Talented junior players not linked to the Titans but maybe should be

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.

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Originally Posted by mdrew

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.

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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.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mdrew

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.

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