Big strong tough Titans linked front rower Isaiah Barker played his first U19 match of the season on the weekend coming off the bench as his Bilambil side defeated Mudgeeraba 34-12.
Big strong tough Titans linked front rower Isaiah Barker played his first U19 match of the season on the weekend coming off the bench as his Bilambil side defeated Mudgeeraba 34-12.
Is it common for players contracted to other NRL clubs to play MM for their non-affiliate club? I seen a lot of Tweed players picked for QLD 18s but very few aligned to Titans?
If Burleigh and Tweed are aligned to Titans, wouldn't it make sense for their MM sides to have only non-contracted or Titan linked/contracted players??
Burleigh and Tweed Heads Run the teams and the Titans allocate players to each. The brief of both clubs is to promote the game thus other clubs players are also selected to play. Whilst I understand what you are saying young players commit to NRL clubs for various reasons and it would be hard to say to a young bloke you cannot play MM because you are not a Titan.
Last edited by mdrew; 22-05-18 at 12:56 PM.
Through the opening six rounds of the Group 18 Junior rugby league competition some outstanding teams have emerged:
In the U13 competition, the Bilambil Jets are undefeated scoring 134 points and conceding 66
In the U14 competition, the Bilambil Jets are undefeated scoring 198 points and conceding 54
In the U15 competition, the South Tweed Bears and undefeated scoring 204 points and conceding 40
In the U16 competition the Bilambil Jets are undefeated scoring 112 points and conceding 20
The Bilambil Jets are also performing well through the opening Rounds of the U17 Division One and U19 GCRL competitions.
A couple of Tweed Heads Seagulls MM squad members were on hand for Runaway Bay on the weekend in their U19 GCRL victory over Ormeau.
Jayden To’O started at fullback and scored a double and Codey McLaughlin started at lock and also scored.
Burleigh Bears 2018 MM Cup player Zane Prophet continues to show why I consider him one of the most improved players in Cold Coast Rugby League circles over recent seasons.
After playing a number of MM Cup matches he is back in the local U19 competition and has a 100% strike rate for Ormeau.
Zane Prophet has started the three U19 matches that he has been involved in in the second row and scored again last weekend in Ormeau’s loss to Runaway Bay and scored a double in Round Four against Helensvale.
Te Okeingaroa-Wikaira is yet another youngster who has moved to the Gold Coast to chase an opportunity in rugby league. The youngster who played his junior rugby league with Nambucca Heads in Northern New South Wales in the Group Two U18 competition has played three of the five rounds of the GCRL U19 competition with Burleigh, starting on the wing in Round Three and from the bench in Rounds Four and Five.
The Currumbin U19 side on the weekend had a MM Cup feel to it with a number of youngsters in the Eagles side. Burleigh MM youngster and Cook Islands native Adyn Anguna came off the bench in just his second U19 match.
Also playing his second U19 match was Tweed Heads MM squad member Ji Van Heerwaarden who started in the front row.
Rounding out the trio of MM Cup players was Kiu Nuku-Ngala who played all of the MM Cup rounds including the semi-final on the wing for Tweed Heads. Interestingly he played five eight for Currumbin on the weekend. He has played a fair bit of fullback in the past so the five eight position is not totally foreign to him.
A couple of Bilambil Jets youngsters are making their mark in the early rounds of the GCRL U19 competition, five eight Hezakiah Dennison originally from the Warwick area scored a double last weekend in Round Five in 34-12 win over Mudgeeraba.
Centre Ethan Simpson scored a hat trick in the match for Bilambil and is quickly gaining a reputation as a try scoring centre after scoring seven tries from eight matches in the U19 competition in 2017.
A young player to keep an eye on in the Burleigh junior ranks is centre Tereie Wikaira-Pehiriri, the young man who moved up to the Gold Coast this year after previously playing for Clarence Coast in the Group One competition has played two matches in the U17 Division One competition and two in the U19 competition and scored his first try on the Coast when he scored in the U19’s in Burleigh’s 26-22 victory over Currumbin on Sunday. He started in the centres on Saturday in the U17 Division One competition and backed up on Sunday starting at centre in the U19 match.
Titans Development Contract holder Tony Matautia dropped off the Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup bench late last week and suited up for the Seagulls in the local First Grade competition, starting in the front row and scoring as the Seagulls defeated Southport 40-6.
Titans Development Contract holder Kiah Cooper, in addition to scoring again for Tweed Heads in Round Eleven of the Queensland Cup started on the right wing, playing all 80 minutes. In that time he ran for 110 metres, 39 post contact, broke six tackles and made a line break. He also made two tackles.
Young former Victorian Pita-Will Purcell continues to show his versatility on the Gold Coast. After starting at lock for Burleigh in the U17 Division One competition last Saturday he backed up and started at five eight on Sunday for the Bears U19 side.
In the U19 match he kicked three goals from five attempts as Burleigh defeated Currumbin 26-22.
Over the course of the season to date, Pita-Will Purcell has been a jack of all trades starting matches in the centres and well as five eight and also providing a spark off the bench.