View Full Version : Talented junior players not linked to the Titans but maybe should be
I will preface my comments below in that this young player is in no way even linked to the Titans but I have been lucky enough to see a number of full length videos of his schoolboy matches as well as highlights of some representative matches for the Northern Swords as well as highlights of the match against the Warriors U18 selection and this young player has stood out every time I have been lucky enough to get to see footage of any of his games. I have absolutely no idea of whether he is linked to an Australian club or not, he is definitely not linked to the Warriors though I know that much. If he is not linked to an NRL club, he certainly should be. He looks a real star in the making. The Titans should really be looking at this young player and also front rower Wiremu Greig from the same school.
Jayden Leaupepe. He is an extremely talented young five eight from the Northlands area of New Zealand and in fact was selected at five eight for the Adam Blair XIII for a match against a Warriors U18 selection last weekend which the Warriors squad won 36-24. He also plays five eight for Whangarei Boys High School (WBHS) who play in the Adam Blair Open Schoolboys competition, which is a competition solely for Northland schools. WBHS has won through to the semi-final stage of the competition where they take on Dargaville High School. From what I can find out he and front rower Wiremu Greig are the team standouts and two of the stand outs for the entire Northlands region.
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, he also has a very good dummy which continues to be effective regardless of the frequency of its use as it is indistinguishable in process from when he is going to actually pass the ball. He does not however have blinkers on, and when his backline is set deep, he can see an overlap or a another play developing he will get the ball out quickly and effectively, using his solid passing skills from both sides of his body, where he will put the football out in front of his runners. He is able to impart a good spin on the ball, thus can get good distance on his passes whilst maintaining accuracy from both sides of his body all be it from the videos that I have seen he gets better distance when passing to the left hand side of the field.
Assisting his play is the fact that he seems to make the decision what to do with the ball quickly thus enabling the ball to get out wide quickly. One aspect that is notable when you see him play is how he directs the team around the field, he is in charge of when and where the forwards run and also when he wants the ball to spread it out wide to his backline.
He has a prodigious kick on him and seemingly also has good accuracy and presents as a 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. He is also his school team’s primary goal kicker. From the footage and his player statistics, 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.
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.
As noted he has already made a representative side this year, being the Adam Blair XIII and it would not surprise if he plays some local first grade once his schoolboy football with WBHS is completed with the Northern Swords in the New Zealand version of the QCup. From a position perspective, in the video’s that I have seen him play, he has only ever played at five eight and the silky skills on display in the videos would certainly suggest that he is more than capable if staying at five eight long term.
From a player comparison, I would consider Warriors and New Zealand International halfback Shaun Johnson as a player with a similar playing style, maybe Jayden Leaupepe does not have the same prodigious side step, but all other aspects such as the plus plus speed off the mark and plus top end speed seem to be on display when he has the ball in hand, he is just too much for other schools in the area to deal with.
I know that you should not make judgements on players purely based on videos and selected highlights but he just jumps off the screen in the footage.
Wiremu Greig. He is a big strong young front rower from the Northlands area of New Zealand and was selected in the front row for the Adam Blair XIII for a match against a Warriors U18 selection last weekend which the Warriors squad won 36-24. He also plays in the front row for Whangarei Boys High School (WBHS) who play in the Adam Blair Open Schoolboys competition, which is a competition solely for Northland schools. WBHS has won through to the semi-final stage of the competition where they take on Dargaville High School. He has previously represented the Northern Swords in both the U15 and U17 age groups. Like the previously mentioned player, I am only going off video footage, including full games and also some highlights of schoolboy and Northern Swords representative matches.
Whilst the schoolboy competition is obviously not as strong as the Super Six or GIO Cup competitions that PBC, Keebra and Coombabah are involved in, the matches are keenly contested and with plenty of very big boys, looking to hit as hard as they possibly can with no thoughts of self-preservation. A number of exceptionally talented young players from the region are starting to make a name for themselves like James Fisher-Harris of the Penrith Panthers and I am sure that there are plenty more just waiting for a chance. You just have to look at the number of young players in our NYC side that have come through the open NYC trial over the last two years, such as Mix King and Brayden McGrady to show that junior talent identification is an inexact science, with plenty of young players just looking for an opportunity.
As noted he is a big and I mean big strong front rower who is a powerful runner of the football, who knows only one way and that is straight ahead and can offload once he has impacted the defensive line or has crashed through it, in addition he is quite effective when his team is attacking close to the try line. He can either take the ball himself, and when he gets low he is very difficult to stop or he can run as a decoy and attract defenders away from the real axis of attack. For a big front rower he does actually have quite decent speed and footwork, certainly well above average for a player of his size. He does however seem to carry the ball in his right hand away from his body which whilst it can make offloading easier once he engages the defensive line it can lead to a number of dropped balls when opposing defenders engage him.
In defence he is happy to go for the big hit often, on occasion however as he starts to tire he can leave an arm out and get penalised for a high tackle, a focus on stamina will assist in eliminating this. He is obviously suited to defending in the centre of the ruck rather that the fringes and will understandably have some trouble with nippy runners out of dummy half. His calling card though is the strength and power to effectively engage the opposing forward early in their run and use his natural strength to win the forward battle in the centre of the ruck. He can defensively handle any one on one battle that presents itself. At times in games (from a few matches at least) he really does prevent opposing gaining any ground at all through the centre of the ruck.
Moving forward to the current season, he has already played a lot of schoolboy football in the Adam Blair shield competition as well as making that competitions representative side in a match against a Warriors side. With junior football ending at the U17 level he will need to make the step up to senior football once his schoolboy commitments have ceased even though he is only 17 years old, a spot however in the Northern Swords senior side would not surprise for their competition. From what I understand he has always played in the front row which is not real surprise based on his skill set and playing style from the footage.
From a player comparison perspective, maybe some along the lines of Warriors and New Zealand International Ben Matelino would be a good comparison as a no nonsense type of front rower with size, strength and power. He does not necessarily seem to have a great deal of bulk on his frame but he seems to be a powerful athlete.
Bayside Titan
31-03-16, 12:18 AM
Have you sent the Titans this info at all? Both sound good.
I have had some very brief discussions in relation to suggestions mate and just let them know that I will assist if needed
Have you sent the Titans this info at all? Both sound good.
Mitipere Tuatai. He is a young front rower originally from North Queensland who has come down to Brisbane to continue his football with Wynnum Manly and he is currently starting in the front row for their MM side. In North Queensland he played for the Tully Tigers. He has already represented Queensland at both the U16 and U18 levels in 2014 and 2015 respectively when he was playing CC and MM with the Northern Pride, a club the Titans know well with Titans linked outside back Lui Lockington coming from before he also headed down to the South East. He has started the first three rounds for Wynnum in the front row and has been selected in the front row again for the upcoming round four clash.
This young man is just a wrecking ball when running the ball, he is a big strong powerful forward who runs with pace and power both when running in the centre of the ruck as well as a little wider out on the fringes. I know that he is named in the front row in his matches, but he seems to in the main run a little wider out and usually has a slight jink off his right foot prior to the defensive line. He seems to usually line up on the right hand side of the field.
When the opposition are on the back foot he will target the smaller defenders on the edge of the ruck and burst through and for a big young bloke he has very good speed over the medium term and has the strength to drag defenders with him. I would consider that his speed would be considered above average for a backrower but plays faster as a result of him timing his runs so well that the dummy half can present a flat pass to him and also as a result of the power that he runs at. For Wynnum in the MM so far this year, he is normally the designated kick-off returner and just runs flat out into the defensive line.
He is also very effective close to the opposition try line with his ability to burst through tackles. If the defenders do not come off the try he will just drag them across the try line, with his continued development of which running lines he can utilise, such as running an inside shoulder line when close to the opposition try line he will become even more effective and will be an asset to the entire team as defences compress to combat his running thus leaving more room our wide. With these attributes he has already scored three tries at the MM level this year and also scored a double for the Tully Tigers in their U17 Grand Final win in the Cairns junior rugby league last season.
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. Quite a few of his tackles resulted in the opposing forward being rocked backwards 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. Due to his size and strength he is more than capable of combatting opposing forwards one on one and more often than not will win the individual battle against his opponent. When defending wider out on the fringes of the ruck he has plus lateral mobility for such a big strong powerful player and thus is effective when defending against smaller quicker attackers.
As noted so far this season, he has started in all three of Wynnum Manly’s MM matches and has been selected in the fourth match this weekend. Once the MM competition is completed he will likely play for Wynnum Manly in the U18 Nev Blair competition in Brisbane and I have absolutely no doubt that very shortly he will secure an NYC contract for 2017 and beyond.
From a position perspective, I know that he has played the majority of his football so far in the front row but with his plus speed and footwork, I can really see him being a very effective second rower at the next level. No doubt he could play in the front row but he is simply devastating on the fringes of the ruck when he isolates a smaller defender and once into open space is quick enough to finish off breaks himself.
From a player comparison perspective, 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. This young man will end up with an NYC contract the only question is who will be lucky enough to get his name on a contract.
Chol Chol. He is a young player originally from Sudan who is currently plying his trade for the Ipswich Jets in the QCup Colts competition, where after three rounds he is the equal top scorer in the competition with four. He has started all of the Ipswich Jets matches on the wing and during the pre-season he played a couple of matches for the Jets QCup side including a trial against the Easts Tigers which was played after a Titans v Storm trial at Langland’s Park in Stones Corner. That day even though it was very wet you saw flashes of his athletic ability.
He has had a bit of a journey to get to where he is. He grew up in the Sudan before his family moved to New Zealand and started playing rugby league for Wesley College as well as some club rugby league for the Mt Wellington Warriors in Auckland. For Wesley College he spent a bit of time at fullback. From there he was selected for the Auckland Warriors U17 representative side and then at the beginning of the 2015 year, he received a rugby league scholarship with Ipswich State High School, where a team mate for their Super Six campaign was current Titans NYC forward, Kelepi Faukafa. In addition, two other players from Ipswich State High trialled for our NYC squad, being Kristian Petty and Raiden Foonoti.
He played club football in Ipswich for the West End Bulldogs, and had a big year scoring 22 tries across three grades. He scored 18 tries in 12 matches at the U19 Boettcher Realty Colts Cup, three tries in two games in the Whitehead Studios reserve grade and finished the season playing six Major Paul Pisquale A grade matches, scoring a try. In the U19 Colts competition he scored five tries in a match once against Swifts and across two matches scored seven tries against the Fassifern Bombers.
In short he is an amazing athlete, he is exceptionally quick and strong, throw in exceptional lateral mobility and he really does stand out on the field from an attacking perspective. His speed would have to be considered plus plus, I would think that he would be as quick as anyone playing in the NRL now, he also has a great side step and also runs with power. The “down” side is that he is very raw from rugby league perspective and sometimes struggles with both his hands and his positioning, but when he gets the ball in open space he will not get caught from behind but does need to work on positioning his support players when he breaks into the clear and confronts the fullback. In U19 Colts that was not necessarily a problem as he could simply beat them with speed or a step but as he progresses to a higher standard needs to work on the nuances for rugby league.
I have mentioned his relative inexperience but his extreme athleticism goes a long way towards compensating and for someone with a limited rugby league background his hands in terms of catching high kicks are quite good, he has a degree more trouble field grubber kicks in his direction but that seems more to do with not waiting for the ball to get into his hands before trying to take off down the field, read that he gets too excited to get the ball into his hands.
Defensively in QCup Colts is where his inexperience does show up as he works towards understanding when he should come in and when he should stay with his opposing winger but when he comes out of the line he is powerful enough to hit very hard.
As discussed he is currently playing QCup Colts and has another year of U20 eligibility in 2017. I do not think that he will get to spend any time in QCup this year even though he played some trial games there. From a position perspective, whilst he played fullback in New Zealand I can absolutely understand why he is playing wing in Colts, he is unbelievably quick and also runs with strength and power.
From a player comparison perspective, I cannot think of someone with a similar skill set in terms of athleticism, it is just at the elite level, the question is experience.
He is a real boom or bust type, he will either be an absolute star or never make it out of QCup Colts, it will be very interesting to see whether he can harness his athletic ability and translate them into game situations. He will almost certainly get at least the opportunity to trial for an NYC contract at the end of the year and it will take only one team to believe that he can convert his potential into results for him to get a chance, here’s hoping it is the Titans who give him that opportunity.
RenegadeGC
31-03-16, 02:49 PM
Loving these write ups MDRew, do you have any footage or link to the kids in Northland. I think Mitipere is with the Broncos. Watched his highlights from the Tully grand final (it was u19s as well ;)). Hes a beast. Kids explosive and quick for a fronty. Definitely a mini Taumololo.
Thanks mate, heard some people say he is with the Bronco’s some others are adamant that he is not so who knows!
Loving these write ups MDRew, do you have any footage or link to the kids in Northland. I think Mitipere is with the Broncos. Watched his highlights from the Tully grand final (it was u19s as well ;)). Hes a beast. Kids explosive and quick for a fronty. Definitely a mini Taumololo.
Taelem McGregor. He is a young second rower from the Upper Central Zone of New Zealand and played his club rugby league with the Turangawaewae club and was part of the Upper Central Zone development camp that was held last weekend. In 2015 he as invited to the U16 NZRL national Performance camp and in 2014 was named in the New Zealand Maori U15 tournament team and has represented the Wai-Coa Bay Colts in the New Zealand age championships at both the U15 and U17 levels.
In attack, he is a wide running backrower with a very good turn of speed once he breaks through the line. He takes his share of runs in the middle of the ruck but he is impressive at running good lines on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into. He then has the speed to outpace any cover defence. From the games that I have seem he normally runs to the left side of the field, and will run wider out and look to come back on the inside shoulder of the opposition defence on the edge of the ruck, looking for situations where the opposition inside defenders are slow to come across.
He is an aggressive runner and looks to continue to pump his legs once he has contacted the defensive line, this making more metres for his team and with his determination he will also on occasion break clear of the defenders totally. At the very least, due to him continuing to pump his legs, he forces more defenders to commit to the tackle, meaning the defensive line is not set once he plays the ball. The key to his attack however is how fast he runs at the defensive line, he flat out runs fast in the line, meaning that he regularly makes half breaks and follows it up with quick play the balls to maintain the momentum that he has created for his team.
The one thing that stands out is 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. This attribute can be seen in his defence, which whilst aggressive, is not overly so, in the context of him losing his composure or discipline. He normally is not the biggest forward on the field, but he compensates with a good tackling technique which enables him to combat significantly larger forwards running at him on a one on one basis all be it if he tries to tackle too front on he can he bumped off on occasion. He is also very good at tracking the ball across the field and thus is in good position if the ball is passed back to an inside runner or to be in a good cover defending position if a break is made wider out.
This year he has already represented Upper Central in a representative match against South Island and as noted is a scholarship holder for the U17 Upper Central Zone High Performance Squad. He will continue to play his club rugby league with the Turangawaewae club in the Waikato region and will almost certainly be one of the first players selected in the U17 Wai-Coa Bay Colts for the New Zealand age championships to be held in July of this year. He has from what I understand always played in the second row and there is nothing to suggest that this may change into the future.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of South Sydney’s second rower Kyle Turner as a smaller type of backrower but one who runs at the defensive line with speed and regularly makes good ground.
Wesley Veikoso. He is a young front rower from the Mid Central Zone of New Zealand and plays his club rugby league in the region with the powerful Kia Ora Warriors club where he will play at the U17 level this year. In 2015 he actually played the season with South Sydney in the U16 Harold Matthews Cup but this year is back in New Zealand. The Titans have had some presence in this area, including running two performance camps in 2014 and 2015, the likes of young Gold Coast player Konrad Edwards is also from this area. To say this young man has made a number of representative sides in his junior rugby league career would be an understatement. He has represented New Zealand Residents U16 as well as the New Zealand U16 side, Manawatu Mustangs U15’s, Mid Central Vipers U15’s and the New Zealand U15 all-tournament team from the New Zealand Age Championships held in 2014. Already this year, he has made a guest appearance for the Glenora Bears U18 side against a New Zealand Warriors U18 selection.
Wesley Veikoso is a solidly built young front rower with a low centre of gravity, which makes him quite difficult to tackle as he is also adept at dropping his shoulder into defenders as he impacts the defensive line. There is no subtlety to his game, he runs straight and hard, with the only concession to this being a slight step off his left foot in occasion prior to impacting the defensive line. One thing that he does do will however is continuing to pump his legs once his initial momentum is halted by the defensive line, he makes more metres than he should as a result and also forces defending teams to commit multiple defensive assets to stopping his progress. He does not have a real off load to his attacking game, but that is not his role, his role is to take the ball into the heart of the opposition’s defensive line and make as many metres as possible.
Like his attacking game, his defensive methodology is simply constructed and enacted. He moves up and hits the ball carrier as hard as he can, as often as he can, full stop. He is best suited to defending in the centre of the ruck and that is where you will almost always find him and for a solidly built young player, he moves well in terms of moving up and back in defence. His lateral movement is actually quite reasonable for a front rower but he will on occasion have some difficulty with smaller faster stepping opposition players as do most solidly built young front rowers.
For this season, he seems destined to play for the Kia Ora Warriors at the U17 level and I would suggest that almost certainly he will make both the Manawatu Mustangs and Mid Central Vipers U17 representative sides. From a position perspective, he currently plays in the front row and that is going to be his long term position as well.
From a player comparison perspective, I would consider that a player with a similar build and a similar playing style is North Queensland Cowboys, Queensland and Australian front rower Matt Scott as a big strong front rower who is not flashy but works hard to put his team on the front foot through gaining ground through the centre of the ruck.
I cannot be certain that he will not head back to play SG Ball with South Sydney in 2017, but if not he also certainly get another opportunity with an NRL club to look to progress through the ranks. I must admit I was quite surprised he was not part of the South Sydney’s SG Ball squad for this season, but their loss will be someone else’s gain.
Albert Polu. He is an exceptionally talented young backrower from Wellington in New Zealand and is a star in the making in either rugby league or union. In 2015 he represented the Wellington Orca’s at the U15 level in the New Zealand National Age Championships, and in 2014 as named Player of the Tournament for a National U14 competition as was also named in the Futures Team from that tournament. Wellington won the final of that tournament, 36-0 defeating Canterbury in the grand final, with Albert Polu scoring a try in that match. In relation to rugby he plays for St Patricks College Silverstream which from what I can find out is one of the stronger rugby schools in New Zealand (hopefully one of our NZ forum members can confirm). For his school, he plays both the 15 man and seven man versions and plays as a blind side flanker (No. 6). In a quick clip from a rugby sevens match he packed into the three man scrum in the abridged version of the game.
The pace and power in terms of how he runs the ball is the outstanding feature of his game, he takes the ball to the line with speed, but he does not just put his head down and rush forward, he uses quick and subtle footwork prior to the line and seems to targets the gaps between defenders and will actively seek out opposing forwards who are slow to move up. When the opposition are on the back foot he will target the smaller defenders on the edge of the ruck and burst through and for a big young bloke he has very good speed over the medium term and has the strength to drag defenders with him. I would consider that his speed would be considered above average for a backrower but plays faster as a result of him timing his runs so well that the dummy half can present a flat pass to him and also as a result of the power that he runs at.
He 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. I am not expert in rugby but he seems to be always around the ball and seems to be very good in relation to running off short balls from the scrum half in the 15 man game.
The defensive side of his game is similarly impressive, He does not just charge wildly up looking for a huge hit, but is calculating in where and when to hit. He drives hard with his legs and always uses his shoulder and core body strength to drive into his opponent. He sets a strong lower base by setting his legs and generating force by driving through the tackle with his lower body, gaining leverage and momentum, culminating with the power projecting through his shoulders with the kinetic effects projecting into his opponent. Because of the zone he targets, his tackles derives a lot of dropped balls as his tackles hit the bottom of the football knocking it loose and forcing the mistake from the opposition player.
In relation to this season, he will be in contention for a spot in the Wellington Orca’s U17 side for the NZ National Age Competition even though he will be a lower age player in that age group and the part that Wellington has a lot of talented rugby league players coming through. The bigger issue is that he will also be once again playing rugby for St Patricks College Silversteam and from a review of media reports he seems to be making a name for himself nationally as a talented schoolboy rugby player and thus may see his future in rugby rather than league which you can certainly understand for a young kiwi boy considering how much they love rugby in NZ. From a position perspective, from what I understand he has always played in the back row in both codes and from the steams of both rugby and league matches seen, that seems to be his natural position going forward in either code.
From a player comparison perspective think of South Sydney Rabbitoh Sam Burgess as a big strong powerful hard running and hardworking forward with a touch of class about him and is someone who his team mates will follow as he leads by example.
James Witehira. He is a young five eight from the Northlands region of New Zealand and like Jayden Leaupepe and Wiremu Greig were part of the Adam Blair XIII who were selected from local high schools to play a New Zealand Warriors U18 selection. The Adam Blair XIII lost the match 36 - 24 after leading the match 12 – 0 early in the first half in the annual match. Apparently that score line was the closest that the Northland boys had gotten to the Warriors in their games to date. In that match James Witehira actually played hooker and also captained the side, however he usually plays five eight for Kamo High School. He actually attended a trial with the Penrith Panthers in Australia late last year, but unfortunately did not make the final cut for their 2016 SG Ball squad. He is a larger build for a five eight in terms of height although not necessarily build, which is potentially why he was selected at hooker for the Adam Blair XIII to help combat the size of the Warriors U19 forwards.
James Witehira’s calling card from an attacking perspective is his passing and game management abilities. He seems to have the ability to drift across the field and a wait for opportunities to develop as a defender on the edge of the ruck over commits causing gaps to develop in the defensive line. Once a gap develops he has quick hands and timing to provide a weighted pass to his support runners.
In relation to his speed he does not appear to be overly 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. For a five eight I would agree that his speed when be considered average for a five eight, but if he transitions to the back row I would consider it to be above average. He does not appear to have an extra gear when he gets into open space.
His kicking game is very accurate, and he can generate very good distance on his kicks whilst at the same time not losing too much accuracy, thus he has the ability to find the ground regularly for a lot of his kicks allowing his teams chasers more time to get down field and thus gaining an advantage in relation to field position. He also has the ability to kick very high bombs, allowing plenty of time for his chasers to get to the ball. He from footage he also seems to be a very good goal kicker and is Kamo High Schools primary goal kicker and also kicked conversions for the Adam Blair XIII representative side.
Defensively he tackles well low and that is seemingly his main tactic against wide running forwards rather than trying to tackle them ball and all. In the schoolboy game against Whangarei Boys High School in the Adam Blair competition, he was battered by huge forwards such as Wiremu Greig constantly running at him but he continued to get in front of them by going in “low”. If he transitions full time to the forward pack he will need to increase his functional strength to deal with the rigours of playing full time there.
Moving forward to the current season, he has already played a lot of schoolboy football in the Adam Blair schoolboy shield competition as well as making that competitions representative side in a match against a Warriors selection. With junior football ending at the U17 level in New Zealand he will need to make the step up to senior football once his schoolboy commitments have ceased even though he is only 18 years old. He has the skill set I am sure to pique the interest of NRL teams scouts and at worst I would think that at seasons end will be offered trials by a few clubs for an NYC contract for the 2017 season.
In relation to consideration of his long term position, as noted he plays five eight for his school side and played hooker for a representative selection, but I would argue that his ultimate position may end up being in the forwards as a ball playing backrower. From the game stream his passing out of dummy half when playing at hooker did not seem to be fluid, there seemed to be two definitely movements in relation to passing the ball off the ground rather than a single movement, which is going to impact on the timing of the forwards running off his passes. I am not suggesting that with muscle memory development this cannot be achieved but this and his frame would appear to me to indicate that the possibility of a future in the back row with the ability to fill in at other positions when necessary would not be an appropriate career projection.
From a player comparison perspective think along the lines of someone like Cronulla Sharks back 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. At present he obviously does not have the size of Wade graham but when Wade Graham initially transitioned to the back row fulltime he was not necessarily a big player either.
Reece Braun. He is a young nippy aggressive halfback who currently plays QCup Colts for the Redcliffe Dolphins after coming up through the junior ranks at the Easts Tigers where he played both CC and MM. He may not be the biggest player but he is adept and putting runners into holes and is also a very good game manager and a top notch goal kicker. So far this year, he has started all five rounds of the QCup Colts competition at halfback for the Dolphins. Through four matches this season he has scored 58 points, comprising of four tries and 21 goals, to be the leading points scorer in the Colts competition. Three of those tries came from a hat trick against the Sunshine Coast Falcons and was part of a 22 point haul over the weekend.
He is only slight of build but do not take his lack of size in any way as a lack of ability or courage, he has a lot of both, which is on display each time he runs onto the field. With the ball he is a very good distributor and will take the ball to the line in an effort to set up his supports. 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.
Regardless of the state of the game he will back his judgement and take the game on. Assisting his play is the fact that he makes the decision what to do with the ball quickly thus enabling the ball to get out wide quickly. In previous seasons when I have seen him play he sometimes took the line on himself too much, but the times that I have seen him play last season in MM and currently through the opening rounds of the QCup Colts competition, he has become more selective about when to pass and when to run. His passing game is solid but seems to be slightly better when he is passing to the right side of the field.
He has a good short kicking game but he does not have the strongest leg in terms of kicking deep but is accurate and regularly finds the ground to enable the chasers to get down field. In defence, due to his size he is obviously not going to come up with the big hit but reads the play well and can hold his own when defending much bigger players. He is also very vocal on the field always talking and encouraging his side both in attack and defence.
As his statistics show he is an accurate goal kicker who also gets a deal of distance with his kicks, he can and will get them from the sideline regularly. Since the CC competition he has been his side’s primary goal kicker and I cannot see that changing into the future. So far this year, his kicking accuracy is 75%.
As noted he has started the opening rounds of the QCup competition and is also eligible for that competition again in 2017. His slight build means that he will likely stay at halfback long term and certainly from the CC competition up through MM to now QCup Colts he has always played in that position.
From a player comparison perspective thing maybe a Gary Freeman type player as someone who will give everything on the field regardless of their size and will not back down and has the organisational, leadership and game management skills that will give him an opportunity to succeed. Like Freeman he also seems to have a bit of mongrel in his game as well.
As harsh as this sounds I do not think that he will get an opportunity in NYC because he is not the biggest or strongest player regardless of his tenacity but if a club takes a flyer on him they may well be presently surprised at how well he does.
John Henare-Clarke. He is a big young front rower and also like a few others on this thread from the Northlands area of New Zealand, getting information and steams from this area is quite easy, also for whatever reason it is an area that is relatively untouched for some unknown reason, outside of maybe Penrith who have grabbed a couple of youngsters from the area in recent times who are doing good things such as James Fisher-Harris who has recently made his first grade debut. He was the front row partner of Wiremu Greig for the Adam Blair XIII side in their recent narrow loss to a New Zealand Warriors U18 selection. He was selected in the representative squad after standing out for Northland College in the Adam Blair cup competition which kicked off in February and is now at the grand final stage with Northland College losing their semi-final to Whangarei Boys High School late last week. He also has a twin brother Phoenix who came off the bench for the Adam Blair XIII, he is also a front rower and is John’s regular starting front row partner for Northland College. Northland College may be vaguely familiar to some, it was the school the Titans were looking to set up a program with Graham Lowe three or four years ago when Michael Searle was still in charge through their Titans4tomorrow arm.
The way he and for that matter his twin brother also plays in attack has no subtlety involved, he just runs hard and straight throwing self-preservation out of the window, in a long run that probably not great for him but it does fire up his team mates when they see him charging at full speed into a set forward defensive line. I have not seen many offloads from him but obviously the type of game he plays requires few mistakes although on occasion he does lose control of the ball and thus ball security will be a focus moving forward. From the streams that I have seen it really is a one two punch in terms of both his running and that of his twin brother, they both gain a lot of ground through the centre of the ruck and also break a lot of tackles when defenders look to tackle him one on one and especially when they look to tackle him around the chest as he has the strength to shrug of defenders due to his core strength.
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 but just needs to adjust to how each referee looks at a game. 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, but he seems to wear down from a stamina perspective as the game progresses and that is mainly when mistakes creep into his game.
Moving forward to the current season, he has already played a lot of schoolboy football in the Adam Blair shield competition as well as making that competitions representative side in a match against a Warriors side. With junior football ending at the U17 level he will need to make the step up to senior football once his schoolboy commitments have ceased even though he is only 17/18 years old which is quite a difficult proposition for someone that young. From what I understand he has always played in the front row which is not real surprise based on his skill set and playing style from the footage.
From a player comparison perspective, maybe some along the lines of current Manly Sea Eagles front rower Darcy Lussick as a solid hard working old school type front rower. Based on output alone I would like that he will get an opportunity to trial for an NYC contract for next year and sometimes young forward like him get over looked because they are not playing it what may be considered not the highest standard, but he has the physical attributes to challenge for an opportunity if given one. Any team that signs him is not going to get the next Matt Scott but they are going to get a young player who will take the ball up all day.
Thomas Anderson. He is a tall, strong young backrower from Dargaville High School in the Northland region of New Zealand. He also started in the second row for the Adam Blair XIII representative side in their recent narrow loss to a New Zealand Warriors U18 selection. He was selected in the representative squad after standing out for Dargaville College in the Adam Blair cup competition. Dargaville High School made the semi-finals of the Adam Blair Plate Competition. He has previously represented the Northern Swords at the U15 level in 2014 when the Northern Swords made the final of the U15 National Age tournament and Thomas Anderson was actually named forward of the tournament which is quite an impressive achievement when taking into account the quality of forwards on display. The Adam Blair XIII really took on the Warriors U18 forward pack in their recent match and Thomas Anderson was in the thick of the action and did not look out of place at all.
His style of play is that of a powerful wide running back rower with above average speed for the position. I would actually argue that in fact a better definition of his speed would be well above average to plus. He is quite quick off the mark, but what makes him even more impressive from a speed perspective is that when he gets into space, he has an extra gear again which is a plus attribute for such a strong powerful second rower, making it almost impossible for the cover defence to catch him once he is open space.
Defences had all sorts of trouble trying to contain him in schoolboy rugby league for Dargaville High School this year and even the Warriors U18 squad had a difficult time containing him, especially early in the game, both in terms of him taking the ball up into the centre of the ruck, but he was almost untouchable when he ran on the fringes of the ruck and he used his foot work to beat defenders with a variety of moves, including a step off both feet and a very good in and away as well as simply running over people. Couple those two aspects with a very good fend and you have a big strong powerful young player who can cause nightmares for any defensive line. From the steams that I have seen, including both schoolboy and representative matches he 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, 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, 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 he 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 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.
Due to his speed and athleticism he covers across the field well, thus putting him in a good position to make the tackle when the ball is turned back inside from the halves. He also is clearly very fit, he played big minutes for the Adam Blair XIII and also plays the entire 70 minutes for his school side. It is almost impossible to tell from video streams but he still seems to be going full speed at the end of games.
Moving to this season he will almost certainly be part of the Northern Swords U17 squad for the New Zealand Age Championships and continue playing for Dargaville High School in schoolboy matches. He will also play club football at the U17 level in the Jennian Homes junior rugby league competition. From a position perspective, he has the ideal build for a powerful strong running backrower who has the frame to likely be able to put on some more muscle mass without compromising his above average speed. In short he has all of the attributes you would want to see in a backrower in the NRL.
From a player comparison perspective he has the build and running and tackling style of a young Sonny Bill Williams, he just oozes class and the scary thing is that I do not think that he has even come close to realising his potential. He does not have the offloading skills of Sonny Bill Williams and probably never will but he does look a talent.
I am very surprised that he has not been picked up by an NRL club to date, but I am sure that he will, especially if he gets to the U17 NZ Age Championships unsigned as every NRL club sends scouts to that tournament. The Northlands based Adam Blair XIII forwards really took it to their more “known” Warriors opponents in their recent match and a few I am sure will get further opportunities as a result. I have watched streams of his matches a number of times now and even after a couple of watches I shake my head as you see his skills on display.
David Iopu. He is a young centre from Ipswich who is currently playing for the Ipswich Diggers in het MM competition and has been named at centre for their fifth round clash this coming weekend. So far in the MM competition he has scored the one try against the Sunshine Coast Falcons in Round Three of the competition. During the 2015 season he played for Goodna Black in the Ipswich Junior Rugby League competition and across 11 matches scored two tries and kicked 26 goals for a point’s haul of 60. He also scored 26 points during the 2015 preseason.
Whilst in 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 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. This is a skill that is more difficult that it may seem, as the attacker needs to ensure that he draws the fullback completely before passing. He seems to mainly line up on the left hand side of the field and is also quite good when running out of dummy half. When he moves into dummy half defences should know that he is going to run but regardless he always seems to make ground.
From a goal kicking perspective he has very accurate with good distance as well, I would have anticipated that he would have been the first choice goal kicker for the Ipswich Diggers in the MM competition but that task has gone to Joel Hughes, but at worst he has the opportunity to be a very good back-up goal kicking option.
Defensively the area that he 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 just under the ribcage, redirecting the momentum of the ball carrier and thus eliminating the attacking threat in the short term. Regardless of where he defends he sets a good base and uses his leg strength to direct his strength through the core of his body 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, but this is more conjecture from me rather than a fact based argument.
As noted he is currently playing for the Ipswich Diggers in the MM competition and will then transition to the U19 Boettcher Realty Colts Cup where he will play for Goodna in that competition and it would not surprise if he also played some first grade games in the Ipswich competition. In terms of his long term position, I would consider that he has an opportunity to stay in the centres in the long term. He is not going to be a centre who will score a lot of tries but he projects as one with a very good defensive game and also one that can run out of dummy half effectively to give his forwards a break.
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. It will be interesting to see if he gets an opportunity at the NYC level as he is not necessarily an attacking threat but he could certainly handle the defensive side of the game at the NYC level.
Lumafale Lualua. He is a big strong young front rower who is currently plying his trade with the South’s Magpies in the MM competition after moving over from Wellington in New Zealand. To date he has started all four of the Magpies matches in MM, three in the front row and one in the second row, he has not crossed the try line as yet. In 2015 he was part of the Wellington Orca’s U17 squad for the New Zealand Age Championships and came off the bench in all of their matches. He also represented the Orca’s at the U15 level in 2014 and in fact last year was named as one of the Top 20 U16 players in New Zealand.
Running with the football, he has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders rather than trying to simply run over them. He does not have great speed off the mark or necessary great high end speed, but he will work hard and make the most of his ability. He actually does have a decent off load when he has impacted the defensive line as well although to date in MM he has not shown it much. 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 him very difficult to tackle and he can rarely be stopped one on one.
Defensively he hits very hard and usually aims for just under the 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 he is very good at winning the wrestling battle in the ruck. He defends in the centre of the ruck and seems best suited in the long run defending there and adds a degree of intimidation to any forward pack he plays for. He really does know how to tackle effectively, as he sets a strong base to create the necessary leverage to defend against larger forwards and then explodes through his core with the kinetic effects transferring through his body into his opponent. Throw in a touch of aggression and you have someone who can dominate a game defensively and is able to seal off one side of the ruck on his own. He will need to continue to work on his fitness and lateral movement as he progresses.
As noted he is currently starting for South’s in the MM competition and will still be eligible for the MM competition again in 2017. At the conclusion of the MM competition I believe that he will be playing for Logan Brothers in the U17 Division One GBJRL competition. I know that he has played one match in the MM competition in the second row but for me his future lies in the front row when he finishes growing and should be a very productive one at that.
From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of Brisbane Bronco’s and New Zealand test front rower Adam Blair as an appropriate comparison from a playing perspective, that being a tough hard running, hard tackling aggressive front rower. He is still a year or two away from being in a position to play in the NYC competition but he certainly has all of the necessary attributes to be an effective player at that level.
Jack Miers. He is a young hooker from the North’s Devils rugby league club in Brisbane’s north and is currently coming off the bench for the Devils in the QCup Colts competition where he has scored three tries and kicked 20 goals for a current points tally of 52 points to be the second leading points scorer through five rounds. In 2013 he started at hooker for the Queensland U16 side and also represented Met North at the U18 QSSRL championships in 2014 after playing for Wavell State High School in the GIO Cup where has was a team mate of Titans NYC player Josh Fauid.
He is solid all round hooker who distributes effectively to both sides of the ruck. He does have some speed when running out of dummy half but as he progresses up the ladder through higher standards of competitions he will need to ensure that he is selective about when he runs the ball and when he passes. He 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 from the MM competition last year to the opening rounds of the QCup Colts he made positive strides in that regard, thus there is no reason to expect anything other than continued progression. One thing that he does well in dummy half is not taking his eye off ball until it is in his hands. I know that that sounds like common sense, but even in first grade the number of fumbles that occur from the dummy half is too high.
Another skill that he continues to develop is kicking out of dummy half. He is an effective kicker in terms of game management, what I mean by that is that late in games when his team is up or need a breather he kicked for touch in those instances, which showed a high level of maturity and game management skills.
He is also a very good goal kicker and since his time in the CC competition has always been his team’s primary goal kicker and that has not changed this year. Even though he starts on the bench at present, when he comes onto the field he also takes over as the primary goal kicker. To date this year, he has kicked 20 goals from 25 attempts to be currently kicking at 80%. He has the accuracy and ability to generate the appropriate distance to kick goals from anywhere on the field.
He defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and is adept at wrapping the ball up. He is also very good defending at marker in terms of harassing the opposition kickers. He is not going to wow you with his defence because you will not see big hits, but you will see an efficient and effective defender who will likely be always near the top of tackle counts. He has very good endurance and projects as a hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange.
He is currently coming off the bench for the North’s Colts giving his team a spark. He has always played in the hooking role from CC through MM to now QCup Colts. He is still eligible for Colts again next season. I hope that he gets an opportunity to be involved in an NYC squad next season, as I really like his intensity on the field and his ability to change the momentum of a match either through a run out of dummy half or a tackle on a big forward twice his size, throw in the fact that he is also a good goal kicker and you have a young player with a diverse skill set and a great attitude to go along with it.
From a player comparison perspective think someone along the lines of our own Nathan Friend as a hard working player with leadership skills, a diverse skill set and someone that his team mates will appreciate playing with.
Zinzan Martin. He is a superbly talented fullback from Canterbury in New Zealand who unlike a lot of New Zealand young players plays exclusively rugby league. In 2015 he represented the South Island Scorpions U15 side after being selected in that side from representing Canterbury U15’s. he played his club football in the Canterbury region with the Hornby Panthers at the U16 level and started at fullback in their Grand Final victory against the Linkwood Keas to 28 – 6. He also played schoolboy rugby league for St Thomas Canterbury College and was part of their Rugby League Nines team which one a major South Island Nine’s tournament and was named in the All-Tournament Team.
Again I will qualify my comments on the basis that I am using video streams of matches as a reference and I have not seen him play live.
When he runs the ball, he is exceptionally quick and explosive, with exceptional speed, both off the mark and when he gets into open space. He also can step off both feet exceptionally well and also has a great swerve whilst maintaining top speed. On a number of occasions when he made a break, his support could not keep up and thus he used his incredible footwork and speed to beat the opposing fullback by himself. In attack he seemed also to play up in the line quite often and was his team’s primary attacking option in the streams that I saw.
In addition he also has the ball playing skills to set up his support runners and get them lines to run into when defenders came out of the line to negate his time with the ball in hand. He obviously was a key target for defences but he understands that he cannot do it all himself and thus became adept at drawing defenders out of the line and putting his support runners into the subsequent hole. As his play making skills continue to evolve, the attacking possibilities 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 from the views seen to date.
Defensively in the fullback position he understandably he does not make 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 and does not fall for a dummy in those situations. An impressive attribute that he does seem to 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.
Moving to the current 2016 season, he will continue to play his club football with the Hornby Panthers again at the U16 level as they look to repeat their 2015 Grand Final success and also schoolboy football for St Thomas. He should also be selected in the South Island Scorpions U17 squad for the New Zealand Age Championships which will be held in July this year. I have not seen him play anywhere but fullback so I will make the supposition that that is where his future lies.
Even though I have seen limited amounts of football, he really does project from a style perspective as a similar to New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand Test International Roger Tuiavasa Sheck with his effortless running style and the fact that he seems to be able to change direction on the spot with no discernible loss of speed.
He is still a couple of years away from being NYC ready he it will be interesting to follow his career as he comes from the rugby mad region of Canterbury.
Hail Sezer
13-04-16, 10:37 AM
Zinzan Martin. He is a superbly talented fullback from Canterbury in New Zealand who unlike a lot of New Zealand young players plays exclusively rugby league. In 2015 he represented the South Island Scorpions U15 side after being selected in that side from representing Canterbury U15’s. he played his club football in the Canterbury region with the Hornby Panthers at the U16 level and started at fullback in their Grand Final victory against the Linkwood Keas to 28 – 6. He also played schoolboy rugby league for St Thomas Canterbury College and was part of their Rugby League Nines team which one a major South Island Nine’s tournament and was named in the All-Tournament Team.
Again I will qualify my comments on the basis that I am using video streams of matches as a reference and I have not seen him play live.
When he runs the ball, he is exceptionally quick and explosive, with exceptional speed, both off the mark and when he gets into open space. He also can step off both feet exceptionally well and also has a great swerve whilst maintaining top speed. On a number of occasions when he made a break, his support could not keep up and thus he used his incredible footwork and speed to beat the opposing fullback by himself. In attack he seemed also to play up in the line quite often and was his team’s primary attacking option in the streams that I saw.
In addition he also has the ball playing skills to set up his support runners and get them lines to run into when defenders came out of the line to negate his time with the ball in hand. He obviously was a key target for defences but he understands that he cannot do it all himself and thus became adept at drawing defenders out of the line and putting his support runners into the subsequent hole. As his play making skills continue to evolve, the attacking possibilities 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 from the views seen to date.
Defensively in the fullback position he understandably he does not make 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 and does not fall for a dummy in those situations. An impressive attribute that he does seem to 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.
Moving to the current 2016 season, he will continue to play his club football with the Hornby Panthers again at the U16 level as they look to repeat their 2015 Grand Final success and also schoolboy football for St Thomas. He should also be selected in the South Island Scorpions U17 squad for the New Zealand Age Championships which will be held in July this year. I have not seen him play anywhere but fullback so I will make the supposition that that is where his future lies.
Even though I have seen limited amounts of football, he really does project from a style perspective as a similar to New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand Test International Roger Tuiavasa Sheck with his effortless running style and the fact that he seems to be able to change direction on the spot with no discernible loss of speed.
He is still a couple of years away from being NYC ready he it will be interesting to follow his career as he comes from the rugby mad region of Canterbury.
Appropriately named after one of the most famous all blacks of all time as well. Fantastic write up as always mdrew.
Kurtis Shayler. He is a young centre from the Toowoomba region who is currently the leading try scorer in the QCup Colts competition through the first six rounds of the competition with seven tries, including a hat trick against Tweed Heads Seagulls in Round Five and a double in Round Two against the Ipswich Jets. He has been named in the centres for the seventh straight round this weekend against The Sunshine Coast Falcons.
In the 2015 season he played for Pittsworth in the TRL U18 competition and scored a try in their Grand Final loss to Valleys 41-32. Over the course of the 2015 season he scored 36 tries in 22 games to top the try scoring list for that competition and on two occasions scored four tries against Oakey and Highfields and Districts, and on three other occasions scored a hat trick against Dalby, Oakey and Wattles. In four other games he scored doubles.
He is not that big or that strong or that fast per say, but there is just something about his play which suggests that he just has a good understanding where to be or what to do on a football field, he just seems to always be in the right place when there is a try scoring chance for his team.
He is very quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside and will not get caught from behind if he gets into open space as can be evidenced by the number of tries that he scored in 2015 and in the early rounds of the Toowoomba U18 TRL competition so far this season. In addition to his speed he seems to have the ability to “freeze” his direct opponent with his ability to step off both feet before accelerating around them usually on the touchline side.
Like most of the modern day centres and wingers he also has the ability to find the try line in some unlikely situations where it appears that there is no way he could possibly get the ball down without going into touch. He also positions himself well in support when a team mate makes a break, he maintains separation so that when a team mate is coming to the fullback, the fullback cannot cheat off the ball carrier too early to him. So far this season he has primarily lined up at left centre for Toowoomba.
In defence, he is not the biggest centre running around, but does seem to have good strength, but will certainly look to come out of the line to stop the attack before it has time to fully develop. Like all younger players he just needs experience to ensure that he picks the right time to come out of the line. He will show his opposite centre the sideline and is confident that his speed will enable him to get across to make the tackle. As he fills out and gains more experience he will become more effective defensively, not that there is all that much wrong with how he defends at present certainly in relation to the standard he is playing at.
In relation to the current season, he will play the season for the Toowoomba Clydesdales in the QCup Colts competition and is eligible for that competition again if he does not get an opportunity at the NYC level. The Toowoomba Region has provided a number of youngsters to NYC squads this year, including Jack Cornford and Beau Fermor to the Storm NYC squad and Gerome Burns and Tristan Hope to the Broncos amongst others. Former Titans NYC squad member Tom Landers is his Colts centre partner and is actually sitting second on the Colts try scoring list, two behind Kurtis Shayler.
I certainly expect a team to give Kurtis Shayler an opportunity at the NYC level next year, purely on his try scoring ability alone, even if it is on the wing. It will be then up to him to prove that size and strength is not everything in rugby league and the innate ability to be in the right position all of the time is a more important attribute. A very intriguing player who may not stand out until he see the try scoring sheet post match.
In many respects the way he plays resembles that of Canberra Raiders centre Jason Crocker as a solid outside back who knows his way to the try line even though he may not be that big, fast or strong. If/when he gets the opportunity to be involved in an NYC squad, the critical aspect for him will if he can add muscle to his frame, whilst maintaining his speed.
He will need the additional bulk to combat the size and strength of centres in the NYC ranks but at the same time, his biggest attribute will be his speed, elusiveness and positioning and thus he will need to maintain the first two attributes at the same time to be a contributor, but is saying all of that there is just something about his play that I cannot put a finger on which suggests that he can contribute at the NYC level, he just knows how to get across the try line. For me he has the ceiling of a solid NRL centre/winger and a floor of an above average QCup centre/winger.
Awesome stuff mdrew. I think Zinzan Martin has signed with the Cowboys.
Nick McGrady. (Updated) The young South Grafton Rebels five eight or centre has just finished his third season in the Tooheys New Group Two First Grade competition with his South Grafton Rebels side right in the thick of the action losing the Grand Final to local rivals the Grafton Ghosts. Nick McGrady’s representative experience includes being selected at five eight in 2015 for the East Coast Dolphins U18 side for the New South Wales U18 Country Championships.
For the South Grafton Rebels in 2017, Nick McGrady scored nine tries and kicked five goals to score a total of 46 over the course of the Group Two First grade season.* Nick McGrady scored five tries in an early season match against Orara Valley and he also scored a double against Sawtell.* Nick McGrady also kicked his first goals in first grade when he kicked three conversions in a June match against Woolgoolga. Nick McGrady made his first grade debut for the Rebels in 2015 after dominating the U18 competition in 2014 and 2015.
Nick McGrady’s 2017 rugby league season commenced early with the Rebels being involved in the Border Knockout at Goondiwindi where Nick McGrady spent time at five eight. South Grafton won their first two matches on Saturday before being defeated on Sunday morning.* Other members of the Goondiwindi travelling squad included former Titans junior development player Austin “Aussie” Cooper and his younger brother the amazingly talented Lewis Cooper.
Even though Nick McGrady has played a fair bit of five eight, I do prefer when he runs the ball rather than necessarily focussing on play making.* Nick McGrady has good size and on his day is a powerful and determined runner who will crash through tackles with sheer force of will. He runs with power and even though he does run straight on he will drop his body into the first defender and will bump off the first tackler regularly with limited loss of momentum.* In terms of speed, Nick McGrady has what I would consider above average speed for a five eight or centre and whilst he does not have an extra gear when he breaks into open space, he has the ability to sustain his speed for the duration of his runs.
In terms of beating a defender other than with power, Nick McGrady has a good in and away and can hold defenders off his body with a strong fend with either hand and is also able to drift across the field looking to set up his support runners if/when a hole develops in the defensive.* His favourite runner from a play making perspective over the last two seasons was his cousin Thomas McGrady.
In relation to the defensive aspects of rugby league, Nick McGrady is an aggressive defender who focusses heavily on the physical contact of the defensive side of the game.* He has a hard tough streak and will definitely not shirk contact.* The Group Two competition is probably the best standard in New South Wales country and Nick McGrady was one of the better defenders who played in one of the back line positions.* He can on occasion lose a bit of his technique when defending when he is fired up when he looks for the big hit, but the majority of time he is an aggressive defender who aims to dominate his immediate opponent when they have the ball.
The 2018 season will see Nick McGrady, line up for his fourth season in the Red and White of the South Grafton Rebels who will start the season as favourites to go back to back in the Tooheys New Group Two First Grade competition.* With changes to the New South Wales Country representative system with U23 sides competing Nick McGrady will also be in line for that side in Group Two.* Nick McGrady has spent a lot of his rugby league both at the senior and junior level at five eight, but in the long term I think that he likely end up in the centres.
For me a move in 2018 to Tweed Heads to be part of the QCup competition for the Seagulls is Nick McGrady’s best opportunity to progress in Rugby League.* It may take a season or two at the QCup level for him to show his skill set, but for me Nick McGrady has all of the hallmarks of a player that has an opportunity to be identified in his early 20’s as a player of NRL standard. Increasingly NRL sides are not immediately discounting “older” players in the QCup competition, maybe just maybe Nick McGrady will be the next one to get an opportunity in the “big” time.
From a player comparison perspective, I will once again qualify my comments that when I am making a player comparison I am talking about a playing style rather than potential career path.* For me Nick McGrady has a little bit of South Sydney Rabbitoh, Queensland State of Origin and Australian Test centre Greg Inglis in his game.* On his day he can be a bullocking runner who can just break a game open individually.
Sato Ketia-Opo. The young former Logan Brothers junior is back in Brisbane after two seasons with the Canberra Raiders, primarily playing in the SG Ball competition in 2016 and in the local Canberra competition in 2017 along with half a dozen NYC matches for the Raiders.* The young former Queensland U16 five eight has signed to play with Souths Logan in the Intrust Cup competition in 2018 although he is still eligible for the Colts competition as well.
The former Marsden State High School student played in six NYC matches for Canberra in 2017 starting from the interchange bench on all six occasions.* Sato Ketia-Opo played in the first four rounds of the competition as well as Rounds 17 and 25.* Sato Ketia-Opo averaged just under 33 minutes per match including playing 59 minutes in Round two against the Cronulla Sharks.* From his six matches Sato Ketia-Opo scored a try and kicked three goals for a total of ten points with his try coming in Round Three against the Wests Tigers and his goals in the first two rounds, including two in Round One against the North Queensland Cowboys and the other in Round Two against the Cronulla Sharks.
His per game averages included 35 running metres and seventeen tackles.* In Round One against the North Queensland Cowboys, Sato Ketia-Opo ran for exactly 100 metres and in that same match he made a line break set up two tries and had three off loads.* Defensively Sato Ketia-Opo made 32 tackles also in Round One and in Round Two made 28 tackles.* Across his six matches Sato Ketia-Opo only made one error which is quite an impressive statistic.
When not playing in the NYC for Canberra, Sato Ketia-Opo played for the Gungahlin Bulls in the Canberra Raiders Cup First Grade competition, playing in eleven matches primarily at five eight although he also spent some time at hooker and even at lock.* In those matches Sato Ketia-Opo scored five tries and kicked three goals.* His tries included a double against the Belconnen United Sharks and also tries against the West Belconnen Warriors and Tuggeranong Bushrangers in two separate matches.
Sato Ketia-Opo also played one match in the Canberra Raiders Cup reserve grade competition and scored in that match which was against the Woden Valley Rams in June 2017. Sato Ketia-Opo also represented the Canberra region in the New South Wales Country Open Championships where he came off the interchange bench in the majority of the Canberra representative’s side’s matches.
At this stage of his career, Sato Ketia-Opo is more of a running five eight and a dynamic one at that.* It is hard to put in words just how talented Sato Ketia-Opo is in terms of running the ball, he has outstanding speed both off the mark which I would consider in the plus plus category and top end speed which must be considered plus regardless of position.
Sato Ketia-Opo with his speed is able to exploit even small gaps in the defensive line with an exceptional step off either foot and incredible acceleration as well as outstanding body control.* It is that speed trait which opens up his incredible ball playing skills as well.* Teams start to focus heavily on Sato Ketia-Opo when he has the ball with outside defenders looking to come in to assist that they open up holes wider out in the defensive line that Sato Ketia-Opo can exploit either through a step or passing to his support runners.
He has above average timing on his passes and is able to weight them perfectly as well and can do so from either side of his body.* Adding in this is that Sato Ketia-Opo can stop on a dime even travelling at full speed and pop the short pass, thus it looks for all money that he is going to run the ball thus the defence converges and then the ball is delivered to a support runner who is through a hole before the defensive line can readjust. Sato Ketia-Opo also runs with the ball in both hands which is another reason why the defensive line is unable to determine exactly what Sato Ketia-Opo is going to do.
Defensively Sato Ketia-Opo is a very strong young man with exceptional functional strength to go along with an innate understanding of the attacking strategies of rugby league thus he is able to anticipate what an attacking side is looking to do with the ball and then be in the best position to negate it.
Sato Ketia-Opo 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 Sato Ketia-Opo’s side of the field.* In short just like his attacking play Sato Ketia-Opo is an outstanding defender for his position and size, with his current playing weight around the 85kg mark and 178cm.
As noted above even though he is still eligible for the U20 Colts competition in 2018, Sato Ketia-Opo has been signed to South’s Logan’s Queensland Cup side although with Souths Logan also signing the likes of Guy Hamilton from the Sunshine Coast Falcons, he may have to bide his time in the Colts competition prior to his inevitable Queensland Cup debut in 2018 which hopefully comes sooner rather than later.
Sato Ketia-Opo has primarily played five eight throughout his career with both Logan Brothers and Canberra and that is where his ultimate future lies, although I think that he will make his Queensland Cup debut at either fullback or in the centres or even on the wing before moving in closer to the action.
I will note however that earlier this year when he was playing in the local Canberra first grade competition, Sato Ketia-Opo also spent some time at hooker and in the back row making an impact in each position across the 2017 season.* In fact in multiple Canberra Raiders Cup First Grade games this season, Sato Ketia-Opo played in multiple positions throughout the course of a particular game including multiple short bursts in the hooking role before moving back to five eight to finish the game.
From a player comparison perspective, the one player that does spring to mind is Brisbane Broncos five eight Anthony Milford, as an exceptional talent who can do almost anything on a football field from an attacking perspective and is exciting to watch when he is running with the ball.
William Baker.* (Updated) The electric young fullback started off the 2017 season playing in a number of SG Ball trials for the Newcastle Knights but did not playing an official SG Ball match.* William Baker did however play a number of marches for Singleton in the New castle local competition, specifically five in the U18 competition and two in reserve grade.
In April of this year, Williams Baker came back to the Group Two competition and played one weekend for Coffs Harbour before heading back to Nambucca Heads playing in a number of rounds for them. 2017 also saw William Baker represent the East Coast Dolphins at the U18 level playing a number of matches at fullback including scoring a great try in the corner against the Newcastle Rebels.
For Coffs Harbour William Baker started at fullback in an U18 matches against Macksville in early April scoring a double and then backed up in eth First Grade clash later in the day also scoring a double.* William Baker then transferred back to Nambucca Heads, playing in four U18 matches and four first grade matches.
In his U18 matches William Baker scored three tries and kicked four goals with his three tries coming in consecutive matches against South Grafton, Bellingen and Macksville.* In the match against South Grafton William Baker also kicked his four goals.* In his first grade matches Williams Baker scored against Bellingen and kicked a conversion against Macksville.
When he runs the ball, William Baker is exceptionally quick and explosive, with exceptional speed, both off the mark and when he gets into open space, teams in his age group in the Group Two U18 competition just could not handle him when he had the ball and for that matter neither could the defences in first grade either.* He also can step off both feet exceptionally well and also has a great swerve whilst maintaining top speed.
On many occasions when he made a break, his support could not keep up and thus he used his incredible footwork and speed to beat the opposing fullback by himself.* There is nothing that William Baker cannot do running the ball and it is only now about developing his ball playing skills, which to be fair improved exponentially as this season has progressed to make his footwork and running ability even more lethal.
In addition William Baker also has the ball playing skills to set up his support runners and get them lines to run into when defenders came out of the line to negate his time with the ball in hand.* He obviously was a key target for defences but he understands that he cannot do it all himself and thus became adept at drawing defenders out of the line and putting his support runners into the subsequent hole.* As his play making skills continue to evolve, the attacking possibilities are endless.
In terms of running the ball back from kicks, his timing and anticipation means that he gets to a lot of balls on the full and makes a quick decision whether to run the ball flat out back into the oncoming defenders or look to create an opportunity by running across field.* Regardless William Baker is an absolute handful to tackle with his speed and evasion skills.
Defensively in the fullback position William Baker 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 he does have is ability to force attackers who are in open space to try to beat him down the side line.* William Baker 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.
The only area of consideration when William Baker is defending at fullback is his lack of height, and whilst he has good leap on him, he does struggle when taller attackers have the momentum when chasing high kicks, but attacking sides must kick high as if they try an attacking grubber kick, William Baker’s sense of anticipation and timing means that he will attack the ball and his impressive hand eye co-ordination means that we will rarely make a handling error.
I really would like to see William Baker test himself with the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts side in 2018 where with his speed and elusiveness he would be a great asset to the Titans feeder side.
From a position perspective, he is the ideal fullback for the modern game, with game breaking ability when returning the ball and when hunting for off loads through the middle of the field.* Also his ball playing ability has increased exponentially as the last couple of seasons have progressed, and there is no reason to suggest that this trend will not continue.
In relation to a player that you can compare William Baker’s skill set to, you need to look no further than boom Parramatta Eels rookie Bevan French, he just looks so classy every time he is near the ball and constantly maintains his composure under extreme pressure as well as being an outstanding attacking threat.
Mike Sau. The powerful young Ipswich front rower was a standout performer for the Ipswich Jets MM Cup side at the start of the 2017 season before transitioning to the Ipswich Jets Colts side and recently was named as the FOGS Colts Challenge Jaydon Adams Rookie of the Year Award winner. The Redbank Plains State High School student and former Canberra Raiders Scholarship holder has a lot of potential to along with a powerful frame and above average to plus speed for a front rower.
In the MM Cup competition for the Ipswich Jets Mike Sau started in the front row in all six of the Ipswich Jets matches but unfortunately for him he was not able to cross for any tries. In 2016 Mike Sau played for the Jets in the CC Cup competition.
Immediately after the completion of the MM Cup competition Mike Sau transitioned to the Ipswich Jets Cols Challenge squad coming from the inter change bench in Round One against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.* In total in the Colts competition Mike Sau played in twelve matches,* After also starting Round Two on the bench Mike Sau came into the starting line-up in Round Three also against Wynnum Manly and he stayed in the starting line-up for the remainder of the competition.
Mike Sau also played in a number of Ipswich First national Premier U17 competition matches playing in five matches for the Redbank Plains Bears and scoring three tires including a double against the West End Bulldogs (the local club of Titans NYC talent Blake Lenehan) and he also scored against Ipswich Norths Blue.
The tall strong young front rower runs hard and straight and does not take a backward step, for the Ipswich Jets MM Cup side this 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.* 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, he 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.
Mike Sau 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 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.* Mike Sau 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.
Mike Sau is eligible once again for the MM Cup competition in 2018 and like last season once that competition reaches its conclusion Mike Sau will transition immediately to the Ipswich Jets Colts side for the remainder of the season in the new Queensland Colts Hastings Deering competition.
Mike Sau is a tall strong powerful player who could quite easily play either in the second row or front row but due to how he plays I can for see a future in the front row for the extremely talented youngster.
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 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.
Sagalimu Vaitai. The exceptionally talented and powerful young centre captained the Ipswich Jets MM Cup side earlier this season and seems destined for higher honours in our great game after also performing well in the Colts Challenge competition.* *The young centre has also been selected in the Samoa U18 side for the upcoming QPIIC championships. In 2015 Sagalimu Vaitai was a standout in the CC Cup competition for the Ipswich Jets and prior to that represented the Ipswich Diggers at the U14 level. Sagalimu Vaitai has also been selected in the Queensland Samoa U18 side for the upcoming QPIIC competition.
In the MM Cup competition for the Jets Sagalimu Vaitai started in the centres and captained the side in all six of their matches and scored a total of six tries including doubles in Rounds Two and Four against the Townsville Blackhawks and Sunshine Coast Falcons respectively.* Sagalimu Vaitai also scored in Round One against the Tweed heads Seagulls and Round Six against the Easts Tigers.
Sagalimu Vaitai started Round One of the Colts Challenge competition in the centres.* In total Sagalimu Vaitai played in twelve Colts matches starting six in the centres, two in the second row, two at lock and two from the interchange bench.* From his twelve matches Sagalimu Vaitai scored seven tries including a Third Round double against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls. Sagalimu Vaitai’s other tries came in Round two against the Western Mustangs, Round Four against the Sunshine Coast Falcons, Round Six against the Easts Tigers, Round Twelve against the Norths Devils and Round Thirteen against Wynnum Manly.
In addition to his time with the jets in the MM Cup and Colts Challenge competitions, Sagalimu Vaitai also played in six matches in the 2017 Ipswich Boettcher Realty Colts Cup (U19) for the Goodna Eagles scoring five tries with all of his tries coming in individual matches.* He scored against the Valleys Dragons, West End Bulldogs on two separate occasions, Eastern Cobra’s and Ipswich Brothers.* Only Ipswich Brothers were able to keep him from crossing the try line during a match in the Ipswich U19 Colts competition in 2017.
Sagalimu Vaitai is a strong powerfully built young man who runs with pace, speed and power.* It would be unfair to categorise that his game is only built on pace and power though as he has a very good right foot step and right hand fend, he can also draw defenders in to give players outside him room.* Due to his strength and fend he regularly gets on the outside of his opposite defender forcing the winger to make a decision as to whether to come in on him or stay with his winger.* If he comes in, Sagalimu Vaitai has the quick hands to get the pass away prior to contact, but also is big and strong enough as well as having very good core strength and balance to absorb the contact and still get the pass to his winger whilst maintaining his running line.
If the opposing winger still out, Sagalimu Vaitai* is definitely quick enough to break into open space although I would not say that he has plus speed, he is quick enough to gain separate from the cover defence however.* When you look at his build he may not look like he has a lot of speed, but Sagalimu Vaitai* definitely does.* He is not necessarily the quickest off the mark but has very good acceleration and speed once he is moving and can sustain his top speed over an extended period which is very impressive for a player of his strong build.
Sagalimu Vaitai’s defensive technique is one styled 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 Sagalimu Vaitai 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 and setting up a two or one down the sideline.
Sagalimu Vaitai will play the 2018 season in the new Hastings Deering Queensland U20 Colts competition and it is hard to see him not make an immediate impact in the centres for the Ipswich Jets.
With his combination of speed and power Sagalimu Vaitai is the prototypical centre in the modern game although as shown late in the Colt Challenge competition he is also more than a handful when playing in the backrow.
New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand International Solomon Kata is the closest NRL player that I can envisage that Sagalimu Vaitai has a similar playing style too, that being of a hard running aggressive type of player who relishes the contact, the harder the better both in attack and defence and is absolutely fearless in both aspects of the game of rugby league.* *This young man is certainly one player to keep an eye on in coming years.
Luke French.* (Updated) The amazingly talented youngster is one of two younger brothers of Parramatta Eels boom sensation Bevan French.* Like his older brother Luke French is an exceptional talent, playing a significant amount of New South Wales Country first grade at a very young age and also being a difference maker in those matches.
Late last season Luke French headed down to Sydney to join his brothers at Parramatta but early this season moved back to country New South Wales playing a number of New England Group 19 First Grade competition for his junior club being the Tingha Tigers.* Luke French then headed up to Queensland to play for the Redcliffe Dolphins in the U20 Colts Challenge competition.
For the Tingha Tigers in the Group 19 First Grade competition Luke French played in seven matches scoring three tries which came against the Narwan Eels, Moree Boars and the MacIntyre Warriors.
Luke French joined the Redcliffe Dolphins in time to come into their U20 Colts side for their Round Twelve clash against the Western Mustangs starting on the wing and scoring two tries on debut.* In total Luke French played in five matches for the Dolphins starting all on wing.* In addition to his double on debut Luke French also scored in Round Sixteen against the Ipswich Jets in a 90 – 0 Redcliffe victory.* Redcliffe went on to win the competition but Luke French had not played enough matches to qualify for the finals series for the Dolphins.
In 2016 the young Ashford rugby league fullback/centre has had a great year across both first grade and U18 competitions in the Group 19 New South Wales country competition.* For the U18’s he crossed for eight tries in nine games, including doubles against the Moree Boars on two separate occasions.* He was heavily marked by opposing defences as he was the star Ashford player in the U18 competition.
Where he really excelled was in the first grade competition, as defences could not just focus on him.* With the extra room to move the young fullback has starred scoring an incredible 26 tries in only 14 matches, and has on only two occasions not scored in a match, that being against the Moree Boomerangs and also against the MacIntyre Warriors.* He scored four tries in a match against Moree and on four other occasions, scored hat tricks, coming against the Tingha Tigers on two separate occasions, the Inverell Hawks and also against the Moree Boomerangs.* He was also selected in the Group 19 U18 side earlier this year.
In attack his speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice when you see Luke French 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 accelerates.* Luke French 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, read that he regularly scores long range tries. 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.
Luke French 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 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.
Luke French 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 he will struggle 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.
Luke French is still eligible to play Colts in 2018 so it just a question of which club is lucky enough to have Luke French wearing their jersey.* He would look very very good in either a Tweed Heads Seagulls or Burleigh Bears Colts jersey come the start of the 2018 rugby league season.
Like his brother even though he can also play centre and wing, Luke French will I believe ultimately end up as a dynamic, elusive fullback who will also have a real go in defence against players far bigger than he is.
This is probably the easiest player comparison that I have ever done.* Luke French plays like his Parramatta Eel brother Bevan French and is a class act.
Keenan Palasia. The young former Titans junior and PBC student was spent the last three years with the Brisbane Broncos and this season was a solid member of their forward pack which played so well throughout the season including deep in the finals series.* Keenan Palasia was a Titans junior through to 17 years old including captaining Gold Coast White in the CC Cup a number of seasons ago.
Earlier this season Keenan Palasia represented the U20 Queensland side alongside four Titans played in their annual clash against the New South Wales. In 2015 Keenan Palasia started from the bench for the Queensland U18 side against New South Wales U18’s.
This season for the Broncos Keenan Palasia played in sixteen NYC matches including starting eleven in the second row two in the front row and three from the interchange bench.* Keenan Palasia played in all of the Broncos matches to and including Round Nineteen against the Newcastle Knights and scored five tries.* His tries came in Round two against Cronulla, Round Eight against the Rabbitohs, Round Eleven against the Wests Tigers, Round Sixteen against the Raiders and Round Seventeen against the Melbourne Storm.
The 192 cm 110 kg Keenan Palasia’s 2017 per game season averages included 103 running metres on 10.5 hit ups and 24.5 tackles (tackling efficiency of 90%)in 55 minutes.* In total Keenan Palasia ran for 1 651 metres from 169 hit ups, made five line breaks, eighteen off loads and 391 tackles.* On nine occasions Keenan Palasia played all eighty minutes in a match including a seven match stretch from Round Eight against the Rabbitohs to Round Sixteen against the Raiders when he played every minute of every match.
On nine occasions Keenan Palasia ran for in excess of 100 metres including Round Eighteen against the Storm when he ran for 160 metres and on twelve occasions he made in excess of twenty tackles in a match including making 36 in a Round Ten match against Manly.
When contracted to the Titans Keegan Palasia played the 2013 season in the CC Cup competition for Gold Coast Green, captaining the side and scoring two tries and in 2014 he played in the MM Cup competition for Gold Coast Green scoring a try on the season.
Keenan Palasia 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.
Keenan Palasia 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.* 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 Keenan Palasia 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 Keenan Palasia 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 Keenan Palasia 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.* Even though he does not necessary have great straight speed, his 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.
Keenan Palasia 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.* Like with his attack his functional strength and his height with its associated leverage benefits aids his defensive game by being able to generate leverage in his tackles and he can therefore quickly get the attacker off balance.
Keenan Palasia has now graduated from the U20 ranks and hopefully heads back to the Gold Coast where he can link back with the Burleigh Bears in their QCup squad for the 2018 season after spending his junior career on the Gold Coast.
In terms of position, Keenan Palasia has the size and power to be a key contributor in the front row for a team but also shows enough speed and skill not to be purely a battering ram but a front rower who can create opportunities on the fringes of the ruck and create opportunities for his team.* Keenan Palasia will benefit greatly from a year or two in the QCup where he can hone his skills and continue to get stronger and certainly has the potential to be a solid contributor at the NRL level in a couple of seasons.
Former Wests Tigers and soon to be Cronulla Sharks front rower Ava Seumanu***a for me has a similar playing style to that of Keenan Palasia, both are big strong powerful front rowers who are slowly building up their strength, power and stamina to push themselves into NRL calculations in the front row.
Sam Elliot. The young former Titans junior has spent the last two seasons with the Brisbane Broncos NYC side and for the 2018 season has signed with the Souths Logan Magpies QCup squad for whom he played two QCup matches for early in the 2017 season.
Sam Elliot is a former winner of the Matt Rogers medal in 2015 and in the same year represented New South Wales U18’s coming off the interchange bench in their annual State of Origin curtain raiser match against their Queensland U18 counter parts at the MCG in a State of Origin curtain raiser.* Unfortunately for former St College Woodlawn student New South Wales were defeated that night 22 – 18.
Sam Elliot’s brother Max Elliot was a Titans NYC stand in 2016 before also moving to the Broncos. It would be great to have both back in Titans colours at some stage in the future.* Max Elliot spent the 2017 season playing for the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.
The 182cm 100kg Lismore Marist Brothers junior played two matches in the QCup competition for the Souths Logan Magpies this season making his debut from the interchange bench in Round Ten against the Townsville Blackhawks.* Sam Elliot also played in three Colts matches for the Magpies.
The former Titans junior and New South Wales U18 representative played in twenty NYC matches for the Broncos this season including their finals campaign.* Sam Elliot started nine matches in the front row one at lock and the remaining nine matches from the interchange including all three of the Broncos finals matches.* Across the 2017 season Sam Elliot scored four tries which came against the Canterbury Bulldogs in Round Five, against the Warriors in Round Twelve and a double in the Broncos semi-final victory over the New castle Knights.
On the 2017 season Sam Elliot ran for 1 413 metres from 148 hit ups, made five line breaks, twelve off loads and made 350 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 86%.* *Sam Elliot’s per game averages were 71 running metres from 7.5 hit ups and 17.5 tackles from 36 minutes.
In 2016 Sam Elliot played twenty matches in the NYC competition for the Broncos all from the interchange bench and scoring against the Melbourne Storm in Round Twenty Five.
When contracted to the Titans Sam Elliot played two seasons in the MM Cup competition, in 2014 scoring five tries and in 2015 scored five tries and kicked a conversion representing Gold Coast Green.
Sam Elliot’s style of play is that of a powerful wide running back rower with above average speed for the position. I would actually argue that in fact a better definition of his speed would be well above average to plus. He is quite quick off the mark, but what makes him even more impressive from a speed perspective is that when he gets into space, he has an extra gear again which is a plus attribute for such a strong powerful second rower, making it almost impossible for the cover defence to catch him once he is open space.
Sam Elliot uses his foot work to beat defenders with a variety of moves, including a step off both feet and a very good in and away as well as simply running over people. 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. Sam Elliot 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.* Sam Elliot has 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 he 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.
Sam Elliot is an aggressive defender whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can and will stop even the biggest opposing forwards in their tracks and targets the area around where the attackers carry the football.* His speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half.* I have noted that he is aggressive and seems to want to win every one on one battle and he invariably does.
Sam Elliot has now graduated from the U20 ranks and has recently signed a one year deal to be part of the Souths Logan Magpies QCup squad for 2018 where he should be part of the game day seventeen from Round One next season likely starting from the interchange bench at least at the start of the season. Sam Elliot will benefit greatly from a year or two in the QCup with the South’s Logan Magpies where he can hone his skills and continue to get stronger and certainly has the potential to be a more than capable contributor at the NRL level in a couple of seasons time.
Whilst Sam Elliot has spent the majority of this season playing in the front row I would much prefer to see him play in the second row where his outstanding speed for his size can be best utilised. Sam Elliot could likely fill in in the front row for stretches of matches but I would suggest that ideally he would play in the second row the majority of the time.
With his hard running and hard tackling approach every time that he runs onto a rugby league field, the way that Sam Elliot approaches is rugby league reminds me quite a lot of the play of Cronulla Sharks, New South Wales State of Origin and Australian International second rower Wade graham.* Both players have a hard edge to their game and really look to dominate their opponents both physically and mentally.
Brent Woolf. The young former Gold Coast junior is just about to start his final year of a three year Brisbane Broncos deal and is the son of former Titans NYC and 2018 Tweed Heads Seagulls QCup head coach Ben Woolf.* *This season in the Holden Cup with the Brisbane Broncos Brent Woolf played in nine matches before injury struck.
In those nine matches the 172cm and 80kg Brent Woolf scoring two tries with his first try coming in Round Four against the Canberra Raiders and his second against the Sydney Roosters in Round Thirteen.* Of his nine matches Brent Woolf started three at hooker and the other six from the inter change bench and in his first start in Round Four against the Raiders Brent Woolf played the entire 80 minutes.
In total across his nine NYC matches for the Broncos in 2017, Brent Woolf ran the ball on 44 occasions making 324 metres including three line breaks, had four try assists and made 199 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 88%. Brent Woolf’s 2017 NYC per game averages included being on the field for 45 minutes, taking 5 runs for 36 metres and making 22 tackles.
In Round Six against the Sydney Roosters Brent Woolf ran for 74 metres from just seven carries and in seven of his nine matches Brent Woof made in excess of twenty tackles in a match including making 32 tackles with just two missed tackles in a Round Twelve match against the New Zealand Warriors, those 32 tackles came in just 53 minutes.
Brent Woolf prior to his NYC debut in 2017 had a distinguished junior rugby league career with some of his achievements being starting at hooker for Queensland U16’s in 2014 and Queensland U18’s in 2016.* Brent Woolf was also named in the Australian U15 Order of Merit side after the 2013 ASSRL Championships where be represented Queensland U15 School Boys.* Prior to moving up to Brisbane to play for the Brisbane Broncos Brent Woolf was a standout performer for the Mudgeeraba Red Backs in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League competition.
Brent Woolf is very good at making the right decision whether the go himself or pass, where he gets down low and drives with his legs.* He may not necessarily run that often from dummy half but when he does it is invariably the correct decision that Brent Woolf has made. When in open space he is very quick and can finish off his own breaks all be it over reasonably short distances.
Brent Woolf 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.
Brent Woolf 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 as Brent Woolf continues to gain experience in the hooking position.
One thing that Brent Woolf does well in dummy half is not taking his eye off ball until it is in his hands.* I know that that sounds like common sense, but even in first grade the number of fumbles that occur from the dummy half is far too high and change the course of a game.
Another skill that he continued to develop over the last couple of season is kicking out of dummy half.* He is not a long kick, but is effective at finding the ground with his kicks.* Brent Woolf was an effective kicker in terms of game management, what I mean by that is that late in games when his team were up or needed a breather he kicked for touch in those instances, which showed a high level of maturity and game management skills.
Brent Woolf defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and is adept at wrapping the ball up.* He is also very good defending at marker in terms of harassing the opposition kickers.* He is not going to wow you with his defence because you will not see big hits, but you will see an efficient and effective defender.* He has very good endurance and projects as a hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange.
At this stage I am not sure where Brent Woolf will start in 2018 but with his father now the head coach of the Tweed Heads Seagulls side wouldn’t it be good if Brent Woolf came home to play with the club his father is coaching.* Regardless of which club he plays for in 2018, Brent Woolf will likely start in the U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition and if he can stay injury free it would not surprise if Brent Woolf sneaks in a few QCup games towards the end of the 2018 season.
When he was playing for Mudgeeraba on the Gold Coast Brent Woolf did spend some time playing at half back but certainly over the last couple of seasons for Wynnum Manly and the Broncos Brent Woolf has played exclusively at hooker including in the Queensland U18 side.
To be honest I do not see Brent Woolf as anything but as a hooker moving forward, where some people may consider him a defence first type of player but from my perspective that is only because he is such a selective runner out of dummy half. Rarely do you see him get caught by one of the markers when he runs, he is just too smart for that to occur with any regularity.
In terms of NRL players with a similar playing style for comparison purposes, think of someone along the lines of how now Leeds English Super league player Matt Parcell formerly of the Sea Eagles and Ipswich Jets plays in terms of his running out of dummy half and also his improving passing skills.
How slow are the Titans at signing local juniors...
To be fair the Titans offered a good deal but were blown out of the water by a massive Broncos offer and I mean massive
How slow are the Titans at signing local juniors...
Jangala Bennet.* The flying young fullback had an outstanding season with the joint GPS Premiership winning St Joseph’s College Nudgee First XV.* The quick stepping fullback was the attacking spark for Nudgee who only lost one of their GPS School Boy Rugby First XV matching to be joint 2017 First XV Premiers with The Southport School (TSS).* Ironically the game that Nudgee lost to was against TSS which featured Titans contracted fullback Max Dowd. Jangala Bennet has recently been named in the Australian Youth Sevens squad where he will be a revelation in the abridged version of the game with the extra room to move that will be afforded him.
Prior to the commencement of the 2017 GPS school boy rugby season Jangala Bennet was selected to represent the GPS II side at the Queensland Schools Championships and as a result of his play there was selected in the Queensland I side for the Australian Schools Championships and scored a great try on Day One against the ACT when he utilised a great right foot step to break through the defence to score one of Queensland I’s two tries in their two point loss to the eventual champions from the Nation’s capital.
Jangala Bennet has a rugby league pedigree including representing Met West in the QSSRL U15 Championships in 2015 were he played primarily at half back and in 2016 Jangala Bennet played fullback in all of the Easts Tigers CC Cup matches.
Jangala Bennet 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 flyer will simply cut them apart.* Jangala Bennet’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 or when a turnover occurs.
Just like his explosive speed off the mark, Jangala Bennet’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.
Jangala Bennet also has exceptional hands when defending against kicks especially when low short attacking kicks are put in, Jangala Bennet 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.
Defensively Jangala Bennet 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, Jangala Bennet’s primary objective is to more forward to reduce the time available for the attacker to work through is options.* Jangala Bennet is also effective at maintaining his composure and taking the player with the ball and not falling for any dummies, he makes an opposing team earn the ground that they make with his exceptional closing speed.
Jangala Bennet will return to St Joseph’s College Nudgee for his senior year in 2018 where he is a certainly to start in No. 15 jersey for the First XV.* Jangala Bennet should also be the starting fullback for the GPS I and Queensland I representative sides and must be considered a huge chance to make the Australian School Boys Rugby side in 2018 even this far out.* Seeming only injury will prevent this scenario from occurring.* From a rugby league perspective Jangala Bennet would be eligible for the U18 MM Cup competition in 2018.
Jangala Bennet for me has all of the hallmarks of an exceptional talent at the fullback position, he has explosive speed and can step effortlessly off either foot and has the ball skills to be able to set up his support players in any situation that he is confronted with and has outstanding hand eye co-ordination in relation to fielding kicks whether they are bombs or attacking grubber kicks. Also defensively Jangala Bennet is more than capable of handling being the last line of defence.
There has not been this much excitement in GPS School Boy Rugby ranks since Kalyn Ponga exploded onto the scene a couple of seasons ago and in fact Jangala Bennet plays very much like the former North Queensland Cowboy and soon to be Newcastle Knight with his outstanding speed and acceleration to go with a wicked step off either foot, exceptional balance and body control and the donning of head gear when he runs onto the field.
Corey Allen. The former Logan Brothers and Marsden State High School student has been outstanding for the Brisbane Broncos NYC side in both 2016 and 2017 and earlier this year also started at fullback for the Queensland U20 State of Origin side and in 2016 represented Queensland at the U18 level.
2015 saw Corey Allen represent the Australian School Boys Rugby League side and in 2015 he was named as the Brisbane Junior Rugby League U16 Representative Player of the Year.* Corey Allen signed for the Brisbane Broncos in late 2015 after a number of seasons in the North Queensland Cowboys Junior Development Program.
For the Broncos in the 2017 NYC competition Corey Allen played in twenty four matches starting all at fullback and played the entire 80 minutes in each match.* Corey Allen also scored seven tries including a Round Four double against the Canberra Raiders. Corey Allen’s other tries came in Round One against the Cronulla Sharks, Round Thirteen against the Sydney Roosters, Round Fourteen against the Rabbitohs, Round Sixteen and against the Canberra Raiders.
In total in the 2017 NYC competition, Corey Allen ran for 2 826 metres from 289 carries, made eight line breaks, had nine try assists,* off loaded the ball on twenty four occasions and made 150 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 75%.* Corey Allen’s 2017 NYC per game averages included running for 118 metres from twelve runs and 6.5 tackles.
In fourteen of his twenty four matches in 2017 the 186cm 90kg Corey Allen ran for more than 100 metres (plus one match in Round Nine against the Panthers when he ran for 99) including an incredible Round One match against the Cronulla Sharks when he ran for 303 metres including a 99 metres effort in the final minute to score and win the game for the Broncos after he fielded a Sharks grubber kick near his own line and ran the length of the field.
In 2016 whilst still eligible for U18’s Corey Allen started twenty three NYC matches for the Broncos at fullback, scoring eight tries in those contests.* Corey Allen also ran for 2 617 metres from 271 carries, made fourteen line breaks, had thirteen assists, off-loaded the ball on twenty three occasions and made 64 tackles.* Corey Allen’s 2016 NYC per season averages included running for 114 metres from twelve hit-ups and two tackles.* Corey Allen had an outstanding game in Round Nine of 2016 when he ran for 202 metres against the Cronulla Sharks.
Corey Allen’s 2016 NYC tries came from a Round Four double against the Cowboys, he also scored single tries in Round Five against the Titans, Round Twelve against the Wests Tigers, Round Thirteen against the Warriors, Round Twenty One against the Warriors, Round Twenty One against the Roosters, Round Twenty Three against the Eels and Round Twenty Five against the Melbourne Storm.
The table below compares Corey Allen’s 2016 and 2017 NYC per game averages:
2016 NYC 2017 NYC
Games played 23 24
Minutes per game 80 80
Runs per game 12 12
Metres made per game 114 118
Tackles per game 2 6.5
Corey Allen’s’ main attribute when you see him play is his foot work, it is absolutely outstanding from the fullback position. He can step off both feet effortlessly and put multiple combinations of steps together in a short space of time and a small radius to get out of difficult situations and still make ground.* He does not just beat larger forwards with his footwork, he will make the fastest of outside backs and fullbacks look slow by comparison as he leaves them grasping behind him.* Corey Allen’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 Corey Allen* is an exceptional attacking player. If he gets an off load from a forward through the middle he is through the gap before the defence can react, if he gets the ball in space out wide he is make it very difficult for the opposing defender to get a clean shot at him and if he gets the ball from a kick, if the defensive line is not straight in the chase he can make significant ground.
Seemingly like all modern day fullbacks and outside backs he has exceptional balance and body control enabling him to score some incredible tries over the course of his junior career where it appears that he would be stopped well short of the try line or be pushed into touch.
*Defensively Corey Allen 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.
Corey Allen 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 innately 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.
Corey Allen is currently out of contract and is also still eligible for Colts rugby league in 2018 making him a valuable commodity. Whilst he is still eligible for the U20 competition it would not surprise at all to see Corey Allen spend the majority of the 2018 season playing in the QCup likely for South’s Logan.
Even though Corey Allen has played his entire career to date at fullback, and whilst I also believe that is where his long term future lies, if he breaks into the QCup next season, I would envisage that it will be on the wing or possibly even at centre. With his timing and anticipation in returning kicks and his fearless defence, Corey Allen presents as an outstanding candidate to play fullback in rugby league at a high level.
For me when I have seen Corey Allen play I can see aspects of the way that Cronulla Queensland and Australian emerging star Valentine Holmes plays, he is an explosive athlete with the confidence in his own abilities and that of his team mates.
Lindsay Collins.* The giant young front rower who grew up playing in the famous butcher stripes of Brothers in Brisbane will start the 2018 season in the final year of a three year deal that he signed in late 2015 after being a stand out for the Broncos at the NYC level.* Lindsay Collins made his NRL debut 2017 for the Roosters going on to play two matches both off the interchange bench.
In 2017 Lindsay Collins played the majority of the season with the Wyong Roos including their finals campaign and also made the New South Wales Residents side on the interchange bench for their annual match against Queensland Residents. Lindsay Collins started in the front row in all seventeen matches that he played in the New South Wales Intrust Super Cup including their 20 – 12 Grand Final loss to the Penrith Panther who were coached by Gareth Brennan.
The former Padua College student who was a dominant First XV player in the Association of Independent (AIC) School boy competition has represented Queensland at both the U18 and U20 levels in rugby league including scoring for Queensland U18’s in 2013.* Lindsay Collins has also represented Queensland School Boys in rugby where he was a No. 8 and as a school boy at Padua knocked back an opportunity to train with the Brisbane Lions AFL Academy.
The athletic 194cm 106kg powerhouse made his NRL debut in Round Twelve this season against the Canberra Raiders and also played in Round Eighteen against the South Sydney Rabbitohs.* As noted previously on both occasions Lindsay Collins came off the interchange bench.* In Round Twelve Lindsay Collins played a total of 20 minutes, making 28 metres on four hit-ups and made thirteen tackles.* In Round Eighteen in fourteen minutes of game time Lindsay Collins made 53 metres from five hit-ups and also made eight tackles without missing any.
The tall long striding Lindsay Collins is at his best when he is operating in the fringes of the ruck where he can exploit gaps in the defensive line with his size and speed.* When he runs Lindsay Collins is all arms, legs, knees and elbows and with his long stride and strong fend is a difficult proposition for defenders to handle in the context of getting him to the ground prior to Lindsay Collins being in a position to off load the ball effectively.* Lindsay Collins has solid ball playing skills for a big forward including being able to pass prior to contact with the defensive line as well as when in contact.
Lindsay Collins’s leg drive and determination also enables him to be equally effective in relation to operating in traffic where as long as he gets his body height low he can shrug off would be tacklers by dropping his shoulder into the defender just as he starts to commit to the tackle, Lindsay Collins can then redirect his momentum and proceed down the field on a different vector to the one he was on prior to contact.* For a player his size Lindsay Collins can quickly get to his feet both in the context of playing the ball when he is attacking and slowing down the ball from a defensive stand point.
The other key feature of Lindsay Collins’s attacking play is his ability to off load the ball, he can pop a very good short ball from either side of his body but is very effective at keeping his right arm free when in contact with the defensive line and off load a well-timed and appropriately weighted pass to his support runners who have the confidence in him to be hitting the gaps at full speed.
In terms of overall speed, whilst above average for his position, Lindsay Collins when in space will be caught by cover defenders but he is quick enough to maintain separation until he has progressively worked through his options and invariably makes the right decision with the ball.
Defensively Lindsay Collins is adept at wrapping up the ball carrier and his initial contact is underrated as his primary function and goal is to wrap up the ball to prevent off loads. As previously noted after making a tackle Lindsay Collins is quick to his feet to either look to get to marker or get back into the defensive line.* His stamina is such that you will see Lindsay Collins make multiple tackles in a short space of time and then immediately make himself available to take a hit up.
The 21 year old will play the 2018 season contracted with the Sydney Roosters but will likely play the majority of the season with Wyong but would make an immediate impact with a team like the Titans with his incredible combination of size strength speed and power.
Even though he has spent the majority of his career in the front row I believe that Lindsay Collins has the speed and mobility to make a more significant contribution wider of the rusk in the second row where his athleticism and speed would pose more difficulties than when he runs at a set defensive line in the centre of the ruck.
For me Lindsay Collins is a bigger stronger faster version of Penrith Panthers second rower Isaiah Yeo.* All he needs to develop into an outstanding NRL forward prospect is time in the NRL.* HE is unlikely to get that in 2018 at the Roosters but would surely get much more of an opportunity with the Titans.
Sam Lavea.* The powerful South’s Logan Magpies front rower stands at 190cm tall and uses his 108kg frame to cause havoc in the centre of the field.* The 21 year old former Brisbane Broncos contracted player had an outstanding 2017 campaign in the Queensland Cup playing in twenty one of South’s Logan’s matches after spending the off season as part of the Brisbane Bronco’s full time squad and also played for the Broncos in the Auckland Nine’s and scored against the Sydney Roosters in the Broncos quarter final loss.
Of his twenty one QCup matches in 2017, Sam Lavea started in six matches in the front row and came off the bench in the remaining fifteen that he was involved in.* Sam Lavea started the season off on the interchange bench, breaking in the starting front row for the first time in Round Fourteen. Sam Lavea also scored two tries in 2017 the first coming in Round Seven against the Mackay Cutters and the second in Round Twenty Four against the Central Queensland Capra’s.
In total Sam Lavea was on the field for 755 minutes, making 2 141 metres and also making 349 tackles.* Sam Lavea’s 2017 per game QCup averages included playing 36 minutes per game, running for 102 metres and making 16.61 tackles.
Sam Lavea did not play huge minutes for South’s Logan, only playing in excess of 50 minutes in three matches including playing 63 minutes in Round Twenty Five.* In 57% of his 2017 QCup matches Sam Lavea ran for more than 100 metres in a match including running for 168 metres in just 43 minutes in Round Ten and 162 metres in Round Twenty Four.
In seven contests in 2017 Sam Lavea made more than twenty tackles in a match, including making 32 tackles in 63 minutes in Round Twenty Five.
In 2016 when he was part of the Bronco’s NYC squad Sam Lavea represented Queensland at the U20 level where he started from the interchange bench.* Team mates of the former Logan Brothers junior that night were Titans contracted duo Jai Arrow and Keegan Hipgrave.
Running with the football, Sam Lavea has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders rather than trying to simply run over them.* He does reasonably decent speed off the mark and that assists in his ability to hit the defensive line hard and with pace.* He does not have another gear once through the defensive line but continues to pump his legs and fights for every metre.* He has decent off load when he has impacted the defensive line as well.
The key to his running is that Sam Lavea stays low and does not present himself to be an easy target for defences and will drop his shoulder into the defensive line, but his all out running style does mean he can fatigue reasonably quacking but regardless he can be absolutely devastating.* He is also adept at getting his right hand free to off load when the opportunity presents itself.
Defensively Sam Lavea hits very hard and usually aims for around the area where the upper edge of the ball is carried. He defends in the centre of the ruck and seems best suited in the long run defending there and adds a degree of intimidation to any forward pack he plays for.* He really does know how to tackle effectively, as he sets a strong base to create the necessary leverage to defend against larger forwards.
No longer contracted to the Bronco’s Sam Lavea will line up once again in the Queensland Cup for the South’s Logan Magpies and must also be a chance to be part of the Queensland Residents side for their annual interstate match against New South Wales Residents.
Sam Lavea has played the majority of his career in the front row, certainly exclusively there over the last two years in the Queensland Cup and with his size, wrestling and power that is where he will stay in rugby league.
From a player comparison perspective for Sam Lavea, I would suggest a perfect match from a playing style perspective would be Melbourne Storm and New Zealand Test Captain Jesse Bromwich as a hard running and hard tackling forward. Every time I have seen him play he has stood out as an intense hard working player who just has something about him which suggests that he has a huge amount of untapped potential.* Whether Sam Lavea is able to unlock that potential is the key question.* I hope that he can as he is a young player that seems to have all of the necessary physical and skill attributes to be a special player.
Strange from the Broncos, let go a person who hasn't done anything wrong and sign two thugs.
TSS recruiting heavily from South Africa, interesting!
James Taylor. The Auckland born tough as nails front rower moved over to Australian for the start of the 2014 season to play with the Newcastle Knights after being a standout for the New Zealand Warriors NYC side as a 19 year old in 2013.* James Taylor moved to Newcastle after interest from Wayne Bennett.
After three seasons in Newcastle where he spent a lot of time playing through injuries for South Newcastle in the local Newcastle First Grade competition, James Taylor moved up to Queensland where this season he starred for the Norths Devils in the QCup competition.* For me he was the best non NRL contracted front rower in the competition and that includes new Bronco’s signing Matt Lodge from Redcliffe.
In the 2017 QCup competition for the Devils James Taylor started in the front row in North’s first fifteen rounds before injury struck ruling him out for the remainder of the season, but the bearded young front rower made a big impression in those fifteen matches.* In total in the 2017 QCup competition, James Taylor played 751 minutes, made 414 tackles and ran for an outstanding 2 171 metres.* James Taylor’s 2017 QCup per game averages included playing 50 minutes, making 28 tackles and running for an amazing 145 metres. James Taylor also contributed one try which came in Round Two against the Burleigh Bears.
Defensively James Taylor was very consistent normally making around 26 tackles a match but in Round Eight, he made thirty nine tackles in just 50 minutes.* Where James Taylor really stood out though was when he was running the ball.* James Taylor made more than 100 metres in thirteen of his fifteen matches, including a twelve match span from Rounds Four to Sixteen where he made at least 100 metres in every match.
James Taylor had some huge matches from a metres gained perspective in 2017 making in excess of 200 metres on two occasions. In Round Twelve he made 207 metres in just 56 minutes and James Taylor went even better in Round Nine against the Mackay Cutters when in just 47 minutes James Taylor ran for an exceptional 241 metres.* On five other occasions James Taylor ran for 150 metres or greater.* In Round Three James Taylor “only” made 82 metres to record his lowest tally of the 2017 season.
James Taylor 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 can offload once he has impacted the defensive line or has crashed through it, in addition he is quite effective when his team is attacking close to the try line.* He can either take the ball himself, and when he gets low he is very difficult to stop or he can run as a decoy and attract defenders away from the real axis of attack.
For a front rower James Taylor does actually have quite decent speed and footwork, certainly well above average for a player of his size.* He does however seem to carry the ball in his right hand away from his body.
James Taylor is obviously suited to defending in the centre of the ruck rather that the fringes* and will understandably have some trouble with nippy runners out of dummy half. His calling card though is the strength and power to effectively engage the opposing forward early in their run and use his natural strength to win the forward battle in the centre of the ruck.* He can defensively handle any one on one battle that presents itself.* At times in games in the Queensland Cup he really does prevent opposing gaining any ground at all through the centre of the ruck.
The 23 year old just screams NRL quality as a result of his performances in 2017 and he will once again look to garner interest in 2018 when he will line up once again with the Norths Devils in the Queensland Cup competition.
James Taylor is not the biggest front rower running around but that will still be his primary position going forward just as it has been historically.
Based on James Taylor’s skill set, a rugby league player with a similar playing style is current St George Dragons forward Jack De Bellin as a hard working forward who will keep going all day.
Scott Doyle. The 24 year old 183cm 91 kg former Canberra Raiders NYC centre was for me the stand out centre in the Queensland Cup competition in 2017 and was also named in the centres for the Queensland Residents side after an outstanding campaign with the Souths Logan Magpies.
The former Queensland U16 and U18 representative and Centenary Panthers junior played in nineteen of South’s Logan’s twenty Three matches, starting all nineteen in the centres and contributed 44 points from nine tries and four goals.* Scott Doyle’s tries included three doubles which came against the Sunshine Coast Falcons in Round Two, PNG Hunters in Round Four and a Round Eleven double against the Northern Pride.* Scott Doyle’s other tries came in Round Seven against the Mackay Cutters, Round Ten against the Townsville Blackhawks and against the Burleigh Bears in Round Thirteen.
In total in the 2017 Queensland Cup competition Scott Doyle was on the field for South’s Logan for 1 307 minutes, made 239 tackles and ran for 2 075 metres.* His 2017 per game averages for nineteen games included playing 79 minutes, running for 109 metres and making 12.5 tackles.
Scott Doyle ran for in excess of 100 metres in twelve of his matches including running for 189 metres in a Round Nineteen match in seventy minutes on the field. Scott Doyle’s best defensive effort from a quantity perspective came in Round Four when he made twenty four tackles.
Whilst Scott Doyle 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 getting on the outside of his opponent and using a solid fend when he gets to the outside, thus preventing defenders from getting he under his ribs and thus he can maintain his running line under defensive pressure.
When engaged with the defensive line Scott Doyle also has a reasonable offload. He normally lines up on the right side of the field, and even though I have only seen him on the left a couple of times, he seems a little more comfortable on the right.
Defensively one area that Scott Doyle has impressed me is his ability to defend against any size opponent, from small quick outside backs to big strong powerful backrowers running wider of the ruck. He seemingly has more strength that his size would dictate, 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.
Scott Doyle seemingly has more strength that his size would indicate, and he uses this strength to move up off his own try line redirecting the momentum of the ball carrier and thus eliminating the attacking threat in the short term at least.* He just intuitively knows how to defend from a timing and technique perspective and rarely loses contact with the attacker once he has engaged them.
In 2018 Scott Doyle will line up once again for South Logan in the Queensland Cup and with talented centres at a premium at all levels is probably only a consistent season or two away from at least getting some recognition from NRL clubs.
For the Canberra Raiders NYC squad Scott Doyle alternated between the second row and in the centres but with his deceptive speed and solid one on one defensive technique I firmly believe that centre is far and away his best position.
From a player comparison perspective in relation to Scott Doyle think of someone like former Brisbane Broncos and English test centre Jack Reed as a hard running hard tackling centre who is a strong physical presence in a team’s back line.
Joe Boyce. The former Newcastle Knights and Brisbane Broncos contracted player and Caloundra junior has been a consistent performer at the Queensland Cup level for the South’s Logan Magpies and in 2015 played his one and only NRL match when he came off the inter change bench in Round Eleven against the Canberra Raiders playing 33 minutes, making 75 metres and thirteen tackles.* Earlier this season Joe Boyce was named on the inter change bench for the Queensland Residents side.
The 23 year old, 180cm, 98kg lock moved up to Brisbane following Wayne Bennett at the start of 2015 when Wayne Bennett moved back in coach the Brisbane Broncos after a couple of seasons in Newcastle.
In the 2017 Queensland Cup competition Joe Boyce played in sixteen of South’s Logan’s twenty Three matches, starting all sixteen at lock and contributed two tries both of which came against the Tweed Heads Seagulls in Rounds Five and Twenty.
In total in the 2017 Queensland Cup competition Joe Boyce was on the field for South’s Logan for 846 minutes, made 326 tackles and ran for 1 933 metres.* His 2017 per game averages for sixteen games included playing 53 minutes, running for 120 metres and making 20.5 tackles.
Joe Boyce ran for in excess of 100 metres in eleven of his matches including running for 165 metres in a Round Nineteen match in seventy minutes on the field. Joe Boyce made more than twenty tackles in ten of his 2017 matches including a thirty tackle effort in Round Four in just sixty minutes on the field.
Joe Boyce 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 Joe Boyce 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.
Joe Boyce also fights hard when tackled to ensure he gets a quick play the ball to maintain the momentum for his side.* In addition, Joe Boyce 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 Joe Boyce 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.
Joe Boyce 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.
In 2018 Joe Boyce will line up once again for South Logan in the Queensland Cup and is probably only a consistent season or two away from at least getting some recognition from NRL clubs.
Joe Boyce is by no means a giant of a forward but he makes up for that with a tireless approach both in attack and defence and will continue to play in the backrow for any team that he plays for.
From a player comparison perspective a player with a similar work ethic and playing style for me is Ryan Simpkins who will spend this off season working out with the Titans as he looks for an opportunity in the NRL in 2018.
Doyle is pretty close to cracking it, a little undersized, but with his decent goal kicking ability could be a chance for a club with a lack of centres/backrowers.
Jayden Su’A. The exceptionally talented former Logan Brothers junior has been a star on the rise for a number of seasons since exploding onto the junior scene playing in the centres for St Joseph’s Nudgee College in 2014 in the GPS School Boy rugby First XV competition.* Jayden Su’A will start the 2018 season off with the Brisbane Broncos with 2018 being the last year of a three year deal that the former Queensland U18 and U20 representative signed coming straight out of High School.
Jayden Su’A made his NRL debut in 2016 in Round* Twelve when he came off the inter change bench against the Wests Tigers going on to play four NRL matches that year.* Jayden Su’A also played four NRL matches in 2017.
In the NRL in 2017 Jayden Su’A played a total of 149 minutes across four matches after coming into the Bronco’s NRL side in the second row against the New Zealand Warriors in Round Twelve, in that game he played all 80 minutes and contributed 73 metres and 34 tackles.* Jayden Su’A came off the interchange bench in his other three NRL matches in 2017.
Jayden Su’A’s NRL totals in 2017 included running for 191 metres from twenty one hit-ups and 64 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 94%. Jayden Su’A’s 2017 NRL per game averages included playing 37 minutes, taking the ball up 5.3 times making 48 metres and making 16 tackles.
As noted above Jayden Su’A made his NRL debut in Round Twelve of 2016 and in that match against the Wests Tigers he started in the second row playing all 80 minutes and making 91 metres from hit-ups and an impressive 45 tackles.* Jayden Su’A’s NRL totals in 2016 included being on the field for 285 minutes, running for 330 metres from forty hit-ups and 121 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 95.3%. Jayden Su’A’s 2016 NRL per game averages included playing 71 minutes, taking the ball up 10 times making 82.5 metres and making 30.3 tackles.
The table below compares Jayden Su’A’s 2016 and 2017 NRL per game averages.
2016 NRL 2017 NRL
Games played 4 4
Minutes per game 71 37
Runs per game 10 5.3
Metres made per game 82.5 48
Tackles per game 30.3 16
In 2015 Jayden Su’A starred for the Brisbane Bronco’s NYC side and dominated again in that competition in 2016.* Even though he was still eligible for the NYC competition this season, Jayden Su’A also played a number of Queensland Cup matches for the South’s Logan Magpies.
For the Bronco’s in the NYC competition in 2017 Jayden Su’A played seven matches, starting the first five rounds in the second row before coming off the interchange bench in the Bronco’s two finals appearances.* In total Jayden Su’A played 504 minutes, including all 80 minutes in his five starting appearances, took 92 runs for 857 metres and made 108 tackles.* Jayden Su’A’s sole NYC try in 2017 came in Round Five against the Canterbury Bulldogs.
In addition to playing for the Brisbane Bronco’s in the NYC and NRL competitions, Jayden Su’A also played in nine matches for the South’s Logan Magpies in the Queensland Cup coming into the South’s Logan side in the second row in Round Seven against the Mackay Cutters.* Across his nine Queensland Cup matches in 2017 Jayden Su’A scored four tries including a Round Seven double against the Cutters, he also scored in Round Eight against the Ipswich Jets and in Round Sixteen against Redcliffe.
For South’s Logan in the Queensland Cup in 2017 Jayden Su’A played 806 minutes, made 1 154 metres and made 211 tackles.* Jayden Su’A’s 2017 per game season averages in the Queensland Cup included playing 79 minutes, making 128 metres and making 23.5 tackles.* *In Round Ten against the Townsville Blackhawks Jayden Su’A ran for 199 metres and in Round Sixteen against the Dolphins he ran for 165m. In that Round Sixteen match Jayden Su’A also made 34 tackles.
For the Bronco’s in the NYC competition in 2016 Jayden Su’A played seventeen matches, starting all of them in the second row. In total Jayden Su’A in the 2016 NYC competition played 1 357 minutes, took 246 runs for 2 399 metres and made 341tackles.* Jayden Su’A’s 2016 per game season averages in the NYC competition included playing 74 minutes, making 141 metres from 14.5 hit-ups and making 20 tackles.
For the Bronco’s in the NYC competition in 2015 Jayden Su’A played sixteen matches, starting all of them in the second row. In total Jayden Su’A in the 2015 NYC competition played 1 179 minutes, took 227 runs for 2 292 metres and made 318 tackles.* Jayden Su’A’s 2015 per game season averages in the NYC competition included playing 74 minutes, making 143 metres from 14 hit-ups and making 20 tackles.
Jayden Su’A is an 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.
He runs ‘fast’ into the defensive and his foot work prior to the line enables him to get partly through the line quite often, certainly more so than you would expect for a backrower taking the ball through the centre of the ruck.* One reason for this is that he is a smart footballer, he does not try to run over defenders, but he runs at the gaps between defenders and uses his running speed to break through if defenders only use their arms on the tackle.
Jayden Su’A 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.* Jayden Su’A 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 Queensland Cup level on a number of occasions this season.
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.
Where his greatest impact on a game is going to be is his defence.* Jayden Su’A 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.
Jayden Su’A 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.* Jayden Su’A’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.
The powerful 188cm 100kg second rower will start the 2018 season likely on the cusp of the NRL with the Broncos and if he is not in the NRL match day squad, Jayden Su’A will be a dominant presence with the South’s Logan Magpies in the Queensland Cup.
Jayden Su’A played is school boy rugby in the centres for Churchie where he was a defensive powerhouse and even played one or two Queensland Cup matches in the centres this season but with his frame and power Jayden Su’A presents as a representative level second rower in rugby league.
Look I appreciate that Jayden Su’A is contracted to the Broncos for 2018 but with the depth at the Broncos and the likes of Payne Haas (sigh) and David Fifita waiting in the wings, the Titans should (in my humble opinion) but throwing everything that they can at this young man to get him in Titans colours come 2019.* He is a star of the future, of that there can be no doubt.
From a player comparison perspective for Jayden Su’A, 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.
Tristan Hope.* I had the pleasure of seeing quite a bit of Tristan Hope when he played to the Toowoomba Clydesdales where at just 17 he captained their U20 Colts side.* In 2016 and 2017 Tristan Hope had two outstanding seasons in the NYC competition with the Brisbane Broncos but now that he has graduated from the U20 age group the former Queensland U18 hooker has joined the Wynnum Manly Seagulls and will be looking to immediately break into their Queensland Cup side.
Tristan Hope may not be very big but the 178cm, 82kg hooker is as determined a footballer that you will come across.* In 2017 in the NYC competition for the Bronco’s Tristan Hope played in fourteen matches, starting ten at hooker, two from the interchange bench and also two being Rounds Eight and Nine at five eight.* In those matches Tristan Hope proved to be very much a try scorer crossing for nine tries.
Tristan Hope scored a hat trick in Round Twenty Four against the Dragons as well as tries in Round One against the Sharks, Round Eight against the Rabbitohs, Round Sixteen against the Raiders, Round Seventeen against the Storm and Rounds Twenty One and Twenty Five against the Parramatta Eels.
In total in the NYC competition in 2017, Tristan Hope played 808 minutes, running for 554 metres from 64 carries and made 376 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 92.2%.* Tristan Hope’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing 59 minutes, taking 4.6 runs out of dummy half for 40 metres and making 27 tackles. In Round Twenty Four when he scored a hat trick against the Dragons Tristan Hope made 98 metres and four line breaks to have an outstanding match.* That afternoon, he also made 46 tackles in just 72 minutes on the field.
In 2016 Tristan Hope played in twenty four matches in the NYC competition for the Bronco’s, primarily from the interchange bench scoring six tries and made more than 50 tackles in a match in three occasions.
Tristan Hope is an extremely 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, Tristan Hope 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 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 Tristan Hope is also extremely effective is leading his forwards onto the ball, he passes in front of the forward ensuring no loss of momentum to the run.* In short he is a very good game manager from the hooking position.
Where he really stands out in terms of attacking play, is his speed out of dummy half, Tristan Hope is extremely quick and has exceptional footwork to take advantage of tiring forwards, using a step off both feet.* He 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 Tristan Hope 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 he 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.
Tristan Hope’s defence for a hooker is exceptional, for a smaller forward he is a hard hitter and can defend effectively one on one against far larger forwards, he sets a good base with his lower body and explodes upwards with his shoulders to drive opposing forwards backwards and is also very good at slowing the play the ball down.* His intensity means that he will track the play across and thus is in a good position when the ball is passed back inside.* Tristan Hope literally tackles everything that moves in the centre of the ruck.
Moving forward to 2018 from my perspective it is difficult not to see Tristan Hope as a real chance to play a major role in the Wynnum Manly Queensland Cup next year, as an 80 minute player who will stiffen the defence in the centre of the ruck and lead the forward pack around the field with his distribution and leadership skills as well as being a constant threat to run out of dummy half.
From a player comparison perspective, due to his distribution, running, defence and the speed and intensity that he plays the game at, a playing style akin to Danny Buderis of the Knights is an appropriate comparison I would suggest for Tristan Hope.
Will Brimson. The older brother of up and coming Titans star AJ Brimson is a talented player in his own right.* After a solid career in the NYC competition with the Brisbane Bronco’s Will Brimson is carving out a career in the Queensland Cup with the Wynnum Manly Seagulls and still only 22 years old there is plenty more to come for the backline utility.
Will Brimson joined the Seagulls for the start of the 2017 season after graduating from the NYC competition at the end of the 2016 season playing in sixteen matches in his debut Queensland Cup season.* In those matches Will Brimson scored tries in Round Two against the Northern Pride and in Round Eighteen against the Central Queensland Capra’s.* Will Brimson started eleven matches at five eight, two at half, one in the centres and his remaining matches from the interchange bench.
In total in the Queensland Cup in 2017, Will Brimson played 1 124 minutes, running for 810 metres and made 162 tackles. His 2017 per game averages included playing 70 minutes running for 51 metres and making 10 tackles. In Rounds Fourteen and Seventeen Will Brimson ran for 103 metres with the games being against Tweed Heads and South’s Logan.
Will Brimson spent three years in the Bronco’s NYC side, being from 2014 through to 2016 playing forty matches in total, the majority of those at halfback. In 2016 Will Brimson scored nine tries and averaged 49 metres and fourteen tackles and game.* He had similar averages in 2015 from nineteen matches.
In relation to his play making ability, Will Brimson Currie has both a very good long and short passing game and generates very good spin on the ball which aids accuracy in relation to his passing.* Another aspect that is very good is that there is no discernible difference in relation to his passing to either his left or right, in both instances he rotates his body well.* In relation to his short passing Will Brimson 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 Will Brimson is also a strong presence on the field and more than held his own over the course of the 2017 season even against the largest of opposing forwards looking to target him on the fringes of the ruck.* He gets low and generates significant leverage with his lower body and drives into his opponent with a strong effect.* Against opposing halves Will Brimson uses his lateral mobility to mirror their movement to ensure that they do not get on his outside and he is disciplined enough not to come out of the line and maintain the proper defensive spacing.
Will Brimson will line up again in the Queensland Cup competition for the Wynnum Manly Seagulls where he should only get better and better after the experience that he gained in 2017.
From a position perspective, I think that he has the ability to stay at five eight being 188cm and 92kg.* Will Brimson is a bit bigger than his younger brother and thus has the size to handle the defensive burden of giant backrowers running at him all day.* From an attacking perspective the quality of Will Brimson’s ability to put runners into holes developed exponentially as the 2017 Queensland Cup season progressed.
For me a current NRL player with a similar playing style to that of Will Brimson is soon to be Penrith Panther and Australian International five eight James Maloney, being that of a solid talented all round five eight who will surprise a defensive line with some very good short balls when it looks for all money like he is going to run himself.
David Fauid. The former Gold Coast Titans junior was lured away by the Brisbane Broncos after playing for the Australian School Boys in 2015 in their Annual matches against the New Zealand U18 side. In the two tests a team mate of David Fauid’s was Titans NRL youngster Tyrone Roberts-Davis and an opponent was Bostyn Hakaraia also of the Titans.* David Fauid was selected in the Australian School Boys squad from Brisbane’s Wavell State High School after representing Met North in the QSSRL U18 Championships.* In 2016, the year that he joined the Bronco’s NYC side, David Fauid started on the wing for the Queensland U18 side.
In two years with the Brisbane Bronco’s NYC side David Fauid played in 42 matches starting all bar one was on the wing, even though he was primarily a fullback in his junior rugby league days. The other match that he started was at fullback.
In 2017 David Fauid scored nine tries from twenty two matches with his tries coming in Round Three against the Cowboys, Round Six against the Roosters, against the panthers in Round Nine, Round Eleven against the Wests Tigers, Round Twelve against the Warriors, Round Thirteen against the Roosters, Round Sixteen against the Raiders and against Knights in Round Nineteen.
In total in the NYC competition in 2017, David Fauid played 1 734 minutes including playing all 80 minutes in twenty one of his twenty two matches, running for 2 487 metres from 253 carries and made 113 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 78.5%.* David Fauid’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing 78 minutes, taking11.5 runs for 113 metres and making 5 tackles.
In 2017 David Fauid also made fifteen line breaks and off loaded the ball on eight occasions. In fourteen of his matches in 2017 David Fauid ran for in excess of 100 metres including running for 169 metres in a 22 – 12 Round Eleven loss to the Wests Tigers.
In total in the NYC competition in 2016, David Fauid played 1 600 minutes, running for 2 481 metres from 226 carries and made 77 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 76%.* David Fauid’s 2016 NYC per game averages included playing 80 minutes, taking 11 runs for 124 metres and making 4 tackles. David Fauid scored fifteen tries from just twenty matches in 2016.
At 172cm and 79kg David Fauid is never going to be confused with the giant wingers that are so prevalent in the modern era, but instead he is a speedy elusive youngster with outstanding finishing ability.
From an attacking perspective, David Fauid has outstanding footwork to go along with above average to plus evasive skills and plus plus speed, both in terms of off the mark and top end speed where he has an extra gear to go to when he breaks into open space.
David Fauid 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 and even though he is not the biggest player he is quite strong and combined with his speed, he is able to break through tackles when impacted by larger opponents.
In addition David Fauid 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.* With more experience I think that this aspect of his game will continue to evolve and thus he will become even more of the threat as defences cannot just assume he is going to run the ball himself.
From a defensive perspective, as noted he by no means a big player but David Fauid’s toughness and courage cannot be denied.* He will really try to hit hard in defence regardless of the size of the attacker running at him.* From the defensive line he will rush forward to cut down the time the attacking player has to make a decision of what to do with the ball when they make a break and even if they draw him and pass to a support player he was still look to hit them as hard as they can to make them earn it.
David Fauid is still eligible to play in the Queensland Rugby League U20 Hastings Deering’s competition and will likely play for the North’s Devils in 2018 at the Colts level but it would not surprise if he got a game or two in the Queensland Cup as well.
Whilst he has played exclusively on the wing (bar one match at fullback) for the last two seasons for the Bronco’s NYC side, David Fauid’s rugby league career will live and die based on how well he plays at fullback as that is by a long way his best position.
From a player comparison perspective, think of the Cronulla Sharks or going back further the Canterbury Bulldogs version of Ben Barba for David Fauid.* Like Barba, when he is playing well David Fauid is a handful for defences with his speed and agility and can produce a break out of nothing by producing something unexpected.
Hayden O’Hara. The young former Springwood Tiger has over the last two seasons primarily played five eight in the Brisbane Bronco’s NYC squad, and is still eligible for Colts again in 2018, but I really do see the 183cm, 90kg youngster having a chance to carve out an NRL career at fullback taking into account the raw skills that he has at his disposal as well as the experience that he has gained playing in the NYC competition over the last two seasons.
For the Bronco’s in the NYC competition in 2017, Hayden O’Hara had an injury interrupted season but still managed sixteen matches, playing every match after coming into the side after injury in Round Eleven against the Wests Tigers.* In his sixteen matches Hayden O’Hara scored five tries which came against the Newcastle Knights in Round Nineteen, against the Sharks in Round Twenty Three, Round Twenty Four against the Dragons, Round Twenty Five against the Eels and also in the Brisbane Bronco’s qualifying final win over the Knights.
Hayden O’Hara started fifteen of his sixteen 2017 NYC matches, starting five at five eight, ten in the centres including the final seven regular season rounds and the finals series and one match from the inter change bench.
In total in the NYC competition in 2017, Hayden O’Hara played 1 117 minutes, including on eleven occasions playing all 80 minutes, running for 1 030 metres from 109 carries and made 207 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 84%.* Hayden O’Hara’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing 74 minutes, making 7 runs for 64.5 metres and making 13 tackles. In the Brisbane Broncos first final in 2017 Hayden O’Hara ran for 124 metres against the Newcastle Knights.
In 2016 Hayden O’Hara played in ten NYC matches for the Bronco’s scoring two tries and kicking twenty five goals starting all ten matches at five eight.
Hayden O’Hara represented the Easts Tigers in the CC Cup in 2014 and the MM Cup in 2015 and was a prolific point’s scorer in both competitions.* In 2013 Hayden O’Hara represented the South Coast at the U15 level from Coombabah State High School at the QSSRL U15 championships and from there was selected in the Queensland Maroon side for the U15 ASSRL Championships.* At those Championships Hayden O’Hara kicked two goals in the Championship Final when Queensland Maroon overcame New South Wales Combined High Schools 26 – 12.* Team mates in the Queensland Maroon side included Tians NRL trialist Apiata Noema and star Burleigh Colt’s player Sean Garner.
In attack Hayden O’Hara 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 Hayden O’Hara 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 Hayden O’Hara is very good at identifying tired forwards in the defensive line, and he will target them accordingly.
Hayden O’Hara does a good job of playing 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.* * Some of his passing in the NYC this season was exceptional.
Hayden O’Hara also has a solid kicking game, especially in relation to short attacking kicks where he seemingly has the innate ability to put the correct amount of weight on the ball.* His longer tactical kicking game is also solid but is not as accurate or instinctive as his short kicking game.
In defence, due to his size Hayden O’Hara 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.
As a result of his speed off the mark Hayden O’Hara is also a very good cover defender as he tracks the ball across the field and has a solid low tackling technique from the side.* Like all young players, especially young half’s and five eight’s as he grows and gains weight the key will be whether he is able to maintain his speed and evasion attributes.
Hayden O’Hara is still Colts eligible in 2018 and whilst I am not sure where he will be playing in 2018, I believe that he will likely play for the Easts Tigers for whom he represented playing in the Cyril Connell and Mal Meninga Cup competition in previous seasons.
I appreciate that over the last two NYC seasons with the Brisbane Bronco’s Hayden O’Hara has spent a significant amount of time at five eight and towards the end of the 2017 season in the centres but with his ball playing ability and a unique ability to slice through a back line I think that he has the ideal skill set to be a very good fullback in the modern era.
Jarryd Hayne when he was in his prime a couple of years ago when he was playing with the Parramatta Eels is probably the closest I can get from a player comparison perspective for Hayden O’Hara. Hayden O’Hara has size strength speed and power and like Hayne a couple of years ago, has an aura of confidence about him that is hard to define.
Cameron Booth. The former Canberra Raiders NYC winger moved back to the South’s Logan Magpies for the start of the 2016 Queensland Cup season has continued to develop.* The 178cm 96kg powerhouse had an outstanding 2017 Queensland Cup campaign in the Black and White this season.
The former Keebra park student had a solid NYC campaign in 2015 for the Raiders playing in twenty five matches scoring fourteen tries and averaging 104 metres per match. Prior to heading to the Raiders Cameron Booth represented Queensland at the U18 level and is an Eden’s Landing junior.
For the Magpies in 2017 Cameron Booth played in twenty two matches, starting all of them on the wing. Cameron Booth crossed for six tries on the season, including in Round Two against the Sunshine Coast Falcons, Round Three against PNG, Round Ten against the Townsville Blackhawks, Round Eleven against the Northern Pride, Round Twenty against Tweed Heads and against the Pride again in Round Twenty Two.
In total Cameron Booth was on the field for 1 749 minutes including playing all 80 minutes in twenty one matches, making* 2 177 metres and also making 128 tackles in the Queensland Cup in 2017.* Cameron Booth’s 2017 per game Queensland Cup averages included playing 79 minutes per game, running for 80 metres and making 6 tackles.
On seven occasions Cameron Booth ran for in excess of 100 metres in a match on including running for an impressive 211 metres in Round Sixteen against the Redcliffe Dolphins and in Round Twenty Five against the Mackay Cutters Cameron Booth ran for 162 metres.
Of the 2 177 metres that he made in 2017, Cameron Booth made 581 of those post contact thus 27% of all his running metres were made after he had impacted the defensive line, including running for
Cameron Booth also ran the ball from dummy half on 46 occasions making 405 metres thus every dummy run for Cameron Booth resulted in him making 8.8 metres per carry.* Cameron Booth ran from dummy half on 18% of his touches and made 18.6% of his metres from dummy half.
Cameron Booth is a ball of muscle coupled with plus speed and strength who can either run straight over an opposing defender or run a good line into gaps in the defensive line.* Once in space his speed is in the plus category and whilst he does not necessarily have a dominant step he has great body control and balance when running at top speed which enables him to have a very good swerve which he used over the course of the 2017 season to beat opposing fullbacks.
One thing that I did notice in games was that when he broke into space with only the fullback to beat, Cameron Booth actually changes his running angle to run directly at the fullback.* What this did was stop any sideways movement of the defending fullback meaning his subsequent swerve was even more difficult to combat as the fullback has lost all lateral momentum as Cameron Booth is converging on him.
Defensively Cameron Booth is a strong hard hitter who will move forward to meet the ball carrier once they have broken into space.* Whether it is by design or a by-product of his aggressive approach his movement forward to attack opponents who have broken through the Ipswich Grammar School defensive line dramatically cuts down on the space and the decision making time of the opponent and a couple of times during that season led to dropped balls when the attacker rushed the pass to his supports or Cameron Booth hits the attacker as he is still trying to set up for the pass.
Another impressive defensive attribute that Cameron Booth Lea possesses is the functional strength to engage and redirect the momentum of attackers close to his own try line mitigating the threat to the try line.
The 22 year old will line up again for the South’s Logan magpies in the Queensland Cup in 2018 where he will look to impress NRL scouts in the best second tier rugby league competition in Australia.
From an ultimate position perspective, with his ability to make ground out of dummy half and his hard straight running when returning kicks, Cameron Booth seemingly will stay on the wing for the duration of his rugby league career.
In relation to a player that you can compare Cameron Booth’s skill set to, you need to look no further than former Melbourne Storm and current Wallabies squad member Marika Koroibete, he just looks so dangerous every time he is near the ball and constantly breaks tackles time and again when he has the ball in his hands to go along with outstanding acceleration, top end speed and positional sense which belies his time in the game.
Marion Seve. The powerful young former Keebra Park centre is close to finishing a multi-year stint with the Brisbane Broncos and whilst he has not made his NRL debut yet was in outstanding form this season in the Queensland Cup with the Ipswich Jets in 2017 after playing a number of Queensland Cup matches for South’s Logan in 2016.
Marion Seve was in fact part of the Titans U13 Junior Development Squad a number of years ago before playing for the Wests Tigers NYC side post his school years at Keebra Park from where he represented the Australian School Boys in 2013. Marion Seve had an outstanding final NYC season with the Wests Tigers in 2015 where he scored ten tries from seventeen and averaging 112 metres and one line break a match.
For the Jets in 2017 Marion Seve played in seventeen matches, starting fifteen of those matches in the centres and the remaining two from the interchange bench when he was coming back from injury.* Interestingly towards the end of the 2017 season Marion Seve was named at lock but on each of those occasions started the match in the centres.
The 195cm 88kg 22 year old scored three tries on the season with all three tries coming late in the season including against the Townsville Blackhawks in Round Twenty, against the Mackay Cutters in Round Twenty Four and also in Round Twenty Five against the Central Queensland Capra’s.* Marion Seve certainly liked to play against North Queensland based sides this season.
In total Marion Seve was on the field for 1 216 minutes including playing all 80 minutes on thirteen occasions, making* 2 104 metres and also making 176 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 86.2% in the Queensland Cup in 2017. Marion Seve also had three try assists, 63 tackle breaks and nine line breaks. Marion Seve’s 2017 per game Queensland Cup averages included playing 71.5 minutes per game, running for 123.7 metres with 3.5 tackle breaks and making 10.4 tackles.
On eleven occasions Marion Seve ran for in excess of 100 metres in a match including running for 189 in a Round Seventeen contest against the Tweed Heads Seagulls and in Round Twenty Two he made 177 metres against PNG.
Of the 2 104 metres that he made in 2017, Marion Seve made 730 of those post contact thus 35% of all his running metres were made after he had impacted the defensive line, including running for 63 post contact metres in Round Three and 62 post contact metres in Round Fourteen.
Marion Seve has very good speed off the mark, which I would consider above average for a centre and can break to the outside quickly, couple that with long arms, which he uses to great effect with a powerful fend makes him difficult to tackle.* When opposing centres are able to get hold of him, Marion Seve usually is able to maintain his balance and keeps an arm free, looking to offload to either his inside or outside support.
Marion Seve has more tools though than just an in and away, he will also use his size and strength to run straight over smaller opposing centres as well as also having the skill to step back inside of the defender if he is pushing to the outside too early.* A real positive for me is that Marion Seve can also run a good inside shoulder line due to the fact that he maintains his spacing in the back line and will quickly identify where his direct opponent is ling up to determine whether it is appropriate to run an inside or outside shoulder line or a “crash” line for that matter, he certainly has the courage to run that line regularly which not everybody has.
As you would expect, due to his size and strength, Marion Seve is a very good defender regardless of position.* He will not necessarily hit hard but is definitely aggressive and he is very good at mirroring the movement of the opposing centre and wrapping him up ball and all.* He is also quick enough to recover and chase if the opposing centre gets on the outside and his long reach is also a positive attribute in those situations.
From a team defensive methodology stand point, Marion Seve seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage in though he can be an intimidating presence when he chooses to come out of the line to interrupt the attacking movement immediately.
Marion Seve will play the 2017 Queensland Cup season under the Walker Brothers at the Ipswich Jets where once again he will be one of the most damaging centres in the competition and certainly the best at making ground post contact with the defensive line.
Even though it seemed that the Jets were looking at possibly transitioning to playing him more in the centres, I cannot see that as a permanent career move for Marion Seve.* With his strong running and ability to get on his direct opponents outside and then use his plus speed to get into open space, Marion Seve’s best position is in the centres.
A good NRL player comparison for Marion Seve is now Newcastle Knight and former Brisbane Bronco Tautau Moga.* Like Moga, Marion Seve is very talented, I just think that he needs a coach who is going to believe in him and will give him an extended run in the NRL even if he makes a couple of early mistakes.* Confidence is the key for Marion Seve.
Conor Carey. The young 21 year old centre or winger originally from Marsden State High School was a Titans contracted junior at the U18 level before moving to the Norther Queensland Cowboys for whom he played for in the NYC competition. Whilst at the Cowboys, Conor Carey was chosen to represent Queensland at the U18 and U20 levels.
Conor Carey graduated from the NYC competition at the end of the 2015 season and made his Queensland Cup debut the following season with the Townsville Blackhawks. Conor Carey moved back to South East Queensland at the start of the 23017 season and went on to play twenty matches Queensland Cup matches this season with the Easts Tigers. In those matches Conor Carey scored six tries.
This season for the Easts Tigers, the 21 year old 185cm 90kg outside back started twenty matches in the centres 1 810 metres and made 221 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 82.8%. Conor Carey also broke 40 tackles, had five line breaks and had three try assists. Conor Carey’s 2017 Queensland Cup per game averages included running for 90.5 metres and making 10.2 tackles.
Even though he does not have great top end speed Conor Carey 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.
Conor Carey 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, Conor Carey 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.
Conor Carey has been named again in the Easts Tigers 2018 Queensland Cup side.
Whilst he spent the majority of the 2017 season in the centres, I believe that Conor Carey’s best position is on the wing.
From a player comparison perspective for Conor Carey think of our own Anthony Don as a player who may not have blazing speed etc. but he gets the job done efficiently and effectively with few errors and he always seems to be in the right position to exploit breaks.
Salesi Funaki. The former Wests Tigers NYC player and Brisbane Broncos NRL squad member had a solid season in the Queensland Cup for the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in 2017 and will look to use the 2018 season to garner interest from an NRL club. The former 2015 Wests Tigers NYC forward signed a two year contract with the Brisbane Broncos at the start of the 2016 season, but is yet to make his NRL debut and unfortunately his time at the Broncos is probably best remembered by getting into a fight with team mate Josh Maguire at training.
The 184cm 112kg second rower does have some skills of his own however which were on display in the Queensland Cup in 2017. Salesi Funaki spent the first half of the 2017 Queensland Cup season coming off the interchange bench before moving into the starting line-up towards the end of the season. Salesi Funaki in fact made his Queensland Cup debut for the Ipswich Jets in 2016 before moving to the Wynnum Manly Seagulls for the 2017 season.
In total Salesi Funaki was on the field for 693 minutes through seventeen matches games in eth Queensland Cup in 2017, making 1 464 metres and also making 285 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 87%. Salesi Funaki also broke 20 tackles made three line breaks and had twenty Four offloads on the season. Salesi Funaki scored three Queensland Cup tries in 2017 all coming from a hat trick in Round Eighteen against the Central Queensland Capra’s.
Salesi Funaki’s 2017 per game Queensland Cup averages included playing XX minutes per game, running for 86.1 metres and making 16.8 tackles.
Of the seventeen matches that he played in Salesi Funaki who came into the side in Round Four against the Mackay Cutters, came off the interchange bench in eleven of those contests. Salesi Funaki came into the starting line-up in Round Seventeen against the South’s Logan Magpies and played his final six matches there as well.
Interestingly Salesi Funaki’s influence on games from my perspective was higher when he was playing shorter minutes coming off the inter change bench, potentially this was as a result of him looking to manage his time differently when in the starting line-up.
Of the 1 464 metres that he made in 2017, Salesi Funaki made 538 of those post contact thus 36.8% of all his running metres were made after he had impacted the defensive line, including running for 58 post contact metres against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in Round Seven.
In two of his seventeen matches, Salesi Funaki ran for in excess of 100 metres, including running for 102 metres in just 32 minutes on the field in Round Four against the Mackay Cutters and in Round Seven against Wynnum Manly he ran for 130 metres in just 33 minutes.
Defensively Salesi Funaki made 32 tackles in Round Seventeen and in Round Nineteen he made 31 tackles against Redcliffe.
Salesi Funaki is a powerful runner of the ball and once he has generated momentum he is very difficult to stop and regularly has been able to drag defenders with him after initial contact has been made. Once he is in space, Salesi Funaki he actually has very good speed just I would consider to be above average to plus for a back rower and to add to the difficulties for the defensive line, he runs with a high knee lift and also has a powerful right hand fend. Salesi Funaki has also displayed a natural ability to offload the ball when in contact with the defensive line.
Defensively Salesi Funaki stays down low in his stance setting a strong lower base with his legs and drives through the body of the attacking player regularly backwards and then is powerful enough to then wrap up the ball and prevent a quick play the ball. The power he possesses is quite exceptional and he really does smash some opposition forwards.
The 22 year old Salesi Funaki will likely play the 2018 Queensland Cup season with the Wynnum Manly Seagulls again (I have not heard anything to the contrary anyway). It will be interesting to see whether the Seagulls coaching staff use him differently in 2018 now that he is no longer contracted to the Bronco’s NRL squad.
With his decent footwork and hard wide running I believe that Salesi Funaki has the appropriate skill set and physical attributes to stay in the second row even though he could also play in the front row reasonably effectively.
Charlie Gubb of the formerly New Zealand Warriors is for me an apt comparison for Salesi Funaki. Like Gubb at this stage of his career Salesi Funaki is more effective coming off the interchange bench where he does not have to worry about maintaining his overall effectiveness for long periods and can just go out and go at 100 miles an hour until he runs out of stamina.
Aaron Whitchurch. The 25 year old centre or second rower has been on the fringes of the NRL for what seems like forever and in fact played five NRL matches for the Brisbane Broncos between 2012 and 2015. Aaron Whitchurch played two NRL matches in 2012, scoring his only NRL try to date, one in 2013 with his final two NRL games coming in 2015.
The former Brisbane Bronco’s NRL player and Queensland Residents centre split time between the centres and the second row for the Dolphins this season in his sixteen regular season and two final’s series matches for the Dolphins in 2017.
In total Aaron Whitchurch was on the field for 1 065 minutes through eighteen matches’ games, making 1 631 metres and also making 336 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 84.9% in the Queensland Cup in 2017. Aaron Whitchurch also broke 44 tackles and made two line breaks.
Aaron Whitchurch’s 2017 per game Queensland Cup averages included playing 59 minutes per game, running for 90.6 metres and making 18.67 tackles.
Of the eighteen matches that he played in Aaron Whitchurch started five in the centres, seven in the second row and the remaining seven from the interchange bench.
Of the 1 631 metres that he made in 2017, Aaron Whitchurch made 619 of those post contact thus 38% of all his running metres were made after he had impacted the defensive line, including running for 64 post contact metres against the South’s Logan Magpies in Round Sixteen.
In seven of his eighteen matches, Aaron Whitchurch ran for in excess of 100 metres, including running for 163 metres in Round One against the Burleigh Bears.
Defensively Aaron Whitchurch made 35 tackles in Redcliffe’s Preliminary Final loss to PNG and made 30 tackles in Round Fourteen against the Easts Tigers.
Even though he has played five NRL matches in his career to date, it has always intrigued me why he has not played in more, maybe because he is a quiet player on the field and does not talk himself up off it, I am just not sure.
Aaron Whitchurch has played the majority of his football this year in the back row, 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, he 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 Aaron Whitchurch does possess when playing in the centre position 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.
When he has played second row previously, Aaron Whitchurch 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 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, Aaron Whitchurch obviously during the course of this year, defended more in the second row but obviously his skill set indicates that defending wider out in the centres does not cause him too many issues. His initial contact is more than solid and is more than enough to stop the momentum of the ball carrier. Aaron Whitchurch 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.
Aaron Whitchurch will be back in the Red and White of the Redcliffe Dolphins in 2018 as once again be a strong chance to represent the Queensland Residents side in their annual interstate clash against New South Wales Residents.
At 186cm and 102kg Aaron Whitchurch has the size to play either in the second row but he seems to have lost a touch of speed as a result of a number of injuries thus I believe that Aaron Whitchurch will play the most of the remainder of his rugby league career in the second row.
From a player comparison perspective one current first grade player really does stand out as being an ideal comparison from a playing style perspective and that is Mitch Aubussen of the Sydney Roosters. Like Aubussen Aaron Whitchurch seemingly is equally effective at both centre and second row and that is quite rare. A lot of second rowers can play in the centre adequately but are ultimately less effective and visa versa that does not appear to be the case with Conrad Skelton at least at the present time.
Lachlan Roe. The 195cm 110kg giant has moved around a bit since returning to South East Queensland after a stint with the Parramatta Eels SG Ball side a number of seasons ago. Lachlan Roe initially moved back to Ipswich playing for the Ipswich Jets Colts side and also played a season with the Burleigh Bears Colts side in 2016 before heading back to Ipswich for the 2017 season where he had a break out season under the Walker brothers.
In total Lachlan Roe was on the field for 641 minutes through eighteen games, making 1 849 metres and also making 262 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 91.5% in the Queensland Cup in 2017. Lachlan Roe also broke 42 tackles and had seventeen offloads on the season. Lachlan Roe’s sole 2017 Queensland Cup try came in Round Fourteen against the North’s Devils. Lachlan Roe’s 2017 per game Queensland Cup averages included playing 35.6 minutes per game, running for 102.7 metres and making 14.55 tackles.
Of the eighteen matches that he played in Lachlan Roe who came into the side in Round Four against the Sunshine Coast Falcons, came off the interchange bench in seventeen of those contests, which his only start coming in Round Thirteen against Sunshine Coast when he started in the front row.
Of the 1 849 metres that he made in 2017, Lachlan Roe made 773 of those post contact thus 42% of all his running metres were made after he had impacted the defensive line, including running for 64 post contact metres against the Northern Pride in Round Twenty One and 63 metres in Round Ten against the Central Queensland Capra’s.
In eleven of his seventeen matches, Lachlan Roe ran for in excess of 100 metres, including running for 160 metres in just 35 minutes on the field in Round Twenty One against the Northern Pride and in Round Fourteen also against the Northern Pride he ran for 150 metres in just 37 minutes.
Lachlan Roe also played in two Brisbane A grade matches in 2017 scoring three tries in the process.
Lachlan Roe 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 Lachlan Roe only passes when his support is in a better position, which is a sign of maturity for such a young player. Lachlan Roe continually put his hand up all day to take the ball up and plays the ball quickly so that his team can maintain or generate momentum.
In defence Lachlan Roe 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.
Lachlan Roe is on the move again in 2018 with the 21 year old young giant set to play for the Sunshine Coast Falcons in 2018 in the Queensland Cup where the coaching staff of the Falcons are already talking about using as a battering ram, which for me is not the best utilisation of his skill set especially in relation to his surprising speed for a big strong young man.
Lachlan Roe played primarily in the front row this season for the Ipswich Jets but I would much prefer to see him operate wider of the ruck in the second row. Yes he is big enough to play in the front row but he has far more speed and mobility than your traditional front rower and thus I would like to see him play in the second row for a least a couple of more seasons. His earlier experience in the centres means that Lachlan Roe would not be out of place wider of the ruck from an experience perspective.
Shaun Lane currently of Manly is a player who for me has similar attributes and a similar playing style to Lachlan Roe. Like Lane I believe that Lachlan Roe has not been used properly over the last couple of seasons. Coaches seem to see his size and want to use him purely as a battering ram but he has more skills that that at his disposal.
Also like Lane Lachlan Roe continues to move from club to club as he looks for a coach who will look past just his size and appreciate that there is a talented rugby league player in that big frame who is more than just a bash and barge type.
Henare Wells. The exceptionally quick New Zealand (Taumarunui) born Gold Coast local has been on the fringes of the NRL for a couple of seasons. After playing for the Roosters in the NYC competition out of Keebra Park Henare Wells has played for both the Roosters and New Zealand Warriors New South Wales Intrust Super Cup sides as well as playing for the Burleigh Bears Queensland Cup side in a couple of seasons including the 2017 season.
This season for the Bears, the 25 year old 188cm 75 kg flyer started seventeen match on the wing for Burleigh in the Queensland Cup making 1 713 metres and made 70 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 67.9%. Henare Wells was a nightmare for defences scoring seven tries, having twenty two tackle breaks and also had eight line breaks and four try assists. Henare Wells’s 2017 Queensland Cup per game averages included running for 101 metres and making 4 tackles.
Henare Wells is very quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside and will not get caught from behind if he gets into open space. In addition to his speed he seems to have the ability to “freeze” his direct opponent with his ability to step off both feet before accelerating around them usually on the touchline side.
Henare Wells most of the modern day wingers he also has the ability to find the try line in some unlikely situations where it appears that there is no way he could possibly get the ball down without going into touch. His straight line speed would be considered above average to plus for a winger I would suggest.
In terms of chasing attacking kicks Henare Wells 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.
He 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. He will also chase general play kicks with vigour trying to improve the effectiveness of his teams kicking game.
In defence, he is not the strongest winger, but will certainly look to come out of the line to stop the attack quickly. Henare Wells will show his opposite winger the sideline and is confident that his speed will enable him to get across to make the tackle.
Henare Wells seems certain to line up once again for the Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup in 2017 where with his outstanding speed and elusiveness will be one of the competitions most dangerous and damaging ball runners.
Henare Wells played a fair bit of fullback in his early rugby league days but over the last couple of seasons has seemingly settled on the wing where he is a regular try scoring threat almost every time that he touches the ball.
From a player comparison perspective with his speed and smaller build for a reasonably tall winger, Henare Wells has a playing style similar to that of current Brisbane Bronco’s fringe NRL player Jonas Pearson.
Delouise Hoeter. The young former Wests Tigers NRL centre played seven NRL matches with the Wests Tigers in 2015 before heading up to Queensland to try his luck in the Queensland Cup. The 185cm, 88kg centre played for the Townsville Blackhawks in 2016 before playing the 2017 season with the North’s Devils.
Delouise Hoeter is on the move again, recently signing for the Wynnum Manly Seagulls for the 2018 Queensland Cup season. Earlier this season, Delouise Hoeter started in the centres for the Queensland Residents representative side a scored a double in their victory over New South Wales Residents.
All of Delouise Hoeter’s seven NRL matches came in 2015 with the Wests Tigers with the young man starting six of those matches in the centres after making his debut in Round Four on the wing. In 2015 Delouise Hoeter also represented Tonga.
Delouise Hoeter twelve tries in the Queensland Cup in 2017 including scoring a double in Round Eleven against Redcliffe and scored a try in each of the first five rounds of the competition.
In total Delouise Hoeter was on the field for 2 104 minutes through twenty three games in the Queensland Cup in 2017, making 2 394 metres and also making 303 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 82.3% in the Queensland Cup in 2017. Delouise Hoeter also broke 62 tackles and made nine line breaks.
Delouise Hoeter’s 2017 per game Queensland Cup averages included playing 75 minutes per game, running for 104 metres and making 13 tackles. Of the twenty three matches that he played in Delouise Hoeter started all in the centres and played the entire 80 minutes in twenty one.
Of the 2 394 metres that he made in 2017, Delouise Hoeter made 917 of those post contact thus 38.3% of all his running metres were made after he had impacted the defensive line, including running for 68 post contact metres against the Central Queensland Capra’s in Round Five.
In twelve of his twenty Three matches, Delouise Hoeter ran for in excess of 100 metres, including running for 159 metres in Round Five against Central Queensland and 147 on two occasions, against Tweed Heads and Round Seven and Wynnum Manly in Round Fifteen.
Delouise Hoeter is just a silky smooth runner of the ball who seems to glide across the field effortlessly and certainly has an extra gear in relation to the speed he possesses as well as plus speed off the mark and plus lateral movement as well. He also has the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is becoming increasingly rare in the modern game.
When he gets the ball early from his inside play makers, Delouise Hoeter is incredibly difficult to deal with one on one, as whilst his speed has already been noted, he is also a powerful runner who has the power to also break tackles through sheer power and not just rely on his speed to beat his opponent, in short he has a myriad of moves to break through the defensive line regardless of the defensive methodology that they are incorporating.
The one thing he also seems to be able to do well, is to step back inside without the loss of his speed or forward momentum, opposing defenders seem to push out quickly when he has the ball expecting him to look to beat them on their outside, if they come across to far, he has a very good step back side and if the inside defenders are not quick enough to cover across he has the speed to make a clean break in those circumstances.
Similarly when an opposing defender looks to come out of the line quickly to put pressure on him, Delouise Hoeter’s his quick twitch feet means that he can step off either foot quickly to negate the attempt to cut down his time. In short Delouise Hoeter is a very talented attacking player who looks to beat his opponent with speed and guile rather than purely by brute strength.
In defence Delouise Hoeter 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 he will become more effective defensively, not that there is all that much wrong with how he defends at present certainly in relation to the standard he is playing at.
As previously noted Delouise Hoeter will line up again in the Queensland Cup again in 2018, this time in the Green and Red of the Wynnum Manly Seagulls and is likely a Queensland Residents representative again in 2018.
With his combination of size, speed, elusiveness and strength Delouise Hoeter has all of the skill and physical attributes that NRL coaches and executives are looking for in modern day centres and thus I am sure that he will stay in the centres for the duration.
If you are looking for a current player with a similar skill set, I cannot go past Broncos rookie Tom Opacic as a young player with a similar playing style, they both just seem to innately understand where to best position themselves to impact the play whether that be in attack or defence.
Ken Tofilau. The strong powerful 177cm 93kg winger had an outstanding debut season in the Queensland Cup in 2017 for the Central Queensland Capra’s after moving up from the Newcastle Knights in the offseason to try his luck in Queensland.
The New Zealand born twenty year old had two outstanding seasons with the Newcastle Knights NYC and Super Cup squads prior to his move to Queensland. Prior to his move to Australia Ken Tofilau was an outstanding junior rugby league player including being recognised as the best domestic New Zealand U18 rugby league player. Ken Tofilau also represented New Zealand at the U16 and U18 levels and at just 17 years of age represented the Canterbury Bulls at fullback in the New Zealand Domestic A grade competition.
Statically Ken Tofilau had an outstanding 2017 Queensland Cup campaign finishing with the most line breaks in the competition with 22, also finishing as the player with the most runs with 360 and third in most metres gained with the ball at 3 443.
In total Ken Tofilau was on the field for 1 840 minutes through twenty games starting on the wing and playing all 80 minutes in each match. In total in Ken Tofilau made 3 443 metres and also making 45 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 55.2% in the Queensland Cup in 2017. Ken Tofilau also broke 68 tackles and had 22 line breaks. Ken Tofilau’s 2017 per game Queensland Cup averages included playing all 80 minutes per game, running for 156.5 metres and making 3.5 tackles.
Ken Tofilau scored sixteen tries including a Round One hat trick against PNG and doubles in Round Two against Redcliffe and Round Twenty One against the Sunshine Coast Falcons. Ken Tofilau also scored against Burleigh in Round Three, against Wynnum Manly in Rounds Eight and Eighteen, against Ipswich in Round Ten, against Townsville in Rounds Eleven and Twenty Two, against the Northern Pride in Round Twelve, against Tweed Heads in Round Thirteen and in Round Twenty Four against the South’s Logan Magpies.
Of the 3 443 metres that he made in 2017, Ken Tofilau made 981 of those post contact thus 28.5% of all his running metres were made after he had impacted the defensive line, including running for 70 post contact metres in Round Twelve against the Northern Pride.
In nineteen of his twenty three matches, Ken Tofilau ran for in excess of 100 metres, including running for 222 metres in Round Twelve against the Northern Pride in Round Fourteen against Redcliffe he ran for 203 metres and in Round Four against Tweed Heads Ken Tofilau ran for 200 metres.
Ken Tofilau is just an incredibly fast player who has an effortless running style, he looks like his is gliding across the ground. In the centre position, he has the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is rare in the modern game. When he gets the ball early from his inside play makers, Ken Tofilau is incredibly difficult to deal with one on one, as whilst his speed has already been noted he also has a very good in and away to get on the outside of his direct opponent and from there he transitions the ball into both hands thus creating uncertainty in the minds of any outside defender in terms of whether they should come in off their wing or stay with their man.
For a young man that does not necessarily present as a giant Ken Tofilau also has a solid fend especially when he has been able to get on the outside of his opposite number and thus they are not perfectly balanced to make the tackle. He is able to push off then and use his exceptional body control to maintain his balance and once he is in the clear he is not going to get caught from behind.
Defensively the methodology that Ken Tofilau employs is to use his speed to get up quickly on his opposite number to prevent then building their momentum in their run and even though he is not the biggest outside back running around in the competition he regularly put his body in front of opposing defenders.
Ken Tofilau will be lining up again for the Central Queensland Capra’s in the Queensland Cup in 2018 where once again he will be near the top of the try scoring, most metres gained and most runs lists.
When I saw Ken Tofilau playing at fullback for the Newcastle Knights in the NYC competition I really did think that fullback was going to be his primary position into the future but his performance this year on the wing for the Capra’s has fundamentally changed my opinion.
With his ability to explode out of dummy half and freakish body control and balance near the touch line it is hard not to see Ken Tofilau getting another NRL opportunity where he shapes as a try scoring winger who can also spell his forwards with runs out of dummy half.
Ken Tofilau is talented outside back with speed to burn and on that basis a current NRL player with similar speed attributes and playing style is current North Queensland Cowboys winger Antonio Winterstein.
Jayden McDonogh. The former Macaulay College and Grafton Ghosts youngster has spent the last three seasons with the Cronulla Sharks but is currently not contracted to an NRL club after playing for the Sharks NYC side in 2015 and 2016, winning the Best Forward award for the 2016 NYC season and played for the Newtown Jets in 2017 in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership.
Jayden McDonogh in fact played in a Titans NYC trial for a spot in the 2015 NYC squad but ended up at the Sharks instead where he had two outstanding NYC season. I can recall being disappointed that he ended up at Cronulla instead of the Titans.
The 21 year old front rower had an outstanding season for the Newtown Jets in 2017, starting in the front row in sixteen matches scoring a single try. In total in the NSW Intrust Super Premiership in 2017, Jayden McDonogh ran for 1 233 metres with 453 of those metres post contact being 36.74%, made eighteen tackle breaks and made 435 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 90.6%. Jayden McDonogh’s 2017 NSW Intrust Super Premiership per game averages included running for 77.1 metres on 8.2 hit-ups and making an impressive 27.19 tackles.
The 179cm, 99kg forward is deceptively quick and strong and with his low centre of gravity is a difficult proposition for defences especially when you take into account his foot work prior to the line when he is running with the ball. Jayden McDonogh is a solidly built young front rower with a low centre of gravity, which makes him quite difficult to tackle as he is also adept at dropping his shoulder into defenders as he impacts the defensive line.
One thing that Jayden McDonogh does do will however is continuing to pump his legs once his initial momentum is halted by the defensive line, he makes more metres than he should as a result and also forces defending teams to commit multiple defensive assets to stopping his progress. He does not have a real off load to his attacking game, but that is not his role, his role is to take the ball into the heart of the opposition’s defensive line and make as many metres as possible.
For a player of his size and position Jayden McDonogh actually has decent speed off the mark but obviously does not necessary have great top end speed. Jayden McDonogh shows flashes of the ability to off load the football when engaged with the defensive line but it is not a skill attribute that you see often not are you likely to into the future as that his not his primary role on a rugby league field.
When Jayden McDonogh hits you, you stay hit, full stop. Due to his height he is able to drive into the ribs of larger forwards and as his centre of gravity is usually lower than that of the person that he is defending against he is able to negatively impact on their momentum and balance and bring them to ground very quickly and is strong enough to win the wrestle and slow the play the ball down to allow his sides defensive line to re-establish itself before the opposition run their next play.
From my understanding Jayden McDonogh will once again be playing for the Newtown Jets in the NSW Intrust Super Premiership in 2018 but he is a Northern New South Wales local so it certainly would not hurt to monitor the young forward to see how he goes in 2018 with a view to bringing him “home” in the future.
Jayden McDonogh is a little under sized from a “typical” front rower’s perspective, but it is great to see NRL teams start to move away from the size is everything mantra that dominated player recruitment for a period. Heady skilful players like Jayden McDonogh are the ones that will benefit most from this change.
Jayden McDonogh played his junior rugby league in the Grafton area in the front row including for the Grafton ghosts in First Grade as a 17 year old, he progressed through the NYC competition in the front row and even though he wore the No. 13 jersey for the Jets in 2017, he was essentially a third front rower all be it one with more mobility than others in the same position. What does at that mean? It means that Jayden McDonogh has found his niche on a rugby league field and he is making the most of it.
From a player comparison perspective, I would consider that a player with a similar build and a similar playing style is North Queensland Cowboys, Queensland and Australian front rower Matt Scott as a front rower who is not flashy but works hard to put his team on the front foot through gaining ground through the centre of the ruck all be it with a touch of subtlety to his running style.
Titanic
10-01-18, 12:11 PM
Like the sound of him for a QCup start to build some momentum.
Jarome Luai. The talented young Penrith Panthers five eight or half back was in superb form throughout the 2017 New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership side including dominating PNG on Grand Final day. Jarome Luai is well known to new Titans coach Gareth Brennan who has coached him for the last couple of season and clearly knows his potential well.
In the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership in 2017, Jarome Luai played in twelve matches at five eight including both the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership Grand Final and the State Final against PNG where he scored in a dominant Penrith victory. Jarome Luai started the 2017 season in the Penrith NYC side playing six matches, scoring three tries before moving up to the Gareth Brennan coached Intrust Super Premiership side where he scored a superb hat trick in Round 25.
In 2015 Jarome Luai guided Penrith to the NYC premiership and late last season underlined his outstanding potential by playing three matches for Samoa in the Rugby League World Cup, being the only member of the Samoan squad that was jet to make his NRL debut.
In attack the 184cm 88kg youngster 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. Jarome Luai 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 Jarome Luai is very good at identifying tired forwards in the defensive line, and he will target them accordingly. A great trait that Jarome Luai already displays is that he will play what is in front of him rather than just play to a set game plan, which is a sign of a young player with a good understanding of the game and his role within it’s framework.
When confronted with forwards running directly at him on the edge of the ruck, Jarome Luai 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 Jarome Luai 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.
Jarome Luai will play the 2018 season once again with the Penrith Panthers in the NSW Intrust Super Premiership side and with new signing James Maloney and boom half Nathan Cleary seemingly locked into the halves at Penrith for at least the next three seasons, 2019 may see Jarome Luai looking for a new opportunity. If there is a space at the Titans (depending on Kane Elgey’s situation. Who I want to see resign as a talented local junior) the Titans would be well placed to look to reunite Jarome Luai with his former coach.
Over the course of his NYC career Jarome Luai in addition to playing in the halves, has also spent some time at fullback but his progression over the course of the 2017 season suggests playing in the halves would be the best situation for Jarome Luai in the long term. From my perspective, whether Jerome Luai is wearing either No 6 or No. 7 will not make any difference in terms of how he plays the game.
From a player comparison, I would consider Warriors and New Zealand International halfback Shaun Johnson as a player with a similar playing style, Jarome Luai does not have the same prodigious side step, but all other aspects such as the plus plus speed off the mark and plus top end speed seem to be on display when he has the ball in hand.
Jarome Luai. The talented young Penrith Panthers five eight or half back was in superb form throughout the 2017 New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership side including dominating PNG on Grand Final day. Jarome Luai is well known to new Titans coach Gareth Brennan who has coached him for the last couple of season and clearly knows his potential well.
In the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership in 2017, Jarome Luai played in twelve matches at five eight including both the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership Grand Final and the State Final against PNG where he scored in a dominant Penrith victory. Jarome Luai started the 2017 season in the Penrith NYC side playing six matches, scoring three tries before moving up to the Gareth Brennan coached Intrust Super Premiership side where he scored a superb hat trick in Round 25.
In 2015 Jarome Luai guided Penrith to the NYC premiership and late last season underlined his outstanding potential by playing three matches for Samoa in the Rugby League World Cup, being the only member of the Samoan squad that was jet to make his NRL debut.
In attack the 184cm 88kg youngster 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. Jarome Luai 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 Jarome Luai is very good at identifying tired forwards in the defensive line, and he will target them accordingly. A great trait that Jarome Luai already displays is that he will play what is in front of him rather than just play to a set game plan, which is a sign of a young player with a good understanding of the game and his role within it’s framework.
When confronted with forwards running directly at him on the edge of the ruck, Jarome Luai 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 Jarome Luai 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.
Jarome Luai will play the 2018 season once again with the Penrith Panthers in the NSW Intrust Super Premiership side and with new signing James Maloney and boom half Nathan Cleary seemingly locked into the halves at Penrith for at least the next three seasons, 2019 may see Jarome Luai looking for a new opportunity. If there is a space at the Titans (depending on Kane Elgey’s situation. Who I want to see resign as a talented local junior) the Titans would be well placed to look to reunite Jarome Luai with his former coach.
Over the course of his NYC career Jarome Luai in addition to playing in the halves, has also spent some time at fullback but his progression over the course of the 2017 season suggests playing in the halves would be the best situation for Jarome Luai in the long term. From my perspective, whether Jerome Luai is wearing either No 6 or No. 7 will not make any difference in terms of how he plays the game.
From a player comparison, I would consider Warriors and New Zealand International halfback Shaun Johnson as a player with a similar playing style, Jarome Luai does not have the same prodigious side step, but all other aspects such as the plus plus speed off the mark and plus top end speed seem to be on display when he has the ball in hand.
Maiko Sivo. The Fijian born 23 year old winger has been a revelation in the three short years that he has been playing rugby league and New Titans coach Gareth Brennan has already gone on record about the untapped and unlimited potential this Fijian youngster has.
In the three years that Maiko Sivo has been playing rugby league he has scored an incredible 98 tries and in 2017 was part of the Penrith New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership side that won the premiership and then the following week was in the side that defeated PNG on Grand Final day, both sides coached by Gareth Brennan of course.
In total in the NSW Intrust Super Premiership in 2017, Maiko Sivo played in twelve matches scoring thirteen. Maiko Sivo ran for 1 405 metres, made 51 tackle breaks, had a try assist, twelve line breaks and made 51 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 74.2%. Maiko Sivo’s 2017 NSW Intrust Super Premiership per game averages included running for 117.1 metres and making 4.25 tackles.
Maiko Sivo’s first season in Australian was for the Gundagai Tigers in the Group 9 competition in 2015 before me moved to the Mounties in the Sydney Cup for the 2016 season. Maiko Sivo started the 2017 season with St Mary’s in the Ron Massey Cup competition before breaking in the Penrith side for the NSW Intrust Super Premiership. He did not become a regular in the Penrith side until Round Fourteen.
Prior to his arrival in Australia Maiko Sivo who only came to Australia after accepting an invitation from a local Gundagai couple who were on holiday in Fiji, represented Fiji in rugby at the U20 at the 2014 World Junior Rugby Championships.
Maiko Sivo is a tall powerful young man with the length to cause matchup problems for a defensive line. The key for Maiko Sivo is to get the ball early and look to run through his opposite number if there is no room to move down the sideline. When there is room down the side line , Maiko Sivo has the above average to plus speed to break into open space and with his long lean limbs is able to hold his opposing winger away from his body with a strong fend enabling him to maintain his balance and running line even when under pressure.
Maiko Sivo also has the size and speed to come in off his wing and give his forwards a breather through powerful runs through the centre of the ruck and on those occasions commits multiple defenders. With his length and leaping ability Maiko Sivo is also an asset in the kicking game and when he gets a decent shot at the ball will be rarely beaten in the air.
Defensively Maiko Sivo is effective at maintaining his discipline staying with his opposite winger rather than looking to come in but in the occasions that he does come off his wing, he has the strength to finish off the attacking play there and then. With his speed, Maiko Sivo also has the recovery speed to react to opposition line breaks.
Maiko Sivo is contracted to the Panthers for 2018 but with the Panthers young backline looking set and talented youngsters coming through they cannot keep everyone and no one is better placed to help Maika Sivo realise his potential than his former coach.
It is incredible to think that Maika Sivo has only played three seasons of rugby league playing all three on the wing. With his relative lack of rugby league experience and outstanding speed and body control, no coach should even hypothesise about moving Maika Sivo from the wing.
In the interests of fairness Maiko Sivo is very raw but similarly he has come a long way in a short period of time, which to the present time has come primarily on the back of his natural ability. It is intriguing to hypothesise however what he could be with full time coaching and development, very intriguing indeed.
A current NRL player with similar skill attributes and playing style for me is Melbourne Storm sensation Suliasi Vunivalu. Like Vunivalu, Maika Sivo is a powerful runner who displays some breath taking skills on a field and has the innate ability that cannot be taught to score.
Nick Meaney. The 21 year old former Northern New South Wales junior is a case of the one that got away for the Titans. The former Ballina Seagulls was a player that the Titans were looking at a few years ago but the Newcastle Knights got under their guard and signed the young fullback.
Nick Meaney was outstanding for the Knights NYC side for a number of seasons including being named the Knights NYC player of the year in 2016, before having an exceptional 2017 season in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership where he was again named as Newcastle’s best.
In total in the NSW Intrust Super Premiership in 2017, Nick Meaney played in Twenty Four matches scoring five tries and kicking 24 goals at a conversion rate of 76.2% to finish the season with 68 points. Nick Meaney ran for 2 488 metres, made 102 tackle breaks, had thirteen try assists, thirteen line breaks and made 201 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 80.6%. In 2017 Nick Meaney received the ball on 552 occasions highlighting his importance to his team.
Nick Meaney’s 2017 NSW Intrust Super Premiership per game averages included running for 103.7 metres and making 8.4 tackles.
Nick Meaney 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 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 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 Nick Meaney 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 Nick Meaney understands that he cannot do it all himself and thus became adept at drawing defenders out of the line and putting his support runners into the subsequent hole. As his play making skills continue to evolve, the attacking possibilities are endless for the young custodian.
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 Nick Meaney 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 and does not fall for a dummy in those situations.
An impressive attribute that Nick Meaney 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.
Nick Meaney is contracted to the Knights for the 2018 season where he will once again surely be a standout in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership side as a 22 year old.
With Kayln Ponga heading to the Newcastle Knights in 2018 on a long term and expensive deal it seems that barring injury Nick Meaney’s chances at playing in the NRL in his favoured fullback position may be limited. With a hole at fullback for the Titans post 2018/19 when Michael Gordon retires, the Titans could do far worse than bring another “local” junior home, especially when Nick Meaney fills a definite positional need and is an outstanding player as well.
In his junior rugby league career in Northern New South Wales, Nick Meaney played a variety of positions including fullback, centre and wing, but since he has moved to Newcastle he has been outstanding at fullback across both the NYC and NSW Intrust Super Premiership competitions. It should also be pointed out that fullback is definitely Nick Meaney’s positional preference.
Nick Meaney just looks like he is playing at a pace far quicker than the players around him and dare I say it I can see similar attributes to that of the player that may block Nick Meaney from playing in the NRL for Newcastle being Kayln Ponga.
Nick Meaney does not have the same explosiveness off the mark as Ponga but his sense of timing, anticipation and plus top end speed present as similar to the rugby league sensation, he is just as natural on a rugby league field.
Julian Christian. The young former Kirwan State High School rugby league star moved down to Brisbane at the end of 2016 to be part of the Brisbane Bronco’s NYC squad. The young five eight had only limited opportunities in eth NYC with the Bronco’s but got his opportunity with the Ipswich Jets starting at five eight in two Queensland Cup matches towards the end of the 2017 season and to say that he was outstanding would be an understatement.
Whilst 177cm, 77kg five eight only played in two matches, he scored four tries, made one line break, had one try assist, made 378 metres and made twelve tackles at a 100% tackling efficiency. Julian Christian’s 2017 Queensland Cup per game averages included running for 188 metres and making six tackles.
For the Bronco’s in the 2017 NYC competition, Julian Christian played in nine matches, starting the first five matches that he played at five eight. In his final four matches in the NYC in 2017 Julian Christian started one at half back and the remaining three from the interchange. Julian Christin scored two 2017 NYC tries which came against the Cowboys in Round Two and against the Storm in Round Three.
In total in the 2017 NYC competition, Julian Christian was on the field for 483 minutes ran for 325 metres on 28 hit-ups, made four line breaks, had two try assists and made 99 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 92.83%. Julian Christian’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing for 54 minutes, running for 36.1 metres from 3 carries and making eleven tackles.
Julian Christian had an outstanding junior representative career including representing the Queensland U18’s in 2016 where in fact he started at hooker and also multiple school boy and junior age representative side in North Queensland. In 2016 Julian Christian played for the Townsville Blackhawks in the MM Cup competition including playing in eth MM Cup final where they were victorious.
Julian Christian’s speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice when you see him play live. Julian Christian 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.
To compliment an outstanding left foot step, Julian Christian’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.
The continued key development area for Julian Christian 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.
Julian Christian has a good short kicking game but he does not have the strongest leg in terms of kicking deep.
In defence, Julian Christian reads the play well enough to hold his own when defending much bigger players. Julian Christian 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 from the inside forwards.
It needs to be considered that even in relation to a small sample size Julian Christian did not miss a tackle in two Queensland Cup matches as an 18 year old and his tackling efficiency in the NYC was above 90% which is outstanding for that competition especially in relation to a 177cm, 77kg five eight. The young man can tackle period.
Julian Christian will play the upcoming 2018 season with the Ipswich Jets and under the coaching of the Walker brothers should continue to flourish by being able to play what is in front of him rather than to a set pattern. The impressive aspect is that Julian Christian is still eligible to play in the Hastings Dearing’s U20 Colts competition in 2018 but is likely to skip that competition all together.
Julian Christian has played just about everywhere in the back line, including fullback, five eight and halfback and at this stage I think that it is too early to call where his best position will be. He has exceptional speed, balance and hand eye co-ordination thus fullback is a clear option but he also runs with the ball out in front of his body in two hands and can hop a very good short pass thus half aback is also clearly not out of the question.
Should he make the NRL I would think that Julian Christian initially breaks in at fullback but then after getting acclimatised moves to the halves on a more permanent basis.
With his outstanding speed, elusiveness and ball playing ability Julian Christian is almost a carbon copy of the Titans very own AJ Brimson.
Liam Pakau. The former Titans contracted youngster and Keebra Park student is a nuggetty young centre from Ipswich, who normally plays on the left side of the field. Liam Pakea played in a Titans jersey in 2015 when he started on the wing for a Titans U18 Invitational side in a big win against Samoa at Pizzey Park. Post that match, Liam Pakea signed with the Wests Tigers and played in their colours in the 2017 NYC competition.
For the West’s Tigers in the 2017 NYC competition, Liam Pakau played in twenty one matches, starting the first eleven matches last season in the centres and the remaining matches on the wing. In all twenty one matches Liam Pakea played the entire 80 minutes.
Across his twenty one matches, Liam Pakea scored twelve tries including a double in Round Twenty Five against the Cowboys. Liam Pakau’s other tries came against the Rabbitohs, Storm, Dragons, Cowboys, Eels, Bulldogs, Titans (Titans won the game 28-14) Knights, Panthers and Warriors.
In total in the 2017 NYC competition, Liam Pakau was on the field for 1 680 minutes ran for 2 236 metres on 197 hit-ups, made twenty line breaks, had two try assists and made 105 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 78.36%. Liam Pakau’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing for all 80 minutes, running for 106.5 metres from 9.4 carries and making five tackles.
On eleven occasions Liam Pakea ran for in excess of 100 metres including a 168 metres effort from just twelve hit-ups in Round Seventeen against the Newcastle Knights.
In the MM competition in 2016 Liam Pakau scored three tries and was awarded the Parcell Family Award, the Junior Jets program's highest honour, for his "commitment to the program" over a number of years. He played his school boy football for St Peter Clavier College in Ipswich as well as playing a handful of club games for the Goodna Eagles when he was not playing for the Ipswich Jets and in 2014 he made the U16 South East Queensland kookaburra’s side.
Liam Pakau is powerfully built young man who runs with pace and power. It would be unfair to categorise that his game is only built on pace and power though as he has a very good right foot step and right hand fend, he can also draw defenders in to give players outside him room. Due to his strength and fend he regularly gets on the outside of his opposite defender forcing the winger to make a decision as to whether to come in on him or stay with his winger.
If he comes in, Liam Pakau has the quick hands to get the pass away prior to contact, but also is big and strong enough as well as having very good core strength and balance to absorb the contact and still get the pass to his winger. If the opposing winger still out, he is definitely quick enough to break into open space although I would not say that he has plus speed, he is quick enough to gain separate from the cover defence.
When you look at his build he may not look like he has a lot of speed, but he definitely does. He is not necessarily the quickest off the mark but Liam Pakau has very good acceleration once he is moving and can sustain his top pace over an extended period.
I note that most of the attacking attributes that I have noted above are ‘better” from the left side. His passing to the right, his step and fend are good from the right side but he is currently clearly better playing in the left centre position. For Ipswich Colts he played on both sides of the field. I am not sure whether time and experience playing on his less comfortable side will develop those skills so that they are equivalent to his right side or whether left will always be the dominate side. Regardless he is a handful for defences from either side of the field.
His 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 Liam Pakau 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.
Liam Pakau is still eligible for Colts in 2018 but at this stage I am unaware where he will be playing.
Whilst Liam Pakau played a fair big of his junior rugby league in the centres and I will admit that is where his future lay but his play last season in the NYC competition means that he now is seemingly set to stay on the wing permanently.
An NRL player with a similar playing style for me is Manly winger Jorge Tafua as a big strong hard running outside back who will also come out of the line targeting the ball carrier as well as having the ability to take pressure off his forwards when coming out of their own territory through strong charges through the centre of the ruck.
Clayton Mack. (Updated) The former Toowoomba Grammar School First XV Rugby Captain and former Queensland U16 Rugby League representative was probably the best defensive centre in the First XV competition in the 2016 year just beating out BSHS star and captain Quinton Mahina, Brisbane Grammar School’s Tom Gilbert and Brisbane Boys College star Len Ikitau for that particular honour in my eyes.
After his graduation from Toowoomba Grammar School in 2016, Clayton Mack moved Brisbane to play for the Brisbane Broncos in the NYC competition in 2017.
For the Brisbane Bronco’s in the 2017 NYC competition, Clayton Mack played in nine matches, starting two in the centres ( where he played all 80 minutes in each match) and his remaining matches including Brisbane’s two 2017 NYC finals matches from the interchange .
In total in the 2017 NYC competition, Clayton Mack was on the field for 340 minutes ran for 391 metres on 4.4 hit-ups and made 111 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 90.24%. Clayton Mack’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing for 38 minutes, running for 43.4 metres from 4.4 carries and making 12.3 tackles.
In 2017 Clayton Mack also played eleven matches for the South’s Logan Magpies in the U20 Colts Challenge competition scoring four tries including a double in Round Sixteen against Tweed Heads and he also scored against the Ipswich Jets twice, being in Rounds Nine and Fifteen.
Clayton Mack started his first three Colts Challenge matches in the centres and then transitioned to the second row in Round Eight against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls staying in that position for the remained of his time with the South’s Logan Magpies.
Over the course of the 2016 season he formed a solid combination with Kye Oates, who is the cousin of Brisbane Bronco’s winger Corey Oates. Toowoomba Grammar School had a heart breaking GPS season losing a number of games by a couple of points including a tough one point loss to TSS in Round One but it was not through lack of effort from their inspirational captain.
Earlier in the 2016 season, Clayton Mack was selected in the GPS3 side for the Queensland Schools Rugby trials. From those trials Clayton Mack was selected in the Queensland II Schools side for the Australians Schools trials. His best game in the Australian Schools trials came in a 22 – 10 victory over the ACT when he crossed for two tries. His first try came just after half time when he regathered an attacking kick to score and then later in the half he ran a very good line for Matt McCarthy to find him with a good long ball for him to score out wide to seal the win for Queensland II.
In 2015, Clayton Mack originally from the South Suburbs Club in Toowoomba started in the centres for Queensland at the U16 level and came away with a victory 12 – 10. Titans linked Darius Farmer, Reihana Marsh, Lochlyn Sheldon and Ben Thomas were team mates that night.
Whilst in 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 he also has a reasonable offload. When he breaks through the main defensive line Clayton Mack is also very effective at setting up his outside support, by drawing the fullback. He seems to mainly line up on the left hand side of the field.
Defensively Clayton Mack can confidently 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.
Clayton Mack is still eligible for the Colts age group in 2018 and has moved to the Souths Logan magpies for this season, where he will likely start off in the Hastings Dearings Colts competition.
Clayton Mack moved around a bit from a position perspective in 2017 playing in the centres and in the second row for the Bronco’s in the NYC competition and playing a lot of his Queensland Cup Colts matches for the magpies in the second row but I still would not rule out Clayton Mack from sticking in the centres.
From a player comparison perspective, defensively I can see aspects of either of the Morris brothers in his defensive game, I do not necessary think that Clayton Mack’s attacking attributes correlate to those of either of the Morris twins but it is not too far removed to get at least an appreciation of Clayton Mack’s style of play in terms of playing rugby league where I have no doubt he will end up.
Lane Ferling. The former 2016 Queensland Colts player of the year with the North’s Devils had a horror year with injury in 2017 after heading down to Sydney to join the Cronulla Sharks NYC squad. Unfortunately Lane Ferling was not able to play any matches for the Sharks NYC but did get on the field for a match in the New South Intrust Super Premiership for the Newtown Jets. Lane Ferling is now back in South East Queensland looking to put his injury riddled 2017 season behind him.
In his sole New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership match in 2017 Lane Ferling kicked for 202 metres, received the ball on 48 occasions, ran for 18 metres and made six tackles at a tackling efficiency of 60%.
Lane Ferling has above average speed both off the mark which I would consider in the plus category and top end speed. Lane Ferling with his speed is able to exploit gaps in the defensive line with a very good step off either foot and incredible acceleration as well as outstanding body control.
Lane Ferling has very good timing on his passes and is able to weight them perfectly as well and can do so from either side of his body. Lane Ferling also runs with the ball in both hands which is another reason why the defensive line is unable to determine exactly what Lane Ferling is going to do.
Defensively Lane Ferling is a very strong young man with solid 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. Lane Ferling also has a very good low tackling technique which is simple and effective against all size opponents.
Lane Ferling has a very good kick on him and also has good accuracy to go with the power that he generates. His kicking game suggests he will be a real 40/20 threat as he matures and progresses. Lane Ferling also gets his kicks away quickly thus not allowing the defenders to put an undue amount of pressure on him.
Lane Ferling 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.
The former Darling Downs junior has signed to play for the South’s Logan Magpies in the Queensland Cup in 2018 where he will be pushing for early playing time behind what looks to be an imposing Souths Logan forward pack.
Lane Ferling has spent his entire rugby league career at either five eight or half back and with his kicking and passing skills that is where he will surely stay for the duration.
Lane Ferling definitely reminds me of Newcastle rookie five eight Brock Lamb when he was on the field in 2016. Like Lamb, Lane Ferling is composed under pressure, with an above average kicking game, both tactical and attacking and underrated running and passing skills.
Thane Kellermeyer. The young Logan Brothers junior and former Woodridge State High School student had a number of NRL clubs after him for the 2017 season but he ultimately signed with the Brisbane Bronco’s for whom he played the 2017 season with in the NYC competition.
For the Bronco’s in the 2017 NYC competition, Thane Kellermeyer played in thirteen matches, starting all on the wing and playing all 80 minutes in twelve of them playing 72 minutes in the other match.
Across his thirteen NYC matches in 2017, Thane Kellermeyer scored three tries which included a Round Five double against the Bulldogs and a try in Round Twenty Two against the Titans, a match that the Titans won at Lang Park.
In total in the 2017 NYC competition, Thane Kellermeyer was on the field for 1 032 minutes ran for 893 metres on 97 hit-ups, made six line breaks and made 33 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 62.67%. Thane Kellermeyer’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing for 79 minutes, running for 68.7 metres from 7.5 carries and making 2.5 tackles. Thane Kellermeyer had an outstanding match against the Titans in Round Twenty Two when he ran for 133 metres.
In 2017 the 2015 Queensland U16 fullback also played a match for the South’s Logan Magpies in the U20 Colts Challenge competition starting on the wing in a Round Twelve clash against the Burleigh Bears. In 2017 Thane Kellermeyer was also part of the Queensland Academy of Sport U18 squad.
Early in the 2017 season Thane Kellermeyer also started four matches at fullback for the Souths Logan Magpies in the MM Cup competition and scored doubles in Round One and two against Wynnum Manly and Sunshine Coast respectively.
The reason Thane Kellermeyer has so successful on a football field is his exceptional speed and elusiveness by any objective measurement Thane Kellermeyer with his speed and elusiveness to make it difficult 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 Thane Kellermeyer to use the sideline exceptionally well with an in and away. When the opposing defender’s momentum slows just for a split second, Thane Kellermeyer is away down the sideline and will not get easily caught.
Defensively the methodology that Thane Kellermeyer employs is to use his speed to get up quickly on his opposite number to prevent then building their momentum in their run and even though he was nowhere near the biggest winger running around will put his body in front of opposing attackers.
Thane Kellermeyer will play for the South’s Logan Magpies in 2018 starting in the U20 Colts competition where he has two years of eligibility remaining.
Playing for Logan Brothers in the Brisbane Junior Rugby League competition, Thane Kellermeyer spent the majority of time at fullback but made a solid contribution for the Broncos on the wing in 2017 and with the plethora of fullbacks running around it is likely that Thane Kellermeyer will continue to play on the wing in the short term at least.
Thane Kellermeyer has a touch of Parramatta Eels utility Clint Gutherson in his game from the perspective of his ability to slice through a defensive line, always supporting through the centre of the ruck and a fearless approach to fielding kicks and running the ball back into the defensive line.
Herbie Farnsworth. The English born and raised youngster spent a number of seasons playing for the Burleigh Bears in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League competition before playing the 2017 season with the Brisbane Bronco’s NYC side. The final season that Herbie Farnsworth played on the Gold Coast was in 2016 when he played for Burleigh in the GCJRL U16 Division One competition.
For the Bronco’s in the 2017 NYC competition, Herbie Farnsworth played in seventeen matches, stating all on the wing including the Bronco’s two finals appearances. In all seventeen matches Herbie Farnsworth played the entire 80 minutes. Across his seventeen matches, Herbie Farnsworth scored eight tries including doubles against the Melbourne Storm in Round Seventeen and against the Cowboys in Round Twenty Six.
In total in the 2017 NYC competition, Herbie Farnsworth was on the field for 1 360 minutes ran for 1 694 metres on 183 hit-ups, four line breaks and made 90 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 87.37%. Herbie Farnsworth’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing for all 80 minutes, running for 99.7 metres from 10.8 carries and making 5.3 tackles.
On eight occasions Herbie Farnsworth ran for in excess of 100 metres including running for an impressive 176 metres in Brisbane’s 30 – 26 NYC elimination final’s victory over the Newcastle Knights. His 176 metres came from fifteen hit-ups.
Prior to his NYC debit for the Bronco’s Herbie Farnsworth played in four 2017 MM Cup matches for the North’s Devils, starting Rounds One, Two and Five in the centres and Round Six at five eight. In the match that he started at five eight against the Central Crows, Herbie Farnsworth had a day out scoring a hat trick and kicking five goals in a big North’s victory.
In 2016 prior to heading over to the Gold Coast to play for Burleigh once again, Herbie Farnsworth represented the England U16 rugby league side in a two test series against France. Herbie Farnsworth started the first test at fullback and the second on the wing. In the second test Herbie Farnsworth scored a double and was named Man of the Match.
Herbie Farnsworth stood out as a 17 year old in the NYC in 2017 as a result of ability to beat the first defender on the majority of occasions. 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. Herbie Farnsworth also backs up any line breaks and was seemingly in the right place at the right time on the majority of occasions. Herbie Farnsworth’s ability to change direction decisively and immediately at full speed was also a key attribute in his attacking game on the wing for the Bronco’s.
On the wing Herbie Farnsworth has the innate ability to know when to stay on the wing or to cut back inside, his side step is late and quick with little loss of forward momentum and his swerve is big and fast with no loss of forward momentum. Throw into this exciting mix of attacking moves, above average to plus top end speed and speed off the mark you have a talented attacking weapon.
Defensively Herbie Farnsworth is not going to stand out, he does not have the size or strength to be a big hitter but certainly has the catch up speed balance and body control to be a good cover defender and is able to hold his own in the front line when called upon.
Herbie Farnsworth is still eligible for the MM Cup competition in 2018 thus it is scary to consider that he played in seventeen NYC matches in 2017 as a 17 year old. Even though Herbie Farnsworth is still eligible to play in the MM Cup competition in 2018 he is likely to bypass that competition all together and start in the U20 Hastings Dearings Colts competition.
Herbie Farnsworth had some outstanding matches for the Bronco’s in the NYC competition on the wing and was outstanding in the two MM Cup matches that I saw for North’s in 2017 when he played at five eight and in the centres, but from reports from England he is even better in his favoured fullback position. That being said I think that Herbie Farnsworth has the ability to carve out a very good rugby league career for himself in the centres even though playing ion the wing and by the sound of it, fullback cannot be ruled out just yet.
From a player comparison perspective, consider the game of Cronulla Sharks fullback and Australian International winger Valentine Holmes in relation to Herbie Farnsworth as a player who attacks the game full on and has the speed, timing and anticipation to make things happen on the field.
Kotoni Staggs. The former Wellington Cowboys junior was an impressive performer over the course of the 2017 NYC season for the Brisbane Broncos where he finished as both one of the leading try scorers and points scorers and in fact was on the field for longer than any other Bronco’s NYC player by a reasonable margin.
For the Bronco’s in the 2017 NYC competition, Kotoni Staggs played in twenty five matches, starting fourteen in the centres, one in the wing, one at five eight and his final nine matches in the season in the second row. In all twenty five matches Kotoni Staggs played the entire 80 minutes which is an impressive feat of endurance especially when you take into account that in nine of those matches Kotoni Staggs played in the second row.
Across his twenty five matches, Kotoni Staggs scored twelve tries and kicked twenty three goals to finish with 94 points on the season. Kotoni Staggs scored a hat trick in Round Six against the Sydney Roosters (Kotoni Staggs scored all three of his tries in a fifteen minute span) and a double in Round Fourteen against the Rabbitohs.
In total in the 2017 NYC competition, the 183cm, 92kg Kotoni Staggs was on the field for 2 000 minutes ran for 2 544 metres on 252 hit-ups, made sixteen line breaks, had two try assists, twelve offloads and made 491 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 88.63%. Kotoni Staggs’ 2017 NYC per game averages included playing for all 80 minutes, running for 101.8 metres from 10.1 carries and making 19.6 tackles.
On seventeen occasions Kotoni Staggs ran in excess of 100 metres in 2017 including running for 148 metres in Round Two against the Cowboy and in the Elimination Final against the Newcastle Knights Kotoni Staggs made 38 tackles with only one missed tackle credited to him.
In his final season in the Group XI competition in 2016 prior to moving to the Bronco’s Kotoni Staggs scored 28 tries from sixteen matches in the Dubbo U18 competition and as a 17 year old, played four Tooheys Group XI First Grade competition scoring five tries. In the U18 Grand Final in 2016 Kotoni Staggs provided the difference scoring two tries and kicking five goals in the Cowboys Grand Final victory over Nyngan.
On the 2016 season Kotoni Staggs in addition to his 28 tries kicked 71 goals to finish as the Group XI U18 leading try scorer, goal kicker and points scorer in 2016 with 254 points. From a try scoring perspective Kotoni Staggs did even better in the Group XI U18 competition in 2015 scoring 33 tries from just fourteen matches and also kicking a number of goals.
Kotoni Staggs 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.
Kotoni Staggs has more tools though than just an in and away, he will also use his size and strength to run straight over smaller opposing centres as well as also having the skill to step back inside of the defender if he is pushing to the outside too early. What Kotoni Staggs 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 on the outside.
Due to his size and strength, Kotoni Staggs is a very good defender regardless of position. He will not necessarily hit hard, but he is very good at mirroring the movement of the opposing centre and wrapping him up ball and all. He is also quick enough to recover and chase if the opposing centre gets on the outside and his long reach is also a positive attribute in those situations.
From a team defensive methodology stand point, Kotoni Staggs seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage.
Kotoni Staggs is also a very good goal kicker with both good range and accuracy, I am not sure whether he has the consistency at this point in time to be a team’s primary goal kicker, if not he will be a very useful back-up.
Kotoni Staggs has signed to play for Wynnum Manly in the 2018 season where he will likely start in the Colts competition before looking to get an opportunity in the Queensland Cup late in 2018.
Even though he played the second half of the 2017 NYC season in the second row I believe that any potential requirement to move Kotoni Staggs away from the centres is still a number of years away if ever. For me with his ability to make a break out of nothing and then finish it off himself, makes Kotoni Staggs too valuable in the centres to move him closer in.
I have a feeling though that throughout his rugby league career wherever that takes him Kotoni Staggs will have the issue of where his best position is come up, is it in the centres, in the second row or will a coach consider him as an instant impact interchange player, I guess similar to the constant discussion about the best position for Tyrone Peachey.
From a player comparison perspective, Kotoni Staggs reminders me a lot of the afore mentioned Penrith Panther Tyrone Peachey as a player who just seems to know when and how to break tackles and find his way to the try line even when that task looks near to impossible.
Rory Ferguson. The outstanding Otago youngster was a standout school boy rugby and rugby league player in South Island of New Zealand before moving over to play for the Brisbane Bronco’s in the 2017 NYC competition.
For the Bronco’s in the 2017 NYC competition Rory Ferguson made his debut in Round Ten against Manly starting from the interchange. In total in 2017 Rory Ferguson played in thirteen NYC matches for the Bronco’s starting two matches at lock being Round Eleven against the Wests Tigers and Round Twenty Six against the Cowboys. Rory Ferguson crossed for his sole try in Round Sixteen against the Canberra Raiders.
In total in the 2017 NYC competition Rory Ferguson was on the field for 422 minutes, including playing all 80 minutes in Round Eleven, his first start in the NYC, took 65 hit-ups making 568 metres and made 248 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 91.85%. Rory Ferguson’s 2017 NYC per match averages included playing for 32.46 minutes, taking five hit-ups for 43.7 metres and making 19.1 tackles. In 2017 Rory Ferguson was also credited with only making only two errors in 422 minutes of football, not bad at all.
Rory Ferguson had an outstanding Round Eleven match against the Wests Tigers making 132 metres from fourteen hit-ups and also making 45 tackles whilst playing the entire 80 minutes. In Round Twelve against the Warriors Rory Ferguson went even better from a tackling perspective making 50 tackles in 75 minutes on the field, he also made 81 metres from nine hit-ups against his countrymen.
Rory Ferguson also played a number of Colts matches for the South’s Logan Magpies across both the FOGS Colts Challenge and the U20 Colts Cup. In the early season U20 State-wide Cup competition Rory Ferguson played in five matches for Souths Logan starting all at lock and scoring in Round Six against the North’s Devils. In the subsequent U20 Colts challenge competition Rory Ferguson started both matches that he was involved in at lock as well.
In New Zealand prior to his move to Brisbane Rory Ferguson was the captain of his School’s First XV rugby side being John McGlashan High School in Dunedin where he was a boarder for five years and also represented New Zealand in rugby league at the U16 and U18 levels. Rory Ferguson captained the New Zealand U16 side in a match against Samoa in 2014 leading from the front scoring a double.
Rory Ferguson was so highly thought of in New Zealand Rugby circles that he was invited to be part of the Otago Highlanders Super 15 Development squad but chose rugby league instead. In school boy rugby Rory Ferguson was primarily an open side flanker (No. 7) although I believe he also played some No. 8 and in younger grades at John McGlashan High School spent some time in the centres, specifically outside centre ( No. 13).
Rarely can you find a young player who is equally at home running on both sides of the ruck but that is what a team has with Rory Ferguson, 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.
For a big strong young man, Rory Ferguson also has above average speed, not just off the mark but also when he is in clear space, when he makes a break Rory Ferguson is more than capable of going the distance and normally out paces the cover defence on the way to the try line.
Rory Ferguson 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. Rory Ferguson in schoolboy rugby in New Zealand was a magnet for defenders and is adept at identifying when multiple defenders are vectoring towards him and identifying the appropriate force to be applied to his passing.
On a lot of his runs Rory Ferguson 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 Rory Ferguson has a hard edge to his play and his initial contact is more than sufficient to redirect the momentum of the ball carrier. Rory Ferguson sets a very good base which he uses to explode into the ball carrier looking to use their own momentum against them. His good situation awareness also enables him to be well positioned when he is defending against smaller quicker opponents and he endeavours to minimise the time available for the opposing attacker to generate speed and to utilise their footwork.
Rory Ferguson 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.
Rory Ferguson may not necessarily had the season he was looking for in 2017 especially from an attacking perspective, but this young man can really play, his performances for South’s Logan were very good and I would anticipate that now he is more settled in Australia people will see just how good he is when he lines up for South’s Logan in the U20 Hastings Deerings Colts competition this coming season.
At around 186cm and 98kg with outstanding athletic ability and aerobic fitness Rory Ferguson is the ideal size to play in the second row in the NRL. To compliment his physical skills Rory Ferguson displays a skill and intensity level on the field that will rarely be matched by anyone.
From a player comparison perspective in relation to Rory Ferguson, someone along the lines of Simon Mannering captain of the New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand Test side is a more than sound comparison from a style perspective as a talented back rower who plays the game hard and with toughness and a no compromise attitude that will demand team mates respond in kind through Rory Ferguson’s actions not necessarily his words.
Dray Ngatuere-Wroe. The former Titans Junior Development Squad member and Logan Brothers junior was part of the Bronco’s NYC squad in 2017 as well as representing Queensland at the U18 level starting at half back in the interstate clash where a team mates was Titan Reihana Marsh who started the match at lock and was outstanding.
Dray Ngatuere-Wroe has worn a Titans jersey in a couple of Development Squad matches at Redlands at the U13 and U14 age groups and even back then he was a class apart from a ball playing, elusiveness, game management and leadership perspective.
I was standing watching the U13 Titans Development Squad start to warm up before a match in 2013, the Titans coach was a touch behind still talking to the referee, but Dray Ngatuere-Wroe took it upon himself to organise the squad and get the warm up started rather than just standing around waiting for the coach. Small things like this say a lot about a person.
For the Bronco’s in the 2017 NYC competition, Dray Ngatuere-Wroe played in twelve matches, starting three at half back, including the Bronco’s two finals matches and the remaining matches from the interchange. Across his twelve matches, Dray Ngatuere-Wroe scored a single try. Dray Ngatuere-Wroe made his NYC debut in Round Sixteen against the Canberra Raiders from the interchange bench.
In total in the 2017 NYC competition, Dray Ngatuere-Wroe was on the field for 509 minutes ran for 207 metres on 31 runs, made one break, had a try assist and made 142 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 82.08%. Dray Ngatuere-Wroe’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing for 42.5 minutes, running for 17.3 metres from 2.6 carries and making 11.8 tackles.
Dray Ngatuere-Wroe’s best match from a running perspective came in Round Sixteen (his debut NYC match) when he ran for 58 metres against Canberra and in Round Seventeen against the Storm he made twenty five tackles missing only one.
Prior to his debut for the Bronco’s NYC side Dray Ngatuere-Wroe played for South’s Logan in the MM Cup and the Colts Challenge competitions. Dray Ngatuere-Wroe played the opening six rounds of the Colts Challenge competition starting all six matches at half back, scoring 28 points from five tries and four goals. Dray Ngatuere-Wroe scored a hat trick in Round Four against the Burleigh Bears and also tries in Round One against Tweed Heads and in Round Five against the Western Mustangs, he obviously liked playing against Titans aligned clubs.
In the 2017 MM Cup competition for South’s Logan Dray Ngatuere-Wroe started at five eight in all eight of South’s Logan matches including their Grand Final loss to the Western Mustangs which contained seven Titans Scholarship holders. In those eight matches Dray Ngatuere-Wroe scored seven tries including a try in the Grand Final and against Redcliffe in the semi-final. Dray Ngatuere-Wroe also scored a double in Round Six against the North’s Devils, a try in Round Five against Tweed Heads, in Round Three against the Central Crows and in Round Two against the Sunshine Coast Falcons.
Dray Ngatuere-Wroe is a dynamic runner of the football who excels in taking on the defensive line with deft footwork around the ruck, looking to seek out bigger slower forwards when they are caught on the edge of the ruck, he also has a very good dummy which continues to be effective regardless of the frequency of its use as it is indistinguishable in process from when he is going to actually pass the ball.
If Dray Ngatuere-Wroe sees 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. He 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.
In a U13 Titans Development squad match in 2013 at Redlands Dray Ngatuere-Wroe ran a great play down the short side from a Titans scrum resulting in what looked like a try starting about twenty metres out from the opposition try line, for some reason the referee called the play back and made Dray Ngatuere-Wroe feed the scrum again. Dray Ngatuere-Wroe ran the exact play again which this time was awarded a try. It was a great sleight of hand by Dray Ngatuere-Wroe that the older opposition could not stop even though they knew it was coming and had just seen the exact play a minute before.
Dray Ngatuere-Wroe is not a giant on the field and in fact in the majority of the matches that he is involved with he is one of the smallest but defensively he is quite aggressive and tries to get up quickly when confronted with a wide running forward, looking to initiate contract prior to the forward gaining too much momentum.
Dray Ngatuere-Wroe will not necessarily hit them hard but is effective at slowing the attack and then he gets back into the line quickly. Dray Ngatuere-Wroe probably currently not considered a “plus” defender but is more than effective as can be seen by his 2017 NYC tackling efficiency of 82%.
Dray Ngatuere-Wroe will play for the South’s Logan Magpies in 2018 starting in the Colts competition where he has two years of eligibility remaining.
Dray Ngatuere-Wroe played a lot of five eight as a youngster including for the Titans Junior Development Squad but transitioned to half back permanently when playing for the Logan Brothers U16 side including playing a leading hand in their GBJRL U16 Premier Division success in 2015 when Logan Brothers defeated North’s Aspley.
I was on the side line at Bishop Park that afternoon and Dray Ngatuere-Wroe was simply outstanding in terms of how he controlled the game for Logan Brothers. The opposition coach was calling out for his side to stop Dray Ngatuere-Wroe “dancing” they couldn’t and Dray Ngatuere-Wroe cut them apart. Titan Reihana Marsh was outstanding in the centres for Logan Brothers in that Grand Final as well. PS that Logan Brothers U16 GBJRL Premier side is probably the best junior club side that I have ever seen, and by a fair margin as well.
A player comparison for Dray Ngatuere-Wroe is difficult, with his speed, elusiveness and step he looks like a smaller version of Shaun Johnson but he also flashes the play making ability of a Cooper Cronk. More consistency from a play making perspective will no doubt propel Dray Ngatuere-Wroe to the next level.
Simply put Dray Ngatuere-Wroe is one of the best young players that I have ever seen. The best I have ever seen are Ryan James as a 17 year old playing for the Titans SG Ball side especially in one match at Cudgen when he almost single handedly destroyed the Melbourne Storm and Titan Reihana Marsh who will play the 2018 season with Burleigh, Dray Ngatuere-Wroe is not far behind those two at all.
From a trivia perspective Dray Ngatuere-Wroe’s older brother Aron is a former Titans scholarship holder as well and played a match or two for the Burleigh’s Colts side in 2017 at hooker.
Jed Cartwright. The former PBC student and Titans NYC player and cousin of latest Titans signing Bryce Cartwright had an outstanding season with the Penrith Panthers New South Wales Intrust Super Cup side in 2017 after being granted a release from the Titans with one year remaining on his contract to join the Panthers, his “spiritual home” as the Sydney media were calling it at the time.
With the Panthers having some Salary cap pressures it would be very good seeing Jed Cartwright back in Titans colours sooner rather than later.
For the Penrith Panthers in the 2017 New South Wales Intrust Super Cup competition, Jed Cartwright played in eighteen matches and scored eight tries in the process. In total in the NSW Intrust Super Cup, Jed Cartwright ran for 2 129 metres, made ten line breaks, had four line break assists, seventeen off-loads and made 340 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 84.1%.
In 2016 for the Titans NYC side Jed Cartwright played in fifteen matches scoring three tries including a Round One double against Newcastle and a try in Round Seven against St George. In all fifteen of his 2016 NYC matches for the Titans Jed Cartwright started in the second row.
Jed Cartwright made his NYC debut for the Titans in Round One of 2015 when he started in the centres against the Wests Tigers scoring on debut. Jed Cartwright went on to play eleven NYC matches in 2015, starting all in the centres, scoring 60 points from seven tries and sixteen goals.
In addition to his try on debut, Jed Cartwright scored doubles in Round Two against the Penrith Panthers and in Round Seven also against the Panthers. Jed Cartwright’s other 2015 tries came against Newcastle in Round Three and in Round Thirteen against Wests, a match he got injured in and was unable to play again that season. From a goal kicking perspective, Jed Cartwright kicked six goals in a Round Six match against Parramatta.
Jed Cartwright’s 2017 per game statistics included running for 118.3 metres and making 18.89 tackles in around 65 minutes on the field.
At 193cm and 101kg the 21 year old Jed Cartwright certainly has some size about him, in fact he is the same size as his cousin Bryce Cartwright. Jed Cartwright’s ability to burst through defensive lines and then offload under extreme pressure is the most outstanding feature of his game. Jed Cartwright has impressive speed off the mark even against set defensive lines.
Where he is almost unstoppable is when he running wider of the congestion off his half. Jed Cartwright is able to time his rights to receive the ball flat and not lose momentum. His offloading skills are exceptional, he regularly as able to get his right hand free and offload to support players.
Jed Cartwright 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.
Even though Jed Cartwright still has two years to run on his Panthers contract, clearly contracts mean nothing anymore in the NRL and a move back up to the Gold Coast to help his cousin “settle in” would be welcomed by me at least.
In his time at PBC on the Gold Coast Jed Cartwright was primarily a centre and even played some five eight including in a GIO Cup match against Keebra Park in 2014. In his two seasons with the Titans NYC squad Jed Cartwright split his time between the centres and second row, but it would be fair to say that in his second NYC season in 2016 Jed Cartwright started to see increasing game time in the second row and that has continued on since that time.
In 2017 Jed Cartwright played in the second row in all of his eighteen matches and thus he is certain to remain in the second row into the future.
Jed Cartwright is almost identical size wise to his cousin Bryce but does not necessarily have the same ball playing skills but his running and tackling styles are the same thus a player comparison to his more well-known cousin is definitely not unreasonable in the circumstances.
Blake Scott. The talented former Keebra Park hooker surprisingly did not pick up an NRL contract at the completion of the 2017 rugby league season, a season in which he starred for the GIO Cup winning Keebra Park, but is looking to rectify that in 2018 and he has started the season exceptionally well with a standout performance for the South’s Logan Magpies Colts in the trial victory against the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts at Waterford a fortnight ago.
In that match Blake Scott was a constant menace to the Tweed defensive line splitting the Tweed Heads line open on a couple of occasions when he ran from dummy half with the Tweed Heads Seagulls forward pack still trying to get back into position after the previous hit-up.
In 2017 Blake Scot had an outstanding season including starting for Keebra Park in their GIO Cup victory over Westfield Sports High, representing South Coast in the U18 QSSRL Championships and playing for the South’s Logan Magpies in the MM Cup competition.
Blake Scott’s outstanding performances for Keebra Park were recognised late in 2017 when at the Keebra Park Sports Specialisation Awards night when he was named in the Keebra Park 2017 team of the year. From a trivia perspective, Blake Scott is the younger brother of former Titans NYC hooker Jordan Scott who is also currently playing for South’s Logan at the Queensland Cup level.
For South’s Logan in the MM Cup competition in 2017, Blake Scott played in all eight of South’s Logan’s matches including their two finals matches. Blake Scott started the first two rounds at hooker and then played his remaining six matches starting from the inter-change bench. Blake Scott’s only try came in the Grand Final in a 40 – 30 loss to the Western Mustangs which included seven Titans Academy players.
Blake Scott is a solid all round hooker who distributes effectively to both sides of the ruck. He is efficient in his passing and there is very little wasted movement as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements where the dummy half first stands then passes. He passes well from both sides of his body.
Blake Scott 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. Blake Scott’s speed off the mark is above average but he does not necessarily have above average top speed once he is in motion. In scrum situations he packs in at lock regularly and thus is also the primary distributor from those situations as well as when the ball is in play.
Blake Scott defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and for his size is quite an aggressive defender. He is also very good at getting out of marker quickly to harass the opposition kickers. Defensively you will see an efficient and effective defender and a talker. He constantly seems to be talking and “encouraging” his fellow forwards.
Blake Scott will play the 2018 season at the U20 Hastings Deerings Cup level with the South’s Logan Magpies who shape as a very good side if the their first two trials are any gauge at all.
Blake Scott has primarily been a hooker throughout his rugby league career and with his ability to control his side from dummy half it is easy to see why that is also where his future lies on a rugby league field.
From a player comparison perspective Blake Scott has a similar playing style for me of Brisbane Broncos hooker Andrew McCullough as a hooker whose main strength lies around his ability to manage his tem and assisting with directing them around the field.
Kye Oates. (Revised) The former Toowoomba Grammar School (TGS) First XV rugby centre is the cousin of Brisbane Broncos and Queensland State of Origin winger Cory Oates and actually has a similar playing style to his more well-known cousin.
In 2018 Kye Oates has transitioned to rugby league and has been named to start Round One of the Hastings Deerings U20 Cup side for the South’s Logan Magpies in the centres this weekend. Two other former TGS First XV players are also in the South’s Logan side being Clayton Mack and Ashton Watson.
Kye Oates, arrived at Toowoomba Grammar School in Grade eight, was selected on the reserve bench for the 2016 GPS 1 representative side for the Queensland Schools trials and performed well at outside centre for TGS in the GPS First XV competition in 2016 where he played outside talented centre Clayton Mack and inside powerhouse winger Ashton Watson, both of whom are current U20 South’s Logan Hastings Deerings Cup team mates.
In 2017 Kye Oates played Queensland Colts Premier Grade rugby for University of Queensland at outside centre, captaining the side. In the Premier Colts competition, Kye Oates played in all eighteen regular season rounds of the Premier Colts competition as well as University of Queensland’s three finals, including starting at fullback in their 31 – 29 Grand Final victory over Brothers. In that Grand Final Kye Oates scored a try and kicked four conversions.
On the season Key Oates scored ten tries (including his Grand Final try) and kicked 65 conversions to finish the 2017 Queensland Premier Rugby Colts competition with 170 points. Kye Oates scored doubles in UQ’s finals victory over Wests and also in their Preliminary Final victory over Wests. With the boot Kye Oates had some big matches in 2017 including kicking seven conversions in Round Fifteen against Souths and six conversions against Easts in Rounds Eight and Ten.
Positionally in the 2017 Premier Colts competition, Kye Oates started the first ten rounds at left centre and then moved to fullback for Rounds Eleven to Sixteen inclusive before moving back to the left centre position for Rounds Seventeen and Eighteen. In UQ’s finals matches Kye Oates started their first final on the right wing before playing the Preliminary Final and Grand Final at fullback.
Kye Oates previously had some junior rugby league representative experience, including playing for the South West Mustangs at the U13 level in 2012 and the U14 level in 2013. In 2016 Kye Oates also had the honour of being named captain of the U18 Indigenous Youth Boys rugby squad.
For TGS, who had a tough season in 2016 Kye Oates scored a solid close range try against Brisbane Boys College in Round Three when he took advantage of the momentum built by the TGS forwards to scoot over to give TGS the half time lead. Kye Oates ended the GPS First XV season as the TGS leading points scorer and had some successful matches with the boot including kicking three from five conversions in Round Six in a tough one point loss against Ipswich Grammar School and also four from five in a 26 – 17 victory in Round Nine against Brisbane Grammar School in his last ever match in the GPS rugby competition. He also kicked two from three in Round One when TGS went down 28 – 24 to TSS.
From an attacking perspective he is a straight hard runner when he has the ball in hand from the outside centre position in rugby. He has shown the ability to run both an inside and outside shoulder route and he runs both with pace and power and attracts multiple defenders to try to stop him, his quick recycling of the ball was also a key feature of his rugby play for Toowoomba Grammar School. When he impacts the defensive line he drops his shoulder into the defenders and regularly bumped off multiple defenders in a single run. He seemingly understood that his style of play in the GPS First XV competition meant that he attracted multiple defenders and he became adept getting a quick recycle of the ball when tackled.
He really is an impressive runner of the ball and has very good timing and anticipation when running the ball and formed a great partnership with TGS inside centre Clayton Mack and as a consequence he made a number of breaks over the course of the 2016 GPS season by running hard and straight and trusting his inside play makers to make the right decision, in short he made then look good.
He is also a very good goal kicker with both good range and accuracy, and has a smooth and effortless style. 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 the area that he 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 just under the ribcage, redirecting the momentum of the ball carrier and thus eliminating the attacking threat in the short term.
In the opening Round of the 2016 GPS rugby season against TSS, Kye Oates pulled two outstanding cover defending tackles to stop tries the first was against former Titans contract TSS fullback Max Dowd who he cut down using his speed and timing, the second great tackle was against TSS front rower Declan Day where he need all of his strength to bring down the rampaging front rower with the try line beckoning.
Regardless of where he defends he sets a good base and uses his leg strength to direct his strength through the core of his body 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, but this is more conjecture from me rather than a fact based argument.
As noted Kye Oates is part of the 2018 Souths Logan U20 Hastings Deerings Cup side, starting Round One in the centres.
Extrapolating his skill set to rugby league and you have a player who would seem best suited to the wing in rugby league even though he was played almost entirely in the centres in rugby. He runs a very good line and his straight line speed is in the above average category and whilst he does have a solid in and away I think that he is best suited to playing on the wing where he can also come into the centre of the ruck and either take pressure off the forwards with a hit up, which he has the size to be effective or to back up half breaks.
Kye Oates made some great metres for TGS backing up the likes of his centre partner Clayton Mack. Kye Oates can certainly make a break on his own which was evidenced on a number of occasions in the 2016 GPS competition so my thoughts on whether he was be a better winger or centre are purely based on a gut feel.
His cousin Corey Oates is actually a solid comparison from a playing perspective as a hard straight running player who will light up a match with his ability to crash through tackles and score some very good long range tries.
Ashton Watson. (Revised) The powerhouse young left winger and former Toowoomba Grammar School First XV rugby side had a big year in the 2016 GPS rugby competition culminating in him being considered the best left winger in the competition by a number of pundits.
After a season with University of Queensland in the Queensland Rugby Premier Colts competition, Ashton Watson has made the move to rugby league being part of the South’s Logan U20 Hastings Deerings Cup side in 2018. Ashton Watson has in fact been named in the starting side on the wing for their Round One clash. Also in the South’s Logan side is fellow former TGS and University of Queensland Premier Colts player Kye Oates. A third former TGS player Clayton Mack is also in the South’s Logan side.
In 2017 for the University of Queensland Premier Colts side, Ashton Watson only played a handful of matches coming into the side in Round Sixteen against Wests starting at right centre and scoring to cap off a solid day. Ashton Watson played the remaining five matches that he played in for UQ, including their three finals matches on the left wing including UQ’s 31 – 29 Grand Final victory over Brothers.
Ashton Watson also played in one Colts II match in 2017 playing at left centre and scoring a try against Souths in Round Fifteen before his elevation to the UQ Premier Colts side.
Over the course of his six 2017 Premier Colts matches, Ashton Watson contributed seven tries including a hat trick in Round Eighteen against Bond University and a Preliminary Final double against Wests. Ashton Watsons other 2017 Premier Colts try come in Round Seventeen against GPS.
The 2016 season saw Ashton Watson named on the left wing for the GPS 1 representative side for the Queensland Schools trials which held at Ballymore in June, unfortunately he did not make either of the two Queensland Schools teams for the Australian Schools Championships. He was a dominate force however to the TGS First XV where he carried the ball into the defensive line 68 times, making eight line breaks, scoring four tries and of his runs 54% of the time he made over five metres. Defensively he made 26 tackles and missed eight, meaning his tackling efficiency was 76% over eight games. (Statistics from Greenandgoldrugby.com<http://Greenandgoldrugby.com>)
I would describe Ashton Watson’s attacking style as one of a powerful young man who has very good balance and body control with above average straight line speed who prefers to initiate contact with defenders and run over them rather than looking to beat them with subtlety or guile. As noted I would consider his speed above average once he is motion but it is from my opinion at least only in the average category off the mark, thus the quicker his play makers get him the ball the more effective he will be.
This was on display in Round Two of the 2016 GPS First XV competition when he burst down the side line after receiving the ball early but unfortunately was brought down about a metre from the try line by the Nudgee College cover defence with the game on the line. This was also the game where Ashton Watson was sin binned in the first half.
In Round Seven against Gregory Terrace, Ashton Watson was for me the best TGS player from an attacking perspective when his kick returns and mid-field running continually put TGS on the front foot. Off a lineout on halfway, Kye Oates put in a chip kick to Ashton Watson’s wing which he was able to regather and give a one hand offload to fullback Josh Fanning, who ran away to score to give TGS a 14-7 lead.
Defensively he looks to intimidate opposing attackers by coming off the line and putting on the big hit but on occasion during the 2016 GPS rugby season got his timing wrong and was beaten on the outside by quicker opposing wingers. Like all young players it comes down to maintaining a balance between coming out of the defensive line looking for the big hit against saying on the opposing winger and trusting the inside defenders. It must be noted however that the 2016 season was the first that he had played on the wing so he still has some positioning aspects to develop which will come with more experience in that position.
As noted Ashton Watson is part of the 2018 Souths Logan U20 Hastings Deerings Cup side, starting Round One on the wing this weekend.
Prior to the 2016 GPS season Ashton Watson played outside centre in rugby prior but moved to the left wing for the 2016 season and with his powerful straight line running, keeping him in that position in rugby league would seem to be the best utilisation of his skill set moving forward.
In relation to a rugby league player perspective the game of former Titans player Daniel Vidot is a good comparison for Ashton Watson. He is a big strong powerful young man who also has decent speed to go along with his size, strength and power.
The Titans have had great success with youngsters from South’s Logan coming into the fold, none more so than Moeaki Fotuaika who has recently signed a four year deal and star Burleigh Bears U20 backrower Rehiena Marsh and on that basis you never know who could be the next South’s Logan youngster in Titans colours.
Oryaan Kalolo. (revised) The outstanding young rugby league and rugby player started his four year Brisbane Boys College scholarship in 2016 where he stood out in the U14A GPS rugby competition and also played well for the Coomera Cutters in the 2016 U14 Division One GCJRL competition.
For BBC in both 2016 and 2017 Oryaan Kalolo has played at fly half and for Coomera he played mainly at fullback. The former Merrimac School student has previously represented South Coast in both rugby and rugby league after moving to the Gold Coast from the Hastings area of New Zealand.
I thought that Oryaan Kalolo would be lost to Gold Coast Junior Rugby League in the short term as started his BBC scholarship but it is god to see that he continued to play rugby league for the Coomera Cutters in 2107 all be it only two matches. Those two matches were against Nerang In April and Burleigh in June in the U15 Division One competition.
For Coomera across eight matches in the 2016 regular season, Oryaan Kalolo scored five tries, including a double against Runaway Bay with the other tries coming against Helensvale, Currumbin and Mudgeeraba in consecutive weeks in July. Oryaan Kalolo also kicked three conversions in the 2016 season to finish with a total points tally of 26, he also scored five tries in three matches in the U14 grading competition in the 2016 pre-season competition.
When you are looking at the attacking aspects of the play of most players there is usually a stronger aspect in relation to running the ball or being a ball player, sometimes the difference may be small but as a spectator you usually get a feel for which aspect is stronger, looking at Oryann Kalolo play for BBC I am really struggling to determine whether it is his running with the ball or his ball playing ability that is his strongest attribute, in short he excels in relation to both aspects.
First in relation to his running, he has outstanding explosiveness off the mark and has a great side step off either foot and can then accelerate again immediately as well as the ability to combine multiple side steps in quick succession. Oryaan Kalolo also has the ability to use a swerve to get around his direct opponent as well as a good in and away.
Assisting in his ability to make breaks by himself is that when he runs with the ball he holds the ball out on front of his body with both hands means defences cannot key in whether he is going to run or pass or for that matter which foot he is going to step off. This obviously creates a significant degree of doubt in the minds of defenders and led to situations where either his direct opponent or other defenders rushed out of the line, creating space which Oryann Kalolo was able to exploit across the GPS season.
In relation to his play making ability, Oryaan Kalolo 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 he 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. A favourite target for Oryaan Kalolo, was fellow former Nerang Bull and current BBC team mate, centre Jack Kelly.
Defensively Oryaan Kalolo is also a strong presence on the field and certainly in rugby for BBC when he defended in the channel near the formation of rucks and mauls, he defends strongly against loose forwards picking and driving in his direction. He gets low and generates significant leverage with his lower body and drives into his opponent with a strong effect. Defending at fullback for the Cutters, Oryaan Kalolo would push forward when the opposition made a break to cut down the time the opponent had to make a decision in relation to whether to pass or try to beat him on his own. In short he is a very good defender regardless of position or code.
The 2018 season will see Oryaan Kalolo continue his scholarship at BBC and play the GPS competition at the U16A level where he once again should be one of the standout players across the competitive competition. Oryaan Kalolo may even sneak a match or two in the GPS First XV competition, if he does it will likely be from the bench.
It would also be great to see Oryaan Kalolo sneak in a game or two for the Coomera Cutters U16 Division One JRL side in 2018.
From an ultimate position perspective I would suggest that Oryaan Kalolo’s best position is at fullback where he can pick and choose where and when to inject himself into the play. He was a standout at fly half for BBC during the 2017 season and also played well at fullback in rugby league for Coomera in recent seasons so it is clear that he is a talented player regardless of his ultimate position in either code.
From my perspective, a talented, unselfish attacking player with similar attributes is Brisbane Broncos five eight Anthony Miford. Like Milford, Oryaan Kalolo 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.
One difference in relation to a comparison between Oryaan Kalolo and Anthony Milford is that Oryaan Kalolo is physically bigger and thus can also take on the line with straight when the occasion warrants rather than relying on his evasive skills every time.
Hoani Ford-Stevens. (Revised) The talented youngster is yet another player who played both rugby league and rugby and excelled at both. In rugby league Hoani Ford-Stevens normally lined up at five eight but in school boy rugby in 2017 he played the centre position in the GPS First XV competition for Gregory Terrace.
Hoani Ford-Stevens started in the GPS First XV competition in both 2016 and 2017 and what an impact he had, he was outstanding for the Black and Red. 2017 also saw Hoani Ford-Stevens named at inside centre for the Queensland II school boy representative side.
This season Hoani Ford-Stevens has started off the season playing for Brothers in the Brisbane Premier Colts I competition, interesting starting on the left wing in the two matches that he has played to date, including scoring in Round Two for Brothers in a 34 – 0 victory over University of Queensland.
In 2017 Hoani Ford-Stevens played for the North’s Devils in the CC Cup competition where the Devils progressed to the semi-finals before being beaten by South’s Logan. Hoani Ford-Stevens was an ever present for the Devils and alternated between half and five eight, in fact on two occasions in Rounds Two and Three he was actually named at lock but ended up starting at half. He played the first three rounds at half and the final five at five eight, scoring one try and kicking five goals, with the try coming in Round Five against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls. For Gregory Terrace in the GPS Fist XV competition, he once again played every game and scored a good try under the posts in Round Three against Churchie in a blowout 48 – 0 win.
Prior to him moving to Gregory Terrace, he had a distinguished junior rugby league career, which included being named GBJRL representative player of the year two years, running for the U13 and U14 age groups and also in 2015 represented Metropolitan North in the QSSRL U15 schoolboys competition where he was named at five eight and in that same year was also part of the U15 Emerging Queensland squad.
Hoani Ford-Stevens 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. 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 he plays is his ability to organise and direct his team around the field as well as adjusting his game to the specific situations within a game.
He 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. 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. Similar to other aspects of his game his kicking game has developed exponentially from his time in GPS rugby.
Where he 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. 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 Hoani Ford-Stevens defending in the front line.
The defensive aspects of his game have clearly been enhanced by defending at centre in the GPS Rugby First XV competition. In that competition he is competing against players up to two years older than him and he defends in the channel near the ruck and maul and has had to combat a lot of traffic coming his way from big rugby flankers and locks. In the match against TSS for example Tipene Mavoa constantly ran at him and he handled the giant TSS forward very well all match that afternoon.
It would appear that Hoani Ford-Stevens has currently made the decision to give rugby a real crack but he certainly has the skill set to be an outstanding rugby league player if he so chooses. I will admit however that I find it interesting that he has started the season out on the left wing.
From a rugby league position perspective, I can see Hoani Ford-Stevens playing at five eight in the long term. His ability to see the entire field and be able to put players into gaps as well as run himself is uncanny. He looks a real play maker of the future and playing a couple of years with Gregory Terrace at a high level in rugby only helped refine his skill set.
From a rugby league player comparison perspective, I think that the play of New Zealand International five eight Keiran Foran is a good comparison, as a strong running five eight with very under rated play making skills.
Nick Wilkinson. (Revised) The young former Australian School Boy rugby centre has made a great start to his senior rugby career with Randwick in the Sydney Premier Rugby competition. The former Cowra youngster originally played for the Balmain Tigers in the Harrold Matthews and SG Ball competitions including starting the 2015 SG Ball competition at five eight before making a name for himself for St Joseph’s College in the NSWAAGPS First XV competition over the last couple of seasons before his graduation at the end of 2016 and his progression to Sydney Premier Colts rugby with Randwick. In 2013 Nick Wilkinson represented the U15 NSWCCC in the New South Wales Schoolboy rugby league trials.
Even though he is still eligible for the U20 Colts competition, in fact he has been named in eth provisional Australian U20 Rugby squad for the Oceania Championships later this month, Nick Wilkinson has started off the season in the Sydney Rugby 2nd Grade competition, being the Colin Caird Shield.
Wilkinson has started the opening two rounds at outside centre and scored in Round One for Randwick in a 34 – 0 victory over Gordon. Nick Wilkinson also started at outside centre in Round Two against Warringah.
In 2016 Nick Wilkinson was the St Joseph’s First XV captain and he also captained the NSW AAGPS representative side before being selected in the centres for the New South Wales I representative side for the Australian Schools Championships where he was a standout performer and deservedly was named at centre and as vice-captain for the Australian Schools side for their tour of Fiji and New Zealand. For the Australian Schools side Nick Wilkinson stared against Fiji and also against New Zealand Schools in a tough 32-22 loss which also featured former Titans youngster Josh Vuta. In the Schools International Nick Wilkinson scored a great individual try when he utilised two right foot steps to evade two defenders to score.
In 2017 in addition to playing for Randwick in the Sydney Premier Colts competition, Nick Wilkinson was also part of the New South Wales Gen Blue U20 side for the Australian U20 Championships which was won by the Queensland Reds. Nick Wilkinson played in two of New South Wales U20 matches being in Round One against the Western Force and Round Three against the ACT Brumbies. On both occasions Nick Wilkinson started at fly half (five eight).
Through the 2017 Sydney premier Rugby Competition, Nick Wilkinson played in ten of Randwick’s Premier Colts matches scoring tries against Eastern Suburbs in Round Five and against Manly in Round Six. Nick Wilkinson started the first two rounds at fullback before playing the next six at fly half and has played the last couple of matches in the centres.
When you are looking at the attacking aspects of the play of most players there is usually a stronger aspect in relation to running the ball or being a ball player, sometimes the difference may be small but as a spectator you usually get a feel for which aspect is stronger, looking at Nick Wilkinson play for Randwick I am really struggling to determine whether it is his running with the ball or his ball playing ability that is his strongest attribute, in short he excels in relation to both aspects.
First in relation to his running, he has outstanding explosiveness off the mark and has a great side step off either foot and can then accelerate again immediately as well as the ability to combine multiple side steps in quick succession. Nick Wilkinson also has the ability to use a swerve to get around his direct opponent as well as a good in and away.
Assisting in his ability to make breaks by himself is that when he runs with the ball he holds the ball out on front of his body with both hands means defences cannot key in whether he is going to run or pass or for that matter which foot he is going to step off. This obviously creates a significant degree of doubt in the minds of defenders and led to situations where either his direct opponent or other defenders rushed out of the line, creating space which Nick Wilkinson was able to exploit across the GPS season.
In relation to his play making ability, Nick Wilkinson 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 he 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.
Nick Wilkinson has a huge boot on him and seemingly was the primary kicking option when at St Joseph’s College in the NSWAAGPS School Boy competition. Also for New South Wales in the U20 National Competition he was able to put the opposition on the back foot and force them back deep into their own territory. He is also an accurate kicker suggesting that he would be a 40/20 threat in rugby league immediately with his right foot. Nick Wilkinson also has some subtly to his kicking and is able to kick effectively across field for his outside backs. In the U20 National Competition Round Three match against the ACT a kick of this nature which was perfectly placed led to a try to his right winger.
Defensively Nick Wilkinson is also a strong presence on the field and certainly in rugby for Australian Schools and Randwick Premier Colts he defended in the channel near the formation of rucks and mauls, he defends strongly against loose forwards picking and driving in his direction. He gets low and generates significant leverage with his lower body and drives into his opponent with a strong effect. Defending at fullback for the Randwick early in the season, Nick Wilkinson would push forward when the opposition made a break to cut down the time the opponent had to make a decision in relation to whether to pass or try to beat him on his own. In short he is a very good defender regardless of position or code.
Nick Wilkinson will play out the 2018 season with Randwick in the Sydney Premier competition and it will just depend in which competition. He is still eligible for the Colts age group but appears set to play the majority of the season in the 2nd grade competition and also certainly make his 1st grade Shute Shield debut in the Randwick green. Nick Wilkinson will also surely be a key part of the New South Wales Gen Blue U20 side.
I would anticipate with the backline strength at Randwick Nick Wilkinson will continue to alternate between centre, fullback and five eight. For a rugby league perspective his experience the Balmain Tigers and how he plays rugby, I can see a bright future at five eight in rugby league. He has an above average tactical kicking game to go along with an elusive running game and underrated ball playing skills.
From a player comparison perspective thing maybe someone like the Parramatta Eels Cory Norman as a player who whilst an effective runner of the football, can also direct his side around the field equally effectively as well as being his team’s primary tactical kicker.
James Ramm. (Revised) The young winger or fullback has recently been selected in the Australian U20 Rugby side for the U20 Oceania Championships later this month and has started off the 2018 club season once again with Randwick in the Sydney Premier Rugby competition.
James Ramm has started of the 2018 Sydney Premier Rugby season for Randwick in the senior grades even though he is still eligible for the Colts competition. James Ramm made his Shute Shield debut in Round One coming on in the second half from the reserve bench and also scoring in a 48 – 5 victory over Gordon. James Ramm also come on as a reserve in Round Two over the weekend and scored once again in a 46 – 19 Randwick loss to Warringah.
In both Rounds James Ramm played in the reserve grade competition prior to being on the bench for the Randwick Shute Shield side. In Round one James Ramm was a 2nd grade reserve but started Round Two on the right wing scoring against Warringah.
In 2017 the flying young winger benefitted from being on the end of the New South Wales Gen Blue U20 rugby side where with his speed, balance and body control he has converted a lot of opportunities into tries for the Galloping Greens. James Ramm’s form for his Sydney Premier Colts Randwick side should have come as no surprise as earlier in the 2017 season the Randwick flyer was part of the New South Wales Gen Blue U20 side that were defeated in the Australian U20 Championship final to the Queensland Red’s and was also part of the Australian U20 side that participated in the U20 Oceania Championships that were held at Bond University on the Gold Coast in April this year.
For the New South Wales Gen Blue U20 side the former St Joseph’s Hunters Hill student had a couple of big games including scoring a great wingers try against the ACT Brumbies and also kicked four conversions and a penalty goal in a solid New South Wales victory over the Melbourne Rebels. James Ramm also started on the right wing in the U20 National Final loss to the Queensland Reds kicking two conversions in the final. For Australia in the U20 Oceania series on the Gold Coast James Ramm had the distinction of scoring Australia’s first try when he scored in the eighth minute in an Australian victory over Samoa U20’s.
With his New South Wales and Australian U20 commitments James Ramm has only been able to play a handful of matches in the Sydney Premier Colts competition for Randwick the first match being Round Three when he lined up at fullback, Round Twelve when he lined up at right wing and scored in a 34 – 20 loss to Eastern Suburbs in a very physical encounter and in Round Fourteen when James Ramm scored a hat trick in a 50 – 30 win over Warringah.
Plus plus straight line speed with outstanding balance and body control are the primary attributes that James Ramm possesses on a football field. He is not the biggest or strongest winger but makes up for that with exceptional speed, timing and anticipation. For New South Wales in the National U20 competition earlier this season scored at least four tries where the move started in his own territory when the opposition just could not contain him.
It would be extremely unfair to purely put James Ramm’s success down to purely his speed, he is also has a very good in and away with a solid right fend. One thing that James Ramm also does well is change the axis of the attack just prior to receiving the ball. Certainly for New South Wales and Australian U20 sides when at full speed James Ramm would adjust the angle of his run immediately prior to receiving the ball and target the gap between his opposition winger and the outside centre and with his speed he was regularly able to explode through the resultant gap. When returning kicks James Ramm hunt’s across field before cutting back and looking to exploit a fractured defensive line.
James Ramm 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 the 2017 Oceania U20 matches for example on his right wing he was up against a number of giant wingers from Fiji, Samoa and the Junior All Blacks and he handled him very well. In defence against the bigger outside backs running around, James Ramm looks to cut down the time that they have to gain momentum thus eliminating the size differential as a defensive aspect to take into consideration.
As noted James Ramm has been has been named in the Australian U20 rugby side and will also continue to gain invaluable experience playing for Randwick in eth Sydney Premier Rugby competition which is their equilivant to the Queensland Cup.
With his express pace, acceleration, balance and body control to add to his freakish ability to be in the right place when a try on “on”, James Ramm would excel on the end of a rugby league backline and if a team has a play maker that can exploit the blind side you would have a potent attacking weapon that would not be rivalled. James Ramm has a talent that just cannot be taught and that is to sense when a try is beckoning and then have the skill set to take advantage of it.
James Ramm has more speed, a lot more than the current NRL player that I am going to use as a comparison, but in relation to his try scoring ability and also his positional sense a playing style akin to that of North Queensland Cowboys Kyle Feldt is for me a more than reasonable comparison for the young flyer.
Lachlan Connors. (Revised) The AIC School boy rugby competition is sometimes over looked in relation to the GPS competition but with young players such as former St Patricks College No. 8 Lachlan Connors the talent in the competition cannot be ignored.
In 2017 Lachlan Connors was named in the Australian School Boy side for their matches against New Zealand Schools after starring for Queensland II and the Australian Schools Championships including a Man of the Match performance against New South Wales I.
In 2017 Lachlan Connors was been named at No. 8 in the AIC representative side for the Queensland Schools Championships at Ballymore after a stellar AIC rugby season. A lot of good judges rated Lachlan Connors not just the best No. 8 in the AIC competition but in the top one or two best players in Queensland School boy rugby regardless of position.
As a result Lachlan Connors was awarded the Ian MacMillan Trophy as the best Queensland School Boy rugby player in 2017 and was also awarded a John Eales Bond University Scholarship for 2018 and beyond. The other John Eales Scholarship winner was former Titans contracted youngster Max Dowd.
To date this season for Bond University in the Brisbane Rugby competition, Lachlan Connors has started at No. 8 for the Bond University Colts I side through the first three rounds and has then backed up to play in the Premier Rugby side from the inter change bench. Playing in the Brisbane Premier Rugby competition at 18 is an impressive feat and is akin to playing in the Queensland Cup competition.
Bond University have had a tough start to the Colts I competition losing all three matches so far. In Round One they were defeated 27 – 25 by Wests, Round Two saw a 7 – 5 loss to GPS and over the weekend Bond Colts lost 27 – 10 to University of Queensland. Lachlan Connors however has been outstanding, including scoring a double in Round One.
2017 was the second season that Lachlan Connors played First XV rugby for St Patricks College Shorncliffe in the AIC competition, even though I believe that in 2015 he played a number of First XV matches from the bench after starring in the U16A competition. Lachlan Connors was selected on the bench for the AIC school boy representative side in 2016 for the Queensland Schools trials.
Lachlan Connors showed a wide range of skills during the 2017 AIC season for St Patrick’s 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. His ability to pick the ball up at the back of a ruck or maul and generate momentum quickly regularly got SPC on the front foot in games.
Considering the limited space between Lachlan Connors and the defensive line when he got the ball, Lachlan Connors was able to make a lot of ground by getting low to engage the defenders with his shoulder rather than allowing them to get in and under his ribs and also a substantial leg drive meant that he drove defenders backwards even after they had engaged him with significant force.
In terms of ball skills, Lachlan Connors 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.
Whilst his ball running skills are the first thing that you will likely notice when seeing Lachlan Connors play his defence is equally effective even though it may not be as noticeable at first glance. Defensively Lachlan Connors 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. Lachlan Connors sets a very good base which he uses to explode into the ball carrier looking to use their own momentum against them.
Lachlan Connors 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.
Lachlan Connors will play out the 2018 season with the Bond University Colts side, if in fact he does not move permanently to the Brisbane Premier Rugby Bond University side. Lachlan Connors looms as someone who will progress to the next level in rugby, possibly as soon as next season with the Queensland Reds and then the Wallabies post that.
From a rugby league position perspective, with his size, willingness to initiate contact and his strength the combat any size opponent defensively, Lachlan Connors shapes as an ideal rugby league second rower.
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, in Lachlan Connor’s running more to the left side and then has enough speed to break into space prior to looking for his support players. Like Gillett, Lachlan Connors is also an extremely efficient and effective defender who will hit hard when the opportunity presents itself and looks to always dominate his opponents physically in all aspects of the game.
Matthew McTaggart. (Revised) The exceptionally talented young fullback is a sight to behold when he chimes into a backline at full pace. Matthew McTaggart was on the fringes of the Australian Sevens Men’s rugby squad in 2017 and was previously linked to the Melbourne Storm but last year at least chose to try his luck in Rugby sevens, but the door may not be closed to rugby league permanently however, well let’s hope not at least.
Matthew McTaggart has started off the 2018 Sydney Club Rugby season playing in the Colts One competition for Eastern Suburbs starting Round two over the weekend on the left wing in their 30 – 24 loss to Gordon.
In December 2016 the former St Joseph’s Sydney College student was named in the Australian Youth sevens team as well as universally being considered the Sydney GPS Schoolboy player of the year. The young man originally from the Wagga area of New South Wales has gone from strength to strength since moving to Sydney on a rugby scholarship with St Joseph’s College.
Matthew McTaggart is in some respects a throwback to the 1970’s or 1980’s when fullbacks used to chime into the back line either between the two centres or even between the centre or winger especially in relation to looking to exploit a shorter blind side. When Matthew McTaggart chimes into a back line he does not look to run into his direct opponent but he runs into the gaps and anticipates where his inside play makers are going to pass the ball.
From a running perspective, Matthew McTaggart just seems to glide across the field and it appears effortless, no matter who is chasing him, they will not catch Matthew McTaggart, I am talking James Roberts type of pace but he has a much more effortless running style to that of the current Brisbane Bronco. Matthew McTaggart 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. It is no surprise at all that he was in and around the Australian Men’s Rugby Sevens squad.
Matthew McTaggart’s passing skills are also 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 superb 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. It was this exact passing skills that led to a try that he scored for Australian Schools against New Zealand Schools last year. Matthew McTaggart took the ball down a short blind side, threw a great cut out pass to left winger Yirribi Jaffer Williams and backed up on the inside and won the race to the ball when Yirribi Jaffer Williams kicked into open space.
Defensively Matthew McTaggart also stands out, with his closing speed and recovery speed to make an impact on that side of the ball as well. With his speed, Matthew McTaggart 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 Matthew McTaggart such an effective defender, Matthew McTaggart 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. His 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.
Followers of the Sydney Premier Colts Rugby Competition will have the pleasure of seeing this incredibly talented young man in action throughout the 2018 season for Eastern Suburbs where even at that competitive level I am sure that he will stand out.
From a position stand point clearly Matthew McTaggart could play almost any position in a back line maybe except for half back but in every other position he would be an absolute stand out, but at fullback where he has the entire field in front of him and can decide where and when to attack seems to be the best use of the skill set of this exceptionally talented young man. The confidence, assuredness and calmness that Matthew McTaggart exudes on the field is exceptional.
In all honestly I cannot think of a modern day NRL player that plays like Matthew McTaggart, his combination of speed, line running and positioning is unique from my perspective. The closest comparison that I can come up with is that Matthew McTaggart has the speed and elusiveness of Billy Slater in his prime and the passing game of Cooper Cronk now. Those comparisons are a big call I know but in this instance for Matthew McTaggart they are certainly justified.
Matthew McTaggart is one of the most impressive young players that I have ever seen regardless of code and seemingly is always one play ahead of the game and an innate understanding of the game and his role in it, he does not let the game come to him, he takes the game by the scruff of the neck and just throttles it but he does it with a sense of calmness and ease with is impossible to teach. Matthew McTaggart is one of the most natural talented and instinctive young player running around regardless of code or age group.
Dylan Pietsch. (Revised) Dylan Pietsch is a tough aggressive forward leader both in attack and defence who demands respect in the field through the sheer volume of work that he gets through. Dylan Pietsch has already played for the Australian Sevens side in a couple of the World Sevens rounds in 2017 and with his size and speed was a force when running the ball even against grown men, not a bad feat at all for an 18 year old just out of school.
Due to his Sevens commitments, Dylan Pietsch was hardly played in the green of Randwick for whom he plays for in the Sydney Premier Colts competition, where along with Sydney University, Randwick are the competition heavy weights.
Dylan Pietsch has started off the 2018 season for Randwick in the 2nd grade competition making his first appearance of the season over the weekend in Round Two where he started at No. 7 in Randwick’s 20 – 12 victory over Warringah.
Over the course of the Rugby Sevens competition rounds in 2017 the former Kings College star played 18 rugby seven’s matches for Australia with the last being on Monday 22 May 2017 in a loss against South Africa. Dylan Pietsch started off coming off the bench for the Australian Seven’s side but over the last couple of competition rounds has broken into the starting line-up. Dylan Pietsch’s success is no surprise after starring for New South Wales I schools and from there being a key member of the Australian Schoolboys pack against the junior All Blacks.
Rarely can you find a young player who is equally at home running on both sides of the ruck but that is what a team has with Dylan Pietsch, he runs a superb outside shoulder line and his excellent footwork enables him to step off either foot to enable him to cut back against the movement of the defensive line to take advantage of gaps back on the inside of his direct opponent. For a big strong young man, Dylan Pietsch also has above average speed, not just off the mark but also when he is in clear space, when he makes a break Dylan Pietsch is more than capable of going the distance and normally easily out paces the cover defence.
Dylan Pietsch 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. Dylan Pietsch in schoolboy rugby and junior age groups was a magnet for defenders and is adept at identifying when multiple defenders are vectoring towards him and identifying the appropriate force to be applied to his passing. Dylan Pietsch also waits until the last possible second to off load the ball and most of the time he does not telegraph his pass to enable defences the readjust before the ball is passed.
On a lot of his runs Dylan Pietsch rather than trying to step his opposite number will really look to initiate the contact and then use his strength to hold the defender off his body to either push through the tackle or draw in the next defender to create space for his outside support.
Defensively Dylan Pietsch has a hard edge to his play and his initial contact is more than sufficient to redirect the momentum of the ball carrier. Dylan Pietsch sets a very good base which he uses to explode into the ball carrier looking to use their own momentum against them. His good situation awareness also enables him to be well positioned when he is defending against smaller quicker opponents and he endeavours to minimise the time available for the opposing attacker to generate speed and to utilise their footwork, he is also able to change direction quickly to adjust to the directional changes of the attacker especially when he is marking up against multiple attackers running in his direction where he will hold his ground to let the play to develop in front of him before committing to a specific defensive course of action.
Dylan Pietsch will continue to play in the Sydney Premier Rugby Competition with Randwick in 2018 and will likely spend a fair portion of the season in the Shute Shield competition.
I appreciate it is a huge long shot but with his size, speed, strength, power and attitude, Dylan Pietsch would make an exceptional rugby league player. If he sticks with rugby I would anticipate that he will make his Super Rugby debut as a 19 year old for the New South Wales Waratah’s next season and whilst nothing is a sure thing he shapes as a 10 year wallaby at potentially any of the loose forward positions.
Dylan Pietsch is a rare combination of incredible athletic ability and an exceptional understanding of timing and anticipation on a football thus to that extent for me Dylan Pietsch has Sonny Bill Williams’s athletic ability and Matt Gillett’s football smarts and aggressiveness. For any rugby followers he plays rugby like former All Backs and New Zealand Colt hero’s Josh Kronfeld or Ritchie McGraw. Dylan Pietsch is a rare exceptional talent indeed.
Mitieli Tuinakauvadra. The stocky but powerful 104 kg young man has played both No. 8 and blind side flanker (No. 6) for Sydney University in the Sydney Premier Colts rugby competition where with Randwick, Sydney University loom as the team to beat once again in 2018. It would have been scary to see but Mitieli Tuinakauvadra actually was a winger and made the Sydney U15 side in that position a couple of years ago.
Mitieli Tuinakauvadra started off the 2018 Sydney Premier Colts competition with a bang scoring a hat trick against Parramatta in a 48 – 15 Sydney University victory but missed Round two when Sydney University defeated Penrith 90 – 7 over the weekend.
The former St Joseph’s College Sydney student came into the 2017 Sydney University Premier Colts side in Round Four and in the subsequent six rounds has played five at blindside flanker and one being Round Eight at No. 8. Mitieli Tuinakauvadra has crossed for four tries, coming against Northern Suburbs in Round Five, Penrith in Round Six in a 95 – 10 Sydney University win, Round Eight against West Harbour in a 78 – 0 win in Round Nine against Southern Districts.
For such a strongly built young man, Mitieli Tuinakauvadra is actually very quick both off the mark and when he has broken into space. When he runs Mitieli Tuinakauvadra runs very front on with the initial contact with the defensive line being chest on. With his slightly shorter frame to a lot of the locks, No. 8’s and flankers that he runs into, Mitieli Tuinakauvadra’s centre of gravity is lower which is also as a result of his thick legs and thus unless the opposing defender gets low he runs a grave risk of being bumped off.
When Mitieli Tuinakauvadra breaks into open space and is coming towards the fullback his only thought process is seemingly to run directly over the defending fullback rather than trying to step or swerve. From what I have seen at least Mitieli Tuinakauvadra seems to run more to the right side of the field especially in pick and drive situations where his explosive power off the marks plays very well. From an overall speed perspective, Mitieli Tuinakauvadra’s speed would be considered above average at the very least.
Defensively, obviously the patterns in rugby are extremely different as opposing forwards are usually attacking the set defensive line with a limited run up, but the impressive thing that I noticed was the Mitieli Tuinakauvadra gets down low, after setting a strong lower base with his legs and drives through the body of the attacking player regularly backwards and then is powerful enough to then secure the ball for his side. The power he possesses is quite exceptional and he really does smash some opposition forwards when he was cleaning out.
Mitieli Tuinakauvadra will play the remainder of the 2018 season for Sydney University in the Sydney Premier Colts competition, where he will likely play the majority of matches at blind side flanker, although he will also get some opportunities like he has a couple of times early in the season in the No. 8 jumper especially when regular No. 8 Milan Basson is unavailable.
From a rugby league perspective, even though he may not have the prototypical height, Mitieli Tuinakauvadra shapes as a hard running tough tackling lock forward who when he is open space is quick enough to gain separation from the cover defence and does not shirk contact when he has the ball or is defending.
Former Titan and Penrith Panther Chris Greshmuhl is a solid NRL player comparison for the talented Mitieli Tuinakauvadra as a solidly built bullocking type of player with some pace and power when he breaks into open space.
Jackson Mohi. (Revised) The New South Wales U19 Waratah selection in 2017 has a predominately rugby league background but his present focus is on rugby and in relation to club rugby is currently plying his trade with Randwick Premier Colts in the Sydney Rugby competition.
Jackson Mohi has started on the right wing in the opening two rounds of the Sydney Colts I competition for Randwick and has scored a double in each of the rounds, being in Round One in a 31 – 29 victory over Gordon and Round two in a 87 – 10 victory over Warringah. In the Warringah match over the weekend, Jackson Mohi also kicked a conversion.
Jackson Mohi played two years in the SG Ball U18 representative rugby league competition with the Sydney Roosters where he predominantly played either fullback or wing, in 2017 Jackson Mohi played five SG Ball matches for the Roosters.
Like a number of youngsters in the current era, Jackson Mohi also played rugby at school and was part of the Waverley College First XV that won the CAS First XV premiership in 201, playing mainly in the fullback role. Jackson Mohi was also part of one of the New South Wales I side that played in the Australian School rugby trials in 2016. Unfortunately Jackson Mohi missed the final due to injury and to add to the disappointment New South Wales I were defeated by New South Wales II 22 – 5.
Earlier this year Jackson Mohi was named in the New South Wales Waratah’s U19 side but graduated to the New South Wales Gen Blue U20 side playing a number of matches including starting on the bench for New South Wales in the final against Queensland. In that final Jackson Mohi came off the bench to score New South Wales third try in the 63rd minute. Queensland went on to win the final comprehensively.
As a result of his New South Wales U20 commitments Jackson Mohi has played only played in one Sydney Premier Colts match for the powerful Randwick club including being in Round Two when Jackson Mohi lined up in the left centre position.
Jackson Mohi is very quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside and will not get caught from behind if he gets into open space. I would not say that he has blazing speed but he does have decent top end speed and is unlikely to get caught from behind by anyone but the absolute quickest of opponents. Jackson Mohi’s best attribute from an outside back perspective is his ability to keep his width and be available for his team mates, when the opposing defender cheats inside.
When the ball is moved out the back line, he stays on his line, and a lot of the tries that he scored for Waverley College last year when he was able to beat his opposite defender when they had come in just a fraction. He probably could have scored a few more tries but made sure that his team would score when in open space as he would draw the fullback and pass to his support when he could have easily gone himself, a sign of a smart team player.
When playing in the centres Jackson Mohi looks to draw in the winger to try to create space down the touch line for the attackers outside him, but when 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 positions.
In defence, he is not the strongest player but will certainly look to hold his line defensively. I have not often see him come in when he did not need to, preferring to stay on his oppose number and trusting his teams inside and outside defenders. From my perspective at least, his skill set in defence is more suited to a sliding defence structure rather than an up and in one.
Jackson Mohi will form part of a potent Randwick Premier Colts back line for the remainder of the 2018 Sydney Rugby season and to be fair a few very talented outside backs are going to be in the Colts I competition as there is just not enough positions for the amount of talented players Randwick Colts have on their books.
Even though he has proved conclusively that he can play fullback, I believe that ultimately Jackson Mohi’s best position regardless of code is on the wing where he can utilise his outstanding straight lien speed and devastating in and away to finish off nay attacking opportunities that are created on his inside.
For me how Jackson Mohi plays either in relation to rugby or rugby league is similar to the playing style of former Titan 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.
Lachlan Day. (Revised) The outstanding young Randwick Colts fullback even in a side full of junior stars is a standout at the back with his exciting ball running skills and has started off the 2018 season Sydney Colt’s season with a bang scoring 27 points through the opening two rounds.
In Round One in a 31 – 29 Randwick victory over Gordon, James Ramm starting at fullback scored a try and kicked three conversions. In Round two in a big 87 – 10 Randwick victory over Warringah James Ramm kicked nine conversions.
From Round Eight onwards of the 2017 Sydney Premier Colts rugby competition Lachlan Day went on a bit of a points scoring spree, which included scoring five tries and kicking twelve conversions or penalties. In Round Eight against Northern Suburbs, Lachlan Day scored after an excellent backline movement by Randwick, in Round Nine in a big win against Gordon, he scored two tries and six goals and in the most recent round being Round Eleven, Lachlan Day scored two tries and kicked three goals against Warringah all from the fullback position.
2017 is the first season that Lachlan Day played Sydney grade rugby after graduating from St Joseph’s College Hunters Hill where he played three years in their First XV side predominantly at fullback but in earlier seasons he played a handful of matches on the wing.
In 2016 Lachlan Day’s play for St Joseph’s College Hunter Hill resulted in him being selected on the wing for the Combined States side for the Australian Schools Championships and in those Championships, one game in particular stood out from an individual stand point, when Lachlan Day tore apart the Queensland 1 side in a big win for Combined States. For Combined States, Lachlan Day was selected and spent the majority of the matches on the right wing including the match against Queensland I.
Lachlan Days’ main attribute when you see him play is his foot work, it is absolutely outstanding from the fullback position. He can step off both feet effortlessly and put multiple combinations of steps together in a short space of time and a small radius to get out of difficult situations and still make ground.
Lachlan Day does not just beat larger forwards with his footwork, he will make the fastest of outside backs and fullbacks look slow by comparison as he leaves them grasping behind him. Lachlan Day’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 Lachlan Day is an exceptional attacking player. If he gets an off load from a forward through the middle he is through the gap before the defence can react, if he gets the ball in space out wide he is make it very difficult for the opposing defender to get a clean shot at him and if he gets the ball from a kick, if the defensive line is not straight in the chase he can make significant ground.
Seemingly like all modern day fullbacks and outside backs Lachlan Day has exceptional balance and body control enabling him to score some incredible tries over the course of his junior career where it appears that he would be stopped well short of the try line or be pushed into touch.
Defensively Lachlan Day 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.
Lachlan Day 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 innately 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.
Depending on injury James Ramm should continue to be in and around the Randwick Premier Colts side for the remainder of the season.
Even though he has spent some time on the wing Lachlan Day’s play at fullback continues to develop which is evidenced by him consolidating his spot at fullback for Randwick. With his timing and anticipation in returning kicks and his fearless defence, Lachlan Day presents as an outstanding candidate to play fullback in rugby league at a high level.
With the disappointing showing of the Wallabies, all of the Australian Super Rugby sides and the Australian U20 side who finished sixth in their World Championships, talented young rugby players like Lachlan Day should certainly be approached to see if a change in code is a consideration. Lachlan Day is also an outstanding goal kicker who has the potential to be his team’s primary goal kicking option moving forward.
For me when I have seen Lachlan Day, and granted it has only been a handful of times live but multiple live streams and replays from Australian Schools and Sydney Premier Colts but I can see aspects of the way that Cronulla and Queensland emerging star Valentine Holmes plays, he is an explosive athlete with the confidence in his own abilities and that of his team mates.
Yirribi Jaffer Williams. (Revised) The powerful Randwick and former Australian School boys’ rugby centre or winger is a big strong powerful outside back with a lot more to come after graduating to senior rugby from the school boy’s level in 2016. Yirribi Jaffer Williams is currently playing in the Sydney Premier Colts competition with the powerful Randwick Club where he has been mainly playing left centre over the last two seasons.
To date in the 2018 Sydney Colts I competition, Yirribi Jaffer Williams started Round One on the left wing for Randwick in their 31 – 29 victory over Gordon but did however miss Round Two last weekend with injury.
In 2016 Yirribi Jaffer Williams represented Australian School Boys on the left wing against New Zealand Schools and set up a try with a deft kick for exciting fullback Matthew McTaggart to score. On that play Yirribi Jaffer Williams received the ball down a short blind side from Matthew McTaggart and after beating his direct opponent down the touch line put in a deft kick with his left foot which bounced up perfectly for Matthew McTaggart to score a good second half try for the Australian Schools side.
The former Sydney St Joseph’s College standard had a standout Australian Schools campaign for New South Wales who won the Australian Schools competition before being selected for Australian Schools and subsequently the 2017 New South Wales Generation Blue squad.
Describing Yirribi Jaffer Williams as a powerhouse winger with the size, strength and speed to create match up nightmares for any defensive line would be an accurate representation of the facts. The key for Yirribi Jaffer Williams is to get the ball early and look to run through his opposite number if there is no room to move down the sideline.
When there is room down the side line , Yirribi Jaffer Williams has the above average to plus speed to break into open space and with his strength and power he is able to hold his opposing winger away from his body with a strong fend enabling him to maintain his balance and running line even when under pressure.
Yirribi Jaffer Williams also has the size and speed to come in off his wing and give his forwards a breather through powerful runs through the centre of the ruck and on those occasions commits multiple defenders.
Defensively Yirribi Jaffer Williams is effective at maintaining his discipline staying with his opposite winger rather than looking to come in but in the occasions that he does come off his wing, he has the strength to finish off the attacking play there and then. With his speed, Yirribi Jaffer Williams also has the recovery speed to react to opposition line breaks.
Yirribi Jaffer Williams will continue to play for Randwick in the Sydney Premier Colts competition as well as continuing to train with the New South Wales Generation Blue U20 squad. I would also expect Yirribi Jaffer Williams to also make his Shute Shield debut sometime this season in the Randwick Green.
Unfortunately the demise of the NYC competition in rugby league means that players like Yirribi Jaffer Williams even if they had an inclination to consider changing codes they will be less likely to come 2018.
Yirribi Jaffer Williams is currently playing on the left wing for Randwick. Regardless of code and yes it is probable that he will stay with rugby, but for me Yirribi Jaffer Williams is a winger with the ability to score some incredible tries on the corner through speed and elusiveness but in the same breath, he has the size and power to come off his wing and make an impact taking the ball through the centre of the ruck and gaining momentum for his team.
From a playing comparison perspective, the play of former Titans, Melbourne Storm and PNG International Marcus Bai is for me an apt comparison for Yirribi Jaffer Williams as a player with above average pace, balance, body control, strength and power with the confidence to take the game on rather than waiting back for the game to come to him.
Jaya Yoannidis. (Revised) The flying young left winger may still be a touch raw but Jaya Yoannidis has been outstanding for Randwick in the Sydney Premier Rugby competition alternating between Premier Colts, Colts I and Colts II over the last two seasons.
The former Waverley College First XV player also has a rugby league background including playing for the Sydney Roosters at the Harrold Matthews (U16) level previously and also represented Combined Associated Schools at the U15 level at the Australian School Boys U15 national Championships. In relation to representative rugby, Jaya Yoannidis was selected last year in the Combined Associated Schools II side for the New South Wales Schools Championships.
Jaya Yoannidis started the 2018 season off on the right wing in Randwick’s Colts II side in their 28 – 10 victory over Gordon and on that Saturday also came off the bench for the Colts I match which also resulted in a wing for Randwick this time 31 – 29. In Round Two last weekend, Jaya Yoannidis started on the left wing in the Colts I side replacing the injured Yirribi Jaffer Williams and again was on a winning side as Randwick defeated Warringah 87 – 10.
In 2017 Jaya Yoannidis played in all three Sydney Colts rugby divisions, including one appearance in the Premier Colts competition where he started on the left wing in Round Eleven. Jaya Yoannidis played in five Colts I matches, averaging a try a match, including a double in Round One against West Harbour and also tries against Northern Suburbs in Round Eight where he started the match in the centres, Penrith in Round Nine, when Randwick won 103 – 0 and in Round Twelve against Eastern Suburbs. After missing Round Four with an injury, Jaya Yoannidis played Rounds four, five and Six in Colts II where he played in the centres and scored against Parramatta and Manly.
The powerful young man is a ball of muscle coupled with plus speed and strength who can either run straight over an opposing defender or run a good line into gaps in the defensive line. Jaya Yoannidis used both skill attributes to his advantage over the course of the 2017 Colts season and the start of the 2018 Colts season with Randwick. In terms of running a good gap line, Jaya Yoannidis has developed a good rapport with his fly half especially in relation to the fly half throwing a good pop ball as Jaya Yoannidis comes from behind the fly half before accelerating into a gap in the defensive line.
Once in space Jaya Yoannidis’s speed is in the plus category and whilst he does not necessarily have a dominant step he has great body control and balance when running at top speed which enables him to have a very good swerve which he used over the course of the 2017 season to beat opposing fullbacks. One thing that I have noticed in games was that when he broke into space with only the fullback to beat, Jaya Yoannidis actually changes his running angle to run directly at the fullback. What this did was stop any sideways movement of the defending fullback meaning his subsequent swerve was even more difficult to combat as the fullback has lost all lateral momentum as Jaya Yoannidis is converging on him.
On occasion Jaya Yoannidis can get fixated on beating the fullback by himself, I think that this however more a reflection on his enthusiasm rather than any hint of selfishness, I think that when he gets into space he just wants to score. Jaya Yoannidis seems to enjoy every minute of his time on the field especially when he is running with the ball. Throughout a game he rarely has anything but a smile on his face even when he gets hit heavily in a tackle.
Defensively Jaya Yoannidis is a strong hard hitter who will move forward to meet the ball carrier once they have broken into space. Whether it is by design or a by-product of his aggressive approach his movement forward to attack opponents who have broken through the Randwick defensive line dramatically cuts down on the space and the decision making time of the opponent and a couple of times during that season led to dropped balls when the attacker rushed the pass to his supports or Jaya Yoannidis hit the attacker as he was still trying to set up for the pass.
Another impressive defensive attribute that Jaya Yoannidis possesses is the functional strength to engage and redirect the momentum of attackers close to his own try line mitigating the threat to the try line. On those circumstances his initial contact is of a violent nature and over the course of the season Jaya Yoannidis was able to completely halt the attacking side’s momentum through just one tackle and consequently turn defence into attack.
With the outstanding depth at Randwick across the three Colts grades Jaya Yoannidis will likely continue to alternate between the top two Colts divisions for the remainder of the 2018 season.
From an ultimate position perspective, I think that Jaya Yoannidis would make an exceptional winger in rugby league especially one that could come in off his wing to take pressure off his forward pack as well as returning kicks. His pace and power coupled with his low centre of gravity makes him an incredibly difficult proposition for opposition backlines and forwards to deal with effectively.
From a player comparison perspective I struggled a little trying to come up with someone who has the power, strength and speed of the rough diamond that is Jaya Yoannidis but in the end the best comparison may be former Melbourne Storm winger and current Wallaby Marika Koroibete as a physically gifted player still with a long way to go to reach their full potential but regardless a player who already shows flashes of exceptional ability.
Sepesa Tarogi is a young centre from the Randwick Rugby Club in Sydney and he was also a member of the New South Wales gen Blue 2017 squad (Read NSW U20 squad) that participated in the 2017 National U20 competition easily won by Queensland in fact against New South Wales.
After being a stand out for the Randwick Colts I side last season playing at outside centre, Sepesa Tarogi has graduated to the Sydney Grade ranks starting the first two rounds of the season in the 3rd grade competition on the left wing. Sepesa Tarogi has scored in both rounds to date with his tries coming against Gordon in Round One and Warringah in Rounds Two. Randwick won Round One 47 – 19 but lost against Warringah in Round Two 33 – 13.
Sepesa Tarogi went to the prestigious Newington College in Sydney and was part of the New South Wales I school boy side that won the 2015 national Championship defeating Queensland I 22 – 20 in the final with Sepesa Tarogi playing on the wing and scoring a critical try to New South Wales to regain the lead. Sepesa was also part of the 2016 New South Wales U20 squad in 2016 and was also been part of U20 Australian Rugby Seven’s squads.
The young right sided centre is a hard running powerful centre with a touch of flair. He has the power to run over his direct opponent, the ability to step off either foot and then accelerate immediately into the clear. Just to add another weapon to his attacking ****nal, Sepesa Tarogi also has the innate ability to set up his support runners and put them into space. His ability to off load with his right hand even when he is very close to the ground with passes out of the back of his hand has to be seen to be believed.
Doing this once or twice could be considered a bit of luck but to put this type of pass directly onto the chest of his support runners regularly is not luck it is a skills you either have or you don’t, there is absolutely no luck involved.
Sepesa Tarogi is just an explosive athlete who is also a powerfully built young man who runs with pace and power. It would be unfair to categorise that his game is only built on pace and power though as he has a very good left foot step and left hand fend, he can also draw defenders in to give players outside him room. Due to his strength and fend he regularly gets on the outside of his opposite defender forcing the winger to make a decision as to whether to come in on him or stay with his winger.
If he comes in, Sepesa Tarogi has the quick hands to get the pass away prior to contact, but also is big and strong enough as well as having very good core strength and balance to absorb the contact and still get the pass to his winger. If the opposing winger still out, he is definitely quick enough to break into open space although I would not say that he has plus speed, he is quick enough to gain separate from the cover defence. When you look at his build he may not look like he has a lot of speed, but he definitely does.
Sepesa Tarogi’s 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. In School boy rugby opposing centres were looking for him in the defensive line when they were running which did generate a few lost balls, obviously it was different in the National U20 rugby competition.
The positive for Sepesa Tarogi 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.
Sepesa Tarogi has graduated from the Colts ranks and will play out the 2018 season playing in the Sydney Grade competition for Randwick, likely alternating between the 2nd and 3rd grade competitions.
Sepesa Tarogi has moved around a bit on a rugby field, including spending time at fullback and wing as well as in the centres, but from a rugby league perspective at least I certainly could envisage Sepesa Tarogi on the end of a rugby league backline. The mind boggles at what Sepesa Tarogi could do returning kicks and taking off from dummy half after a quick play the ball with the opposing forward pack still retreating to try to get back on side.
A current NRL player with similar skill attributes and playing style for me is Melbourne Storm sensation Suliasi Vunivalu. Like Vunivalu, Sepesa Tarogi is a powerful runner who displays some breath taking skills on a field.
Thomas Serhorn. (Revised) The big strong powerful young No. 8 has through the strength of high level performances forced the hand of the Randwick coaches through the first half of the 2017 Sydney Premier Colts Rugby Competition breaking into the Randwick Premier Colts starting side after previously graduating from the New South Wales AAGPS School boy rugby competition.
The former Newington College First XV rugby star has a host of representative competition for the No. 8 spot at Randwick but his powerful bursts and crunching front on defensive methodology coupled with his outstanding workaholic attitude made it impossible for him to be kept out of the Randwick Premier Colts starting line-up in 2017.
Thomas Serhorn has started the 2018 season where his 2017 one finished being in the Randwick Colts I side, starting both rounds to date. Thomas Serhron started Round One at No. 6 in a 31 – 29 win over Gordon and started at No. 8 last weekend and also scored when Randwick crushed Warringah 87 – 10.
In the 2017 Sydney Premier Colts Competition, Thomas Serhorn played in six matches, four at blind side flanker (No. 6), one at open side flanker (No. 7) and one being the match last weekend at No. 8 in the Randwick dark green. In those matches Thomas Serhorn has scored two tries, the first coming in Round One against West Harbour and the second against Northern Suburbs in Round Eight.
For a solidly built young man Thomas Serhorn has above average speed for a forward regardless of position or code both in terms of straight line speed or speed off the mark. Randwick Premier Colts have been very good at incorporating his skill set into their game plan by getting Thomas Serhorn to run a straight inside shoulder line when opposition defences are sliding. He is particularly effective when attacking close to the line as he runs with pace and regularly drags defenders over the try line. Due to his size when defenders try to tackle him around the chest Thomas Serhorn can shrug them off but does lose momentum in his run in those circumstances.
From a defensive perspective, Thomas Serhorn’s timing and anticipation are his best attributes, he has developed an effective tackling technique in terms of coming out of the line to negate the opposition attack, he will not aim of the big hit but he is effective at wrapping out the ball and preventing the play from developing further, his natural strength is a key attribute here. Thomas Serhorn can on occasion get caught on the inside shoulder of the opposing attacker but at present his awareness enables him to adjust quickly and negate the play.
With the strength and depth at break away and No. 8 at Randwick in the Colts Divisions it is likely that Thomas Serhorn will continue to alternate between all three positions over the course of the remaining rounds of the 2018 Sydney Colts competition.
With size, strength speed and power at his disposal Thomas Serhorn has the ideal physical and skill characteristics for a rugby league second rower.
From a rugby league player comparison perspective a young player that springs to mind as a similar player is the Penrith Panthers boom young second rower Isaiah Yeo. They are both big, strong and powerful and just need to harness their considerable potential as they progress in the game.
Milan Basson. (Revised) The athletic ball playing No. 8 for Sydney University has been one of their many stand outs in their Sydney Colts I side in 2017 and through the opening couple of rounds of the 2018 season.
Milan Basson started off the 2018 season in Sydney University’s Colts II side starting at No .8 and scoring in a 66 – 12 victory over Parramatta and then backed up to come off the bench in the Colts I match, with Sydney University also wining that match 48 – 15. Milan Basson broke into the Colts I side for last weekend’s Round Two match against Penrith starting at No. 8 and scoring in Sydney University’s huge 90 – 7 victory over Penrith.
I appreciate that Randwick have outstanding depth throughout their Colts sides but it will be difficult for the coaches to keep Milan Basson out of their Colts I side over the course of the this season.
For Sydney University Colts I in 2017 the Knox College Sydney graduate scored a number of the first coming against Easts in Round One and also in Round Six as part of a huge 95 – 10 victory over Penrith.
The tall long striding Milan Basson is at his best when he is operating in the fringes of the ruck where he can exploit gaps in the defensive line with his size and speed. When he runs Milan Basson is all arms, legs, knees and elbows and with his long stride and strong fend is a difficult proposition for defenders to handle in the context of getting him to the ground prior to Milan Basson being in a position to off load the ball effectively.
Milan Basson’s leg drive and determination also enables him to be equally effective in relation to operating in traffic where as long as he gets his body height low he can shrug off would be tacklers by dropping his shoulder into the defender just as he starts to commit to the tackle, Milan Basson can then redirect his momentum and proceed down the field on a different vector to the one he was on prior to contact. For a player his size Milan Basson can quickly get to his feet both in the context of recycling the ball when he is attacking and pilfering the ball from a defensive stand point.
The other key feature of Milan Basson’s attacking play is his ability to off load the ball, Milan Basson can pop a very good short ball from either side of his body but is very effective at keeping his right arm free when in contact with the defensive line and off load a well-timed and appropriately weighted pass to his support runners who have the confidence in him to be hitting the gaps at full speed.
In terms of overall speed, whilst above average for his position, Milan Basson when in space will be caught by cover defenders but he is quick enough to maintain separation until he has progressively worked through his options and invariably makes the right decision with the ball.
Defensively Milan Basson is adept at wrapping up the ball and his initial contact is underrated as his primary function and goal is to wrap up the ball to prevent off loads. As previously noted after making a tackle Milan Basson is quick to his feet to either look for a turnover or get to the next breakdown. His stamina is such that you will see Milan Basson make multiple tackles in a short space of time and then immediately make himself available to take a hit up or a pick and go from the back of a ruck and maul.
Even with the myriad of options at No. 8 that Sydney University has it is hard to go past Milan Basson as the best one. It will be interesting later in the year to see where Milan Basson sits in terms of representing the New South Wales Gen Blue U20 side in 2018.
From a rugby league position perspective Milan Basson shapes as a big strong wide running backrower with the ball skills and off-loading skills to set up the play either before the defensive line or when he has impacted it with the added bonus of Milan Basson being a strong defender and shapes as an 80 minute player just to throw in another plus attribute.
From a player comparison perspective, someone along the lines of the Sydney Roosters, current New South Wales State of Origin captain and Australian International second rower Boyd Cordner with the occasional Sonny Bill Williams one handed off load thrown in as an appropriate player from a style perspective for Milan Basson, being big powerful well-rounded back rower who plays the game hard with toughness and at a pace above a lot of the players around him and will get across the try line on a regular basis.
Joshua Sheridan. (Revised) The former New South Wales Central Coast youngster came up to South East Queensland a number of years ago to attend Ipswich Grammar School on a rugby Scholarship. With his schooling now completed Joshua Sheridan headed down to Sydney to play club rugby for Sydney University in 2107 and has made every post a winner since the move.
Joshua Sheridan has started the first two rounds of the Sydney Colts I Competition at No. 7 and has been part of an unbeaten start for Sydney University as they defeated Parramatta in Round One 48 – 15 and Parramatta in Round two 90 – 7.
For Sydney University in the 2017 Sydney Colts competition Joshua Sheridan spent time in all three Sydney Colts Grades, starting in Colts III before breaking into the Colts I side for Sydney University marking his debut scoring a double in a big win against West Harbour where Joshua Sheridan started at No. 7. On the 2017 season, Joshua Sheridan played five matches in the Colts III grade all at No. 7, five in Colts II, four at No. 7 and Round Eleven at No. 8 scoring in Round Ten against Eastern Suburbs and the afore mentioned Colts I debut where he started at No. 7.
Joshua Sheridan had a great 2016 GPS First XV rugby season with Ipswich Grammar School including having the honour of captaining the first XV side. Joshua Sheridan was selected in the GPS III representative side for the Queensland Schools trials and from there was selected in the Queensland II side at No. 7 (open side flanker) for the Australian Schools Championships. Joshua Sheridan started off his rugby career as an outside centre but from 2015 onwards moved to the open side flanker position and has not looked back.
Statistics from greenandgoldrugby.com<http://greenandgoldrugby.com> highlight his effectiveness in the 2016 GPS First XV rugby season through the eight games that each school plays. He carried the ball 73 times, making three line breaks and scoring three tries and also made 125 tackles at an efficiency rate of 86.30%.
Joshua Sheridan is a solidly built young man with a low centre of gravity who runs with a front on style into the opposition defensive line. He does not look for the gaps in the line but runs straight into the line. Joshua Sheridan gets down very very low well prior to contact forcing the defenders to have to match his height or risk missing the tackle. I have not seen a running style like it, when he contacts the defensive line Josh Sheridan pushes his body upwards and uses his low centre of gravity and leverage to consequently force the defender off balance and thus he is able to gain a lot of ground post contact, an interesting and effective technique for him.
Joshua Sheridan has an almost Kamikaze style of running and also has a big motor regularly taking multiple runs through a number of phases. Joshua Sheridan is not going to break through many defensive lines, but he certainly does bend them back.
From a defensive stand point Joshua Sheridan has exceptional closing speed, he comes out of the line at full speed, but just prior to making the tackle he steadies himself to get into the correct position and to use a stable simple and repeatable defensive technique. Joshua Sheridan is effective both in terms of initial contact and also coming in a wrapping up the football. Joshua Sheridan also covers inside well. When at the back of a ruck or maul he works hard and always gets out quickly to put pressure on the kicker. He is not flashy but does a lot of the tough defensive work in the centre of the field.
Joshua Sheridan will play out the 2018 season with Sydney University who have three talented Colts sides not the least being the Premier Colts side who are the competition favourites alongside perennial rivals Randwick. Joshua Sheridan will be hard to keep out of the Premier Colts side even with the quality of competition that he is up against. You should never count out courage and heart in a player.
With his decent footwork and hard wide running I believe that Joshua Sheridan has the appropriate skill set and physical attributes to stay in the second row even though he could also play in the front row reasonably effectively.
Charlie Gubb of the formerly New Zealand Warriors is for me an apt comparison for Joshua Sheridan. Like Gubb at this stage of his career Joshua Sheridan is more effective coming off the interchange bench where he does not have to worry about maintaining his overall effectiveness for long periods and can just go out and go at 100 miles an hour until he runs out of stamina.
Lawson Creighton. (Revised) The former North Devils CC Cup player has made a great fist of rugby since leaving school at the end of 2015 after having a great Schoolboy Rugby career for Padua College in the Association of Independent Colleges (AIC). In 2015 Lawson Creighton was named at fly half in the AIC representative team and from there was selected on the bench for the Queensland II representative team for the Australian Schools Championships.
Lawson Creighton has recently been named in the Australian U20 squad for the U20 Oceania Championships to be held at Bond University on the Gold Coast in the coming weeks, when Australian will be up against Samoa, Fiji and New Zealand.
Lawson Creighton from what I understand joined the North’s Rugby Club after finishing school but for the 2016 season joined Brothers where he has been playing fullback in the Brisbane Premier Rugby Competition since just 18 years old, which is quite an impressive feat to say the least. Currently at 19 years old however Lawson Creighton is not even the youngest Brothers Premier Rugby player that honour goes to outstanding 18 year old flanker Fraser McReight.
To date in the 2018 season, Lawson Creighton has started in all three of Brothers Premier Rugby matches, starting Round One against GPS at fullback before moving to fly half (No. 10) for Round two against University of Queensland and also playing there last weekend in Round Three in a 39 – 31 loss to his former club Norths.
In those three matches, Lawson Creighton has scored two tries which came in Rounds Two and Three, clearly the move back to fly half agrees with him.
Lawson Creighton started off the 2017 Brisbane rugby season with Brothers in the Premier Colts competition playing in the first seven rounds, starting at fly half in all rounds except for Round Seven when he started at fullback. In those matches Lawson Creighton scored four tries and kicked 17 conversions for a point’s haul of 50. After Round Seven Lawson Creighton only played one other Brisbane Premier Colts match, that being in Round 14 against Bond University where he started at fly half scoring a try, kicking three conversions and also a penalty goal. In addition to the try against Bond University, Lawson Creighton also scored against Bond again, North’s, University of Queensland and GPS in four consecutive rounds from Round Three to Seven.
Lawson Creighton broke into the Brothers Premier Rugby starting side in Round Eight against South’s and has since started four other Premier Grade matches, being Rounds eleven to thirteen and Round 15 last weekend. Lawson Creighton has also come off the bench on three occasions being Rounds One, Two and Fourteen. At the Premier Grade level Lawson Creighton has kicked five conversions and three penalties for nineteen points in total.
Lawson Creighton 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. He 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.
Lawson Creighton’s 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 him. This trait has certainly on display for Brothers in the Brisbane Premier Colts Competition this season.
In relation to Lawson Creighton’s tactical kicking it is long and accurate and his bombs generate significant height and spin. In short his tactical kicking would be far above NYC rugby league standard now and not far off NRL standard, it is that good. To say that Lawson Creighton would be a 40/20 threat in rugby league would be a huge understatement. Lawson Creighton’s goal kicking is the same, he has great range and accuracy and his goal kicking kept Brothers in a number of matches over the course of the season. Going forward Lawson Creighton will likely be his team’s primary goal kicking and tactical kicking option.
Lawson Creighton is quite 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. Lawson Creighton uses the sideline very well from a defensive stand point, he will always stay inside the attacker presenting him with the sideline and then once the attacker has committed to the side line, he will use his speed and momentum to force the attacker into touch.
In School boy and Brisbane Premier Colts rugby he was his team’s defensive quarter back in terms of the positioning of the defensive line, you could hear him talking and encouraging constantly and leading by example, both in attack and defence.
Lawson Creighton is still eligible for Colts this season but has played in the Premier Rugby competition this season instead. Lawson Creighton has also been named in het extended Australian U20 rugby squad for the Oceania U20 Championships which will be held on the Gold Coast in late April.
Lawson Creighton primarily played fly half in his school boy rugby career and played five eight previously in rugby league but has made a successful transition to fullback for Brothers in Premier Rugby and from a rugby league stand point that is where he would likely play. I appreciate however that Lawson Creighton has moved back to fly half for the last two rounds of the Brisbane Premier Rugby competition.
Lawson Creighton may not have blazing straight line speed, but he was a good step and initial acceleration and also has the ball skills to keep defences in two minds in relation to whether he is going to run the ball or pass.
From a rugby league player comparison perspective for Lawson Creighton, 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 make the game look easy.
Like Moylan, Lawson Creighton can also play either fullback or closer to the action at five eight (No. 10 or fly half in rugby) and play both positions quite effectively even though I think that at the moment, Lawson Creighton’s skill set plays better at fullback but the difference is not significant.
Lawson Creighton just seems to have all the time in the world to make a decision when he has the ball. Lawson Creighton may not have the elite foot speed that you see with some players but he is decisive both with and without the ball and has the confidence in his own ability not to let a mistake here or there negatively impact on his game.
Will Eadie. (Revised) The young former Gregory Terrace flyer was one of the best for Australian Schools against New Zealand Schools in 2016 and in that game scored a very good try when he raced after a cross field kick to score to bring the scores level midway through the second half. That was the match that originally opened my eyes to just how good this young man is.
After graduating from Gregory Terrace at eth end of 2016 Will Eadie went on to star for University of Queensland in the Colts I competition averaging around a try a game in 2017 and to date in the 2018 season is averaging more than a try a game but this time in the Brisbane Rugby First Grade competition. Will Eadie has started on the left wing in all three Rounds so far this season for University of Queensland, scoring four tries in the early going.
Will Eadie scored in Round One in a 29 – 27 win and then followed that up with a stellar match in Round Two against Brothers when he scored a scintillating hat trick in a tough six point loss to Brothers. Last weekend Will Eadie was part of a University of Queensland side that lost 20 – 19 to Bond University.
Will Eadie had a stellar season in the 2016 GPS First XV competition. His statistics which were sourced from the greenandgoldrugby.com<http://greenandgoldrugby.com> website bear that out. Will Eadie along with scoring a competition leading 13 tries from eight games made 10 line breaks after carrying the ball 53 times and on 70% of those occasions made more than 5 metres over the advantage line. He also made 24 tackles to complement his attacking statistics.
Prior to the commencement of the 2016 GPS First XV season, Will Eadie was selected on the right wing in the GPS One side for the Queensland Schools trials and as a consequence of his play there was selected in the Queensland One side for the Australian Schools trials and from there he was selected for their tour of Samoa and New Zealand which culminated in the School’s test loss to New Zealand recently where Will Eadie played the entire match on the right wing.
In the Australian Schools championships Queensland One had a tough competition but Will Eadie was a standout including scoring Queensland One’s only try with a great solo effort in a 42 – 16 loss to Victoria, who were the surprise packets of the championships. Will Eadie also played in matches against Samoa Schools, Fiji U18’s, where he scored three tries and New Zealand Barbarian’s to have a very successful tour overall.
The reason Will Eadie 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. When the opposing defender’s momentum slows just for a split second, Will Eadie 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.
In the tour match against Fiji U18’s in 2016 Will Eadie’s second try came from this situation when the ball was passed out wide from an Australian line-out win and Eadie stood up his opposite winger to score in the corner. In that match his third try was a result of his timing and anticipation when he intercepted a loose pass by Fiji and then raced 50 metres to score under the posts in the last moments of the match.
Will Eadie 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 the Australian Schools trials for example on his right wing he was up against the likes of New South Wales One winger Yirribi Jaffer-Williams from Hunters Hill, who also played for Australian Schools and he handled him very well.
In defence against the bigger outside backs running around, Will Eadie 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, this season in the GPS rugby competition he was also up against fellow speedster’s like TSS left wing Dan Burns and he was similarly effective against those type of players as well.
From a rugby stand point another key facet of his game is his chasing of kicks, as noted above this resulted in a great try for him against New Zealand Schools. His ability to put pressure on the fullback when chasing grubber or box kicks means that the fullback will either rush the catch and make a mistake or be caught by Will Eadie immediately when he takes possession of the ball. In short he makes a defensive clearing kick into an attacking weapon.
Evidence of this could be seen in Round Nine of the 2016 GPS season, being the final round when Gregory Terrace half Sam Kirk put up a box kick which Will Eadie chased hard and was able to retrieve in front of the Nudgee fullback to score in a tight 19 – 15 victory for Gregory Terrace. Similarly in the match against Fiji U18’s his outside centre put in a nice low attacking kick which again Will Eadie was able to chase down in front of the cover defence to score out wide for his first of three tries for the match.
From a courage stand point Will Eadie also passes any objective measurement that can be considered when evaluating this criteria. Against New Zealand Schools for example he had a number of box kicks put up in his direction and each time he took possession of the ball even though he was under extreme duress on also every occasion.
Also on a number of occasion late in the second half when Australian Schools were under extreme pressure in their own 20 metre area, Will Eadie was one of the first players present to take a carry into the massive New Zealand Schools forward pack and then quickly recycled the ball to try to clear the area for the Australian Schools side.
Barring injury Will Eadie will be an ever-present on the left wing for University of Queensland will be at or near the top of the try scoring list almost certainly. If he is not picked up by the Queensland Reds for the 2019 Super Rugby season, NRL clubs should pouch on the blindingly quick youngster who would immediately be able to handle playing on the wing in the Queensland Cup competition while he learns the nuances of rugby league.
Will Eadie may not have the prototypical size of a modern rugby league winger but he has speed to burn and that is something that cannot be taught, in fact I would suggest that should he sign a rugby league contract he would instantly become the fastest player in the game, he is seriously that fast. In a match race with Melbourne Storm winger Josh Addo-Carr I would put everything I own on Will Eadie.
From a rugby league player perspective, discounting the speed perspective as already noted I do not believe that there is a current or recent past player with anywhere close to Will Eadie’s speed, I would suggest a player with similar attributes in terms of elusiveness and the ability to find the try line would be Melbourne Storm, Queensland State of Origin and Australian International Billy Slater even taking into account that they play different positions. The speed and evasiveness is similar however.
Shea Lalagavesi. (Revised) The outstanding young former Brisbane State High School winger in the GPS School Boy competition has had a great start to the 2018 Brisbane Premier Colts competition with Wests playing on the left wing. Through the opening three rounds. The former GPS rugby star has elite balance, body control and speed overall to be a defensive lines nightmare match-up when he receives the ball with room to move.
Already through the opening three rounds of the Brisbane Premier Colts Rugby competition, Shea Lalagavesi has scored five tries to have a strike rate of 167%, scoring at least once in each game. In Rounds One and Two against Bond University and Sunnybank respectively, Shea Lalagavesi scored and last weekend being Round Three he scored a hat trick against Logan on a big 68 – 0 victory for Wests.
In 2017 in addition to an outstanding Brisbane Premier Colts campaign the talented winger was selected in the preliminary Youth Boys Sevens squad and with his speed and elusiveness is ideally suited to that rugby format. Shea Lalagavesi started off the 2017 on a big note after finishing the 2016 season on a similar note after being part of the Brisbane State High School First XV that won the 2016 GPS First XV Premiership defeating TSS in the last round, being Round Nine to lock up first place for the Brisbane inner city school. Shea Lalagavesi was an ever present at the end of an exceptionally talented backline.
Plus plus straight line speed with outstanding balance and body control are the primary attributes that Shea Lalagavesi possesses on a football field. He is not the biggest or strongest winger but makes up for that with exceptional speed, timing and anticipation. For Queensland in the National U18 Rugby Sevens in Perth late last year Shea Lalagavesi scored at least four length of the field tries when the opposition could not contain him. Shea Lalagavesi on one or occasions simply ran around the opposition defensive line and it did not matter how quick the opposition side was they were no match for his outstanding pace.
In saying that it would be extremely unfair to purely put Shea Lalagavesi’s success down to purely his speed, he is also has a very good in and away with a solid right fend. One thing that Shea Lalagavesi also does well is change the axis of the attack just prior to receiving the ball. Certainly for Brisbane Stet High School in the GPS First XV in 2016, at full speed Shea Lalagavesi would adjust the angle of his run immediately prior to receiving the ball and target the gap between his opposition winger and the outside centre and with his speed he was regularly able to explode through the resultant gap. When returning kicks Shea Lalagavesi would hunt across field before cutting back and looking to exploit a fractured defensive line.
Defensively Shea Lalagavesi is not going to stand out, he does not have the size or strength to be a big hitter but certainly has the catch up speed balance and body control to be a good cover defender and is able to hold his own in the front line.
The Brisbane Premier Colts Rugby competition will be the home of Shea Lalagavesi in the 2018 season and he is likely to also be involved in Sevens rugby as well but his speed is certainly intriguing from a rugby league perspective. In terms of rugby league and for that matter rugby Shea Lalagavesi presents as a speedy winger who does not have the bulk of a lot of current wingers but has outstanding speed balance and body control.
A comparison to talented Melbourne Storm winger Josh Addo-Carr is more than appropriate for Shea Lalagavesi who like Addo-Carr has outstanding pace and can convert opportunities into tries from anywhere on the field.
Len Ikitau. (Revised) The former Brisbane Boys College (BBC) student was over looked by the Queensland Reds and headed down to the ACT Brumbies at the start of 2017 where he made a huge impression in their U20 side, including an outstanding performance in the final round match against Queensland in Canberra, where he was one of the key reasons why the Brumbies stayed in the match as long as they did and has recently been named in the Australian U20 preliminary rugby squad.
This season Len Ikitau has played the opening two Rounds of the Canberra First Grade rugby competition with the Tuggeranong Vikings who are currently sitting with one win and one loss. Len Ikitau has also done the last two preseasons with the ACT Brumbies Super Rugby side and has been selected in the Australian U20 side for the upcoming U20 Oceania Championships.
In 2017 at 18 years old Len Ikitau played a number of matches for the Canberra Vikings in the National Rugby Championships making a good fist of his opportunities to play against men.
When he arrived in Australian at the age of 12 Len Ikitau attended Marsden State High School playing rugby league before getting a rugby scholarship offer from BBC and he has not looked back since.
The talented young flyer had an outstanding GPS rugby career that included GPS and Queensland Schools representative recognition as well as representing the Australian Schoolboys rugby side in 2015, Len Ikitau actually starting his schooling with Marsden State High School before moving to BBC.
The predominantly right sided centre is an exceptional athlete as well as being a footballer with the innate ability to be in the right place at the right time. Len Ikitau also has plus speed both in terms of speed off the mark as well as top end speed. If he gets the ball early with room to move, Len Ikitau simply just explodes through gaps with his primary move being a wicked in and away to beat his direct opponent on the outside and once into open space, Len Ikitau is unlikely to be caught by anyone, certainly not from behind.
Even though he is known mainly for his outstanding attacking abilities, Len Ikitau is a strong player who also has outstanding lateral mobility and thus is as effective defensively as he is in attack. Len Ikitau can come up and hit his opposite number effectively or he can stay back and mirror the movement of his opposite number before committing to the tackle.
It would be hard to prise Len Ikitau away from rugby but that does not mean that an NRL team should not try. The young flyer who started all of the U20 Brumbies matches in 2017 in the centres would be a revelation in rugby league either in the centres or at fullback where with the room he would have in front of him, he would be an absolute nightmare for a defensive line.
From an NRL player comparison perspective, when seeing Len Ikitau 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, Len Ikitau has blazing speed and balance when he has the ball in his hands. Simply put he looks like he is gliding across the field, Len Ikitau also has an extra gear to accelerate to and literally just explodes through gaps. When he is hunting around the centre of the ruck looking for an off load, Len Ikitau just accelerates to full speed in a split second and leaves multiple defenders grasping at thin air.
It is players like Len Ikitau that make scouting the GPS rugby competition such a key area for future success for the Gold Coast Titans. In the Green and White of BBC Len Ikitau was the rugby star in 2015 and 2016 and it is inexplicable that he ended up heading to the Nation’s capital to progress his football career rather than lining up for the Reds or one of three Queensland NRL sides.
Shea Lalagavesi scored his second hat trick in four rounds this afternoon in a 45-0 win over Norths
Shea Lalagavesi. (Revised) The outstanding young former Brisbane State High School winger in the GPS School Boy competition has had a great start to the 2018 Brisbane Premier Colts competition with Wests playing on the left wing. Through the opening three rounds. The former GPS rugby star has elite balance, body control and speed overall to be a defensive lines nightmare match-up when he receives the ball with room to move.
Already through the opening three rounds of the Brisbane Premier Colts Rugby competition, Shea Lalagavesi has scored five tries to have a strike rate of 167%, scoring at least once in each game. In Rounds One and Two against Bond University and Sunnybank respectively, Shea Lalagavesi scored and last weekend being Round Three he scored a hat trick against Logan on a big 68 – 0 victory for Wests.
In 2017 in addition to an outstanding Brisbane Premier Colts campaign the talented winger was selected in the preliminary Youth Boys Sevens squad and with his speed and elusiveness is ideally suited to that rugby format. Shea Lalagavesi started off the 2017 on a big note after finishing the 2016 season on a similar note after being part of the Brisbane State High School First XV that won the 2016 GPS First XV Premiership defeating TSS in the last round, being Round Nine to lock up first place for the Brisbane inner city school. Shea Lalagavesi was an ever present at the end of an exceptionally talented backline.
Plus plus straight line speed with outstanding balance and body control are the primary attributes that Shea Lalagavesi possesses on a football field. He is not the biggest or strongest winger but makes up for that with exceptional speed, timing and anticipation. For Queensland in the National U18 Rugby Sevens in Perth late last year Shea Lalagavesi scored at least four length of the field tries when the opposition could not contain him. Shea Lalagavesi on one or occasions simply ran around the opposition defensive line and it did not matter how quick the opposition side was they were no match for his outstanding pace.
In saying that it would be extremely unfair to purely put Shea Lalagavesi’s success down to purely his speed, he is also has a very good in and away with a solid right fend. One thing that Shea Lalagavesi also does well is change the axis of the attack just prior to receiving the ball. Certainly for Brisbane Stet High School in the GPS First XV in 2016, at full speed Shea Lalagavesi would adjust the angle of his run immediately prior to receiving the ball and target the gap between his opposition winger and the outside centre and with his speed he was regularly able to explode through the resultant gap. When returning kicks Shea Lalagavesi would hunt across field before cutting back and looking to exploit a fractured defensive line.
Defensively Shea Lalagavesi is not going to stand out, he does not have the size or strength to be a big hitter but certainly has the catch up speed balance and body control to be a good cover defender and is able to hold his own in the front line.
The Brisbane Premier Colts Rugby competition will be the home of Shea Lalagavesi in the 2018 season and he is likely to also be involved in Sevens rugby as well but his speed is certainly intriguing from a rugby league perspective. In terms of rugby league and for that matter rugby Shea Lalagavesi presents as a speedy winger who does not have the bulk of a lot of current wingers but has outstanding speed balance and body control.
A comparison to talented Melbourne Storm winger Josh Addo-Carr is more than appropriate for Shea Lalagavesi who like Addo-Carr has outstanding pace and can convert opportunities into tries from anywhere on the field.
Jackson Mohi scored a hat trick this afternoon for Randwick Colts I in a 26-7 win over Eastern Suburbs
Jackson Mohi. (Revised) The New South Wales U19 Waratah selection in 2017 has a predominately rugby league background but his present focus is on rugby and in relation to club rugby is currently plying his trade with Randwick Premier Colts in the Sydney Rugby competition.
Jackson Mohi has started on the right wing in the opening two rounds of the Sydney Colts I competition for Randwick and has scored a double in each of the rounds, being in Round One in a 31 – 29 victory over Gordon and Round two in a 87 – 10 victory over Warringah. In the Warringah match over the weekend, Jackson Mohi also kicked a conversion.
Jackson Mohi played two years in the SG Ball U18 representative rugby league competition with the Sydney Roosters where he predominantly played either fullback or wing, in 2017 Jackson Mohi played five SG Ball matches for the Roosters.
Like a number of youngsters in the current era, Jackson Mohi also played rugby at school and was part of the Waverley College First XV that won the CAS First XV premiership in 201, playing mainly in the fullback role. Jackson Mohi was also part of one of the New South Wales I side that played in the Australian School rugby trials in 2016. Unfortunately Jackson Mohi missed the final due to injury and to add to the disappointment New South Wales I were defeated by New South Wales II 22 – 5.
Earlier this year Jackson Mohi was named in the New South Wales Waratah’s U19 side but graduated to the New South Wales Gen Blue U20 side playing a number of matches including starting on the bench for New South Wales in the final against Queensland. In that final Jackson Mohi came off the bench to score New South Wales third try in the 63rd minute. Queensland went on to win the final comprehensively.
As a result of his New South Wales U20 commitments Jackson Mohi has played only played in one Sydney Premier Colts match for the powerful Randwick club including being in Round Two when Jackson Mohi lined up in the left centre position.
Jackson Mohi is very quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside and will not get caught from behind if he gets into open space. I would not say that he has blazing speed but he does have decent top end speed and is unlikely to get caught from behind by anyone but the absolute quickest of opponents. Jackson Mohi’s best attribute from an outside back perspective is his ability to keep his width and be available for his team mates, when the opposing defender cheats inside.
When the ball is moved out the back line, he stays on his line, and a lot of the tries that he scored for Waverley College last year when he was able to beat his opposite defender when they had come in just a fraction. He probably could have scored a few more tries but made sure that his team would score when in open space as he would draw the fullback and pass to his support when he could have easily gone himself, a sign of a smart team player.
When playing in the centres Jackson Mohi looks to draw in the winger to try to create space down the touch line for the attackers outside him, but when 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 positions.
In defence, he is not the strongest player but will certainly look to hold his line defensively. I have not often see him come in when he did not need to, preferring to stay on his oppose number and trusting his teams inside and outside defenders. From my perspective at least, his skill set in defence is more suited to a sliding defence structure rather than an up and in one.
Jackson Mohi will form part of a potent Randwick Premier Colts back line for the remainder of the 2018 Sydney Rugby season and to be fair a few very talented outside backs are going to be in the Colts I competition as there is just not enough positions for the amount of talented players Randwick Colts have on their books.
Even though he has proved conclusively that he can play fullback, I believe that ultimately Jackson Mohi’s best position regardless of code is on the wing where he can utilise his outstanding straight lien speed and devastating in and away to finish off nay attacking opportunities that are created on his inside.
For me how Jackson Mohi plays either in relation to rugby or rugby league is similar to the playing style of former Titan 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.
Emery Pere. The giant Huntly New Zealand born 19 year old youngster is currently contracted to the North Queensland Cowboys and playing for the Northern Pride in the Queensland Cup even though he is still eligible for the Colts competition but is a former Titans Junior Development Squad member and a three year First XV standout No. 8 for TSS in the GPS School Boy rugby competition where he played alongside Titans NRL Top 30 contracted Jai Whitbread.
I appreciate that there were some issues between Emery Pere and the Titans but that was under the previous regime and it would certainly benefit the Titans to bring this beast of a young man back into the Titans fold.
After an outstanding career for the Cowboys in the 2017 NYC competition, Emery Pere this season has graduated to the Queensland Cup with the Northern Pride. To date in the Queensland Cup Emery Pere has been involved in all six of the Northern Pride’s matches, running for 415 metres, making 115 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 87.2% and off-loading the ball on two occasions. Emery Pere’s 2018 Queensland Cup per game averages, include running for 69.2 metres and making 19.16 tackles in 34.4 minutes.
In his Queensland Cup debut in Round One this year for the Northern Pride against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls, Emery Pere played 33 minutes making 88 metres on nine hit-ups, 31 of those post contact. Emery Pere also had four tackle breaks and twenty one tackles in his debut game.
Emery Pere’s best game from an attacking perspective came in Round Four against the Mackay Cutters when he ran for 91 metres from nine hit-ups, 34 of those metres being post contact. From a defensive perspective Emery Pere’s Round Three match against the Townsville Blackhawks when he made twenty five tackles has been his most productive to date.
Emery Pere’s junior rugby league career was nothing short of outstanding including being named as the U14 Queensland Player of eth Carnival and he also represented South Coast at the school boy level and Gold Coast in the MM and MM competitions before heading to North Queensland. In his first season Emery Pere represented the Townsville Blackhawks MM Cup side that won the competition and then was part of their MM side that played Parramatta in the National U18 final prior to making his NYC debut the same season.
In relation to School Boy rugby Emery Pere played three seasons in the TSS First XV which is no mean feat and in almost every match was as near to unstoppable as you can get. It was in the crowd at TSS First XV matches that I first heard the phrase “beast mode” linked to Emery Pere. It was accurate back then and before his career is done, it will be said a lot more times by people who are watching him play.
Emery Pere is a big powerful young man who whilst using his size to his advantage by running hard and straight, he does have quite decent footwork prior to the defensive line, which he uses to cut back behind the play the ball to take advantage of defenders who are slow to get back into the defensive line.
Where Emery Pere’s game has really developed over the last couple of seasons his ability to play wider of the ruck, which is where he is primarily playing for the Northern Pride this season. With his size and strength wider of the ruck Emery Pere attracts defenders and thus is in a position to use his ball skills to set up his outside supports early in a match. When defences start to try to anticipate that Emery Pere is going to pass then he can use his size and power to cash through the defensive lien as no defender is going to be able to handle him one on one by themselves.
In defence Emery Pere uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. Emery Pere is not adverse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage and reasonable agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck, although clearly he is more effective in the centre of the ruck, as most front rowers are.
It is also clear from how his team mates respond to him that Emery Pere is a leader on the field.
Emery Pere will play out the 2018 season with the Northern Pride in the Queensland Cup where once he finds his feet he will start to dominate stretches of games. Emery Pere may also get a game or two late in the season off the interchange bench in the NRL for the Cowboys, such is his skill and potential.
If everything comes together for Emery Pere is potential is almost limitless and he can dominate games both from an attacking perspective and a defensive one.
At an imposing 193cm and 107kg Emery Pere is the ideal size for a rugby league second rower, but it is his above average speed for his size, and undoubted strength and physical nature that screams that he can be a dominant player at the NRL level.
Emery Pere reminds me of St George Dragon’s aggressive second rower Tariq Sims. Like Sims, Emery Pere is a giant of a man and plays with more than a touch of aggression and makes sure everyone on the opposition knows that he is on the field especially defensively, just ask Konrad Hurrell when the Titans played the Dragons in Toowoomba.
Also like Sims, Emery Pere has occasions when he sails a bit close to the line from an aggression perspective, but age and maturity has worked to temper that for Sims and there is no reason to suggest that the same will not apply to Emery Pere in due course.
The first time that I saw Emery Pere play in a Titans jersey was in a Titans U13 Development Squad match at Richlands in Brisbane six or seven years ago now. That day he tore his older opposition to shreds it would be great to see him back in a Titans jersey doing the same once again. Hey dreaming is free!
Marion Seve. (Revised)The powerful young former Keebra Park centre at the end of 2017 finished a multi-year contract with the Brisbane Broncos but subsequently signed a one year contract for the 2018 season with the Broncos and whilst he has not made his NRL debut yet has been in outstanding form this season in the Queensland Cup for the Souths Logan Magpies after playing the 2017 Queensland Cup season with the Ipswich Jets and performing equally as well. Marion Seve made his Queensland Cup debut during the 2016 season when playing for Souths Logan.
Marion Seve was in fact part of the Titans U13 Junior Development Squad a number of years ago when he was playing in the Ipswich JRL competition before playing for the Wests Tigers NYC side post his school years at Keebra Park from where he represented the Australian School Boys in 2013. Marion Seve had an outstanding final NYC season with the Wests Tigers in 2015 where he scored ten tries from seventeen matches and averaged 112 metres and just on one line break a match in addition to eight tackles.
So far in his three season Queensland Cup career, Marion Seven has played in 46 Queensland Cup matches scoring seventeen tries for a career strike rate of 36.96%. This season, Marion Seven has scored three tries from six matches with those tries coming against the Burleigh Bears in Round Four, Wynnum Manly in Round Five and in Round Six against the Central Queensland Capra’s. Marion Seve has started all of his 2018 Queensland Cup matches in the centres for the Magpies and has been named there again for Round Seven this coming weekend against the PNG Hunters.
To date in the Queensland Cup this season, Marion Seven has run for 943 metres (fourth in the Queensland Cup) with 33.83% of those post contact and has made 87 tackles, missing only seven to have a tackling efficiency of a more than decent 92.55% on the season all whilst being on the field for the entire 80 minutes of each match. Marion Seven has also been credited with one try assist, three line breaks and 26 tackle breaks through the first six rounds. From a per game perspective in 2018 Marion Seve is averaging 157.2 running metres per game on fourteen hit-ups and 14.5 tackles.
Running with the ball Marion Seven has had some quite exceptional matches this season, including in Round One against Redcliffe when he made 154 metres on seventeen carries, 64 of those metres post contact. In Round Two against Tweed Heads on just twelve carries he made 156 metres, 67 post contact, Round Three saw Marion Seven run for 145 metres, 40 post contact and in Round Five against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls Marion Seve ran for an outstanding 182 metres from nineteen hit-ups with 55 of those metres post contact. In that game Marion Seve also broke seven tackles.
Last weekend in Round Six Marion Seve had another outstanding game being against the Central Queensland Capra’s running for 183 metres, 80 of them post contact, breaking four tackles and making ten tackles at a 100% tackling efficiency.
Defensively In Round One against the Dolphins had a solid match making twenty tackles missing just one and is averaging around one missed tackle per match.
For the Jets in 2017 Marion Seve played in seventeen matches, starting fifteen of those matches in the centres and the remaining two from the interchange bench when he was coming back from injury. Interestingly towards the end of the 2017 season Marion Seve was named at lock but on each of those occasions started the match in the centres.
The 195cm 90kg 23 year old Ipswich product scored three tries on the season with all three tries coming late in the season including against the Townsville Blackhawks in Round Twenty, against the Mackay Cutters in Round Twenty Four and also in Round Twenty Five against the Central Queensland Capra’s. Marion Seve certainly liked to play against North Queensland based sides this season.
In total Marion Seve was on the field for 1 216 minutes including playing all 80 minutes on thirteen occasions, making 2 104 metres and also making 176 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 86.2% in the Queensland Cup in 2017. Marion Seve also had three try assists, 63 tackle breaks and nine line breaks. Marion Seve’s 2017 per game Queensland Cup averages included playing 71.5 minutes per game, running for 123.7 metres with 3.5 tackle breaks and making 10.4 tackles.
On eleven occasions Marion Seve ran for in excess of 100 metres in a match including running for 189 in a Round Seventeen contest against the Tweed Heads Seagulls and in Round Twenty Two he made 177 metres against PNG.
Of the 2 104 metres that he made in 2017, Marion Seve made 730 of those post contact thus 35% of all his running metres were made after he had impacted the defensive line, including running for 63 post contact metres in Round Three and 62 post contact metres in Round Fourteen.
Marion Seve has very good speed off the mark, which I would consider above average for a centre and can break to the outside quickly, couple that with long arms, which he uses to great effect with a powerful fend makes him difficult to tackle. When opposing centres are able to get hold of him, Marion Seve usually is able to maintain his balance and keeps an arm free, looking to offload to either his inside or outside support.
Marion Seve has more tools though than just an in and away, he will also use his size and strength to run straight over smaller opposing centres as well as also having the skill to step back inside of the defender if he is pushing to the outside too early. A real positive for me is that Marion Seve can also run a good inside shoulder line due to the fact that he maintains his spacing in the back line and will quickly identify where his direct opponent is ling up to determine whether it is appropriate to run an inside or outside shoulder line or a “crash” line for that matter, he certainly has the courage to run that line regularly which not everybody has.
As you would expect, due to his size and strength, Marion Seve is a very good defender regardless of position. He will not necessarily hit hard but is definitely aggressive and he is very good at mirroring the movement of the opposing centre and wrapping him up ball and all. He is also quick enough to recover and chase if the opposing centre gets on the outside and his long reach is also a positive attribute in those situations.
From a team defensive methodology stand point, Marion Seve seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage in though he can be an intimidating presence when he chooses to come out of the line to interrupt the attacking movement immediately prior to its development.
Marion Seve will play the remainder of the 2018 Queensland Cup season with the South’s Logan Magpies and will be off contract with the Broncos at the end of the current season.
With the Titans seemingly short of centres, they could do a lot worse than look to bring this young man into the fold as so far this season Marion Seve has been one of the most damaging centres in the Queensland Cup competition (in fact has been for the last 18 months to be fair) and certainly the best at making ground post contact with the defensive line.
With his strong running and ability to get on his direct opponents outside and then use his plus speed to break into open space and get to the try line himself, Marion Seve’s best position is in the centres and that would include at the NRL level as well as the Queensland Cup.
A solid NRL player comparison for Marion Seve is Newcastle Knight and former Brisbane Bronco and North Queensland Cowboy luckless centre Tautau Moga. Like Moga, Marion Seve has a lot of untapped natural ability. I just think that he needs a coach who is going to believe in him and will give him an extended run in the NRL even if he makes a couple of early mistakes which all youngsters are bound to do at some point. Confidence is the key for Marion Seve getting the most out of his considerable ability.
Lindsay Collins. (Revised) The giant young front rower who grew up playing in the famous butcher stripes of Brothers in Brisbane is in the final year of a three year deal with the Sydney Roosters that he signed in late 2015 after being a stand out for the Broncos at the NYC level for a number of seasons. Lindsay Collins made his NRL debut 2017 for the Roosters going on to play two matches both off the interchange bench.
Lindsay Collins is currently playing for the Sydney Roosters feeder club being the Wyong Roos in the New South Wales Intrust Super Cup. To date in the 2018 season, Lindsay Collins has played in six of Wyong’s matches.
In 189 minutes on the field in 2018, Lindsay Collins has run for 488 metres, 187 of those post contact (38.32%) and made 130 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 92.19%. Therefore Lindsay Collins per game 2018 averages include playing 31.5 minutes, running for 81.32 metres and making 21.68 tackles.
Lindsay Collins has also scored tries against the Newtown Jets in Rounds One and against the Sea Eagles in Round Seven last weekend. On the season Lindsay Collins has also been credited for making two line breaks and four tackle breaks.
In Round One Lindsay Collins ran for 96 metres in just 37 minutes and in Round three in just 20 minutes on the field ran for an incredible 95 metres. Defensively Lindsay Collins made 29 tackles in 20 minutes in Round Three against Western Suburbs and made 27 tackles in 40 minutes in Round Two against the Mounties.
In 2017 Lindsay Collins played the majority of the season with the Wyong Roos including their finals campaign and also made the New South Wales Residents side on the interchange bench for their annual match against Queensland Residents. Lindsay Collins started in the front row in all seventeen matches that he played in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership including their 20 – 12 Grand Final loss to the Penrith Panther who were coached by Gareth Brennan.
The former Padua College student who was a dominant First XV player in the Association of Independent (AIC) School boy competition has represented Queensland at both the U18 and U20 levels in rugby league including scoring for Queensland U18’s in 2013. Lindsay Collins has also represented Queensland School Boys in rugby where he was a No. 8 and as a school boy at Padua knocked back an opportunity to train with the Brisbane Lions AFL Academy.
The athletic 194cm 106kg powerhouse made his NRL debut in Round Twelve last season against the Canberra Raiders and also played in Round Eighteen against the South Sydney Rabbitohs. As noted previously on both occasions Lindsay Collins came off the interchange bench. In Round Twelve Lindsay Collins played a total of 20 minutes, making 28 metres on four hit-ups and made thirteen tackles. In Round Eighteen in fourteen minutes of game time Lindsay Collins made 53 metres from five hit-ups and also made eight tackles without missing any.
The tall long striding Lindsay Collins is at his best when he is operating in the fringes of the ruck where he can exploit gaps in the defensive line with his size and speed. When he runs Lindsay Collins is all arms, legs, knees and elbows and with his long stride and strong fend is a difficult proposition for defenders to handle in the context of getting him to the ground prior to Lindsay Collins being in a position to off load the ball effectively. Lindsay Collins has solid ball playing skills for a big forward including being able to pass prior to contact with the defensive line as well as when in contact.
Lindsay Collins’s leg drive and determination also enables him to be equally effective in relation to operating in traffic where as long as he gets his body height low he can shrug off would be tacklers by dropping his shoulder into the defender just as he starts to commit to the tackle, Lindsay Collins can then redirect his momentum and proceed down the field on a different vector to the one he was on prior to contact. For a player his size Lindsay Collins can quickly get to his feet both in the context of playing the ball when he is attacking and slowing down the ball from a defensive stand point.
The other key feature of Lindsay Collins’s attacking play is his ability to off load the ball, he can pop a very good short ball from either side of his body but is very effective at keeping his right arm free when in contact with the defensive line and off load a well-timed and appropriately weighted pass to his support runners who have the confidence in him to be hitting the gaps at full speed.
In terms of overall speed, whilst above average for his position, Lindsay Collins when in space will be caught by cover defenders but he is quick enough to maintain separation until he has progressively worked through his options and invariably makes the right decision with the ball.
Defensively Lindsay Collins is adept at wrapping up the ball carrier and his initial contact is underrated as his primary function and goal is to wrap up the ball to prevent off loads. As previously noted after making a tackle Lindsay Collins is quick to his feet to either look to get to marker or get back into the defensive line. His stamina is such that you will see Lindsay Collins make multiple tackles in a short space of time and then immediately make himself available to take a hit up.
The 22 year old will play the remainder of the 2018 season contracted with the Sydney Roosters but will likely play the majority of the season with Wyong but would make an immediate impact with a team like the Titans with his incredible combination of size strength speed and power.
Even though he has spent the majority of his career in the front row I believe that Lindsay Collins has the speed and mobility to make a more significant contribution wider of the ruck in the second row where his athleticism and speed would pose more difficulties than when he runs at a set defensive line in the centre of the ruck.
For me Lindsay Collins is a bigger stronger faster version of Penrith Panthers second rower Isaiah Yeo. All he needs to develop into an outstanding NRL forward prospect is time in the NRL. He is unlikely to get that in 2018 at the Roosters but would surely get much more of an opportunity with the Titans in 2019 and beyond.
Jackson Mohi scored a double this afternoon for Randwick Colts I in a 109-0 win over West Harbour
Jackson Mohi scored a hat trick this afternoon for Randwick Colts I in a 26-7 win over Eastern Suburbs
Randwick fullback Lachlan Day scored 21 of Randwicks 109 points against West Harbour in Colts I yesterday afternoon. Lachlan Day scored a try and kicked eight conversions.
Lachlan Day. (Revised) The outstanding young Randwick Colts fullback even in a side full of junior stars is a standout at the back with his exciting ball running skills and has started off the 2018 season Sydney Colt’s season with a bang scoring 27 points through the opening two rounds.
In Round One in a 31 – 29 Randwick victory over Gordon, James Ramm starting at fullback scored a try and kicked three conversions. In Round two in a big 87 – 10 Randwick victory over Warringah James Ramm kicked nine conversions.
From Round Eight onwards of the 2017 Sydney Premier Colts rugby competition Lachlan Day went on a bit of a points scoring spree, which included scoring five tries and kicking twelve conversions or penalties. In Round Eight against Northern Suburbs, Lachlan Day scored after an excellent backline movement by Randwick, in Round Nine in a big win against Gordon, he scored two tries and six goals and in the most recent round being Round Eleven, Lachlan Day scored two tries and kicked three goals against Warringah all from the fullback position.
2017 is the first season that Lachlan Day played Sydney grade rugby after graduating from St Joseph’s College Hunters Hill where he played three years in their First XV side predominantly at fullback but in earlier seasons he played a handful of matches on the wing.
In 2016 Lachlan Day’s play for St Joseph’s College Hunter Hill resulted in him being selected on the wing for the Combined States side for the Australian Schools Championships and in those Championships, one game in particular stood out from an individual stand point, when Lachlan Day tore apart the Queensland 1 side in a big win for Combined States. For Combined States, Lachlan Day was selected and spent the majority of the matches on the right wing including the match against Queensland I.
Lachlan Days’ main attribute when you see him play is his foot work, it is absolutely outstanding from the fullback position. He can step off both feet effortlessly and put multiple combinations of steps together in a short space of time and a small radius to get out of difficult situations and still make ground.
Lachlan Day does not just beat larger forwards with his footwork, he will make the fastest of outside backs and fullbacks look slow by comparison as he leaves them grasping behind him. Lachlan Day’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 Lachlan Day is an exceptional attacking player. If he gets an off load from a forward through the middle he is through the gap before the defence can react, if he gets the ball in space out wide he is make it very difficult for the opposing defender to get a clean shot at him and if he gets the ball from a kick, if the defensive line is not straight in the chase he can make significant ground.
Seemingly like all modern day fullbacks and outside backs Lachlan Day has exceptional balance and body control enabling him to score some incredible tries over the course of his junior career where it appears that he would be stopped well short of the try line or be pushed into touch.
Defensively Lachlan Day 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.
Lachlan Day 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 innately 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.
Depending on injury James Ramm should continue to be in and around the Randwick Premier Colts side for the remainder of the season.
Even though he has spent some time on the wing Lachlan Day’s play at fullback continues to develop which is evidenced by him consolidating his spot at fullback for Randwick. With his timing and anticipation in returning kicks and his fearless defence, Lachlan Day presents as an outstanding candidate to play fullback in rugby league at a high level.
With the disappointing showing of the Wallabies, all of the Australian Super Rugby sides and the Australian U20 side who finished sixth in their World Championships, talented young rugby players like Lachlan Day should certainly be approached to see if a change in code is a consideration. Lachlan Day is also an outstanding goal kicker who has the potential to be his team’s primary goal kicking option moving forward.
For me when I have seen Lachlan Day, and granted it has only been a handful of times live but multiple live streams and replays from Australian Schools and Sydney Premier Colts but I can see aspects of the way that Cronulla and Queensland emerging star Valentine Holmes plays, he is an explosive athlete with the confidence in his own abilities and that of his team mates.
The unbelievably talented but still fairly raw Randwick left winger Jaya Yoanndis scored a double yesterday for Randwick Colts I as they defeated West Harbour 109-0
Jaya Yoannidis. (Revised) The flying young left winger may still be a touch raw but Jaya Yoannidis has been outstanding for Randwick in the Sydney Premier Rugby competition alternating between Premier Colts, Colts I and Colts II over the last two seasons.
The former Waverley College First XV player also has a rugby league background including playing for the Sydney Roosters at the Harrold Matthews (U16) level previously and also represented Combined Associated Schools at the U15 level at the Australian School Boys U15 national Championships. In relation to representative rugby, Jaya Yoannidis was selected last year in the Combined Associated Schools II side for the New South Wales Schools Championships.
Jaya Yoannidis started the 2018 season off on the right wing in Randwick’s Colts II side in their 28 – 10 victory over Gordon and on that Saturday also came off the bench for the Colts I match which also resulted in a wing for Randwick this time 31 – 29. In Round Two last weekend, Jaya Yoannidis started on the left wing in the Colts I side replacing the injured Yirribi Jaffer Williams and again was on a winning side as Randwick defeated Warringah 87 – 10.
In 2017 Jaya Yoannidis played in all three Sydney Colts rugby divisions, including one appearance in the Premier Colts competition where he started on the left wing in Round Eleven. Jaya Yoannidis played in five Colts I matches, averaging a try a match, including a double in Round One against West Harbour and also tries against Northern Suburbs in Round Eight where he started the match in the centres, Penrith in Round Nine, when Randwick won 103 – 0 and in Round Twelve against Eastern Suburbs. After missing Round Four with an injury, Jaya Yoannidis played Rounds four, five and Six in Colts II where he played in the centres and scored against Parramatta and Manly.
The powerful young man is a ball of muscle coupled with plus speed and strength who can either run straight over an opposing defender or run a good line into gaps in the defensive line. Jaya Yoannidis used both skill attributes to his advantage over the course of the 2017 Colts season and the start of the 2018 Colts season with Randwick. In terms of running a good gap line, Jaya Yoannidis has developed a good rapport with his fly half especially in relation to the fly half throwing a good pop ball as Jaya Yoannidis comes from behind the fly half before accelerating into a gap in the defensive line.
Once in space Jaya Yoannidis’s speed is in the plus category and whilst he does not necessarily have a dominant step he has great body control and balance when running at top speed which enables him to have a very good swerve which he used over the course of the 2017 season to beat opposing fullbacks. One thing that I have noticed in games was that when he broke into space with only the fullback to beat, Jaya Yoannidis actually changes his running angle to run directly at the fullback. What this did was stop any sideways movement of the defending fullback meaning his subsequent swerve was even more difficult to combat as the fullback has lost all lateral momentum as Jaya Yoannidis is converging on him.
On occasion Jaya Yoannidis can get fixated on beating the fullback by himself, I think that this however more a reflection on his enthusiasm rather than any hint of selfishness, I think that when he gets into space he just wants to score. Jaya Yoannidis seems to enjoy every minute of his time on the field especially when he is running with the ball. Throughout a game he rarely has anything but a smile on his face even when he gets hit heavily in a tackle.
Defensively Jaya Yoannidis is a strong hard hitter who will move forward to meet the ball carrier once they have broken into space. Whether it is by design or a by-product of his aggressive approach his movement forward to attack opponents who have broken through the Randwick defensive line dramatically cuts down on the space and the decision making time of the opponent and a couple of times during that season led to dropped balls when the attacker rushed the pass to his supports or Jaya Yoannidis hit the attacker as he was still trying to set up for the pass.
Another impressive defensive attribute that Jaya Yoannidis possesses is the functional strength to engage and redirect the momentum of attackers close to his own try line mitigating the threat to the try line. On those circumstances his initial contact is of a violent nature and over the course of the season Jaya Yoannidis was able to completely halt the attacking side’s momentum through just one tackle and consequently turn defence into attack.
With the outstanding depth at Randwick across the three Colts grades Jaya Yoannidis will likely continue to alternate between the top two Colts divisions for the remainder of the 2018 season.
From an ultimate position perspective, I think that Jaya Yoannidis would make an exceptional winger in rugby league especially one that could come in off his wing to take pressure off his forward pack as well as returning kicks. His pace and power coupled with his low centre of gravity makes him an incredibly difficult proposition for opposition backlines and forwards to deal with effectively.
From a player comparison perspective I struggled a little trying to come up with someone who has the power, strength and speed of the rough diamond that is Jaya Yoannidis but in the end the best comparison may be former Melbourne Storm winger and current Wallaby Marika Koroibete as a physically gifted player still with a long way to go to reach their full potential but regardless a player who already shows flashes of exceptional ability.
Ben Donaldson. The young Randwick Colts fly half had an outstanding school boy career for Waverley College in Sydney in the CAS competition as well as for New South Wales Schools and the Australian School boy rugby side in 2017. Ben Donaldson is now looking to make his mark in grade rugby in Sydney and is currently starting at No. 10 for the Randwick Colts I side who are currently unbeaten through the opening four rounds.
Ben Donaldson has started at fly half in all four of Randwick’s Colts matches, including an outstanding match in Round Four against West Harbour he scored 28 points in a 109 – 0 victory against West Harbour. In the match, Ben Donaldson scored four tries, kicked four conversions and three the final pass in at least two more tries including a great cut out pass to Randwick outside centre Blaise Barnes.
In addition to the points that he scored in Rounds Four, Ben Donaldson also scored in Round Two in a 87 – 10 Randwick victory over Warringah.
As noted Ben Donaldson had an outstanding school boy career with Waverley College and was part of both their 2016 (joint) and 2017 premiership winning season. In 2017 Ben Donaldson was also named CAS Player of the Year and was named captain and fly half of the CAS team of the year.
Even though he is outstanding attacking threat both in terms of running the ball himself or setting up his support runners, it is Ben Donaldson’s calm nature which is the first thing that is obvious when you see him play. Ben Donaldson seems to have all the time in the world to make a decision and invariably makes the correct decision whether to run the ball, pass or kick.
It is hard to put in words just how talented Ben Donaldson is in terms of running the ball, he has outstanding speed both off the mark which I would consider in the plus plus category and top end speed which must be considered plus regardless of position. Ben Donaldson with his speed is able to exploit even small gaps in the defensive line with an exceptional step off either foot and incredible acceleration as well as outstanding body control.
It is that speed trait which opens up his incredible ball playing skills as well. Teams start to focus heavily on Ben Donaldson when he has the ball with outside defenders looking to come in to assist that they open up holes wider out in the defensive line that Ben Donaldson can exploit.
He has exquisite timing on his passes and is able to weight them perfectly as well and can do so from either side of his body. Adding in this is that Ben Donaldson can stop on a dime even travelling at full speed and pop the short pass, thus it looks for all money that he is going to run the ball thus the defence converges and then the ball is delivered to a support runner who is through a hole before the defensive line can readjust.
Ben Donaldson also runs with the ball in both hands in front of his body which is another reason why the defensive line is unable to determine exactly what Ben Donaldson is going to do at any given time.
Like when he has the ball in his hands, there is nothing that Ben Donaldson cannot do in relation to kicking the ball. Ben Donaldson is an exceptional tactical kicker with range and accuracy, he can put up pin point bombs and perfectly weighted grubber kicks into the in goal. In short if you can name a type of rugby league kick, Ben Donaldson can execute it with precision.
Defensively Ben Donaldson is a very strong young man with exceptional functional strength to go along with an innate understanding of the attacking strategies of rugby league thus he is able to anticipate what an attacking side is looking to do with the ball and then be in the best position to negate it.
Ben Donaldson 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 Ben Donaldson’s side of the field. In short just like his attacking play Ben Donaldson is an outstanding defender.
Ben Donaldson will play the remainder of the 2018 season with the Randwick Rugby Club in Sydney in the Colts I competition with an outstanding back line outside of him. Ben Donaldson who is eligible for the Colts competition again in 2019 will also form part of the New South Wales Generation Blue U20 side.
In his initial season in School Boy First XV Rugby, Ben Donaldson played a number of matches at inside centre but quickly moved to No. 10 where he represented the Waverley First XV, New South Wales Schools and Australian Schools.
From a rugby league perspective, with his outstanding ball playing, game management and ball running skills, Ben Donaldson presents as an outstanding five eight.
Even though he is a bit taller, Ben Donaldson has a playing style akin to North Queensland Cowboy, Queensland State of Origin and Australian International Michael Morgan. Like Morgan, Ben Donaldson has it all and presents an incredible attacking threat to defensive lines and a calm nature to boot.
Logan Watene. (Revised) The young Ormeau Shearers centre had a meteoric rise over the course of the 2017 Gold Coast Junior Rugby League season but has since moved to rugby, playing for Bond University in the Brisbane Premier Colts competition this season.
Logan Watene started off the 2017 GCJRL season in the U16 Division Two competition before progressing through the U16 Division One competition before progressing again to end the 2017 season with four matches in the U17 Division One competition.
I was anticipating that Logan Watene would play the 2018 GCJRL season at the U17 Division One level however he has made the decision to give rugby a crack and is currently playing for Bond University in the Brisbane Premier Rugby Colts II competition.
Through the first five rounds of the Brisbane Premier Rugby Colts II competition Logan Watene has started three matches on the right wing, being Round One against Wests, Round Three against University of Queensland and Round Four against Easts. In the Round Four match against Easts Logan Watene kicked two conversions from two attempts in a 14 – 10 win for the Gold Coast based side. In Round Five yesterday against Brothers Logan Watene moved back to the fullback position in Bond’s 33 – 5 loss to the boys in butcher stripes.
Logan Watene has also been on the bench for the Bond University Colts I side, being in Round two when he came on in a 7 – 5 loss to GPS and in Round Three in a 27 – 10 loss to University of Queensland.
Logan Watene started the 2017 GCJRL season in the U16 Division Two competition and in just those four matches scored a total of 36 points from three tries and twelve goals. His tries came from a double against Coomera and Nerang. In the U16 Division One competition Logan Watene appeared in nine matches scoring 40 points from five tries and ten goals, including a double in his last U16 Division One match against Helensvale and also a try the week prior against Runaway Bay. In late May, early June in consecutive Logan Watene scored his other two tries which were against Currumbin and Burleigh.
Logan Watene played his first match at the U17 Division One level in early July against Bilambil and subsequently has played three additional U17 Division One matches against Runaway Bay, Mudgeeraba and Burleigh. His debut U17 Division One match saw him convert a try to cap a solid debut.
Logan Watene is just an incredibly fast player who has an effortless running style, he looks like his is gliding across the ground. In the centre position, he has the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is rare in the modern game.
When he gets the ball early from his inside play makers, Logan Watene is incredibly difficult to deal with one on one, as whilst his speed has already been noted he also has a very good in and away to get on the outside of his direct opponent and from there he transitions the ball into both hands thus creating uncertainty in the minds of any outside defender in terms of whether they should come in off their wing or stay with their man.
For a young man that does not necessarily present as a giant Logan Watene also has a solid fend especially when he has been able to get on the outside of his opposite number and thus they are not perfectly balanced to make the tackle. He is able to push off then and use his exceptional body control to maintain his balance and once he is in the clear he is not going to get caught from behind.
Defensively the methodology that Logan Watene employs is to use his speed to get up quickly on his opposite number to prevent then building their momentum in their run and even though he was nowhere near the biggest centre running around in the competition he regularly put his body in front of opposing defenders.
The Keebra Park student will play out the 2018 season with Bond University in the Brisbane Premier Rugby Colts competition and after this season still has three years of Colts eligibility remaining. To play in the Brisbane Premier Colts I competition as a 17 year old is an outstanding achievement.
Logan Watene primarily played in the centres in the U16 GCJRL competitions that he played in last year for Ormeau but moved to the wing for his four U17 Division One matches and has also played on the wing or fullback in his matches for Bond University Colts I and II so far this season. I consider that Logan Watene will continue on the wing as he progresses to the senior rugby or rugby league ranks.
Logan Watene is talented outside back with speed to burn and on that basis a current NRL player with similar speed attributes and playing style is current North Queensland Cowboys winger Antonio Winterstein.
Chris Holten. (Revised) The young Bilambil Jets centre who is the cousin of Titans linked Brenton Daley-Holten is back playing rugby league after a four year hiatus when he was down in Sydney as part of the Sydney Swans Elite Junior Squad. The layoff did not do anything to dull the skill or speed of the young Northern New South Wales flyer.
Chris Holten started off the 2018 Gold Coast Rugby League season in fine style scoring a hat trick and kicking a conversion in Round One of the GCRL U19 competition in a Jets 28 – 12 win over Burleigh. Chris Holten started the match from the interchange bench but made a significant impact upon being injected into the game. In Round Two Bilambil defeated Runaway Bay 20 – 8.
In 2017 Chris Holten was part of the New South Wales Combined High School U17 Development Squad which undertook an eight day four match tour of New Zealand where he played a number of matches at play five eight even though he spent the majority of the 2017 season with the Bilambil Jets at either fullback or centre.
Even though Chris Holten moved from Tweed River High School back to Melville High School, he continued to travel up to play for Bilambil for whom he played matches at the U17 Division One level and at the U19 level in 2017.
In the U17 Division One competition in 2017 for Bilambil, Chris Holten played in thirteen matches inclusive of finals and scored eight tries and kicked eight goals for a total of 48 points. Of his eight tries six came as a result of doubles which came against Ormeau on two separate occasions and Helensvale. Chris Holten also played five matches in the U19 Gold Coast Rugby League competition scoring against Ormeau in just his second match at that level.
In terms of his attacking play Chris Holten 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 Chris Holten is adept at straitening up the axis of attack to ensure his outside supports have room to move and exploit any advantages identified.
Chris Holten 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. Chris Holten 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 Chris Holten 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.
Chris Holten 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 Chris Holten Bligh is clearly more effective defending in a side with a sliding defensive methodology rather than an up and in approach.
Chris Holten will play out the 2018 rugby league season with the Bilambil Jets in the GCRL U19 competition and may even sneak a few GCRL First Grade matches in as well.
With his speed and elusiveness there is nothing to suggest that Chris Holten cannot stay in the centres long term even though Chris Holten can also play fullback or five eight.
From a player comparison perspective for Chris Holten, think of someone along the lines of the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Queensland State of Origin centre Dane Gagai as a smooth moving centre who is elusive and difficult to defend against as a result. Like Gagai, Chris Holten is also a solid defender without necessarily standing out in that aspect of rugby league.
Josh Fryer. (Revised) He is a young hooker/half from just across the New South Wales border and grew up playing for the Bilambil Jets in the Group 18 Junior Rugby League competition and for whom he is playing for the in the 2018 U19 Gold Coast Rugby League competition.
In Round One Josh Fryer was part of a 28 – 12 winning side over Burleigh with the young hooker scoring one of the Jets five tries. Round Two once again saw Bilambil win, this time a 20 – 8 victory over Runaway Bay with Josh Fryer starting at hooker.
For Tweed Heads in the 2017 MM Cup competition, Josh Fryer played in five of Tweed Heads six matches starting four from the interchange bench and in Round Six Josh Fryer started at hooker and also celebrated his elevation to the starting side with a try against the local rivals the Burleigh Bears.
In addition to playing for Tweed heads in the MM Cup competition, Josh Fryer in 2017 played matches for the Bilambil Jets in the U19 GCRL competition and in June also made his Doug Lipp Cup debut.
In the U19 competition, Josh Fryer had an outstanding finish to the season including starting at half and scoring a hat trick in Bilambil’s Grand Final victory over Tugun. Titans Rookie Squad member Allan Lockwood was also part of the Jets Grand Final winning side. Josh Fryer also scored in Bilambil’s other final in 2017 which was against Tugun as well. Josh Fryer’s other tries Currumbin, Burleigh and Southport.
Josh Fryer played the 2016 season for Bilambil where he played 14 matches in the U19 competition with one of those matches being a 28 – 26 upset Grand Final win over Southport that contained Titans NYC squad member Bostyn Hakaraia. In the 14 matches that he played Josh Fryer scored four tries which came against Runaway Bay, Southport, Tugun and Currumbin. Josh Fryer also played four reserve grade matches with his debut against Beaudesert in June. In three of those occasions Josh Fryer backed up from the U19 match.
Josh Fryer started at hooker for the East Coast Dolphins U18 side in 2016 after representing Group 18 in the selection matches against U18 sides from Groups One and Two. In 2015 Josh Fryer played the season with the Gold Coast White CC side that lost their semi-final to the Sunshine Coast. Previously he has represented Group 18 at the U14 and U15 levels.
Josh Fryer is solid all round hooker who distributes effectively to both sides of the ruck. He does have some speed when running out of dummy half but as he progresses up the ladder through higher standards of competitions he will need to ensure that he is selective about when he runs the ball and when he passes. He has become more selective in terms of running out of dummy half and as a result ended up more effective and drew a number of penalties as forwards tired and just could not get back on side.
Josh Fryer is efficient in his passing and there is little wasted movement as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand then pass. He passes well from both sides of his body. His passing to the left is still a little better than to the right, but over the last couple of seasons he made positive strides in that regard, thus there is no reason to expect anything other than continued progression.
One thing that Josh Fryer does well in dummy half is not taking his eye off ball until it is in his hands. I know that that sounds like common sense, but even in first grade the number of fumbles that occur from the dummy half is far too high and change the course of a game.
Another skill that he continued to develop over the last couple of season is kicking out of dummy half. He is not a long kick, but is effective at finding the ground with his kicks. Josh Fryer was an effective kicker in terms of game management, what I mean by that is that late in games when his team were up or needed a breather he kicked for touch in those instances, which showed a high level of maturity and game management skills.
Josh Fryer defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and is adept at wrapping the ball up. He is also very good defending at marker in terms of harassing the opposition kickers. He is not going to wow you with his defence because you will not see big hits, but you will see an efficient and effective defender. He has very good endurance and projects as a hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange.
Josh Fryer will play out the 2018 rugby league season with Bilambil in the U19 competition and will be Colts eligible once again in 2019. Josh Fryer may also get an opportunity with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side at the 2018 season progresses.
Josh Fryer has played the majority of his junior rugby league career at hooker and even though he has spent more time at half back in 2017. I believe that he will ultimately end up in the hooking role. Josh Fryer could potentially fill in at half back for short periods of time due to his passing skills but it would only be on an as needs basis to compensate for injuries in the course of a match.
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 for Josh Fryer.
Mitchell Wood. (Revised) The former Nudgee College second rower or No. 8 performed well in the GPS First XV rugby competition in 2016 and 2017 all be it in limited opportunities, but the 2015 Queensland U15 representative is a player to watch on the back of his size, strength and above average to plus speed for a young player of his size.
Mitchell Wood is a tall strapping second rower or No. 8 in school boy rugby and was a key line out jumper at Nudgee College in his last two GPS First XV seasons as well as for a number of junior gold representative rugby sides in previous seasons, including the U15 Gold rugby squad in 2015. Mitchell Wood in previous years has also been a great track and field athlete for Nudgee including being an age Shot put champion and 400 metre runner as well as being very competitive at the 100 metre and 200 metre distances.
Post his school boy rugby career Mitchell Wood has moved to the Brisbane Premier Colts competition playing for the Wests Rugby Club. In his first year in Colts, he has had a bit of an injury interrupted start but he burst into the Colts II competition in Round Five in a dominant display including scoring as Wests defeated South’s 38 – 10. Mitchell Wood started the match at No. 8.
The standout aspect when you watch Mitchell Wood is not necessary his power and aggression, which are both on display in abundance, but his speed, he has exceptional speed both off the mark and also can sustain that speed over distance as well.
Mitchell Wood uses his speed well to charge into the defensive line and is adept at getting low and dropping his shoulder into the first defender and for Nudgee College regularly bumped up that defender off. Once in open space he is a sight to behold with his size and speed charging at the fullback, in short he has the speed of an outside back. Across the season he was just a handful for all other GPS teams.
His offloading skills are probably the last piece of the puzzle that he needs to work on, he can get his right arm free he be takes on the defensive line but at present does not necessarily throw the pass but seems more concerned about a quick recycling of the ball, although I note that this potentially is a team tactic rather than necessarily a skill or experience issue for Mitchell Wood, regardless Mitchell Wood has the raw tools to be an effective off loader of the ball in traffic as his experience grows.
He is aggressive in defence whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or more towards 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.
His incredible speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves and he is able to track the ball across the field and be in a position to assist his backline defensively where he can mirror the movement of attacks before committing to the tackle.
Mitchell Wood’s aggressive tendencies were also on show when he was cleaning out at rucks and mauls, he would get low and clear out defenders who had not rolled away after the tackle was completed and will do so with great vigour.
Mitchell Wood will continue to play for Wests in the Brisbane Premier Colts competition where it should only be a matter of time before he breaks into the Wests Colts I side even though the Wests Colts I side has a number of representative players in the same positions that Mitchell Wood is best suited to.
Any transition to rugby league for Mitchell Wood would see him play in the second row with his power and aggression on display.
I know that this is going to be a little bit of an odd player comparison but the play of Mitchell Wood especially in relation to his plus speed reminds me in no small way of the play of Brisbane Bronco and Queensland State of Origin winger Corey Oates.
I know that Oates currently is a winger but he grew up playing in the second row all the way to the NYC competition and if reports are to be believed he wants to move back to the second row as soon as possible and may even need to move NRL clubs to make it happen.
Mitchell Wood has previously been linked with a number of rugby league teams and has a wealth of opportunities which he will have to sort through in relation to his sporting future.
Tristan Staghorn. (Revised) While he was primarily an outside centre in school boy rugby, the former Anglican Church Grammar (Churchie) student would be ideally suited to the wing in rugby league where his outstanding pace could be utilised to the most effect. With the exceptionally quick William Eadie, Tristan Staghorn was arguably the quickest player in the GPS First XV competition in 2017.
Currently Tristan Staghorn is plying his trade in the Brisbane Premier Colts I rugby competition with Brothers and has a 100% strike rate through the opening five rounds where he has started all at outside centre. In Rounds Two Tristan Staghorn scored a double in a 34 – 0 win over University of Queensland and also has scored In Round One against GPS, in Round Three against Easts and in Round Five last weekend in a 33 – 14 win over Bond University where he came up against former Titan Max Dowd.
At the start of the 2015 school year Tristan Staghorn moved from Iona College to Churchie and made every post a winner making the outside centre position his own in the Churchie First XV side in 2015 to 2017. Early in 2017 Tristan Staghorn was selected in the GPS One Schools representative side and as a result of his good form in the Queensland Schools trials made the Queensland One Schools side for the Australian Schools championships.
From those Championships Tristian Staghorn was selected in the Australian Schools side and started School Boy ‘Tests” against Fiji and New Zealand Schools on the right wing.
Tristan Staghorn He is just an incredibly fast player who has an effortless running style, he looks like his is gliding across the ground. In the centre position, he has the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is rare in the modern game.
When he gets the ball early from his inside play makers, Tristan Staghorn is incredibly difficult to deal with one on one, as whilst his speed has already been noted he also has a very good in and away to get on the outside of his direct opponent and from there he transitions the ball into both hands thus creating uncertainty in the minds of any outside defender in terms of whether they should come in off their wing or stay with their man.
For a young man that does not necessarily present as a giant Tristan Staghorn also has a solid fend especially when he has been able to get on the outside of his opposite number and thus they are not perfectly balanced to make the tackle. He is able to push off then and use his exceptional body control to maintain his balance and once he is in the clear he is not going to get caught from behind.
Defensively the methodology that Tristan Staghorn employs is to use his speed to get up quickly on his opposite number to prevent then building their momentum in their run and even though he was nowhere near the biggest centre running around in the Brisbane Premier Colts I competition Tristan Staghorn regularly put his body in front of opposing defenders.
In a 2017 game against Brisbane State High School, Tristan Staghorn came out of the defensive line to combat star BSHS centre Quintan Mahina, even though the hit did not stop Mahina’s forward progress it did cause a turnover when defensive help arrived.
The 2018 year will see Tristan Staghorn continue to play in the Brisbane Premier Colts I competition and he will be eligible for that competition once again in 2019.
As noted Tristan Staghorn played at outside centre for Churchie and is currently playing there for Brothers in the Brisbane Premier Colts I competition but from a rugby league perspective and Premier Colts, with his outstanding speed and evasive skills he projects as a try scoring winger who would score multiple long range tries.
The play of Tristan Staghorn reminds me of how former Titan Kevin Gordon played when he first came into the NRL when he was able to exploit his speed advantage over the opposition before injuries cruelled his career and forced him into retirement.
Shaun Hudson. The former Titans NYC captain has battled through a series of injuries since joining the North Queensland Cowboys but now that the 23 year old has had an injury free period, he is starting to find the form that led him to play a number of Titans NRL trials a few years ago including an NRL trial against the Warriors in Toowoomba when he scored in the right corner.
Shaun Hudson is currently playing in the Queensland Cup for the Townsville Blackhawks primarily at fullback. To date in the Queensland Cup in 2018, Shaun Hudson has played in eight matches playing the entire 80 minutes on each occasion whilst playing in the centres. Shaun Hudson has scored one try which came in Round Eight against Souths Logan.
In total this in the Queensland Cup this season Shaun Hudson has played 640 minutes, running for 503 metres,175 of those post contact (34.79%) and making 73 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 76.8%, Shaun Hudson also has two try assists, seven tackle breaks and seven offloads. Shaun Hudson’s 2018 Queensland Cup per game season averages include, playing 80 minutes, running for 62.9 metres and making nine tackles.
From an attacking perspective in Round Six against the Sunshine Coast Falcons, Shaun Hudson ran for 88 metres and in Round Five against Tweed Heads he made 84 metres. On two occasions Shaun Hudson has made 13 tackles in a match being in Rounds Two and Six against Ipswich and Tweed Heads respectively.
The 186cm 90kg utility back even though he does not have great top end speed Shaun Hudson is quick enough to take advantage of any space that he is given down the touchline by opposing defenders. One good think about his play in attack is that he maintains his spacing out wide and is regularly outside his opposite number allowing his inside players to be able to find him in attack.
Shaun Hudson 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 defence, Shaun Hudson is not the biggest centre running around, but does seem to have good strength, but will certainly look to come out of the line to stop the attack before it has time to fully develop. Like all younger players he just needs experience to ensure that he picks the right time to come out of the line. He will show his opposite centre the sideline and is confident that his speed will enable him to get across to make the tackle.
Shaun Hudson will play out the 2018 Queensland Cup season with the Townsville Blackhawks. Post this season I would be more than happy to see Shaun Hudson return to his junior club being the Burleigh Bears to continue his rugby league career starting in the Queensland Cup.
Over the course of his NYC career with the Titans and for Townsville in the Queensland Cup Shaun Hudson has played fullback, centre and wing but I believe that his best position and his best chance to break into the NRL is on the wing as a dependable mistake free type of rugby league player.
Shaun Hudson is likely never going to be a star but has flashed the ability to potentially be a solid NRL player in the mould of current Titans centre Brendan Elliott as a solid unfashionable type of player who could fill a number of roles for an NRL side and do so effectively.
Tristian Reilly. (Revised) Combining top level school boy rugby and junior representative rugby league as well as trying to complete Year 12 studies is no mean feat but talented five eight Tristian Reilly was able to do just that in 2017.
In 2017 in addition to playing five eight for South Sydney in the U18 SG Ball competition Tristian Reilly played First XV School Boy rugby for St Joseph’s College Hunters Hill and was a surprise omission from the two New South Wales teams for the Australian Schools Championships where Titans Rookie Squad member Rhian Stowers stood out for the Queensland II side.
Tristian Reilly has initially chosen to play rugby in his first year out of school in 2018 with the talented youngster signing with Randwick in the Sydney Premier Rugby competition. Tristian Reilly missed the opening rounds of the 2018 season but was back in Round Three with an outstanding display for Randwick in the Second Grade competition, starting at outside centre (No. 13) and scoring a double. To play 2nd grade Sydney Premier Rugby in your first year out of school is an outstanding achievement.
In Round Four against West Harbour Tristian Reilly again lined up at outside centre for Randwick in the 2nd grade competition with Randwick winning 48 - 29 and Tristian Reilly once again amongst the try scorers.
In a sign of just how high regard Tristian Reilly is held in at Randwick, post his comeback Colts match, he was on the bench for the Shute Shield match (Queensland Cup equilivant), coming on to score the winning try whilst playing in the centres as Randwick defeated Easts 26 – 19 in Round Three. An impressive achievement to say the least.
The former Yamba junior has had a great deal of representative rugby league success including in 2015 being selected at half back for the New South Wales U16 side in their annual match against Queensland. In that interstate match Tristian Reilly scored two tries in the second half. The first try was a superb show and go and the second with less than five minutes left in the match was an opportunist try after Queensland dropped the ball.
A number of Titans linked boys such as Reihiana Marsh were in the Queensland side that night. Tristian Reilly also represented New South Wales Korri U16’s against Queensland Murri earlier in 2015.
For South Sydney in the SG Ball competition, the former Northern New South Wales junior played six matches scoring two tries which both came in Round Five against West Coast. In five of Tristian Reilly’s matches he started at five eight but in the final round being Round Nine Tristian Reilly started in the centres.
It is hard to put in words just how talented Tristian Reilly is in terms of running the ball, he has outstanding speed both off the mark which I would consider in the plus plus category and top end
speed which must be considered plus regardless of position. Tristian Reilly with his speed is able to exploit even small gaps in the defensive line with an exceptional step off either foot and incredible
acceleration as well as outstanding body control.
It is that speed trait which opens up his incredible ball playing skills as well. Teams start to focus heavily on Tristian Reilly when he has the ball with outside defenders looking to come in to assist that they open up holes wider out in the defensive line that he can exploit.
He has exquisite timing on his passes and is able to weight them perfectly as well and can do so from either side of his body. Adding in this is that Tristian Reilly can stop on a dime even travelling at full speed and pop the short pass, thus it looks for all money that he is going to run the ball thus the defence converges and then the ball is delivered to a support runner who is through a hole before the defensive line can readjust. Tristian Reilly also runs with the ball in both hands which is another reason why the defensive line is unable to determine exactly what he is going to do.
Like when he has the ball in his hands, there is nothing that Tristian Reilly cannot do in relation to kicking the ball. Tristian Reilly is an exceptional tactical kicker with range and accuracy, he can put up pin point bombs and perfectly weighted grubber kicks into the in goal. In short if you can name a type of rugby or rugby league kick, Tristian Reilly can execute it with precision.
Defensively Tristian Reilly is a very strong young man with exceptional functional strength to go along with an innate understanding of the attacking strategies of rugby league thus he is able to anticipate what an attacking side is looking to do with the ball and then be in the best position to negate it. Tristian Reilly 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.
The demise of the NYC competition in 2018 has really impacted on rugby league keeping youngsters like Tristian Reilly. Previously the progression was known and understood, you went into an NYC squad prior to first grade or QCup or New South Wales Cup rugby league.
Until clubs sort out the new pathways there will be a degree of certainly in the minds of young players and thus for youngsters like Tristian Reilly it is understandable that they chose rugby where the established pathway is through the U19 State teams and then onto the new U20 national competition. It is ironic that as rugby league gets rid of their U20 competition (the demise is solely to do with NRL players wanting more money) that rugby understands that a national U20 competition is a must for continued development of both the games and players involved.
Tristian Reilly will be eligible for the Colts competition again in 2019 but I would respectfully suggest that Tristian Reilly is unlikely to ever play in that age group again and by seasons end will be a permanent member of the Randwick Shute Shield side.
Tristian Reilly predominately played five eight in rugby league as he did last SG Ball season with South Sydney but either inside centre or fullback in rugby where his elusive running plays best, although I do acknowledge that he is currently playing outside centre for Randwick’s 2nd grade side. For me however I would really like to see Tristian Reilly at fullback in rugby league where he would be a devastating open field runner.
From a player comparison perspective, New South Wales Waratah and Wallaby back Kurtley Beale is an apt comparison in relation to Tristian Reilly. He really is a bit of a magician when he has the ball in his hands in relation to either code.
From an NRL player comparison perspective, former Titans NYC player and current South Sydney five eight Cody Walker is an accurate comparison for the talented Tristian Reilly.
Blaise Barnes. The outstanding youngster, after a stellar school boy rugby career with St Joseph’s College in Sydney, signed a two year deal with the Parramatta Eels for the 2017 NYC season and beyond but with the demise of the NYC competition has moved back to rugby where he has been in outstanding form for the Randwick Rugby Club in the Sydney Premier Rugby Colts II competition coming back from an ACL injury which forced him to miss all of last season.
I am not sure the specifics of Blaise Barnes return to rugby but it may relate to the fact that he missed the 2017 season with an ACL injury and with the demise of the NYC the writing was on the wall. I am not sure if Parramatta released him or he requested a release but considering that Blaise Barnes had only played rugby prior to 2017 I thought that his transition to rugby league all things considered would take a couple of seasons. It is interesting that Blaise Barnes was involved in the Parramatta Eels U20 Jersey Flegg side (with a young powerful centre who will be Titans colours in 2019) in the off season including playing the first trial after being named on the interchange bench.
Through the opening rounds of the Sydney Premier Rugby Colts competition for Randwick, Blaise Barnes has started at No. 10 (roughly similar to five eight in rugby league). Blaise Barnes started Round One at fly half in the Colts III competition scoring a try and kicking a conversion in a 31 – 10 win over Gordon.
In Round two Blaise Barnes was promoted to the Randwick Colts II side , starting at fly half, scoring a hat trick and kicking a conversion in a 63 – 5 win over Warringah. Round Three saw Blaise Barnes maintain his place at fly half in the Colts II Randwick side and he repaid the coaches faith kicking seven conversions from as many attempts as Randwick defeated Easts 49 – 14. Thus through two matches in the Sydney Premier Colts II competition, Tristian Reilly has already amassed 31 points.
Round Four against West Harbour last weekend saw Blaise Barnes move up to the Randwick Colts I side where he played inside centre and scored a double with Randwick winning the match 109 – 0.
Prior to signing with the Parramatta Eels Blaise Barnes had an outstanding school boy rugby career with St Joseph’s College in their 2017 XV side and in Year 11 was selected in the New South Wales II School boy side for the Australian Schools Championships.
Blaise Barnes 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 flyer will simply cut them apart. Blaise Barnes’s speed off the mark 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 or when a turnover occurs.
Just like his explosive speed off the mark, Blaise Barnes’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.
Blaise Barnes also has exceptional hands when defending against kicks especially when low short attacking kicks are put in, Blaise Barnes 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.
Blaise Barnes 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.
Defensively Blaise Barnes 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, Blaise Barnes’s primary objective is to more forward to reduce the time available for the attacker to work through is options.
Blaise Barnes is also effective at maintaining his composure and taking the player with the ball and not falling for any dummies, he makes an opposing team earn the ground that they make with his exceptional closing speed.
Blaise Barnes will play out the 2018 season with Randwick and should also get a number of matches in Randwick’s Colts I side and potentially also with their 2nd grade side where Randwick traditionally promote their youngsters to once they have started to master the Colts I competition. As he gets back to full fitness after his ACL injury last season there is no doubt his class will shine through and Blaise Barnes will excel for Randwick regardless of grade, age group or for that matter position on the field.
The movement is talented young players is without doubt a big negative of the demise of the NYC competition. With the reduction in the prestige of U20 rugby league it is more than understandable that Blaise Barnes has chosen to head back to rugby instead of continuing in rugby league especially taking into account his injury marred 2017 season. It is still disappointing however that rugby league is now more NRL focussed than ever before.
My player comparison for Blaise Barnes is a little out of left field, primarily because I have seen Blaise Barnes play more rugby than rugby league (a lot more) but he has outstanding elusiveness and body control even though he does not necessarily have elite top end speed. Blaise Barnes’s speed off the mark however can be considered at the elite level. Couple those attributes with an outstanding kicking game, both tactical and goal kicking and developing game management skills and you have a young player who plays like New Zealand All Black and Wellington Hurricanes Super 15 Rugby No. 10 Brayden Barrett.
Injuries have curtailed the career of Blaise Barnes over the last 12 months but now that he has returned to the field the sky is the limit for this outstanding young ball runner and playmaker.
Blaise Barnes is certainly a loss to rugby league for the present time but he has family ties to rugby league so fingers crossed one day he is back in the rugby league ranks and making an impact in the NRL.
Murray Taulagi. The former Brisbane State High School Rugby star had an outstanding season with the North Queensland Cowboys NYC side in 2017 and is slowly but surely starting to display the same type of form in the Queensland Cup this season with the Northern Pride for whom he has been playing on the wing.
To date in the Queensland Cup in 2018, Murray Taulagi has played in eight matches for the Northern Pride scoring three tries in the process. Murray Taulagi’s tries have come in Round two against PNG, Round Three against Townsville and Round Eight against the Sunshine Coast Falcons.
Murray Taulagi has been on the field for 606 minutes this season, playing the entire 80 minutes on seven occasions. The only match that he did not play the entire 80 minutes came in Round Four against the Mackay Cutters when he played just 46 minutes.
To date in the 2018 Queensland Cup season, Murray Taulagi has run for 767 metre, 272 of those post contact (35.46), 63 from kick returns and made 30 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 83.33%. Murray Taulagi’s 2018 per game averages include playing 78 minutes, running for 95.9 metres and making 3.75 tackles. Murray Taulagi has also made 28 line breaks (eight in Round One against Wynnum) five line breaks, seven off-loads and also forced a drop out.
In three of his eight matches Murray Taulagi has run for in excess 100 metres, including running for 141 metres in Round One against Wynnum Manly, 138 metres in Round Six against Easts and 128 against Ipswich in Round Six. Defensively Murray Taulagi made 18 tackles in Round Five against Ipswich and 17 tackles in Round Two against the PNG Hunters.
In addition to playing for Brisbane State High School in the GPS School boy rugby competition and also playing for the GPS I and Queensland I School Boy representative side, Murray Taulagi has also represented PNG at the U18 level where a team mate was former Titans NYC and current Burleigh Bears U20 Colts second rower Ben Valeni.
Murray Taulagi 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 flyer will simply cut them apart. T-Max Dixson’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, Murray Taulagi’s body and body control are in the plus plus category as is his ability to step off both feet and can, step multiple times in a small time frame and area to change both his direction and momentum as well as defenders.
Murray Taulagi also has exceptional hands when defending against kicks especially when low short attacking kicks are put in, Murray Taulagi 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.
Defensively Murray Taulagi is a solid player who looks to mirror the movements of his direct opposite and slide staying inside his man before committing to the tackle. If an opposing winger gets on his outside Murray Taulagi has the recovery speed to make up ground very quickly and eliminate the attacking threat prior to the requirement to get his team’s fullback to engage. Certainly a sliding defensive methodology suits Murray Taulagi’s skill set most appropriately although his speed timing and body control means that he can also adequately handle an up and in style of defending.
Murray Taulagi will play out the 2018 Queensland Cup season with the Northern Pride and even though I fear next season he will head back to rugby in 2019, I would really like to see him on the Gold Coast playing in front of Titans officials with either the Tweed Heads Seagulls or Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup.
In the GPS schoolboy rugby competition in 2016 for Brisbane State High School, Murray Taulagi was a star fullback in their GPS Premiership winning side but for the Cowboys NYC side in 2017 and for the Northern Pride in the Queensland Cup this season, Murray Taulagi has played on the wing where he has established himself as not just an out and out try scorer but also a big winger who can return the ball from kicks to get his team good field position and also a winger who can run the ball with great effect from dummy half when coming out of his own territory.
Even though he has a different body shape to the Melbourne Storm’s Josh Addo-Carr, Murray Taulagi has the same outstanding speed and explosiveness off the mark. He is just a sight to behold when he is in top flight and can score from anywhere on the field.
Considering that Murray Taulagi is only in his second season of rugby league it is quite incredible just how good he currently is and just as importantly if not more so how good he will become into the future.
Harry Grant. The young 20 year old Melbourne Storm hooker comes off contract at the end of this season and with the hooking depth in Melbourne may well be able to be stolen away from them with the hope of an NRL spot.
With Mitch Rein off contract at the end of this season and Nathen Peats injuries, the Titans could do a lot worse than have a look at the Rockhampton born youngster who is excelling for the Sunshine Coast Falcons in the Queensland Cup this season. Harry Grant is also a member of the 2018 Queensland Emerging Origin squad showcasing the high regard that he is held in.
The former Melbourne Storm NYC captain played one game in the Queensland Cup for Sunshine Coast in 2017 and has played in all eight rounds to date this season, starting all at hooker, scoring four tries in the process to have a 50% strike rate. Harry Grant’s tries have come in Round Two against Wynnum, Round Four against Easts, Round Five against the Cutters and last weekend in Round Eight against the Northern Pride.
In total in the Queensland Cup in 2018 Harry Grant has had 557 minutes of game time, playing all 80 minutes in Rounds Two, Five and Seven against Wynnum, Mackay and Ipswich respectively. In those minutes, the 177cm, 87 kg hooker has run for 549 metres and made 289 tackles at a tackling efficiency of more than solid 89.6%.
Harry Grant’s 2018 Queensland Cup per game averages include playing 67 minutes, running for 68.7 metres, making 36 tackles and kicking for 31.6 metres. Harry Grant has also forced a line drop out, had a try assist, a line break assist, six offloads and broken 24 tackles (in three matches breaking five tackles).
In three matches, Harry Grant has made 40 tackles or more including making 45 tackles in Round Four against Easts and 40 tackles against Mackay and the Northern Pride in Rounds Five and Eight respectively. Twice harry Grant has run for in excess of 100 metres, running for 113 metres against Mackay in Round Five and 108 metres in Rounds Two against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls. Harry Grant also ran for 95 metres last weekend against the Ipswich Jets.
Harry Grant is a 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. Harry Grant looks to lead his forwards onto the ball and provides a flat pass to enable his forwards to time their run onto the ball. Harry Grant 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 Harry Grant has good 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.
Harry Grant is also a solid kicker out of dummy half both in terms of short attacking kicks and longer range tactical kicking. In many ways his kicking from a situational perspective at least is like that of Cameron Smith. Like Smith he is unlikely to be his side’s primary kicking option but if the opportunity presents he will be a 40/20 threat.
Just like he is when he is at dummy half Harry Grant is a leader 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.
Harry Grant 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. Harry Grant is also a solid worker when at marker and will chase and look to harass both ball runners and tactical kickers alike.
Another area where Harry Grant 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, 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. The confidence that his team mates have in Harry Grant is just exceptional.
Harry Grant will see out this season and his contract with the Melbourne Storm playing for the Sunshine Coast Falcons in the Queensland Cup and based on his form this season is ready for the rigours of the NRL now whether that is with the Storm or another very fortunate NRL club.
With his leadership skills, speed out of dummy half, endurance and game management, Harry Grant seems poised to have a long and distinguished NRL career on front of him in the hooking role.
From a NRL playing comparison perspective Harry Grant has a similar playing style to that of his Melbourne Storm team mate, Queensland State of Origin and Australian Test Captain Cameron Smith, in that he is a leader on the field, is very good at leading his team around the field a very under rated kicker from the dummy half position and a very good defender on top of all of his other attributes. Harry Grant though has more speed both off the mark and at full pace than Cameron Smith.
George Fai. The big strong young 21 year old front rower is the older brother of former Titans NYC player Justin Fai and like his brother came through the ranks at the outstanding Logan Brothers Junior Rugby League club in Brisbane’s south. George Fai is currently contracted to the Brisbane Broncos through to the end of the 2019 season but with the emergence of a number of talented young Bronco forwards it would not hurt at all to see if George Fai is in their long term plans.
In May 2017 the 187cm 111kg George Fai made NRL debut in a Round Twelve match against the Warriors, making 40 metres, 19 post contract and 23 tackles in around 35 minutes of playing time. To date that is the only NRL match that he has played but he figures to play more in the future as he is still just 21 years old.
This season George Fai has been playing for the Souths Logan Magpies in the Queensland Cup competition and has started in the front row in all eight of their matches. Through his eight matches, George Fai has been on the field for 369 minutes, ran for 911 metres, 343 of those post contact (37.65%) and made 136 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 88.9%.
George Fai has scored two tries, the first of which came in Round Six against the Central Queensland Capra’s and the second last weekend in Round Eight against the Townsville Blackhawks.
George Fai’s 2018 Queensland Cup per game averages include playing 48.12 minutes, running for 114 metres on 10.8 hit-ups and making 17 tackles. George Fai has also been credited with six offloads and an impressive 38 tackle breaks which puts him in the top five of the Queensland Cup through the opening eight rounds. Thirteen of those tackle breaks came in Round Six against Central Queensland.
On five occasions George Fai has run for more than 100 metres in a match, including in Round Six when he ran for 165 metres and in Round Seven against PNG George Fai ran for 138 metres. George Fai’s “best” game defensively came in Round Three against the North’s Devils when he made 27 tackles in just 49 minutes of playing time.
In addition to his one NRL match, George Fai has played for the Broncos in a World Club Challenge match against the Warrington Wolves in 2017 and has previously represented Queensland at the U20 level, is a former GBJRL U17 player of the year and has represented Samoa in a number of junior rugby league competitions in Australia.
The pace and power in terms of how George Fai runs the ball is the outstanding feature, he takes the ball to the line with speed, but he does not just put his head down and rush forward. He uses subtle footwork prior to the line and seems to targets the gaps between defenders and will actively seek out opposing forwards who are slow to move up. George Fai’s movement prior to engaging the defensive line is actually quite impressive, from the moment that he receives the ball from the dummy half he is moving subtly from side to side thus not allowing defences to key in on him.
When the opposition are on the back foot George Fai will target the smaller defenders on the edge of the ruck and burst through and for a big young bloke he has very good speed over the medium term and has the strength to drag defenders with him. Close to the line he was very effective for South’s Logan and scored a number of tries from reasonably close range where he just carried opposing forwards over the line with him.
George Fai is an aggressive defender whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or wider on the fringes, and due to his natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can and will stop even the biggest opposing forwards in their tracks and targets the area around where the attackers carry the football.
George Fai’s speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half. Due to his speed and athleticism George Fai covers across the field well, thus putting him in a good position to make the tackle when the ball is turned back inside from the halves.
As I have noted, George Fai is contracted to the Brisbane Broncos to the end of the 2019 season but with the emergence of some young forwards and pressure on the Broncos salary cap to resign Matt Lodge, Tevita Pangai Junior and Corey Oates amongst others an inquiry to the Broncos about his availability may yield a positive result.
George Fai certainly would provide a more than solid acquisition for the Titans. For that matter also bring back his younger brother Justin who just needs experience (He is currently playing for Souths Logan in the Brisbane Premier Grade competition) to be a potentially solid NRL player of the future.
George Fai will play out the remainder of the 2018 season with the South’s Logan Magpies at the Queensland Cup level and continue to be their forward leader. It will also be interesting to see if George Fai is able to add to his single NRL game over the remainder of this NRL season, especially around State of Origin time.
At 187cm and 111kg with speed and mobility, George Fai shapes as a very solid young NRL front rower who is still a couple of seasons away from his peak.
For me a solid NRL comparison for George Fai is current Wests Tigers and New Zealand International front rower Russell Packer as a front rower who regularly crashes head long into the defensive line but does have some subtle footwork which seems to get largely over looked. As for that matter is his solid defensive technique.
Lamar Liolevave. (Revised) The young 23 year old second rower had an outstanding year for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Queensland Cup competition including being awarded the Seagulls Queensland Cup Player of the year at their 2017 Awards Presentation night.
Lamar Liolevave has started off the 2018 in the same fashion for Tweed Heads through the opening eight rounds of the competition. Through the opening eight rounds Lamar Liolevave has started in the second row in all eight matches.
Lamar Liolevave has been on the field for 637 of a possible 640 minutes, playing all eighty minutes on seven occasions and playing “just” 77 minutes in Round Five against the Townsville Blackhawks. He has run for a total of 816 metres, 309 post contact (37.87%) and made 200 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 83.9%. Lamar Liolevave’s sole 2018 try came in Round Five against the Blackhawks in Townsville.
Lamar Liolevave’s 2018 Queensland Cup per game averages include playing 80 minutes, running for 102 metres from 9.8 hit-ups and making 25 tackles. Lamar Liolevave also has two line breaks, two line break assists, three off loads and six tackle breaks.
In attack Lamar Liolevave had an outstanding match in Round Six against the Easts Tigers when he ran for an impressive 179 metres, 80 of those post contact. In Round One he ran for 138 metres against Norths and in Round Five against Townsville Lamar Liolevave ran for 108 metres. Defensively Lamar Liolevave made 30 tackles in Round Six against the Mackay Cutters.
The former Keebra Park student started off his rugby league career with the Wests Tigers NYC side and played one NRL match as well for the Tigers which came in Round Four of the 2015 NRL season. Lamar Liolevave moved back to the Gold Coast in 2016 after also spending some time with the Canterbury Bulldogs and the 201-17 off season spent some time training with the Titans NRL Squad.
In the 2017 Queensland Cup competition, the 185cm 112kg second rower missed only one of Tweed Heads twenty three matches when he missed Round Fourteen with suspension. Over the course of the 2017 season, Lamar Liolevave scored three tries which came against the Burleigh Bears in Round Six, North’s Devils in Round Seven and Redcliffe Dolphins in Round Twelve.
Lamar Liolevave in 2017 in the Queensland Cup competition played a total of 1 741 minutes, ran for 2 417 metres and made 544 tackles. His per game 2017 averages included playing 77 minutes, making 25 tackles and running for 110 metres.
In an incredible seventeen of his twenty two matches, Lamar Liolevave played all 80 minutes and on another occasion being Round twenty Three he played for 79 minutes. When he played “only” 67 minutes In Round Four, Lamar Liolevave played his least amount of minutes on the season.
In fourteen of his twenty two matches Lamar Liolevave ran for in excess of 100 metres in a match including an incredible effort in Round Eleven when he ran for 179 metres. In addition, Lamar Liolevave ran for between 90 and 100 metres on five other occasions.
Lamar Liolevave made more than twenty tackles in twenty of his twenty two matches displaying incredible consistency including a thirty three tackle effort in Round Two of this year’s competition.
Rarely can you find a young player who is equally at home running on both sides of the ruck but that is what a team has with Lamar Liolevave, he runs a superb outside shoulder line and his excellent footwork enables him to step off either foot to enable him to cut back against the movement of the defensive line to take advantage of gaps back on the inside of his direct opponent.
For a big strong young man, Lamar Liolevave also has above average speed, not just off the mark but also when he is in clear space, when he makes a break Lamar Liolevave is more than capable of going the distance and normally easily out paces the cover defence.
Lamar Liolevave is not just a strong runner of the ball he as noted above has excellent footwork prior to the line and also some very good short passing both before the line and when in contact with a defender. Lamar Liolevave in schoolboy rugby league and junior age groups was a magnet for defenders and is adept at identifying when multiple defenders are vectoring towards him and identifying the appropriate force to be applied to his passing.
Lamar Liolevave also waits until the last possible second to off load the ball and most of the time he does not telegraph his pass to enable defences the readjust before the ball is passed.
On a lot of his runs Lamar Liolevave rather than trying to step his opposite number will really look to initiate the contact and then use his strength to hold the defender off his body to either push through the tackle or draw in the next defender to create space for his outside support.
Defensively Lamar Liolevave has a hard edge to his play and his initial contact is more than sufficient to redirect the momentum of the ball carrier. Lamar Liolevave sets a very good base which he uses to explode into the ball carrier looking to use their own momentum against them.
His good situation awareness also enables him to be well positioned when he is defending against smaller quicker opponents and he endeavours to minimise the time available for the opposing attacker to generate speed and to utilise their footwork, he is also able to change direction quickly to adjust to the directional changes of the attacker especially when he is marking up against multiple attackers running in his direction where he will hold his ground to let the play to develop in front of him before committing to a specific defensive course of action.
Lamar Liolevave will play the remainder of the 2018 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup side and with his form the way it is and the fact that the Titans must sign three players (at least) prior to June 30, Lamar Liolevave may just find himself in a Titans jersey sooner rather than later. He would certainly not let anyone down if he got an NRL opportunity that is for sure.
Positionally Lamar Liolevave has been a second rower dating all the way back to his school boy days with Keebra Park and that will not change going forward.
Lamar Liolevave plays well like Lamar Liolevave, he is a solidly built second rower with deceptive speed and an outstanding right hand offload where he holds the defender off with his left arm and off loads with his right. Defensively Lamar Liolevave is deceptively strong and making powerful initial contact all whilst playing big minutes in matches.
I am not sure that Lamar Liolevave can do any more to get noticed, he was outstanding in 2017 and has started in the same vein in 2018.
Emosi Tuquiri. The big strong powerful young former Wests Panthers junior rugby league player is back in rugby league with the Souths Logan Magpies MM Cup side in 2018 after starring for the Marist College Ashgrove First XV in the Association of Independent Schools (AIC) School boy rugby competition over the course of the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
In the 2018 Hastings Deering’s Cup MM Cup competition, Emosi Tuquiri played in eight of Souths Logan’s nine matches starting all of them in the front row including their semi-final victory over the Tweed Heads Seagulls and their Grand Final match against the North’s Devils with Souths winning 18 – 16.. Emosi Tuquiri missed Round Three against the North’s Devils through injury and has scored one try which came against the Western Mustangs in Round Seven.
Emosi Tuquiri is one of three former school boy stars who have joined the Souths Logan Club in 2018 with five eight Kye Oates (Corey’s cousin) and Ashton Watson, both from Toowoomba Grammar school being the other two in the Souths Logan Colts side, in fact Key Oates is currently the competitions leading point’s scorer in that competition.
Emosi Tuquiri in addition to playing school boy rugby has played Rugby League his entire life including representing Met West in a number of age groups and in 2016 was part of the Wests Panthers U16 Division One side that defeated Brothers 38 – 16 in the GBJRL Grand Final where a team mate was former Titans junior development squad member O’Shea Petusa. That afternoon Emosi Tuquiri started in the second row and was near unstoppable.
At around 186cm and 120kg, Emosi Tuquiri is a powerful runner of the ball who runs with a slight jink, predominantly off his left in his step prior to impacting the defensive line even though in rugby there is limited space between when Emosi Tuquiri receives the ball and hits the defensive line as he is usually picking up the ball from the back of a ruck or maul, however when he does have some space, he is able to build up significant momentum over a reasonably short distance. Also when he has impacted the defensive line he continues to pump his legs and gain extra metres after contact on a regular basis.
From a rugby league perspective, Emosi Tuquiri runs a little wider of the ruck than he did in rugby and in that situation has very good ball skills prior to the line as he attracts so many defenders when he runs. For a player of his size and low centre of gravity Emosi Tuquiri actually has plus speed for his position not speed off the mark per say, but if he is allowed to gather some momentum in his runs he is a difficult proposition for a defensive line to address especially if it is in a one on one situation. Emosi Tuquiri also has quite decent stamina and seems to be always around the ball, both in attack and defence.
Emosi Tuquiri’s defensive methodology is quite 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 and his lateral movement is exceptional for a front rower.
Another impressive aspect of his play from a defensive stand point is the speed at which he gets around the field, in the AIC games that I have seen him play, he is always in and around the ball, constantly getting low to disrupt the momentum of the attacking team. The situation has been similar for South Logan in the MM Cup competition this season.
Post the MM Cup competition Emosi Tuquiri will push for selection in the Souths Logan Magpies Colts side and will be eligible for that competition again in 2019 and 2020.
Even though Emosi Tuquiri played the majority of his junior rugby league in the second row for the Wests Panthers a couple of seasons ago, his exceptional ball skills in traffic and powerful defence lends itself to him playing in the centre third of the field, thus a career in the front row in rugby league is surely in the offing for Emosi Tuquiri.
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, but also off-loading skills to complement including both after contact and before the line.
Throughout his career people who have not seen him play will discount Emosi Tuquiri because even though he presents as a powerful player he does not look at first glance to be very athletic, this is a mistake, Emosi Tuquiri has exceptional speed and mobility for such a big strong powerful player and uses it to his advantage on the football field.
Vahai Finau. (Revised) The young Logan Brothers junior played very well in the U16 Brisbane Red squad in 2017 in the centres scoring a number tries including tries in Rounds Three and Four against Brisbane Blue and Gold Coast White respectively.
Vahai Finau’s game has gone to a different level however this season for the Souths Logan Magpies MM Cup squad that won the Grand Final 18 – 16 against the North’s Devils, Vahai Finau started the Grand Final on the left wing for the Magpies.
Over the course of the 2018 MM Cup season for Souths Logan Vahai Finau played in three regular season matches and both of their finals matches, all on the left win. Vahai Finau came into the Souths Logan side in Round Five against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls and had an outstanding debut scoring a hat trick in a big win for the Magpies. Vahai Finau scored four tries to have a strike rate of100% with his other try coming in Round Six against the Central Queensland Capra’s.
Vahai Finau also represented Samoa at the 2015 QPICC tournament where he was up against the likes of Brent Barnes amongst others. Vahai Finau also started on the wing for the Logan Brothers U15 GBJRL Premier Division side that defeated Carina in the Grand Final that same year.
A powerful runner of the ball is the way that the attacking aspects of Vahai Finau’s play can be described, whilst the majority of occasions he runs hard, fast and straight he also has a very good in and away to beat defenders and on occasion over the course of the junior rugby league career
He has stepped back on the inside of his opposite defender when they overcommitted to the outside.
Once in the clear he has a tick above average top line straight speed. Vahai Finau is not necessarily a quick twitch athlete in the context of a quick late step or speed off the mark but he is no slouch either but it would be fair to say that his attacking game is first and foremost about hard straight running to draw in defenders to create space for his team mates.
Defensively his penchant was to come out of the line and line up his opposite number but on occasion he did get the timing wrong which did allow his opposite number to get on his outside, but in the majority of occasions Vahai Finau is able to readjust and make the tackle further downfield. From a technique perspective Vahai Finau really does side a strong base and explodes into the attacker, the initial movement forward in those circumstances is quick and explosive and can take an attacker by surprise.
Defensive transitions from an up and in style of defence to a sliding defensive methodology will be something for Vahai Finau for work on but he has the raw ability and game understanding to account comfortably for the different methodologies as he gains experience in the higher levels of junior rugby league.
With the MM Cup competition now concluded, Vahai Finau will transition back to Logan Brothers in the Greater Brisbane Junior Rugby League competition where he will be likely involved in their U18 Nev Blair Cup side.
The exceptional depth at Logan Brothers across all age groups means that no one is guaranteed a position in any side and thus Vahai Finau will be battling with a lot of other exceptionally talented young players for a spot.
Vahai Finau, who I first saw playing at the U14 Division One level for Logan Brothers in 2015 was played a fair bit of centre over the course of his junior career to date but this season in the MM Cup competition he has played exclusively on the wing which is ultimately where I think that Vahai Finau will end up as he transitions towards the senior rugby league ranks. Vahai Finau is also at the perfect junior club to reach his potential being the Logan Brothers Junior Rugby League Club in Brisbane’s South.
With his size, speed and power Vahai Finau’s game resembles that of Wests Tigers NRL wing David Nofoaluma. Both run with power and really do bend the defensive line backwards but both are also exceptional finishers with the ball in their hands.
Jonathon Reuben. Most 24 year old Queensland Cup players may have thought that their time had passed in relation to the NRL but the former Sydney Rooster Intrust Super Cup and Canberra Raiders NYC player has been in outstanding form this season and just through sheer weight of his performances NRL clubs must be starting to take notice.
To be fair to Jonathon Reuben however his play in the 2018 season is not fluke, he has been outstanding for the Blackhawks for the last couple of seasons from the right wing and occasionally at fullback.
In his Queensland Cup career which started in Round One of 2015, Jonathon Reuben has scored an incredible 64 tries in just 57 matches to have a career strike rate of an impressive 112%.
To date in the Queensland Cup in 2018, the 181cm 87kg Jonathon Reuben has played in eight matches scoring seven tries for a 2018 strike rate of 87.5%. Jonathon Reuben has scored three doubles which came against Mackay Cutters in Round One, against Tweed Heads in Round five and against Norths in Round Seven, he also scored against Sunshine Coast in Round Six.
To date this season Jonathon Reuben has been on the field for 640 minutes, playing the entire 80 minutes in all of his matches, run for a staggering 1 122 metres, 317 of those post contact (28.25%) and 215 metres from kick returns. Jonathon Reuben has also made 30 tackles at a 75% tackling efficiency.
Jonathon Reuben’s 2018 Queensland Cup per game averages include playing 80 minutes, running for 140.3 metres and making 3.77 tackles. Jonathon Reuben has also had two try assists, 24 tackle breaks and seven line breaks through the opening eight games.
In six of his eight matches, Jonathon Reuben has run for in excess of 100 metres, including an outstanding match in Round Five against Tweed Heads when he ran for 245 metres and 170 metres in Round Seven against Norths. In Round Four against Redcliffe Jonathon Reuben made nine tackles at a 100% tackling efficiency.
Jonathon Reuben was raised in Townsville but headed down to Canberra to play in the NYC competition for the Raiders from 2011 to 2013 and in 2013 was the NYC’s leading try scorer before moving to the Sydney Roosters for one season in the Intrust Super Cup before heading back to Townsville joining the Blackhawks.
The young man is very difficult to stop once he is in motion, his speed, power and body height all contribute to this. On the wing when he can wind up and build momentum he looks to run over his direct opponent rather than try to run around them. In fact in the majority of occasions it is Jonathon Reuben that actually initiates the contact and I do not recall seeing a player being able to run over his direct opponent with absolutely no loss of momentum.
From a speed perspective I would argue that his speed is a tick above average for a winger but obviously the key attribute from an attacking perspective is how hard he hits the defensive line. Like his overall speed Jonathon Reuben’s lateral mobility is probably just a tick above average. Jonathon Reuben with his size and strength is also able to make a lot of ground after contact with his ability to absorb the defensive contact and maintain his balance and body control.
When he is close to the line Jonathon Reuben is able to absorb a significant amount of punishment and still hold his running line thus he is able to score close to the side line without being pushed over the sideline regardless of the number of defenders looking to do so. The ability to absorb contact is on display when he comes into the centre of the ruck to take the ball up into the teeth of the defensive line.
Defensively for a big strong powerful young man, Jonathon Reuben actually has good discipline for such a young player and in the main stays on his man rather than coming in and looking for the big hit. Do not get me wrong he will on occasion aim to smash the opposing outside if they do not see him coming but in the main he is quite disciplined and looks to ensure his opposing winger does not get on his outside looking to use their speed against him.
Jonathon Reuben will play out the 2018 Queensland Cup season with the Townsville Blackhawks and based on his Queensland Cup performances to date in 2018 hopefully gets an opportunity to trial for an NRL contract with a club who will look at performance rather than the date on a birth certificate.
In the NYC competition for the Canberra Raiders and for the Sydney Roosters in 2014 Jonathon Reuben played on the wing and he has continued to do so in his four seasons in the Queensland Cup with the Townsville Blackhawks, outside of a couple of matches at fullback, and there is no doubt that is where he would play if an NRL club were to give him an opportunity in the 2018-19 off season.
Jonathon Reuben could have had no better audition to impress the Titans hierarchy than his 245 metre running effort against the Tweed Heads Seagulls in Townsville in Round Five earlier this year where he tore apart the Seagulls defence at will on his way to two tries, five tackle breaks and a line break in that game alone.
With his size (181cm and 87kg), speed and power Jonathon Reuben’s game resembles that of Wests Tigers NRL winger David Nofoaluma. Both run with power and really do bend the defensive line backwards and make significant metres but both are also exceptional finishers with the ball in their hands including being able to score from long range.
Keenan Palasia. (Revised)The young former Titans junior and PBC student spent the 2015 t0 2017 seasons with the Brisbane Broncos and in 2017 was a solid member of their forward pack which played so well throughout the season including deep in the finals series.
Keenan Palasia was a Titans junior through to 17 years old including captaining Gold Coast White in the CC Cup a number of seasons ago before its demise. This season Keenan Palasia has joined the Wynnum Manly Seagulls and has split his time between the Queensland Cup and the Brisbane A Grade competition with the Seagulls.
In the 2018 Queensland Cup Keenan Palasia has played in two matches being Round One against the Northern Pride and Round Seven against his junior club the Burleigh Bears, starting both off the interchange bench.
In total in 2018 Keenan Palasia has been on the field for 67 minutes, making 135 metres, 52 of those post contact (38.51%) and has made 25 tackles at a tackling efficiency of a more than acceptable 92.59%. Keenan Palasia has also broken a tackle and had an offloads. Keenan Palasia’s 2018 per game Queensland Cup averages included playing33.5 minutes per game, running for 67.5 metres and making 12.5 tackles. In Round One against the Northern Pride in 34 minutes, Keenan Palasia ran for 83 metres, 32 post contact and made 15 tackles in a solid display.
In 2017 Keenan Palasia represented the U20 Queensland side alongside four Titans played in their annual clash against the New South Wales. In 2015 Keenan Palasia started from the bench for the Queensland U18 side against New South Wales U18’s.
In 2017 for the Brisbane Broncos Keenan Palasia played in sixteen NYC matches including starting eleven in the second row two in the front row and three from the interchange bench. Keenan Palasia played in all of the Broncos matches to and including Round Nineteen against the Newcastle Knights and scored five tries. His tries came in Round two against Cronulla, Round Eight against the Rabbitohs, Round Eleven against the Wests Tigers, Round Sixteen against the Raiders and Round Seventeen against the Melbourne Storm.
The 192 cm 110 kg Keenan Palasia’s 2017 NYC per game season averages included 103 running metres on 10.5 hit ups and 24.5 tackles (tackling efficiency of 90%)in 55 minutes. In total Keenan Palasia ran for 1 651 metres from 169 hit ups, made five line breaks, eighteen off loads and 391 tackles. On nine occasions Keenan Palasia played all eighty minutes in a match including a seven match stretch from Round Eight against the Rabbitohs to Round Sixteen against the Raiders.
On nine occasions Keenan Palasia ran for in excess of 100 metres including Round Eighteen against the Storm when he ran for 160 metres and on twelve occasions he made in excess of twenty tackles in a match including making 36 in a Round Ten match against Manly.
When contracted to the Titans Keegan Palasia played the 2013 season in the CC Cup competition for Gold Coast Green, captaining the side and scoring two tries and in 2014 he played in the MM Cup competition for Gold Coast Green scoring a try on the season.
Keenan Palasia 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.
Keenan Palasia 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. Keenan Palasia 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 Keenan Palasia down quickly which enables him to either break the tackle completely or to off load to his support runners as he pushes through the defensive line. 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 Keenan Palasia 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 Keenan Palasia 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. Even though he does not necessary have great straight speed, his 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.
Keenan Palasia 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. Like with his attack his functional strength and his height with its associated leverage benefits aids his defensive game by being able to generate leverage in his tackles and he can therefore quickly get the attacker off balance.
Keenan Palasia is currently playing for the Wynnum Manly Seagulls and by the end of this season should have consolidated his place in the Seagulls Queensland Cup side and will have gained invaluable experience.
In terms of position, Keenan Palasia has the size and power to be a key contributor in the front row for a team but also shows enough speed and skill not to be purely a battering ram but a front rower who can create opportunities on the fringes of the ruck and create opportunities for his team. Keenan Palasia will benefit greatly from a year or two in the QCup where he can hone his skills and continue to get stronger and certainly has the potential to be a solid contributor at the NRL level in a couple of seasons.
Cronulla Sharks front rower Ava Seumanu***a for me has a similar playing style to that of Keenan Palasia, both are big strong powerful front rowers who are slowly but surely building up their strength, power and stamina to push themselves into NRL calculations in the front row in coming seasons.
Brayden McGrady. The former Gold Coast Titans NYC player is in the midst of an outstanding season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Queensland Cup where he is currently the leading try scorer with ten tries through the first eight rounds even though he has played in only five matches to have a 200% strike rate.
In his short but productive Queensland Cup career, Braydon McGrady has a 112% strike rate scoring 19 tries from 17 appearances. This season Braydon McGrady has scored at least one try in every match that he has been involved in. Braydon has scored hat tricks in Round Six against Wynnum manly and against Mackay in Round Eight, a double in Round Two against South’s Logan and single tries in Rounds One and Seven against Norths and Easts respectively.
To date in the Queensland Cup in 2018, Brayden McGrady has played in five matches at right centre and being on the field for the entire 80 minutes on four occasions. In Round Seven against Easts Braydon McGrady played 64 minutes.
In the Queensland Cup in 2018, Braydon McGrady has been on the field for 384 minutes, run of 440 metre, 114 post contact (25.91%) and made 48 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 77.1%. Braydon McGrady’s 2018 per game averages include playing for 75 minutes, running for 88 metres and making 9.6 tackles. In addition to the statistics noted above, Braydon McGrady has also been credited with a try assist, 18 tackle breaks and seven line breaks.
On two occasions Braydon McGrady has run for in excess of 100 metres being against the Mackay Cutters in Round Eight when he ran for 135 metres and in Rounds Six against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls when he ran for 113 metres. Defensively Braydon McGrady made 13 tackles in Round One against Norths.
Brayden McGrady has above average to plus top end speed and acceleration off the mark, and is more than 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.
Brayden McGrady 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.
Brayden McGrady will also come in and take his fair share of hit ups to give his forwards a rest, when the ball needs to be brought out of his end of the field even though he is not the biggest or strongest player. In the situations previously described he runs at the defensive line from dummy half with vigour and is definitely not intimidated by the size of any defender in front of him. He will continue to pump his legs after he has engaged the defensive line and then will fight to get a quick play the ball.
Defensively Brayden McGrady is definitely not a monster but will get his body in front of bigger attackers and hold the line until help arrives. In the main he does not allow his opposite number on the outside but will show them the sideline and then use the limited space against the attacker. Brayden McGrady will probably never be considered a plus defender but continued strength work will allow him to better combat the giant centres that look to run directly over him.
Brayden McGrady will play out the 2018 Queensland Cup season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls in front of Titans officials who could do far worse than give this elusive runner of the ball an opportunity to trial for an NRL or Development contract.
With his speed and elusiveness in a relatively slight frame I believe that Brayden McGrady’s best position moving forward is on the wing and a try scoring one at that.
With his sneaky quick speed and elusiveness Braydon McGrady reminds me of former Melbourne Storm and current Auckland Blues Super Rugby winger Matt Duffy. Like Duffy if you under estimate Braydon McGrady and give him an inch of room down the sideline he will be past you well before you realise your mistake.
Max Elliott. (Revised) Sorry all, I could not help myself, Max Elliott has been one of my favourite players ever since I saw him play at the age of thirteen in Northern New South Wales for the Titans Development Squads, progressing all the way through to being outstanding for the Titans NYC squad in 2015 before heading to the Bronco’s with his brother Sam for the 2016 season. Max Elliott played the 2016 season with the Brisbane Broncos NYC side before spending the 2017 season with the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in the Queensland Cup.
This season Max Elliott is once again lining up for the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in the Queensland Cup and to date has been involved in seven of Wynnum Manly’s matches, starting the first six rounds in the front row before coming off the interchange bench in Round Eight.
In total in 2018 Max Elliott has been on the field for 305 minutes, making 536 metres, 188 of those post contact (35.07%) and has made 140 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 86.9%. Max Elliott has also broken 16 tackles and had an offload. Max Elliott’s 2018 per game Queensland Cup averages included playing 43.6 minutes per game, running for 76.6 metres and making 20 tackles.
His 2018 per game averages are very similar to his 2017 ones through the first third of the 2018 season. In Round Three against the Redcliffe Dolphins Max Elliott made 114 metres and in Round One against the Northern Pride he made 25 tackles.
For the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in 2017 Max Elliott played in thirteen contests in the Queensland Cup including starting on the inter change bench in Round One and moving into the starting line-up in Round Nine against the Townsville Blackhawks in the front row. Max Elliott started one match in the front row, two in the second row, two from the interchange bench and his remaining matches at lock and scored his sole 2017 try in Round Twelve.
In total Max Elliott was on the field for 516 minutes, making 947 metres and also making 289 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 90.6% in the Queensland Cup in 2017. Max Elliott also broke 20 tackles and had four offloads on the season.
Max Elliott’s 2017 per game Queensland Cup averages included playing 40 minutes per game, running for 73 metres and making 22 tackles. On three occasions Max Elliott ran for in excess of 100 metres in a match including running for 137 in a Round Fifteen match against the North’s Devils and in Round Nineteen Max Elliott made 45 tackles in just 63 minutes on the field.
Of the 947 metres that he made in 2017, Max Elliott made 378 of those post contact thus 40% of all his running metres were made after he had impacted the defensive line, including running for 54 post contact metres in Round Thirteen and 51 post contact metres in Rounds Fourteen and Sixteen.
Over the course of the 2017 Max Elliott also played in the In Safe Hands Cup which is the Brisbane A Grade competition, playing four games and scoring a solitary try.
In 2016 the 21 year old former Lismore Marist Brothers junior represented New South Wales U20 and 2013 he was part of the Australian Institute of Sport School Boy side that toured New Zealand after making the side from St John’s College Woodlawn in Northern New South Wales. Former Titans NYC star Sam Swift was also part of the AIS touring party that year.
In total in the NYC competition for the Broncos in 2016, Max Elliott played 1 051 minutes across twenty four matches, running for 1 873 metres from 195 carries and made 526 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 93%. Max Elliott’s 2016 NYC per game averages included playing 38 minutes, taking 8 runs for 78 metres and making 22 tackles.
In total in the NYC competition in 2015 for the Titans, Max Elliott played 921 minutes, running for 1 653 metres from 169 carries and made 473 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 89%. Max Elliott’s 2015 NYC per game averages included playing 42 minutes, taking 7.7 hit-ups for 75 metres and making 21.5 tackles.
Max Elliott is a big strong powerful aggressive young man and uses these attributes when he runs with the ball, he will take the line on and look to drop his shoulder into the defender who is looking initiate contact. Max Elliott can also off load the football both before the line and when he is being tackled, he seems to be one of those players with the innate ability to get his hands free, or more accurately his right hand free.
Max Elliott is always the player standing back deep from kick ups to take the first hit up and will charge straight at the line. Max Elliott also is quite quick for a big young bloke, both in terms of explosive speed off the mark and agile from a footwork perspective but also with speed over an extended distance.
In defence, Max Elliott can certainly hit very hard and for a solidly built player has quite decent endurance thus allowing him to get back quickly into the defensive line play after play. Where he is also very good, due to his good athletic skills is for a front rower is effectively tackling smaller attackers in the centre of the ruck. Max Elliott does not fall for dummies and is difficult to step as he mirrors the lateral movement of the attacker to effectively wrap up the opposing player.
Max Elliott will play the remainder of the 2018 Queensland Cup season for Wynnum Manly again. I will admit I would love to see Max Elliott playing for either Burleigh or Tweed Heads but regardless he is great to watch with his tough aggressive attitude on display. If he were to come to the Coast to play I would get him to bring his brother and fellow former Titan Sam Elliott who is currently playing with Souths Logan with him.
For me Max Elliott has been used incorrectly the last couple of seasons at Wynnum Manly where he has spent a lot of time playing in the front row. Whilst he is certainly tough enough to play there, Max Elliott is a little under sized there at 186cm and 103g and also cannot use his footwork as well as he can if he played wider of the ruck in the second row or at least had the licence to do so.
The Brisbane Broncos, Queensland State of Origin and Australian International lock Josh Maguire is a solid player comparison for Max Elliott. Like Maguire, Max Elliott works all day both in attack and defence and when you least except in, he will produce a great offload or massive hit to ignite his team. Also like Josh Maguire, Max Elliott is more effective when he has the freedom to use his footwork wider of the ruck rather than just taking the ball forward into a set defensive line.
Brett Greinke. The former Brisbane Broncos NYC U20 captain has had an injury interrupted couple of seasons including a year or two in Sydney with Souths Sydney but is back in Queensland and having an outstanding season with the Easts Tigers in the Queensland Cup competition. In February of this year Brett Greinke started from the bench for the Melbourne Storm in an NRL trial in Rotorua against het Warriors as a result of Easts feeder club arrangement with the Storm.
Brett Greinke has started in all nine of Easts matches, seven in the second row and Rounds Eight and Nine in the front row scoring two tries to date. Brett Greinke scored in Round One against Central Queensland and Round Four against the Sunshine Coast Falcons. In his Queensland Cup career which started with the Norths Devils in 2015 Brett Greinke has played in 35 matches, scoring nine tries.
This season with Easts Brett Greinke has been on the field for 518 minutes, including playing all 80 minutes in a match on three occasions being Rounds One, Five and Nine, has made 1 076 metres and has made 205 tackles at a solid tackling efficiency of 89.6%. Brett Greinke has also made 16 tackle breaks, two line breaks and a solitary offload.
Brett Greinke’s 2018 Queensland Cup per game averages including playing for 57.6 minutes, running for 119.6 metres and making 22.89 tackles. In Round Three against the Ipswich Jets, Brett Greinke ran for 160 metres and in Round Nine against the Norths Devils he ran for 119. In Round Nine against Souths Logan Brett Greinke made 37 tackles and in Round One against Central Queensland he made 30.
At 190cm and 103 kg with above average speed for a second rower or a front rower Brett Greinke has a handful for defensively when he runs the ball and has solid initial contact when tackling.
For a backrower of his size, Brett Greinke 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.
Brett Greinke 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, he also does a very good job of keeping his hands down in situations where he is tracking smaller, quicker players. He also has a quite a good defensive technique and thus does not use purely brute strength but timing and technique as well to be effective in defence.
Brett Greinke will play out the 2018 season with the Easts Tigers in the Queensland Cup and will also be in line for selection in the Queensland Residents side against New South Wales Residents later in the year. NRL clubs could do worse than keep an eye on his form over the duration of the 2018 season.
Even though he has played a couple of matches in the front row this season with the Easts Tigers, his size, speed and skill level his best suited at this point of his career at least in the second row.
From a style perspective, the one that stands out for me is Queensland State of Origin second rower Gavin Cooper, formally of the Titans and now a key member of the Cowboys forward pack, as a rangy, mobile, wide running backrower with some toughness and skill to his game.
Brent Woolf. (Revised) The young former Gold Coast junior is currently playing for the Townsville Blackhawks in the Queensland Cup even though he is still eligible for the Colts competition. The former Brisbane Broncos NYC player moved north after playing for the Broncos NYC side in 2017 and also one Queensland Cup match for the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.
Brent Woolf came into the Townsville Blackhawks Queensland Cup side in Round Three and has gone on to play in seven matches starting all from the interchange bench and scoring against his father’s team in Round Five.
Brent Woolf has been on the field for a total of 256 minutes, running for 282 metres, 75 of those post contact and made 124 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 89.86%. Brent Woolf has also been an effective kicker out of dummy half making 126 metres and forcing two line drop outs.
Brent Woolf’s 2018 Queensland Cup per game averages include playing 36.6 minutes, running for 40.4 minutes and making 18 tackles. Brent Woolf has also been credited with two try assists, five off loads, a line break and three tackle breaks. In Round Five against Tweed Heads Brent Woolf ran for 72 metres and also made 17 tackles to have his “best” statistic match of the season.
In 2017 in the Holden Cup with the Brisbane Broncos Brent Woolf played in nine matches before injury struck. In those nine matches the 172cm and 80kg Brent Woolf scoring two tries with his first try coming in Round Four against the Canberra Raiders and his second against the Sydney Roosters in Round Thirteen. Of his nine matches Brent Woolf started three at hooker and the other six from the inter change bench and in his first start in Round Four against the Raiders Brent Woolf played the entire 80 minutes.
In total across his nine NYC matches for the Broncos in 2017, Brent Woolf ran the ball on 44 occasions making 324 metres including three line breaks, had four try assists and made 199 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 88%. Brent Woolf’s 2017 NYC per game averages included being on the field for 45 minutes, taking 5 runs for 36 metres and making 22 tackles.
In Round Six against the Sydney Roosters Brent Woolf ran for 74 metres from just seven carries and in seven of his nine matches Brent Woof made in excess of twenty tackles in a match including making 32 tackles with just two missed tackles in a Round Twelve match against the New Zealand Warriors, those 32 tackles came in just 53 minutes.
Brent Woolf prior to his NYC debut in 2017 had a distinguished junior rugby league career with some of his achievements being starting at hooker for Queensland U16’s in 2014 and Queensland U18’s in 2016. Brent Woolf was also named in the Australian U15 Order of Merit side after the 2013 ASSRL Championships where be represented Queensland U15 School Boys. Prior to moving up to Brisbane to play for the Brisbane Broncos Brent Woolf was a standout performer for the Mudgeeraba Red Backs in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League competition.
Brent Woolf is very good at making the right decision whether the go himself or pass, where he gets down low and drives with his legs. He may not necessarily run that often from dummy half but when he does it is invariably the correct decision that Brent Woolf has made. When in open space he is very quick and can finish off his own breaks all be it over reasonably short distances.
Brent Woolf 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.
Brent Woolf 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 as Brent Woolf continues to gain experience in the hooking position.
One thing that Brent Woolf does well in dummy half is not taking his eye off ball until it is in his hands. I know that that sounds like common sense, but even in first grade the number of fumbles that occur from the dummy half is far too high and change the course of a game.
Another skill that he continued to develop over the last couple of season is kicking out of dummy half. He is not a long kick, but is effective at finding the ground with his kicks. Brent Woolf was an effective kicker in terms of game management, what I mean by that is that late in games when his team were up or needed a breather he kicked for touch in those instances, which showed a high level of maturity and game management skills.
Brent Woolf defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and is adept at wrapping the ball up. He is also very good defending at marker in terms of harassing the opposition kickers. He is not going to wow you with his defence because you will not see big hits, but you will see an efficient and effective defender. He has very good endurance and projects as a hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange.
Brent Woolf will play the remainder of the 2018 season with the Townsville Blackhawks in the Queensland Cup and really does seem an ideal candidate for an NRL Development contract especially as he can play in the halves as well as hooker.
When he was playing for Mudgeeraba on the Gold Coast Brent Woolf did spend some time playing at half back but certainly over the last couple of seasons for the Broncos NYC side and Townsville Brent Woolf has played exclusively at hooker including in the Queensland U18 side. That does not mean however that he has lost the ability to play in the halves, he shapes as the ideal interchange player at the NRL level initially but certainly has the ability to have a long and successful career in the NRL as a starting calibre player.
Some people may consider him a defence first type of player but from my perspective that is only because he is such a selective runner out of dummy half. Rarely do you see him get caught by one of the markers when he runs, he is just too smart for that to occur with any regularity.
In terms of NRL players with a similar playing style for comparison purposes for Brent Woolf, think of someone along the lines of how now Leeds English Super league player Matt Parcell formerly of the Broncos Sea Eagles and Ipswich Jets plays in terms of his running out of dummy half and also his solid passing skills.
Briton Nikora. The former Keebra Park student and Gold Coast youngster headed down to Sydney looking for an opportunity, playing in the NYC competition for the Cronulla Sharks. Post the NYC era the young second rower has been a solid contributor for the Newtown Jets in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership.
To date this season the nuggetty Mt Maunganui New Zealand born Briton Nikora has played in eight matches for Newtown coming into the side Round two. In his eight matches Briton Nikora has started in the second row in six matches and from the interchange bench in his other two. Briton Nikora has scored two tries with the first coming in Round Seven against the Bulldogs and the second in Round Nine against North Sydney.
Briton Nikora has been on the field for a total of 502 minutes, three times playing all 80 minutes being Rounds Seven to Nine, running for 556 metres, 224 of those post contact (40.29%) and made 188 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 92.4%. Briton Nikora’s 2018 per game averages include playing 65 minutes, running for 69.6 metres and making 27 tackles. Briton Nikora has also been credited with 17 tackle breaks, including eight in Round Seven against the Bulldogs, two line breaks, two line break assists and seven offloads.
In Round Seven against the Canterbury Bulldogs the 185cm, 94kg ball of muscle had an outstanding game running for 140 metres and making 32 tackles. Round Nine saw Briton Nikora make 35 tackles against North Sydney.
Earlier this season Briton Nikora played for the Sharks in an NRL trial against Manly and understandably after the 2017 season that he had. In 2017 Briton Nikora was named in the NYC team of the year and also represented the New Zealand Junior Kiwi’s against Australia.
Briton Nikora’s style of play is that of a wide running back rower with what I would consider slightly above average speed for the position he plays and also taking into account his solid build. He is quick off the mark and can maintain his speed over a reasonable distance and also has a good fend and can step off both feet both in space and in tight situations.
From what I have seen though his left foot step seems slightly quick and with more deception. The side step he has is not a big step but is quick and effective enough to keep defenders off balance when he is running the ball. Once his momentum is stopped, Briton Nikora will fight for a quick play the ball to maintain his team’s momentum, although on occasion he will rush the play the ball, but that will all come with experience and maturity.
Briton Nikora is a naturally aggressive defender whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his inherent natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can stop the momentum of opposing forwards on initial contact and targets the area around the chest after setting a solid base to project his momentum through his tackles. Briton Nikora also has reasonable lateral mobility and thus will not necessarily be over matched against smaller agile opponents.
Briton Nikora will finish the 2018 season with the Newtown Jets in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership competition and it would be great if he was to head back to the Gold Coast to continue his rugby league career with either Tweed Heads or Burleigh in the Queensland Cup in 2019 and beyond.
Briton Nikora has certainly done enough over the last couple of seasons to earn an NRL development contract at the very least and if he were to head back to the Gold Coast it could certainly be argued that this would be another example of the Titans buying back the farm so to speak.
From a position perspective, I think that Briton Nikora’s hard working attitude and determination suites his current position in the back row perfectly. It is certainly evident that the longer Briton Nikora is on the field the more effective that he is.
From a player comparison perspective for Briton Nikora, someone with a similar playing style that could be used for a comparison perspective would be the Brisbane Broncos backrower Alex Glenn as a strong hard running, hard tackling aggressive and effective backrower who can play for 80 minutes without the need for a break on the interchange bench.
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 moved up in the off season as a key recruit for a youthful Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup squad in 2018 under the tutelage of former Titans NYC coach Ben Woolf.
To date in the Queensland Cup this season, Chayne Whitelaw has played in five matches, starting three at lock, being Rounds Three to Five and two in the front row being Rounds Seven and Eight. In total in the 2018 Queensland Cup competition, Cheyne Whitelaw has been on the field for 288 minutes, including playing 75 minutes in Round Seven against the Easts Tigers, run for 675 metres and made 138 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 91.3%.
Cheyne Whitelaw’s 2018 per game averages include playing 57.6 minutes, running for 135.1 metres from 12.6 hit-ups and making 27.6 tackles. Cheyne Whitelaw has also had 12 tackle breaks this season through five games.
In four of his five matches, Cheyne Whitelaw has run for more than 100 metres including running for an impressive 210 metres in Round Seven against the Easts Tigers and 150 metres in Round Eight against the Mackay Cutters. Defensively Cheyne Whitelaw made 34 tackles in Round Seven and 32 in Round Six against the Townsville Blackhawks.
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 has immediately found his feet in the Queensland Cup this season and when he has been in the side has been one of the Tweed Heads Seagulls best as well as being a captain who leads from the front.
At 23 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, in the NRL at least, 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
Watson Heleta. The young former Keebra Park student is currently playing in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership with the Western Suburbs Magpies and is having a solid season. It is interesting that Watson Heleta has played the majority of his matches this season at fullback but spent the majority of his NYC career with the Wests Tigers in the centres or on occasion on the wing. In addition to being a stand out for Keebra Park in multiple GIO Cup campaigns Watson Heleta has also represented the U20 Junior Kiwis in both 2014 and 2015.
To date in 2018 for the Western Suburbs Magpies in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership Watson Heleta has played in all nine of eth Magpies matches, playing the entire 80 minutes on each occasion. Watson Heleta has started seven matches on the wing and two being Rounds Six and Seven on the wing.
Watson Heleta has a career Intrust Super Cup strike rate of 43.4% and a 2018 strike rate of 44.44% with his tries coming in Round One against the Bulldogs, Round two against Newcastle, Round Four against Wentworthville and against North Sydney in Round Six.
In addition to playing all 80 minutes in each match, Watson Heleta has run for 1 253 metres, 380 post contact (30.33%) and 425 in relation to kick returns. Watson Heleta has also made 30 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 62.3%. The 22 year old has also been credited with three line breaks and 43 tackle breaks. Watson Heleta’s 2018 per game averages include playing 80 minutes, running for 139.3 metres and making 3.45 tackles.
Incredibly in each of his nine matches, Watson Heleta has run for in excess of 100 metres including running for 190 metres in a Round One match against the Canterbury Bulldogs and 160 metres in Round two against the Newcastle Knights.
Watson Heleta at 172cm and 91 kg is just a silky smooth runner of the ball who seems to glide across the field effortlessly and certainly has an extra gear in relation to the speed he possesses as well as plus speed off the mark and plus lateral movement as well. He also has the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is becoming increasingly rare in the modern game.
When he gets the ball early from his inside play makers, Watson Heleta is incredibly difficult to deal with one on one, as whilst his speed has already been noted, he is also a powerful runner who has the power to also break tackles through sheer power and not just rely on his speed to beat his opponent, in short he has a myriad of moves to break through the defensive line regardless of the defensive methodology that they are incorporating.
The one thing he also seems to be able to do well, is to step back inside without the loss of his speed or forward momentum, opposing defenders seem to push out quickly when he has the ball expecting him to look to beat them on their outside, if they come across to far, he has a very good step back side and if the inside defenders are not quick enough to cover across he has the speed to make a clean break in those circumstances.
Similarly when an opposing defender looks to come out of the line quickly to put pressure on him, Watson Heleta’s his quick twitch feet means that he can step off either foot quickly to negate the attempt to cut down his time. In short Watson Heleta is a very talented attacking player who looks to beat his opponent with speed and guile rather than purely by brute strength.
In defence Watson Heleta 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 Watson Heleta 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 both at fullback and in the three quarter line.
Watson Heleta will play out the 2018 season with the Western Suburbs Magpies in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership and then I would be more than content to see him back on the Gold Coast chasing his NRL dream with either the Tweed Heads Seagulls or Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup come 2019.
Watson Heleta has spent the majority of this season at fullback but with his elusiveness and ability to run a solid line I would lean (just) towards a future in the centres. I acknowledge however that his play at fullback this season for the Western Suburbs Magpies in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership has given me reason to pause and may necessitate a position reconsideration from me in the not too distant future.
From a player comparison perspective for Watson Heleta, think of someone along the lines of the South Sydney and Queensland State of Origin centre Dane Gagai as a smooth moving centre who is elusive and difficult to defend against as a result.
Brent Naden. The former Penrith Panthers junior star moved to the Newcastle Knights this season on a one year contract and to date has performed well in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership splitting time between centre and fullback for the Knights.
To date this season in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership Brent Naden has played in six matches coming into the side in Round two against the Western Suburbs magpies starting in the centres, he also started in the centres in Round Three. Post that round Brent Naden has started his remaining four matches at fullback and has played the entire 80 minutes in all six matches.
Brent Naden has a career strike rate in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership of 34.88%, scoring 15 tries from 43 appearances with both Newcastle and Penrith. This season his strike rate is 50% with tries in Round two against Western Suburbs, Round Three against Wentworthville and Round Nine against Wyong.
In his 480 minutes on the field this season Brent Naden has run for 696 metres, 217 of those post contact (31.78%) and made 23 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 77.4%. His per game averages include playing 80 minutes, running for 116.2 metres and making 5.2 tackles. Brent Naden has also has 23 tackle breaks and a line break through his six matches to date.
In four of his six 2018 New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership matches Brent Naden has run for in excess of 100 metres including 154 metres in Round Eight against North Sydney, 152 metres in Round Nine against Wyong, 136 metres in Round Three against Wentworthville and 108 metres on debut in Round two against Western Suburbs.
In 2015, the Wellington born (New South Wales) Brent Naden captained the Penrith Panthers NYC side in their Grand Final against Manly. Mid-way through 2016 Brent Naden moved to the Canberra Raiders, playing for the Mounties before signing a one year deal with the Newcastle Knights late last year.
Brent Naden is a big strong super quick centre with an effortless running style with a classic centres build with the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is rare in the modern game. Brent Naden has used this skill set on multiple occasions on the right side of the field. He has a very strong fend which prevents opposing centres getting in on him and forcing him towards the sideline.
Even though he has size, strength and power in the centre position, Brent Naden does look for his outside support when confronted with the fullback, even though he is more than capable of beating fullbacks one on one if need be and certainly does on occasion when he outpaces his support players.
When the defence is sliding Brent Naden will cut inside and when the defence is playing an up and up style he has the plus speed and agile footwork to get on the outside of his direct opponent and beat him for speed to exploit the gap created.
In terms of his speed, in all aspects it would be considered at the above average in terms of speed off the mark, top end speed and sustainability. Another aspect where he is also very good is his ability to run out of dummy half. His size strength speed and power coupled with his plus footwork enables Brent Naden to make a significant amount of ground out of dummy half and also gives his forward a breather.
Defensively Brent Naden is constantly is in a position to disrupt the attacking movement of the opposition in either code. Brent Naden is more than capable of defending 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
The 22 year old will finish the 2018 season with the Newcastle Knights in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership and with his contract up will potentially be looking for a new home with a club that is short attacking outside backs with the Titans seemingly being a club that may fit that bill depending on what happens between now and June 30 when at least two more players need to be added to the Titans 30 man NRL squad.
Brent Naden came through the ranks at Penrith as a centre and even though he is currently playing at fullback for Newcastle, with his size, being 184cm and 96kg coupled with his hole running ability he shapes as a relatively low cost option for a team looking for a hard running centre with the potential to continue to develop.
Brent Naden was considered the “next big” thing at Penrith a couple of seasons ago, which is a lot of pressure for a young player but he is slowly but surely developing into a very good young player with a potential NRL future in front of him if he continues on his current trajectory.
For me with his ability to break arm tackles pushing through the defensive line especially close to the line and a solid repeatable and effective defensive technique, Brent Naden has a playing style similar to that of Titans centre Dale Copley as a solid reliable centre who find is way to the try line on a regular basis
Caleb Aikens. The young fullback from the Northlands region of New Zealand is setting the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership alight this season with the Penrith Panthers returning the ball with vigour and consistently giving the Panthers good field position when starting their set of six tackles.
The 183cm, 91 kg Caleb Aikens started at fullback in the first eight rounds this season and has played all 80 minutes in each match that he has been involved in. In his 640 minutes on the field, Caleb Aikens has run for 1 424 metres, 384 of those post contact (26.97%) and made 35 tackles at a solid tackling efficiency of 82.1%.
Caleb Aikens has also been credited with 2 try assists, three line breaks and 47 tackle breaks. His per game averages this season include playing all 80 minutes, running for a stunning 178.1 metres and making 4.25 tackles.
Incredibly Caleb Aikens has run for in excess of 100 metres in each of his eight matches this season and twice run for more than 200 metres. Caleb Aikens ran for 214 metres in Round Six against the Bulldogs and 203 metres in Round Eight against St George. In addition to those two matches, he ran for 197 metres in Round One against Wentworthville and in Round Eight ran for 193 metres to cap an outstanding run of form.
Prior to his move to the Penrith Panthers, Caleb Aikens was a regular member of the Northlands junior rugby league sides, representing the Northern Swords with distinction at both the U15 and U17 levels at the New Zealand National Age Championships. Caleb Aikens was also a stand out for Whangarei Boys High in the Adam Blair Shield, being the preeminent school boy rugby league competition in the Northlands region for a number of years now.
Caleb Aikens presents as 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. In attack Caleb Aikens does not just stand at the back waiting for the “block” plays to occur. When his forwards are bringing the ball out of their own territory, Caleb Aikens is always in and around the ball looking for an offload and the opportunity to explode downfield as a result of outstanding speed off the mark and a wicked step off either foot.
I initially thought he would be a very good centre in rugby league, and I am sure with his natural ability he would be, but with the skills he has and the way the modern game is played, fullback seems to be his best position into the future especially taking into account his well-developed passing skills which are on display on a regular basis.
Caleb Aikens has above average speed off the mark and has outstanding balance and body control which enables him to break a lot of tackles through the centre of the ruck. Opposing defenders to key line him up when he is either running from dummy half or taking an offload and his explosiveness means that defenders are regularly reduced to grasping at him with an arm which Caleb Aikens regularly is able to explode through and continue his run.
In terms of his defence, one thing that stood out to me, when the opposition makes a break Caleb Aikens moves forward looking to cut down the time of the attacking player, which is quite impressive for such a young player.
The 20 year old will finish the 2018 season with Penrith in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership but is seemingly blocked in relation to the NRL fullback position at the Panthers and thus may just favour a move to a club where the custodian role is up for grabs.
Depending on where Gareth Brennan wants to play AJ Brimson, the Titans may just be a club that Caleb Aitkens would consider. Gareth Brennan also of course would be familiar with the New Zealand born youngster from his time in Sydney’s western suburbs.
Over the course of his junior rugby league career in New Zealand and for the Panthers NYC side in 2017 Caleb Aitkens played a number of positions including fullback, centre and five eight but this season at fullback Caleb Aitkens has been simply outstanding and seems destined to stay there as he pushes for a deserved NRL spot in the comings seasons.
From a player comparison perspective in relation to Caleb Aitkens, think along the lines of Cowboys fullback Lachlan Coote as a fullback with exceptional pace, balance, body control and footwork who is also courageous when it comes to his defensive duties and retrieving and returning kicks no matter how much pressure is on him.
Gehamat Shibasaki. The young Brisbane Broncos contracted left centre is in the final year of his contract with them and is quickly finding his feet in the Queensland Cup competition with the Norths Devils.
The 184cm, 96kg youngster is still U20 Colts eligible this season but came into the Norths Devils Queensland Cup side in Round Three and has been an ever present ever since, starting all seven of his matches to date at left centre and on five occasions including the last four rounds straight has played all 80 minutes.
To date in the Queensland Cup in 2018 Gehamat Shibasaki has been on the field for 503 minutes, running for 960 metres, 296 of those post contract (30.83%) and has made 80 tackles at a decent tackling efficiency of 80.7%. It should be noted that over the last couple of rounds his tackling efficiency percentage is increasing. Gehamat Shibasaki’s sole try to date this season came against the Townsville Blackhawks in Round Seven.
Gehamat Shibasaki’s 2018 Queensland Cup per game averages include playing for 72 minutes, running for 137.2 metres and making 11.4 tackles. Gehamat Shibasaki has also been credited with 33 tackle breaks, four line breaks and two off loads.
In four of his seven matches in the Queensland Cup this season, Gehamat Shibasaki has run for in excess of 100 metres, including an exceptional effort in Round Nine when he ran for 264 metres against the Mackay Cutters and in the round prior being Round Eight against the Easts Tigers ran for 161 metres. Defensively in Round Seven against the Townsville Blackhawks Gehamat Shibasaki made seventeen tackles.
Gehamat Shibasaki who has both Torres Strait and Japanese heritage was a leading try scorer for the Brisbane Broncos over the course of the 2016 and 2017 NYC seasons and in 2016 had a rare achievement when he represented Queensland at both the U18 and U20 levels the same year.
Gehamat Shibasaki started his rugby league journey with Townsville Brothers in the U11 age group and has never looked back since.
Gehamat Shibasaki has very good speed off the mark, which I would consider above average for a centre and can break to the outside quickly, couple that with long arms, which he uses to great effect with a powerful fend makes him difficult to tackle. When opposing centres are able to get hold of him, Gehamat Shibasaki usually is able to maintain his balance and keeps an arm free, looking to offload to either his inside or outside support.
Gehamat Shibasaki has more tools though than just an in and away, he will also use his size and strength to run straight over smaller opposing centres as well as also having the skill to step back inside of the defender if he is pushing to the outside too early.
Gehamat Shibasaki also has a powerful fend which served him well in the NYC competition and in fact has been the reason for at least two of his line breaks this season when his opposing centre has gone high and he has just palmed him off with seemingly little effort. His natural strength is just an impressive attribute.
A real positive for me is that Gehamat Shibasaki can also run a good inside shoulder line due to the fact that he maintains his spacing in the back line and will quickly identify where his direct opponent is ling up to determine whether it is appropriate to run an inside or outside shoulder line or a “crash” line for that matter, he certainly has the courage to run that line regularly which not everybody has.
As you would expect, due to his size and strength, Gehamat Shibasaki is a very good defender regardless of position. He will not necessarily hit hard but is definitely aggressive and he is very good at mirroring the movement of the opposing centre and wrapping him up ball and all. He is also quick enough to recover and chase if the opposing centre gets on the outside and his long reach is also a positive attribute in those situations.
From a team defensive methodology stand point, Gehamat Shibasaki seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage in though he can be an intimidating presence when he chooses to come out of the line to interrupt the attacking movement immediately prior to its development.
Gehamat Shibasaki will finish off the season with the Norths Devils in the Queensland Cup and with the likelihood of the Broncos keeping Jack Bird in the centres and Corey Oates resigning then Gehamat Shibasaki does not necessarily have a clear path to the NRL there.
The Townsville born youngster comes off contract with the Brisbane Broncos at the end of this season and with the Titans likely to be looking to strengthen their three quarter line they could do far worse than looking to bring in this talented young 20 year old strike centre who still possesses an almost unlimited amount of potential.
The centre position in the NRL has become a strange one over recent seasons, they seem to rarely take on their opposite number one on one and in some teams seem to be just another second rower just running straight into the opposing defensive line. At least Gareth Brennan seems looking to change that by getting both of his halves on the same side of the field on occasion to give them more room and options.
At 184cm and 96kg with above average speed and balance Gehamat Shibasaki if given the ball early can definitely fit the bill of a strike centre in the NRL who with his in and away can draw in the opposing defence giving his winger room to move down the touch line.
From an NRL player comparison perspective, Gehamat Shibasaki has similar traits to Sydney Roosters star young centre Latrell Mitchell. Like Mitchell, Gehamat Shibasaki is a big strong powerful young left centre who will not be beaten in a one on one contest in attack or defence. Gehamat Shibasaki is just a powerful young man now just learning how to translate and direct that natural strength and power consistently on a rugby league field.
JJ Felise. The giant 22 year old former Keebra Park front rower made his NRL debut with the Wests Tigers in 2016, playing in eight matches. He played an additional five NRL matches in 2017 but to date in 2018 has been part of the Western Suburbs Magpies side in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership being unable to break into the Wests Tigers NRL side.
To date in 2018 for the Western Suburbs Magpies in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership JJ Felise has played in all nine matches starting six in the front row, one at lock being Round nine and two from the interchange bench.
In total in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership this season JJ Felise has been on the field for 398 minutes, run for 969 metres, 265 of those post contact (27.35%) and made 201 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 93.06%. JJ Felise’s 2018 per game averages include playing 44.2 minutes, running for 107.52 metres and making 23.44 tackles.
In four of his nine matches this season JJ Felise has run for in excess of 100 metres including a standout match in Round One against the Canterbury Bulldogs when he ran for 200 metres in just 42 minutes on the field. JJ Felise also ran for 135 minutes in Round two against the Newcastle Knights. JJ Felise also has seven off loads and six tackle breaks this season through his nine matches.
Defensively JJ Felise has made more than 20 tackles in a match in seven of his nine matches, including making 37 tackles in 60 minutes on the field in Round Eight against Wentworthville and in Round Eight made 26 tackles.
As previously noted JJ Felise has played in 13 NRL matches, making his debut in Round Seven of the 2016 season against the Melbourne Storm. JJ Felise played in eight NRL matches in 2016 and five in 2017 all from the interchange bench.
In 2017 in his five NRL matches JJ Felise ran for 253 metres, 95 of those post contact (37.55%) and made 55 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 90.16% thus JJ Felise’s 2017 NRL per game averages included playing for 34 minutes, making 50.66 metres and 11 tackles.
In 2016 in his eight NRL matches JJ Felise ran for 499 metres, 179 post contact (35.87%) and made 100 tackles at an exceptional tackling efficiency of 97.09%. JJ Felise’s 2016 NRL per game averages included playing 38 minutes, running for 62.49 metres and making 12.5 tackles.
Prior to his NRL debut in 2016, JJ Felise played the 2015 and start of the 2016 season with the Wests Tigers NYC side and in 2013 and 2014 whilst at Keebra Park represented the Queensland Open School Boys rugby league side and in 2016 was part of the Queensland U20 Emerging Origin squad.
At around 184cm and 108kg the pace and power in terms of how he runs the ball is the outstanding feature of JJ Felise’s game, he takes the ball to the line with speed, but he does not just put his head down and rush forward, he uses quick and subtle footwork prior to the line and seems to targets the gaps between defenders and will actively seek out opposing forwards who are slow to move up.
When the opposition are on the back foot JJ Felise 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.
The defensive side of his game is similarly impressive, JJ Felise does not just charge wildly up looking for a huge hit, but is calculating in where and when to hit. Quite a few of his tackles result 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.
JJ Felise will finish the 2018 season with the Western Suburbs Magpies in the New South Intrust Super Cup competition and it will be interesting to see then where he chooses to continue his career especially if he is unable to expand on his 13 NRL matches to date with the Wests Tigers.
JJ Felise would look very good in a Tweed Heads or Burleigh Bears jersey in 2019 in the Queensland Cup and with his physical characteristics and rugby league ability there is no way that he should give up on having a long and solid NRL career.
At 184cm and 108kg JJ Felise has the ideal size to develop into an above average NRL front rower and at 22 years old is still a couple of years away from maturing both physically and skill wise in the front row.
Albert Vete is an accurate comparison from a playing style perspective for JJ Felise. JJ Felise is a big strong powerful hard running, hard tackling player who leads by example and looks to dominate his opponents in all aspects of the game.
Thomas Mikaele. The giant Ipswich born former Australian Schoolboy, Keebra Park student and Queensland U18 representative is currently on an NRL Development Contract with the Wests Tigers but has shown in limited playing time this season with the Western Suburbs Magpies in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership that a Top 30 NRL contract is not far away.
To date in 2018 for the Western Suburbs Magpies in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership Thomas Mikaele has played in just two matches but plenty more will follow this season. In his two matches being Rounds Eight and Nine against Wentworthville and St George respectively. Thomas Mikaele started Round Eight from the interchange but was in the starting line-up in the front row for Round Nine.
In those matches Thomas Mikaele has played 53 minutes, run for 81 metres from eight hit-ups and made 31 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 86.1%, thus his 2018 per game averages include playing 26.5 minutes, running for 40.5 metres and making 15.5 tackles. Thomas Mikaele has also broken two tackles so far in 2018.
In Round Eight Thomas Mikaele ran for 47 metres and made 16 tackles. Round Nine saw him run for 33 metres and make 15 tackles in his starting debut for the Western Suburbs Magpies.
Prior to his call up to the Western Suburbs Magpies New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership side Thomas Mikaele has been playing in the U20 Jersey Flegg competition for Western Suburbs.
To say that Thomas Mikaele had an outstanding junior rugby league career would be an understatement. He has represented Australian Schoolboys in 2016, the same year representing South Coast(scoring against Wide Bay) and Queensland Schoolboys.
Thomas Mikaele has also represented Queensland at the U18 level twice (a rare feat indeed) and also twice named in the U20 Queensland Emerging Origin Squad including for this current season. Also in 2016 Thomas Mikaele was the Keebra Park Open Rugby League captain taking the side to the National GIO Cup Final. Outstanding Titans rookie Moeaki Fotuaika was also part of that Keebra Park GIO Cup side. Thomas Mikaele’s NYC career included playing 17 games for the Wests Tigers in the 2017 season.
Thomas Mikaele is in summary a big strong powerful young man who runs with pace and power into the defensive with no thoughts of preservation. When purely metres need to be made, Thomas Mikaele will not sue footwork and just power into the defensive line, but he also certainly can use subtle footwork to aim at the gaps between the opposing forwards.
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 Thomas Mikaele 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 Thomas Mikaele 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 Thomas Mikaele 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. With his strength and technique he should likely always be considered a plus defender regardless of the quality of opponent that he is up against.
Even though he does not necessary have great straight speed, his 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.
Thomas Mikaele made his New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership debut in Round Eight and whilst he may not play in every round will no doubt continue to gain valuable experience playing against men for the remainder of this year and in 2019 is still U20 Colts eligible.
At an imposing 194cm and 110kg Thomas Mikaele is a powerhouse of a player and the scary part is that he has the body type to add additional muscle mass without having to compromise on his speed or mobility what so ever. It is these physical traits and of course his skill set that means that he shapes as a ten year NRL and representative level front rower sooner rather than later.
Thomas Mikaele and Payne Haas were front row partners for Keebra Park in their 2016 GIO Cup campaign and the Australian School Boys side the same year and in many respects that are quite similar type of players and thus when you look at how Payne Haas plays you will have an appreciation of the style of Thomas Mikaele. Both are exceptionally big strong mobile young men with outstanding athleticism, call it elite for their size.
Thomas Mikaele however is far more than just an athlete he is an exceptionally talented young rugby league front rower who will only get better in the next couple of years. If the Titans want a young front rower to partner teen sensation and recent NRL debutant Moeaki Fotuaika for the next ten years or so then bringing this young man back to South East Queensland is an absolute must. The two were team mates in the Keebra Park GIO Sup side in 2016 that made the National final so the two of them playing in the side team would be a back to the future moment.
Izi Sword. The outstanding young centre has moved to Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie) on a rugby scholarship and was a standout for Churchie in the recent GPS representative rugby trials held on the Gold Coast in the No. 13 jersey, being outside centre.
In the first round of the trials where Izi Sword was one of two the stand out No. 13’s on the day with the other being the TSS No. 13 as his Churchie side played round robin matches against TSSand Ipswich Grammar School (IGS).
Also this season Izi Sword played three matches in the Brisbane Premier Rugby Colts II competition, but a bad effort for a 17 year old to play against 20 year olds. Izi Sword’s first Colts II match of the season came in Round One against Logan Central where he started at No. 8 in a 34 – 22 win for Souths.
Izi Sword played inside centre in a Round Two 33 – 12 victory against Easts and in Round Three once again started at inside centre in a 31 – 24 victory against North’s Rugby Club. Post those matches, Izi Sword moved from Corinda State High School in Brisbane’s West to Churchie in East Brisbane.
Throughout his junior career the former Corinda State High School student has played both rugby and rugby league, representing South’s Sunnybank in the later and South Rugby Club in the former. In 2017 Izi Sword played in the GBJRL U16 Division One competition dominating the competition. In 2017 Izi Sword represented City U16’s in their annual rugby match against Country.
Izi Sword is a strong powerfully built young man who runs with pace, speed and power. It would be unfair to categorise that his game is only built on pace and power though as he has a very good right foot step and right hand fend, he can also draw defenders in to give players outside him room. Due to his strength and fend he regularly gets on the outside of his opposite defender forcing the winger to make a decision as to whether to come in on him or stay with his winger.
If he comes in, Izi Sword has the quick hands to get the pass away prior to contact, but also is big and strong enough as well as having very good core strength and balance to absorb the contact and still get the pass to his winger whilst maintaining his running line.
If the opposing winger still out, Izi Sword is definitely quick enough to break into open space although I would not say that he has plus speed, he is quick enough to gain separate from the cover defence however. When you look at his build he may not look like he has a lot of speed, but Izi Sword definitely does.
Izi Sword is not necessarily the quickest off the mark but has very good acceleration and speed once he is moving and can sustain his top speed over an extended period which is very impressive for a player of his size and strong build.
Izi Sword’s defensive technique is one styled 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 Izi Sword 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 his opponent getting on his outside and setting up a two or one down the sideline.
With his performance in the first round of the GPS school boy representative trials it seems more than likely that Izi Sword will be selected in one of the GPS School boy representative sides for the Queensland Schools Championships which will be held at Ballymore in late June.
Post those representative commitments, Izi Sword will line up at outside centre for the Churchie First XV in the GPS Competition in Term Three of the school calendar.
Izi Sword has been a centre in both rugby (except for a couple of matches at No. 8 last year and one match this year) and rugby league and there is no reason that that will change any time soon.
New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand International Solomon Kata is the closest NRL player that I can envisage that Izi Sword has a similar playing style too, that being of a hard running aggressive type of player who relishes the contact, the harder the better both in attack and defence and is absolutely fearless in both aspects. This young man is certainly one player to keep an eye on in coming years.
Playing at fullback Blaise Barnes scored a double as Randwick defeated Parramatta 58-10 in Sydney Colts I this afternoon
Blaise Barnes. The outstanding youngster, after a stellar school boy rugby career with St Joseph’s College in Sydney, signed a two year deal with the Parramatta Eels for the 2017 NYC season and beyond but with the demise of the NYC competition has moved back to rugby where he has been in outstanding form for the Randwick Rugby Club in the Sydney Premier Rugby Colts II competition coming back from an ACL injury which forced him to miss all of last season.
I am not sure the specifics of Blaise Barnes return to rugby but it may relate to the fact that he missed the 2017 season with an ACL injury and with the demise of the NYC the writing was on the wall. I am not sure if Parramatta released him or he requested a release but considering that Blaise Barnes had only played rugby prior to 2017 I thought that his transition to rugby league all things considered would take a couple of seasons. It is interesting that Blaise Barnes was involved in the Parramatta Eels U20 Jersey Flegg side (with a young powerful centre who will be Titans colours in 2019) in the off season including playing the first trial after being named on the interchange bench.
Through the opening rounds of the Sydney Premier Rugby Colts competition for Randwick, Blaise Barnes has started at No. 10 (roughly similar to five eight in rugby league). Blaise Barnes started Round One at fly half in the Colts III competition scoring a try and kicking a conversion in a 31 – 10 win over Gordon.
In Round two Blaise Barnes was promoted to the Randwick Colts II side , starting at fly half, scoring a hat trick and kicking a conversion in a 63 – 5 win over Warringah. Round Three saw Blaise Barnes maintain his place at fly half in the Colts II Randwick side and he repaid the coaches faith kicking seven conversions from as many attempts as Randwick defeated Easts 49 – 14. Thus through two matches in the Sydney Premier Colts II competition, Tristian Reilly has already amassed 31 points.
Round Four against West Harbour last weekend saw Blaise Barnes move up to the Randwick Colts I side where he played inside centre and scored a double with Randwick winning the match 109 – 0.
Prior to signing with the Parramatta Eels Blaise Barnes had an outstanding school boy rugby career with St Joseph’s College in their 2017 XV side and in Year 11 was selected in the New South Wales II School boy side for the Australian Schools Championships.
Blaise Barnes 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 flyer will simply cut them apart. Blaise Barnes’s speed off the mark 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 or when a turnover occurs.
Just like his explosive speed off the mark, Blaise Barnes’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.
Blaise Barnes also has exceptional hands when defending against kicks especially when low short attacking kicks are put in, Blaise Barnes 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.
Blaise Barnes 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.
Defensively Blaise Barnes 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, Blaise Barnes’s primary objective is to more forward to reduce the time available for the attacker to work through is options.
Blaise Barnes is also effective at maintaining his composure and taking the player with the ball and not falling for any dummies, he makes an opposing team earn the ground that they make with his exceptional closing speed.
Blaise Barnes will play out the 2018 season with Randwick and should also get a number of matches in Randwick’s Colts I side and potentially also with their 2nd grade side where Randwick traditionally promote their youngsters to once they have started to master the Colts I competition. As he gets back to full fitness after his ACL injury last season there is no doubt his class will shine through and Blaise Barnes will excel for Randwick regardless of grade, age group or for that matter position on the field.
The movement is talented young players is without doubt a big negative of the demise of the NYC competition. With the reduction in the prestige of U20 rugby league it is more than understandable that Blaise Barnes has chosen to head back to rugby instead of continuing in rugby league especially taking into account his injury marred 2017 season. It is still disappointing however that rugby league is now more NRL focussed than ever before.
My player comparison for Blaise Barnes is a little out of left field, primarily because I have seen Blaise Barnes play more rugby than rugby league (a lot more) but he has outstanding elusiveness and body control even though he does not necessarily have elite top end speed. Blaise Barnes’s speed off the mark however can be considered at the elite level. Couple those attributes with an outstanding kicking game, both tactical and goal kicking and developing game management skills and you have a young player who plays like New Zealand All Black and Wellington Hurricanes Super 15 Rugby No. 10 Brayden Barrett.
Injuries have curtailed the career of Blaise Barnes over the last 12 months but now that he has returned to the field the sky is the limit for this outstanding young ball runner and playmaker.
Blaise Barnes is certainly a loss to rugby league for the present time but he has family ties to rugby league so fingers crossed one day he is back in the rugby league ranks and making an impact in the NRL.
Flying West/s rugby left winger Shea Lalagavesi scored another double this afternoon in Round Eleven of the Brisbane Premier Rugby Colts I 53 - 21 win over Sunnybank
Kalemb Hart. The Coffs Harbour Comets junior and former Wavell State High School and Brisbane Broncos NYC centre has moved up to Toowoomba for the 2018 season joining Toowoomba Valleys.
The 19 year old centre got off to a bit of a slow start in the Toowoomba Rugby League First Grade competition this season scoring just a single try in his first four matches which came against Wattles. His last three matches however have been the complete opposite, Kalemb Hart has scored seven tries in the three game span including scoring a hat trick in Round Eleven against Gatton and doubles in Rounds Nine and Ten against Highfields and Dalby respectively.
Kalemb Hart spent part the 2017 season as part of the Brisbane Broncos NYC side, playing in two matches. He started Round Eleven in the centres against the Wests Tigers and on the wing against the Sydney Roosters in Round Thirteen where team mates included current Titans NRL contracted players Jai Whitbread and Keegan Hipgrave.
Kalemb Hart also played a number of matches with the North’s Devils U20 Colts side in 2017, including starting on the wing in the Grand Final against the Redcliffe Dolphins. Even though he was on the losing side that Sunday afternoon, Kalemb Hart was one of the Devils Grand Final tries scorers.
In total in the U20 Colts competition for Norths in 2017, Kalemb Hart played in nine matches, including North’s three final’s matches scoring five tries. Kalemb Hart’s tries in addition to his Grand Final try came in Rounds One, Three, Fifteen and Sixteen against Easts, Sunshine Coast, Burleigh and Wynnum Manly respectively.
Kalemb Hart started Round One in the centres and his remaining eight matches on the wing for the Norths Devils Colts in 2017.
In 2016 Kalemb Hart represented Met North in the U18 QSSRL Championships making the Queensland U18 ASSRL side at fullback and in 2014 was part of the New South Wales U16 side that also contained Jai Whitbread. Kalemb Hart represented Group Two on a number of occasions including in 2012 at the U14 level and 2013 at the U15 level.
In terms of his attacking play Kalemb Hart 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 all but the strongest outside backs at a distance and away from his body thus allowing Kalemb Hart to maintain his balance to either make additional ground or to off load the football.
When playing at centre Kalemb Hart just needs to be aware to straighten up the axis of attack on occasion to ensure his outside supports have room to move and exploit any advantages identified. He has quite a good step, predominately off the right foot, so Kalemb Hart certainly has the skills to adjust his running line as he gains more experience and develops a better rapport with his teams play makers and progresses to a higher level in competition.
Defensively Kalemb Hart has a technique and timing that has evolved to combat larger centres, he gets up on the ball carrier quickly and chops their legs out from under them before they can transfer the ball correctly and look to unload. When an attacker gets on his outside, Kalemb Hart uses his exceptional recovery speed to get to the attacker before they can reach their top speed and gain additional ground.
Kalemb Hart is still eligible to play for the Western Mustangs in the Hasting’s Deering’s U20 Colts side this season but the most likely scenario for the remainder of the 2018 season is that Kalemb Hart continues to develop and star in the centres for Toowoomba Valleys and based on his recent try scoring exploits will be at or near the top of the Toowoomba First Grade try scoring tally come season’s end.
It will be interesting to see if Kalemb Hart is looking for a Queensland Cup spot come 2019. His outstanding speed and freakish try scoring ability will hold him in good stead if he chases an opportunity.
Back in his Coffs Harbour Comets days Kalemb Hart was a centre but he has moved around a bit since, playing a number of matches at fullback and on the wing through his school boy rugby league career with Wavell State High School, the Bronco’s NYC side, North’s Colts and through to playing for Toowoomba Valleys in the TRL First Grade competition this season.
I would anticipate that with a run of full fitness, Kalemb Hart will find his niche in the centres as a result of his outstanding speed and freakish try scoring ability when he is fully fit and motivated.
In many respects the way Kalemb Hart plays on a football field resembles that of former Titans and current Manly outside back Brian Kelly as a quick hard running centre with some intriguing try scoring potential moving forward.
A.J Sausoo. The young Goonda Eagles centre is having an outstanding 2018 campaign in the Ipswich Rugby League U19 competition including leading the try scoring tally through the first half of the season.
Playing in the centres for Goodna the Samoan Junior Age Representative has played ten matches in the Ipswich U19 competition and one reserve grade match as well. AJ Sausoo made his Reserve Grade debut against Swifts Bluebirds early in the season.
In the U19 competition AJ Sausoo has played in ten matches scoring twelve tries to have a 2018 strike rate of 120%. Only once this season has a team kept AJ Sausoo from scoring, the team being Brothers Ipswich, in that match however AJ Sausoo did kick two conversions.
Over the course of the 2018 season AJ Sausoo has scored three doubles which have come against the Fassifern Bombers, the Eastern Cobra’s and the Rosewood Roosters. When you add in his four conversions, AJ Sausoo has scored 56 points on the season.
In 2016 AJ Sausoo played for Ipswich in the Cyril Connell (CC) Cup competition.
AJ Sausoo is a strong powerfully built young man who runs with pace, speed and power. It would be unfair to categorise that his game is only built on pace and power though as he has a very good right foot step and right hand fend, he can also draw defenders in to give players outside him room.
Due to his strength and fend he regularly gets on the outside of his opposite defender forcing the winger to make a decision as to whether to come in on him or stay with his winger. If he comes in, AJ Sausoo has the quick hands to get the pass away prior to contact, but also is big and strong enough as well as having very good core strength and balance to absorb the contact and still get the pass to his winger whilst maintaining his running line.
If the opposing winger still out, AJ Sausoo is definitely quick enough to break into open space although I would not say that he has plus speed, he is quick enough to gain separate from the cover defence however. When you look at his build he may not look like he has a lot of speed, but AJ Sausoo definitely does.
AJ Sausoo is not necessarily the quickest off the mark but has very good acceleration and speed once he is moving and can sustain his top speed over an extended period which is very impressive for a player of his strong build.
AJ Sausoo’s defensive technique is one styled 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 AJ Sausoo 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 and setting up a two or one down the sideline.
AJ Sausoo will play out the 2018 season with the Goonda Eagles in the Ipswich Rugby League U19 competition and may also get an opportunity to add to his reserve grade debut as the 2018 season progresses.
In 2019 AJ Sausso should see himself in contention for a spot in the Ipswich Jets Colts side for the Hasting’s Deering’s Cup competition and will be eligible for that competition once again in 2019.
With his combination of speed and power AJ Sausoo is the prototypical centre in the modern game although as shown late in the Colt Challenge competition he is also more than a handful when playing in the backrow.
New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand International Solomon Kata is the closest NRL player that I can envisage that AJ Sausoo has a similar playing style too, that being of a hard running aggressive type of player who relishes the contact, the harder the better both in attack and defence and is absolutely fearless in both aspects of the game of rugby league.
Outstanding Wests Rugby left winger Shea Lalagavesi, scored five tries this afternoon in the Brisbane Premier Colts I competition as his Wests side defeated Logan City 50-14. He is the leading try scorer in the competition.
Luc Lyndon. The young TSS No. 7 was a key member of the TSS U16A GPS school boy rugby side on 2017 and has recently been named in the TSS First XV squad for the upcoming GPS Rugby season.
In TSS’s First XV trials this season to date Luc Lyndon has played in four First XV matches coming off the bench on each occasion in matches against New Zealand’s Westlake Boys High, Bond University Colts and both GPS Trial’s.
Luc Lyndon has also played in three TSS Second XV trials, starting at No. 7 against Sydney’s Riverview College and at No. 8 against Toowoomba Grammar School and Nudgee College.
For the TSS U16A side last season, Luc Lyndon started at No. 7 (open side flanker)in all eight of TSS matches as they went through the 2017 GPS U16A season undefeated and were also awarded the Scoobie Bryer Trophy as the most successful TSS side of the 2017 season.
In his eight 2017 U16A matches Luc Lyndon scored two tries both of which came in Round Three against Ipswich Grammar School.
In late 2017 Luc Lyndon was selected in the Queensland White U16 Rugby side for the National Championships and played club rugby on the Gold Coast for the Bond University Pirates.
Luc Lyndon is not a stranger to rugby league, playing two matches in 2016 for the Currumbin Eagles in the U15 Division One competition where a team mate was Titans contracted Noah Gafa.
Rarely can you find a young player who is equally at home running on both sides of the ruck but that is what a team has with Luc Lyndon, he runs a superb outside shoulder line and his excellent footwork enables him to step off either foot to enable him to cut back against the movement of the defensive line to take advantage of gaps back on the inside of his direct opponent.
For a loose forward, Luc Lyndon also has above average speed, not just off the mark but also when he is in clear space, when he makes a break Luc Lyndon is more than capable of going the distance and normally easily out paces the cover defence.
Luc Lyndon 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.
Luc Lyndon in schoolboy rugby is a magnet for defenders and is adept at identifying when multiple defenders are vectoring towards him and identifying the appropriate force to be applied to his passing. Luc Lyndon also waits until the last possible second to off load the ball and most of the time he does not telegraph his pass to enable defences the readjust before the ball is passed.
On a lot of his runs Luc Lyndon rather than trying to step his opposite number will really look to initiate the contact and then use his strength to hold the defender off his body to either push through the tackle or draw in the next defender to create space for his outside support.
Defensively Luc Lyndon has a hard edge to his play and his initial contact is more than sufficient to redirect the momentum of the ball carrier on initial contact. Luc Lyndon sets a very good base which he uses to explode into the ball carrier looking to use their own momentum against them.
His good situation awareness also enables him to be well positioned when he is defending against smaller quicker opponents and he endeavours to minimise the time available for the opposing attacker to generate speed and to utilise their footwork.
Luc Lyndon 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.
Luc Lyndon will be part of the TSS First XV side in the GPS School Boy Rugby competition this season. Even though he is part of the First XV Squad and will see plenty of First XV playing time, Luc Lyndon will likely start the majority of matches in the TSS Second XV and then come off the bench in the First XV.
Luc Lyndon is only in Year Eleven so 2019 will be the year that he almost certainly locks up the TSS First XV No. 7 jersey and is involved in the GPS School Boy Rugby representative sides.
Looking at it from a rugby league perspective, Luc Lyndon is a high work rate type of player with some quite impressive speed for a forward and it is for that reason I would envisage that Luc Lyndon would make an outstanding second rower in rugby league if he were to change codes.
From a player rugby league comparison perspective for Luc Lyndon consider current New Zealand Warrior or Titan Kevin Proctor, as someone who is just a solid, effective and no nonsense rugby league player who is more effective than want a casual review of a game will show.
Lachlan McInnes. The young half was a key member of the TSS U16A GPS school boy rugby side on 2017 and has recently been named in the TSS First XV squad for the upcoming GPS Rugby season.
In TSS’s First XV trials this season to date Lachlan McInnes has played in four matches starting from the interchange bench on each occasion with the matches being against Westlake Boys High from New Zealand, Bond University Colts and both GPS Trials.
Lachlan McInnes has also played in three TSS Second XV trials, starting at half against Sydney’s Riverview College, Toowoomba Grammar School and Nudgee College.
For the TSS U16A side last season, Lachlan McInnes started at half back and captained the side in all eight of their matches as they went through the 2017 GPS U16A season undefeated and were also awarded the Scoobie Bryer Trophy as the most successful TSS Rugby side of the 2017 season. Lachlan McInness was also awarded the TSS U16A best defender award from an individual perspective.
Lachlan McInnes scored three tries in the U16A competition for TSS with the three tries coming in consecutive rounds against Gregory Terrace, Brisbane Grammar School and Nudgee College.
In terms of running the ball, it is not something that Lachlan McInnes necessarily did a lot of during the 2016 GPS rugby season, especially with the likes of the talented Jesse Grey amongst others in the TSS U16A back line outside him, but when he does run he has reasonable speed off the mark and a subtle but still pronounced step, but Lachlan McInnes’s running of the ball is likely 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 a critically important attribute in either rugby or rugby league.
His 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 he is not overly 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.
Lachlan McInnes’s defence for a half is very good for a half 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. You can certainly understand why he was awarded the 2017 TSS U16A best defender award.
Lachlan McInnes will be part of the TSS First XV side in the GPS School Boy Rugby competition this season. Even though he is part of the First XV Squad and will see plenty of First XV playing time, Lachlan McInnes will likely start the majority of matches in the TSS Second XV and then come off the bench in the First XV.
Lachlan McInnes is only in Year Eleven so 2019 will be the year that he almost certainly locks up the TSS First XV No. 9 jersey and is involved in the GPS School Boy Rugby representative sides even though they are due to be selected using different criteria then.
Lachlan McInnes has an outstanding passing game and is also an outstanding game manager and to that extent if he were to change codes, Lachlan McInnes would be an outstanding rugby league half back prospect.
With his evolving running game to compliment his game management and ball playing skills a Nathan Cleary comparison is for Lachlan McInnes not unwarranted.
Jock Thompson. The young TSS No. 6 or 8 was a key member of the TSS U16A GPS school boy rugby side on 2017 and has recently been named in the TSS First XV squad for the upcoming nine round GPS Rugby season.
In TSS’s First XV trials this season to date Jock Thompson has played in six matches, including four starts at No. 6 (Blindside Flanker) and coming off the bench in the other two. Jock Thompson’s starts were against Toowoomba Grammar School, Bond University Colts and in the two GPS Trials and he came off the bench against New Zealand’s Westlake Boys High and Sydney’s Riverview College.
For the TSS U16A side last season, Jock Thompson started at No. 8 in the final five rounds of the season, coming into the side in Round Four against Brisbane Boys College as they went through the 2017 GPS U16A season undefeated and were also awarded the Scoobie Bryer Trophy as the most successful TSS Rugby side of the 2017 season.
Jock Thompson certainly made an impact in his five matches scoring four tries, including a double in Round Six against Brisbane Grammar School. His other two tries came in Round Five against Gregory Terrace and Round Nine against Anglican Church College (Churchie).
In late 2017 Jock Thompson was named in the Queensland U16 Red Rugby side for the National U16 Championships and in 2015 he was part of the Queensland Country U14 team that played their City counterparts at Ballymore.
The young giant’s best attribute from an attacking perspective is his off-loading ability primarily with his right hand. He will attack the edge of the ruck looking to isolate a defender and keep his right arm free to off load. If his support runner is on his inside he has the strength to maintain contact with the defensive line and pop a short pass. If his support is on his outside Jock Thompson is adept at flicking the ball out of the back of his hand a la Sonny Bill Williams.
Whilst Jock Thompson is a powerful runner on both sides of the ruck he primarily off loads when running to the right side, the sample size that I have seem is likely not conclusive so it is not clear whether this hypothesis will hold up with additional observations.
Jock Thompson runs with the primary intention to engage the defensive line front one, he does not over complicate the task and runs straight and hard getting his shoulders down low just prior to contact. His broad shoulders and strong frame back him a difficult proposition to handle. As noted he looks to isolate a defender, if that defender goes low Jock Thompson will off load with his right arm and if the defender looks to tackle him around the chest, Jock Thompson will initiate the contact and continue to pump his legs to either gain as much ground as possible or to break the tackle completely through sheer force of will.
Whilst Jock Thompson does not have anything more than average speed for his position his high knee lift and the constant pumping of his legs means that he will break through the initial defensive line more often than you think likely. Jock Thompson also has decent mobility which enables him to get to his feet quickly once he has been tackled aiding in the continuation of the momentum that he has established for his team.
Defensively the aggressive nature of the initial contact made by Luke Moretti is the primary component of his defensive methodology, in short Luke Moretti attacks opposition runners front on. Jock Thompson looks for the big front on hit as often as possible but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage and reasonable agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck, although clearly he is more effective in the centre of the ruck, as most front rowers are.
Jock Thompson looks to obtain both physical and mental dominance over his opponents in all aspects of the game and as you would except with an aggressive player of his size Jock Thompson will also win the ground wrestle on the vast majority of occasions.
Jock Thompson is part of this season’s TSS First XV and based on his trial form is a real chance to start a number of matches in the First XV. If he is not in the starting XV in any given round Jock Thompson will start in the Second XV match and then be on the bench for the First XV.
Jock Thompson, even though I think that he is better at No. 8 will play this season at No. 6 due to the fact that 2018 Burleigh MM Cup player Reno Gerrard has a lock in the TSS First XV No. 8 jersey this season.
Jock Thompson is only in Year Eleven so 2019 will be the year that he almost certainly locks up the TSS First XV No. 8 jersey and is involved in the GPS School Boy Rugby representative sides even though they are due to be selected using different criteria then.
Jock Thompson plays in the No. 8 position in rugby and has also spent time at No. 6 (blind side flanker) but in relation to rugby league with his desire to initiate contact in the centre of the field, Jock Thompson shapes as a front rower who has the added ability to off load the ball to the benefit of his team with his long right arm.
The best current NRL player comparison I can think of for Jock Thompson is South Sydney enforcer and England test International Sam Burgess. Jock Thompson like Burgess looks to lead and inspire his team mate s through heavy contact with the opposition whether that is with the ball or with a big hit in defence and he will not back down from anyone.
Hamish Roberts. The young TSS centre was a key member of the TSS U16A GPS school boy rugby side on 2017 and has recently been named in the TSS First XV squad for the upcoming GPS Rugby season.
In TSS’s First XV trials this season to date Hamish Roberts has played in six matches, starting two matches on the right wing (No. 14) and three on the left wing (No. 11). Hamish Roberts also started the first trial against New Zealand’s Westlake Boys High from the interchange bench.
Hamish Robert’s right wing starts came against Sydney’s Riverview High and GPS Trial One, and on the left against Toowoomba Grammar School, GPS Trial Two and Bond University Colts.
For the TSS U16A side last season, Hamish Roberts played in six matches in the GPS U16A competition, starting on four occasions and coming off the bench in two other rounds.
Hamish Roberts started the opening two rounds at outside centre then came off the bench in Rounds Five and Six before starting on the right wing in Rounds Eight and Nine as they went through the 2017 GPS U16A season undefeated and were also awarded the Scoobie Bryer Trophy as the most successful TSS Rugby side of the 2017 season.
Hamish Roberts scored two tries in 2017 which came in Rounds Two and Eight against Toowoomba Grammar School and Nudgee College.
The former Nerang Bulls junior was a Queensland Country U14 Rugby representative in 2015.
A powerful runner of the ball is the way that the attacking aspects of Hamish Roberts play can be described, whilst the majority of occasions he runs hard, fast and straight he also has a very good in and away to beat defenders and on occasion over the course of the schoolboy representative and GPS season he stepped back on the inside of his opposite defender when they overcommitted to the outside.
Hamish Roberts is not necessarily a quick twitch athlete in the context of a quick late step or speed off the mark but he is no slouch either but it would be fair to say that his attacking game is first and foremost about hard straight running to draw in defenders to create space for others.
Defensively the area that he 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.
Hamish Roberts 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.
Hamish Roberts is part of this season’s TSS First XV and based on his trial form is a real chance to start a number of matches in the First XV likely on the left wing. If he is not in the starting XV in any given round Hamish Roberts will start in the Second XV match and then be on the bench for the First XV.
Hamish Roberts is only in Year Eleven so 2019 will be the year that he almost certainly locks up a TSS First XV jersey, whether that is on either wing or outside centre and is a more than reasonable chance to be involved in the GPS School Boy Rugby representative sides even though they are due to be selected using different criteria then.
Even though he can player at No. 13, 2018 Burleigh MM Cup and Former Titans Development Squad stand out Ronan Kapi has that jersey locked up in the TSS First XV side so Hamish Roberts will be pushing for a starting First XV jersey on either wing although I would expect that he will play at No. 13 outside centre were he to play in any Second XV matches this coming season. I do except him to be selected on the left wing come Round One in July however.
Jesse Grey. The young TSS student was a key member of the TSS U16A GPS school boy rugby side in relation to the 2017 GPS School Boy and has recently been named in the TSS First XV squad for the upcoming GPS Rugby season which starts next month.
In TSS’s First XV trials this season to date Jesse Grey has played in four matches starting all four which came against Westlake Boys High from New Zealand, Toowoomba Grammar School and both GPS Trials at inside centre (No. 12).
For the TSS U16A side last season, Jesse Grey split time between fly half (No. 10) and inside centre (No. 12)playing in all eight TSS U16A matches as they went through the 2017 GPS U16A season undefeated and were also awarded the Scoobie Bryer Trophy as the most successful TSS Rugby side of the 2017 season.
Jesse Grey started at fly half (No. 10) in Rounds Five and Nine against Gregory Terrace and Nudgee College respectively and started at inside centre in the other six TSS matches.
In the U16A GPS competition in 2017 Jesse Grey scored three tries, including a Round Nine double against Churchie and a try in Round One against Brisbane State High School to bookmark the GPS season from a try scoring perspective.
The former PBC student was part of the Queensland U16 White side that played in last year’s National Championships and is a former Queensland U15 Gold Cup representative from the Surfers Paradise Rugby Club but now plays for the Bond University Pirates.
When the ball is passed to him early, Jesse Grey straightens the attack up well, meaning he does not run himself or his support out of room. Even though he has speed in the centre position, he does look for his outside support when confronted with the fullback, even though he is more than capable of beating fullbacks one on one if need be.
Jesse Grey 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.
Jesse Grey 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. He 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.
Jesse Grey’s 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 him.
Jesse Grey 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 Jesse Grey 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.
From a defensive perspective Jesse Grey 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.
Jesse Grey 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 forwards looking to target him in the defensive line when coming off the back of a ruck or maul or set pieces such as scrums or line-outs.
Jesse Grey is part of this season’s TSS First XV and based on his trial form is a real chance to start a number of matches in the First XV. If he is not in the starting XV in any given round Jesse Grey will start in the Second XV match and then be on the bench for the First XV in the following match.
Even though he can player at No. 10, Campbell Pereta has that jumper locked down so Jesse Grey will push for the No. 12 (Inside Centre) where he would form a centre pairing with 2018 Burleigh MM Cup and Former Titans Development Squad stand out Ronan Kapi, although Tyler Wright is potentially the first player who will get an opportunity in the No. 12 jersey when the season starts in July.
Jesse Grey is only in Year Eleven this year so 2019 will be the year that he almost certainly locks up the TSS First XV No. 12 or No. 10 jersey and is involved in the GPS School Boy Rugby representative sides even though they are due to be selected using different criteria from next season.
Even though he could probably play fullback or even centre in either code, with his ability to run the ball as well as set up his support runners, I could envisage a career at five eight in rugby league for Jesse Grey.
Kane Elgey for me is a rugby league player that Jesse Grey plays similar too. Like Elgey, Jesse Grey likes taking the ball right to the line before passing and also he has a very good long passing game where he can cut out a number of players and still put the ball exactly where he wants to.
Ezra Gibson. The young five eight started the 2018 season off in the SG Ball U18 competition in Sydney with the North Sydney Bears and since the completion of that competition has moved back to the Group Three competition playing for the Port City Breakers.
After starring in the Group Three U18.5 competition, the Port City Breakers coaches gave him an opportunity in the Group Three First Grade competition and he has not looked back since. After a couple of matches coming off the bench Ezra Gibson was promoted to the starting line-up at five eight and has stayed there ever since.
For the North Sydney Bears in the U18 SG Ball competition, Ezra Gibson played in five of the Bears nine matches. He started Round One against Manly in the centres before missing four rounds. He came back into the North Sydney side in Round Six starting at half back and also started there in the final three rounds of the competition.
Ezra Gibson’s two 2018 SG Ball tries came in the final two rounds being Rounds Eight and Nine coming against the Roosters and Raiders respectively.
In the Group Three U18.5 competition, Ezra Gibson made his 2018 debut in late April against the Forster Tuncurry Hawks and has gone on to play three other matches in that grade. In his four matches, Ezra Gibson has scored 30 points from five tries and five goals.
Ezra Gibson scored doubles against the Macleay Valley Mustangs and the Taree City Bulls, with his other try coming against the Wauchope Blues.
Ezra Gibson made his Group Three First Grade debut against het Wauchope Blues in early May coming off the bench after playing in the U18.5 fixture earlier in the day. To date Ezra Gibson has appeared in five Group Three First Grade matches and scored his first career First Grade try in his fourth match against the Port Macquarie Sharks.
In attack, as already noted Ezra Gibson is a half/five eight who is a reasonably dynamic runner of the football who excels in taking on the defensive line with good footwork around the ruck, looking to seek out bigger slower forwards when they are caught on the edge of the ruck. Ezra Gibson has good speed off the mark, but does not necessary have high top end speed to individually exploit his own breaks and thus needs to look to off load once he breaks through the defensive line.
When his backline is set deep, Ezra Gibson can see an overlap or a another play developing he will get the ball out quickly and effectively, using his solid passing skills from both sides of his body, where he will put the football out in front of his runners. His long passing game is reasonably good from an accuracy perspective, but something that can be worked on.
Possibly the best feature of his passing game, is when he takes the ball to the line and holding the ball until the last possible moment looking to draw in the defender on his outside and putting a forward/centre running into the resulting hole.
Ezra Gibson 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. Ezra Gibson is certainly not going to be a liability in defence for his team and is more than willing to take on bigger forwards.
Ezra Gibson will play out the 2018 season with the Port City Breakers in the Group Three First Grade competition.
Ezra Gibson is currently starting at five eight for the Breakers in First Grade and he played the majority of his 2018 SG Ball matches at half back so there is no doubt that he will have the number 6 or 7 on his back as he progresses in rugby league.
Apparently a number of NRL clubs including St George have expressed an interest in the youngster so it seems likely that he will be either playing in the Hastings Deering’s Colts or U20 Sydney based Jersey Flegg competition come the start of the 2019 season.
With his ability to size up a situation and make a quick decision whether to run or pass, Ezra Gibson reminds me of Burleigh Bears stand out half back and former Titan Jamal Fogerty. Like Fogerty, Ezra Gibson is a solid all round player who makes good things happen for his team when he is around the ball.
Ilaisa Droasese. The 18 year old Fiji rugby player has moved over from Cuvu College to continue his rugby career in Australia, making his Brisbane Premier Colts debut in Round Thirteen on the weekend.
Ilaisa Droasese started at fullback for Wests in the Brisbane Premier Colts I competition in their big 46 – 7 win over Norths and celebrated his debut by scoring an impressive hat trick.
Before his move to Brisbane Ilaisa Droasese won the Lote Tuqiri Medal (Best Player Award) in the Uprising Youth 7s at the 2018 Mana Whey Fijian Coral Coast 7s tournament at Lawaqa Park, Sigatoka Fiji. The 18-year-old Togovere native was rewarded for his brilliant play over the course of the competition.
Ilaisa Droasese was the toast of his side when he scored the winning try in sudden death in the Cup final beating Wesley Fijians 10-5.
After the final he was quoted in the Fiji Times:
“I took the ball and did not think about anything else but to score for my team I am happy to be given this award as I did not expect to come this far What I have achieved today has pushed me to achieve greater things in life. I feel enlighten to be recognised in the game I love”.
Ilaisa Droasese made his name for Cuvu College leading his school side to the 2017 National Fiji school’s final playing first five eight including scoring in their semi-final victory.
Ilaisa Droasese is a tall powerful young man with the length to cause matchup problems for a defensive line. The key for Ilaisa Droasese is to get the ball early and look to run through his opposite number if there is no room to move down the sideline.
When there is room down the side line , Ilaisa Droasese has the above average to plus speed to break into open space and with his long lean limbs is able to hold his opposing winger away from his body with a strong fend enabling him to maintain his balance and running line even when under pressure.
Ilaisa Droasese also has the size and speed to come in off his wing and give his forwards a breather through powerful runs through the centre of the ruck and on those occasions commits multiple defenders. With his length and leaping ability Ilaisa Droasese is also an asset in the kicking game and when he gets a decent shot at the ball will be rarely beaten in the air.
When he gets the ball early from his inside play makers, Ilaisa Droasese is incredibly difficult to deal with one on one, as whilst his speed has already been noted, he is also a powerful runner who has the power to also break tackles through sheer power and not just rely on his speed to beat his opponent, in short he has a myriad of moves to break through the defensive line regardless of the defensive methodology that they are incorporating.
The one thing he also seems to be able to do well, is to step back inside without the loss of his speed or forward momentum, opposing defenders seem to push out quickly when Ilaisa Droasese 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, Ilaisa Droasese’s his quick twitch feet means that he can step off either foot quickly to negate the attempt to cut down his time.
Ilaisa Droasese’s defensive technique is one styled 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 Ilaisa Droasese 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 and setting up a two or one down the sideline.
Ilaisa Droasese will finish the 2018 season with the Brisbane Wests Rugby Club in the Brisbane Premier Colts I competition and whilst I am not aware that he has ever played rugby league he definitely has all of the attributes that you would be looking for in a rugby league outside back.
The 18 year old Ilaisa Droasese is just an outstanding athlete regardless of position and I think that the decision by the Wests Colts coaches to put him at fullback was an outstanding one as he can play what’s in front of him without the confines of playing to a set game plan.
In saying that I certainly can envisage Ilaisa Droasese playing on the wing, in the centres or at fullback in rugby league but with his pace, power and elusiveness a spot on the wing would seem the ideal scenario for the young Fijian.
An NRL player comparison for Ilaisa Droasese is with his powerful running style and penchant to come forward and aim to smash attackers is reminiscent of Parramatta Eels winger Semi Radraraha.
Ilaisa Droasese just has so much speed, power and athleticism that it is difficult not to day dream about how good he could be on a rugby league field especially with speed, size and power such a sought after commodity he is one to at least consider to don a rugby league jersey.
Lachlan Tennison-Woods. (Revised) The young Marist College Ashgrove rugby centre is a young man who has played in the blue of the famous Fortitude Valleys Junior Rugby League Club as well as playing schoolboy rugby in the Association of Independent Colleges (AIC) competition.
Lachlan Tennison-Woods was also named in the 2017 Stingers U16 Rugby League Red squad as well as being selected in the Australian U16 Rugby Merit team on the right wing.
2018 was the second season that Lachlan Tennison-Woods has played for Marist College Ashgrove First XV side and also the second year in a row he has played for the AIC representative side in the Queensland Schools Rugby Championships.
Prior to the AIC school boy season Lachlan Tennison-Woods played in five matches for the North’s Devils MM Cup side starting on the wing on each occasion although he did not play in either North’s semi-final or Grand Final. Lachlan Tennison-Woods scored two tries the first of which came in Round two against Central Queensland and in Round Four against the Western Mustangs.
Once you have seen Lachlan Tennison-Woods run with the ball on a football field, you probably will not see anyone move as well as he does. He has an effortless running style seemingly gliding over the field and has what can only be considered plus plus speed both from an acceleration and top speed perspective, I am talking James Roberts type speed.
He is a silky smooth runner of the ball who seems to glide across the field effortlessly and certainly has an extra gear in relation to the speed he possesses as well as plus speed off the mark. In the centre position, he has the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is becoming increasingly rare in the modern game.
When he gets the ball early from his inside play makers, Lachlan Tennison-Woods 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 direct opponent.
The one thing he also seems to be able to do well, is to step back inside without the loss of his speed or forward momentum, opposing defenders seem to push out quickly when he has the ball expecting him to look to beat them on their outside, if they come across to far, Lachlan Tennison-Woods 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 even though he has the capacity to do so when necessary.
Defensively Lachlan Tennison-Woods is solid at wrapping the ball up and just needs to refine his technique as he progresses and also when to come out of the line in an effort to limit the time and space of the opposition. He will need to continue to get stronger and maintain his speed to stay at centre, and potentially become a legitimate strike centre, but there is nothing in his performances to date that suggests that he will not be able to.
Lachlan Tennison-Woods is currently representing the AIC representative side at the Queensland Schools Rugby Trials and played very well on Day one as AIC defeated the Queensland Combined High Schools side
Lachlan Tennyson-Woods has been a stand out in both rugby and rugby league in the centres for the last couple of season and is unlikely to see anything different from a position perspective as he progresses and harnesses is amazing skill set.
From a style perspective, think of someone along the lines of James Roberts of the Broncos and the New South Wales State of Origin side in relation to playing style as a legitimate strike centre with the ability to make breaks from anywhere but also can handle the defensive side of the game.
Jojo Fifita. (Revised) I try not to get too intrigued when I see talented young players at the U13 level but sometimes you see a player that just stands out not just from a skill perspective but from also from the perspective of a young player who just seems to innately understand how to play the game, a natural if you will.
I would argue that I have seen only very few players at this young an age that you would put into this category, but I was dragged along early to a 2017 TSS match, in time to see the U14A side play and by the end of that season I was making sure to get there early to see an amazingly talented young TSS centre play named Jojo Fifita, I will doing the same again this coming season with the added bonus of seeing talented Titans contract Kaleb Ngamanu operating in the same side.
Obviously you cannot get too carried away as a spectator as so much will change as young players progress such as injuries, schooling competing priorities etc. but this young man was a real handful every match that I was lucky enough to see him play for TSS.
A team mate of Jojo Fifita in 2017 was centre partner and Titans contracted Kaleb Ngamanu. They will likely line-up again in the centres in 2018 in the U15A GPS school boy competition when the season proper kicks off in July.
Even though the GPS school boy rugby season has not kicked off yet, Jojo Fifita has already played a number of matches for TSS. Jojo Fifita 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 fullback for the last three trials against Nudgee, Ipswich Grammar School and Ambrose Treacy College.
In 2017, Jojo Fifita started in all eight Rounds of the GPS U14A competition, starting the first three rounds at inside centre before switching to fullback for the remainder of the season. In his eight matches Jojo Fifita scored an incredible fourteen tries, crossing in every match.
Jojo Fifita scored a hat trick in Round two against Toowoomba Grammar School and four doubles which came against Ipswich Grammar School, Brisbane Boys College, Brisbane Grammar School and Churchie, in Rounds Three, Four, Six and Nine respectively.
Jojo Fifita also scored in Round One against Brisbane State High School, Round Five against Gregory Terrace and in Round Eight against Nudgee College.
Jojo Fifita is not just a try scorer and on four occasions last school boy rugby season, he was named at the TSS U14A best back. He was awarded the honour against Toowoomba Grammar School, Brisbane Boys College and Churchie in Rounds Tow, Four and Nine respectively as well as against Downlands College.
To cap off an incredible U15A season for TSS, Jojo Fifita started at outside centre for TSS when they played a “trial” against Downlands College during their Round Seven bye. In that match, Jojo Fifita scored a staggering seven tries.
The 2015 Gold Coast Academy of Sport Rugby participant and TSS outside centre represented the U13 Brisbane Green side at the 2016 Queensland Age Rugby championships and from there was selected in the City side for their annual clash against a Country U13 side in a curtain raiser to a Queensland Reds Super Rugby clash which the City side won.
Jojo Fifita also is a star athlete and a top class sprinter at the 100m and 200m distances as well as being a good discus thrower and competed in the Queensland State Athletic championships in Townsville representing the South Coast region at the sprint distances mentioned as well as the South Coast relay team.
In 2016 for the TSS U13A side Jojo Fifita was deservedly nominated for the TSS Best Junior Footballer of the year award after the 2016 GPS season where he scored four tries, including a hat trick against Brisbane Grammar School in Round Five in a comprehensive 52 – 24 victory and also scored in the final match, being Round Nine against Brisbane State High School in a tough loss for TSS. I was lucky enough to also see him play in Round Eight against Anglican Church Grammar School where he was a handful for the Churchie defence every time that he touched the ball.
In attack one of the positives in rugby compared to league is the space that centres have, when the ball is given to them early they seem to have a lot more room to move and this is something that Jojo Fifita has exploited this season in eth GPS competition. Against Brisbane Grammar School in Round Five he got the ball early and expertly stepped the opposing centre on the inside and out paced the cover defence to the try line.
Whilst he is a big strong powerful young centre, he 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, as was evidenced by his three tries against Brisbane Grammar School as well as some good breaks against Churchie.
From what I have seen I would consider that his speed would in the plus category if not in the plus plus category for a centre, add his power and strong fend and you really have a young centre that could develop in anything on a football field. I concede that I know little about the attacking strategies and philosophies of the TSS rugby coaches but he seems to run slightly better when he lines up on the right hand side of the field, his spacing, line running and ability to beat his opposite number on the inside seems a little more instinctive from that side of the field.
Jojo Fifita must be a five eight’s dream, when he gets the ball early he causes real havoc for the defensive line whether he is playing in the centres or at fullback.
Defensively he hits very hard and constantly is in a position to disrupt the attacking movement of the opposition. Extrapolating his skill set to a rugby league setting, 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 and similarly in committing to the break down in rugby, he will put his head over the ball to protect the ball when TSS have it and also clear out aggressively when looking for the turn over for TSS. The GPS matches are keenly contested regardless of the age group and the rucks and mauls are not for the faint hearted as young men represent their schools with pride.
Jojo Fifita will be part of the U15A TSS side for the upcoming 2018 GPS rugby season where he will form a lethal backline with Titans contracted Kaleb Ngamanu and Gold Coast Rugby League stand out Syris Schmidt.
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. Jojo Fifita 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.
From a position perspective, Jojo Fifita currently plays either in the centres or fullback for both TSS and representative rugby sides such as the Cyclones and South Coast and as a result it is impossible to determine at this stage whether his future lies at fullback or in the centres, he is simply outstanding in both positions.
He just looks a natural on a football field and if he can have a bit of luck with injuries etc. the sky is the limit for the talented young athlete.
From a player comparison perspective, I will once again qualify my comments that when I am making a player comparison I am talking about a playing style rather than potential career path. For me Jojo Fifita has a little bit of South Sydney Rabbitoh, Queensland State of Origin captain and Australian Test centre Greg Inglis in his game. On his day he can be a bullocking runner who can just break a game open individually.
Clearly players at this age have a long way to go and you have to be careful not to get too carried away but sometimes you just come across a young player who looks a natural, Jojo Fifita is one such player and all you can do is wish him the best going forward.
Below is a short list of players that impressed in the three days of Queensland Schools Rugby Trials. All would look good in a Titans jersey:
Zac Hogan - AIC No. 10 from Marist College Ashgrove, calm composed player who is adept at leading his side around the field and just seems to have all the time in the world to make decisions.
Roger Maliu – Queensland Combined High Schools wing who displayed outstanding hands on the wing and at 17 is playing for Logan in the Queensland Premier Colts competition. He has played seven Colts II matches and one in Colts I, not bad at all for a schoolboy to play at that level of competition.
Shaquille McLeod – AIC fullback who was the standout out player on Day One in the AIC against Combined High Schools match won by AIC 10-7. He is a former Rockhampton rugby league junior.
Dayne Shadlow - Cathedral College Rockhampton student who also plays rugby league in Rockhampton and is still just 16 years old, playing No. 10 for the Queensland Combined High Schools side. He is an outstanding runner of the ball and has an exquisite and selective passing game and cut the AIC side apart on Day one, scary considering he was playing against a number of players two years older than him.
Bailey Tautau – A former Norths Devils rugby league player who was outstanding on Day Two of the trials and attends St Jospeh’s Nudgee College and will start as their No. 8 when the GPS competition starts in a couple of weeks.
Bayside Titan
04-07-18, 05:59 PM
Hi mdrew. What are your thoughts on Tom Farr from Rocky ? Looks like a real prospect also signed with Penrith I believe ?
https://www.theroar.com.au/tv/one-of-the-fastest-players-youll-see-in-junior-rugby-league/?utm_source=RLBible&utm_medium=facebooklink&utm_campaign=affiliates
For a player of his pace he has a solid build mate and is quick even though he does not necessarily look quick per say.
Solid defender who is better is a sliding defensive scheme rather than an up and up style.
For me he has a playing style similar to Canberra's Jarrod Crocker.
Hi mdrew. What are your thoughts on Tom Farr from Rocky ? Looks like a real prospect also signed with Penrith I believe ?
https://www.theroar.com.au/tv/one-of-the-fastest-players-youll-see-in-junior-rugby-league/?utm_source=RLBible&utm_medium=facebooklink&utm_campaign=affiliates
Bayside Titan
04-07-18, 06:42 PM
For a player of his pace he has a solid build mate and is quick even though he does not necessarily look quick per say.
Solid defender who is better is a sliding defensive scheme rather than an up and up style.
For me he has a playing style similar to Canberra's Jarrod Crocker.
I thought he looked like Crocker as well. His side went done in the finals to a strong Grammer side.
18 year old Fijian sensation Droasese, Ilaisa scored once again in the Brisbane Premier Colts I Rugby competition this afternoon for Wests as they defeated University of Queensland 47-19 in Round 16 this afternoon.
Playing in the Sydney Rugby Colts II competition former Parramatta NYC player Blaise Barnes started Round 14 in fly half for Randwick scoring two tries and kicking five goals as Randwick defeated Manly 72-0.
showcasing the depth of the Randwick Colts sides outstanding fullback/wing prospect Lachlan Day started in the Colts III side this afternoon and had a big day, scoring a try and kicking 11 from 12 as Randwick defeated Manly 82-0.
Last year this young flyer was representing NSW U19's such is the incredible depth at Randwick.
Outstanding raw talent rarely can rarely can be denied and that is the case for Randwick Colts player Jaja Yoannidis, playing outside centre instead of his regular left wing the explosive raw talent scored a hat trick this afternoon in the Sydney Colts II competition as Randwick man handled Manly 72-0.
former Souths Sydney SG Ball player Tristian Reilly is as natural a rugby league player I have ever seen and the 18 year old has a huge future regardless of code.
Currently the Northern New South Wales born youngster is playing for Randwick and this afternoon started on the left wing in the Sydney Rugby Premiership Second Grade competition Round 14 match against Manly and scored in Randwick's 39-28 loss.
Later in the day he came off the bench for the Randwick first grade side (Queensland Cup equilivant) in their loss.
Another round another try for 8 year old Fijian sensation Droasese, Ilaisa scored once again in the Brisbane Premier Colts I Rugby competition this afternoon for Wests as they defeated Easts 38-20.
18 year old Fijian sensation Droasese, Ilaisa scored once again in the Brisbane Premier Colts I Rugby competition this afternoon for Wests as they defeated University of Queensland 47-19 in Round 16 this afternoon.
Outstanding former Melbourne Storm Development Squad member Matt McTaggert started at fullback and scored a double this afternoon for Eastern Suburbs in the Sydney Premier Colts I competition in Round 17 as they defeated Parramatta 81-12.
They may have lost but the Randwick Second Grade side contained two of the most talented young players that I have ever seen in Dylan Pietsch (No, 7) and Tristian Reilly (left wing) this afternoon in Round 17 as they went down 26-22 to Warringah.
If NRL teams are looking for athletic big strong youngsters who can not only defend with an outstanding defensive technique but a big of mongrel as well and be able to run with speed and power on the fringes of the ruck as well as off load with the best NRL running around at present, they should look no further than Brother Rugby 19 year olds, Harry Wilson and Fraser McReight.
Both are playing in the Brisbane Premier Rugby competition even though they are Colts eligible and both who came through the GPS schoolboy rugby competition are making an impact.
Harry Wilson has been playing No. 6 for Brothers starting 14 matches and coming off the bench in another and Fraser McReight has started to at No. 7.
Both are likely to stay in rugby but who they would look good in a Titans jersey.
Will Eadie. (Revised) The young former Gregory Terrace flyer was one of the best for Australian Schools against New Zealand Schools in 2016 and in that game scored a very good try when he raced after a cross field kick to score to bring the scores level midway through the second half. That was the match that originally opened my eyes to just how good this young man is.
After graduating from Gregory Terrace at the end of 2016 Will Eadie went on to star for University of Queensland in the Colts I competition averaging around a try a game in 2017 and to date in the 2018 season is averaging more than a try a game but this time in the Brisbane Rugby First Grade competition. Will Eadie has started on the left wing in eight matches so far this season for University of Queensland, scoring five tries to date.
Will Eadie scored in Round One in a 29 – 27 win and then followed that up with a stellar match in Round Two against Brothers when he scored a scintillating hat trick in a tough six point loss to Brothers. Will Eadie has also scored in Round Six against Norths.
Since the Norths match, Will Eadie has been in and out of the University of Queensland side due to injury, playing only in Rounds twelve, fifteen and seventeen. Hopefully after playing in Round Seventeen last weekend against GPS he can have an injury free run for the remainder of the season.
Will Eadie had a stellar season in the 2016 GPS First XV competition. His statistics which were sourced from the greenandgoldrugby.com<http://greenandgoldrugby.com> website bear that out. Will Eadie along with scoring a competition leading 13 tries from eight games made 10 line breaks after carrying the ball 53 times and on 70% of those occasions made more than 5 metres over the advantage line. He also made 24 tackles to complement his attacking statistics.
Prior to the commencement of the 2016 GPS First XV season, Will Eadie was selected on the right wing in the GPS One side for the Queensland Schools trials and as a consequence of his play there was selected in the Queensland One side for the Australian Schools trials and from there he was selected for their tour of Samoa and New Zealand which culminated in the School’s test loss to New Zealand recently where Will Eadie played the entire match on the right wing.
In the Australian Schools championships Queensland One had a tough competition but Will Eadie was a standout including scoring Queensland One’s only try with a great solo effort in a 42 – 16 loss to Victoria, who were the surprise packets of the championships. Will Eadie also played in matches against Samoa Schools, Fiji U18’s, where he scored three tries and New Zealand Barbarian’s to have a very successful tour overall.
The reason Will Eadie 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. When the opposing defender’s momentum slows just for a split second, Will Eadie 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.
In the tour match against Fiji U18’s in 2016 Will Eadie’s second try came from this situation when the ball was passed out wide from an Australian line-out win and Eadie stood up his opposite winger to score in the corner. In that match his third try was a result of his timing and anticipation when he intercepted a loose pass by Fiji and then raced 50 metres to score under the posts in the last moments of the match.
Will Eadie 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 the Australian Schools trials for example on his right wing he was up against the likes of New South Wales One winger Yirribi Jaffer-Williams from Hunters Hill, who also played for Australian Schools and he handled him very well.
In defence against the bigger outside backs running around, Will Eadie 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, this season in the GPS rugby competition he was also up against fellow speedster’s like TSS left wing Dan Burns and he was similarly effective against those type of players as well.
From a rugby stand point another key facet of his game is his chasing of kicks, as noted above this resulted in a great try for him against New Zealand Schools. His ability to put pressure on the fullback when chasing grubber or box kicks means that the fullback will either rush the catch and make a mistake or be caught by Will Eadie immediately when he takes possession of the ball. In short he makes a defensive clearing kick into an attacking weapon.
Evidence of this could be seen in Round Nine of the 2016 GPS season, being the final round when Gregory Terrace half Sam Kirk put up a box kick which Will Eadie chased hard and was able to retrieve in front of the Nudgee fullback to score in a tight 19 – 15 victory for Gregory Terrace. Similarly in the match against Fiji U18’s his outside centre put in a nice low attacking kick which again Will Eadie was able to chase down in front of the cover defence to score out wide for his first of three tries for the match.
From a courage stand point Will Eadie also passes any objective measurement that can be considered when evaluating this criteria. Against New Zealand Schools in 2016 for example he had a number of box kicks put up in his direction and each time he took possession of the ball even though he was under extreme duress on also every occasion.
Also on a number of occasion late in the second half when Australian Schools were under extreme pressure in their own 20 metre area, Will Eadie was one of the first players present to take a carry into the massive New Zealand Schools forward pack and then quickly recycled the ball to try to clear the area for the Australian Schools side.
Barring injury Will Eadie will continue be an ever-present on the left wing for University of Queensland will be at or near the top of the try scoring list almost certainly by seasons end.
If he is not picked up by the Queensland Reds for the 2019 Super Rugby season, NRL clubs should pouch on the blindingly quick youngster who would immediately be able to handle playing on the wing in the Queensland Cup competition while he learns the nuances of rugby league.
Will Eadie may not have the prototypical size of a modern rugby league winger but he has speed to burn and that is something that cannot be taught, in fact I would suggest that should he sign a rugby league contract he would instantly become the fastest player in the game, he is seriously that fast. In a match race with Melbourne Storm winger Josh Addo-Carr I would put everything I own on Will Eadie and then borrow some more to put on him as well.
From a rugby league player perspective, the ideal player comparison for Will Eadie is Burleigh Bears flyer Troy Leo. Like Leo, Will Eadie can flat out fly but is also tough and courageous.
Fraser McReight. The Australian Schools representative was the stand out player throughout the 2016 GPS season for Brisbane Grammar School, his third straight season where he played First XV GPS rugby and deservedly made the Australian Schools side and came off the bench in the second half in their recent match against New Zealand Schools and along with a couple of other substitutes got Australian back on level terms with his courage and enthusiasm at the break down and around the field in general. He also starred against Fiji U18’s and in that match actually captained the side and led by example all afternoon against a big aggressive Fiji forward pack.
Early this season the 184cm 102 kg all action forward played for the Australian U20 side in the World U20 Rugby Championships starting at No. 7 in all of Australia’s matches scoring a double against Italy. He also scored in Australia’s quarter final loss to the New Zealand U20 side.
This season Fraser McReight has been playing for Brothers in the Brisbane Rugby First Grade competition (the rugby version of the Queensland Cup), and whilst he has only played two matches as a result of his Australian U20 commitments has made an impressive contribution starting both matches in the No. 7 (Open side flanker) jersey being Round 15 against Souths and in Round Seventeen last weekend in a come from win over Norths.
Fraser McReight scored a double in his 2018 debit match against Souths and scored again last weekend against Norths.
In 2017 as well as playing a number of Brisbane Premier Rugby First Grade matches, Fraser McReight was also part of the Queensland Country National Rugby Championships side gaining invaluable experience playing against men.
Prior to the commencement of the 2016 GPS First XV season, Fraser McReight was selected at open side flanker in the GPS One side for the Queensland Schools trials and as a consequence of his play there was selected in the Queensland One side for the Australian Schools trials and from there he was selected for their tour of Samoa and New Zealand which culminated in the Australian School’s test loss to New Zealand Schools recently where he came off the bench in the second half and added a deal of enthusiasm and desperation to the Australian Schools forward pack with his defence and attack on the ball winning one or two critical penalties when New Zealand forwards failed to release the ball when attacking Australia’s line.
Unfortunately for Fraser McReight Brisbane Grammar School had another difficult GPS rugby season, winning only one game but that should not detract from the performance of the talented open side flanker. In fact Brisbane Grammar School has only won two games over the course of the last three GPS rugby seasons.
Fraser McReight was literally everywhere in both attack and defence and in one match against TSS which I saw he was even moved out to the centres in an effort to combat the speed and power of star TSS centre Tautau Kepoa, and to be fair he handled the transition for that one match very well. For Brisbane Grammar in addition to being the First XV captain he spent the majority of the season playing in either the Number 7 or number 8 jersey outside of the one game in the centres.
Fraser McReight is a powerful runner of the ball and once he has generated momentum he is very difficult to stop and regularly has been able to drag defenders with him after initial contact has been made. In the second half against TSS even though his team were being beaten heavily, he on one occasion in the second half, he made at least 15 metres carrying a couple of defenders with him when he picked up the ball from the back of a ruck and just charged full stream at the defensive line.
Once he is in space, Fraser McReight 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 right hand fend. Against Toowoomba Grammar School on one occasion he shook up two defenders with fends, including the blind side flanker on his way to a run of around 40 metres or so.
Defensively the most impressive aspect of Fraser McReight’s play is his ability to make effective tackle after effective tackle. For Brisbane Grammar in the GPS competition he continually have to make 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 Grammar 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.
Fraser McReight 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.
Fraser McReight will play out the 2018 season with Brothers in the Brisbane Premier Rugby First Grade competition and I believe is still Colts eligible in 2019.
Fraser McReight would also certainly be a rugby league second rower upon any transition and be a great wide running, offloading runner with very good athletic skills and the heart and desire to succeed no matter what.
From a player comparison perspective think of former Balmain Tiger Wayne Pearce as a hard running hard tackling all effort type of player who will inspire the players around through his actions rather than words.
Make no mistake however there is far more to Fraser McReight than just courage, leadership and toughness, he has an outstanding skill set both in attack and defence and exceptional physical attributes as well.
Fraser McReight is a leader full stop, whether he has a “C” next to his name or not in the program.
Keenan Palasia. (Revised)The young former Titans junior and PBC student spent the 2015 to 2017 seasons with the Brisbane Broncos and in 2017 was a solid member of their forward pack which played so well throughout the season including deep in the finals series.
Keenan Palasia was a Titans junior through to 17 years old including captaining Gold Coast White in the CC Cup a number of seasons ago before its demise. This season Keenan Palasia has joined the Wynnum Manly Seagulls and has split his time between the Queensland Cup and the Brisbane A Grade competition with the Seagulls.
In the 2018 Queensland Cup Keenan Palasia has played in ten matches starting three in the front row and seven from the interchange bench. After starting the season on the interchange bench, Keenan Palasia’s play the Wynnum coach had no choice but to promote him to the starting line-up in Round Seventeen against the Tweed Heads Seagulls and he has not looked back since.
In total in 2018 Keenan Palasia has been on the field for 447 minutes, making 932 metres, 341 of those post contact (36.59%) and has made 172 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 84.2%. Keenan Palasia has also broken fourteen tackles and offloaded the ball on seven occasions.
Keenan Palasia’s 2018 per game Queensland Cup averages included playing 44.7 minutes per game, running for 932 metres and making 17.2 tackles.
On four occasions Keenan Palasia has run for more than 100 metres in a match, including in Round Seventeen in his starting debut when he ran for 181 metres of which 74 of those were post contact.
Keenan Palasia’s “best” games defensively have come in Rounds Seventeen and Eighteen against Tweed Heads and Sunshine Coast respectively when he made 24 tackles in each game.
In 2017 Keenan Palasia represented the U20 Queensland side alongside four Titans played in their annual clash against the New South Wales. In 2015 Keenan Palasia started from the bench for the Queensland U18 side against New South Wales U18’s.
In 2017 for the Brisbane Broncos Keenan Palasia played in sixteen NYC matches including starting eleven in the second row two in the front row and three from the interchange bench. Keenan Palasia played in all of the Broncos matches to and including Round Nineteen against the Newcastle Knights and scored five tries. His tries came in Round two against Cronulla, Round Eight against the Rabbitohs, Round Eleven against the Wests Tigers, Round Sixteen against the Raiders and Round Seventeen against the Melbourne Storm.
The 192 cm 110 kg Keenan Palasia’s 2017 NYC per game season averages included 103 running metres on 10.5 hit ups and 24.5 tackles (tackling efficiency of 90%)in 55 minutes. In total Keenan Palasia ran for 1 651 metres from 169 hit ups, made five line breaks, eighteen off loads and 391 tackles. On nine occasions Keenan Palasia played all eighty minutes in a match including a seven match stretch from Round Eight against the Rabbitohs to Round Sixteen against the Raiders.
On nine occasions Keenan Palasia ran for in excess of 100 metres including Round Eighteen against the Storm when he ran for 160 metres and on twelve occasions he made in excess of twenty tackles in a match including making 36 in a Round Ten match against Manly.
When contracted to the Titans Keegan Palasia played the 2013 season in the CC Cup competition for Gold Coast Green, captaining the side and scoring two tries and in 2014 he played in the MM Cup competition for Gold Coast Green scoring a try on the season.
Keenan Palasia 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.
Keenan Palasia’s 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.
Keenan Palasia 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. Keenan Palasia 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 Keenan Palasia down quickly which enables him to either break the tackle completely or to off load to his support runners as he pushes through the defensive line. 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 Keenan Palasia 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 Keenan Palasia 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.
Even though he does not necessary have great straight speed, Keenan Palasia’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.
Keenan Palasia 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. Like with his attack his functional strength and his height with its associated leverage benefits aids his defensive game by being able to generate leverage in his tackles and he can therefore quickly get the attacker off balance.
Keenan Palasia is currently playing for the Wynnum Manly Seagulls and by the end of this season should have consolidated his place in the Seagulls Queensland Cup side and will have gained invaluable experience.
With the wealth of young forwards that the Broncos have locked up long term a move back to the Gold Coast for Keenan Palasia would give him an outstanding opportunity to break into the NRL with the Titans.
In terms of position, Keenan Palasia has the size and power to be a key contributor in the front row for a team but also shows enough speed and skill not to be purely a battering ram but a front rower who can create opportunities on the fringes of the ruck and create opportunities for his team.
Keenan Palasia will benefit greatly from a year or two in the QCup where he can hone his skills and continue to get stronger and certainly has the potential to be a solid contributor at the NRL level in a couple of seasons.
Cronulla Sharks front rower Ava Seumanu***a for me has a similar playing style to that of Keenan Palasia, both are big strong powerful front rowers who are slowly but surely building up their strength, power and stamina to push themselves into NRL calculations in the front row in coming seasons.
Outstanding Randwick fullback Lachlan Day scored two tries and kicked four goals this morning as Randwick defeated Eastern Suburbs 38-26 in Round 16 for the Sydney Colts III competition.
He them backed up coming on as a replacement in the Colts II match scoring a try and kicking a conversion.
Playing at outside centre electric youngster Jaya Ydannidis scored yet another try this season for Randwick Colts II as they defeated Eastern Suburbs n Round 16 for the Sydney Colts III competition.
Exceptionally talented former Parramatta youngster Blaise Barnes started on the right wing this afternoon to Randwick in Round 16 of the Sydney Colts competition this afternoon and scored as the Rats overcome Eastern Suburbs 62-28.
Outstanding No. 10 Ben Donaldson scored a try and kicked three conversions this afternoon for Randwick in Round 16 of the Sydney Colts I competition this afternoon and scored they defeated Eastern Suburbs 62-28.
Former Sydney Roosters SG Ball winger Jackson Mohi started on the left wing and scored a hat trick this afternoon for Randwick in Round 16 of the Sydney Colts I competition this afternoon as they defeated Eastern Suburbs 62-28
I have been fortunate enough to see some talented young players run around on a football field whether it is rugby league or rugby and Eastern Suburbs fullback Matt McTaggert is as good as I have ever seen.
This afternoon he scored once again in Round 16 of the Sydney Colts I competition this afternoon as Eastern Suburbs went down 62-28 to Randwick.
JunctionBlock
28-07-18, 09:21 PM
I have been fortunate enough to see some talented young players run around on a football field whether it is rugby league or rugby and Eastern Suburbs fullback Matt McTaggert is as good as I have ever seen.
This afternoon he scored once again in Round 16 of the Sydney Colts I competition this afternoon as Eastern Suburbs went down 62-28 to Randwick.
How old is he Mdrew?
19 mate
How old is he Mdrew?
JunctionBlock
29-07-18, 07:50 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrjgyxMwONs
I think I found his schoolboy highlight reel. Probably not as agile on his feet as Ponga (who was my first comparison) but wow what a talent.
George Fai. (Revised) The big strong young 21 year old front rower is the older brother of former Titans NYC player Justin Fai and like his brother came through the ranks at the outstanding Logan Brothers Junior Rugby League club in Brisbane’s south.
George Fai is currently contracted to the Brisbane Broncos through to the end of the 2019 season but with the emergence of a number of talented young Bronco forwards it would not hurt at all for the Titans to see if George Fai is in their long term plans.
Gorge Fai has made one NRL appearance this season with the Broncos coming off the bench in Round 12 playing 14 minutes. In those 14 minutes he took three hit-ups making 29.1 metres, 12 post contact and also made eleven tackles at a tackling efficiency of 91.7%.
In May 2017 the 187cm 111kg George Fai made his NRL debut in a Round Twelve match against the New Zealand Warriors, making 40 metres, 19 post contract and 23 tackles in around 35 minutes of playing time.
This season George Fai has been playing for the Souths Logan Magpies in the Queensland Cup competition and has started in the front row in all sixteen of their matches. Through his sixteen matches, George Fai has been on the field for 827 minutes, run for 1 889 metres, 763 of those post contact (40.39%) and made 268 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 86.5%.
George Fai has scored five tries, the first of which came in Round Six against the Central Queensland Capra’s. The other tries have come in Round Eight against the Townsville Blackhawks, Round Eleven against the Mackay Cutters, Round Thirteen against the Northern Pride and in Round Seventeen once again against the Central Queensland Capra’s.
George Fai’s 2018 Queensland Cup per game averages include playing 52 minutes, running for 118.1 metres on 9.9 hit-ups and making 16.75 tackles. George Fai has also been credited with seventeen offloads and an impressive 89 tackle breaks which puts him in the top five of the Queensland Cup through sixteen rounds. Thirteen of those tackle breaks came in Round Six against Central Queensland.
On twelve occasions George Fai has run for more than 100 metres in a match, including in Round Six when he ran for 165 metres and in Round Sixteen against the Norths Devils when George Fai ran for 149 metres.
George Fai’s “best” game defensively came in Round Three against the North’s Devils when he made 27 tackles in just 49 minutes of playing time.
In addition to his two NRL matches, George Fai has played for the Broncos in a World Club Challenge match against the Warrington Wolves in 2017 and has previously represented Queensland at the U20 level, is a former GBJRL U17 player of the year and has represented Samoa in a number of junior rugby league competitions in Australia.
The pace and power in terms of how George Fai runs the ball is the outstanding feature, he takes the ball to the line with speed, but he does not just put his head down and rush forward. He uses subtle footwork prior to the line and seems to targets the gaps between defenders and will actively seek out opposing forwards who are slow to move up.
George Fai’s movement prior to engaging the defensive line is actually quite impressive, from the moment that he receives the ball from the dummy half he is moving subtly from side to side thus not allowing defences to key in on him.
When the opposition are on the back foot George Fai will target the smaller defenders on the edge of the ruck and burst through and for a big young bloke he has very good speed over the medium term and has the strength to drag defenders with him. Close to the line he was very effective for South’s Logan and scored a number of tries from reasonably close range where he just carried opposing forwards over the line with him.
George Fai is an aggressive defender whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or wider on the fringes, and due to his natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can and will stop even the biggest opposing forwards in their tracks and targets the area around where the attackers carry the football.
George Fai’s speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half. Due to his speed and athleticism George Fai covers across the field well, thus putting him in a good position to make the tackle when the ball is turned back inside from the halves.
As I have noted, George Fai is contracted to the Brisbane Broncos to the end of the 2019 season but with the emergence of some young forwards and pressure on the Broncos salary cap to resign Matt Lodge, Tevita Pangai Junior and Corey Oates amongst others an inquiry to the Broncos about his availability may yield a positive result.
George Fai certainly would provide a more than solid acquisition for the Titans. For that matter also bring back his younger brother Justin who just needs experience (He is currently playing for Souths Logan in the Brisbane Premier Grade competition) to be a potentially solid NRL player of the future.
George Fai will play out the remainder of the 2018 season with the South’s Logan Magpies at the Queensland Cup level and continue to be their forward leader. It will also be interesting to see if George Fai is able to add to his single NRL game over the remainder of this NRL season.
With the wealth of young forwards that the Broncos have locked up long term a move to the Gold Coast for George Fai would give him an outstanding opportunity to break into the NRL with the Titans.
At 187cm and 111kg with speed and mobility, George Fai shapes as a very solid young NRL front rower who is still a couple of seasons away from his peak.
For me a solid NRL comparison for George Fai is current Wests Tigers and New Zealand International front rower Russell Packer as a front rower who regularly crashes head long into the defensive line but does have some subtle footwork which seems to get largely over looked, as for that matter is his solid defensive technique and impressive functional strength
Harry (Harrison) Wilson. (Revised) Harry Wilson is a giant young rugby forward formerly of St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace and was for me the stand out forward in the GPS First XV competition in 2016. Earlier in that same year, he was selected in the GPS 2 side for the Queensland Schoolboys rugby trials in Ballymore.
Those trials were the first time that I had seen him play and to say that he stood out would be an understatement. His ability to off load effectively in traffic was eye opening to say the least and also his elite athleticism for a player his size was exceptional.
This season Harry Wilson has bypassed the Brisbane Premier Rugby Colts competition and has been playing for Brothers in the Brisbane Premier Rugby First Grade competition, playing in 17 matches to date, starting sixteen and coming off the bench on one occasion.
Harry Wilson started the season in the No. 6 jersey when he played in Round Two against University of Queensland and has played nine times in that jersey, once at Lock (No. 4) and six times in the No. 8 jersey, playing No. 8 for the first time in Round Six against Sunnybank.
In his sixteen matches Harry Wilson has scored nine tries for a 56.25% all coming in separate matches. His first try was in the Round two match against University of Queensland. From Rounds five to Nine he scored against Bond University, Sunnybank, Norths and Wests (Round Seven was a Brothers bye).
Harry Wilson went on another try scoring blitz scoring in consecutive matches from Rounds Eleven through Fourteen which were against University of Queensland, Easts, Souths and Bond University respectively.
From the Queensland Schools trials in 2016 Harry Wilson was selected in the Queensland Two side for the Australian Schoolboys championships and once again he was a standout which ultimately led to his selection the Australian Barbarians Schoolboy side, a great feat none the less to make the side as such a young age but he did get a late call up to the Australian School’s side.
In the Australian Schoolboy trials in 2016 which were streamed live, Harry Wilson once again stood out for me due to his freakish athleticism. It was on display in a pool match against the ACT when he charged down an attempted clearing kick by the ACT fly half and then outpaced the cover defence in a 50m sprint to the line, Queensland Two went on to win that match 22 – 10.
For Gregory Terrace in the 2016 GPS First XV competition Harry Wilson was an ever present at lock across the nine rounds of the competition which was ultimately won by Brisbane State High School. Harry Wilson’s stats, curtesy of Greenandgoldrugby.com<http://Greenandgoldrugby.com> were 71 hit ups, 96 tackles and 13 missed tackles for a tackling efficiency of 88%. I have already noted his ability to off load the ball under heavy pressure and the stats from the website indicate that he offloaded eight times in contact and three more times prior to the defensive line. He also scored three tries.
Due to the superb coverage of the GPS First XV competition via live streams I have been able to watch seven of Harry Wilson’s eight matches either live or via streams both live and on replay and he really does stand out.
A synopsis of Harry Wilson’s skill set could be seen in Gregory Terrace’s 2016 Round Two clash against Brisbane Church Grammar School (Churchie) when early in the second half, Harry Wilson burst onto a flat pass from his half, smashed through the defensive line and offloaded a great short ball to fellow forward Harry Webster who scored untouched under the posts.
In Round Three in a big win against Ipswich Grammar School when early in the second half once again he burst through the defensive line down the right hand side of the field before offloading a great pass under pressure to Australian Schools winger Will Eadie who scored in the corner. In another example of his athleticism Harry Wilson in Round Nine against St Joseph’s Nudgee College he once again charged down an attempted clearing kick, kicked ahead twice before scoring.
His ability to burst through defensive lines and then offload under extreme pressure is the most outstanding feature of his game and the key point is that the skills that he utilises in rugby are transferrable to rugby league.
Harry Wilson has impressive speed off the mark even against set defensive lines when he picks and drives off the back of a ruck or mall he is still able to promote the ball through the power and speed in which he impacts the defensive line, he gets down low and uses an impressive leg drive to maintain the leverage he has generated through the core of his body to promote the ball further.
Where Harry Wilson is almost unstoppable is when he running wider of the congestion off his half. He is able to time his rights to receive the ball flat and not lose momentum as was evidenced by the break he made that set up a try for Australian Schools winger Will Eadie.
His offloading skills though are exceptional, for Gregory Terrace in the GPS First XV competition in 2016 and for Brothers this season he regularly as able to get his right hand free and offload to support players. Some examples have already been noted above and it is clear that as his team mates adjusted to his play the more effective his off loads became.
Harry Wilson 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 with his initial contact and targets the area around where the attackers carry the football looking to prevent offloads.
Harry Wilson’s speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running off the back of a ruck or mall.
Harry Wilson’s aggressive tendencies are also on show when he was cleaning out at rucks and mauls, he would get low and clear out defenders who had not rolled away after the tackle was completed, and regardless of the size of the opponent he was able to clear them out to allow his team to get a quick clearance of the ball.
Harry Wilson will play out the 2018 season with Brothers in the Brisbane Premier Rugby First Grade competition and is still Colts eligible in 2019.
From rugby league perspective he has been a rugby league fan all of his life and already received interest from multiple NRL sides including South’s Sydney a year or so ago.
Harry Wilson will also certainly be a rugby league second rower upon any transition and be a great wide running, offloading runner with superb athletic skills.
From a player comparison perspective it is impossible not to see aspects of Sonny Bill Williams in his play with his superb athletic abilities and also his strength and power in both his attack and defensive and his incredible offloading ability.
Regardless of the code this young man is going to be a star who will wow supporters of rugby or rugby league with his exceptional skills and athletic ability.
Ben Bucknell. The 18 year is a lightning quick, big stepping youngster who earlier this season played for the Easts Tigers in the MM Cup competition and post that competition is playing for GPS in the Brisbane Premier Colts rugby competition.
Ben Bucknell started all seven of the Easts Tigers MM Cup matches this season alternating between centre, wing and fullback. He started off the season at centre against the Central Queensland Capra’s and also played in the centres in Rounds Three (Victoria), Six (Northern Pride) and Seven (Tweed Heads), played on the wing in Rounds Four (Sunshine Coast) and Five (Redcliffe) and at fullback in Round Two against the Mackay Cutters.
Ben Bucknell’s three tries came Rounds One, Three and Five against Central Queensland, Victoria and Redcliffe respectively.
Post the 2018 MM Cup competition transitioned to the GPS rugby club for the Brisbane Premier Colts I season and to date has played in nine matches starting all bar one at fullback. Ben Bucknell came into the GPS side in Round Ten against Brothers and has played the majority of rounds since.
His only appearance outside the fullback position came in Round Fifteen against Wests when Ben Bucknell started at outside centre.
In 2016 Ben Bucknell was identified as a talented rugby league player when he was named the player with the most potential at the Confraternity Shield Rugby League competition, where Gold Coast Titans Rookie Squad member youngster Lochlyn Sheldon was named best player at the carnival.
In June of 2016 he was selected in the AIC representative side for the Queensland Schools Trials and played against the GPS representative sides. Whilst he was not able to show off his full ****nal of attacking skills in those trials, he was certainly able to over the course of the AIC schools competition which was played from April to June that year as well as in the Confraternity Shield Rugby League competition.
Let’s cut to the chase, when he runs the ball, he is exceptionally quick and explosive, with exceptional speed, both off the mark and when he gets into open space he leaves defenders in his wake.
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 Ben Bucknell 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. I
In attack Ben Bucknell also played up in the line quite often and was his team’s primary attacking option for Marist College Ashgrove both in rugby and rugby league in seasons past.
In addition Ben Bucknell also has the ball playing skills to set up his support runners and get them lines to run into when defenders came out of the line to negate his time with the ball in hand. He obviously was a key target for defences but he understands that he cannot do it all himself and thus became adept at drawing defenders out of the line and putting his support runners into the subsequent hole. As Ben Bucknell’s play making skills continue to evolve, the attacking possibilities are endless.
In terms of running the ball back from kicks, his timing and anticipation means that he gets to a lot of balls on the full and makes a quick decision whether to run the ball flat out back into the oncoming defenders or look to create an opportunity by running across field. Regardless he is an absolute handful to tackle with his speed and evasion skills.
Defensively in the fullback position Ben Bucknell 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 Ben Bucknell 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.
Ben Bucknell will finish the 2018 season in the Brisbane Premier Rugby Colts I competition for GPS and it will be interesting to see what code he plays for in 2019, certainly he would not look out of place in the Hasting’s Deering’s Colts competition.
From a position perspective, I think that Ben Bucknell’s timing, anticipation and speed is perfectly suited to the fullback position moving forward.
From a player comparison perspective, when you see him in full flight it is scary how similar Ben Bucknell’s style compares to Sydney Roosters and New South Wales State of Origin fullback James Tedesco, he is just so fast and elusive and it looks so effortless but he obviously has a long way to go to come close to reaching those heights however
Outstanding Randwick Colt Lachlan Day played on the left wing this afternoon in the Colts II competition and scored a double and kicked a conversion as Randwick defeated Sydney University 38-8.
Former Parramatta Eels NYC squad member Blaise Barnes started at fullback this afternoon and scored a try in the Colts II competition as Randwick defeated Sydney University 38-8.
Northern New South Wales 18 year old Tristian Reilly is as good as any teenager running around in either code and scored a double this afternoon in Round from the fullback position for Randwick in their Sydney Reserve Grade 52-28 win over Sydney University.
Exciting left winger Jackson Mohi scored once again this afternoon for Randwick Colts I this afternoon in Round 17 as Randwick defeated Sydney University 47-22.
18 year old Randwick Colts I five eight Ben Donaldson is more than just an outstanding attacking threat, he is also an accomplished goal kicker and this afternoon in Round 17 as Randwick defeated Sydney University 47-22he kicked six conversions from seven attempts.
He then backed up to be on the bench for the Randwick First Grade side
Outstanding 19 year old Fraser McReight started at No. 7 this morning in the Brisbane Premier Colts I rugby qualifying final and scored a double as his Brothers side outclassed Wests 38-7 at Ballymore.
Ultra athletic big man 19 year old Harry Wilson has played the entire Brisbane club rugby season in the Premier competition but was back in the Brothers Colts I competition for the finals and this morning started at No. 8 and scored as Brothers defeated Wests 38-7 and will have a week off before playing in the Grand Final against the winner of the Preliminary Final next week between Wests and Sunnybank.
Outstanding Lachaln Day started on the left wing this afternoon for the Randwick Colts II side in Round 18 and contributed a try and kicked five conversions as Randwick defeated Northern Suburbs 64-3.
The electric Jaya Yoannidis was in the left wing and scored a double for the Randwick Colts II side this afternoon in Round 18 as Randwick defeated Northern Suburbs 64-3.
Outstanding Blaise Barnes started at fullback for the Randwick Colts II side this afternoon in Round 18 as Randwick defeated Northern Suburbs 64-3.
Jaya Yoannidis backed up to come off the bench for the Randwick Colts I side and scored in a 60-14 Randwick victory over Northern Suburbs.
The electric Jaya Yoannidis was in the left wing and scored a double for the Randwick Colts II side this afternoon in Round 18 as Randwick defeated Northern Suburbs 64-3.
The electric Jackson Mohi started on left wing and scored a double for the Randwick Colts I side this afternoon in Round 18 as Randwick defeated Northern Suburbs 60-14.
After playing in the Colts II match Lachlan day started on the left wing for the Randwick Reserve Grade side and kicked Randwicks only conversion as they went down 53-7 to Northern Suburbs.
Outstanding Lachaln Day started on the left wing this afternoon for the Randwick Colts II side in Round 18 and contributed a try and kicked five conversions as Randwick defeated Northern Suburbs 64-3.
titans99
13-08-18, 04:00 PM
Hey Mr Drew do you know of a couple of sets of twins that play in Group 19
1 set from
Hi mate,
I am assuming that the Tingha boys are Ellis boys Jackson and Jacob and Moree their are the Smith boys Dwayne and Daniel. Moree also has the Girard brothers
Hey Mr Drew do you know of a couple of sets of twins that play in Group 19
1 set from Moree and 1from Inverell/tingha just your thoughts I have a mate
who’s down that way and saying to look out for them any thoughts
titans99
13-08-18, 04:49 PM
Yeah Smith boys and boys
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He thinks they can still play U18s but are playing a grade.
Bailey and Brendan Cosgrove, both had good seasons for the Inverell First Grade side, especially Bailey
Yeah Smith boys and boys from tingha are Cosgrove twins
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He thinks they can still play U18s but are playing a grade.
titans99
13-08-18, 05:36 PM
He said he thought they signed with a Brisbane q cup club to play 20s but come home
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Could be handy for us if they are like the other players that have come from tingha
And he said the Smith boys all class
Instead of his normal fullback position Lachlan Day started at fly half in Randwick Colts III final against Sydney University yesterday,
In Randwick's 27-25 loss he contributed two conversions and two penalty goals.
Lachlan Day then backed up in the Colts II final starting at fullback and scored two tries and kicked four conversions as Randwick defeated Norths 59-10.
Randwick right winger Jaya Yoannidis has been on a try scoring spree of late and in was no different yesterday in Randwick's Colts II final when he scored in a 59-10 win over Norths.
He then backed up to come off the bench in the Colts I final.
Former Parramatta Eels NYC player Blaise Barnes scored a double yesterday when he started at right wing for Randwick in their 28-21 Colts I finals win over Manly.
Outstanding fullback prospect Matt McTaggert scored once again for Eastern Suburbs in Round One of the Sydney Colts I rugby finals, Unfortunately Eastern Suburbs went down 52-17 to Gordon.
Randwick Colts II fullback Lachlan day kicked eight from eight this afternoon as Randwick qualified for the Sydney Colts II Grand Final last weekend by defeating Eastern Suburbs 56-12.
Former Parramatta Eels NYC player Blaise Barnes scored his second double in as many finals matches starting on the right wing for Randwick in their 64-14 Colts I finals win over Southern Districts.
Randwick have qualified for next weekend's Colts I Grand Final.
Exciting fullback prospect Lachlan Day kicked five conversions this afternoon for the Randwick Colts II side as they defeated Gordon 50-24 in the Sydney Colts II Grand Final.
If the Titans are looking for some big strong young centres they could certainly look at Fijian U16 pair Everoni Koroibiau and Inia Daunikana, who both scored doubles as Fiji defeated WA 46-10 at Ballymore yesterday morning in the Australian U16 Rugby Championships.
Other Fijian U16's who looked good included fullback Joshua Canaan and fly half Kalaveti Tamani.
Brocco Uhrle. The powerfully built 2018 Queensland U16 second rower is no stranger to wearing a Titans jersey after playing for the Titans U13 Development squad in a match against a Toowoomba U14 selection in late 2015 when he started in the front row.
The Wavell State High School student played for the Aspley Devils in the GBJRL U16 premier Division competition in 2018 playing in ten matches and scoring three tries.
Earlier in the 2108 season Brocco Uhrle played for the U16 Brisbane Stingers Red squad in the South East Queensland U16 Challenge and was also part of the Queensland U16 Emerging Origin Squad in 2018.
Brocco Uhrle’s style of play is that of a wide running back rower with what I would consider slightly above average speed for the position he plays and also taking into account his solid build. He is quick off the mark and can maintain his speed over a reasonable distance and also has a good fend and can step off both feet both in space and in tight situations.
From what I have seen though his left foot step seems slightly quick and with more deception. The side step Brocco Uhrle has is not a big step but is quick and effective enough to keep defenders off balance when he is running the ball. Once his momentum is stopped, Brocco Uhrle will fight for a quick play the ball to maintain his team’s momentum.
Brocco Uhrle is a naturally aggressive defender whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his inherent natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can stop the momentum of opposing forwards on initial contact and targets the area around the chest after setting a solid base to project his momentum through his tackles.
Brocco Uhrle also has outstanding lateral mobility for such a powerful player and thus is not over matched against smaller agile opponents. As noted he is an aggressive defender and looks to come off the defensive line quickly.
In 2019 Brocco Uhrle will be looking to break into the Norths MM Cup squad as well as playing for Norths Aspley in the GBJRL U18 Nev Blair Cup competition and play for Wavell State High School in their various School Boy competitions.
Brocco Uhrle will also be in line for Met East Selection for the QSSRL U18 Championships in 2019 as well as Queensland U18 selection.
For me, his physical attributes and skill set indicates that Brocco Uhrle will continue to play in the back row for the foreseeable future with no reason to consider a positional change.
From a player comparison perspective, someone with a similar playing style that could be used for a comparison perspective for Brocco Uhrle be the Brisbane Broncos backrower Alex Glenn as a strong hard running, hard tackling aggressive and effective backrower who can play for 80 minutes without the need for a break on the interchange bench.
I was fortunate enough to see Brocco Uhrle play at the U13 level in 2015 and every time that I have seen him play since I have seen a constant level of improvement from the exceptionally talented Brocco Uhrle.
Connor Te Kani. (Revised) He is a local young centre who played his club rugby league on the Gold Coast with the Coomera Cutter in the 2018 GCRL U15 Division One competition and has been named in the 2019 U16 GC Vikings squad.
For the Cutters (he had previously played for Runaway Bay) Connor Te Kani played in eleven matches, including points and finished as one of the competitions leading point scorers with 84 from ten tries and twenty two goals.
In Round Two of the U15 Division One Final’s series, Connor Te Kani started at five eight and kicked a conversion as Coomera went down 44 – 6 to eventual Grand Final winners Ormeau.
In the U15 Division One Preliminary Final Connor Te Kani once again started at five eight, scoring a try and kicking a conversion as Coomera bowed out of the competition on the back of a 58 – 14 loss to Runaway Bay.
In addition to his finals try, Connor Te Kani scored four doubles which came in matches against Currumbin (in two matches), Mudgeeraba and Ormeau. Connor Te Kani’s other try came late in the season against Mudgeeraba.
Connor Te Kani had some big matches from a goal kicking perspective in 2018 including six goals in a match against Currumbin (he also scored a double in the same match) and five against Mudgeeraba late in the season.
In addition Connor Te Kani was co-captain of the Griffith University Colleges U15 rugby side that won their Grand Final, which was played as a curtain raiser to the Wallabies against Argentina test 47 – 19 against the Helensvale Hogs with Connor Te Kani starting the Grand Final at fullback.
In total for Griffith University Colleges Connor Te Kani played in fourteen matches, starting six at fullback, two from the interchange bench, two at fly half (No. 10), two at inside centre and two at outside centre.
Connor Te Kani scored three tries and kicked eight conversions, including three in Round Fourteen against the Gold Coast Eagles. Connor Te Kani’s tries came in Round Nine against the Gold Coast Eagles, Round Twelve against Bond University and in Round Fifteen against the Surfers Dolphins.
Connor Te Kani was also part of the Queensland Red side that won the Australian Gold Cup (U15) Championships starting at outside centre in the final as Queensland Red were victorious 17 – 5 against NSW Gen Blue I. Connor Te Kani also started at outside centre in the semi-final.
In 2016 the season Connor Te Kani was also yet another member of the exceptionally talented U13 Gold Coast Vikings side that went through the Hill Stumer Championships undefeated. From those championships, Connor Te Kani was selected in the centres for the South East Queensland White team for the Queensland Age Championships. Connor Te Kani kicked five goals on Day One in wins against Brisbane Red and Brisbane White.
Unfortunately for Runaway Bay even though they finished the U14 Division One 2016 season proper as the minor premiers, they were defeated 34 – 22 in the Grand Final by the Ormeau Shearers, with Connor Te Kani starting in the centres and kicking three conversions.
Over the course of the 2016 season, Connor Te Kani scored 13 tries from just nine matches and also kicked 18 goals to finish with 88 points in the season. In a four games stretch during June and July 2016, Connor Te Kani scored nine tries including two hat tricks which came against Jimboomba and Helensvale and also in that same stretch scored a double against Jimboomba. Earlier in the season, he also scored a double against Nerang. Connor Te Kani also averaged two tries a game across seven matches in the U13 pre-season grading competition.
With the boot, Connor Te Kani had two big games when he kicked seven against Ormeau and six against Jimboomba (the same day he scored three tries for 30 points in the game). Connor Te Kani also played one match at the U14 Division One level which was against Nerang.
During the 2015 season, he also made the Qld U12 side that won the national U12 championships with a 4 – 0 victory against NSW in the final. During the course of the U12 National championships, he scored two tries in the pool matches, against Western Australia and ACT and also scored in Queensland’s semi-final victory against Victoria.
Connor Te Kani is a big strong super quick centre with an effortless running style with a classic centres build with the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is rare in the modern game. His has used this skill set on multiple occasions on the right side of the field. Right centre is the only position that I have seen him play for his club side.
Connor Te Kani has a very strong left hand fend which prevents opposing centres getting in on him and forcing him towards the sideline. Even though he has size, strength and power in the centre position, he does look for his outside support when confronted with the fullback, even though he is more than capable of beating fullbacks one on one if need be and certainly does on occasion when he outpaces his support players.
When the defence is sliding he will cut inside and when the defence is playing an up and up style he has the plus speed and agile footwork to get on the outside of his direct opponent and beat him for speed to exploit the gap created. In terms of his speed, in all aspects it would be considered at the plus level in terms of speed off the mark, top end speed and sustainability.
Another aspect where he is also very good is his ability to run out of dummy half. Connor Te Kani’s size strength speed and power coupled with his plus footwork enables him to make a significant amount of ground out of dummy half and also give his forward a breather.
Defensively his game is built on intimidation, he will come in when the opportunity presents itself and hit very hard around the chest, you can see the opposing centre looking where he was positioned as the ball was moved out to the back line also his plus speed enables him to recover if he is beaten on the outside.
Currently Connor Te Kani is better to an up and in defensive methodology but I would argue that is more to do with how coaches want him to play rather than any concern that he cannot be effective in a sliding defensive scheme. With his speed, timing and strength, why not take advantage of his ability to intimidate his opposing centre.
Moving to the 2019 season Connor Te Kani will/should play for the Coomera Cutters in the GCRL U16 Division One competition.
For me Connor Te Kani a strong powerful centre with plus speed and footwork and has the skills to stay at centre in the long term and more than that has the skills to potentially become a legitimate strike centre and they are a rare breed to say the least.
Regardless of the age group or level, you do not often see a player with such a combination of his speed, size, strength and power compared to his peers, couple that with an innate understanding of how to play rugby league and you have a young player with immense potential waiting to be tapped in the coming years.
From a style perspective, think of someone along the lines of NSW Origin and Australian centre Michael Jennings now of the Parramatta Eels as a legitimate strike centre with the ability to make breaks from anywhere but also can handle the defensive side of the game. He is just one of those players that look like he was born to play rugby league and the scary thing is that he still is not even close to reaching his potential.
Brocco Uhrle. The powerfully built 2018 Queensland U16 second rower is no stranger to wearing a Titans jersey after playing for the Titans U13 Development squad in a match against a Toowoomba U14 selection in late 2015 when he started in the front row.
The Wavell State High School student played for the Aspley Devils in the GBJRL U16 premier Division competition in 2018 playing in ten matches and scoring three tries.
Earlier in the 2108 season Brocco Uhrle played for the U16 Brisbane Stingers Red squad in the South East Queensland U16 Challenge and was also part of the Queensland U16 Emerging Origin Squad in 2018.
Brocco Uhrle’s style of play is that of a wide running back rower with what I would consider slightly above average speed for the position he plays and also taking into account his solid build. He is quick off the mark and can maintain his speed over a reasonable distance and also has a good fend and can step off both feet both in space and in tight situations.
From what I have seen though his left foot step seems slightly quick and with more deception. The side step Brocco Uhrle has is not a big step but is quick and effective enough to keep defenders off balance when he is running the ball. Once his momentum is stopped, Brocco Uhrle will fight for a quick play the ball to maintain his team’s momentum.
Brocco Uhrle is a naturally aggressive defender whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his inherent natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can stop the momentum of opposing forwards on initial contact and targets the area around the chest after setting a solid base to project his momentum through his tackles.
Brocco Uhrle also has outstanding lateral mobility for such a powerful player and thus is not over matched against smaller agile opponents. As noted he is an aggressive defender and looks to come off the defensive line quickly.
In 2019 Brocco Uhrle will be looking to break into the Norths MM Cup squad as well as playing for Norths Aspley in the GBJRL U18 Nev Blair Cup competition and play for Wavell State High School in their various School Boy competitions.
Brocco Uhrle will also be in line for Met East Selection for the QSSRL U18 Championships in 2019 as well as Queensland U18 selection.
For me, his physical attributes and skill set indicates that Brocco Uhrle will continue to play in the back row for the foreseeable future with no reason to consider a positional change.
From a player comparison perspective, someone with a similar playing style that could be used for a comparison perspective for Brocco Uhrle be the Brisbane Broncos backrower Alex Glenn as a strong hard running, hard tackling aggressive and effective backrower who can play for 80 minutes without the need for a break on the interchange bench.
I was fortunate enough to see Brocco Uhrle play at the U13 level in 2015 and every time that I have seen him play since I have seen a constant level of improvement from the exceptionally talented Brocco Uhrle.
Mate I am hearing he may be going to wynnum next year for mm
The 2019 Wynnum MM side is shaping up to to quite exceptional.
Mate I am hearing he may be going to wynnum next year for mm
James Pere. The powerhouse young forward was outstanding this season both in club rugby league and school boy rugby, playing for the TSS U16A side in the GPS rugby competition.
Even though he was U16 eligible in 2018 James Pere played the 2018 GCRL season in the U17 Division Two competition with Coomera playing in nine matches including the U17 Division Two Finals series.
In Week Two of the U17 Division Two finals James Pere started in the centres and scored for Coomera as they went down 28 – 16 to Currumbin.
In the Preliminary Final James Pere scored a try after starting in the centres as Coomera qualified for the Grand Final on the back of a 62 – 4 victory over Jimboomba.
In the U17 Division Two Grand Final James Pere started in the centres as Coomera went down 24 – 18 to Currumbin.
In addition to his two finals tries, James Pere scored ten in the U17 Division Two regular season competition. James Pere scored a hat trick against Jimboomba, doubles against Currumbin in two separate matches and Jimboomba and also scored against Beaudesert.
Early in the 2018 season James Pere represented Gold Coast Vikings Yellow in the South East Queensland U16 Challenge.
For the TSS U16A side this season James Pere played in seven matches missing only Round Two as a result of an injury suffered in Round One against Churchie. James Pere started all seven matches at No. 8.
James Pere scored three GPS U16A tries in 2018, scoring in Round Four against Brisbane Grammar School, Round Seven as a result of a pick and drive against Ipswich Grammar School and Round Nine against Churchie.
Prior to the GPS U16A season proper James Pere started in six of the U16A TSS trial matches starting at No. 8 in five and on the bench in the other which was against Ipswich Grammar School. Trial matches that James Pere played in included matches against Riverview College (Sydney), Somerset College and Ambrose Treacy College.
Prior to heading to TSS James Pere attended Keebra Park and 2016 represented the Gold Coast Vikings at the U14 level and was also selected in one of the South East Queensland U14 representative sides.
In 2016 James Pere was a dominant player for Keebra in the U14 Hancock Cup school boy competition, including scoring a hat trick in a match against Marsden State High School where in the first half he was almost unstoppable running off 2018 Queensland U16 representative Reece Walsh.
James Pere also scored a hat trick the week prior as well against Wavell. After being down 12 – 0 early to Wavell James Pere crashed over to score Keebra’s first try and then produced two more barnstorming runs in the second half to help Keebra Park close out the game 30 – 18. James Pere understandably was also awarded the man of the match honours in that game.
James Pere also represented the Vikings and South East Queensland at the U13 level in 2015.
James Pere is a big powerful young man who whilst using his size to his advantage by running hard and straight, he does have quite decent footwork prior to the defensive line, which he uses to cut back behind the play the ball to take advantage of defenders who are slow to get back into the defensive line.
Where James Pere’s game has really developed over the last couple of seasons his ability to play wider of the ruck, which is where he is primarily playing for the Northern Pride this season. With his size and strength wider of the ruck James Pere attracts defenders and thus is in a position to use his ball skills to set up his outside supports early in a match.
When defences start to try to anticipate that James Pere is going to pass then he can use his size and power to cash through the defensive lien as no defender is going to be able to handle him one on one by themselves.
In defence James Pere uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. James Pere is not adverse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage and reasonable agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck, although clearly he is more effective in the centre of the ruck, as most front rowers are.
James Pere will be looking to break into the Burleigh Bears MM Cup side in 2019 and post that competition will line up for Coomera in the GCRL U17 Division One competition as well as pushing for the No. 8 position in the TSS First XV side for the 2019 GPS Rugby School Boy competition.
If everything comes together for James Pere is potential is almost limitless and he can dominate games both from an attacking perspective and a defensive one.
At an imposing 188cm and 102kg James Pere is the ideal size for a rugby league second rower, but it is his above average speed for his size, and undoubted strength and physical nature that screams that he can be a dominant player at the NRL level and maybe even above that into the representative arena.
James Pere reminds me of St George Dragon’s aggressive second rower Tariq Sims. Like Sims, James Pere is a giant of a man and plays with more than a touch of aggression and makes sure everyone on the opposition knows that he is on the field especially defensively.
The 2019 Wynnum MM side is shaping up to to quite exceptional.
Mate I think the burleigh and tweed sides are stacked with talent and will be hard to beat
Certainly agree with you there mate both squads are outstanding
Mate I think the burleigh and tweed sides are stacked with talent and will be hard to beat
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 played for the Gold Coast based School in the U15A GPS school boy rugby competition with a team mate being Titans contracted centre Kaleb Ngamanu.
Recently Syris Schmidt was named in the Gold Coast Vikings U16 Training Squad for the 2019 U16 South East Queensland Challenge.
This season in relation to club rugby league on the Gold Coast, Syris Schmidt played for Ormeau in the 2018 U15 Division One competition, playing ten matches including finals matches.
In Week One of the U15 Division One Finals series, Syris Schmidt started a half and scored as Ormeau defeated Runaway Bay 28 – 12.
Week Two saw Syris Schmidt also start at half as Ormeau qualified for the U15 Division One Grand Final with a big 44 – 6 win over Coomera.
Syris Schmidt started at half in the Grand Final and scored as Ormeau came out on top 38 – 20 against Runaway Bay.
In addition to the two U15 Division One Finals tries that he scored Syris Schmidt scored eight regular season tries, including a June hat trick against Coomera and a double the match prior against Mudgeeraba. Syris Schmidt also scored single tries in matches against Runaway Bay and Robina.
Syris Schmidt also represented South Coast in the QSSRL U15 Championships and was named in the U15 Queensland White side for the ASSRL U15 Championships where team mates included Titans contracted Ezra Ubaldino, Brody Smitka and Flynn Daniel.
In the ASSRL U15 Championships Syris Schmidt started at half back in all four of Queensland Whites matches which were against New South Wales Combined Independent Schools, ACT twice and Queensland Maroon, scoring against NSWCIS on Day One.
In October 2018 Syris Schmidt was part of the Queensland II side for the Australian U16 Championships. In Round One Syris Schmidt started at inside centre for Qld II in their big 57 – 5 win over Western Australia.
Round Two against Victoria saw Syris Schmidt once again start at inside centre for Queensland II as they went down 19 – 17 and in Round Three Syris Schmidt was once again at inside centre with Queensland II going down 29 – 17 to New South Wales I.
For the TSS U15A side Syris Schmidt started at inside centre (No.12) in all eight of the TSS U15A’s GPS schoolboy matches this year.
Prior to the start of the GPS school boy rugby season has not kicked off yet, Syris Schmidt played a number of trial matches. 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 final trial.
In his three trial 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 addition Syris Schmidt played club rugby on the Gold Coast this season for Griffith University Colleges playing in eight matches and started at fly half (No. 10) in the Grand Final that his side won 47 – 19 against the Helensvale Hogs.
Syris Schmidt started one other match at No. 10 being Round Three against the Bond Pirates, one match in Round Four against the Surfers Dolphins at inside centre (No. 12) and the remainder from the bench.
Syris Schmidt scored tries in Round Two against the PBC Alleygators and Round Three against the Bond Pirates (He also kicked a conversion in that game)
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, Syris Schmidt 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 2019 season, Syris Schmidt will continue to play for the Ormeau Shearers at the U16 Division One level as well as for the TSS U16A school boy rugby side. With the number of TSS First XV students graduating in 2018 it would not surprise at all to see Syris Schmidt get a run in the TSS First XV next year, potentially as early as Round One to replace Canterbury Crusaders bound Campbell Perata.
It is great to see Syris Schmidt 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 (no. 12) can only enhance and accelerate Syris Schmidt’s rugby league developmental curve.
Syris Schmidt plays his rugby league currently at the five eight position both in terms of club and representative football and certainly has the skills to stay there long term. Syris Schmidt 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.
Caleb Esera. The giant young front rower has already worn a Titans jersey in anger when he represented the Titans U13 squad in a match in late 2015 that defeated a Toowoomba U14 side at Burleigh.
Earlier in the 2108 season Caleb Esera played for the U16 Brisbane Stingers Gray squad in the South East Queensland U16 Challenge and was also part of the Queensland U16 Emerging Origin Squad in 2018. Caleb Esera was part of the 2016 U15 Emerging Origin Squad as well.
The young front rower from the South’s club in Brisbane represented Stingers Red at the U14 level in 2016 and from there Caleb Esera went on to represent South East Queensland White U14’s at the Queensland Age Championships. For South East Queensland White Caleb Esera crossed in a win against the Capricorn Capra’s.
For Brisbane Red, Caleb Esera had a great three matches including a huge match on the Sunday morning against Brisbane White when he was the best player on the field scoring a hat trick including showing great pace in his first try when he backed up a great break by Rixon Andrew to score.
The tall strong young front rower runs hard and straight and does not take a backward step, for example in the GBJRL Grand Final in 2015, he constantly ran into the heart of the Logan Brothers forward pack who were huge and were hitting very hard in the tackle. One thing that did impress me was that he did not just put his head down and run into the first defender he saw.
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 Logan Brothers defenders, when Logan Brothers started to compress their defensive line when South’s had the momentum on their side.
Whilst he did not offload the ball too many times, Caleb Esera 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. In the development squad game in 2015 Caleb Esera offloaded on a number of occasions which maintains the Titans momentum.
Caleb Esera 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 a try that he scored in the 2017 Hill Stumer Championships he was able to keep pace with star fullback Rixon Andrew and Rixon Andrew is very very quick.
Defensively Caleb Esera 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.
Caleb Esera is not averse to looking for the big hit but also does have a good front on defensive technique and decent agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents. Caleb Esera has the size, strength and power to seal off sections of the field in defence and impressively can sustain that dominance for the entire match regularly.
Caleb Esera will be pushing for an MM Cup spot in 2019 with the Souths Logan Magpies and will likely play for the Magpies in the GBJRL U17 Division One or U18 Nev Blair Cup competitions in 2019 as well.
Caleb Esera is a big strong tall young man who has outstanding (elite level) athleticism for his size and thus I can see Caleb Esera making the NRL as a front rower.
From a style perspective, think along the lines of the Regan Campbell-Gillard of the Penrith Panthers 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 with a calmness and assurance that belies his age.
Tough tackling young second rower Brendan Paikura is one of the toughest and skilful young players running around in Queensland and will be showcasing his talents in 2019 as part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad.
Brendan Piakura played the 2018 GCRL season in the U16 Division One competition with Helensvale, playing in a total of twelve matches including two finals matches.
In Week One of the U16 Division One Finals series, Brendan Piakura started in the second row and scored as Helensvale defeated Southport 44 – 4. Brendan Piakura also started in the second row and also scored in Week Two of the finals as Helensvale were knocked out on the back of a 24 – 18 loss to Burleigh.
In addition to his two U16 Division One finals tries, Brendan Piakura scored five tries in the regular season and also kicked two goals (both coming in Round Eleven against Southport) to finish the season with 32 points.
Brendan Piakura scored a Round Ten double against Nerang and also scored a try in matches against Nerang and Burleigh (in two separate matches).
Brendan Piakura also played two matches in the GCRL U17 Division One competition in 2018, his first coming against Runaway Bay when he scored on debut and he also played against Mudgeeraba the following week.
At the commencement of the 2018 season Brendan Piakura represented U16 Gold Coast Vikings White and then going onto to representing SEQ White and subsequently starting at lock for the Queensland U16 side.
In 2017 Brendan Piakura represented Queensland White (I Believe) at the U15 ASSRL Championships making the U15 Australian Merit side after starring for South Coast in the QSSRL Championships earlier in the same year.
Brendan Piakura represented the Gold Coast U14 Vikings side in 2016 where he started from the bench as well as playing for South East Queensland Green in the Queensland State Age Championships in July that year, where he started at lock in his team’s games.
Brendan Piakura also started at lock for the Titans U13 development squad in a late 2015 victory over Toowoomba U14’s, where he made quite an impact defensively, before succumbing to a shoulder injury which forced him off the field in the second half.
Brendan Piakura also represented the Cook Islands in the QPIIC Tournament in 2015 where he was named as the Cook Islands best player at the U14 level.
Amosa Aumua. (Revised) Amosa Aumua was a solid performer for the South’s Logan Hastings Deering’s U20 Colts side this season .
In total in the Colts competition this season Amosa Aumua played in eleven matches starting three, being Rounds One and Two against Redcliffe and the Northern Pride in the front row and Round Nines against the Easts Tigers in the second row.
Amosa Aumua played in all of Souths Logan’s 2018 MM Cup including their semi-final and Grand Final matches except for Round Six. Amosa Aumua started off the season coming off the inter change bench but broke into the starting line-up at lock in Round Four against the Burleigh Bears and also started both the semi-final and grand final at lock.
Post the 2018 MM Cup competition, Amosa Aumua progressed to the Colts competition playing a number of matches for the South’s Logan Magpies.
Showing his durability, Amosa Aumua has only missed one of the sixteen rounds of the 2017 U20 Colts Challenge competition which started immediately after the conclusion of the MM Cup competition, missing only Round Thirteen.
Amosa Aumua started the first five rounds of the interchange bench coming into the starting line-up in Round Six against Wynnum Manly in the second row. In total Amosa Aumua has come off the bench in seven matches, started at lock in four and started in the second row in four.
In 2016 Amosa Aumua was selected in the Presidents XIII for the QSSRL U18 Championships where he played in four matches which came against Sunshine Coast, Met West, Darling Downs and South West.
In 2014 Amosa Aumua represented Queensland Maroons at the ASSRL U15 Championships along with Titans linked players such as Geordie Brand and David Butler amongst others.
Even though he may not be the biggest junior rugby league forward running around on the rugby league fields of Australia each weekend, do not be fooled, Amosa Aumua is a 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.
Amosa Aumua will also cut back behind the play 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 build and natural strength is able to regularly get quick play the ball even when tackled by multiple opponents to maintain or generate momentum for his side.
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 regardless of how much bigger they are than him. He is not averse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage 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. He also is very aggressive in the tackle and makes opposing forwards each metre they make through the centre of the ruck.
The 2019 rugby league will see Amosa Aumua continue to be part of the Souths Logan U20 Colts squad where he should start either at lock or in the second row. It also would not surprise if Amosa Aumua also got an opportunity late in the 2019 season in the Queensland Cup competition such is his skill and competitiveness.
Even though he may not have the prototypical size for a modern day backrower in rugby league that is where he will play as he transitions towards the senior rugby league ranks and it will take a brave man to bet against this extremely talented young man from achieving his goals.
For me Alex Glenn the Brisbane Broncos and New Zealand International back rower has a similar playing style to what you would see if you saw Amosa Aumua play.
Far more naturally skilled rugby league players will fall by the way side before Amosa Aumua does due to his incredible work ethic and determination.
Amosa Aumua leaves everything out on the field in each and every match the young man competes in. I recall the 2015 GBJRL Grand Final between Amosa Aumua’s Logan Brothers U16 side and Aspley. Amosa Aumua injured his shoulder early in the first half and was carrying it quite badly but continued to tackle everything that moved even though he was heavily targeted once the Aspley forwards identified that he was not 100%.
Blake Scott. (Revised) The talented former Keebra Park hooker surprisingly did not pick up an NRL contract at the completion of the 2017 rugby league season, a season in which he starred for the GIO Cup winning Keebra Park.
Blake Scott looked to rectify that with an outstanding 2018 season which he started exceptionally well with a standout performance for the South’s Logan Magpies Colts in the trial victory against the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts at Waterford in February.
In that match Blake Scott was a constant menace to the Seagulls defensive line splitting the Tweed Heads line open on a couple of occasions when he ran from dummy half with the Tweed Heads Seagulls forward pack still trying to get back into position after the previous hit-up.
For the Souths Logan Magpies U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts side this season Blake Scott played in all twenty of the Magpie matches, including the Finals series starting all at hooker and ended the season with a strike rate of 35%.
Six of Blake Scott’s tries came in the regular season including a Round Two double against the Northern Pride. Blake Scott also scored in Rounds Four, Seven, Seventeen and Twenty Three against Burleigh, the Western Mustangs, Central Queensland Capra’s and the Easts Tigers.
Blake Scott’s seventh and final try of the 2018 season came in the first weekend of the Hastings Deering’s Colts Finals series when he scored against the Northern Pride a match that saw the Magpies 2018 season come to an end.
In 2017 Blake Scot had an outstanding season including starting for Keebra Park in their GIO Cup victory over Westfield Sports High, representing South Coast in the U18 QSSRL Championships and playing for the South’s Logan Magpies in the MM Cup competition.
Blake Scott’s outstanding performances for Keebra Park were recognised late in 2017 when at the Keebra Park Sports Specialisation Awards night when he was named in the Keebra Park 2017 team of the year. From a trivia perspective, Blake Scott is the younger brother of former Titans NYC hooker Jordan Scott who is also currently playing for South’s Logan at the Queensland Cup level.
For South’s Logan in the MM Cup competition in 2017, Blake Scott played in all eight of South’s Logan’s matches including their two finals matches. Blake Scott started the first two rounds at hooker and then played his remaining six matches starting from the inter-change bench. Blake Scott’s only try came in the Grand Final in a 40 – 30 loss to the Western Mustangs which included seven Titans Academy players.
Blake Scott is a solid all round hooker who distributes effectively to both sides of the ruck. He is efficient in his passing and there is very little wasted movement as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements where the dummy half first stands then passes. He passes well from both sides of his body.
Blake Scott 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. Blake Scott’s speed off the mark is above average but he does not necessarily have above average top speed once he is in motion. In scrum situations he packs in at lock regularly and thus is also the primary distributor from those situations as well as when the ball is in play.
Blake Scott defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and for his size is quite an aggressive defender. He is also very good at getting out of marker quickly to harass the opposition kickers. Defensively you will see an efficient and effective defender and a talker. He constantly seems to be talking and “encouraging” his fellow forwards.
Blake Scott will play the 2019 season at the U20 Hastings Deering’s Cup level with the South’s Logan Magpies once again and he is just too good not to be a real chance at making his Queensland Cup debut sooner rather than later.
Blake Scott has primarily been a hooker throughout his rugby league career and with his ability to control his side from dummy half it is easy to see why that is also where his future lies on a rugby league field.
From a NRL playing comparison perspective Blake Scott has a similar playing style to that of Melbourne Storm, Queensland State of Origin and Australian Test Captain Cameron Smith, in that he is a leader on the field, is very good at leading his team around the field and a very good defender on top of all of his other outstanding attributes.
Jayden Ngamanu. The outstanding young former Queensland Reds Super Rugby fullback is rumoured to be looking at rugby league and if that is the case there will plenty of interest from NRL clubs in the former Brisbane Boys College star.
At just 22 years old, even though he has played rugby his entire life the Western Australian youngster has outstanding talent that could translate from fullback in rugby to fullback in rugby league.
For the Reds in the 2018 Super Rugby competition, Jayden Ngamanu played in two matches playing a total of 126 minutes, taking the ball up seven times for 80 metres, making a line break, five tackle breaks and eight tackles.
Jayden Ngamanu in fact made his Super Rugby debut for the Reds in the 2017 season for the Queensland Reds.
When he was not playing for the Reds Jayden Ngamanu played for Souths in the Brisbane Premier Rugby competition playing fifteen matches including their Week One Finals loss.
In those fifteen matches Jayden Ngamanu scored ten tries, including hat tricks in Round Three against Norths and a Round Eleven hat trick against Easts. Jayden Ngamanu also scored a Round Seventeen double against Sunnybank and tries in Rounds Four, Six and Sixteen against Brothers, Bond University and GPS respectively.
From a position perspective, Jayden Ngamanu started eleven matches at fullback including their final and his remaining four matches on the left wing.
Previous to this season Jayden Ngamanu has just about done it all from a junior rugby perspective, playing for the Australian School’s rugby side through to representing the Australian U20 side.
Jayden Ngamanu is in some respects a throwback to the 1970’s or 1980’s when fullbacks used to chime into the back line either between the two centres or even between the centre or winger especially in relation to looking to exploit a shorter blind side. When Jayden Ngamanu chimes into a back line he does not look to run into his direct opponent but he runs into the gaps and anticipates where his inside play makers are going to pass the ball.
From a running perspective, Jayden Ngamanu just seems to glide across the field and it appears effortless, no matter who is chasing him, they will not catch Jayden Ngamanu , I am talking James Roberts type of pace but he has a much more effortless running style to that of the current Brisbane Bronco.
Jayden Ngamanu 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. It is no surprise at all that he was in and around the Australian Men’s Rugby Sevens squad.
Jayden Ngamanu ’s passing skills are also 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 superb 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 Jayden Ngamanu also stands out, with his closing speed and recovery speed to make an impact on that side of the ball as well. With his speed, Jayden Ngamanu 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.
Jayden Ngamanu ’s defence is normally over shadowed by his running game but make no mistake, Jayden Ngamanu is an outstanding defender both in terms of cover defence and front on defence when a forward makes a break through the centre of the field.
Jayden Ngamanu is not currently contracted to any of the Australian Super Rugby sides and is rumoured to be looking at a couple of Queensland Cup squads as he looks to switch codes. Obviously before any NRL clubs come calling in terms of NRL contract offers Jayden Ngamanu would need to prove himself in rugby league but he certainly seems to have the ball skills, evasiveness and raw talent to warrant serious consideration and at 176cm and 84kg he is by no means too small.
Jayden Ngamanu just looks like he is playing at a pace far quicker than the players around him and dare I say it I can see similar attributes to that of the player that of Queensland State of Origin and Newcastle Knights sensation Kayln Ponga.
Jayden Ngamanu does not have the same explosiveness off the mark as Ponga but his sense of timing, anticipation and plus top end speed present as similar to the rugby league sensation, he is just as natural on a field.
The Gregory Terrace, U15A GPS rugby side was entertaining to watch and certainly one player that stood out was centre David Vaihu.
In addition to playing school boy rugby for Gregory Terrace this season, David Vaihu played for Sunnybank Blue in the Brisbane Rugby U15 competition where he was one of a number of standouts.
For Sunnybank Blue David Vaihu played in six matches, captaining the side on each occasion, starting at inside centre in five matches and from the bench in the other.
David Vaihu scored doubles against Souths Black in Round One and the first week of the Finals in the first half of the season and in Round Four against Sunnybank Green in the second half
I keep a close eye on rugby and rugby league players from Corinda State High School in Brisbane as I am a former student and the Sword Brothers Izzy (now playing First XV GPS rugby at Churchie) and younger brother Larzlo are two that have a real chance of progressing in either rugby or rugby league.
Former Forest Lake rugby league centre Larzlo Sword this season was outstanding for Sunnybank Blue in the Brisbane Rugby U15 competition where he was one of three exceptional attacking threats alongside Gregory Terrace’s David Vaihu and TSS student Jojo Fifita.
For Sunnybank Blue Larzlo Sword played in eight matches, starting at No. 8 in two, outside centre in one, fullback in another and from the bench in the other four.
He scored doubles against WDCR Gold and Sunnybank Green and also scored against Souths Black
I am not necessarily a fan of Super 15 or International Rugby (except for watching the All Blacks play) but I am a big fan of school boy rugby especially the GPS competition. In that competition, you get to see, in the main, outstanding attacking play and very much a fair play attitude.
Over the last couple of seasons, one TSS player that I have watched on a regular basis is the outstanding Jojo Fifita who played for the TSS U15A GPS side this year, alongside Titans contracted stand out Kaleb Ngamanu.
For the TSS U15A side this season Jojo Fifita started all eight matches at fullback and in Round Five against BBC scored an outstanding 50 metre try splitting the defence to score under the posts.
As a consequence of his outstanding play I went to watch a number of his matches for Sunnybank Blue in the Brisbane Rugby U15 competition. In that competition which is split into two distinct seasons, Jojo Fifita played in a total of seven matches and scored an impressive thirteen tries for an outlandish strike rate of 186%.
In the first half of the season, Jojo Fifita scored a hat trick in Round One against Souths Black and four tries in the first week of the finals against Souths Black as well.
In the second half of the season, he was just a prolific scoring a hat trick against Easts Gold in Round Three, a double in Round One against Redlands and he also scored against Sunnybank Green in Round Four.
In his seven matches he started three at fullback, two at outside centre and two from the bench.
Not all rugby positions translate to rugby league but one position that does is fullback and that is where Albert Dynevor plays.
The Downlands College student and former Wondai Proston junior rugby league player had an outstanding season in the Darling Downs U15 Rugby competition.
In the regular season he scored 22 tries and kicked 33 conversions. In Rounds Seven and Eight against USQ Saints and Goondiwindi respectively Albert Dynevor scored four tries and he also scored hat tricks in Round One, Three, Six and Ten.
With the boot he kicked 8 conversions in Round 8 against Goondiwindi and in Round Ten also against Goondiwindi he kicked seven.
Jojo Fifita. (Revised) I try not to get too intrigued when I see talented young players at the U13 level but sometimes you see a player that just stands out not just from a skill perspective but from also from the perspective of a young player who just seems to innately understand how to play the game, a natural if you will.
I would argue that I have seen only very few players at this young an age that you would put into this category, but I was dragged along early to a 2017 TSS match, in time to see the U14A side play and by the end of that season I was making sure to get there early to see an amazingly talented young TSS centre play named Jojo Fifita, I will doing the same again this coming season with the added bonus of seeing talented Titans contract Kaleb Ngamanu operating in the same side.
Obviously you cannot get too carried away as a spectator as so much will change as young players progress such as injuries, schooling competing priorities etc. but this young man was a real handful every match that I was lucky enough to see him play for TSS.
A team mate of Jojo Fifita in 2017 was centre partner and Titans contracted Kaleb Ngamanu. They will likely line-up again in the centres in 2018 in the U15A GPS school boy competition when the season proper kicks off in July.
This season for the TSS U15A side, Jojo Fifita 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 fullback for the last three trials against Nudgee, Ipswich Grammar School and Ambrose Treacy College.
In the GPS school boy U15A season proper, Jojo Fifita started all eight matches at fullback and in Round Five against BBC scored an outstanding 50 metre try splitting the defence to score under the posts.
As a consequence of his outstanding play I went to watch a number of his matches for Sunnybank Blue in the Brisbane Rugby U15 competition. In that competition which is split into two, Jojo Fifita played in a total of seven matches and scored an impressive thirteen tries.
In the first half of the season, Jojo Fifita scored a hat trick in Round One against Souths Black and four tries in the first week of the finals against Souths Black as well.
In the second half of the season, he was just a prolific scoring a hat trick against Easts Gold in Round Three, a double in Round One against Redlands and he also scored against Sunnybank Green.
In his seven matches he started three at fullback, two at outside centre and two from the bench.
From a representative rugby perspective in 2018 Jojo Fifita was selected in the City U16 side at fullback after starring for Brisbane Green in the preceding Championships.
In 2017, Jojo Fifita started in all eight Rounds of the GPS U14A competition, starting the first three rounds at inside centre before switching to fullback for the remainder of the season. In his eight matches Jojo Fifita scored an incredible fourteen tries, crossing in every match.
Jojo Fifita scored a hat trick in Round two against Toowoomba Grammar School and four doubles which came against Ipswich Grammar School, Brisbane Boys College, Brisbane Grammar School and Churchie, in Rounds Three, Four, Six and Nine respectively.
Jojo Fifita also scored in Round One against Brisbane State High School, Round Five against Gregory Terrace and in Round Eight against Nudgee College.
Jojo Fifita is not just a try scorer and on four occasions last school boy rugby season, he was named at the TSS U14A best back. He was awarded the honour against Toowoomba Grammar School, Brisbane Boys College and Churchie in Rounds Tow, Four and Nine respectively as well as against Downlands College.
To cap off an incredible U15A season for TSS, Jojo Fifita started at outside centre for TSS when they played a “trial” against Downlands College during their Round Seven bye. In that match, Jojo Fifita scored a staggering seven tries.
The 2015 Gold Coast Academy of Sport Rugby participant and TSS outside centre represented the U13 Brisbane Green side at the 2016 Queensland Age Rugby championships and from there was selected in the City side for their annual clash against a Country U13 side in a curtain raiser to a Queensland Reds Super Rugby clash which the City side won.
Jojo Fifita also is a star athlete and a top class sprinter at the 100m and 200m distances as well as being a good discus thrower and competed in the Queensland State Athletic championships in Townsville representing the South Coast region at the sprint distances mentioned as well as the South Coast relay team.
In 2016 for the TSS U13A side Jojo Fifita was deservedly nominated for the TSS Best Junior Footballer of the year award after the 2016 GPS season where he scored four tries, including a hat trick against Brisbane Grammar School in Round Five in a comprehensive 52 – 24 victory and also scored in the final match, being Round Nine against Brisbane State High School in a tough loss for TSS. I was lucky enough to also see him play in Round Eight against Anglican Church Grammar School where he was a handful for the Churchie defence every time that he touched the ball.
In attack one of the positives in rugby compared to league is the space that centres have, when the ball is given to them early they seem to have a lot more room to move and this is something that Jojo Fifita has exploited this season in eth GPS competition. Against Brisbane Grammar School in Round Five he got the ball early and expertly stepped the opposing centre on the inside and out paced the cover defence to the try line.
Whilst he is a big strong powerful young centre, he 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, as was evidenced by his three tries against Brisbane Grammar School as well as some good breaks against Churchie.
From what I have seen I would consider that his speed would in the plus category if not in the plus plus category for a centre, add his power and strong fend and you really have a young centre that could develop in anything on a football field. I concede that I know little about the attacking strategies and philosophies of the TSS rugby coaches but he seems to run slightly better when he lines up on the right hand side of the field, his spacing, line running and ability to beat his opposite number on the inside seems a little more instinctive from that side of the field.
Jojo Fifita must be a five eight’s dream, when he gets the ball early he causes real havoc for the defensive line whether he is playing in the centres or at fullback.
Defensively he hits very hard and constantly is in a position to disrupt the attacking movement of the opposition. Extrapolating his skill set to a rugby league setting, 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 and similarly in committing to the break down in rugby, he will put his head over the ball to protect the ball when TSS have it and also clear out aggressively when looking for the turn over for TSS. The GPS matches are keenly contested regardless of the age group and the rucks and mauls are not for the faint hearted as young men represent their schools with pride.
Jojo Fifita will be part of the U16A TSS side for the 2019 GPS rugby season where he will form a lethal backline with Titans contracted Kaleb Ngamanu and Gold Coast Rugby League stand out Syris Schmidt.
It is also quite possible that Jojo Fifita will get an opportunity in the TSS First XV sometime in 2019 and will more than likely be a Queensland U16 rugby selection.
From a position perspective, Jojo Fifita currently plays either in the centres or fullback for both TSS and representative rugby sides such as the Cyclones and South Coast and as a result it is impossible to determine at this stage whether his future lies at fullback or in the centres, he is simply outstanding in both positions.
He just looks a natural on a football field and if he can have a bit of luck with injuries etc. the sky is the limit for the talented young athlete.
From a player comparison perspective, I will once again qualify my comments that when I am making a player comparison I am talking about a playing style rather than potential career path. For me Jojo Fifita has a little bit of South Sydney Rabbitoh, Queensland State of Origin captain and Australian Test centre Greg Inglis in his game. On his day he can be a bullocking runner who can just break a game open individually.
Clearly players at this age have a long way to go and you have to be careful not to get too carried away but sometimes you just come across a young player who looks a natural, Jojo Fifita is one such player and all you can do is wish him the best going forward
Brad Billsborough. The nuggetty 20 year old half or five eight Brad has made the move from the UK Championship to the Grafton Ghosts in Northern New South Wales to play for their 2019 Tooheys New Group Two First Grade side.
Brad Billsborough started the 2018 season with Whitehaven in the English League One rugby league competition before moving to the Swinton Lions in the UK Championship and despite feelers from at least two English Super League clubs has chosen to head to the Titans doorstep to gain experience in Australia.
For Whitehaven in the English League One competition in 2018, Brad Billsborough played in six matches, starting three at half and coming off the bench in the remainder and scored a try and kicked four goals to finish with 12 points prior to his move to the Championship.
For the Swinton Lions in the English Championship, Brad Billsborough played in eight matches, starting five at half and coming off the bench in the remainder and kicked one conversion.
Brad Billsborough has already experienced international rugby league being part of the German National Rugby League side, making his debut in 2016 as an 18 year old.
For Germany to date, Brad Billsborough has started all three of his International matches scoring three tries and kicking twelve goals for a 36 point haul. Brad Billsborough has been selected in the German 2021 Emerging Nations World Cup squad.
Prior to making his League One and Championship debuts in 2018, Brad Billsborough spent a number of seasons with the St Helens U19 side including being part of the their 2016 U19 unbeaten Championship winning side.
Brad Billsborough 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 footage that I have seen at least.
Brad Billsborough 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 Brad Billsborough.
Brad Billsborough 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 Brad Billsborough 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 Brad Billsborough 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 see Brad Billsborough 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 Brad Billsborough defending in the front line.
As noted above Brad Billsborough will play the 2019 season with the Grafton Ghosts in the Group Two First Grade competition, likely partnering in the halves with former Titans youngster Jack Frame and with the outstanding Dylan Collett on their outside in the centres.
The Titans have a good relationship with the Grafton Ghosts which have provided the Titans NRL squad with Anthony Don, and talented youngsters such as Ben Liyou and Jake Martin have also moved to the Coast as part of the Titans outstanding TEDS program from the Ghosts.
Brad Billsborough has spent his entire career in England at either half or five eight and with his nuggetty build, sound organising skills and darting runs seems destined to stay there although I would be intrigued to see how he would go at hooker.
From an NRL player comparison perspective for Brad Billsborough, I can really see aspects of the play of former Titan and Manly NRL utility Cameron Cullen as a player who provides a spark in both attack and defence when he is on the field with his feisty and aggressive take no prisoner’s nature in the way that he plays.
Yool Yool. The outstanding flyer is currently playing rugby in New South Wales for the Manly Rugby club after a stellar school boy rugby career with St Stanislaus College and in 2018 was part of the New South Wales U19 rugby squad.
In late 2018 Yool Yool was named in the Australian Junior Wallabies U20 squad and will be U20 eligible once again in 2020.
In 2018 Yool Yool played for Manly in the Sydney Colts I competition, playing in all nineteen of Manly’s matches including their Qualifying Final loss to Randwick.
Yool Yool finished the 2018 Colts I season with ten tries, 24 conversions and three penalty goals for a point’s total of 107 points.
Yool Yool scored doubles against Eastern Suburbs in Round Four and Warringah in Round Seven, with his other tries coming against Northern Suburbs (Round Two), Sydney University (Round Six), Parramatta (Round Ten), West Harbour (Round Eleven), West Harbour (Round Fifteen) and Eastwood in Round Eighteen.
With the boot, Yool Yool kicked six conversions in Round Fifteen against West Harbour and five in a Round Three match against Southern Districts.
Yool Yool played Manly’s first ten Colts I matches in 2018 on the right wing before moving to fullback, playing there for the first time in Round Eleven against West Harbour. Yool Yool stayed at fullback before moving to the left wing for Round Eighteen against Eastwood and also started on the left wing in the Qualifying Final against Randwick.
The powerful young man is blessed with plus speed and strength who can either run straight over an opposing defender or run a good line into gaps in the defensive line.
Once in space Yool Yool’s speed is in the plus category and whilst he does not necessarily have a dominant step he has great body control and balance when running at top speed which enables him to have a very good swerve which he used over the course of the 2017 season to beat opposing fullbacks.
One thing that I have noticed in games was that when he broke into space with only the fullback to beat, Yool Yool actually changes his running angle to run directly at the fullback. What this did was stop any sideways movement of the defending fullback meaning his subsequent swerve was even more difficult to combat as the fullback has lost all lateral momentum as Yool Yool is converging on him.
On occasion Yool Yool can get fixated on beating the fullback by himself, I think that this however more a reflection on his enthusiasm rather than any hint of selfishness, I think that when he gets into space he just wants to score.
Yool Yool seems to enjoy every minute of his time on the field especially when he is running with the ball. Throughout a game he rarely has anything but a smile on his face even when he gets hit heavily in a tackle.
Defensively Yool Yool is a strong hard hitter who will move forward to meet the ball carrier once they have broken into space. Whether it is by design or a by-product of his aggressive approach his movement forward to attack opponents who have broken through the Manly Colts defensive line dramatically cuts down on the space and the decision making time of the opponent and a couple of times during that season led to dropped balls when the attacker rushed the pass to his supports or Yool Yool hit the attacker as he was still trying to set up for the pass.
Another impressive defensive attribute that Yool Yool possesses is the functional strength to engage and redirect the momentum of attackers close to his own try line mitigating the threat to the try line. On those circumstances his initial contact is of a violent nature and over the course of the 2018 season Yool Yool was able to completely halt the attacking side’s momentum through just one tackle and consequently turn defence into attack.
Yool Yool will be part of the New South Wales Gen Blue U20 side this season as well as training with the Australian Junior Wallabies U20 squad and will continue to play for Manly in the Sydney Colts I competition and will also be Colts eligible in 2020.
From an ultimate position perspective, I think that Yool Yool would make an exceptional winger in rugby league especially one that could come in off his wing to take pressure off his forward pack as well as returning kicks. His pace and power coupled with his low centre of gravity makes him an incredibly difficult proposition for opposition backlines and forwards to deal with effectively.
From a player comparison perspective I struggled a little trying to come up with someone who has the power, strength and speed of the rough diamond that is Yool Yool but in the end the best comparison may be former Melbourne Storm winger and current Wallaby Marika Koroibete as a physically gifted player still with a long way to go to reach their full potential but regardless a player who already shows flashes of exceptional ability.
Star junior rugby player Harry Wilson started at No.8 in Round Two of the Brisbane Premier Rugby competition for Brothers and scored in their 28-8 win over Souths.
This kid is a star regardless of code, a flat out star.
After playing the 2018 season with the Souths Logan Colts side former Toowoomba Grammar School First XV rugby star Ashdon Watson made his Brisbane Premier Rugby First Grade debut yesterday in Round Three at outside centre for University of Queensland as they defeated Souths 54-40.
In Round On of the Sydney Colts I premiership last weekend Yool Yool started on the left wing and scored five tries as his Manly side defeated Western Sydney Two Blues 120-0.
Yool Yool. The outstanding flyer is currently playing rugby in New South Wales for the Manly Rugby club after a stellar school boy rugby career with St Stanislaus College and in 2018 was part of the New South Wales U19 rugby squad.
In late 2018 Yool Yool was named in the Australian Junior Wallabies U20 squad and will be U20 eligible once again in 2020.
In 2018 Yool Yool played for Manly in the Sydney Colts I competition, playing in all nineteen of Manly’s matches including their Qualifying Final loss to Randwick.
Yool Yool finished the 2018 Colts I season with ten tries, 24 conversions and three penalty goals for a point’s total of 107 points.
Yool Yool scored doubles against Eastern Suburbs in Round Four and Warringah in Round Seven, with his other tries coming against Northern Suburbs (Round Two), Sydney University (Round Six), Parramatta (Round Ten), West Harbour (Round Eleven), West Harbour (Round Fifteen) and Eastwood in Round Eighteen.
With the boot, Yool Yool kicked six conversions in Round Fifteen against West Harbour and five in a Round Three match against Southern Districts.
Yool Yool played Manly’s first ten Colts I matches in 2018 on the right wing before moving to fullback, playing there for the first time in Round Eleven against West Harbour. Yool Yool stayed at fullback before moving to the left wing for Round Eighteen against Eastwood and also started on the left wing in the Qualifying Final against Randwick.
The powerful young man is blessed with plus speed and strength who can either run straight over an opposing defender or run a good line into gaps in the defensive line.
Once in space Yool Yool’s speed is in the plus category and whilst he does not necessarily have a dominant step he has great body control and balance when running at top speed which enables him to have a very good swerve which he used over the course of the 2017 season to beat opposing fullbacks.
One thing that I have noticed in games was that when he broke into space with only the fullback to beat, Yool Yool actually changes his running angle to run directly at the fullback. What this did was stop any sideways movement of the defending fullback meaning his subsequent swerve was even more difficult to combat as the fullback has lost all lateral momentum as Yool Yool is converging on him.
On occasion Yool Yool can get fixated on beating the fullback by himself, I think that this however more a reflection on his enthusiasm rather than any hint of selfishness, I think that when he gets into space he just wants to score.
Yool Yool seems to enjoy every minute of his time on the field especially when he is running with the ball. Throughout a game he rarely has anything but a smile on his face even when he gets hit heavily in a tackle.
Defensively Yool Yool is a strong hard hitter who will move forward to meet the ball carrier once they have broken into space. Whether it is by design or a by-product of his aggressive approach his movement forward to attack opponents who have broken through the Manly Colts defensive line dramatically cuts down on the space and the decision making time of the opponent and a couple of times during that season led to dropped balls when the attacker rushed the pass to his supports or Yool Yool hit the attacker as he was still trying to set up for the pass.
Another impressive defensive attribute that Yool Yool possesses is the functional strength to engage and redirect the momentum of attackers close to his own try line mitigating the threat to the try line. On those circumstances his initial contact is of a violent nature and over the course of the 2018 season Yool Yool was able to completely halt the attacking side’s momentum through just one tackle and consequently turn defence into attack.
Yool Yool will be part of the New South Wales Gen Blue U20 side this season as well as training with the Australian Junior Wallabies U20 squad and will continue to play for Manly in the Sydney Colts I competition and will also be Colts eligible in 2020.
From an ultimate position perspective, I think that Yool Yool would make an exceptional winger in rugby league especially one that could come in off his wing to take pressure off his forward pack as well as returning kicks. His pace and power coupled with his low centre of gravity makes him an incredibly difficult proposition for opposition backlines and forwards to deal with effectively.
From a player comparison perspective I struggled a little trying to come up with someone who has the power, strength and speed of the rough diamond that is Yool Yool but in the end the best comparison may be former Melbourne Storm winger and current Wallaby Marika Koroibete as a physically gifted player still with a long way to go to reach their full potential but regardless a player who already shows flashes of exceptional ability.
Yool Yool with another two tries this afternoon in Round Two of the Sydney Colts I premiership for Manly as they defeated Eastwood 57-7.
In Round On of the Sydney Colts I premiership last weekend Yool Yool started on the left wing and scored five tries as his Manly side defeated Western Sydney Two Blues 120-0.
I appreciate that he is contracted to the Roosters at the moment but former BBC Rugby star Xavier Savage has recently moved to the Gold Coast to attend PBC where he started in the centres in their Open B side in their recent Langer Cup match against St Mary's in Toowoomba.
Last weekend he was also selected in the Queensland U18 school boys side and this weekend starts at fullback in his first club match on the Gold Coast for Bilambil in their Round Six match against Helensvale.
He is a former Queensland U16 100m state champion.
Lets hope he really likes the Coast and wants to stay.
One of the new players in the TSS rugby ranks is former South African youngster Zach Strydom who started all fullback today in the TSS U16A trial side against Nudgee.
In South Africa he also played fly half.
The TSS First XV side in this afternoon's trail against Nudgee has on the left wing an exciting Fiji prospect in Isaiah Tolotu who is a damaging runner of the ball reminiscent of a few Fiji born wingers in the NRL both current and recently.
The TSS U16A side went down 30-20 this afternoon.
One of the new players in the TSS rugby ranks is former South African youngster Zach Strydom who started all fullback today in the TSS U16A trial side against Nudgee.
In South Africa he also played fly half.
Bayside Titan
06-06-19, 11:04 AM
Xavier Coats who is signed with ??
Whats Doing
06-06-19, 11:47 AM
Xavier Coats who is signed with ??
I believe the Drongoes.
Bayside Titan
06-06-19, 12:10 PM
Thanks mate.
Xavier Savage scored a hat trick and kicked a conversion last weekend for Bilambil.
He is off contract with the Roosters at the end of the season, but rumours suggest that he will sign with the Canberra Raiders.
I appreciate that he is contracted to the Roosters at the moment but former BBC Rugby star Xavier Savage has recently moved to the Gold Coast to attend PBC where he started in the centres in their Open B side in their recent Langer Cup match against St Mary's in Toowoomba.
Last weekend he was also selected in the Queensland U18 school boys side and this weekend starts at fullback in his first club match on the Gold Coast for Bilambil in their Round Six match against Helensvale.
He is a former Queensland U16 100m state champion.
Lets hope he really likes the Coast and wants to stay.
Titanium Titan
11-06-19, 11:06 AM
What do people think of Xavier Coates?
Very good centre prospect who apparently will be part of the Broncos Top 30 NRL squad next season
What do people think of Xavier Coates?
Titanium Titan
11-06-19, 11:43 AM
Very good centre prospect who apparently will be part of the Broncos Top 30 NRL squad next season
Wonder if we could get him to the Titans?
Signed a new two year deal with the Broncos a fortnight ago.
Rest assured however that the Titans are doing well on the junior development front, it is just talked about in the press. Jamie MCCormack is doing a great job.
Wonder if we could get him to the Titans?
Titanium Titan
11-06-19, 02:06 PM
Looks like the Roosters have signed have signed Sam Walker from the Broncos. Wonder who will be the better halfback long term, Dearden or Walker?
Outstanding Fijian youngster Isaiah Tolotu will start at outside centre for the TSS U16A GPS school boy rugby side in their Round One match at home this Saturday.
The BBC GPS School boy Rugby First XV side looks a solid unit but their back line screams absolute potential.
Centres Lukas Ripley (played for our U14 Development Squad in the past) and Jack Howarth (2019 Qld U18 rugby league representative whose Melbourne Storm contract expires at the end of the year) are representative rugby league players in the making as is speedy, elusive fullback Taj Annan.
Looking forward to catching them in person at BBC in Round Three against Brisbane Grammar School.
The Titans could be far worse than looking at 16 year old Ipswich Grammar School right winger Malique Douthat-Sjober who tore Brisbane State High School apart yesterday in Round One of the GPS First XV School boy rugby competition.
A powerful young player is Norths Devils winger Blaid Pakura who has been in and out of the Norths Colts side but has also played for Norths in the GBRL First Grade competition.
He was a star school boy rugby league for St Johns Anglican College.
He may not end up a star but you will not find a better young man backed up by a great family.
Lukas Ripley, Jack Howarth and Taj Annan have all been named in the same positions for tomorrow's Round Two match against Gregory Terrace.
The BBC GPS School boy Rugby First XV side looks a solid unit but their back line screams absolute potential.
Centres Lukas Ripley (played for our U14 Development Squad in the past) and Jack Howarth (2019 Qld U18 rugby league representative whose Melbourne Storm contract expires at the end of the year) are representative rugby league players in the making as is speedy, elusive fullback Taj Annan.
Looking forward to catching them in person at BBC in Round Three against Brisbane Grammar School.
Former Titans Development Squad member Dennis Waight has signed with the ACT Brumbies and is currently playing in the ACT First Grade Rugby competition.
Logan Brothers stand out U16 Division One second rower Ezra Howe comes onto the left wing for Brisbane State High School for Round Two of the GPS School Boy rugby First XV competition.
Former 2018 Qld U16 rugby league representative flyer Trezman Banjo comes onto the left wing for Nudgee College in their Round Two match against Brisbane State High School of the GPS School Boy rugby First XV competition.
Former Titans Development Squad player Ronan Kapi has missed a few rounds but it is good to see him named in the centres for the Bond University Colts Round 18 rugby side in their match this afternoon against Sunnybank.
Former Burleigh rugby league player Zane Prohpet was one of the try scorers for the Bond University Colts II side this morning in their 60-17 win over Sunnybank.
Former GC junior rugby league players were three of the try scorers for Bond University Colts I this afternoon in their loss to Sunnybank with Ronan Kapi, Julian Knap and Rhian Stowers the Bond try scorers.
Deon Sameula was simply outstanding at fullback this afternoon for the TSS First XV side in their big win against Churchie.
He scored two tries, set up one or two more and broke the line at will including in the last minute when he split the line from a scrum and got the ball away by the TSS right wing was just taken into touch.
Some of his tactical kicking was a sight to behold from both a distance and accuracy perspective.
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