a football field is his exceptional speed and elusiveness, he is the fastest player I have ever seen on a field and when you add in his elusiveness, he 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 him to use the sideline exceptionally well with an in and away, all three of his first half tries against Ipswich in Round Thirteen last weekend are a testament to this skill.

When the opposing defender’s momentum slows just for a split second, Troy Leo 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.

Troy Leo is also adept at making ground out of dummy half. Once he has picked the ball up he simply explodes out of there and targets a gap between opposing forwards and looks to accelerate through it. If the defenders look to jersey grab or make an arm tackle, Troy Leo simply bursts through it and into the space behind the ruck.

Troy Leo 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, Troy Leo 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.

At the opposite end of the spectrum when opposing a quick winger, Troy Leo will show them the side line and use his speed advantage to force the opponent towards the touch line, with their only real option to slow and try to come back inside towards Troy Leo and the cover defence. A tackle this season against Easts he cut down Linc Port with an outstanding tackle.

From a courage stand point Troy Leo also passes any objective measurement that can be considered when evaluating this criterion. He will stand his ground under the high ball and is one of the first players to take a run out of dummy half when the ball needs to be brought out of his side’s own end.

Troy Leo will play out the 2018 season on the left wing for the semi-final bound Burleigh Bears Queensland Cup side giving him plenty of opportunities to show case his skills to prospective NRL clubs.

Troy Leo is a winger full stop and will stay there for the remainder of his rugby league career whether that is in the Queensland Cup, the NRL or the English Super League. I am noting the Super League because with his speed he would be a revelation over there, but let’s hope that is after a few years on the end of the Titans back line.

Troy Leo has Josh Addo-Carr type speed, in fact if they had a match race, I may just put my money on the young Burleigh Flyer.

A better player comparison however would be the Wests Tigers Corey Thompson. They are about the same size and whilst Troy Leo is faster both are courageous and do not look to use their speed to run around a defensive line, but through it.

At just 22 years old, Troy Leo is far from a finished product with a lot of potential to still be unlocked. With speed at a premium in the modern game Troy Leo will get a long serious look over the next year or so by a number of NRL teams, hopefully the Titans are one.

[Bart]

Leslie Hartvigsen. (Revised) The young talented Toowoomba based second rower had a big year for the 2017 Western Mustangs MM Cup being part of the MM Cup winning side before progressing onto the Western Mustangs U20 Colts Challenge squad later in the season.

Along with a couple of other Western Mustangs MM Cup players Leslie Hartvigsen has joined the Titans on a scholarship with the Titans being one very very lucky club.

Leslie Hartvigsen’s 2018 season has followed the same course as his 2017 one. He started the season in the MM Cup and then moved immediately to the U20 Colts side for the Western Mustangs.

In the MM Cup this season for the Western Mustangs, Leslie Hartvigsen played in all six of the Western Mustangs matches starting in the second row on each occasion. In those six mates he had a 50% strike rate with his tries coming in Rounds One, Four and Seven against Victoria, Norths and Souths Logan respectively.

Leslie Hartvigsen made his 2018 Colts debut in Round Ten against the Mackay Cutters and since that time has played in five additional matches. Leslie Hartvigsen celebrated his 2018 Colts debut by scoring in the Western Mustangs victory over the Cutters.

Leslie Hartvigsen has also played one match in the TRL U18 competition this season which was in Round One against Toowoomba Valleys and then as a result of his MM Cup and Colts commitments has not played again in the U18 TRL competition. Team mates in the Southern Suburbs side that afternoon were fellow Titans linked players Luke Maiden, Connor Williams and Alex Dunneman and in the opposition side was Chris Chambers.

In the MM Cup competition for the Titans aligned Western Mustangs in 2017, Leslie Hartvigsen played in four of the Mustangs regular season MM Cup matches as well as their 29 – 22 semi-final win over Easts and their MM Cup Grand Final win over South’s Logan 40 – 30 and also the U18 National Championship final against the Parramatta Eels which the Western Mustangs lost but not outclassed.

Leslie Hartvigsen started all of his 2017 MM Cup matches from the inter change bench except for Rounds Six and Eight when he started in the second row. Leslie Hartvigsen was able to score two tries in the MM season coming against the Central Queensland Capra’s in Round Five (his first MM Cup match) and against the Central Crows in Round Eight.

Leslie Hartvigsen has also played in three of the Western Mustangs U20 Colts Challenge matches this season, making his debut in Round Thirteen against the Ipswich Jets. Leslie Hartvigsen came off the inter change bench in Rounds Fifteen against Tweed Heads and Round Sixteen against the Sunshine Coast Falcons.

After the Western Mustangs MM Cup success Leslie Hartvigsen went back in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition representing Southern Suburbs and played in the U18, reserve grade and first grade competitions. Leslie Hartvigsen’s 2017 Toowoomba Rugby League season finished when his Southern Suburbs U18 side were beaten 30 – 26 in their elimination final by the Warwick Cowboys.

Over the course of the TRL U18 competition in 2017, Leslie Hartvigsen played in nine matches and scored against Pittsworth and Goondiwindi. Leslie Hartvigsen made his reserve grade debut on 25 June 2017 against Wattles and proceeded to play in two more reserve grade fixtures which were against Warwick and Toowoomba Brothers. Leslie Hartvigsen also played two Hutchies A Grade matches making his debut against Toowoomba Brothers on a Sunday afternoon where he had already played in the U18 and reserve grade matches.

The Harristown State High School student and Toowoomba South junior represented the Toowoomba Clydesdales in the CC Cup during the 2016 season and then transitioned back to the TJRL U16 TJRL competition, where he scored two tries and also kicked two conversions from eleven games on the season, with the tries coming against Pittsworth in his first club match of the season and also against Brothers late in the year. In 2015 Leslie Hartvigsen was also named as the most outstanding junior rugby league player for Harristown at their annual sports awards night.

In 2016 Leslie Hartvigsen was also selected in the South West Mustangs U16 side and from there was selected in the U16 Central Crows side for the Queensland Age Championships. In the CC Cup competition, Leslie Hartvigsen started every match in the second row for the Toowoomba Clydesdales, including their quarter final win over Gold Coast Green. Over the season he scored three tries in total including scoring in the first minute of the first CC match of the season against the Central Crows and he also scored a double against Gold Coast Green in the above mentioned quarter final.

Leslie Hartvigsen’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 Leslie Hartvigsen 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. Leslie Hartvigsen 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.

Leslie Hartvigsen 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.

Leslie Hartvigsen 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 all of the time.

The scary thing is that Leslie Hartvigsen has two years of Colts eligibility left after this season.

In terms of the ultimate position that Leslie Hartvigsen plays, I believe that with his combination of hard running on the fringes of the ruck and his aggressive defensive style will ensure that he continues to play where he has almost always played in his junior rugby league career to date, that being in the second row.

From a style perspective, the one that stands out for me is Titans Bryce Cartwright as a mobile, wide running backrower with a diverse skill set. Leslie Hartvigsen could really turn into a special player and sooner rather than later.

Yes mate a real good kid

[mdrew]

Lizaya Iti. (Revised) The tough hard as nails South’s Logan Magpies second rower displays a hard-nosed old fashioned approach to rugby league.

Lizaya Iti played a number of matches for the Titans junior development squads when they played annual matches against the Redlands Junior Rugby League Club a few years ago.

Lizaya Iti started his young rugby league in the Black and Red of the historic Wests Panthers club in Brisbane. Lizaya Iti also has representative experience with various South East Queensland representative sides over the last couple of seasons and is a former Coombabah State High School student.

At the start of this year, Lizaya Iti commenced attending Ipswich State High School and represented the Met West region in the U18 QSSRL Championships and was subsequently selected in the QSSRL U18 side to contest the ASSRL U18 Championships later in the year. Titans contracted David Butler is also in the Queensland ASSRL U18 School Boy side after representing South Coast at the Championships.

Lizaya Iti started the 2018 season off in the MM Cup Competition with the South’s Logan Magpies and also recently has progressed to the South’s Logan U20 Colts side.

In the MM Cup competition this season for South’s Logan Lizaya Iti was only able to play in three matches, but in a show of the high regard that he is held in, two of those matches were finals matches.

Lizaya Iti came into the South’s Logan side in Round Five from the interchange bench against Wynnum Manly and also started from the bench in the Grand Final victory over Norths. Lizaya Iti’s sole start came in Souths Logan’s opening finals appearance against Tweed Heads when he started in the second row.

Post the MM Cup competition, Lizaya Iti has been playing for Waterford in the GBJRL U18 Nev Blair Cup competition. Prior to his Queensland Cup Colts debut Lizaya Iti had played in three matches for Waterford.

For the South’s Logan U20 Colts side this season, Lizaya Iti came into the side in Round Fourteen against the Sunshine Coast Falcons starting at lock and celebrated by scoring a first half try.

Lizaya Iti was also involved in the MM Cup competition in 2017 again playing for Souths Logan including starting in the second row in their tough 40 – 30 MM Cup Grand Final loss to the Western Mustangs.

During the 2016 season, Lizaya Iti was part of the South’s Logan CC side that were defeated in the Queensland final by the Townsville Stingers in a match that they led for large parts before being run down by the Townsville based side.

Over the course of the 2016 CC season, Lizaya Iti started in the second row in all of the matches that he played in, only missing Round Three and the Semi-final victory over the North’s Devils, but he was back to start in the second row in the Grand Final. Over the course of the CC season, Lizaya Iti scored four tries, including a double in a big win over the Easts Tigers and he also scored against the Gold Coast sides, being GC Green and GC White.

Lizaya Iti 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 Lizaya Iti 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.

Lizaya Iti does not have a lot of footwork prior to the line preferring to aim to get to his terminal velocity prior to contact 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. Lizaya Iti 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 Lizaya Iti has made a huge impact defensively.


It is not a reckless style where Lizaya Iti 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.

Lizaya Iti 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.

When the opportunity presents itself such as when an opponent starts to run slightly across field, he will clinically and effectively make the opposition player pay for his angled run. When he drives a much larger 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 Lizaya Iti 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. He will also ensure that the tackle is finished off.

Lizaya Iti will play the remainder of the 2018 season with the Souths Logan U20 Colts side and come 2019 will still have two years of Colts eligibility remaining. If he does not make the Souths Logan Colts side for any reason, Lizaya Iti will line up for Waterford in the U18 Nev Blair competition.

From a position perspective, Lizaya Iti is an ideal rugby league second rower with some sneaky pace, strength, power and a bit of mongrel in his game. I personally believe that every team needs at least one intimidating presence in their forward pack and Lizaya Iti is the player that can successfully fill that role in a team.

Earlier in his junior career but did give away a few penalties for being overly aggressive but certainly over the last couple of seasons his discipline has improved immensely and consequently so has his positive impact on matches.

From a player comparison, I am going back quite a way to an era where players got away with a lot more ‘physical’ play, but for me with his solid build and hard running, hard tackling style, Lizaya Iti plays similar to former Many Sea Eagle, New South Wales and Australian test second rower Les Boyd as an intimidating presence on a football field who lets the opposition know when he is on a field through sheer physical aggression.

Identifying a current NRL player with a similar playing style for Lizaya Iti is a tough one, but for comparison purposes think of a cross between current Titan Keegan Hipgrave and former Titan Greg Bird, Yes I am absolutely serious.

I love watching this young man play he certainly leaves it all on the field. He is just a tough tough young man who sometimes is unfairly targeted due to his aggressive playing style.

I do have to provide a caveat however, yes he is an intimidating presence on the field but he also has the skill set of an outstanding rugby league second rower as well.

[mdrew]

Caleb Ziebell. (Revised) The big strong tough 23 year old front rower was selected as the best player in the 2017 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.

If he was good in 2017, Caleb Ziebell has been even better in 2018 including starring for the Northern Rivers U23 side that won the New South Wales Country U23 Championship and was subsequently named in the front row in the New South Wales Country U23 side for their PNG tour later in the year.

In those Championships, Caleb Ziebell played in three of the U23 Northern Rivers matches including starting in the front row in the Championship final against Monaro and scoring in Northern Rivers semi-final victory over North Coast. Caleb Ziebell was named the player of the final against Monaro.

In the 2018 NRRRL First Grade competition, Caleb Ziebell has played in six matches for Cudgen this season and currently has a 50% strike rate with his tries coming against Murwillumbah, Casino RSM and Mullumbimby.

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 2017 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.

Caleb Ziebell will play out the 2018 season with the Cudgen Hornets in the NRRRL First Grade competition and well as later in the year represent the New South Wales Country U23 side.

Caleb Ziebell is the best player in the Gold Coast/Northern New South Wales region not playing either in the NRL or the Queensland Cup and I would really like to see how he would go with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup side, I do not think that he would be out of place at all especially once he gets up to speed with the level and pace of the competition.

Whilst Caleb Ziebell has alternated between second row and front row over his rugby career, I would anticipate that based on his build and skill set certainly in relation to the NRL second row would be his best position. Caleb Ziebell likely could play front row in an emergency type situation in the NRL 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.

[mdrew]

Trey Peni. (Revised) The Keebra Park student originally from the Rockingham Sharks in Western Australia 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 area’s covered in spades and the proof is on display each weekend on Gold Coast Rugby League fields.

Trey Peni is currently training with the Gold Coast Titans U16 squad which is preparing for matches later in the year against PNG and New South Wales Country in September and Burleigh and Cudgen respectively.

Trey Peni is playing the 2018 season with the Nerang Roosters after moving in the off season from the Coomera Cutters and has started in the centres in all bar one of their matches to date, scoring five tries. In Round One Trey Peni had an outstanding match scoring four tries and kicking two goals against Runaway Bay and in Round Four also scored a try against Burleigh.

After the opening four rounds of matches in the Gold Coast rugby League U16 Division One competition, Trey Peni sits second on the competitions try scoring list one shy of fellow Titans linked centre, Currumbin’s Tate Roberts.

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 and in 2018 played for the Gold Coast Vikings U16 white 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 in 2017 Trey Peni played a number of positions including 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 2017 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.

The thing that stands out to me is that whilst he may not seem to be moving quickly Trey Peni clearly is, I cannot recall a game in any competition where he has either been run down by defenders or has been unable to support a team mate who has made a break and believe me some of the young backs at Logan Brothers have absolutely outstanding pace.

Receiving the ball early in the back line is where Trey Peni is best suited, when he receives the ball early with space to work with, he is adept at straightening the attack and then skipping to the outside of his opposite number of use his speed to break open the opposing defensive line.

Like his speed his lateral movement is exceptional. I am also impressed by the fact that he will get into dummy half regularly and even though he is running in the centre of the ruck, Trey Peni uses his quick twitch feet to get in between defending forwards and make more ground then you would think possible.

From a defensive perspective, his timing and anticipation are Trey Peni’s 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.

Trey Peni will play the remainder of the 2018 season for Nerang in the U16 Division One competition. Trey Peni will also be involved in Keebra Park’s Super Six and GIO Cup school boy rugby league campaigns amongst others.

Trey Peni’s ultimately position is a bit of an interesting one, he played a fair bit of second row in Western Australia and also when he initially arrived on the Gold Coast. This season however, and to be fair at least the last half of last season as well, Trey Peni has played almost exclusively in the centres and has been absolutely outstanding there. It is for that reason that in the end centre seems where Trey Peni will stay for the duration of his rugby league career.

From a player comparison perspective for Trey Peni, think of someone along the lines of the South Sydney Rabbitoh and Queensland State of Origin centre or winger back Dane Gagai as a smooth moving player with a try scoring knack who is elusive and difficult to defend against as a result.

Trey Peni is one of a number of young players who have moved over from Western Australia to try their luck on the East Coast in recent seasons, including former Titans NYC half back Josh Rogers and he has been an outstanding addition to the Junior Rugby league ranks on the Gold Coast and has deservedly received NRL recognition from the Titans as a result of his impressive on field performances over the last two seasons on the Gold Coast.

[mdrew]

Laz Sua. (Revised) The Titans linked powerful nuggetty young Gold Coast local has had an outstanding start to the 2018 season and must have been close to selection in the Queensland U18 side such was his form through the MM Cup competition for the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

Even in the pre-season Laz Sua was in outstanding form. In Tweed Heads MM trial against Souths Logan at Waterford, the Seagulls were on the back foot for the first two quarters but Laz Sua’s introduction made a significant difference and when he was on the field he provided momentum through his hit-ups and defensive starch and that was just a trial!

In the MM Cup season proper Laz Sua started in the front row of all seven of Tweed Head’s matches including their semi-final against South’s Logan. Laz Sua did not score any tries in the MM Cup this season, but was rewarded for his outstanding effort in Round Five against the Townsville Blackhawks when he converted Tweed Heads final try in a big 72 – 6 victory.

After Tweed Heads finals elimination, Laz Sua moved directly to the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side starting in his debut in the front row in Round Ten against Ipswich and came off the bench in Round Eleven against the Northern Pride who were top of the table at that point. Round Twelve saw Laz Sua once again start on the bench. He was also on the bench for the Seagulls in Round Thirteen.

Laz Sua moved to the Gold Coast Rugby League competition in Round Eight of that competition, coming off the interchange bench for the Ormeau Shearers who unfortunately suffered a 74 – 12 loss to a rampaging Bilambil Jets side. Laz Sua has been named to start at lock for Ormeau against Currumbin in Round Nine this evening.

In 2017 in addition to playing for Keebra Park, Laz Sua was selected in the South Coast U18 side and from there was selected in the Queensland U18 Open Schoolboy side for the ASSRL Championship including scoring a try on Day Three in a 28-18 loss to New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges.

Laz Sua and his Keebra Park Open team mates had an outstanding 2017 GIO Cup campaign with the Gold Coast based school winning the National final with Laz Sua starting the final in eth second row and playing on the left side of the field against Westfield’s Sports High School.

Laz Sua was also a member of the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side for the 2017 version of that competition and played for Queensland Samoa U18 squad for the QPICC tournament that was held in October 2017.

Laz Sua played in club football in 2017 with the Ormeau Shearers across a number of competitions including the U17 Division One competition, U19’s, the Doug Lipp Cup and five first grade matches. In the U17 Division One competition, Laz Sua played in five matches scoring three tries including a double against Burleigh with his other try coming against Mudgeeraba. In the U19 competition, Laz Sua has played in nine matches scoring against Runaway Bay in June and also kicking a late conversion against Mudgeeraba.

Laz Sua made his Doug Lipp Cup debut in June against Tugun and celebrated by scoring on debut. Playing first grade at any level as a 17 year is no mean feat and Laz Sua achieved that feat on Sunday June 18 2017 when he came on from the interchange bench against Currumbin. His other first grade matches came against Runaway Bay, Bilambil, Currumbin again and Southport.

During the 2016 season Laz Sua was selected as a result of his good form to represent Queensland at the U16 level. Unfortunately for Laz Sua he only got a handful of minutes on the field when he came on late and played in the dummy half role.

In relation to his club rugby league on the Gold Coast in 2016 he played six matches for the Ormeau Shearers club in the U16 Division One competition and scored three tries in limited action, including scoring against eventual premiers Burleigh on two separate occasions and also against Helensvale.

For Gold Coast White in the CC Cup competition in 2016, Laz Sua played in all six of their games, splitting his time evenly between starting at hooker and at lock. He started at hooker in Rounds One, Six and Seven and started at lock in the other three games. He also crossed for two tries which came in Rounds One and Two, against Souths Logan and Gold Coast Green respectively.

In addition, after the completion of the 2016 season he was a late replacement in the Team Toa side where he came off the bench in their loss to a NSW New Zealand side. In 2016 he was also a member of the QAS squad and in 2015 made the Queensland Maroon U15 side for the ASSRL U15 championships after playing a leading role for South Coast at the U15 QSSRL championships where he played the majority of his matches in the centres.

In attack, regardless of the position he is playing, he 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 relation to his play at hooker his passing is reasonably crisp, especially to the right side, but on occasion he passes in two movements, the first being a straightening motion with a distinct second motion being the delivery of the pass, on other occasions he does pass directly from the ground in one fluid motion, like he would be doing as a rugby half.

Laz Sua does like to run from dummy half and his strength and speed does compensate if there are no gaps in the defensive line. Once tackled he immediately starts fighting to get a quick play the ball in an effort to maintain momentum.

In terms of wider positions, such as in the back row or at centre, he can and will take on defenders and look to run over them, when he stays wide, like he did for Keebra good things happen for his team.

Defensively Laz Sua 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 out wide, he is better in an up and in type defensive scheme rather than a sliding defensive structure. Laz Sua is also extremely fit thus getting back into the defensive line is no issue for him over the course of the entire game.

Laz Sua will play out the 2018 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side after graduating from their MM Cup side and will also play some additional matches for Ormeau in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition to gain invaluable experience against men.

The big question for he is where Laz Sua’s long term future lies. I know that he has played a fair bit of front row this year for Tweed Heads both in the MM Cup and Colts but there are skills in his game which suggest a future in a wider playing position such as in the back row is the ideal position for him.

Laz Sua has a diverse range of skills to take advantage of and with a reduction of the inter change currently being fore shadowed a player of his type will become very valuable. Regardless of the position that he is playing, Laz Sua also has outstanding endurance and shapes as an 80 minute player now.

He may not be as big as the player I am using as a playing comparison but for me Laz Sua has a playing style similar to North Queensland’s versatile John Asiata. Both have intriguing skills and a hardness to their play that compels others to follow their lead.

[mdrew]

Conrad Green made it four tries from three GCRL First Grade matches wen he scored a double yesterday as his Bilambil side went down to Southport in Round Eight 38-36.


Conrad Green. The lightning quick youngster is back on the Gold Coast after spending a couple of seasons going to school in Brisbane at Brisbane Boys College (BBC) where injuries really did curtail his promising GPS First XV School Boy Rugby career.

Conrad Green is a Mackay product who signed with the Brisbane Broncos as a 15 year old and moved down to the Gold Coast, playing with the Gold Coast Green Cyril Connell Cup squad in 2015 and in that same year was selected as part of the Queensland U16 Emerging Origin side. For the Gold Coast Green CC Cup side in 2015, Conrad Green was solid throughout and scored in Round Seven in a dominant win 6 2 – 4 win against Wynnum Manly.

This season Conrad Green is playing for the Bilambil Jets in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition and played his first match for the Jets in Round Seven in a 32 – 12 loss to the Currumbin Eagles. Conrad Green started the match on the wing and crossed for one of the Jets three tries.

Conrad Green also started in Round Eight against Ormeau on the wing and once again was on eth score board in a big Jets victory.

For BBC unfortunately Conrad Green had two injury riddled years in the BBC First XV side especially in 2017 but did perform exceptionally well towards the end of the 2016 season including a starring role against Anglican Church Grammar (Churchie) in Round Seven when he scored a double in a BBC 32 – 14 victory. Both of his tries that Saturday afternoon were as a result of his outstanding speed, footwork, balance and body control.

In attack his speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice when you see Conrad Green play. Conrad Green has outstanding acceleration off the mark and 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 and can then finish them off himself.

Conrad Green 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 has very good hands for 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.

Conrad Green 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.

Where Conrad Green will struggle when he is at fullback is in relation to his height and being able to combat much taller chasers from getting above him and whilst he does have a very good standing leap, addressing this issue will be more of a team methodology as he is not going to grow taller overnight.

Conrad Green will play the remainder of the 2018 season with the Bilambil Jets and even though he is eligible to play in the U19 competition I would anticipate that he will play the majority of the remaining of the Jets matches in First Grade.

With Conrad Green still being Colts eligible in 2019 it will be interesting to see if he looks for an opportunity with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side next season. He certainly has the skill set to be an effective player at that level and potentially beyond.

Over the course of his junior rugby league career to date, Conrad Green has played a variety of positions including fullback, centre (inside centre in school boy rugby)and in the halves but for me, and again my opinion means absolutely nothing to anyone but me, Conrad Green’s future lies at fullback.

Conrad Green 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 particularly towards the end of halves.

In relation to a player that you can compare Conrad Green’s skill set and playing style to, you need to look no further than Parramatta Eels fullback or winger Bevan French, he just looks so classy and assured every time he is near the ball and constantly maintains his composure under extreme pressure.

[mdrew]

Kaden Somerville. (Revised) He is a local young hooker from the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast and recently signed a two year contract with the Titans to be part of their High Performance Unit.

This season Kaden Somerville is playing for the Burleigh Bears U15 Division One side, to date playing in four matches starting all at hooker. Team mates in Kaden Somerville’s U15 Division One side are fellow Titans contracted youngster the outstanding lock Bailey Martin and Titans U15 Development Squad members such as second rower Flynn Daniel and winger Jayden Wright.

In 2017 Kaden Somerville played the season prior to injury at the U14 Division One level. 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.

Kaden Somerville’s 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. Kaden Somerville 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.

Moving to the 2018 season, Kaden Somerville will complete the season 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 Kaden Somerville 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 for Kaden Somerville think someone along the lines of Andrew McCullough of the Brisbane Broncos and Queensland State of Origin as a hard working player with leadership skills and someone that his team mates would appreciate playing with.

[mdrew]

David Butler (Revised) He is a local young front rower who has been part of the Titans junior development set up since the age of 13.

Recently David Butler was named in both the Queensland U18 side and the U18 QSSRL Open School Boys side and late last year was named in the Queensland U18 Emerging Origin squad.

In the U18 match for Queensland against New South Wales David Butler come on late in the first half about the same time as fellow Titan Blake Campbell and made and immediately made some solid hits in defence as well as an outstanding run on his first hit-up to settle him into the match.

David Butler made the QSSRL U18 side after some impressive performances for the South Coast side that lost the Championship Final 34 – 28 to Met North.

Earlier this season, David Butler was an ever present in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side, playing every match including their semi-final against South’s Logan. David Butler started Round One on the inter change bench but started the remainder of the season in the front row.

Post the MM Cup and playing for South Coast in the U18 QSSRL Championships David Butler played Round Three of the GCRL U19 competition, starting in the front row for Helensvale as they went down 36 – 6.

In 2017 David Butler played for Helensvale in the U17 Division One competition on the Gold Coast and is starting in the front row in their 34 – 20 Grand Final victory over Ormeau and scored a try to cap off a great night for the 17 year old.

In the off season David Butler moved from Coombabah State High School to Keebra Park and started for Keebra Park in their recent match against PBC which Keebra Park lost 22 – 20.

For Helensvale in the U17 Division One competition in 2017 David Butler has played in nine matches including the Grand Final and also scored in Helensvale’s final’s win over Bilambil a fortnight earlier. During 2017 David Butler made his U20 Colts Challenge debut for Tweed Heads Seagulls a great achievement for a 17 year old.

In 2016, David Butler played for Gold Coast White in the CC Cup competition and played in the second row for Coombabah State High School in the Super Six and GIO Cup Schoolboy competitions along with plenty of other Titans linked players such as Logan Cootes, Blake Campbell, Reihana Marsh and Taine Tuaupiki.

David Butler had some outstanding matches in the 2016 GIO Cup competition including an outstanding effort against Kirwan State High School in a nationally televised match and also was one of the best for Coombabah when they comprehensively defeated Palm Beach Currumbin. Coombabah progressed all the way to the Queensland Grand Final where they were beaten in golden point extra time 13 – 12 by Keebra Park after a field goal attempt by Coombabah hit the upright with a minute to go in normal time.

In the CC Cup in 2016, David Butler scored five tries over the course of the six matches that he played in the competition, starting all in the front row, with those tries coming in consecutive games from Round Two to Seven. David Butler scored against Gold Coast Green and Easts Tigers twice and against South Logan as well.

For Helensvale during the 2016 season, David Butler played in nine games averaging exactly a try a game to finish the second leading try scorer in the U16 Division One competition. David Butler scored three doubles coming in matches against Southport and Runaway Bay in consecutive weeks and against Runaway Bay again later in the season. David Butler also played two matches at the U17 Division Two level.

David Butler represented South Coast in the QSSRL U15 competition in 2015, where in my opinion was the best forward on show. He understandably made the Queensland U15 Maroons side for the national U15 school boy’s titles held in June 2015 and with fellow Titans junior Geordie Brand was part of the Championships winning Queensland side. He was actually named the Queensland Maroon’s player of the match in their first game against NSW Combined Catholic Colleges I believe it was. He was also selected for Queensland at the U12 level a couple of years ago.

David Butler runs exceptionally hard and there is little subtlety to his running, it is straight and hard and another positive is that 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. His running style means that he throws self-preservation out of the window, and fires up his team mates with his charges at full speed into a set forward defensive line.

David Butler has been the primary kick-off return player for both Keebra park this season and on Day Two against Darling Downs made some big returns including one in the first half where he split the defence from the kick off, rumbling to around the half way mark before being dragged down. South Coast scored later in the set of six.

David Butler will on occasion take advantage of slow defenders by angling back behind the play the ball, but outside of that he just flat out runs full throttle every time he touches the ball and runs fast and will fight for a quick play the ball every time. If anything he is more effective in the second half of games where his running style begins to wear down the opposition.

I have not seen a great deal of off loads from him, so whilst they will not necessarily be a significant part of his game moving forward developing this ability and the use of some foot work prior to the line will only make him even more effective. He has good lateral movement for a front rower so he does have the skills to develop some footwork but just needs more experience.

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 is best suited in the long run defending there and adds a degree of intimidation to any forward pack he plays for.

David Butler’s motivation and attitude cannot be questioned, in the U18 QSSRL Championship Final with the game all but gone, David Butler still gave everything. The Met North fullback made a break and after stepping the South Coast fullback looked destined to score but David Butler had sprinted 50 metres and made a superb diving tackle to cut him down from behind when he looked certain to score.

David Butler has been a bit of a favourite of mine, since I saw him play for our U13 development squad in a game at Redlands a few years ago now. He had come off for a rest, but a couple of injuries meant that the coach turned around and said to the players on the bench, “I need someone to play lock”, David Butler’s hand went straight up, when the coach told him to quickly warm up to go on, he turned to the player next to him and get a quick rundown of where he needed to defend on the field as he had never played lock before. A little thing like this goes to show the dedication and willingness of him to do what is necessary to help his team win.

David Butler will play out the 2018 season with either Helensvale in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition or make the immediate transition to the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts side. I would not bet against him moving straight to the Colts side.

David Butler will also play a significant amount of matches for Keebra Park in both the Langer Cup and GIO Cup competitions.

From a long term perspective, I would consider it almost certain that David Butler will end up in the front row where he can be a strong physical and leadership presence for any team that he plays, although the way that locks play these days, they are essentially a third front rower so whilst he may have the No. 13 on his back, the way he plays the game will not change to any significant degree.

From a player comparison perspective, I know that it is a big call but I can see aspects of a playing style that is similar in style to Cowboys, Queensland and Australian front rower Matt Scott as a front rower who will make a lot of ground in attack to set up momentum and field position for his team. Like Matt Scott, David Butler gets on top of the opposition by out working them and wearing them down as the match progresses.

[mdrew]

Taine Ujdur-Berghan. The young PBC and Nerang Roosters five eight is not likely to finish near the top of any try scoring list in any given season but that is in no way reflective of his contribution to his side’s success regardless of whether that is at school boy or club level.

Taine Ujdur-Berghan is currently part of the Titans U16 squad that at training for matches in September against PNG and New South Wales Country U16 sides. The match against PNG will be held at Pizzey Park and the New South Wales Country match at Cudgen.

Taine Ujdur-Berghan attends PBC as part of their rugby league excellence program and is the regular starting five eight in their Year Ten side and started there in PBC’s recent two point Walters Cup victory over arch rivals Keebra Park in a high quality encounter at Pizzey Park.

Taine Ujdur-Berghan started Round One of the 2018 GCRL U16 Division One competition at five eight for Nerang as they defeated Runaway Bay 60 – 0 with centre Trey Peni scoring four tries in that match. Fellow PBC Year Ten student Jaiden West also scored for Nerang in the Round One match.

Post that Round One match, Taine Ujder-Berghan has played in four other matches for the Nerang U16 Division One side starting at five eight on each of those occasions and scored his first try of the season in Round Six in a 32 – 8 win over Helensvale.

In 2017 Taine Ujdur-Berghan played in thirteen matches in the GCRL U15 Division One competition for the Nerang Roosters scoring a solitary try which came around mid-season against Currumbin.

Taine Ujder-Berghan just has a great passing game in all aspects, he has a very good long passing game and can get the ball out to his centres quickly and he is equally adept at taking the ball to the line and delivering a short pass to hole running backrowers just as the defence is converging on him. There just is not a pass that he cannot throw with timing and precision.

Taine Ujder-Berghan 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 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.

Taine Ujder-Berghan is not necessarily the quickest five eight running around 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. Taine Ujder-Berghan’s running skills compliment his ability to put runners into holes rather than the other way around.

Taine Ujder-Berghan’s 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.

Taine Ujder-Berghan 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. He is also a decent goal kicker but I have not seen enough of him kicking to have an opinion as to whether he can be a front line kicker for his side moving forward.

Taine Ujder-Berghan 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.

Taine Ujdur-Berghan will play for both the Nerang Roosters U16 Division One side and the PBC Year Ten side for the remainder of the 2018 campaign and that will entail quite a number of matches for the young pivot to continue to development his game.

From my observations Taine Ujdur-Berghan has played five eight for the majority of his junior rugby league career and that is not likely to change as he progresses towards the senior rugby league ranks.

A current NRL player with similar running and distribution skills is Newcastle Knights rookie Brock Lamb. Both show flashes of outstanding potential and just need experience on the field to continue their current development trajectory.

[mdrew]

Emmanuel (Manny) Sutton. The young Titans linked Woolgoolga five eight was recently selected on the bench for the New South Wales Combined High Schools U15 side for the U15 ASSRL Championships. Team mates in the side are fellow Titans contracted youngsters Ryan Foran (second row) and Rowan Mansfield (fullback).

Emannuel Sutton has also recently been selected in the Group Two Junior Rugby League U15 Representative side where is the likely starting five eight.

Emmanuel Sutton is currently playing in the U16.5 competition in the Group Two Junior Rugby League competition for Woolgoolga, bypassing the Group Two U15 competition all together. Through the opening six rounds of the competition, Emmanuel Sutton has kicked eight conversions, four coming in Round One against Kempsey, three in Round Two against the Sawtell Panthers and the eighth coming in Round Six against Kempsey last weekend.

Impressively Emmanuel Sutton’s first match in the U16.5 competition was late in the 2017 season when he was just 14 years old and playing against 17 year olds.

In 2017 Emmanuel Sutton represented Group Two at the U14 New South Wales Country Championships starting at five eight in four matches and scoring 24 points from a try and ten goals. Against Group Three in Round Three Emmanuel Sutton scored and kicked six goals for a sixteen point game haul. He also kicked three goals in a Round Two match against Maitland. Emmanuel Sutton’s other goal came in Round One against the Central Coast.

Emmanuel Sutton 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 or a step on the inside or outside. When the ball is passed to him early, Emmanuel Sutton straightens the attack up well, meaning he does not run himself or his support out of room on the outside.

Emmanuel Sutton 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 outside supports at five eight.

Emmanuel Sutton 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. Emmanuel Sutton 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.

Defensively Emmanuel Sutton does not necessarily stand out, which is a good thing to the extent that he is an efficient and effective defender who does not jumper grab but does use his shoulder when committing to the tackle and is also a solid cover defender from the five eight position.

Emmanuel Sutton will play out the 2018 season with Woolgoolga in the U16.5 competition in the Group Two Junior Rugby League competition for Woolgoolga and is a likely starter at five eight in the Group Two U15 side for the New South Wales Country Championships to be held in September this year in Dubbo.

Emmanuel Sutton has primarily played five eight over the course of the last couple of seasons and with his speed off the mark, immaculate step and above average passing game especially to the right side of the field, I would be very interested to see how Emmanuel Sutton would go at fullback, a position I am unsure whether he has played before.

Emmanuel Sutton is a natural on a rugby league field with his ability to size up a situation and invariably take the correct option. To that extent for me he has a playing style similar to that of Cronulla Sharks and former New South Wales State of Origin representative Matt Moylan is an appropriate comparison as a silky smooth 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.

[mdrew]

Tyrese Walker. The young half or five eight has recently moved to the Gold Coast and is currently playing for the Burleigh Bears in the U19 Gold Coast Rugby League competition, scoring his first try on the Gold Coast in Round Six against Mudgeeraba (the side I believe that he was originally going to join) starting at five eight in the Bears 34 – 28 victory.

Tyrese Walker made his debut on the Gold Coast in Round Five against the Currumbin Eagles when he started from the interchange bench.

As a 17 year old Tyrese Walker played the 2018 SG Ball season with the North Sydney Bears after playing for the Bears in the 2017 U16 Harold Matthews Cup competition.

For the Bears in the SG Ball competition, earlier this season, Tyrese Walker played in six matches scoring two tries which both came in Round Seven in a 26 – 12 loss to the Cronulla Sharks. Tyrese Walker came into the North Sydney Bears side in Round Two off the interchange bench against the Western Pirates. Tyrese Walker played five matches from the inter change bench but did start at half back in Round Five against Souths Sydney.

In the 2017 U16 Harrold Matthews Cup competition Tyrese Walker played in eight matches for Norths Sydney starting seven from the interchange bench. Tyrese Walker’s start was in Round Four against the Illawarra Steelers in Round Four.

Tyrese Walker scored two tries in the 2017 U16 Harrold Matthews Cup competition with both tries coming in Round Five against the Canberra Raiders.

In 2017 in addition to playing in the Harold Matthews Cup competition for North Sydney, Tyrese Walker played club rugby league for the Asquith Magpies in the 2017 Sydney Northern U16 Silver competition. In that competition, Tyrese Walker scored an impressive fourteen tries from just sixteen matches. Tyrese Walker started the Grand Final at half back however Asquith lost 28 – 26 to the Mona Vale Raiders.

Tyrese Walker scored a hat trick against the Avalon Bulldogs in the Preliminary Final and earlier in the year scored against Five Docks RSL. The remainder of his tries came in singularly in games.

Tyrese Walker 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. Tyrese Walker 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 a tough 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 Tyrese Walker.

Tyrese Walker 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 Tyrese Walker 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.

Defensively Tyrese Walker has a real dig. Regardless of the size of the opponent running at him, he will get in front of him and make as hard contact as possible hold his ground waiting for help to arrive. When defending against players his own size, Tyrese Walker has no issuing handling them on a one on one basis.

Tyrese Walker is a more than welcome addition to the Gold Coast Rugby League ranks and will play out the 2018 season with Burleigh, likely alternating between the U17 Division One and U19 competitions.

Tyrese Walker will be eligible for the MM Cup in 2019 and with his experience this season in the U18 SG Ball competition would seem to have a strong chance of being selected in the Bears MM squad next season.

For Norths Sydney in the Harrold Matthews and SG Ball competitions, Tyrese Walker has primarily played half back and even though he started at five eight for Burleigh in Round Six of the U19 competition, I envisage that Tyrese Walker will play half back moving forward.

With his skill set, it would be interesting to see how Tyrese Walker would go at hooker and fair or not shapes as a possible super sub type, who could came on either in the halves or as a back-up hooker and provide a spark with his quickness and enthusiasm.

Tyrese Walker is no monster on the field and but is quick, tough and courageous. To that extent I can see similarities from a playing style perspective with Broncos half (utility) Kodi Nikorima. Both are nippy and can play a variety of positions and bring a deal of enthusiasm to their side.

[mdrew]

Tiger Rawlings. The young half has made an outstanding start to the U17 Division One competition on the Gold Coast with the Tweed Heads Seagulls in their first year in the competition.

Tiger Rawlings has moved up to Tweed Heads after playing in the Group 19 Junior Rugby League Competition in 2017 specifically for the Tingha Tigers being the junior club of Parramatta’s Bevan French. Tiger Rawlings is also attending PBC as part of their Rugby league Excellence Program.

Through the opening five rounds for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Tiger Rawlings has scored 33 points from five tries, six goals and a Round Two field goal against Mudgeeraba to push his side out to a seven point lead.

Tiger Rawlings has scored in every match through the opening five rounds, including a Round Two double against Mudgeeraba. Tiger Rawlings scored against Bilambil in Round One, Runaway Bay in Round Three and Helensvale in Round Four. Tiger Rawlings kicked two goals in each of the first three rounds.

In attack, his speed off the mark is one attribute that you will notice when you see him play. 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 long distance, thus the apparent lack of an extra gear in speed has no discernible impact on the quality of Tiger Rawlings play.

Coupled with the ability to step off both feet, his speed and deception with his ball handling skills, enables him to make numerous line breaks. He also backs up any line breaks and certainly knows how to find the try line.

Whilst the comments above are directed towards his individual ability to break a game open, a key attribute to how Tiger Rawlings 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.

Tiger Rawlings has some subtly in his kicking, he is adept at grubber kicking into the opposition in goal line as well as putting appropriate weight on his chip kicks, in an effort to get a repeat set of tackles.

Tiger Rawlings 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.

Defensively Tiger Rawlings is a feisty young man whose attitude in defence consistently defies his size. He will take on any size opponent and even against the biggest of opponents will get in front of them and aim to hit them as hard as possible. Against opponents closer to his size Tiger Rawlings will aggressively make the tackle and let his opponent know all about it on the ground.

Tiger Rawlings will continue to be a key player for the Tweed Heads Seagulls U17 Division One side for the remainder of the season and hopefully gets an opportunity in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side in 2019. Tiger Rawlings will also be involved in PBC’s Open Rugby League side in their various competitions.

With his speed off the mark and his natural tendency to control both the tempo and management of a game, Tiger Rawlings has the ideal skill set and mentality of a modern day rugby league half back.

For me Tiger Rawlings has a similar playing style to that of former Titan and current English Super League player Albert Kelly. Like Kelly Tiger Rawlings has the speed off the mark to be able to exploit gaps and also has a bit of unpredictability about him which keeps defensive lines honest especially when he runs with the ball in two hands out in front of his body towards the defensive line almost daring defenders to come out of the line.

With continued development of his play making and passing skills Tiger Rawlings has intriguing potential for the future and playing for the Tweed Heads U17 Division side means that he sits squarely in the Titans catchment area.

[mdrew]

Malachi Roberts. The flying young fullback is one of three Ballina State High School and Ballina Seagulls players with links to the Titans. Fellow students and Titans linked youngsters are Rowan Mansfield and Kuyan Roberts-Laurie.

The exceptionally talented young athlete was offered an opportunity to join the Sydney Swans Academy but thankfully for Titans fans enjoyed rugby league too much for that.

Malachi Roberts is currently playing for the Ballina Seagulls in the NRRRL U18 competition and to date has played in six matches, scoring three tries which have come against Cudgen, Kyogle and most recently against Lismore Marist Brothers.

In 2017 Malachi Roberts was named in the New South Indigenous U16 side that played their Queensland counter parts containing Titans linked Jesse Braslin. Malachi Roberts started the match at fullback and a team mate was second rower and fellow Titans linked youngster Kuyan Roberts-Laurie, 2017 also saw Malachi Roberts represent the East Coast Dolphins U16 side.

Malachi Roberts was selected to trial for the New South Indigenous U16 side after playing for the Group two junior representative side and the Forster Country Championships and at the Koori Knockout Competition in late 2016. In the trials Malachi Roberts was a standout scoring ten tries in three matches.

Malachi Roberts played for Lismore Marist Brothers in the 2017 Group One U16.5 competition, playing in ten matches starting all at fullback and scored six tries including a late season hat trick against Ballina.

When he was selected in the side Malachi Roberts was attending Melville High and playing for the Macleay Valley Mustangs but has since moved to Ballina to attend Ballina High School and play for the Ballina Seagulls.

From a running perspective, Malachi Roberts just seems to glide across the field and it appears effortless, no matter who is chasing him, they will not catch Malachi Roberts, I am talking James Roberts type of pace but he has a much more effortless running style to that of the current Brisbane Bronco.

Malachi Roberts does not necessarily have a side step per say, it is more of a swerve and he has a number of variations, with the scary part being that there is absolutely no loss of speed at all, making him incredibly difficult to stop when he is in open space and is moving towards a fullback who is near stationary.

Malachi Roberts’s passing skills are also developing into those of the highest quality, he can pass equally well from either side of his body and can throw every type of pass imaginable, he can chime into a back line at full pace and then decelerate quickly to maintain his balance a pop a good short ball to his supports, he can throw a great spiral pass to his backline or he can quickly anticipate the numbers a throw a great cut out pass to exploit over laps.

Defensively Malachi Roberts also stands out, with his closing speed and recovery speed he makes an impact on that side of the ball as well. With his speed, Malachi Roberts has the luxury of being able to stand a touch deeper than some fullbacks yet still be able to close quickly to negate breaks by reducing the decision making time of the attacking player.

Similar to the attributes that make Malachi Roberts such an effective defender, Malachi Roberts is as you would expect a great returner of the ball. His sense of timing, speed and anticipation means that he gets to a lot of kicks on the full and then accelerates looking to exploit any gaps on the kick chase.

Malachi Roberts exceptional lateral movement and sure hands means that he is a danger to make a large amount of ground from short attacking kicks by the opposition as he comes forward at full speed and retrieves with absolutely no loss of momentum and then will surprise the attacking team well before they can reorganise the defensive line.

Malachi Roberts will continue to play for the Ballina Seagulls in the U18 NRRRL competition and will be eligible for that competition again in 2019. It would not surprise however if Malachi Roberts also got an opportunity for the Ballina Seagulls NRRRL First Grade side as the 2018 season progresses. Malachi Roberts will also be involved in Ballina High Schools various school boy competitions including the DEX Shield.

Interestingly Malachi Roberts played a bit of front row in his early junior rugby league career but thankfully has played fullback for the last couple of years and has certainly found a long term home there.

In a 2016 Macleay Valley Argus newspaper article, Malachi Roberts said of his time playing in the front row:
“Front row was enjoyable because you get the ball in your hands a lot and I improved my defence but my best position is at the back.”
Malachi Roberts is an exciting to watch try scoring fullback with exceptional speed, balance and body control and thus can be favourably compared to Brisbane Broncos and New South Wales State of Origin centre James Roberts. Even though they are currently playing in different positions their speed, balance and body control are on the same level.

You just get the sense when watching Malachi Roberts play that you are watching an outstanding young rugby league player continuing to develop right before your eyes and thankfully the Titans have identified the exact same thing and got this outstanding talent into their junior development system which is fast becoming the envy of a multitude of other NRL clubs.

[mdrew]

Kuyan Roberts-Laurie. An intelligent hard working young second rower would be an apt description of the youngster from Ballina State High School and the Ballina Seagulls rugby league club who plays in the NRRRL U18 competition but has recently also made his NRRRL First Grade debut at the age of just 17 years old.

Fellow Ballina High students and Ballina Seagulls players are Titans linked youngsters are Rowan Mansfield and Malachi Roberts.

To date in the U18 NRRRL competition, Kuyan Roberts-Laurie has played in seven matches starting all in the second row and scoring against Evans Heads and Casino RSM.

Kuyan Roberts-Laurie made his NRRRL First Grade debut in Round Seven against Murwillumbah and in Round Eight played his second First Grade match against Northern United and Round Nine saw him come off the bench as his Ballina Seagulls side defeated Byron Bay 64 – 0.

Earlier this year Kuyan Roberts-Laurie played four matches for Northern Rivers in the New South Wales Country U18 Laurie Daly Cup competition. Kuyan Roberts-Laurie started Round one from the interchange bench against the Newcastle Development Squad and also came off the bench in Round Five.

Kuyan Roberts-Laurie came into the Northern Rivers starting side in Round Three against the North Coast and maintained his starting second row spot for the match against the Central Coast Roosters in Round Four.

In 2017 Kuyan Roberts-Laurie was named in the New South Indigenous U16 side that played their Queensland counter parts containing Titans linked Jesse Braslin. Kuyan Roberts-Laurie started the match from the interchange bench and a team mate was fullback and fellow Titans linked youngster Malachi Roberts.

In 2016 Kuyan Roberts-Laurie was also one of the better performers for the Group One U15 side who took part in the NSW Country Age Championships. For the Group One U15 side, Kuyan Roberts-Laurie scored two tries across the three games he played including scoring in a 20 – 10 victory over Group 19 and also scoring Group One’s sole try early in the first half of a 4 all draw against Group 21.

For the Ballina Seagulls in the 2016 Group One U15 competition, Kuyan Roberts-Laurie scored ten tries in twelve matches including doubles against Marist Brothers, Kyogle and Grafton.

Kuyan Roberts-Laurie seems equally at home running on both sides of the ruck but that is what a team has with Kuyan Roberts-Laurie, 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 if an inside defender is slow to come across in defence.

From his time in the centres Kuyan Roberts-Laurie has above average speed, not just off the mark but also when he is in clear space, when he makes a break Kuyan Roberts-Laurie is more than capable of going the distance and normally out paces the cover defence on the way to the try line.

Kuyan Roberts-Laurie 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.

On a lot of his runs Kuyan Roberts-Laurie 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 support players.

Defensively Kuyan Roberts-Laurie has a hard edge to his play and his initial contact is more than sufficient to redirect the momentum of the ball carrier. Kuyan Roberts-Laurie sets a very good base which he uses to explode into the ball carrier looking to use their own momentum and lack of leverage against them.

Kuyan Roberts-Laurie’s 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.

Kuyan Roberts-Laurie is also able to change direction quickly to adjust to the directional changes of the attacking play 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.

Kuyan Roberts-Laurie will continue to play for the Ballina Seagulls in the U18 NRRRL competition and will be eligible for that competition again in 2019 although I would anticipate that he will continue to get additional NRRRL First Grade opportunities. Kuyan Roberts-Laurie will also be involved in Ballina State High Schools various school boy competitions including the DEX Shield.

Even though he is currently playing in the second row, Kuyan Roberts-Laurie has spent time in his earlier junior rugby league career in the centres and understandably so with his speed. I can understand however why coaches moved him to the second row and that is where Kuyan Roberts-Laurie is more than likely to stay from now on.

South Sydney Rabbitoh’s and New South Wales State of Origin second rower Angus Creighton is a current NRL player with a similar playing style to that of Kuyan Roberts-Laurie as a hard working backrower who is adept at running effectively on the fringes of the ruck and someone who also has an effective simple repeatable and sound defensive technique.

[mdrew]

Tyrelle Roberts. (revised)The young Casino RSM half had an outstanding year in 2017 in the Group One U15 competition and as a consequence was selected in the Northern Rivers U16 side for the 2018 Andrew Johns Cup competition.

Tyrelle Roberts in fact started at half back in their Round One clash against the U16 Newcastle Knights Development squad with Northern Rivers defeating Newcastle 22 – 12 in difficult slippery conditions.

In the Round One match Tyrelle Roberts kicked three goals from four attempts and also set up a try for exciting young fullback Layne Hardy with a deft chip in the second half. The only goal attempt that Tyrelle Roberts missed was after the fulltime siren from right on the right hand touch line.

In total for Northern Rivers in the Andrew Johns Cup Tyrelle Roberts started at half back on all five of their matches scoring twenty two points in the process, coming from eleven goals, including three goals in matches against Newcastle, Central Coast and the Greater Northern Tigers.

Post the Andrew Johns Cup, Tyrelle Roberts has been back playing in the Group One U16.5 competition, once again playing for Casino RSM. Through his first seven matches in the competition, Tyrelle Roberts leads both the try scoring tally (nine) and points scoring tally (92) with Titans contracted Clarence Coast player Ethan Foster, second in both categories on eight tries and 71 points. Tyrelle Roberts also leads the goal kicking tally with 28.

Tyrelle Roberts has scored at least a try in each of his six matches, scoring three against Ballina in Round Six and a double in Round Two against Lismore Marist Brothers. Tyrelle Roberts other tries have come against Clarence Coast in two separate matches, Lismore Marist Brothers and Kyogle.

Tyrelle Roberts has also had some big games with the boot including seven against Lismore Marist Brothers and six in a May match against Ballina. That was the same match that he scored the hat trick thus Tyrelle Roberts finished that particular match with 24 points.

In 2017 Tyrelle Roberts finished the season as the Group One U15 competition’ leading points scorer and fourth leading try scorer. In total in 2017 Tyrelle Roberts scored 84 points from ten tries and twenty two goals. Tyrelle Roberts’s ten tries came from just eleven matches and included doubles against Clarence Coast early in the season and against Clarence Coast later in the season.
From a goal kicking perspective, Tyrelle Roberts kicked six from seven in a July match against Kyogle and five in a match against Clarence Coast when he also scored a double to finish the match with eighteen points.

Tyrelle Roberts also played one U16.5 competition match in 2017 which came against Lismore Marist Brothers in early June where he backed up after playing in the U15 match earlier on the Saturday afternoon.

From an attacking perspective at this stage of his career Tyrelle Roberts is more of a runner of the ball rather than necessarily being an organiser but certainly there are flashes that show Tyrelle Roberts is more than capable of being an organiser and leading his side around the field.

At this stage of his career however Tyrelle Roberts’s initial reaction seems to be to look to take the line on himself with above average to near plus speed off the mark as well as exceptional evasive skills to complement his speed off the mark, Tyrelle Roberts is especially effective later in halves when the big forwards start to visibly fatigue as thus he has more room to move.

In the second half of last year, Tyrelle Roberts started to balance his game a little more and started to become more of a distributor and play maker. Tyrelle Roberts has always had this ability but as he has progressed up in age groups you can see that he understands the game and his role in it with a more balanced approach to strategy and the game plan.

Interesting in Round One for the Northern Rivers U16 side on a number of occasions against Newcastle, Tyrelle Roberts in fact lined up as the second receiver outside of Josh Bowden and on the occasions where he was the second receiver good things happened for Northern Rivers.

On the first occasion, Tyrelle Roberts threw a great cut out pass to winger Kailis Fourmile-Bolt for a long break down the right side touch line. The second occasion led to a try assist when a deft chip kick across his body led to a great try to outstanding young full back Layne Hardy from Kyogle at a critical juncture in the match.

Defensively Tyrelle Roberts is a feisty young man whose attitude in defence consistently defies his size. He will take on any size opponent and even against the biggest of opponents will get in front of them and aim to hit them as hard as possible. Against opponents closer to his size Tyrelle Roberts will aggressively make the tackle and let his opponent know about it on the ground.

Tyrelle Roberts will play out the 2018 season with Casino RSM in the U16.5 Group One Junior Rugby League competition and may also play a couple of matches in the U18 NRRRL competition.

From a position perspective, Tyrelle Roberts is only small in stature but with his organisational skills developing and speed off the mark nearing the plus category I believe that his best position as he transitions to senior rugby league is in the half back position.

For me Tyrelle Roberts has a similar playing style to that of former Titan and current English Super League player Albert Kelly. Like Kelly Tyrelle Roberts has the speed off the mark to be able to exploit gaps and also has a bit of unpredictability about him which keeps defensive lines honest especially when he runs with the ball in two hands out in front of his body towards the defensive line.

With continued development of his play making and passing skills Tyrelle Roberts certainly has intriguing potential for the future and growing up in Ballina means that he sits squarely in the Titans catchment area and an area that has provided a rich nursery for the Titans in recent times.

[mdrew]

Jack Kearton. The young front row this season has moved down from Mackay State High School to attend PBC and is also currently part of the Titans U16 squad that at training for matches in September against PNG and New South Wales Country U16 sides. The match against PNG will be held at Pizzey Park Burleigh and the New South Wales Country match at Cudgen.

Jack Kearton, even though he is eligible for the U16 age group is currently involved in the Mudgeeraba Redbacks U17 Division One side, starting in the second row in their Round One match against Currumbin.

In 2017 Jake Kearton was part of the Capricornia U15 side that took part in the QSSRL U15 championships. In those Championships he played primarily in the second row but has played in the front row for PBC this season in their Year Ten side although he did miss the recent Walter Cup match won by PBC against Keebra Park by two points through illness.

Running with the football, Jack Kearton 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.

Jack Kearton 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. Jack Kearton 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 Jack Kearton 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 Colts coaching that he will be getting they will have this corrected in short order.

Jack Kearton 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. Jack Kearton can however get fired up and really cause havoc defensively.

Jack Kearton will play out the 2018 season with the Mudgeeraba Redbacks U17 Division One side and play for PBC in their various School Boy Rugby League competitions including the Walters Cup.

Jack Kearton has spent time in both the front row and second row this season and last and even though I anticipate that he will continue to play both positions for the next couple of seasons, I believe that as he continues to mature physically Jack Kearton will ultimately end up in the front row on a full time basis.

From a player comparison perspective in relation to Jake Kearton, consider someone along the lines of the St George Dragons and new New South Wales State of Origin front rower Paul Vaughan as a big strong mobile forward who hits the defensive line hard when he runs as well as the opposition when they are running the ball.

[mdrew]

Tahne Robinson. (Revised) The young Tweed Coast Raiders half has already donned a Titans jersey in a number of Titans junior development matches a couple of years ago and since moving to the Tweed Coast Raiders NRRRL side at the start of the current season has made every post a winner.

For the Raiders in the NRRRL First grade competition, to date Tahne Robinson has played in ten matches scoring nine tries for a 90% strike rate and kicking twenty six goals to have scored 88 points through the first half of the competition.

Tahne Robinson had big matches in Round Four against Lismore Marist Brothers when he scored a double and kicked four goals and in Round Five against Mullumbimby when he also scored a double but in that match kicked five goals. Round Nine in a Raiders 60 – 0 win over Evans Head also saw Tahne Robinson score a double and kick two goals in the big win.

Round Ten saw Tahne Robinson play in the U18 fixture against Lower Clarence and then back up in the NRRRL First Grade match kicking eight goals from ten attempts in a Tweed Coast Raiders 56 – 28 victory over Lower Clarence.

Tahne Robinson’s other tries in 2018 have come against Northern United, Murwillumbah and his 2017 club Casino RSM. In the Round Eight top of the table clash against Cudgen, Thane Robinson kicked three goals from three attempts to lead the raiders to a two point win. In relation to the match against Cudgen Tahne Robinson was backing up the day after playing in the New South Wales Country U23 Championship Final.

Over the course of this season Tahne Robinson has been playing for the Norther Rivers U23 representative side in the New South Wales Country U23 Championships starting at half back in all three of their matches, including the Championship Final recently in a 26 – 22 wing over Monaro. A match that saw Tahne Robinson kick three goals.

In 2017 Tahne Robinson was a stand out for Casino RSM in the NRRRL First Grade competition even though he was still eligible for U18’s. Unfortunately for Tahne Robinson and his Casino RSM team mates they were defeated 32-20 in their NRRRL semi-final by his new team the Tweed Coast Raiders. Tahne Robinson towards the end of last year was named the NRRRL Rookie of the season.

The former St Mary’s College Casino student was also selected in the MCC 18 years Presidents Rugby League team in 2017. Tahne Robinson over his junior career has made numerous Group One Junior Representative sides as well.

Tahne Robinson only played in one U18 NRRRL match in 2017 season but he made the most of it, scoring 18 points from a try and seven goals against Mullumbimby in April. Tahne Robinson played thirteen 2017 Novaskills NRRRL First Grade matches scoring nine tries and a conversion over those matches. In addition to the double in the final regular season round against his new team being the Tweed Coast Raiders, Tahne Robinson scored a double in mid-July against Mullumbimby.

Earlier in 2017 season Tahne Robinson was named at half back for the East Coast Dolphins U18 side in the New South Wales Country Championships. Tahne Robinson played the 2016 season in the U18 NRRRL Competition with Casino RSM and finished as the leading points scorer in the competition with 106 points which came from four tries and 45 goals.

Tahne Robinson is only slight of build even when up against players in his own age group but looks even smaller against men. 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. Tahne Robinson is particularly adept at using the blind side when he sees an opportunity.

Tahne Robinson has an exceptional show and go and step has scored a number of tries in 2017 in first grade using these traits including his first try against the Tweed Coast Raiders late in the 2017 season. Once he is open space his above average speed off the mark allows him to gain separation from the defence and enables him the time to make the correct decision with the ball.

From kicking perspective Tahne Robinson has a very good short tactical kicking game especially in relation to grubber kicks into the in goal area where he is able to weight the ball well. From a goal kicking perspective Tahne Robinson displays both range and accuracy and has the opportunity going forward to be a team’s first choice goal kicking option.

In defence, due to his size Tahne Robinson 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. He is also very vocal on the field always talking and encouraging his side to move up in a straight line and make hard initial contact with the ball runner.

Tahne Robinson is good enough to push for playing time in the Queensland Cup Colts competition in 2019 but first things first, he will finish this season in the Tweed Coast Raiders NRRRL side where even at just 18 years old he is one of the competitions stand out players.

If he chooses to test himself in the U20 Hastings Deering’s U20 Colts competition, Tahne Robinson will have two years of eligibility starting in 2019.

Tahne Robinson always has been and always will be a half back when playing rugby league although he would likely be able to full in at hooker should the need arise.

From a player comparison perspective for Tahne Robinson think of someone like the Titans own Ashley Taylor as a young play maker who whilst having all the skills necessary for a future at half back, also shows the ability to alter his game based on what his team needs during the course of a match and whose kicking game can have a major impact.

One aspect where Tahne Robinson is a touch different to Taylor is his willingness to take the line on often, I am not saying that he is reckless running the ball, more that Tahne Robinson is very confident in his ability to run the ball and looks to do so on a regular basis.

Tahne Robinson’s improvement this season has been nothing short of incredible and was in no way out of his depth as an 18 year old playing for the Northern Rivers U23 side and was unlucky not to be selected in the New South Wales Country U23 side such was the quality of his performances.

[mdrew]

Ryan Foran. The young Murwillumbah Colts second rower has already donned a Titans jersey this season when he was part of the Titans U15 side that defeated the Western Mustangs six tries to three in March at Nerang.

In that match Ryan Foran started in the second row playing on the left side of the ruck in the first half and then switching to the right side when he came back on in the second highlighting his versatility.

Along with fellow Murwillumbah Colts U15 player and Murwillumbah High School student Riley Lack, Ryan Foran recently signed a Titans contract.

Ryan Foran has also been selected in the Group 18 U15 side that will head to France later in the year to play in the Battlefield Challenge to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the end of World War I. Fellow Titans contracted players Riley Lack, Josh Gilbert and Thomas Weaver are also part of the touring party.

To cap off an impressive junior representative year to date, Ryan Foran has also been selected in the New South Wales Combined High Schools (CHS) U15 side for the U15 ASSRL Championships and will be up against a number of Titans boys in the two Queensland sides being Queensland Maroon and Queensland White and the New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges side which contains Titans contracted half back Thomas Weaver and Josh Gilbert amongst other Titans linked players. Titans contracted fullback or centre Rowan Mansfield is a team mate in the NSW CHS U15 side as is fellow Murwillumbah High School student Riley Lack.

Ryan Foran is one of ten Titans contracted U15 players that will be involved in the U15 ASSRL Championships.

In 2017 Ryan Foran started in the second row for the Group 18 U14 side that competed in the New South Wales Country Rugby League U14 Championships playing three matches against Maitland, Group One and Newcastle in the Northern Plate Final.

Fellow Titans linked youngsters in the 2017 Group 18 U14 side were outstanding Titans contracted half back Thomas Weaver front rower Josh Gilbert. All three were also team mates of Ryan Foran when he played for the Titans U15 Invitational side against the Western Mustangs in early 2018.

For his age group Ryan Foran is a tall athlete 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.

Ryan Foran 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. Ryan Foran 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 in the tackle.

In relation to the defensive aspects of his game Ryan Foran is an exceptional cover defender. With his above average to plus speed for his position he is able to track the ball across the field and be in a position to make the cover defending tackle if breaks are made.

From a front on tackling perspective Ryan Foran has a solid repeatable technique which he can use against attackers of any size. The keys to his technique are his timing and anticipation as well as correct head placement. So many defenders in either rugby or rugby league have no idea about head placement but Ryan Foran is not one of them.

Another impressive aspect from a defensive stand point for Ryan Foran is the fact that he came make multiple tackles one after another and then still be in position to track the ball across the field, he has exceptional stamina from an aerobic capacity stand point including the ability to consistently sprint short distances time and again in a short time span whilst maintaining his positioning on the field.

Ryan Foran will play out the 2018 season with the Murwillumbah Colts U15 side in the Group 18 Junior rugby League competition and is a near certainly for the Group 18 U15 side for the New South Wales Country Age Championships which are scheduled to be held in September this year as well as the trip of a life time to France for the afore mentioned Battle Challenge.

Ryan Foran has a bit of height about him and the frame to add muscle mass over the coming seasons without compromising his speed or lateral mobility, to that end it is likely that he will stay in the second row for the coming seasons and one that is comfortable operating on either side of the ruck .

Ryan Foran has a similar playing style to that of current Titans Co-captain and former New Zealand International Kevin Proctor as a wide running player on either side of the ruck and who can defend either in the centre of the ruck or a little wider out as a foil for his half and five eight on either side of the ruck as well.

[mdrew]

osh Gilbert. The big strong young front rower from the Group 18 competition just south of the border recently signed with the Titans and was part of the Gold Coast Titans U15 Invitational side that defeated the Western Mustangs six tries to three at Nerang on an incredibly hot Sunday morning in March of this year.

The St Joseph’s College Benora Point student had a solid 2017 season including representing U14 Group 18 at the New South Wales Country championships (Northern Pool) where he started all three of the matches that he played in the front row. Josh Gilbert’s matches in those Championships were against Maitland, Group One and Newcastle.

Team mates in those matches and for the Titans U15 Invitational side was Titans contracted ultra-talented half back Thomas Weaver and Titans contracted fullback/centre Riley Lack and second rower Ryan Foran both from Murwillumbah. All three were also team mates when Josh Gilbert played for the Titans U15 side against the Western Mustangs in the match mentioned earlier.

Josh Gilbert has also recently been selected in the New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges U15 team for the ASSRL U15 Championships where he will be up against the Queensland Maroon and White sides which both contain Titans contracted boys and NSW CHS which contained Titans Rowan Mansfield at fullback Ryan Foran in the second row and Riley Lack on the bench. Titans contracted Thomas Weaver is also in the NSW CCC U15 squad.

Josh Gilbert has also been selected in the Group 18 U15 side that will head to France later in the year to play in the Battlefield Challenge to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the end of World War I. Fellow Titans contracted players Ryan For a, Riley Lack n and Thomas Weaver are also part of the touring party.

Josh Gilbert 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. There is no subtlety to his running, it is straight and hard and another positive is that he will not just run upright, Josh Gilbert will drop his should into the defender making it difficult if not impossible for him to be stopped one on one. He does though have quite foot speed when/if he gets into space, probably above average for a front rower.

Defensively Josh Gilbert looks to hit opposing forwards front on and use his natural strength to negate their initial contact and use their momentum against them. Josh Gilbert is a plyer who can hold the line well defensively in the centre of the ruck.

Josh Gilbert will play out the 2018 season at the U15 level in the Group 18 Junior Rugby league competition and will also be involved in various school boy rugby league competitions with St Joseph’s College Benora Point.

Josh Gilbert is also a likely Group 18 U15 representative as well later this season for the New South Wales Country Age Championships to be held in Dubbo in September as well as the trip of a life time to France for the afore mentioned Battle Challenge.

With his size, strength and surprising speed, Josh Gilbert seems a certainty to stay in the front row for the duration of his rugby league career. For me locks have a slightly different skill set and with above average speed for his size, Josh Gilbert could conceivably also wear the No. 13 jersey.

From a style perspective in relation to Josh Gilbert thinks of former Manly and current English Super League front rower Darcy Lussick as a player who will not stand out per say but he is very effective in the role he is asked to and is comfortable playing within the confines of the role as well.

In using this comparison I must note however that Josh Gilbert has dominated some junior rugby league matches that he has been involved in through his sheer size, strength and power both in attack and defence. In short in a couple of games in his junior career he has been near unstoppable.

[mdrew]

Tytan Lord. The former Singleton youngster moved to the Gold Coast for the start of this season and is currently playing for the Helensvale Hornets in the Gold Coast Rugby League U17 Division One competition.

In just his second match for the Hornets, being Round Four, Tytan Lord started in the centres and scored his first try on the Gold Coast in a 22 – 4 win over the at that time previously undefeated Tweed Heads Seagulls.

Tytan Lord has a lot of junior representative experience including representing the Greater Northern Tigers in 2017 at the U16 level as well as representing Group 19 junior age sides on numerous occasions over recent seasons.

In 2017 Tytan Lord in the U16 Central Hunter Combined competition playing in 13 matches and scoring six tries for Singleton.

Even though he does not have great top end speed Tytan Lord 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, Tytan Lord 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 Tytan Lord always seems to stick 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.

When defending in the centres, Tytan Lord 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. Tytan Lord 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, Tytan Lord 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.

Tytan Lord will play the remainder of the 2018 season for the Helensvale Hornets U17 Division One side and in 2019 will likely push for a spot in either the Tweed Heads Seagulls or Burleigh Bears MM Cup sides.

Later in the 2018 season Tytan Lord may also get an opportunity in the Helensvale U19 side, he certainly is physically mature enough to handle the step up in age group and opposition size and quality.

Tytan Lord has played both in the centres (primarily in club rugby league) and on the wing (primarily in representative sides) and whilst he will likely be adept at playing both for the short to medium term I think that as he matures, Tytan Lord will settle as a winger with height and straight line speed at his disposal.

A current NRL player with a similar playing style to Tytan Lord is for me Sydney Roosters winger Blake Ferguson, like Ferguson Tytan Lord is a very good kick return and has the size, strength and speed to be a real handful for an opponent’s three quarter line, especially when he looks to run straight at the defensive line.

[mdrew]

Tate Roberts. (Revised) The Titans linked young centre and PBC student is currently playing for the Currumbin Eagles in the Gold Coast Rugby League U16 Division One competition, starting in the centres through the opening five rounds.

Tate Roberts is also training with the Titans U16 squad which is preparing for matches later in the year against PNG and New South Wales Country.

To date through those opening seven rounds of matches, Tate Roberts has scored nine tries including doubles in Rounds Two and Three against Helensvale and Runaway Bay respectively. Tate Roberts also scored against Mudgeeraba in Round One and currently sits atop the U16 Division One try scoring list one try ahead of fellow Titan and centre Trey Peni from the Nerang Roosters.

Playing at Cbus stadium in Round Five as a curtain raiser to the Titans v Rabbitohs NRL match, Titans centre Tate Roberts scored his sixth try of the season to maintain his place at the top of the U16 Division One’s try scoring list. Unfortunately his Currumbin side were defeated 26-22 by Nerang.

In Round Seven Tate Roberts was outstanding scoring a hat trick in a 32 – 18 victory over Burleigh.

Tate Roberts played for the Gold Coast Vikings White side in the South East Queensland U16 competition starting a number of the rounds in the centres. Tate Roberts has also recently been selected in the reduced South East Queensland U16 side, surviving the first rounds of player cuts. 2018 also saw Tate Roberts involved in the U16 Queensland Murri side.

Tate Roberts has a previous association with the Titans, with both of his older brothers being involved, oldest brother Ethan played 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 and is currently playing for the Cudgen Hornets in the NRRRL U18 competition.

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.

In 2017 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.

Whilst in does not have blinding speed off the mark, Tate Roberts does have decent top end speed and can break tackles by running over his direct opposite defender as well as 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.

One skill that Tate Roberts does possess when playing in the centre position is a decent in and away especially from the right hand side of the field. He will wait until the last possible minute to step to commit the defender before getting on his outside and using his strength and power to break the initial defensive line.

Tate Roberts defensive game is one built on intimidation he will come out of the line when the opportunity presents itself and hit very hard around the chest and drive through is lower body and continue until the tackle is well and truly finished.

The positive for Tate Roberts is that he does not purely rely on strength and power to hit, timing is also a key attribute to ensure that he arrives at the attacker at around the same time that the ball does, this also reduces the likelihood of injury to himself or the defender getting on his outside setting up a two or one down the sideline.

Tate Roberts will play the remainder of the 2018 season for the Currumbin Eagles in the U16 Division One competition and represent South East Queensland at the U16 level. Tate Roberts will also be involved in Palm Beach Currumbin State High School’s Super Six and GIO Cup school boy rugby league campaigns.

I am still a touch conflicted as to whether Tate Roberts will ultimately end up staying in the centres or transition to the second row full time but his play this season has made it more likely than not that he will have the opportunity to stay in the centres long term.

With his hard straight running and strong initial defensively contact, I can see aspects of the play of Wests Tigers centre Esan Marsters in his play. Like Marsters, Tate Roberts is a strong presence in the three quarter line both in attack and defence and can break a game open with a powerful run and fend or a dominant tackle.

[mdrew]

Vinncent Takataka. The former Canterbury Bankstown junior moved up to South East Queensland at the start of 2018 and has had an exceptional start to his rugby league career in South East Queensland ever since.

Vinncent Takataka represented South’s Logan in the 2018 MM Cup competition starting a number of the Magpies matches including their MM Cup Grand Final against North’s and their National Final against Penrith. Earlier this season the former Canterbury Bankstown junior represented South Coast at the U18 QSSRL Championships in Toowoomba where South Coast was defeated by Met East in the Championship final.

Post those feats, Vinncent Takataka made his debut in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition when he started in the second row for Runaway Bay in Round Eight in their 32-24 win over the Ormeau Shearers. In Round Nine Vinncent Takataka started in the second row once against and scored a double as his Runaway Bay side defeated Beaudesert 32 – 20. Round Ten saw Vinncent Takataka come off the bench for Runaway Bay as they defeated Currumbin 24 – 18.

In the MM Cup competition for South’s Logan as noted Vinncent Takataka played in four South’s Logan’s matches. Vinncent Takataka broke into the South’s Logan MM side in Round Three against North’s from the inter change bench and also played off the bench in Round Four against Burleigh. Vinncent Takataka started Round Five against Wynnum Manly in the front row and started the MM Cup Grand Final and U18 National Final in the second row, scoring in the National Final against the Penrith Panthers.

Vinncent Takataka, prior to his move to Queensland was part of the Canterbury Bulldogs Junior Development set-up for a numbers of years, joining the Bulldogs in their U15 Development Squad in 2015 and progressing to playing for the Bulldogs U16 Harrold Matthews Cup side in 2016. Vinncent’s Takataka’s junior rugby league club in Sydney was the Bankstown Sports Club where he started his rugby league journey in the U12’s.

Vinncent Takataka is a powerfully built second rower with a solid frame and a low centre of gravity, but for his size has above average balance, speed and footwork operating normally on the left side of the ruck.

Vinncent Takataka’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. Vinncent Takataka 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. Vinncent Takataka 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, Vinncent Takataka 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.

Vinncent Takataka 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.

Where Vinncent Takataka will play the remainder of the 2018 season is an interesting question. He certainly has the ability to make the transition to the Hastings Deering’s U20 Colts competition sooner rather than later. If/when he does make the step up to Colts the question is whether Vinncent Takataka will play for Burleigh or South’s Logan. Hopefully Burleigh for me but let’s be honest, I am biased.

If a promotion to the Hastings Deering’s U20 Colts competition is not forth coming you would have to think that it will not be too long before Vinncent Takataka finds himself in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition for Runaway Bay gaining experience against men.

With his above average to plus speed and foot work for a solidly built player Vinncent Takataka shapes as a second rower for the duration of his rugby league career.

This should be no real surprise as Vinncent Takataka has been playing almost exclusively in the second row since starting in the second row for the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs in Round One of the 2016 Harrold Matthews U16 Cup competition. I do note that he did start one MM Cup match this season in the front row for South’s Logan.

Vinncent Takataka has the look of a very talented player with a playing style similar to that of St George Dragons, New South Wales State of Origin and Australian International second rower Tyson Fizzell as a powerful and devastating runner on the fringes of the ruck.

Like Fizzell what makes Vinncent Takataka such a handful is his outstanding foot work that compliments his speed and power with a low centre of gravity perfectly.

[mdrew]

Jack Kuhnell. He is a young second rower who has made an early impression in the Group One Junior Rugby League competition since his early May transfer from the Caboolture Sharks on the Sunshine Coast is second rower Jack Kuhnell.

The former Tullawong student started the 2018 year in the Sunshine Coast Junior Rugby League U15 competition playing for Caboolture. He played two games for them including scoring an impressive four tries in Round One against Stanley River. On May 9 of this year he received a clearance to move to the Group One competition, playing for the Kyogle Turkeys.

To date for Kyogle, Jack Kuhnell has played in six matches in the Group One U15 competition scoring nine tries crossing in every match to date.

In his first match for Kyogle, Jack Kuhnell celebrated his debut by scoring against Clarence Coast. In his next three matches he scored doubles which came against Lismore Marist Brothers, Ballina when he was up against Titans contracted Rowan Mansfield and against Casino RSM.

In Round Eight Jack Kuhnell scored once again against Ballina. Immediately after that match, Jack Kuhnell backed up to play in the U16.5 clash, his first in that age group since his move south. Round Nine saw Jack Kuhnell cross the line this time in a 16 – 10 win over Clarence Coast.

Jack Kuhnell has had some Queensland representative success prior to his move to Northern New South Wales, including representing Sunshine Coast in the U15 QSSRL Championships and in 2017 also represented the Sunshine Coast at the U14 level including scoring a try and kicking a conversion on Day One of the U14 Championships.

From an attacking perspective, Jack Kuhnell 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 Jack Kuhnell 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 Jack Kuhnell runs fast into the defensive line.

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 Jack Kuhnell 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.

Jack Kuhnell will play out the 2018 rugby league season with the Kyogle Turkeys in the Group One U15 competition and is also likely to add to his debut match in the U16.5 competition.

Jack Kuhnell played in the second row in his years at Caboolture and for Sunshine Coast representative sides and has continued at that position since his move to Northern New South Wales and that trend appears certain to continue as he progresses through his rugby league career.

For me Jack Kuhnell has a playing style similar to Melbourne Storm, Queensland State of Origin and Australian International second rower Antonio Kaufusi as a hard working player who is an outstanding ball runner on the fringes of the ruck.

[mdrew]

Syris Schmidt. (Revised) He is a local young five eight from the Ormeau Shearers club on the Gold Coast who after attending Keebra Park High School for a number of years took up a rugby scholarship with TSS last year playing in their U14A side and this year will play for the Gold Coast based School in the U15A GPS school boy rugby competition with a team mate being Titans contracted centre Kaleb Ngamanu.

This season in relation to club rugby league on the Gold Coast, Syris Schmidt is playing for Ormeau in the U15 Division One competition, playing five matches to date scoring a Round Four double against Mudgeeraba and also scoring against Runaway Bay in Round Seven.

Syris Schmidt represented South Coast in the QSSRL U15 Championships and has been named in the U15 Queensland White side for next week’s ASSRL U16 Championships where team mates will be Titans contracted Ezra Ubaldino and Brody Smitka. Flynn Daniel who has been involved in Titans Development Squads is also in the Queensland White side.

Even though the GPS school boy rugby season has not kicked off yet, Syris Schmidt has already played a number of matches for TSS. He started on the bench for the first two trials which were against Far North Coast and Toowoomba Grammar School before moving into the starting side at outside centre for the last three trials against Nudgee, Ipswich Grammar School and Ambrose Treacy College in the most recent trial.

In his three appearances in the TSS U15A starting trial side Syris Schmidt has been partnered in the centres with Titans contracted Kaleb Ngamanu with the outstanding Jojo Fifita also in the stacked backline.

In the 2017 GPS rugby season for the TSS U14A side, Syris Schmidt played in seven matches. Syris Schmidt started the season on the bench for the TSS U14A side making his TSS Rugby debut in Round One against Brisbane Stet High School.

Syris Schmidt broke into the TSS U14A starting line-up in Round Eight against St Joseph’s Nudgee College starting the match at No. 10 (fly half) and was named Best Back in his starting debut. Syris Schmidt also started in Round Nine this time at inside centre against Churchie.

In 2017 for the Ormeau Shearers, Syris Schmidt played eight matches in the U14 Division One competition, scoring seven tries and kicking a conversion to finish with 26 points. Syris Schmidt scored four tries in a match against Runaway Bay and a double against Nerang.

Syris Schmidt represented Keebra Park in the Renouf Cup competition in 2016. Syris Schmidt also represented the U13 Vikings side that went through the Hill Stumer Championships undefeated and also represented South East Queensland Green at the U13 level in the Queensland Age Championships which were held in Toowoomba.

In 2015 Syris Schmidt represented Queensland at the U12 level. For the Queensland U12 side, he scored two tries across the competition that Queensland won, including scoring a try against Western Australia in their round 3 victory and another against Victoria in their 52 – 0 semi-final victory.

For Ormeau in the U13 GCJRL competition in 2016, Syris Schmidt finished as the leading try scorer with 22 tries from ten matches, two in front of Keebra Park team mate Tuvallo-Afoa Khan Pereira. Syris Schmidt scored six tries in a match against Currumbin and also scored two hat tricks which came against Jimboomba and Runaway Bay.

For South East Queensland Green in the Queensland Age Championships in 2016, Syris Schmidt scored four tries, including a hat trick on Day Two in a big 44 – 4 win over the Northern Marlins and he also scored on Day Three in a 40 – 10 victory over SEQ White.

For the U13 Vikings, he played an under stated role leading his team around the field but on Day Two against Ipswich, after mainly setting up his support runners, he started to run more in the second half including a superb play late in the match where he drifted across the field and threw a great dummy before accelerating through the Ipswich defensive line to score under the posts.

In relation to Schoolboy rugby league, Syris Schmidt also had a great year in 2015 for Keebra Park culminating in him being selected at five eight in the Keebra Park team of the year. Playing for the U13 Renouf Cup side, Syris Schmidt scored five tries across the Rounds, including against Ipswich SHS in Round Two, two tries against Marsden in Round Five, a try against local rivals PBC in Round Six and in the Round of 16 had a great game against Ipswich once again when he split the line to score from 40 metres out with his first touch and also late in the match popped a great ball to Tuvallo-Afoa Khan-Pereira to score.

In attack, he is a 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.

Syris Schmidt 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.

Syris Schmidt 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. Syris Schmidt 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.

Assisting his play is the fact that Syris Schmidt makes 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.

For his age group, he has a prodigious kick on him and seemingly also has good accuracy and presents as a future 40/20 threat. Also his prodigious boot generates significant height on his bombs, and I mean they are huge bombs and again are seemingly quite accurate, his ceiling is that of his team’s primary tactical kicker moving forward, both from a field position and attacking perspective.

Defensively he has decent size for a five eight, 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.

Playing no. 10 or at inside centre in school boy rugby has also assisted his defensive development. Loose forwards come off the back of the ruck or maul and traditionally target the channel defended by either the inside centre or fly half, where obviously Syris Schmidt is stationed the majority of the time.

Moving to the current 2018 season, Syris Schmidt will continue to play for the Ormeau Shearers as well as for the TSS U15A school boy rugby side.

TSS started their 2018 GPS U15A campaign in Round One against Anglican Church Grammar School at home on 21 July after a final trial away to Sunshine Coast Grammar School the week prior to the GPS First XV Round One fixture. Syris Schmidt has been named on the bench for the final trial along with a number of likely starters for Round One including Titans contracted Kaleb Nganamu.

It is great to see him continue to play both codes as the skills he is developing in both codes is no doubt immensely assisting in his development in both codes as the skills are complementary in nature, especially around tactical kicking and game management. Playing a high level of school boy rugby at either No. 10 or inside centre can only enhance and accelerate his rugby league developmental curve.

Syris Schmidt plays his football currently at the five eight position both in terms of club and representative football and certainly has the skills to stay there long term. He has all of the skills that you would want from your five eight, he can run the ball very well, he is a very good distributor and game manager and is also a very good general play kicker.

From a player comparison perspective, I am going to make a big call but he really does play the game like Darren Lockyer with more speed than when Darren Lockyer moved to five eight. Syris Schmidt really does present on the field as a natural gifted young player who does not take his natural ability for granted.

[mdrew]

Reno Gerrard. (Revised) He is a local young front rower who was part of the of the Burleigh Bears MM Cup this season as well as being a key member of the TSS First XV School Boy Rugby side who are looking to repeat last year’s GPS First XV success.

Recently Reno Gerard was named in the GPS Blue side at No. 8 for the upcoming Queensland Schools Championships. This is the second year that he has represented GPS schools. On Day One of the trials Reno Gerrard’s GPS Blue (Navy) side defeated GPS Gold 19 – 10 and on Day Two Reno Gerrard was outstanding in the first half (he sat out the second half) as GPS Blue defeated AIC 24 – 12 in a game of two halves.

Post the Queensland Schools Championships, Reno Gerrard was named at No. 8 for the Queensland II School Boys side for the National Schools Championships that are on later this month.

For the Burleigh MM Cup side this season Reno Gerrard started the opening three rounds in the front row being against Sunshine Coast, Redcliffe and Tweed Heads scoring against Sunshine Coast for his sole try of the MM Cup season.

Even though the GPS Rugby season has not kicked off yet Reno Gerrard has played in five trials for the TSS First XV plus the two GPS Trial days starting all at No. 8 including trials against New Zealand’s powerful Westlake Boys High and Sydney’s Riverside College. The most recent trial was a full contact trial against the TSS Second XV side.

In 2017 Reno Gerrard was an ever present in the TSS First XV side that were joint premiers, starting at No. 8 in all eight matches and scoring six tries including a hat trick in Round Six against Brisbane Grammar School. Reno Gerrard’s other tries came against Ipswich Grammar School in Round Three, Brisbane Boys College in Round Four and Churchie in Round Nine.

In the Round Six clash Reno Gerrard’s first try came just after he made a barnstorming 50 metre kick-off return, scoring in the right corner from a pick and drive. His second try came as a result of a TSS line out move when Reno Gerrard got low and barged over from short range and his third came from backing up a break by front rower Zane Nonggorr and then out pacing the BGS cover defence.

Reno Gerrard also scored against Brisbane Boys College in Round Four when he ran an outstanding outside shoulder line off five eight Campbell Perata to crash over half way between the goal posts and the touch line. Earlier in 2017 Reno Gerrard started at No. 8 for the GPS Three representative side at the Queensland Rugby Schools Championships held at Ballymore in July 2017.

The TSS First XV side determine their best players through the First XV being awarded coaches points, in 2017 Reno Gerrard twice received the maximum three points, with those games being in Rounds Two and Six against Toowoomba Grammar School and Brisbane Grammar School respectively.

For the 2016 GPS U16A Championship winning TSS side Reno Gerrard started all eight matches at No. 8 and scored seven tries. He scored doubles in Rounds Three and Five against Brisbane Boys College and Brisbane Grammar School respectively. Reno Gerrard’s other tries came in Round two, Seven and Eight against Ipswich Grammar School, Nudgee College and Churchie respectively.

Reno Gerrard played for the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club in 2016 and also attends The Southport School (TSS) where he was part of their First XV squad in 2016 and 2017 where he played No. 8. Previously Reno Gerrard was linked with the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

The former PBC student represented South Coast in the QSSRL U15 State Championships in 2015, 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. Reno Gerrard played a number of CC matches in 2016 in the front row including scoring in week one of the CC semi-finals in a tough loss for the Gold Coast side.

For Burleigh, Reno Gerrard played for the U15 Division One side in 2015, 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 named in the 2016 Gold Coast Green side for the CC competition. Reno Gerrard was also 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.

Reno Gerrard 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 Reno Gerrard 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 clearly this is the case from a rugby perspective for players in the No. 8 jumper.

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 Reno Gerrard 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.

The one aspect of Reno Gerrard’s game that has increased over the last season or two is his ball playing skills which is prerequisite for playing No. 8 in rugby which he has done over the last couple of seasons.

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. Reno Gerrard 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.

Reno Gerrard 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.

In terms of his school boy rugby commitments Reno Gerrard will be back at TSS for his second season as a regular member of their First XV where he will surely start at No. 8 with TSS looking for back to back GPS First XV Championships.

TSS started their 2018 GPS First XV campaign in Round One against Anglican Church Grammar School at home on 21 July after a final trial away to Sunshine Coast Grammar School the week prior to the GPS First XV Round One fixture.

From a long term position perspective I believe that Reno Gerrard ultimately ends up in the front row in senior rugby league, but for me that is still a few years away at least. 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. Playing No. 8 for TSS in the highly competitive GPS First XV competition has only enhanced his skill set from both a running and ball playing perspective.

From a player comparison for Reno Gerrard think of South Sydney Rabbitoh and English International Sam Burgess as a big strong powerful hard running forward with some good ball skills when the opportunity presents and an aggressive tackling technique to inflict the maximum amount of damage to his opponents.

[mdrew]

Ronan Kapi. (Revised) He is a local young centre who last played rugby league on the Gold Coast in 2015 with the Burleigh Bears but who was part of the of the Burleigh Bears MM Cup this season as well as being a key member of the TSS First XV School Boy Rugby side who are looking to repeat last year’s GPS First XV success.

Recently Ronan Kapi was named in the GPS Gold side at outside centre for the upcoming Queensland Schools Championships. This is the second year that he has represented GPS schools after being named on the bench for the GPS Three side in 2017.On Day One Ronan Kapi’s GPS Gold side went down to GPS Blue 19 – 10 and on Day Two they defeated Queensland Combined High Schools by in excess of 60 points.

Post the Queensland Schools Rugby Championships, Ronan Kapi was named on the bench for the Queensland I side for the Australian Schools Championships which take place later this month.

For the Burleigh MM Cup side this season Ronan Kapi played in six of Burleigh’s seven MM Cup matches, missing only Round Three. Ronan Kapi started five of his six matches in the centres and came off the bench in Round Two against Redcliffe.

Ronan Kapi scored twice in the MM Cup this season, being against the Sunshine Coast Falcons in Round One and against South’s Logan in Round Four to accumulate a strike rate of 33%.

Even though the GPS Rugby season has not kicked off yet Ronan Kapi has played in five trials plus the two GPS Trial days starting all at outside centre including trials against New Zealand’s Westlake Boys High and Sydney’s Riverside College. The most recent trial was a full contact trial against the TSS Second XV.

In 2017 Ronan Kapi was an ever present in the TSS First XV side that were joint premiers, starting on the right wing in seven matches and one at outside centre being against Ipswich Grammar School in Round Two.

In those eight matches, Ronan Kapi scored four tries all of which came in consecutive rounds from Round Four to Six. In Round Four Ronan Kapi scored against Brisbane Boys College, Round Five against Gregory terrace saw him score a double and in Round Six Ronan Kapi scored against Brisbane Grammar School.

The TSS First XV side determine their best players through the First XV being awarded coaches points, Ronan Kapi received a point in Round Three against Toowoomba Grammar School.

In 2016 Ronan Kapi was a standout performer for the TSS U16A squad and earlier that year was part of the U16 Queensland Rugby League Emerging Origin squad.

For the 2016 GPS U16A Championship winning TSS side Ronan Kapi started all eight matches at fullback and finished the season on a big note scoring a double in the final round, being Round Nine against Brisbane State High School.

Ronan Kapi 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 Ronan Kapi 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 also played in the centres for the Gold Coast White CC side in the 2016 competition.

Ronan Kapi also represented the Titans U15 development squad in their match late in 2015 against the Balmain Tigers a match 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 former Tigers player Paul Sironen.

From a rugby perspective, Ronan Kapi was also named in the Queensland Reds U15 side to play against New South Wales in 2015.

Ronan Kapi 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 Ronan Kapi’s 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 Ronan Kapi has impressed me the most is his ability to defend close to his own try line. Ronan Kapi 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, Ronan Kapi sets a good base and uses his leg strength to direct his energy through the core of his body into that of his opponent.

In terms of his school boy rugby commitments Ronan Kapi is back at TSS for his second season as a regular member of their First XV where he will surely start at outside centre with TSS looking for back to back GPS First XV Championships.

TSS started their 2018 GPS First XV campaign in Round One against Anglican Church Grammar School at home on 21 July after a final trial away to Sunshine Coast Grammar School the week prior to the GPS First XV Round One fixture.

From a position perspective, even though he has spent some time on the wing for a couple of representative sides, I believe that Ronan Kapi’s medium/long term future lies as a talented centre with the ability to make breaks using his foot work and evasive skills. Playing outside centre (No. 13) for TSS in the highly competitive GPS First XV competition has only enhanced his skill set and will continue to do so this year.

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.

[mdrew]

Alofiana (Lofi) Khan-Periera. (Revised) The young Burleigh Bears winger and current Keebra Park student had a great 2017 season culminating in starting on the wing for Keebra Park in their National GIO Cup Finals success and representing Queensland Murri U16’s in their annual clash against New South Wales Kurri with Titans linked Jesse Brasslin was a team mate.

In the interstate clash held in Newcastle Lofi Khan-Periera scored a double as Queensland Murri went down 16 – 14 in a tight clash. 2017 also saw Lofi Khan-Periera as part of the 2017 U16 Queensland Academy of Sport squad and he also won the Keebra Park 2017 Year 11 Sport Specialisation student of the year award.

Lofi Khan-Periera is a contracted Titans player who represented South Coast at the QSSRL U18 Championships in Toowoomba scoring a number of long range tries from the left wing and was in my eyes an unlucky omission from the Queensland U18 QSSRL side which contains fellow Titans contracted, South Coast representative and Keebra Park student David Butler.

Lofi Khan-Periera has played a number of matches for Keebra Park this season including matches against PBC which they lost by two, points, and in wins over Wavell State High School and St Mary’s College who Keebra Park defeated 24 – 18.

Lofi Khan-Periera started the 2018 season off in the MM Cup competition with the Burleigh Bears, playing in all six of Burleigh’s matches, starting four on the wing and two at fullback. Lofi Khan-Periera started the Bears first four matches on the wing before moving to fullback for the Round Six match against the Western Mustangs.

In his six matches Lofi Khan-Periera scored five tries including a Round Six double against the Western Mustangs. Lofi Khan-Periera also scored tries in Rounds One, Three and Four against the Sunshine Coast, Tweed Heads and South’s Logan.

Post the MM Cup, Lofi Khan-Periera has played in one match for the Burleigh U17 Division One side scoring a hat trick against Helensvale.

In 2017 Lofi Khan-Periera finished on top of the try scoring list in the U16 Division One competition in 2017, finishing with eight tries from twelve matches. Unfortunately for Lofi Khan-Periera he missed the U16 Division One Grand Final with injury as Burleigh were defeated 34 – 4. Lofi Khan-Periera had a great start to the U16 Division One season scoring all eight of his tries through the first five rounds including four tries in a match against Ormeau and a Round One double against Helensvale.

A the commencement of the 2017 season Lofi Khan-Periera represented the Gold Coast Vikings in the U16 South East Queensland pre-season competition and from there made the South East Queensland White U16 side for the Queensland Age Championships. In those Championships, Lofi Khan-Periera had an outstanding campaign, scoring a double on Day Two against Centre and a try on Day Three against South East Queensland Green. Lofi Khan-Periera also scored in each of SEQ Whites finals, including against Northern in a semi-final and against SEQ Green in the final which White won 42 – 30.

As a result of his play over the last couple of season Lofi Khan-Periera was identified by both the Titans and the Broncos but has signed a deal with the Titans after being in both NRL team’s development squads. Lofi Khan-Pereira has also represented Samoa including being named Samoa U14 player of the tournament in 2015 at the QPICC championships.

Lofi Khan-Periera was also named in the Queensland Murri Probables side after the 2016 Queensland Murri championships. Fellow Titans contracted player Jesse Braslin has made the Queensland Murri U15/16 side. His younger brother TuuVallo-Afoa Khan-Pereira is also an exceptionally talented young rugby league player who is also part of the Titans junior development set-up.

There is no point trying to come up with a fancy way of describing his style of game, he is a talented 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 young man and you have a real handful for a defensive line.

With his size and strength Lofi Khan-Periera carries defenders with him and continues to pump his legs to gain more ground. He is also a smart player from a position perspective and does stay out on the wing and usually stays back to make sure that he does not overrun the pass.

When returning kicks Lofi Khan-Periera winds up and just runs straight and hard straight into the defensive line with speed and power. Someone like Lofi Khan-Pereira 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, Lofi Khan-Periera uses his size and speed 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 whether that is Queensland Cup or NRL need to constantly consider to ensure an overlap is not created on the outside, it is all about judgement.

Lofi Khan-Periera will play the remainder of 2018 season with the Burleigh Bears at the U17 Division One level as well as being a key member of Keebra Park Open side as they look to defend their 2017 Queensland and National GIO Cup successes as well as in the Langer Cup competition.

Whilst I have no doubt that Lofi Khan-Periera could also play in the centres, but his straight line speed and power does project well on the wing and that is where I think that he ultimately ends up even if he does spend some time in the centres over the course of the next couple of seasons. I note that Lofi Khan-Periera has also played a number of matches this season at fullback for Burleigh in the U16 Division One competition.

Valentine Holmes of the Cronulla Sharks Queensland State of Origin and Australian Test sides is a good playing comparison for Lofi Khan-Pereira in terms of a hard straight running quick winger who is difficult to tackle every time he touches the ball and from both a technical and positional perspective very good defensively as well.

[ALX25]

Syris has an impressive passing game. Has been a real threat for QLD U15 White.

[mdrew]

Kaleb Ngamanu. (Revised) He is a Gold Coast based youngster originally from Western Australia where he played two years of rugby league for the Joondalup Giants who moved over to the Gold Coast at the start of 2016 season, making every post a winner since that time in his junior rugby league career.

Kaleb Ngamanu recently signed a two year deal with the Titans after a starring on the left wing for the Titans U15 side in their six tries to three win over the Western Mustangs and his selection in the South Coast U15 QSSRL side at the completion of the South Coast Trials. Kaleb Ngamanu was subsequently selected in the Queensland Maroon U15 side for the U15 ASSRL Championships.

Other Titans linked boys to make the 2018 U15 South Coast QSSRL squad include front rower Brody Smitka, centre/second rower Ezra Ubaldino, front row Titan Vaikai, outstanding backrower Bailey Martin and second rower/centre Flynn Daniel.

As a result of his performance at those Championships has been selected in one of the two Queensland sides for the Australian Championships.

Unfortunately Kaleb Ngamanu was injured in the camp just prior to the U15 ASSRL Championships and was unable to take his place in the Queensland Maroon side.

When he moved over to the Gold Coast, Kaleb Ngamanu started attending Keebra Park State High School making a big impression in their U13 side even though he missed portions of the 2016 season with an injury. Kaleb Ngamanu however was identified by The Southport School (TSS) and for 2017 transferred there standing out in their U14A GPS rugby side in 2017 in Term Three.

This season Kaleb Ngamanu is playing club rugby league for the Coomera Cutters and obviously for TSS in terms of school boy rugby.

For Coomera in the U15 Division competition this season, Kaleb Ngamanu has played in five matches to date, scoring three tries. Kaleb Ngamanu scored a Round One double against the Mudgeeraba Redbacks and scored against Runaway Bay in Round Four.

Even though the GPS school boy rugby season has not kicked off yet, Kaleb Ngamanu has already played a number of matches for TSS. He started on the bench for the first two trials which were against Far North Coast and Toowoomba Grammar School before moving into the starting side at outside centre for the last three trials against Nudgee, Ipswich Grammar School and Ambrose Treacy College. In his three appearances in the starting trial sides Kaleb Ngamanu has been partnered in the centres with rugby league youngster Syris Schmidt.

Round One of the U15A GPS rugby season starts in late July when TSS take on Anglican Church Grammar School in Round One at home and barring injury Kaleb Ngamanu is a certainty to start that match. Prior to that however TSS have one final trial which will be away to Sunshine Coast Grammar School.

The 2017 season Gold Coast Junior Rugby League season saw Kaleb Ngamanu play up an age group in the U15 Division One competition after transferring from Southport to the Coomera Cutters. In the U15 Division One competition, Kaleb Ngamanu played in eight matches scoring 28 points in total from three tries and eight goals, with the tries coming against Southport, Helensvale and Nerang. In the match that he scored against his former club Southport, Kaleb Ngamanu also kicked six goals for a sixteen point haul on the night.

Kaleb Ngamanu also played one match for Coomera in the U14 Division Two competition (his regular age group) which was against the Robina Raptors, he then backed up to play for his “regular” U15 Division One side later that Friday night.

2017 also saw Kaleb Ngamanu represent the Gold Coast Vikings at the U14 level and from there going on to make the South East Queensland Green U14 side for the Queensland Age Championships that were held in Toowoomba on July last year. In those Championships, Kaleb Ngamanu scored on each of the first four days, in order against Central, Northern South East Queensland White and Central again.

In 2017 Kaleb Ngamanu played for TSS in the GPS U14A competition, starting all eight of TSS’s matches at outside centre except for Round Nine when he started at fullback against Nudgee College. In those eight matches he scored six tries and was awarded the best back award on three occasions, being against Brisbane State High School in Round One, against Ipswich Grammar School in Round Three and against Gregory Terrace in Round Five.

Kaleb Ngamanu scored a Round Six double against Brisbane Grammar School and also scored against Ipswich Grammar School in Round Three, against Brisbane Boys College in Round Four, against Gregory Terrace in Round Five and against Nudgee College in Round Nine.

Kaleb Ngamanu also scored against Downlands College in a “trial” match when TSS had a GPS Round Seven bye.

Kaleb Ngamanu played the 2016 season for the Southport Tigers at the U14 level splitting time between the U14 Division One and Division Two competitions even though he was still eligible to play in the U13 competition.

Kaleb Ngamanu 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 2016 where he played the majority of the trials in the centres after playing almost exclusively at five eight in the Western Australian junior rugby league competition.

Kaleb Ngamanu 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, Kaleb Ngamanu 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.

Kaleb Ngamanu had a very solid match for the Titans U15 side at Nerang recently playing on the left wing outside of Titans contracted youngster JT Manuofetoa who was also outstanding on the day. In fact their combination was responsible for Kaleb Ngamanu’s try that Sunday when they used their numbers perfectly to send Kaleb Ngamanu down the left touch line in the second half for him to score in the corner to open up the Titans lead.

For the Titans I would really have liked to see Kaleb Ngamanu operate in the centres but on the day the exceptionally talented Rowan Mansfield and the a fore mentioned JT Manuofetoa started in the centres and excelled so you can understand Kaleb Ngamanu operating on the wing in the match.

That Sunday morning against the Western Mustangs at Nerang I was also impressed by the amount of runs Kaleb Ngamanu took from dummy half helping the Titans bring the ball out of their own end. The outstanding feature of his paly however for the Titans was his spacing out wide. Kaleb Ngamanu stayed on the touch line and was regularly able to exploit room down the touch line when space was created by JT Manuofetoa and halves, Jed Bignell and Thomas Weaver on his inside.

In terms of chasing attacking kicks Kaleb Ngamanu 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, in my opinion that is not a bad thing at all.

Kaleb Ngamanu also has very good hands low to the ground on grubber kicks or when defenders drop bombs and uses his reach to get to the ball quickly before defenders. Kaleb Ngamanu will also chase general play kicks with vigour trying to improve the effectiveness of his teams kicking game.

Like all well coached youngsters Kaleb Ngamanu displays a sound defensive technique and a disciplined approach both from an individual and team perspective. From a defensive technique perspective Kaleb Ngamanu uses his shoulder well to disrupt the momentum of the ball carrier and does not “jumper” grab but rather drives through the tackle with his shoulder both in regards to a front on tackle or a side on tackle

Kaleb Ngamanu will play the remainder of the 2018 Gold Coast Junior Rugby League season with the Coomera Cutters in the U15 Division One competition.

Kaleb Ngamanu will also continue to play school boy rugby with TSS, this season in the U15A competition once again likely in the centres as well as being in line for U15 Gold Cup rugby selection.

TSS started their 2018 GPS U15A campaign in Round One against Anglican Church Grammar School at home on 21 July after a final trial away to Sunshine Coast Grammar School the week prior to the GPS First XV Round One fixture. Kaleb Ngamanu has been named on the bench for the final trial along with a number of likely starters for Round One.

From a position perspective, even though Kaleb Ngamanu 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 as well.

Obviously the time spent at five eight in Western Australia will only enhance his ball skills and assist in creating space for his support players wider out. I just think that Kaleb Ngamanu’s running skills will be better suited to playing in the centres or on the wing rather than imposing added pressure to be a play maker at five eight where it does not necessarily come as naturally as when he is running the ball out wider of the ruck.

I really am a proponent of youngster playing different sports, in this case in relation to Kaleb Ngamanu rugby at a high level in the GPS school boy competition. The “second” sport whether it is touch or rugby assists in the skill set development and exposure to different critical skill sets, tactical game situations and coaching philosophies.

From a player comparison perspective, consider the game of Cronulla Sharks fullback and Queensland State of Origin and Australian International winger Valentine Holmes in relation to Kaleb Ngamanu as a player who attacks the game full on and has the speed, timing, anticipation, skill and confidence to make things happen with or without the ball.

[mdrew]

Noah Gafa. (Revised) The young centre is deservedly in the Titans High Performance Unit, signing a two year deal during 2017 and continues to go from strength to strength with Currumbin as well as with PBC in relation to school boy rugby league.

Noah Gafa made his Hastings Deering’s Colts debut for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in Round Sixteen against Burleigh last weekend starting in the centres and has been named on the wing for Round Seventeen against Wynnum Manly today.

For Currumbin in the Gold Coast Rugby League U17 Division One competition, Noah Gafa has made on outstanding start starting in the centres in each of his six matches and scoring eight tries along the way.

Noah Gafa scored a hat trick against Tweed Heads in Round Five and has also scored against Mudgeeraba, Helensvale, Ormeau and Bilambil in the opening four rounds to lead the U17 Division One try scoring list. Noah Gafa’s other try came against Burleigh in Round Six

Prior to the season proper, Noah Gafa was part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad playing in all seven of their matches including their final against South’s Logan. Noah Gafa started his first five matches in the centres before starting from the interchange bench in Round Seven against Easts and then again in the semi-final against South’s Logan.

In the 2018 MM Cup competition Noah Gafa scored two tries, coming against the Victorian Thunderbolts in Round two and against the Townsville Blackhawks in Round Five.

Noah Gafa has also been in outstanding form for PBC including being involved in their matches against Keebra Park 22 – 20 win, Ipswich State High School 24 – 18 win and Marsden State High School 38 – 10 win in the Langer Cup competition when he started at left centre and scored two second half tries.

In the 2017 U16 GCJRL Division One competition, Noah Gafa scored 38 points for the Currumbin Eagles which has come from eight tries and three goals. All three of Noah Gafa’s goals came in the one match in June against the Ormeau Shearers. From a try scoring perspective, Noah Gafa had a great run of four matches from April 28 to May 26 where he scored in all four matches which, in order, where against Ormeau, Runaway Bay, Helensvale and against Ormeau a second time.

Noah Gafa also scored a hat trick against Burleigh in August against Burleigh and the match prior to that scored against Helensvale. Currumbin were the deserved Grand Final winners in the 2017 GCJRL U16 Division One competition, with Noah Gafa starting in the second row in their 34 – 4 Grand Final victory over Burleigh.

In 2017 Noah Gafa was also a key member of the PBC Open Rugby League side that performed so will in the GIO Cup competition and in fact he scored in their tough Queensland GIO Cup semi-final loss to Marsden State High School 22 – 20.

Earlier in 2017 season, Noah Gafa was selected in the Gold Coast Vikings Green U16 side for their South East Queensland U16 pre-season competition and in 2013 Noah Gafa was selected in the Queensland U12 side with fellow Titan Alofiana Khan-Periera.

For a centre Noah Gafa 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, Noah Gafa also has a very good passing game especially to his left side. When the ball is passed out to the back line, Noah Gafa 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 quickest of opponents and he is also very good at positioning his support players when he gets to the fullback. The only possible question about Noah Gafa’s speed is whether it will stay at or near the plus category as he matures and inevitably fills out.

Defensively Noah Gafa 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 key off Noah Gafa in terms of whether to use an up and in methodology and slide to the outside. Noah Gafa 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.

Noah Gafa will play out the 2018 GCJRL season with Currumbin at the U17 Division One level if he does not continue in the Tweed Heads Seagulls Hastings Deering’s Colts side as well as school boy rugby league with PBC in their GIO Cup and Langer Cup campaigns.

Noah Gafa is eligible once again for the MM Cup competition in 2019.

From a position perspective, Noah Gafa has played well in the centres in recent seasons including this season in the U17 Division One competition last year’s U16 Division One and pre-season representative competition but there is just something about the way that Noah Gafa plays that suggests that he will ultimately end up in the second row, not necessarily for a few years though.

As a young player Noah Gafa seemingly has it all, size, strength, size and power and uses those attributes to his advantage on a football field. For me a current rugby league player with similar attributes and a similar playing style is St George Dragon’s backrower Joel Thompson, as a big strong player who can transition between centre and second row.

I think that just like Joel Thompson, Noah Gafa’s skill set will ultimately play better in the second row over the long term but that is definitely not set in stone by any stretch of the imagination.

[mdrew]

Noah Gafa with his first Colts try this afternoon for Tweed Heads, he ended the match with a double.