My take on our top juniors

Ziah Piggott. The young Titans linked fullback was one of the players that represented one of the Titans U15 squads that played each other and a Western Mustangs selection at Mudgeeraba in February 2019.

When community rugby league restarted in July 2020, Ziah Piggott played for the Kyogle Turkeys in the Group One U16.6 competition and was one of their try scorers in Round Two as the Turkeys defeated Casino RSM 30 – 12.

Round Three saw Ziah Piggott line up in the left second row position in Round Three as Casino RSM went down 26 – 14 to the Grafton Ghosts and Ziah Piggott continued in that position in Round Four against Ballina.

Ziah Piggot changed positions for the Turkey’s Round Five match against Casino RSM, starting the twenty all draw at left centre. Ziah Piggott also started at left centre and scored in Round Six as the Turkeys went down 38 – 22 to the Ballina Seagulls.

Ziah Piggott moved back to the second row in Round Eight against the Clarence Coast Magpies scoring in the 16 all draw and also started in the second row in Round Nine as the Turkeys went down by two points, 24 – 22 against the Clarence Cooast Magpies.

Ziah Piggott finished the 2020 Group One U16.5 season, starting from the bench and scoring for the Kyogle Turkeys as they defeated Casino RSM 58 – 0.

In total in the 2020 Group One U16.5 competition, Ziah Piggott scored three tries.

Ziah Piggot played the 2019 season with the magnificently named Kyogle Turkey’s in the Group One competition, playing in both his regular U15 age group and also playing a number of matches “up” in the U16.5 group One competition.

In the 2019 Group One U15 competition Ziah Piggott played nine regular season matches for Kyogle scoring fourteen tries (156% strike rate) including a big match in Round Four when he scored four tries against Lismore Marist Brothers in a 36 – 14 win for the Turkeys. In fact Ziah Piggott finished five tries clear on the Group One U15 top try scorers list such was the outstanding season that Ziah Piggott had.

Ziah Piggott also had a big Round Six match scoring four tries for Kyogle as they defeated Clarence Coast 38 - 12.

Ziah Piggott’s other 2019 Group One regular season U15 tries included a double against Casino RSM and he also scored against Ballina, Lismore Marist Brothers, Casino RSM and Clarence Coast.

Ziah Piggott added a further U15 try in Week One of the 2019 Group One finals series but unfortunately Kyogle fell 26 – 10 to Ballina.

Ziah Piggott’s 2019 season came to an end when Kyogle went down 18 – 12 to Clarence Coast in the 2019 Group One U15 Preliminary Final.

In the 2019 Group One U16.5 competition Ziah Piggott played in nine matches, his debut being against Clarence Coast in Round Two scoring on debut. In addition to his Round Two try, Ziah Piggott also scored against Lismore Marist Brothers Blue in Round Four and he also scored a double against Lismore Marist Blue in Round Twelve to finish with a strike rate of 44.44%.

In relation to all of his 2019 Group One U16.5 matches, Ziah Piggott played in that fixture after playing in the U15 match earlier in the day.

Ziah Piggott was named in the centres for the 2019 Group One U15 Taipans for the New South Wales Country Age Championships that were held in Port Macquarie in late September. Ziah Piggott scored a double in Group One’s 40 – 10 win over Group 19 in their second match of Day One and scored again in Group One’s loss 38 – 12 to Central Coast on Day Two.

Also in 2019 Ziah Piggott whilst attending Kyogle High School made the Northern Rivers U15 rugby league representative side after trialling in March at Kardina High School.

In 2018, Ziah Piggott played fifteen matches including starting the Grand Final at fullback in the Group One U14 competition, scoring twenty tries (133% strike rate), including scoring a hat trick in Round Two against Clarence Coast.

Mid-season in 2018, Ziah Piggott had an incredible string of five straight games where he scored a double in each match with those matches coming in order against Grafton, Ballina, Casino RSM, Lismore Marist Brothers and Clarence Coast.

2018 also saw Ziah Piggott play one match “üp”in the Group One U15 competition scoring a double on debut against the South Grafton Rebels in July 2018 after playing in the U14 fixture earlier in the day.

Ziah Piggott represented the Group One U14 representative side in 2018, starting at fullback in all five of their matches in the New South Wales Country U14 Age Championships including scoring in their Plate Final victory against Group Nine 22 – 18, with Ziah Piggott’s try the one that gave the lead to Group One for good late in the second half.

Over the last couple of season, Ziah Piggott has been a regular in Kyogle High School (nick name the Brogla’s) rugby league age teams including 2017 in the U13’s in the Country Cup. In Round One of that competition in 2017 Ziah Piggott scored a ha trick for the Brolga’s as they defeated Casino High School 28 – 10.

In the match Ziah Piggott scored his first try in the opening minutes when he regathered a chip kick to score out wide. Ziah Piggott’s second try in the match when he split the Casino defence on a seventy metre run to the line. Ziah Piggott completed his hat trick late in the match when he was on the end of a blind side set play from a scrum win down a short blind side.

In Round Two Kyogle High School played The Rivers College, with Ziah Piggott scoring another hat trick. Ziah Piggott’s first try of the match was an outstanding solo effort from fifty metres out splitting the defence with speed and guile. Ziah Piggott’s second try resulted when he ran into a gap and received a great ball from Ronnie Daniels.

Ziah Piggott’s hat trick was completed when after good inside work from the Kyogle halves he ran through a gap to score. The Brolga’s won the match 38 – 14.

Kyogle High School played Evans River High School with Ziah Piggott starting the match from the bench but came on mid-way through the first half and scored two tries before the break as Kyogle went on to win 22 – 4.

Ziah Piggott has also a good athletic record at Kyogle High School including being named 2017 Boys U13 Althlete of the Yearas well as U13 Northern Rivers Zone Athletics Champion as well as representing North Coast at the New South Wales Age School Boy Track and Field Age Championships.

In 2018 Ziah Piggot was awarded a Sports Achievement Award and won the 200 metres sprint event at the New South Wales Combined High Schools State Carnival qualifying for the National Athletics Chapionships.

Ziah Piggott in 2018 represented Kyogle High School at the North Coast Combined High Schools Track and Field Championships.

In the 100 metres sprint at those Championships Ziah Piggott won in a time of 12.27 seconds and he ran 24.94 seconds to won the 200 metres event.

Ziah Piggott was also part of the Kyolge High School U14 4 x 100 metre relay team that finished third in a time of 52.79 seconds.

Also in 2018 Ziah Piggott was selected in the New South Wales Combined High Schools Northern Rivers Zone touch side.

For a taller fullback Ziah Piggott is very quick off the mark and when the ball is being brought out of his teams half he is always around the forwards looking for off loads but as evidenced by one of his tries he also can play the way a lot of the current fullbacks play when they receive the football “out the back” from the half or five eight.

Ziah Piggott 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 terms of his defence, one thing that stood out to me when have seen him play is when the opposition makes a break Ziah Piggott moves forward looking to cut down the time of the attacking player, which is quite impressive for such a young player. Due to his length, Ziah Piggott is good also at defending the high ball.

Ziah Piggott will play the 2021 season when it restarts with Kyogle in the Group One U16.5 competition and may well also feature in a number of matches for Kyogle in their U18 NRRRL squad. Ziah Piggott has already left school and is working full time thus he has a maturity level probably higher than the majority of players his age.

Ziah Piggott has also been named in the initial squad for the 2021 U16 Northern Rivers Titans Andrew Johns Cup squad.

Ziah Piggott has been a fullback or centre his entire junior rugby league career to date and whilst that is likely to continue to as least the medium term it would not surprise if Ziah Piggott moves to the wing or even to the centres as he nears the senior rugby league ranks. Interestingly in 2020 Ziah Piggott played a numbe of matches in the second row and thus where he plays in 2021 will be interesting to see.

On the wing Ziah Piggott’s length, balance and body control would be a great asset in terms of the ability of modern day wingers to score the incredible try or two and it is a similar situation in the centres.

From a player comparison perspective for Ziah Piggott, I would say a reasonable comparison to Josh Duggan of the Cronulla Sharks would be fair as a player who is a very good runner of the football and who has the confidence to back himself in both attack and defence regardless of the situation of the game. Like Duggan, Ziah Piggott can more than comfortably handle playing both at fullback and in the centres.

As harsh as it sounds though, Ziah Piggott is far more durable that Josh Duggan though and will more than likely continue to be as his career progresses.

Reico Ratana. The Titans linked local forward from the Nerang Roosters junior rugby league club was part of the Titans U16 side that defeated the Newcastle Knights U16 Harold Matthews side in Coffs Harbour in January 2020, 18 -14 in wet and slippery conditions coming off the bench in what I believe was his second match in Titans colours.

In November 2020 Reico Ratana was named in the powerful 2021 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad.

The powerful solidly built front rower or second rower was also part of the Titans U15 side that defeated the Balmain Tigers 34 – 16 at Piggabeen in early October 2019 after being in camp for the couple of days prior to the annual match in Northern New South Wales.

In February 2020 Reico Ratana was named in the Gold Coast Vikings U16 Training Squad for the 2020 South East Queensland pre-season challenge but unfortunately the competition had to be cancelled due to the pandemic.

Also in 2020 Reico Ratana was part of the PBC in their Walters Cup side starting PBC’s opening three matches of the South East Queensland school boy rugby league competition at right second row and scoring in Rounds Two and Three against Wavell SHS and St Mary's Toowoomba.

Against Wavell in Round Two Reico Ratana received the ball down a short blind side and charged through four Wavell defenders to score wide on the right.

Reico Ratana's try in Round Three against St Mary’s highlighted some good footwork from the young man, Reico Ratana was operating on the right and received the ball after the ball was spun that way by PBC. Immediately upon receiving the ball Reico Ratana stepped off his right foot to get into space and then charged seven metres through the gap that his step created to score mid-way between the corner post and goal post on the right side of the field.

Reico Ratana shifted to the left second row position in Round Four against Forest Lake State High School and was simply too big and strong for Forest Lake to handle including a big run down the left touch line in the opening minutes and a one armed off load to his right for a try assist also early in the match after he broke through the initial defensive line.

Reico Ratana continued his run of starts at right second row in Round Five against Marsden State High School and in the 2020 Walters Cup semi-final against Wavell State High School.

In the 2020 Walters Cup Grand Final Reico Ratana captained the PBC side and started at right second row and was one of PBC’s best as they went down to a Titans contracted William Semu inspired Marsden SHS side.

Reico Ratana played the 2020 Gold Coast Rugby League season with Nerang in the U16 Division One competition and in their One v Two play off match against Runaway Bay was named the Roosters best forward in their 36 – 4 victory.

The PBC student played for the Nerang Roosters in the GCRL U15 Division One competition in 2019 playing in eleven regular season matches and scoring in late July against Runaway Bay for his sole try of the season but his impact on the competition and his Runaway Bay side was worth far more than just that one try.

In Week Two of the GCRL U15 Division One Finals Reico Ratana started in the front row for Nerang as they went down 20 – 0 to Runaway Bay. Reico Ratana also started in the front row for Nerang in their 22 – 18 Preliminary Final victory over Helensvale to progress to the Grand Final.

In the 2019 GCRL U15 Division One Grand Final Reico Ratana once again started in the front row as Nerang avenged their Week Two finals defeat by Runaway Bay to win a physical and fiery Grand Final 36 – 24.

2019 also saw Reico Ratana play for PBC in various Queensland based school boy competitions including producing a Player of the Match performance in the Year Nine Hancock Cup Grand Final win 24 – 18 against Coombabah State High School in Brisbane.

Reico Ratana started PBC’s fight back after they fell behind 18 – 6 early in the second half when he scored a barn storming try. Reico Ratana took the ball to the right of the play the ball from the dummy half around ten metres out from the line and cut back against the grain to score near where the ball was played skittling multiple Coombabah defenders along the way.

After the season Reico Ratana was awarded the Year Nine PBC Future Reds Award at the PBC Sports Award Night held in November 2019.

In 2019 Reico Ratana was also part of the all-conquering U15 South Coast that went through the QSSRL U15 school boy Championships undefeated.

Late in the 2019 season Reico Ratana was named in the Queensland Maori U16 QPICC side and was impressively named in the front row in the 2019 Nga Hau e Wha Māori Tournament U16 Boys Merit Team.

In 2018 for the Nerang Roosters in the GCRL U14 competition Reico Ratana played in fourteen matches, including finals, scoring three tries which all came against Coomera in three separate matches.

In late 2018 Reico Ratana was part of the Queensland Maori U14 side that competed in the QPICC carnival and was in fact named as Queensland Maori U14’s Most Valuable Player at the cultural carnival.

Reico Ratana has been a Gold Coast representative regular in recent seasons. In addition to representing South Coast U15’s this season, Reico Ratana represented the Gold Coast Vikings U14 side in 2018 playing three matches and scoring on Day One against the Ipswich Diggers. Reico Ratana also played three matches for the Gold Coast Viking sU13’s in 2017 starting those matches in the centres in fact.

The young Nerang Roosters lock has had a great start to the 2017 junior rugby league season, successfully trialling for a spot in the 25 player 2017 Gold Coast Vikings U13 squad after playing the 2016 GCJRL season at the U12 Division One level once again for Nerang.

Reico Ratana played ten matches in the U12 Division One competition in 2016, scoring three tries and kicking a single goal which came against Jimboomba in June. Reico Ratana scored his tries against Burleigh, Currumbin and Southport with all three tries coming in the second half of the season.

Reico Ratana very late in the season played one match in the U13 Division Three competition which was against Burleigh Heads 3 which was on the weekend after his U12 commitments for 2016 were completed.

Reico Ratana is a big powerful solidly built young man who whilst using his size to his advantage by running hard and straight, does have quite decent footwork prior to the defensive line, which he uses to cut back behind the play the ball to take advantage of defenders who are slow to get back into the defensive line.

An area where Reico Ratana has really improved over the last two season is in relation to his off-loads in previous seasons he did not off load too much but this season he really has been able to get his arms free and get away some telling off-loads. Reico Ratana 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

One area that Reico Ratana is continuing to develop based on his size, skills and footwork is the ability to off load before the line, an example of what I am meaning is how the Canterbury Bulldogs forward pack uses those small offloads prior to the line. Reico Ratana has shown glimpses of having the skills to utilise the same skills if the opportunities arise, developing this skill with only enhance his effectiveness.

In defence Reico Ratana uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. He is not averse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage and reasonable agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck, although clearly he is more effective in the centre of the ruck, as most front rowers are.

Reico Ratana’s raw natural strength and power means that he is also dominant when looking to slow the play the ball down from a wrestling perspective and for that matter looking to beat the wrestling tactics of the opposition when trying to get to his feet for a quick play the ball.

Reico Ratana will play the 2021 season for the Nerang Roosters in the GCRL U18 Division One competition after playing for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the 2021 MM Cup competition.

Reico Ratana will also continue to be part of the PBC Rugby League Sports Specialisation Program and be included in their multiple school boy competition sides and will push for playing time in PBC’s GIO Cup and Langer Cup school boy squads.

Reico Ratana played primarily in the front row for Nerang in 2019 and 2020 but with his power and late quick footwork, I think that Reico Ratana is best suited to the second row, where he played for PBC in 2019 for the short term at least.

From a player comparison perspective I would consider a less bulky version of former Penrith Panther, Parramatta Eel, Canterbury Bulldog and New Zealand International Frank Pritchard as someone with a similar style to Reico Ratana, being that of a damaging running back rower with underappreciated offloading skills and a tough hard defensive mentality.

Dominique Sandow. The exciting youngster from the Nanango Staggs in country Queensland has signed a two year deal with the Titans JTS program after also being on the radar of the Brisbane Bronco’s, in fact Dominique Sandow was part of their Elite Development Program prior to signing with the Titans.

The 2020 even though he was still U15 eligible, Dominique Sandow played in the Sunshine Coast U16 competition for Gympie, starting Round One against Coolum on the bench before moving into the starting side at fullback in Round Two against The Bay where he stayed for the remainder of the 2020 season.

Early in 2020 Dominique Sandow, from Murgon State High School, was selected in the Wide Bay U15 school boy representative side. Dominique Sandow also represented Wide Bay in 2017 at the 11/12 Queensland Boys State Championships, starting in the centres for Wide Bay.

In 2019 Dominique Sandow played for the Nanango Staggs in the U14 South Burnett rugby league competition leading the Staggs to a 14 – 10 Grand Final victory over Murgon.

In addition to being named player of the 2019 U14 South Burnett Grand Final, Dominuque Sandow was named the South Burnett U14 competitions Player of the Year and was named the South Burnett Rugby Legue Junior Eagle.

2019 also saw Dominuque Sandow represent the Central U14 side at the Queensland Junior State Championships scoring on Day Two against South East Queensland White.

When he runs the ball, Dominique Sandow is exceptionally quick and explosive, with exceptional speed, both off the mark and when he gets into open space. Dominique Sandow also can step off both feet exceptionally well and also has a great swerve whilst maintaining top speed.

In addition Dominique Sandow 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 Dominique Sandow 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, Dominique Sandow’s 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 Dominique Sandow is an absolute handful to tackle with his speed and evasion skills.

Defensively in the fullback position Dominique Sandow 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 Dominique Sandow does have is ability to force attackers who are in open space to try to beat him down the side line. Dominique Sandow 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.

Dominique Sandow will play the 2021 season at the U16 level and will also be part of the Titans JTS program.

Dominique Sandow has played both at fullback and in the centres over recent seasons in both club and representative sides and whilst he has played very well in the centres, with his speed, especially off the mark, and elusiveness, both out wide and through the centre of the ruck, I certainly think that Dominique Sandow will settle at fullback in the long term, although in the short term, Dominique Sandow will almost certainly continue to play in the centres as well.

With continued development of his play making and passing skills Dominique Sandow has intriguing potential for the coming seasons.

For me Dominique Sandow has a similar playing style to that of former Titan and English Super League half/fullback Albert Kelly. Like Kelly, Dominique Sandow has the electric speed off the mark to be able to exploit gaps in the defensive line and also has a bit of unpredictability about him which keeps defensive lines honest especially when Dominique Sandow runs with the ball in two hands directly at the line at pace.

Jamal Laurie. The Exciting young Titans linked Clarence Coast Magpie (former South Grafton Rebel) was named to start on the right wing for the Northern Rivers Titans in Round One of the 2020 U16 Andrew Johns Cup against the Parramatta Eels at Cudgen however the match was cancelled due to the wet conditions in northern New South Wales that particular weekend.

Jamal Laurie started on the right wing in Round Two of the U16 Andrew Johns Cup against the Newcastle Knights in Ballina scoring the Northern Rivers Titans second try of the match. From a scrum move, Jamal Laurie received the ball down a short blind side producing a good in and away to get outside his direct opponent and broke away after a powerful left arm fend on the same defender to run twenty metres to score.

Jamal Laurie also started on the right wing in Round Three against the Central Coast Roosters scoring the Northern Rivers Titans first try of the match when he took at intercept and ran ninety metres to score untouched an was able to bring the ball around to near the goal posts, to make it two tries from as many matches.

Jamal Laurie had a bug match In Round Four against the Greater Northern Tigers scoring a double after starting once again on the right wing. Jamal Laurie’s first try was a spectacular effort in just the second minute of the match when he leapt above his opposing winger to take a cross kick from Harvey Masoe spectacularly on the full to score in the right corner.

Jamal Laurie also stopped what looked like a certain Greater Northern Tigers try in the second half. The Greater Northern Tigers got outside the Titans right side defence and Jamal Laurie was confronted with a three on one situation just ten metres out from his own line. Just as the ball was passed Jamal Laurie was able to come forward and knock the ball into the air and finish off the intercept to prevent the try. To add to the impressive play Jamal Laurie was able to stay in the field of play and bring the ball back to the half-way mark to fundamentally change the momentum of the match.

Jamal Laurie also started on the right wing in the Round Five local derby against North Coast scoring once again from a long-range intercept. With North Coast attacking ten metres out from the Northern Rivers Titans line, the ball was spun to the left, Jamal Laurie sensing the danger, moved up directly into the North Coast attacking line, initially contacting the ball above his head, Jamal Laurie, did not panic when the ball rebounded in the air, he calmly collected the ball and ran eight five metres to score near the posts.

In total in his four U16 Andrew Johns Cup matches in 2020 for the Northern Rivers Titans Jamal Laurie scored five tries, including at least once in all four matches to finish as the Titans leading try scorer and with a 125% strike rate.

For the 2020 Group One season Jamal Laurie moved from South Grafton to the Clarence Coast Mapgies, including starting at left centre and scoring in Round Three of the U16.5 competition as the Magpies went down to Ballina.

Jamal Laurie also started at left centre in Round Four and scored his second try of the season as Clarence Coast defeated Casino RSM 40 – 0. Jamal Laurie continued his starts in the centres in Round Five against Ballina.

In Round Six Jamal Laurie moved to fullback as Clarence Coast continued their good form on the back on a 28 – 18 win over Casino RSM and also started at fullback in the Magpies 14 all draw in Round Six against the Kyogle Turkeys and also in a Round Eight 16 all draw against the Kyogle Turkeys.

Jamal Laurie continued at fullback in Round Nine and was one of the Magpies try scorers as they defeated the Kyogle Turkeys 24 – 22. Jamal Laurie also started at fullback and scored once again as the Clarence Coast Magpies finished off the regular season with a 28 – 17 win over the Ballian Seagulls.

In total in the 2020 Group One U16.5 season Jamal Laurie scored four tries from eight matches to finish with a 50% strike rate.

Jamal Laurie started in the centres for the Magpies in the 2020 Group One U16.5 Grand Final against the Ballina Seagulls.

Jamal Laurie was part of the Titans 2018/19 Group 18 U15 Development Squad after a 2018 season which saw him play the entire year up in the U15 age group even though he was still U14 eligible. Jamal Laurie has been playing “up” an age group for the last couple of seasons in fact.

In 2019 Jamal Laurie was selected in the Australian Secondary Schools U15 Invitational side for the ASSRL U15 Championships starting on the wing including on Day One in a 36 – 6 win over the Northern Territory.

Jamal Laurie started the 2019 season once again up an age group being the Group One U16.5 competition for South Grafton and was part of their Round One side that defeated a Ballina side containing Titans contracted Rowan Mansfield 26 – 4.

Jamal Laurie was also part of the 2019 U16.5 South Grafton Rebels side that played Casino RSM in Round Three as a curtain raiser to the Titans NRL match at Canterbury. Hopefully not the last time that Jamal Laurie plays on the ground.

Jamal Laurie scored his first points of the Group One U16.5 season when he kicked two conversions in Round Eleven against Kyogle.

Jamal Laurie’s 2019 season came to an end when South Grafton went down 21 – 14 to Ballina in the Group One U16.5 Preliminary Final.

In 2019 Jamal Laurie also represented the mid-North Coast U15 rugby league side from South Grafton High School and after those trials was selected in the North Coast U15 Rugby League representative side.

2019 also saw Jamal Laurie represent North Coast in athletes showcasing his diverse sporting skills and also participated at the New South Wales age state Track and Field Championships.

In 2019 Jamal Laurie participated in the New South Wales Combined High Schools Track and Field Championships in the 100 metre and 200 metres spring races and also High Jump.

In his 100 metre heat, Jamal Laurie ran 11.73 seconds to finish fourth and qualify for the final. In the final Jamal Laurie ran 11.83 seconds to finish seventh. At the Championships Jamal Laurie also jumped 1.65 metres in the High Jump competition.

In 2019 Jamal Laurie was also the 2019 South Grafton U15 age athletics champion and he also played for the South Grafton High School U15 touch side.

Jamal Laurie was named at fullback for the Group One U15 Taipans for the New South Wales Country Age Championships that were held in Port Macquarie in late September 2019.

At the Championships Jamal Laurie started all three of Group One’s U15 matches at fullback with those matches being against Maitland and Group 19 on Day One and Central Coast on Day Two.

For South Grafton in the 2018 Group One U15 competition, Jamal Laurie played in fifteen matches finish with eleven tries which was good enough to finish the season as the competitions fourth leading try scorer. Not a bad effort at all considering Jamel Laurie was U14 eligible.

Jamal Laurie scored doubles against Kyogle and Clarence Coast and also scored against Lismore Marist Brothers in four separate matches and also scored against Casino RSM in two matches and also against Clarence Coast.

Jamal Laurie also represented Group One at the U14 level at the New South Wales Country Age Championships in 2018. In those Championships Jamal Laurie played in all four of Group One’s matches scoring in all of them including the Northern Plate Final against Group 19 which Group One won 38 – 12.

Jamal Laurie’s other three tries came against Groups Nine and Four as well as Newcastle. To say that Jamal Laurie had an outstanding U14 New South Wales Country Age Championships would be an understatement.

Jamal Laurie is a quick centre with a fluid running style with a classic centre’s 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 Jamal Laurie difficult to tackle. When opposing centres are able to get hold of him, Jamal Laurie usually is able to maintain his balance and keeps an arm free, looking to offload.

Jamal Laurie 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 Jamal Laurie is also adept at doing is timing his pass to his outside supports if the outside defender looks to come in and help defend him allowing an overlap to develop.

Due to his size and strength, Jamal Laurie 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. Jamal Laurie 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, Jamal Laurie seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage.

Jamal Laurie will play the 2021 season in the Group One U16.5 competition and may also get a match or two in the NRRRL U18 competition as well.

In the modern version of rugby league, teams prefer size and power in the centres, two qualities that Jamal Laurie possesses and as a consequence, I envisage that he will be given every opportunity to stay there in the long term.

I really like the way the Jamal Laurie operates on a rugby league field especially in attack where he can utilise his size and speed to be a real handful.

Jamal Laurie has the opportunity to be a rare breed of rugby league player, that being a legitimate strike centre and to that extent a playing style comparison to former Titans and current Melbourne Storm and Queensland State of Origin NRL centre Brenko Lee is definitely warranted

Isaac Matalavea-Booth. The young New Zealand born front rower, in October 2020 signed a one year extension with the Titans that takes his contract with the Titans up until the end of the 2021 rugby league season and see him training with the Titans U20 squad over the course of the 2021 season.

The giant young front rower from originally Auckland New Zealand headed over to the Gold Coast in early November 2019 chasing his rugby league dream and to play for the Burleigh Bears MM Cup side in 2020 and well as attend Keebra Park for his senior year of school and be part of their open A Langer Cup school boy rugby league squad that ultimately lost the Grand Final against PBC.

Not long after arriving in Australia Isaac Matalavea-Booth signed a one year contract with the Titans to immediately become part of the impressive Junior Titans system (JTS) and in mid-December 2019 was part of the Titans contracted junior players squad that undertook a training session with the Titans NRL squad. In the post training session photo Isaac Matalavea-Booth towered over most if not all of even the Titans NRL squad members, highlighting his size attribute.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth’s first match in a Titans jersey came against the Newcastle Knights SG Ball (U18) side in January 2020 in Coffs Harbour when he came off the bench in the Titans 24 – 10 loss, however when he was on the field Isaac Matalavea-Booth proved difficult for the Knights defenders to get onto the ground. The only hope that the Knights had to get Isaac Matalavea-Booth to the ground was to gang tackle him and chop his legs out from under him.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth started Round One of the 2020 MM Cup competition for the Burleigh Bears in the front row as the Bears went down to the Wynnum Manly Seagulls once again proving difficult to put on the deck until multiple defenders were allocated to the tackle each time that he ran the ball at the Seagulls defensive line.

After the 2020 Round One MM Cup match Isaac Matalavea-Booth headed back to New Zealand for the Covid 19 lock down but returned to Australia in early June 2020 to continuing his schooling at Keebra Park and his training as part of the Titans JTS program.

Also in 2020 Isaac Matalavea-Booth was part of the Keebra Park Langer Cup Open A school boy squad, where he operated in the front row including starting Round One of the competition in the front row against Wavell State High School.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth also started in the front row in Keebra Park’s Round Two match against Marsden State High School and scored his first try on Austalian soil. Late in the match, Issac Matalavea-Booth ran a good outside shoulder route to receive the ball twenty metres out and rumbled to the try line crashing over mid-way between the corner post and goal posts on the left side of the field with two Marsden defenders hanging off him.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth continued his run of front row starts in a Round Three 22 – 16 win over Ipswich State High School, in the Round Four local derby against PBC as well as in Round Five against St Mary’s Toowoomba.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth also started in the front row as Keebra Park qualified for the 2020 Langer Cup Grand Final on the back of a big win over Wavell State High School.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth started the 2020 Langer Cup Grand Final in the front row for Keebra Park as they went down 16 – 8 to PBC in a high quality match producing one or two impressive one armed off loads in his two stints on the field.

When Community Rugby League re-commenced on the Gold Coast Isaac Matalavea-Booth played for Burleigh in the Gold Coast Rugby League U18 Division One competition, starting in the front row in the Bears matches, including in the 2020 GCRL U18 Division One Grnad Final against the Currumbin Eagles.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth also played a number of matches for Burleigh in the Gold Coast Rugby League U20 competition including coming off the bench in Round Nine against Currumbin and he was on the bench for the Burleigh U20 sides Preliminary Final against Helensvale, which the Bears lost 26 – 24 on the last play of the match, to fall agonalising short of a Grand Final appearance.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth was outstanding in 2019 for Auckland’s Pakuranga College and at the 2019 SAS College Rugby League Awards Night was named in the front row in the 2019 Premier First XIII Team of the Year which was a deserved acknowledgement of his performances for Pakuranga College and even more meritorious considering Isaac Matalavea-Booth was just 17 years old throughout the season.

From a club rugby league perspective in 2019 in New Zealand, Isaac Matalavea-Booth played for the Manurewa Club in the Auckland U17/18 Open competition playing in thirteen matches scoring five tries and kicking a conversion to finish the 2019 season with twenty two points.

One of his thirteen games one was the 2019 Auckland Rugby League U17/18 Grand Final with Isaac Matalavea-Booth starting in the front row for Manurewa, but unfortunately they went down 22 – 14 to the Marist Saints in a high quality physical (very) encounter.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth also represented the Tao Samoa U18 side in 2019 in their annual match against the New Zealand U18’s starting in the front row and also started in the front row for the Tao Samoa U16’s against New Zealand U16’s in 2018. In fact the first time that Isaac Matalavea-Booth represented Tao Samoa was at the U13 level in 2014 and also represented Tao Samoa at the U15 level in 2016 I believe.

In 2019 Isaac Matalavea-Booth who previously was part of the New Zealand Warriors Development Academy represented the Auckland based Counties Manukau Stingrays representative side in the New Zealand National Youth U17 Tournament starting in the front row in all five of their matches including their semi-final victory over the Akarana Falcons and the U17 National Youth Final victory 24 – 20 against the South Island Scorpions.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth scored two tries in the pool portion of the 2019 U17 National Youth Tournament with those tries coming in Match One against the Wellington Orcas and Match Three against the Northern Swords.

In 2017 Isaac Matalavea-Booth represented Counties Manukau at the U15 National Youth Tournament starting in the front row in his two matches for the Stingrays.

The tall strong young front rower runs hard and straight and does not take a backward step, for example for the Tao Samoa U18 late this season, Isaac Matalavea-Booth constantly ran into the heart of the New Zealand U18 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 Isaac Matalavea-Booth 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 New Zealand U18 defenders, when New Zealand started to compress their defensive line when Tao Samoa had the momentum on their side.

With his size and height Isaac Matalavea-Booth has an outstanding ability to off-load the ball particularly when he is running to his left. Isaac Matalavea-Booth is able to regularly get his right arm free and get it out in front and above his head and pop the ball to runners coming through on his left.

On a number of occasions when he was playing for the Tao Samoa U18 side this season against New Zealand U18’s Isaac Matalavea-Booth used the skill set noted above to producing outstanding offloads, including one leading directly to a Tao Samoa try and another when the support runner was dragged down just short. Both of the offloads noted occurred around forth metres out from the New Zealand line.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth 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 the momentum he is able to generate.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth 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 of his height and size to be impressively nearing the plus category, certainly above average.

Defensively Isaac Matalavea-Booth 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.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth 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. Isaac Matalavea-Booth 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 on a regular basis.

As noted Isaac Matalavea-Booth started the 2020 season playing for the Burleigh Bears MM Cup side. Isaac Matalavea-Booth was also part of the Keebra Park State High School Langer Cup Open A school boy rugby league campaign. Isaac Matalavea-Booth played for Burleigh Bears in the 2020 GCRL U18 Division One competition and the GCRL U20 competition both of which were very strong competitions.

In 2021 Isaac Matalavea-Booth will move up to the Burleigh Bears U20/21 Hastings Deering’s Colts squad as well as train with the Titans U20 squad. Isaac Matalavea-Booth is also U20 Colts eligible in 2022.

It also would not have surprised if Isaac Matalavea-Booth had gotten a call up at some stage of the 2020 season to the Burleigh U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts squad, he certainly would not have looked out of place in that competition from a size or skill perspective.

For a young player Isaac Matalavea-Booth already has garnered a fair bit of representative rugby league experience at a high level through representing Tao Samoa at the U16 and U18 levels as well as playing for Counties Manukau in multiple New Zealand National Youth Competitions, specifically in the U15 and U17 age groups.

It is players like Isaac Matalavea-Booth and the other young Titans players from Keebra Park that should make the recent association between the Titans and Keebra Park so exciting for Titans fans both now and into the future. There is no doubt that the association between the two entities will help to “future proof” the Titans and help get some of the best juniors on the Gold Coast to continue to link with the Titans.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth has spent his entire rugby league career in New Zealand encompassing club, school boy and representative rugby league in the front row and that did not change when the 198cm, 110kg powerhouse of a young man played on the Gold Coast in 2020 for the Titans, Burleigh and Keebra Park.

From an NRL playing comparison style perspective for Isaac Matalavea-Booth, think along the lines of the Regan Campbell-Gillard of the Parramatta Eels (former Penrith Panther) and former New South Wales State of Origin and Australian International as a big tall front rower with good footwork both in attack and defence.

I would argue however that Isaac Matalavea-Booth is a touch more aggressive than Regan Campbell-Gillard and whilst around the same height Isaac Matalavea-Booth is probably a bit bigger around the waist and chest area.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth is also a leader on the field who can set the direction and tempo for his team by leading from the front through his powerful hit-up or a big crunching tackle in the most demanding position on a football field with a calmness and assurance that belies his age.

Young players like Isaac Matalavea-Booth take a leap of faith when they move countries and back their ability to break into an NRL sides Development System and already Isaac Matalavea-Booth has been able to attract the attention of the Titans who have gotten in and signed Isaac Matalavea-Booth before he gets a lot more attention from other NRL clubs when the 2020 MM Cup competition kicked off in February 2020.

When people see Isaac Matalavea-Booth for the first time up close, they will see a giant of a young man but they will be even be more impressed with just how good he is when they see him on a rugby league field from a skill and mobility perspective.

Klese Haas. The younger brother of Brisbane Broncos, New South Wales State of Origin and Australian International front rower Payne Haas will join the Titans NRL 2020/21 pre-season training squad for a portion of the off season at least and at just 18 years old, Klese Haas certainly has the potential to be a very positive addition to the Titans Junior Development ranks over the coming seasons.

Another of Klese Haas’s older brothers, Jonah Haas was previously a member of Titans junior development squads, including playing a number of matches in Titans colours and was also a very solid No. 8 for the TSS First XV GPS school boy rugby side a number of years ago.

In 2020 Klese Haas spent time at both right second row and right centre for Keebra Park State High School in the Langer Cup Open A school boy competition and played his club rugby league for the Bilambil Jets in the NRRRL competition, playing a number of NRRRL First Grade matches as well as matches in the NRRRL U18 competition for the Jets.

Klese Haas started Round One of the 2020 Langer Cup Open A school boy competition in the right second row position for Keebra Park State High School against Wavell State High School scoring late in the match as Keebra Park suffered a surprise first up loss to the north Brisbane based school in the South East Queensland school boy Open A rugby league competition.

Klese Haas’s try against Wavell SHS came when he took the ball from a Keebra Park penalty kick after a drop out infringement from Wavell. Klese Haas took the ball to the right of where the tap kick had taken place, breaking four tackles in his ten metre run to get the ball down a metre to the right of the goal post with an additional two Wavell defenders trying in vain to drag Klese Haas back from getting the ball down over the line.

After being Keebra Park’s 18th man in Round Two of the Langer Cup competition against Marsden State High School and missing Round Three against Ipswich State High School, Klese Haas started at right second row in Rounds Four and Five of the Langer Cup competition against local rivals PBC and St Mary’s College Toowoomba respectively.

In Keebra Park’s big 2020 Langer Cup semi-final victory over Wavell SHS, Klese Haas started at right centre and scored a late second half try, when after receiving the ball, Klese Haas immediately stepped inside his opposite defender before cutting back towards the outside before beating the Wavell SHS fullback who was coming across on the inside to get the ball down five metres in from the right corner post.

Klese Haas also started the 2020 Langer Cup School Boy Grand Final at right centre as Keebra Park went down to local rivals PBC in a high quality match at Langlands Park in Brisbane.

Post the 2020 Langer Cup Grand FInal, Klese Haas was named in the second row in the Courier Mail 2020 Langer Cup Team of the Year and was named the 15th best school boy rugby league/rugby player in South East Queensland in 2020 also by the Courier Mail. In fact the Courier Mail nominated Klese Haas the best Queensland school boy that had not been signed by an NRL club at the start of the Langer Cup competition in 2020.

When Community Rugby League re-started in July 2020, Klese Haas lined up for the Bilambil Jets in the NRRRL competition, playing for the Jets in both the NRRRL First Grade and NRRRL U18 competitions.

In the 2020 NRRRL U18 competition, Klese Hass played in two matches, both coming before the competition was split into the Green and Gold divisions due to Covid 19 and the related border restrictions, with Bilambil playing in the Green Division. Klese Haas started Round One of the initial competition at lock against Ballina and also started at lock in Round Six against the Tweed Coast Raiders.

Klese Haas made his NRRRL First Grade debut off the bench in Round One of the 2020 competition against Ballina before making his first NRRRL First Grade start at centre against the Murwillumbah Mustangs in Round Two. Klese Haas also started in the centres in Round Four against Tweed Coast and Round Five against Cudgen before coming off the bench in Round Six against the Tweed Coast Raiders once again.

Klese Haas has already played International Rugby League when he started from the bench for the Philipines National Rugby League side in a 46 – 16 loss to Italy in Sydney in 2019 at just 17 years of age.

In 2019 Klese Haas played for the Robina Raptors in the Gold Coast Rugby League U18 Division Two competition and was probably the best player in the competition over the course of the 2019 season and had an outstanding match in the Preliminary Final scoring in the Raptors 18 – 16 win over the Currumbin Eagles to progress to the Grand Final.

Klese Haas started the majority of his 2019 U18 Division Two matches for the Robina Raptors at lock including starting in that position in the 2019 U18 Division Two Grand Final against the Burleigh Bears. For me in the Grand Final Klese Haas was the clear stand out player of the match in the 2019 U18 Division Two Grand Final as he was for the vast majority of the 2019 season.

In late 2019 Klese Haas was selected in the 2020 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad, but was not part of their 2020 Round One game day seventeen, which unfortunately ended up being the only round of the MM Cup in 2020.

The pace and power in terms of how Klese Haas runs the ball is the outstanding feature of his game, Klese Haas takes the ball to the line with speed, but he does not just put his head down and rush forward, he uses quick and subtle footwork prior to the line and seems to targets the gaps between defenders and will actively seek out opposing defenders who are slow to move up.

When the opposition are on the back foot Klese Haas will target the smaller defenders on the edge of the ruck or wider out and burst through and for a big young bloke he has very good speed over the medium term and has the strength and power to drag defenders with him.

I would consider that Klese Haas’s speed would be considered above average for a centre but plays faster as a result of him timing his runs so well that the dummy half can present a flat pass to him and also as a result of the power that he runs at. When playing in the second row Klese Haas’s speed can be considered in the plus category.

Klese Haas also has a very powerful fend especially with his left hand as traditionally Klese Hass has lined up on the right side of the field whether he is playing in the centres or in the second row.

The defensive side of his game is similarly effective, Klese Haas does not just charge wildly up looking for a huge hit (well maybe sometimes but not often), but is cold and calculating in where and when he hits. Quite a few of his tackles resulted in a knock on by the opposition as the ball came loose as a result of the impact of the tackle, Klese Haas just hits so hard so regularly and so effectively.

Klese Haas drives hard with his legs and always uses his shoulder and core body strength to drive into his opponent and force them off balance or off their running line.

With his strength, long limbs and defensive technique Klese Haas should likely always be considered a plus defender regardless of age group or quality of opponent. Klese Haas also has some aggression (more than some on occasion) in his game which he will need to ensure that he moderates it and channels it correctly which I am sure will come with additional experience. Working to the Titans NRL squad and JTS coaches in the offseason will not hurt with that process at all.

After doing a portion of the NRL off-season program with the Titans, I anticipate that Klese Haas will start the 2021 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls U21 Hastings Deering’s Colts squad. At just 18 years old Klese Haas will have a couple of seasons of eligibility in the Colts competition come the start of the 2021 rugby league season.

I would anticipate however that the Titans will look to push Klese Haas through their JTS program reasonably quickly taking into account his NRRRL First Grade experience in the NRRRL competition with the Bilambil Jets in 2020. A stint in the 2021 Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition would not surprise at all in relation to Klese Haas to accelerate his development as the 2021 season progresses.

At a height of 189cm and weighing in at a solid 100kg with a touch more growth to come in both categories, Klese Haas can understandably play both second row and centre (normally on the right), but ultimately I believe that Klese Haas will develop into a more than solid rugby league right second rower with the requisite size in relation to current rugby league trends. Klese Haas also has the body type to add additional muscle mass to his frame without compromising his overall mobility or speed whilst adding strength and power.

I would suggest that Klese Haas at least for the next season or so however, whilst he is playing against players a couple of years older in the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition, will more than likely play in the centres more than in the second row but when all is said and done, there is no doubt in my mind that Klese Haas will end up in the second row, most likely on the right hand side of the field.

Klese Haas certainly has a lot of potential and hopefully a pre-season with the Titans NRL squad will help get Klese Haas to a position where he can translate that potential to production on the field as early as the 2021 season regardless of what competition or competitions that Klese Haas is involved in.

In relation to an NRL player comparison perspective for Klese Haas, the closest comparison I can determine based on his final year of school boy rugby league is a taller, slightly leaner version of Brisbane Bronco centre Katoni Staggs. Both Klese Haas and Staggs are very aggressive and look to physically dominate their opponents in both attack and defence even taking into account the physical differences and occasional position between the two players.

Both Staggs and Klese Haas certainly have a bit of mongrel and a mean, nasty streak in their game and it is a matter of maintaining control of that and developing the maturity to channel that aggression in the correct fashion that will be the key to Kleese Haas reaching his potential.

Jaylan De Groot. The former Parramatta Eels junior signed a one year contract with the Titans in late 2020 for the 2021 season which will encompass the final year of his U18 eligibility.

In November 2020 Jaylan De Groot was named in the powerful Tweed Heads Seagulls 2021 MM Cup squad and shapes as one of a number of key attacking figures in that side. Prior to that announcement, Jaylan De Groot had been named in the 2021 Parramatta Eels U18 SG Ball squad, highlighting just how good Jaylan De Groot’s junior career to date has been, thus it is another huge credit to the Titans for getting the young man to stay close to home to further his rugby league career rather than to head to Sydney.

Jaylan De Groot started the 2020 season as a key member of the Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup squad.

Jaylan De Groot was named to start at fullback for the Northern Rivers Titans in Round One of the 2020 U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition against the Parramatta Eels at Cudgen however the match was cancelled due to the wet conditions on the North Coast that weekend.

Jaylan De Groot started at fullback in Round Two against the Newcastle Knights and had a big day out scoring four tries as the Northern Rivers Titans thrashed their fellow NRL backed rivals.

Jaylon De Groot’s first of four tries came in the first half. Operating on the left side of the field, Jaylan De Groot received the ball “out the back” from Thomas Weaver, dummied to his left and after pulling the ball back into his body beat the Knights five eight on the outside when he was about ten metres out from the line. As he approached the try line, Jaylan De Groot got down low to force his way over, getting the ball down one handed (right hand) under heavy pressure from two Knights defenders.

In many respects there were similarities in Jaylan De Groot’s three other tries in the match. On all three occasions, Jaylan De Groot was loitering behind the play the ball when the Northern Rivers Titans were bringing the ball of their own territory. For his first try of the three being discussed, Jaylan De Groot backed up a break from Bayley Cox to get the off load thirty metres out from the line, running over the top of the Knights fullback to score on the left side of the field.

Jaylan De Groot backed up a break from Titan Oskar Bryant for his third try of the match running forty metres untouched to score under the posts, to make it three tries in the first half. Jaylan De Groot’s four try of the match in the second half was a fifty two metre under the posts effort as once again he loomed up in support of a Northern Rivers Titans half break through the centre of the ruck.

Jaylan De Groot also started at fullback in Round Three against the Central Coast Roosters and started in the custodian role as well in Round Four, scoring a double as the Titans drew with the Greater Northern Tigers.

Jaylan De Groot’s first try against the Greater Northern Tigers was once again as a result of Jaylan De Groot backing up through the centre of the ruck. Daniel Butterini broke through the Tigers defence on the left side of the field and found Jaylan De Groot on the inside to score out wide. Impressively it was Jaylan De Groot who had thrown the pass to Butterini that had initially put the left centre outside of his direct opponent leading to the line break.

Jaylan De Groot was once again on hand after a Thomas Weaver break to beat the Greater Northern Tigers fullback to score his second try of the match.

In the final match before the Covid 19 shut down, being Round Five Jaylan De Groot also started at fullback against the North Coast Bulldogs, with the Northern Rivers Titans drawing the match to finish the abridged 2020 U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition undefeated.

When community rugby league restarted in July 2020 Jaylan De Groot continued playing for the Cudgen Hornets in the NRRRL competition, starting the season in the NRRRL U18 competition before progressing and making his NRRRL First Grade debut going on to play multiple matches on the wing and at fullback for the Hornets.

Jaylan De Groot played multiple matches for the Cudgen Hornets NRRRL First Grade side in 2020 both at fullback and on the right wing becoming an elusive and consistent long range try scorer from both positions.

Noted below are some of Jaylan De Groot’s 2020 NRRRL First Grade tries for the Cudgen Hornets in no specific Round order:

Playing on the right wing against the Bilambil Jets, Jaylan De Groot scored a fifty metre opportunist try. Facing an overlap, Jaylan De Groot came out of the line to put pressure on the Bilambil left centre who subsequently lost the ball as he tried to take the ball quickly and pass to his left to his unmarked winger. Jaylan De Groot scooped the ball up on the first bounce and was easily too fast for the cover defence to run away a dive over under the posts. The try highlighted perfectly Jaylan De Groot’s plus speed off the mark as well as over an extended distance.

Jaylan De Groot scored a further try against Bilambil when he was also playing on the right wing. The ball was spun out to his wing, but by the time that he had received it, jaylan De Groot had no room to move down the wing. Jaylan De Groot cut back inside beating three Jets defenders with steps off both feet to eventually get the ball down five metres in from the right corner post.

Against Murwilumbah Jaylen De Groot, as he does exceptionally well was loitering directly behind the play the ball, when Cudgen made break through the centre of the ruck, Jaylan De Groot loomed up in support to take the offload at full speed before rounding the fullback and as has become his custom dived over to score under the posts.

Jaylan De Groot’s aerial skills were on display in a match against the Bilambil Jets when playing at fullback, Jaylen De Groot charged through and took an attacking chip kick on the full on the left side of the field midway between the goal posts and corner post and was able to get the ball down before the Jets defene could react.

Jaylan De Groot also produced one memorable try assist in the 2020 NRRRL First Grade competition. Against Murwillumbah from the fullback position Jaylan De Groot chimed into the backline on the right side of the field and once through the initial defensive line threw what can only be described as outstanding no look pass to his right which found his centre on the chest and from there they were able to sprint away down the right touch line to score in the right centre. Jaylan De Groot’s pass was quite simply exquisite and a pass few could have thrown even in the NRL when going at full speed like Jaylan De Groot was at the time.

In 2020 Jaylen De Groot also played in a number of NRRRL U18 matches for Cudgen including starting on the left wing in the Hornets NRRRL U18 Grand Final victory, with Jaylan De Groot scoring a double in the often spiteful match after starting the match on the left wing.

Jaylan De Groot actually scored the first try of the 2020 NRRRL U18 Grand Final when a long cut out pass from Thomas Weaver found the Cudgen left centre who got the ball onto Jaylan De Groot who crossed out wide and had the foresight to bring the ball around closer the the goal posts.

Jaylan De Groot’s second Grand Final try also came in the first half and was the third Cudgen Grand Final try. Jaylan De Groot was on the end of a long cut out pass from Thomas Weaver, receiving the ball about five metres out from the try line in acres of space and was able to bring the ball around an extra five metres from the left corner totally untouched before the Murwillumbah defence looked to cut him off from bringing the ball around any further.

Jaylan De Groot had also scored in the 2020 U18 NRRRL regular season on multiple occasions including scoring against the Bilambil Jets when he scored under the posts after backing up a long break by Cudgen front rower Parker Bryant who had drawn the fullback before offloading to his left to Jaylan De Groot.

In 2020 Jaylan De Groot was also a member of the highly successful PBC Open A Langer Cup school boy squad that won the Grand final against local rivals Keebra Park with Jaylan De Groot starting the Grand Final at fullback.

Jaylan De Groot had scored earlier in the Langer Cup qualifying rounds when he scored against Ipswich State High School. Starting the match at fullback Jaylan De Groot chimed into the PBC backline on the left side of the field receiving the ball from Thomas Weaver, Jaylan De Groot immediately burst thorugh a gap between two Ipswich State High School defenders before beating the fullback with a left foot step and was able to bring the ball around to score under the posts as has become his trademark.

In 2019 Jaylan De Groot was part of the all conquering U16 Northern Rivers Titans Andrew Johns Cup side that took all before them to go through the 2019 season undefeated, including their Grand Final victory over the Western Rams.

In Round One of the 2019 U16 Andrew Johns Cup competition Jaylan De Groot started at fullback for the Northern Rivers Titan against the Newcastle Knights, finishing the match with a try and a try assist.

Jaylan De Groot’s Round One try was a long range effort, when he received an offload from Bayley Cox to fly fifty five metres to score under the posts. In relation to his try assist, Jaylan De Groot broke the Newcastle line on the right, drawing the fullback and off loading to his right to put his right centre over.

Round Two saw Jaylan De Groot once again start at fullback against the Parramatta Eels with Jaylan De Groot once against scoring a try and setting up another. Jaylan De Groot also produced a try saving tackle in the match when he held his ground with the giant Eels right centre charging straight at him. Jaylan De Groot was able to get underneath the ball and hold the Parramatta centre up over the line.

Jaylan De Groot scored under the posts in the match after rounding the Parramatta fullback after receiving a pass from Riley Lack who had broken the Parramatta line down the left side of the field. Jaylan De Groot showed quick hands for his try assist when he was able to keep a quick pass away to his right as the Parramatta left winger was coming in to cut off the ball. Jaylan De Groot hands were too quick however and his pass found his right winger who was able to subsequently score in the right corner.

In Round Three against the North Coast Jaylan De Groot, who as usual started the match at fullback was one of the Northern Rivers Titans try scorers ocne again when he scored under the posts from ten metres out.

Jaylan De Groot was once against at fullback in Round Four against the Greater Northern Tigers and produced an outstanding line break through the centre of the Tigers ruck before drawing the fullback and passing to his right to send Oskar Bryant over to score.

After also starting at fullback in Round Five, Jaylan De Groot also started at fullback in the Northern Rivers Titans semi-final match against the Penrith Panthers, once again scoring one try and also setting up another as the Titans progressed to the 2019 U16 Andrew Johns Cup Grand Final.

Jaylan De Groot scored in the right corner after receiving an off load from Oskar Bryant and his try assist came from a result of an outstanding piece of individual play. Jaylan De Groot, from his own territory, chipped over the Penrith defensive line and as the Panthers fullback was coming forward, Jaylan De Groot towed the ball forward off the ground from around forty metres out and weighted the second kick perfectly with the ball pulling up a metres into the in goal. Team mate Thomas Weaver won the race to the ball to dive on the ball adjacent to the right up right.

In the 2019 U16 Andrew Johns Cup Grand Final Jaylan De Groot started for the Northern Rivers Titans Grand Final winning side against the Western Rams and the young fullback with the Titans in front 12 – 0 produced an outstanding piece of play with ensure the Northern Rivers Titans won the match.

With the Western Rams on the attack, the Rams half back put in a short attacking kick on the right side of the field, Jaylan De Groot was on his try line and got down low to take the kick on the full, immediately sprinting away down the left side of the field. As he was being corrallted thirty metres out from his own try line, Jaylaon De Groot was able to find Thomas Weaver on his right, who ran seventy metres untouched to secure the match for the Titans.

Post the 2019 U16 Andrew Johns Cup, Jaylan De Groot played for the premiership winning Group 18 U16 Cudgen Hornets side, terrorising his Group 18 U16 opponents on numerous occasions over the course of the 2109 season.

Some of Jaylan De Groot’s 2019 Group 18 U16 highlights and noted below to assist in describing Jaylan De Groot’s playing style:

Against Murwillumbah Jaylan De Groot scored an outstanding long range individual try. Operating on the left Jaylan De Groot, put in a right foot chip kick after taking the ball close to the defensive line. Even though it appeared that the fullback may have had the ball covered, Jaylan De Groot kept the pressure on the fullback through his strong chase. A horror bounce saw the ball bounce away from the Murwillumbah fullback and as a result of his determination, Jaylan De Groot was on hand to retrieve the ball and score an outstanding individual try.

Also against Murwillumbah later in the season, Jaylan De Groot highlighted once again his backing up mentality when he backed up a break directly from a Cudgen penalty tap restart to score.

Against Byron Bay/Lennox Head, jaylan De Groot proved that he could run good lines when he ran an inside shoulder line on the left side of the field from five metres out to easily slide through the defensive line.

Also against Byron Bay/Lennox Head. Jaylan De Groot showcased his speed when after following through a Cudgen break, he outpaced the cover defence to score after the Hornets player who had made the break put in a kick over the top of the oncoming fullback.

Jaylan De Groot’s ability to be in the right place at the right time were on display against South Tweed when he scored a sixty metre try under the posts after he backed up a Thomas Weaver break to receive the ball from his left when Thomas Weaver drew the Bears fullback.

In wet conditions against South Tweed later in the season in wet and slippery conditions, Jaylen De Groot scored what on first viewing may have seemed to be a reasonably easy try but the amount of water on the field at the time meant that the try was actually quite impressive. Jaylen De Groot got down low and fielded a grubber kick directed to the left corner, once he had taken possession, Jaylen De Groot eluded two defenders with deft and sure footwork to dive over three metres in from the left corner post.

The 2019 Group 18 U16 season also saw Jaylan De Groot heavily involved in tries for others but one try assist in particular stood out. Operating on the left side of he field, Jaylan De Groot backed up a Cudgen break down the left touch line. Jaylen De Groot received the pass inside approximately forty five metres out from the Murwillumbah try line and with cover defence converging from a number of angles, put in an ideally weighted right foot kick for Cudgen to score in the left corner.

In 2019 Jaylan De Groot also attended PBC and played a number of matches on the left wing for PBC in the Langer Cup Open B competition, including in impressive performance, amongst others, in Toowoomba against St Mary’s College, including a clever intercept which he was able to return for a twenty metre gain.

When he runs the ball, Jaylan De Groot is exceptionally quick and explosive, with above average l speed, both off the mark and when he gets into open space no one will catch him. Jaylan De Groot also can step off both feet exceptionally well and also has a great swerve whilst maintaining top speed. On occasions this season when he made a break, Jaylan De Groot’s support could not keep up and thus he used his incredible footwork and speed to beat the opposing fullback by himself normally utilising a step or a swerve.

A review of Jaylan De Groot speed attributes is interesting, Jaylan De Groot has always been quick but in 2020 as he has grown taller and added muscle mass, his speed, both off the mark and at full pace has also trended upward. Prior to the 2020 season I would have argued that Jaylan De Groot’s speed would have been a touch above average but in 2020 I believe a fair assessment would be that Jaylan De Groot’s speed is verging on the plus category and can potentially kick up even a touch higher as he continues to develop in the Titans JTS program.

In addition Jaylan De Groot 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. Impressively Jaylan De Groot is equally effective on both sides of the field, both in terms of chiming into the back line as well as playing the second five eight role, the ability to operate in those roles on both sides of the field is quite rare even at the NRL level.

In terms of running the ball back from kicks, his timing and anticipation means that Jaylan De Groot 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, once again a rare attribute in the modern game. Regardless Jaylan De Groot is an absolute handful to tackle with his speed and evasion skills.

Defensively in the fullback position if an attacker runs directly at him, Jaylan De Groot 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.

Jaylan De Groot employs 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 fullback running around will put his body in front of opposing attackers and defend with tenacity.

An impressive attribute that Jaylan De Groot does have is ability to force attackers who are in open space to try to beat him down the side line. Jaylan De Groot 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.

Jaylan De Groot has been named in the 2021 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad where he will be contention to start Round One at fullback and post that competition Jaylan De Groot will line up once again for the Cudgen Hornets in the NRRRL competition and should be in line to start (and finish) the 2021 season in Cudgen’s NRRRL First Grade side even though he is still eligible for the NRRRL U18 competition.

Jaylan De Groot has been primarily a fullback for Cudgen and the Northern Rivers Titans over the last couple of seasons but spent time on the wing for the Cudgen NRRRL First Grade side in 2020 and also for the PBC Langer Cup Open A side, but with his ability to pop up at the right time and place and his ability to slice through the defensive line or set up his support runners, I believe that Jaylan De Groot will be given every chance to develop into a talented fullback option with definite NRL potential.

Jaylan De Groot could certainly slide over to the wing if necessary and play very well in that position but with his performances over the last two seasons in both club, school boy and representative competitions at fullback, consideration of that particular move seems increasingly unlikely, in the short to medium term at least.

Jaylan De Groot has a touch of Parramatta Eels fullback and New South Wales State of Origin centre Clint Gutherson in his game from the perspective of his ability to slice through a defensive line, always loitering behind the play the ball and supporting through the centre of the ruck and a fearless approach to fielding kicks and defending as well as running the ball back into the defensive line in relation to kick returns.

Like Gutherson does for Parramatta, Jaylan De Groot is always in and around the play the ball when his team has the ball, whether they are attacking or bringing the ball out of their own territory and seemingly is always in the right place at the right time to exploit even the smallest attacking opportunity through the centre of the ruck.

Jaylan De Groot is just one of those players who may not be the biggest or strongest but is one of the smartest and just knows where to be and what to do when the ball comes his way. Uncanny is the perfect adjective to describe how Jaylan De Groot is always in the right place at the right time, all of the time no matter what the situation.

Sam McIntyre. The Auckland New Zealand born youngster has signed a two year deal with the Titans after an outstanding late 2020 representative season in New Zealand after starting the 2020 season as part of the Newcastle Knights U18 SG Ball squad.

In early November 2020 Sam McIntyre captained the New Zealand Club U18 side that took on a New Zealand Schools U18 side at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium, scoring twice in the first half as his New Zealand U18 Club side prevailed 34 - 22 in a high quality hotly contested encounter.

When the sides were announced Sam McIntyre was in fact named at hooker for the NZ U18 Club side but in the end started the match in the left second row position. Fellow new 2021 Titans signing TJ Devery started at right second row for the NZ U18 Club side to make it an all Titans second row for the New Zealand U18 club side.

Sam McIntyre’s first try which was also the first try of the match, resulted from his quick footwork. Sam McIntyre received the ball on he left side of the field around five metres out from the line with the defence rushing up, Sam McIntyre stepped off his left foot to beat the first defender before a second step opended up a small gap to the try line around three metres out, Sam McIntyre got down low and burrowed his way over to get the ball down ten metres away from the left upright.

Sam McIntyre’s second try was also scored in the first half. Sam McIntyre’s Club side had a play the ball less than a metre out from the School’s line. It looked like Sam McIntyre was going to take a hitup to the right af the play the ball but at the last second the dummy half put in a short kick into the in goal. Sam McIntyre kept running into the in goal and he found himself near the ball. In a sign of his maturity, Sam McIntyre took his time to make sure that he grounded the ball properly after he had immediately absorbed the fact that he had time on his side.

Also in early November 2020 Sam McIntyre captained the Auckland U18 side that took on their South Island rivals, once again starting that representative match at left second row and was one of Auckland’s try scorers as they came from behind to defeat the Southern Zone 27 – 16. Fellow 2021 Titans signing TJ Devery was also part of the Auckland U18 representative side, starting the match at right second row.

Sam McIntyre scored from close range in the match. The ball was taken down a short blind side with Sam Mcintyre receiving the ball four metres out from the line but at the time was stationary. Sam McIntyre engaged the initial defender chest on, forcing him backwards before cutting to his right and getting down low and forcing his way over five metres in from the left corner post.

As noted above in the introductory comments Sam McIntyre started the 2020 season as part of the Newcastle Knights U18 SG Ball squad playing in their five matches before the competition was suspended due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Sam McIntyre started all five of his matches for the Knights from the bench, although I note that in Round One against the Manly Sea Eagles, Sam McIntyre had initially been named to start in the front row but actually started the match from the bench.

Sam McIntyre’s other 2020 U18 SG Ball matches were against the Western Australian Pirates (Round Three), the Canterbury Bulldogs (Round Four), St George Dragons (Round Five) and the Central Coast Roosters in Round Six. For completeness Newcastle had a bye in Round Two.

In 2020 Sam McIntyre also played for the Northcote Tigers in the Auckland Rugby League competition after returning to New Zealand from from Australia when the Covid 19 pandemic hit and international travel was immediately curtailed.

In 2019 Sam McIntyre was part of the Birkenheads College school boy rugby league side that defeated Southern Cross Campus 26 – 4 in the Grand Final of the Senior A SAS College Rugby League School Boy Championships, starting the match at left second row. Sam McIntyre was a key driving force in getting Birkenheads College back into school boy rugby league.

Sam McIntyre was one of Birkenheads College try scorers in the match, scoring under the posts in the opening minutes of the second half. Sam McIntyre received the ball from the dummy half aound seven metres out from the line. Sam McIntyre immediately stepped off his left foot, before stepping back off his right. Two additional left foot steps and a left arm fend brought Sam McIntyre to within two metres of the Couthern Cross line. Sam McIntyre engaged one defender front on and when two additional defenders got hold of him, Sam McIntyre spun clockwise and then slammed the ball down under the posts with his left arm.

In 2018 Sam McIntyre was a member of the Akarana Falcons U17 representative side that took part of the New Zealand U17 Youth Tournament with Sam McIntyre starting the Tournament final at lock as his Akarana Falcons side defeated Counties Manukau 30 – 26 in the Final.

Sam McIntyre is a hard running backrower who is impressive at running the right line including both an inside shoulder and outside shoulder line and consistently hits the pass off either the dummy half or play maker flat thus generating his best possible speed and momentum to hit the defensive line.

Where Sam McIntyre really excels though is his outstanding, quick and late footwork, Sam McIntyre’s very good late and quick foot work enables him to change direction quickly allowing him to readjust where he is running to take advantage of either a late developing hole in the defensive line or where the defensive line is repositioning late. These traits were evident in the NZ U18 Clubs verses Schools match late in 2020.

Even when he is taking a hit up in the centre of the ruck, Sam McIntyre’s feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight adjustments to his running angle and he is also able to maintain his speed regardless of the multiple directional changes. Sam McIntyre seems just to run at a faster pace than other forwards on the field. These attributes lead to a number of line breaks and Sam McIntyre has the speed to convert them into tries himself in the majority of situations.

Sam McIntyre’s speed is probably a touch above average for a forward but it is the speed that he is able to generate from only a few paces which makes it play faster from a defenders perspective as he gets to the defensive line quicker than the defenders anticipate and thus they are unable to set themselves properly for the initial contact. This means that Sam McIntyre can bend the line back regularly even though he is not the biggest forward running around.

When in the dummy half role, Sam McIntyre is a solid distributor who generates good spin on the ball when passing to either side of the ruck and passes off the ground in one fluid movement which enables him to get good accuracy and distance on his passes spreading the ball to the fringes of the ruck quickly.

From a running out of dummy half perspective, Sam McIntyre explodes out of dummy half, staying low to take advantage is his natural strength and low centre of gravity and like when he takes a hit up when playing in the second row, Sam McIntyre’s feet are always moving and always looks for a quick play the ball.

Sam McIntyre’s defensive technique revolves around timing and execution probably more that strength or power. Sam McIntyre’s head is always correctly positioned and he always drives with his shoulder into the attacker and never just jersey grabs.

Sam McIntyre also tackles with both shoulders equally effectively as well. The impressive thing for me also is that Sam McIntyre never seems to bounce off the ball when he makes a front on tackle meaning his target area and the ability to hit the area on a regular basis is exceptional. This is no fluke in relation to Sam McIntyre, this is clearly as a result of an outstanding technique as well as determination and dedication to his craft.

Sam McIntyre’s lateral speed and mobility 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.

Sam McIntyre will play in the Hastings Deerings Colts U20/21 competition in 2021 for the Burleigh Bears and will also be U20 Colts eligible in 2022.

In previous seasons, Sam McIntyre has spent a lot of time at lock or in the front row but in 2020 especially for representative sides, Sam McIntyre spent a lot of time at left second row as well as a reasonable period of time at hooker.

I am a touch conflicted as to where ultimately Sam McIntyre’s best position is, Sam McIntyre certainly has the potential to be an outstanding running forward on the fringes of the ruck but at the same time is a more than competent dummy half already and obviously would get better and better in that role in terms of distribution and when to run with more time in the dummy half role.

With his ability to play quality minutes both as a running forward as well as at dummy half, Melbourne Storm and New Zealand International Brandon Smith shapes as a more than reasonable NRL player comparison for Sam McIntyre. Both Sam McIntyre and Smith are solidly built players (Sam McIntyre is probably a touch bigger physically than Smith) who charge head long into the defensive line but also have a capacity to handle effectively long minutes at dummy half from both a ball distribution and running perspective.

I can certainly see the possibility that Sam McIntyre starts his NRL career as an interchange player, who can come and provide enthusiasm and intensity either in the dummy half role or as a second rower on the left, just like Brandon Smith did in the early stages of his NRL career. Also like Smith however you can certainly forsee that Sam McIntyre through sheer weight of performances would make a case for a starting NRL berth almost irresistible in a short period of time after his NRL debut comes to fruition.

Thanks for the post drew I look forward to sams debut he sounds like a gun

Bobby Smith. The young northern New South Wales front rower is currently a member of the Titans 2021 U15 Elite Academy squad.

In 2020 Bobby Smith played in the front row for the Tweed Heads Seagulls U14 side in the Group 18 junior rugby league competition with the Seagulls going through the ten regular season rounds undefeated, scoring 316 points and conceding just 64 to finish the regular season with +252 points differential from their ten matches to record an average winning margin of just above twenty five points.

As a result of their outstanding season the Tweed Heads Seagulls U14 Group 18 side qualified for the Grand Final against the Tugun Seahawks. Tweed Heads prevailed in the 2020 decider 30 – 4 with Bobby Smith starting the Grand Final in the front row.

Bobby Smith is a hard running player who never seems to just put his head down and runs straight, he always uses a slight step prior to contacting the defensive line, coupled with the fact that he drops his shoulder into defenders, means that Bobby Smith is a bit of a handful to tackle and he is not often knocked back onto his heals.

Bobby Smith is also good at maintaining his momentum after impacting the defensive line as a result of the fact that he runs with a low running stride rather running upright. Bobby Smith is also adept at gaining a quick play the ball due to the fact that he rarely ends up on his back when the tackle has been completed.

Bobby Smith seems to have a high work rate and I would suggest that he would normally be at or near the top of his team’s statistics in terms of the number of hit ups he makes and on occasion runs a very good inside shoulder route to supplement his other attacking attributes. Bobby Smith does not off-load the ball much however and probably never be one based on how he asked to play the game.

Defensively Bobby Smith aims hits very hard and usually hits around the top of the ball region and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls by using wrestling techniques well.

Over the last year or so Bobby Smith’s speed and mobility seemed to have increased and as a consequence he was better able to mirror the opposition attackers more effectively when he is defending on the fringes of the ruck against smaller, quicker opponents.

Bobby Smith will play for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Group 18 junior rugby league competition, in 2021 in the U15 age group, where once again that side will be the team to beat after their outstanding 2020 season.

2021 should also see Bobby Smith represent the Group 18 U15 representative side at the 2021 New South Wales Country Age Championships.

Bobby Smith is a solidly built young man playing the majority of his junior rugby league career in the front row and I can not envisage a situation where that situation will not continue into the future.

Bobby Smith has a playing style for me that is very similar to that of Brisbane Bronco’s and former New South Wales State of Origin front row enforcer Matthew Lodge.

Both Lodge and Bobby Smith are solidly built hard uncompromising front rowers who look to physically intimidate and dominate their opposition every time that they meet an opponent in either attack or defence. Bobby Smith is probably a touch shorter and solider than Lodge, but that does not detract from the similarity in playing style.

Cameron Brown. (Revised) He is a talented young local half back who was heavily involved late in the 2018 season with the Burleigh Bears Colts side and played just as well in the 2019 Colts competition for Burleigh this season and was set to play his third season with the Burleigh Colts side in 2020.

Cameron Brown started Round One of the 2020 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition for the Burleigh Bears at half against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls scoring ing as Burleigh started their 2021 campaign with a first up victory.

Cameron Brown made his Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade debut in Round Three against the Ormeau Shearers originally named to start off the bench and scoring in Burleighs 48 – 26 victory but Cameron Brown in fact started the match at half abck and scored when a stab kick he put through rebounded off the left upright for him to collect and dive over.

Cameron Brown maintained his spot as Burleigh’s starting half back in their Round Four match against the Tugun Seahawks.

Cameron Brown played the majority of the Gold Coast Rugby League U20 competition with Helensvale including starting at half back and captaining the Hornets side in the 2020 GCRL U20 Grand Final against the Currumbin Eagles. Cameron Brown kicked two conversions in the Grand Final but it was not enough as Helensvale went down 22 – 20.

Cameron Brown also scored in the Grand Final when he ran out of dummy half, darting down a short right blind side acrobatically diving full length with the ball in his right hand to get the ball down just inside the right corner post.

Cameron Brown was also heavily involved in another of Helensvale’s tries. Cameron Brown received the ball operating on the right. Cameron Brown was immediately under pressure, stepping off his right foot to beat the initial defender. Once he had gained space, Cameron Brown darted back to his right, putting in a right foot chip kick which came down ten metres out and ten metres in from touch. Helensvale right centre Brent Barnes was able to take the ball on the full and offload to Harrison Trathen to score in the right corner.

Cameron Brown also produced an outstanding play in the Grand Final when one of his kick off’s hit the cross bar on the first bounce, ultimately going dead to force Currumbin to drop out for Helensvale to get the ball back.

Cameron Brown was one of the key reasons that Helensvale got to the Grand Final, starring in the Hornets last minute Preliminary Final victory against Burleigh contributing three conversions and a try assist to the 26 – 24 nail biting victory. Cameron Brown’s try assist came when he put in a well weighted right foot stab kick for his left winger to cross.

Cameron Brown also produced a key play in the dying minutes. After Burleigh scored with less than three minutes to go to lead 24 – 22, Cameron Brown’s short high kick off to the left was not handled by Burleigh and was retrieved by Helensvale just beyond the ten metre line. Helensvale’s game winning try in the left corner came in the set of six following the Hornets getting the kick off back.

Over the course of the 2020 GCRL U20 regular season, Cameron Brown was as good as any player in the competition, including an outstanding display in Round Eight against the Mudgeeraba Redbacks which saw him score one try and provide try assists for two others.

Cameron Brown’s first try assist came when he put in a right foot stab kick into the left corner for his winger to score. The key to the try was that Cameron Brown took the ball right to the line before kicking and thus not telegraphing the kick.

Cameron Brown’s second try assist also came from a kick, but in totally different circumstances to the first. Cameron Brown backed up a long break through the centre of the ruck, getting a late offload from his front rower. Cameron Brown stopped on the spot as he was being surrounded by defenders and actually backtracked to his right to regain separation. After assessing his options, it appeared that Cameron Brown would look to break through three defenders, but instead from forty metres out put in an outstanding right foot chip kick to his left winger to score.

Cameron Brown’s Round Eight try was no less impressive than his second try assist. From twenty metres out from his own line, Cameron Brown put in a supurb chip kick that hit his left winger on the chest. Instead of sitting back and admiring his work, Cameron Brown backed up on the inside and received a pass from his left winger, veering around one defender to then outpace the cover defence to score an outstanding try.

Cameron Brown also scored an impressive try in Round Six against the Burleigh Bears when he chased through a grubber kick and even though it appeared that the Burleigh fullback had the ball covered, Cameron Brown did not give up on the play, diving full length to beat the fullback to the ball, getting downward pressure on the ball under the posts.

Cameron Brown played in all twenty two of Burleigh’s 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts matches including their three finals in2019 scoring twelve tries for a 54.45% strike rate. Prior to Round Ten (tries post that noted below) Cameron Brown scored in Round One against Norths, Round Eight against the Western Mustangs and Round Nine against Redcliffe.

One of Cameron Brown’s tries came in Round Ten against the Northern Pride. Cameron Brown had come off the bench to play the dummy half role and was able to dive over from close range to his right in the second half to score.

Cameron Brown also scored in Round Eleven against the Central Capra’s when he followed through his own bomb and retrieved the ball after it was mishandled to score under the posts for Burleigh’s first try.

Cameron Brown had an outstanding match in Round Fifteen against Ipswich constantly sniping at the Jets defensive line and scored a try of his own when he intercepted a pass to run ninety metres to score, with no defender able to keep up with him over the journey.

Cameron Brown also recorded another try assist when he grubbered for Reece Tapine to score and was also heavily involved in tries for Lofi Khan-Periera and Will Evans.

Cameron Brown also scored in Round Seventeen against Tweed Heads as a result of a good individual effort. He received the ball to the right of the play the ball around fourteen metres out from the line and after shaping to pass to his backline to his right, stepped off his right foot to get through the initial defensive line and then used another right foot step to round the fullback to score under the posts.

Cameron Brown added a further try in Round Nineteen against Redcliffe when after sending a great ball to his left to allow Will Evans to get outside his man, he backed up on the inside to get the pass back from Will Evans to score untouched.

Cameron Brown maintained his try scoring pace in Round Twenty against the Wester Mustangs when he backed up a break by fullback Jayden Campbell to score a long range try.

Cameron Brown also had a try assist in the match when he grubbered into the in goal for the Burleigh left winger to dive on the ball. The kick was a lot harder than it looked as when he kicked it with the outside of his right foot Cameron Brown was running directly towards the left touch line.

Cameron Brown scored for the third match in a row when he scored in Round Twenty One against the Northern Pride when he was on hand to dive on a Zac McCormack kick. Zac McCormack took a couple of steps to his left out of dummy half close to the line and put in a deft left foot kick into the in goal for Cameron Brown to dive on it after it bounced off the legs of a few Northern Pride defenders.

Cameron Brown added a double in Round Twenty Three against the Central Queensland Capra’s. Cameron Brown’s first try (and the first of the match) resulted from him following through a short attacking kick from Shallin Fuller to get to the ball first about a metre from the dead goal line.

Cameron Brown’s second try (and last of the match)was an opportunist one, Central Queensland were throwing the ball around with less than a minute to go and as they threw it out to their left, Cameron Brown was on hand to take the intercept and run twenty metres to score.

Cameron Brown also had a try assist in the match and a spectacular one at that. Central Queensland were on the attack and put through a short grubber kick about twenty metres out, Cameron Brown trapped the ball with his left foot, picking it up and running seventy metres before the defence converged, Cameron Brown evaded the defence long enough for Will Evans to loop around behind him and score in the left corner.

In Week Two of the 2019 Hatings Deering’s Colts Finals Cameron Brown started at half in Burleigh’s 42 – 12 win against Norths.

Cameron Brown’s 201919 Hastings Deering’s Colts season came to an end when he started at half for Burleigh as they went down 23 – 16 to Sunshine Coast in the Preliminary Final

Cameron Brown played a number of positions for Burleigh in the 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition starting eighteen at half, two at hooker, being Rounds Two and Three against Ipswich and Tweed Heads, one at five eight being Round Five against Souths Logan and Round Ten against the Northern Pride from the bench.

In addition to the tries noted above Cameron Brown has also scored against Norths in Round One, the Western Mustangs in Round Eight and Redcliffe in Round Nine.

From a position perspective so far this season, Cameron Brown has played half, five eight (one match being Round Five against Souths Logan), hooker and came off the bench in one match being Round Ten against the Northern Pride.

Cameron Brown started at half in Round One against Norths, before moving to hooker for Rounds Two and Three against Ipswich and Tweed Heads respectively.

In total Cameron Brown has started eleven matches at half, one at five eight, one from the bench and the other two matches at hooker.

In an early season Hastings Deering’s Colts competition bye week, Cameron Brown, instead of having the weekend off started at five eight for Helensvale in their GCRL Round Seven U20 match against Mudgeeraba and scored in the Hornets 38 – 32 victory.

Cameron Brown also started at five eight in Round 12 of the GCRL U20 competition, scoring a double against Currumbin. Both tries highlighted Cameron Brown’s ability to run the ball and he also had a try assist when he put Brent Barnes through a gap on the right side of the field.

During the Hasting Deering’s Colts Round Eighteen bye week, Cameron Brown was back in the Helensvale U20 side at half and added to his try scoring tally with another try as the Hornets defeated Runaway Bay 32 - 26.

The try was a long range intercept. Cameron Brown flew out of the line as Runaway Bay were throwing the ball around taking the intercept and running ninety metres to score under the posts. As soon as he took the intercept it was shut the gate, no one was going to catch him.

Cameron Brown came into the Burleigh Colts side in Round Eleven of 2018 against Easts starting from the interchange bench and went on to play an additional nine Colts matches, splitting time between starting in the halves and from the interchange bench. Cameron Brown started five matches, the first being in Round Twelve against the Mackay Cutters.

Cameron Brown scored four Colts tries in 2018, including a Round Twenty Four double against Easts and tries in Round Twenty and Eighteen against Victoria and Redcliffe respectively. Whether or not it really means anything, all of Cameron Brown’s tries came in matches where he started.

Cameron Brown has played for Helensvale for a number of seasons and this year was no different lining up for the Hornets in the GCRL U19 competition. In the U19 competition, Cameron Brown played in nine matches, scoring seven tries.

Cameron Brown had an outstanding start to the U19 competition in 2018, scoring in his first five matches including a double against Southport and tries against Beaudesert, Currumbin and Ormeau in two separate matches. Cameron Brown also scored a late season try against Bilambil.

Late in 2017 Cameron Brown was named in the Burleigh 2018 MM Cup squad but he did not play in any MM Cup matches this season.

For Helensvale in the 2017 GCRL U17 Division One competition Cameron Brown played in thirteen matches in total including starting at half back in the Hornets 34 – 20 Grand Final win over Ormeau scoring to cap off a great match. In addition to his try in the Grand Final Cameron Brown scored another ten tries to finish third on the try scoring ladder for the U17 Division One competition including scoring a hat trick against Mudgeeraba in May and a double in June against Grand Final opponents Ormeau. Cameron Brown also scored in Helensvale’s other finals match which was against Bilambil.

Cameron Brown is only slight of build but do not take his lack of size in any way as a lack of ability or courage, he has a lot of both, which is on display each time he runs onto the field. With the ball he is a very good distributor and will take the ball to the line in an effort to set up his supports. Cameron Brown is adept at drawing an opposing defender out of the defensive line and then putting his support runner through the resulting gap.

In terms of his speed, I would suggest that an appropriate definition of Cameron Brown’s speed would be that he is quick off the mark but does not have an extra gear when he breaks into open space.

Cameron Brown will back his judgement and take the game on especially when the game is on the line. Assisting his play is the fact that Cameron Brown makes the decision what to do with the ball quickly thus enabling the ball to get out wide quickly.

In previous seasons when I have seen him play he sometimes took the line on himself too much, but the times that I have seen him play this season Cameron Brown has become more selective about when to pass and when to run. His passing game is solid but seems to be slightly better when he is passing to the right side of the field.

Cameron Brown has a good short kicking game but he does not have the strongest leg in terms of kicking deep but is accurate and regularly finds the ground to enable the chasers to get down field to enhance his team’s field position.

Defensively I like the way that he takes the line on, Cameron Brown is aggressive and attacks the ball carrier rather than waiting for the attackers to come to him. He clearly looks to limit the time opposition players have to generate momentum before they get to him.

Against players similar in size or reasonably close to it, Cameron Brown is very aggressive and makes sure that he finishes off every tackle in an effort to win every one on one individual battle against his opponent.

Cameron Brown should progress to the Burleigh Bears Queensland Cup squad in 2021 and whilst he may have to bide his time to make his Queensland Cup debut, there is no doubt in my mind that that debut will come some time in 2021.

Whilst he is waiting for his Queensland Cup debut in 2021, Cameron Brown should be a stand out in the 2021 Gold Coast Rugby League for the Helensvale Hornets in their debut season in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition in 2021.

I would think that regardless of what level of competition rugby league takes Cameron Brown that he will be in a No. 7 jersey as a tough feisty half back. Gaining experience at hooker however can only be a positive for Cameron Brown as he would a coach’s dream in terms of being able to cover multiple positions effectively. At 175cm and 75kg Cameron Brown is more than capable of handling himself in either role or potentially even at fullback should the need for him to play there arise.

For me a current NRL player with a similar playing style to that in Cameron Brown is Sydney Roosters and New South Wales State of Origin five eight Luke Keary being that of a solid talented all round half who will surprise a defensive line with some very good short balls when it looks for all money like he is going to run himself.

Also like Keary, Cameron Brown has more speed that defensive lines give him credit for and that is a recipe for disaster for them.

Brodyn Gudgeon. The Titans contracted fullback or half is certainly one of the more intriguing players involved in the Titans JTS program with his speed and guile two of multiple impressive attributes at Brodyn Gudgeon’s disposal.

Brodyn Gudgeon’s first hit out of the 2020 season was when he was part of the halves rotation for the Burleigh MM Side in their trial against the Easts Tigers in the first half. Later in the trial match Brodyn Gudgeon spent time at fullback as well showcasing his versatility.

Early in the 2020 season the Coombabah State High School student was named in the halves for the Pacific Rim Open rugby league district side after the trials for that representative side were completed. Unfortunately the school boy representative season in 2020 went no further but Brodyn Gudgeon shaped as an almost certain selection in the South Coast U18 QSSRL school boy representative side.

Brodyn Gudgeon also spent a fair portion of the 2019/20 off season training with the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts squad even though he was still U18 MM Cup eligible in that period such is Brodyn Gudgeon’s class and potential.

Brodyn Gudgeon started Round One of the 2020 MM Cup competition for the Burleigh Bears at fullback against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls which unfortunately ended up being the only round of the MM Cup competition that was played in 2020.

2020 also saw Brodyn Gudgeon captain the Coombabah State High School Langer Cup side and was a member of the team that played St Mary’s in Toowoomba in July 2020 for a spot in the main Open Langer Cup draw starting the match at five eight. Unfortunately after coming back from 18 – 0 down to get back to 18 all, St Mary’s pulled away in the second half to knock Coombabah out of the 2020 Langer Cup competition.

After being knocked out of the Langer Cup, Brodyn Gudgeon and his Coombabah State High School team mates took part of the Gee Cup school boy competition, going through the competition as the undefeated Southern Division Champions and taking on Mabel Park State High School in the 2020 Gee Cup Grand Final that was held at Langlands Park.

In the 2020 Gee Cup Grand Final that Coombabah won 50 – 8 Brodyn Gudgeon started at half captaining his side to an impressive victory.

At the completion of the season, Brodyn Gudgeon was named the Coombabah State High School 2020 Open Rugby League Joint Best Best and was also named in the 2020 Coombabah State High School Team of the Year. Brodyn Gudgeon was also awarded an Originals Award which is provided to students who played rugby league for Coombabah from Year Seven through to Year Twelve.

The talented young half started the 2019 season as part of the Burleigh MM Cup squad as his rugby league career continued to develop at an outstanding rate.

Brodyn Gudgeon missed Round One of the 2019 MM Cup but was named on an extended bench for Round Two against the Townsville Blackhawks, started Round Three at five eight against the Tweed Heads Seagulls and starred after starting the match at five eight, scoring a double and also recording a try assist.

Brodyn Gudgeon operated on the left of the field and for his first try, he took the ball whilst he was stationary around nine metres out from the Seagulls line and just exploded off the mark to slice through the defensive line.

For his second try of the match Brodyn Gudgeon looked like he was going to take the defence on just like his first try but instead stepped off his left foot and accelerating to score mid-way between the right goal post and the touch line.

Brodyn Gudgeon’s try assist was as a result of an outstanding short attacking kick, he went all of the way to the line putting in a deft right foot kick angled towards the in goal area and sat up perfectly for left winger Trey Peni to retrieve and score.

In total in the 2019 MM Cup competition Brodyn Gudgeon started in four of six of Burleigh’s matches at five eight missing only Round One.

Brodyn Gudgeon started at half back for Helensvale in their 2019 U18 Division One Round One match against Southport.

Over the course of the 2019 GCRL U18 Division One regular season Brodyn Gudgeon played in eight matches scoring two tries (25% strike rate), being in Round Eight against the Bilambil Jets and in Round Nine against the Ormeau Shearers.

Brodyn Gudgeon started at half in Week One of the Finals as Helensvale defeated Currumbin 24 – 20 and also started at half back and scored for Helensvale in their U18 Division One Week Two Finals loss to Ormeau 34 – 26.

Brodyn Gudgeon made his Hastings Deering’s Colts debut when he started at five eight for Burleigh in Round Twelve of the 2019 season against the Sunshine Coast Falcons with the Bears winning the match 23 – 22.

Brodyn Gudgeon also started at five eight in Round Thirteen against the Easts Tigers, crossing for his first try in the 36th minute of the match. Brodyn Gudgeon shaped to kick on the half way mark but instead sent his left winger down the touchline when a great cut out pass and then backed up on the inside to get the ball back to score untouched.

2019 also saw Brodyn Gudgeon start at five eight for the Titans U18 side in their match against North Queensland that was played as the curtain raiser to the Titans/ Warriors NRL match in June.

From a school boy rugby league perspective in 2019 Brodyn Gudgeon captained the Coombabah State High School open school boy side in the Langer Cup and GIO Cup competitions where Coombabah gave Keebra Park all that they could handle in a great contest in their GIO Cup Quarter Final match.

Late in 2018 Brodyn Gudgeon started from the bench for the Titans U16 side and scored a second half try as the Titans went down 30 – 10 to the New South Wales Country U16’s at Cudgen on a wet and windy Saturday afternoon in early October.

The try was a result of Brodyn Gudgeon not giving up on chasing a short grubber kick from Titans half Ryan Rivett (I believe it was) and beating the NSW Country defence to ground the ball in the in goal area.

Brodyn Gudgeon played the 2018 GCRL season in the U16 Division One competition with Helensvale and through his eleven games had an impressive 100% strike rate. Brodyn Gudgeon scored a late season hat trick against Southport and also scored a double against Southport the week prior. Brodyn Gudgeon’s other 2018 double came against Burleigh earlier in the 2018 U16 Division One season.

Brodyn Gudgeon also scored against Southport, Currumbin and Burleigh in the first regular season match and also the last in 2018 to bookend his season.

At the start of the 2018 season Brodyn Gudgeon started at half back for the U16 Gold Coast Vikings Yellow side in the South East Queensland U16 Challenge and from there was selected in the South East Queensland Green U16 for the Queensland Age Championships.

In those Championships, Brodyn Gudgeon started at half back in all four of South East Quqqnsland Green’s matches including the Championship Final against South East Queensland White and in fact Brodyn Gudgeon scored in that final.

Over the course of the 2017 season the Coombabah State High School student scored eight tries from fourteen matches and started at half back in the 34 – 10 Grand Final loss to Nerang. Brodyn Gudgeon scored an early season hat trick against Coomera and also doubles against Nerang and Southport as well as a try against Burleigh to account for his eight tries over the course of the 2017 rugby league season.

In attack, Brodyn Gudgeon is a young half who is a dynamic runner of the football who excels in taking on the defensive line with deft footwork around the ruck, looking to seek out bigger slower forwards when they are caught on the edge of the ruck, Brodyn Gudgeon also has a very good dummy which continues to be effective regardless of the frequency of its use as it is indistinguishable in process from when he is going to actually pass the ball.

Brodyn Gudgeon does not however have blinkers on, and when his backline is set deep, he can see an overlap or another play developing Brodyn Gedgeon will get the ball out quickly and effectively, using his solid passing skills from both sides of his body, where he will put the football out in front of his runners.

Brodyn Gudgeon is able to impart a good counter clock wise spin on the ball, thus can get good distance on his passes whilst maintaining accuracy from both sides of his body all be it he seems to gets better distance when passing to the left hand side of the field.

Assisting his play is the fact that Brodyn Gudgeon seems to make the decision what to do with the ball quickly thus enabling the ball to get out wide quickly. One aspect that is notable when you see him play is how he directs the team around the field, he is in charge of when and where the forwards run and also when he wants the ball to spread it out wide to his backline.

Defensively Brodyn Gudgeon has decent size for a half back, a facet which assists in him being a very effective defender for his position, in fact he is an asset to his team’s defensive pattern to the extent that he has the strength and technique to more than hold his own one on one against wide running forwards.

Brodyn Gudgeon was MM Cup eligible again in 2020 and started Round One at fullback for the Burleigh MM Cup side, being part of that squad for the second season in a row before the competition came in a premature conclusion. Brodyn Gudgeon would have almost certainly played additional Hastings Deering’s Colts matches for Bureigh as well in 2020.

In 2021 Brodyn Gudgeon will progress to the Burleigh Bears Hastings Deerings Colts squad and will also be Colts eligible in 2022.

Brodyn Gudgeon has played in the halves for most if not all of his junior rugby league career and there is no reason to suggestion that that situation is not the most beneficial for Brodyn Gudgeon to realise his immense potential. For completeness however I note that Brodyn Gudgeon has also spent time at fullback more recently and handled the position more than comfortably.

My NRL player comparison for Brodyn Gudgeon is Cronulla Sharks and former New Zealand Warrior and New Zealand International Shaun Johnson. Shaun Johnson has a wicked side step and acceleration and those are two attributes that Brodyn Gudgeon also possesses and at a level which is not dis-similiar.

No one can predict the future but how Brodyn Gudgeon’s game develops over the coming years will be something that I will be keeping a very close eye on especially in relation to his ball playing and game management skills.

Gary Whare- Herlihy. The Brisbane based Easts Tigers (GBJRL) youngster early this year signed a contract with the Titans for the next couple of seasons after his outstanding 2019 performances in the black and orange of the Tigers and the Titans Logan based Academy.

Gary Whare- Herlihy was also involved in the Titans U15 Academy matches at Burleigh in early 2020 and post those round robin matches signed his contract with the Titans which will see him part of the Titans JTS program for the next couple of seasons.

The Titans have a number of talented hooking prospects in the JTS program, Gary Whare-Herlihy is another name to add the the talented list of dummy halves that also includes the likes of Ediq Ambrosyev and Oskar Bryant amongst others.

In early 2020, prior to the Covid 19 enforced close down Gary Whare-Herlihy was selected in the Bayside District U15 school boy representative rugby league representative side.

In 2020 Gary Whare-Herlihy and his Alexandra Hills State High School team mates also completed in the Devere Cup school boy competition defeating Coombabah State High School in the semi-final to make the final against Forest Lake State High School.

Whilst Gary Whare-Herlihy primarily played at hooker for Alexandra Hills State High School in 2020, Round Two of the 2020 Dever Cup saw him start the math against Redcliffe State High School at fullback.

Gary Whare-Herlihy started the 2020 Devere Cup Grand Final at hooker as Alexandra SHS defeated Foret Lake SHS 7 – 6.

In early December 2020 Gary Whare-Herlihy was named at hooker in the 2020 Alexandra Hills School Boy Rugby League Team of the Year.

In 2019 Gary Whare-Herlihy played in the hooking role for the Easts Tigers in the GBJRL U14 Division One competition alongside fellow Titans contracted player Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy who was playing in the centres.

In 2019 Gary Whare-Herlihy also played for his Alexandra Hills State High School Boy’s side starting all of their matches at hooker once again alongside fellow Titans contracted student Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy.

Gary Whare-Herlihy 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, Gary Whare-Herlihy 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 Gary Whare-Herlihy’s passing from either side of his body, and his passes are crisp and flat and also he can pass a reasonable distance off the ground when the first receiver is standing a little wider of the play the ball.

Where Gary Whare-Herlihy 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 Gary Whare-Herlihy is a very good game manager from the hooking position.

Where Gary Whare-Herlihy really stands out in terms of attacking play, is his speed out of dummy half, he is extremely quick and has exceptional footwork to take advantage of tiring forwards, using a step off both feet.

Gary Whare-Herlihy 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 Gary Whare-Herlihy 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 Gary Whare-Herlihy will need to ensure that, especially close to the line he continues to make the right decisions.

Due to the pace that Gary Whare-Herlihy plays the game at and his speed Gary Whare-Herlihy is always available in terms of backing up in the centre of the ruck, when forwards get their arms free. When he gets an off load in the centre of the ruck Gary Whare-Herlihy just takes off and is through any gaps before the opposition get itself back in any semblance of order.

Gary Whare-Herlihy’s defence for a hooker is quite outstanding, for a smaller forward he is a hard hitter and can defend effectively one on one against far larger forwards, Gary Whare-Herlihy 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.

Gary Whare-Herlihy’s intensity means that he will track the play across and thus is in a good position when the ball is passed back inside or an opposition second rower runs back inside on an inside shoulder route. Gary Whare-Herlihy literally tackles everything that moves in the centre of the ruck, match after match with each tackle coming with solid initial contact.

Gary Whare-Herlihy played the 2020 season with the Easts Tigers in the GBJRL U15 Division One competition and Alexandra Hills in their various school boy competitions with an opportunity to make the Met East U15 QSSRL school boy representative side.

In 2021 Gary Whare-Herlihy will once again line up for Alexandra Hills State High School in their various South East Queensland School Boy Rugby League competitions as well as play for the Easts Tigers once again in the Brisbane Junior Rugby League U16 Division One competition.

Gary Whare-Herlihy projects as a modern day hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange at the higher competition levels, including senior levels and be effective both in attack and defence throughout the entire match.

For people that follow the Queensland Cup competition, my opinion is that Gary Whare-Herlihy has a playing style akin to that of current Titans NRL trialist, Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup hooker and former local Mudgeeraba Redbacks junior Brent Woolf.

Both Woolf and Gary Whare-Herlihy are competitive, combinative players and skilful in the dummy half role as well as aggressive defensively and will not back down any challenge no matter what it is or the size of the opponent presenting the challenge.

Tyler Harper. The young northern New South Wales half back is currently a member of the Titans U15 Elite Academy squad and also is enrolled at PBC State High School as part of their Rugby League Excellence Program.

In 2020 Tyler Harper played half back for the Tweed Heads Seagulls U14 side in the Group 18 junior rugby league competition with the Seagulls going through the ten regular season rounds undefeated, scoring 316 points and conceding just 64 to finish the regular season with +252 points differential from their ten matches to record an average winning margin of a fraction above twenty five points per match.

As a result of their outstanding season the Tweed Heads Seagulls Group 18 U14 side qualified for the Grand Final against the Tugun Seahawks. Tweed Heads prevailed in the 2020 Group 18 U16 decider 30 – 4 with Tyler Harper starting the Grand Final at half back.

In the 2020 Group 18 U14 Grand Final Tyler Harper operated primarily on the right side of the field and had a try assist in the Grand Final as well as converting the Seagulls third try from close to the right upright in the first half. Tyler Harper’s try assist came in the second half when he took the ball to the line before putting in a short stab kick which he weighted correctly for his right winger to dive on the ball in the in goal.

Tyler Harper was also heavily involved in another Tweed Heads try in the second half when a long cut out pass to his right put his right centre into space who was then able to set up his support runner to score.

Tyler Harper also attends PBC as part of their Elite Rugby League Program and in 2020 started at half back for the PBC Renouf Cup School Boy Grand Final side that went down in heart breaking fashion 10 – 8 to Marsden State High School.

In the 2020 Renouf Cup Grand Final, Tyler Harper had a big game kicking two from two and also recording a try assist for PBC’s sole try of the match. In the second half with Marsden leading 6 – 0, Tyler Harper who was operating on the left, put in a deft grubber kick in to his left with the kick sitting up perfectly for PBC left centre and fellow Titans linked Tyler Small to fly through to take the ball and score next to the posts.

Tyler Harper converted the try that he set up for Tyler Small and then kicked a late second half penalty goal to put PBC in front 8 – 6 before the heart break of seeing Marsden score in the last seconds of the match to snatch victory.

Tyer Harper also had a number of outstanding Renouf Cup regular season matches for PBC in 2020 including a stand out Round Five against Wavell State High School, recording two try assists and being involved in another two.

Tyler Harper’s first try assist of the match, in fact also resulted in the opening try of the match. Operating on the left, Tyler Harper received the ball two passes off the ruck before sending a pass to his left for left second rower Sam Stephenson to charge over from forty metres out. The key from the perspective of Tyler Harper’s contribution to the try was that Tyler Harper did not just catch and pass. Tyler Harper received the ball and moved towards the defensive line before taking a step to his left before off-loading

If Tyler Harper had not run towards the defensive line before passing, the defence would have been able to slide to their right and have additional numbers in front of Sam Stephenson, but by running at the line Tyler Harper forced the defenders to hold their spacing and keep a defender tasked with honouring the threat of Tyler Harper running the ball.

Tyler Harper’s second try assist come in the second half when he put in a right foot chip kick from thirty five metrws out towards the left corner. The kick sat up perfectly for PBC left centre Tyler Small to run through and take the ball with no momentum loss to score on the left side of the field.

As noted Tyler Harper was also involved in two additional tries in the match, one on each half with Tyler Small scoring on both occasions. On both occasions, Tyler Harper did not throw the final pass for the try, but if he was not involved earlier in either play then it is unlikely Tyler Small scores either try.

On both occasions Tyler Harper received the ball on the left, sized up the situation perfectly (and quickly) and threw long cut out passes to runners in space who then could draw a defender and pass to Tyler Small. If on either occasion, Tyler Harper had either not thrown the pass as quickly (and accurately) or had gone through the hands then his outside support would not have had the time to take Tyler Harper’s pass in space and having the time to make the correct decision to draw and pass to set up a PBC try.

Tyler Harper was also more than solid In Round Three as PBC defeated Coombabah State High School 40 – 12. The match saw Tyler Harper record a try assist, two line break assists, both leading to Tyler Small tries and kicking three conversions, one in the first half and two in the second. Tyler Harper’s conversion in the first half was from just to the right of the uprights and in relation to his two second half conversions, one from just from the left of the uprights and the other, just to the right.

Tyler Harper’s try assist came in the second half, when under extreme pressure, after receiving the ball on the left, threw a perfect pass to Sam Stephenson who charged ten metres to score. Tyler Harper also had a line brea assist in each half. In the first half Tyler Harper took the ball towards the line on the left side of the field, putting Sam Stepehenson into a big gap fifty metres out, Sam Stephenson was then able to off load to Tyler Small. In the second half, Tyler Harper called the ball off the dummyh laf down a fifteen metre left blind side on around the half way mark. Tyler Harper held the ball up nicely before throwing the pass out the back to his fullback who had looped around to the left and was able to take the pass in a big gap and then offload to Tyler Small.

In Round Four against Forest Lake State High School Tyler Harper continued his solid impressive Renouf Cup season on the way to recording three more try assists and also converted PBC’s final try of the match from directly in front in a 26 – 4 victory.

Tyler Harper’s first try assist of the Round Four match came early in the first half, when, as usual Tyler Harper was operating on the left side of the field. Tyler Harper received the ball down a short blind side and at the line put in a short right foot stab kick which sat up ideally for Tyler Small who flew through to score.

Tyler Harper’s second try assist of the match was an impressive effort by the young half. As soon as he received the ball on the left side of the field, Tyler Harper stepped off his right foot to get on the outside shoulder of the immediate Forest Lake defender and then popped an exquisite short pass to his left to a straight running Sam Stephenson who charged through the gap that Tyler Harper had established to score.

Tyler Harper’s third and final try assist of the match was a heads up play from around forty five metres out. After a long PBC break down the right touch line the ball came back to the left to Tyler Harper who kept his eyes down field and as soon as he say a lot of space down field put in a kick down field angled to the left corner post. PBC left centre Tyler Small raced through to take the ball on the bounce and was able to bring the ball around to put it down under the posts. Tyler Harper then stepped up to kick the conversion.

Post the completion of the Renouf Cup school boy competition Tyler Harper was awarded a Future Reds Award at the 2020 PBC Sports Awards night.

Tyler Harper also played Oztag in 2020 making the U14 Boys Queensland Fury side for the Queensland Oztag Super Series after representing the Tweed Coast Giants. In late 2020 Tyler Harper was named in the 2021 Tweed Coast Giants U14/15 Boys Oztag squad.

Tyler Harpe ris only slight of build but do not take his lack of size in any way as a lack of ability or courage, Tyler Haprer 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. Tyler Harperis 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 Tyler Harper’s 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 Tyler Harper 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. Tyler Harper’s passing game is solid but seems to be slightly better when he is passing to the left side of the field. Tyler Harper’s ability to dummy and go also seems slightly more effective when he is running to the right side of the field.

Tyler Harper 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 Tyler Harper 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. Tyler Harper is also very vocal on the field always talking and encouraging his side both in attack and defence.

Defensively I like the way that Tyler Harper takes the line on, he is aggressive and attacks the ball carrier rather than waiting for the attackers to come to him. Tyler Harper clearly looks to limit the time opposition players have to generate momentum before they get to him. Against players similar in size or reasonably close to it, Tyler Harper is very aggressive and makes sure that he finishes off every tackle in an effort to win every one on one individual battle against his opponent.

Tyler Harper will play for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Group 18 junior rugby league competition, in 2021 in the U15 age group, where once again that side will be the team to beat after their outstanding undefeated 2020 season.

2021 should also see Tyler Harper represent the Group 18 U15 representative side at the 2021 New South Wales Country Age Championships.

Tyler Harper will also continue at PBC moving up to the Hancock Cup school boy rugby league competition in 2021.

Tyler Harper has a small physical frame but is courageous and competitive and has a good football brain on his shoulders and thus I believe that half back position suits him perfectly both now and into the future.

With his smaller frame and his undoubted courage to take the ball right to the line before he executes the play, whether that be kicking or passing as well as his intelligence, for me Tyler Harper has an uncanny playing style that resembles that of Sydney Roosters and New South Wales State of Origin five eight Blake Keary.

Both Keary and Tyler Harper have the strength of personality and toughness to take on any challenge on a rugby league field not matter how big the challenge (or opponent) is compared to how big they are.

Harry Chadburn. The young centre from northern New South Wales is currently a member of the 2021 Titans U15 Elite Academy squad.

In 2020 Harry Chadburn played in the centres (minly left centre) for the Tweed Heads Seagulls U14 side in the Group 18 junior rugby league competition with the Seagulls going through the ten regular season rounds undefeated, scoring 316 points and conceding just 64 to finish the regular season with +252 points differential from their ten matches to record an average winning margin of just above twenty five points per game.

As a result of their outstanding season the Tweed Heads Seagulls U14 side qualified for the U14 Group 18 Grand Final against the Tugun Seahawks. Tweed Heads prevailed in the 2020 decider 30 – 4 with Harry Chadburn starting the Grand Final at left centre and scoring for the Seagulls in the first half.

Harry Chadburn’s try came when he got on the outside of the Tugun right winger around twenty metres out and was able to dive over ten metres in from the left corner post and in front of the score board virtually unopposed.

At the 2020 Tweed Heads Seagulls Junior Rugby League Awards Harry Chadburn was awarded the Elwyen Walters Award.

In terms of his attacking play Harry Chadburn 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.

Harry Chadburn has quite a good step, predominately off the right foot, so he certainly has the skills to adjust his running line as he gains more experience and develops a better rapport with his teams play makers and progresses to a higher level in competition.

When defending in the centres, Harry Chadburn really does look to come out of the line and hit his opposing centre as hard as possible to cut off the attacking play before it has time to fully develop.

Harry Chadburn does not let the play unfold in front of him, he looks to disrupt as early as possible. With his size and defensive tendencies when defending in the centres, he is more suited to an up and in defensive methodology compared to a sliding system.

Harry Chadburn will play for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Group 18 junior rugby league competition, in 2021 in the U15 age group, where once again that side will be the team to beat after their outstanding 2020 undefeated season.

2021 should also see Harry Chadburn represent the Group 18 U15 representative side at the 2021 New South Wales Country Age Championships.

With his speed and elusiveness coupled with good size for an outside back Harry Chadburn is ideally suited to maintaining his current projection, that being of a mulit-talented attacking centre, specifically one that operates on the left side of the field.

Due to his ability to get to the outside of his direct opponent as well as a strong right armd fend and the core body strength to maintain his balance and running line whilst in contact with a defender, Harry Chadburn has a more than passing similarilty to Titans NRL left centre Brian Kelly. Also like Kelly, Harry Chadburn is also a solid defensive centre who used his leverage to into the ribs of the attacker who is running at him.