Junior Development

[mdrew]

Well done to Larryon Tevita for being named the Samoan U18 Player of the Tournament in the QPICC competition over the weekend.

[mdrew]

In addition to Larryon Tevita, a number of other Gold Coast based players were named as their respective communities Most Valuable Player at last weekend’s QPICC Tournament including Reico Ratana (Maori U14), Xavier Collins (Cook Islands U14), Connor Te Kani (Maori U16) and Stepharn Holo (Niue U18).

[mdrew]

The 2018 Keebra Park Team of the Year was once again a theoretical side full of talent. In addition to the Year 12’s such as David Butler the side contained a number of outstanding young players who will come to the fore over the next couple of years including second rower Lleyton Borg (Southport), hooker Blake Mozer (Runaway Bay), interchange centre Malakai Rhind (Runaway Bay), winger Te Haeta Takamore (Helensvale) and lock Wailer Whaiapu (Southport).

[mdrew]

In their game overnight the Group 18 U15 side defeated Aude Cathare coming from behind.

A number of Titans youngsters headed over to France yesterday as part of a U15 Group One Battlefield Challenge side.

All the best to the youngsters who include Titans Jack Cullen, Ryan Foran, Byron Jones, Riley Lack and Thomas Weaver.

[mdrew]

Gold Coast rugby league supporters will get a pleasant surprise when they see Titans linked centre James Torrens on the field for the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side next season.

The big strong barrel chested left centre who was part of the Titans U18 side in their recent development squad matches was outstanding in 2018 for the Ballina Seagulls in the NRRRL competition and the Northern Rivers U18 side in the Laurie Daley Cup competition.

James Torrens started off the season, performing solidly for Northern Rivers in the inaugural U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition starting in the centres in four matches against the Newcastle Knights Development Squad, North Coast, Central Coast Roosters and the Greater Northern Tigers.

For the Ballina Seagulls in the NRRRL U18 competition, James Torrens finished the regular season playing in eleven matches and scoring twelve tries. Of those twelve tries, James Torrens scored ten of those in a six game period from late May to late July.

In that span James Torrens scored a hat trick against Murwillumbah, doubles against Casino RSM and Cudgen and tries against Tweed Coast, Kyogle and Lower Clarence.

With his twelve try tally James Torrens finished equal second on the U18 NRRRL try scoring list equal with Tweed Coast forward Oscar Clarke and five behind Cudgen centre Liam Cusack.

James Torrens was part of the Ballina U18 NRRRL Grand Final side that won 30 – 4 to Cudgen with James Torrens starting the Grand Final in his usual left centre position. Throughout the Grand Final James Torrens was a handful for the Cudgen defence, scoring a good try and also making a long break when he fielded a Cudgen grubber kick on his own line and charging downfield on a 60 metre run before the cover defence converged.

In the Grand Final James Torrens had the responsibility of taking the first hit up from every one of Ballina’s scrum wins, regularly bending the Cudgen defence back and putting the Seagulls on the front foot.

James Torrens made his NRRRL Reserve Grade debut in June 2018, against Casino RSM and in 2018 went on to play in six Reserve Grade matches in total scoring three tries, including a double against Lower Clarence and also scoring in his second Reserve Grade game against Mullumbimby.

James Torrens made his NRRRL First Grade debut in late July against Lower Clarence and what a debut he had, scoring a double on a memorable afternoon. James Torrens had scored a double in the earlier Reserve Grade match as well as scoring in the U18 match that same day.

[mdrew]

The PBC Sports Awards night was held on Wednesday night with a number of Titans linked boys receiving deserved recognition including:

Kaden Somerville being awarded the 2018 Ryan James Scholarship Award;

Will Evans receiving a Rugby league PBC Reds award;

Juwan Compain receiving a Rugby League Excellence Award for National Representation;

Bailey Martin being nominated for the Junior Sportsperson of the Year Award.

[mdrew]

The Burleigh Bears MM Cup squad (and Hastings Deering’s Colts) got together last night at Somerset College to get their preseason under way.

One young player who will be looking to make his mark with the side MM Cup side in 2019 is Burleigh five eight Jackson Coote.

In 2018 Jackson Coote played 13 matches for the Burleigh U16 Division One side scoring tries against Helensvale and Mudgeeraba and started at five eight in their tough 28-26 Preliminary final loss to Currumbin.

[mdrew]

Young Cudgen Hornets front rower Byron Jones started from the bench for the Titans U15 side as they defeated a U15 Balmain Tigers touring side 16 – 10 and has recently been selected in the Northern Rivers Titans squad for the 2019 Andrew Johns Cup competition.

Byron Jones came onto the field for the Titans around 20 minutes into the match and immediately stood out as a result of his outstanding work rate both in attack and defence including a great front on hit against one of the Balmain front rowers shortly after coming onto the field.

At the 2018 New South Wales Country U15 Championships Byron Jones was named on the bench for the Group 18 U15 side. In the Championships Byron Jones played in three matches with those matches coming against Group 21 Group Two and Group Four.

Byron Jones has also been selected to travel to France to compete in the U15 Battlefield Challenge to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the end of World War 1. A number of other Titans players will also be involved in the tour including Tom Weaver, Ryan Foran and Bailey Cox.

The Group 18 U15 side won the tournament including victories against Emory Moor 12 – 6 and Leigh East 18 – 12. In a warm up match in England prior to the Tournament they defeated a Hemel Stags U16 side and post the Tournament defeated French side Aude Cathare.

The St Joseph’s College Tweed Heads student earlier this season was selected in the front row for the Northern Country New South Wales Combined Catholic College’s U15 team and in 2017 represented the Group 18 U14 side.

[mdrew]

In 2019 Logan Watene will be part of the Burleigh bears MM Cup squad.

In 2018 Logan Watene was a key member of the Keebra Park Open B and started on the wing and scored Keebra’s in 22 – 6 Langer Cup final win over Wavell State High School in the Langer Cup Final.

Logan Watene played the 2018 season with the Ormeau Shearers in the GCRL U17 Division One competition playing in seven matches scoring four tries and kicking two goals of a total points haul on the season of 20.

Logan Watene scored a double against Mudgeeraba and also scored tries against Bilambil and Currumbin. Logan Watene’s two goals came in separate matches against Mudgeeraba and Helensvale.

Logan Watene started off the 2017 GCJRL season in the U16 Division Two competition before progressing through the U16 Division One competition before progressing again to end the season with four matches in the U17 Division One competition.

As noted Logan Watene started in the U16 Division Two competition and in just those four matches scored a total of 36 points from three tries and twelve goals. His tries came from a double against Coomera and Nerang.

In the 2017 U16 Division One competition Logan Watene appeared in nine matches scoring 40 points from five tries and ten goals, including a double in his last U16 Division One match against Helensvale and also a try the week prior against Runaway Bay. In late May, early June in consecutive matches Logan Watene scored his other two tries which were against Currumbin and Burleigh.

Logan Watene played his first match at the U17 Division One level in early July 2017 against Bilambil and subsequently has played three additional U17 Division One matches against Runaway Bay, Mudgeeraba and Burleigh. Logan Watene’s debut U17 Division One match saw him convert a try.

[mdrew]

In 2019 the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales will be represented in the U16 Andrew Johns Cup and U18 Laurie Daley Cup by the Northern Rivers Titans with one of the youngsters looking to grab the hooking role in the U18 side will be Johan Whitlam-Rose.

Earlier this season Jonah Whitlam-Rose captained the Northern Rivers U16 Andrew Johns Cup side taking them to the finals in the first year of the competition. In the competition he started at hooker and captained the side in each of their five matches and scored a double in Round One against the Newcastle Knights U16 Development Squad in an outstanding display of dummy half running.

Representative honours are nothing new for the St Joseph’s College Banora Point student, he represented Group 18 at the NSW Country U15 Championships in 2017 in three matches scoring a hat trick against Group 19 and in 2016 represented Group 18 at the U14 level in two matches.

[mdrew]

The Burleigh Bears 2019 MM Cup squad has a number of talented players looking to secure the hooking role with one of the players in the mix being Nerang hooker Lachlan Adamson who earlier this season was named at hooker for the Queensland U16 side but started the match on the interchange bench with Titan’s contracted Ediq Ambrosyev moving into the starting side late.

In 2018 Lachlan Adamson started the season as part of the Gold Coast Vikings White U16 side and in the GCRL U16 Division One competition played in 11 matches for Nerang including starting at hooker in Nerang’s 24-8 Grand Final victory over Currumbin.

In his 11 matches, Lachlan Adamson scored tries in consecutive mid-season rounds against Burleigh, Currumbin and Helensvale.

[mdrew]

Earlier this week the Titans signed young Grafton ghosts centre Jake Martin to a two year development deal.

In the Group Two U18 competition Jake Martin played in nine matches scoring four tries and also played in four Group Two Reserve Grade matches.

This season Jake Martin also made his Group Two First Grade debut for the Ghosts when he ran on the field in April against Macksville.

Jake Martin joins fellow Grafton Ghosts junior in the Titans ranks.

[mdrew]

One of the standout players in the 2019 Burleigh MM Cup squad is Lofi Khan-Periera.

The young Burleigh Bears winger and current Keebra Park student has recently signed a new three year Development contract with the Titans after the expiration of his initial two year contract.

Lofi Khan-Periera started on the wing for the Titans U1`8 side in their recent victory over the PNG U18 side at Burleigh and also started there and scored one of the Titans three tries as they defeated NSW Country U18’s the flowing week at Cudgen.

In the match against New South Wales Country U18’s Lofi Khan-Periera started on the right wing with his try being an intercept try which covered approximately 98 metres.

Lofi Khan-Periera represented South Coast at the QSSRL U18 Championships in Toowoomba this season scoring a number of long range tries from the left wing and was in my eyes an unlucky omission from the Queensland U18 QSSRL side which contained fellow Titans contracted, South Coast representative and Keebra Park student front rower David Butler.

Lofi Khan-Periera has played a number of matches for Keebra Park this season including matches against PBC which they lost by two, points, and in wins over Wavell State High School and St Mary’s College who Keebra Park defeated 24 – 18. Keebra Park were knocked out at the Queensland Quarter Final stage by Marsden State High School in a bit of an upset.

Lofi Khan-Periera also played one or two matches for the Keebra Park B side and was awarded one point in the Open B Best Player Award race.

Lofi Khan-Periera started the 2018 season off in the MM Cup competition with the Burleigh Bears, playing in all six of Burleigh’s matches, starting four on the wing and two at fullback. Lofi Khan-Periera started the Bears first four matches on the wing before moving to fullback for the Round Six match against the Western Mustangs.

In his six matches Lofi Khan-Periera scored five tries including a Round Six double against the Western Mustangs. Lofi Khan-Periera also scored tries in Rounds One, Three and Four against the Sunshine Coast, Tweed Heads and South’s Logan respectively.

Post the MM Cup, Lofi Khan-Periera played in one match for the Burleigh U17 Division One side this season and made the most of it by scoring a hat trick against Helensvale.

Lofi Khan-Periera had a great 2017 season culminating in starting on the wing for Keebra Park in their National GIO Cup Finals success and representing Queensland Murri U16’s in their annual clash against New South Wales Kurri with fellow Titans linked hooker Jesse Brasslin being a team mate in the match.

In the interstate clash held in Newcastle Lofi Khan-Periera scored a double as Queensland Murri went down 16 – 14 in a tight clash. 2017 also saw Lofi Khan-Periera as part of the 2017 U16 Queensland Academy of Sport squad and he also won the Keebra Park 2017 Year 11 Sport Specialisation student of the year award.

In 2017 Lofi Khan-Periera finished on top of the try scoring list in the U16 Division One competition in 2017, finishing with eight tries from twelve matches. Unfortunately for Lofi Khan-Periera he missed the U16 Division One Grand Final with injury as Burleigh were defeated 34 – 4.

Lofi Khan-Periera had a great start to the U16 Division One season scoring all eight of his tries through the first five rounds including four tries in a match against Ormeau and a Round One double against Helensvale.

A the commencement of the 2017 season Lofi Khan-Periera represented the Gold Coast Vikings in the U16 South East Queensland pre-season competition and from there made the South East Queensland White U16 side for the Queensland Age Championships.

In those Championships, Lofi Khan-Periera had an outstanding campaign, scoring a double on Day Two against Centre and a try on Day Three against South East Queensland Green. Lofi Khan-Periera also scored in each of SEQ Whites finals, including against Northern in a semi-final and against SEQ Green in the final which White won 42 – 30.

As a result of his play over the last couple of season Lofi Khan-Periera was identified by both the Titans and the Broncos but has signed a deal with the Titans after being in both NRL team’s development squads.

Lofi Khan-Pereira has also represented Samoa on multiple occasions including being named Samoan U14 player of the tournament in 2015 at the QPICC championships.

Lofi Khan-Periera was also named in the Queensland Murri Probables side after the 2016 Queensland Murri championships.

[Bart]

One of the standout players in the 2019 Burleigh MM Cup squad is Lofi Khan-Periera.

The young Burleigh Bears winger and current Keebra Park student has recently signed a new three year Development contract with the Titans after the expiration of his initial two year contract.

Lofi Khan-Periera started on the wing for the Titans U1`8 side in their recent victory over the PNG U18 side at Burleigh and also started there and scored one of the Titans three tries as they defeated NSW Country U18’s the flowing week at Cudgen.

In the match against New South Wales Country U18’s Lofi Khan-Periera started on the right wing with his try being an intercept try which covered approximately 98 metres.

Lofi Khan-Periera represented South Coast at the QSSRL U18 Championships in Toowoomba this season scoring a number of long range tries from the left wing and was in my eyes an unlucky omission from the Queensland U18 QSSRL side which contained fellow Titans contracted, South Coast representative and Keebra Park student front rower David Butler.

Lofi Khan-Periera has played a number of matches for Keebra Park this season including matches against PBC which they lost by two, points, and in wins over Wavell State High School and St Mary’s College who Keebra Park defeated 24 – 18. Keebra Park were knocked out at the Queensland Quarter Final stage by Marsden State High School in a bit of an upset.

Lofi Khan-Periera also played one or two matches for the Keebra Park B side and was awarded one point in the Open B Best Player Award race.

Lofi Khan-Periera started the 2018 season off in the MM Cup competition with the Burleigh Bears, playing in all six of Burleigh’s matches, starting four on the wing and two at fullback. Lofi Khan-Periera started the Bears first four matches on the wing before moving to fullback for the Round Six match against the Western Mustangs.

In his six matches Lofi Khan-Periera scored five tries including a Round Six double against the Western Mustangs. Lofi Khan-Periera also scored tries in Rounds One, Three and Four against the Sunshine Coast, Tweed Heads and South’s Logan respectively.

Post the MM Cup, Lofi Khan-Periera played in one match for the Burleigh U17 Division One side this season and made the most of it by scoring a hat trick against Helensvale.

Lofi Khan-Periera had a great 2017 season culminating in starting on the wing for Keebra Park in their National GIO Cup Finals success and representing Queensland Murri U16’s in their annual clash against New South Wales Kurri with fellow Titans linked hooker Jesse Brasslin being a team mate in the match.

In the interstate clash held in Newcastle Lofi Khan-Periera scored a double as Queensland Murri went down 16 – 14 in a tight clash. 2017 also saw Lofi Khan-Periera as part of the 2017 U16 Queensland Academy of Sport squad and he also won the Keebra Park 2017 Year 11 Sport Specialisation student of the year award.

In 2017 Lofi Khan-Periera finished on top of the try scoring list in the U16 Division One competition in 2017, finishing with eight tries from twelve matches. Unfortunately for Lofi Khan-Periera he missed the U16 Division One Grand Final with injury as Burleigh were defeated 34 – 4.

Lofi Khan-Periera had a great start to the U16 Division One season scoring all eight of his tries through the first five rounds including four tries in a match against Ormeau and a Round One double against Helensvale.

A the commencement of the 2017 season Lofi Khan-Periera represented the Gold Coast Vikings in the U16 South East Queensland pre-season competition and from there made the South East Queensland White U16 side for the Queensland Age Championships.

In those Championships, Lofi Khan-Periera had an outstanding campaign, scoring a double on Day Two against Centre and a try on Day Three against South East Queensland Green. Lofi Khan-Periera also scored in each of SEQ Whites finals, including against Northern in a semi-final and against SEQ Green in the final which White won 42 – 30.

As a result of his play over the last couple of season Lofi Khan-Periera was identified by both the Titans and the Broncos but has signed a deal with the Titans after being in both NRL team’s development squads.

Lofi Khan-Pereira has also represented Samoa on multiple occasions including being named Samoan U14 player of the tournament in 2015 at the QPICC championships.

Lofi Khan-Periera was also named in the Queensland Murri Probables side after the 2016 Queensland Murri championships.

Agree mate he should have been in this years schoolboy side for sure

[mdrew]

Big strong young front rower Dartanyon Faivre has deservedly been selected in the 2019 Burleigh Bears MM Cup squad after a solid 2018 season including being part of the U16 Gold Coast Vikings Yellow side.

For Burleigh in the 2018 GCRL U16 Division One competition, Dartanyon Faivre played in 13 matches scoring tries against Nerang and Southport and started in the front row in Burleigh’s 28-26 Preliminary Final loss to Currumbin.

Impressively Dartanyon Faivre also played 11 matches for Burleigh in the U17 Division One competition regularly backing up from the U16 Division One match.