Junior Development

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After being injured in a pre-season training mishap, Titans contracted Vaka Sikahele was named on Burleigh’s extended bench for the Round Two Hastings Deering’s Colts local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls but moved onto the bench late in the week and celebrated by scoring in his Hastings Deering’s Colts debut.

Vaka Sikahele scored one of the stranger tries that you will see from a run out of dummy half in the 54th minute. After Burleigh had kicked off after a Tweed Heads try, the ball hit the right goal post on the full bouncing back into the field. Tristian Powell was able to retrieve the ball on the bounce and get to within eleven metres of the line. Vaka Sikahele got into dummy half and ran to his left with the Tweed Heads defence in disarray to dive over between two defenders mid-way between the goal posts and corner post on the left side of the field.

Vaka Sikahele came onto the field late in the first half, with his first run out of dummy half coming just a few minutes later in the 34th minute when ran to his left, breaking the Seagulls line and making twenty metres, beating four defenders along the way to get the ball to within forty metres of the try line.

In addition to some impressive runs and distribution out of dummy half Vaka Sikahele was also good defensively including in the 44th when he along with Isaac Matalavea-Booth hit and stopped Seagulls front rower Ben Liyou just centre metres out.

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Titans contracted Toby Sexton continued at halfback in Round Four of the Queensland Cup on the weekend for Tweed Heads against the Burleigh Bears, scoring once again as well as recording a try assist for Joseph Vuna and also being heavily involved in the Seagulls opening try of their 16 – 12 victory.

Toby Sexton’s try was not in any sense of the word a regulation one. Tweed Heads kicked into the Burleigh in goal with Bears half Guy Hamilton retrieving the ball and bringing it back into play. Toby Sexton engaged Hamilton a couple of metres out from the ball and did a great job of holding him off the ground and when help arrived they started to push Hamilton back towards the in-goal. In the course of being dragged towards the in-goal the ball came loose with Toby Sexton retrieving the ball above his head and putting it down under the posts.

Toby Sexton’s try assist came in the second half when he took the ball to the line on the right, putting in a grubber through the Bears line with the ball sitting up for Joseph Vuna to charge through to retrieve and get the ball down wide out on the right.

Playing the entire eighty minutes, Toby Sexton in addition to his try and try assist ran for thirty two metres (five post contact), broke a tackle, played the ball at an average speed to 3.28 seconds and made twenty seven tackles at a tackling efficiency of 90%.

Toby Sexton also kicked on seven occasions making 145 metres in the process.

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Titans NRL Development contracted holder Lofi Khan-Pereira on Saturday started on the left wing for Burleigh in the Round Two Hastings Deering’s Colts local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls and scored his second try from as many rounds in the Bears tough 32 – 24 loss to their closest rivals.

Lofi Khan-Pereira scored in the 70th minute with his speed being a key factor in the long range solo try. With Tweed Heads on the attack just fifteen metres out, they put a cross field kick towards Lofi Khan-Pereira’s wing who jumped up to take the kick on the full and as soon as his feet hit the ground Lofi Khan-Pereira exploded infield before stepping off his right and then it was shut the game as no one got near him as he ran eighty five metres to score under the posts.

Lofi Khan-Pereira is best known as a real speedster but his first major impact against Tweed Heads when the Seagulls had engineered an overlap to Lofi Khan-Pereira’s side of the field, but he sensed the threat and came flying out of the line to tackle Seagulls fullback Brenton Daley-Holten just as the fullback received the ball to end the movement there and then.

Lofi Khan-Pereira went looking for the ball in the 12th minute of the match, coming off his left wing to make eight metres through the centre of the ruck and after being awarded a penalty for a strip with more than one person in the tackle, Lofi Khan-Pereira took a quick tap with Tweed Heads still back peddling and burst downfield making twenty five metres before finally being brought to the ground.

The quick tap that Lofi Khan-Pereira took in the 12th minute, showed his rugby league intelligence and Lofi Khan-Pereira proved that was no fluke in the 14th minute when the Seagulls sent a high bomb in his direction. Lofi Khan-Pereira did not panic, letting his opposite winger Troy Duckett take the ball on the full with Lofi Khan-Periera immediately wrapping up Troy Duckett ball and all and then dragging the Seagulls winger into touch in the left corner.

In the 27th minute Lofi khan-Pereira was well positioned to take a Seagulls clearing kick on the full just inside his own half and then he was able to get the ball back to thirty five metres out from the line.

Lofi Khan-Pereira took another catch on the full in the 36th minute, but the circumstances were very different. In this occasion Lofi Khan-Pereira jumped high to look to take a bomb to his wing on the full which was heavily contested by Tweed Heads. Lofi Khan-Pereira tapped the ball up in the air and after falling onto his back, had the composure to take the ball on the way down whilst still lying on his back.

Lofi Khan-Pereira showed that he is calm under pressure when Tweed Heads kicked short from the second half kick-off. Lofi Khan-Pereira stood under the ball knowing that the defence was charging through but he held in place taking the ball comfortably.

Lofi Khan-Pereira made another line break in the 76th minute when he flew down the left touchline after receiving a cut-out pass from his inside on the halfway but and it was only a desperate diving jersey tackle that prevented Lofi Khan-Pereira from scoring.

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Titans Top 30 NRL contracted Jojo Fifita moved to the left wing on Saturday for Tweed Heads in the Round Two Hastings Deering’s Colts local derby against Burleigh with Jojo Fifita scoring his first ever rugby league try in the 3rd minute of the Seagulls 32 – 24 victory.

As noted Jojo Fifita’s try came in the 3rd minute and it was worth the wait. Taine Udjur-Berghan put up a bomb to his left wing and Jojo Fifita came through and jumped above Ronin Rio to take the ball on the full three metres out from the line and he was able to scramble over to get the ball down in the left corner from there.

Jojo Fifita went looking for the ball in the 16th minute when he came off his wing to take a hit-up off the dummy half through the centre of the field, making thirteen metres before he was dragged down on his own twenty metre mark.

Jojo Fifita showed that the skill of a quick (and accurate) catch and pass is transferrable between rugby and rugby league when in the 27th minute whilst under intense pressure caught and passed in the same motion, getting the ball away to his left to Caleb Hodges.

A sequence of efforts in the 37th minute highlighted that Jojo Fifita was taken to rugby league easily and quickly. First off, Jojo Fifita made a heavy well executed front on tackle on tackle on Blake Campbell that knocked the ball loose with Burleigh on the attack and then from the subsequent set of six, Jojo Fifita came off his left wing to take a hit-up and make fifteen metres, breaking five tackles along the way. The Jojo Fifita went all of the way over to the right side of the field to make fifteen metres more running with the ball.

It was interesting to see that early in the second half Jojo Fifita spent time at left centre, alternating with Caleb Hodges and it was from left centre in the 42nd minute where Jojo Fifita made a hard working seven metres to get the ball more than twenty metres away from his own try line.

Jojo Fifita’s plus speed was on display for all to see with the 50th minute when he turned and chased the Burleigh right winger forty metres before making a big tackle ten metres out from the line. Jojo Fifita gave him a fair start but caught him easily.

Once again in the 59th minute Jojo Fifita displayed that he is not afraid to get his hands dirty when he took the second hit-up from a changeover running through the centre of the field, making ten metres, six of which were post contact.

Jojo Fifita was also heavily involved in Glenn McGradey’s 71st minute try with Jojo Fifita starting the movement on the left which ended with Glenn McGradey scoring on the right. After receiving the ball Jojo Fifita who cut back towards centre field, breaking the line there before offloading to Ediq Ambrosyev who then got the ball away to his right to Jaylan To’O who then found Glenn McGradey to score on the right.

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The 2021 MM Cup season of Christian Kiri.

In late October 2020, Christian Kiri was named in the 2021 Burleigh MM Cup squad and came off the bench in their first 2021 MM Cup trial against the Tweed heads Seagulls.

In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, Christian Kiri was named 18th man against the Souths Logan Magpies before moving onto the interchange bench for Round Two against the Ipswich Jets.

Christian Kiri came into the match in the second half, playing in the front row and making a number of strong runs, the most impressive of which came in the 52nd minute with an incredible run from a penalty restart for Ipswich being off-side from a kick-off. Christian Kiri charged onto the ball initially engaging the defence eight metres into his run, but Christina Kiri continued to pump to breaking away from the three defenders who initially had confronted him. Christin Kiri was eventually brought to the ground after making twenty one metres on the best hit-up of the match.

Christian Kiri produced another strong run in the 55th minute with a run that got Burleigh into the Jets territory. After making twelve metres, Christian Kiri was brought down but was awarded a penalty when the Jets defenders tried to slow the play the ball down too much.

Christian Kiri once again started from the bench in the Round Three Gold Coast derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls and also started from the bench in Round Four against the Souths Logan Magpies.

Christian Kiri was named to start from the bench in Round Five against the Ipswich Jets but ultimately was moved to the Bears extended bench late in the week and did not participate in the match.

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The 2021 MM Cup season of Titans contracted Sione Fotuaika.

Sione Fotuaika started the Souths Logan Magpies final MM Cup trial in the front row against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

Sione Fotuaika had the privilege of taking the hit-up off the kick off producing a strong charge before being brought down Tweed Heads Seagulls and fellow Titans contracted forwards Ryan Foran and Jack Cullen.

Sione Fotuaika continued to make his presence felt just minutes later when he smashed Seagulls half Thomas Weaver who had looked to run the ball down a short blindside. Sione Fotuaika’s hit had his fellow Titans contracted player on his haunches for a few minutes.

Sione Fotuaika also produced another strong charge from the kick-off after Souths Logan’s one and only try of the match in the opening minutes and then produced another strong first quarter charge making twelve metres before being rested until coming back on in the final quarter.

In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, Sione Fotuaika started in the front row against the Burleigh Bears making his presence felt in the match on just the second hit after Burleigh had kicked off with Sione Fotuaika charging ten metres downfield. Sione Fotuaika made a further ten metres in the 9th metre with another straight charge into the heart of the Burleigh forward pack.

In the 52nd minute, Sione Fotuaika once again gained an impressive amount of ground before off-loading to his left to fellow Titan EJ Finau to gain an additional twenty metres from inside their own territory.

Round Two against the Tweed Heads Seagulls saw Sione Fotuaika move to the bench and he also started from the bench in Round Three against the Ipswich Jets.

Round Four against the Burleigh Bears saw Sione Fotuaika move back to the Magpies extended bench for their match against the Burleigh Bears and for Round Five against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

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The 2021 MM Cup season of Titan Ezra Ubaldino.

Ezra Ubaldino’s first hit-out with the 2021 Burleigh Bears MM Cup side came when he started at left centre in the Bears second trial against the Easts Tigers with Burleigh prevailing 20 – 12 in a match where no conversions were taken.

Ezra Ubaldino was not given much room by the Easts Tigers defence in attack but he found some space in the 52nd minute, making a half break. Ezra Ubaldino immediately tried to get to his feet when the tackle as completed but won a penalty for Burleigh when he was not allowed to get to his feet. Burleigh scored from the resultant set of six tackles.

From a defensive standpoint in the 34th minute, Ezra Ubaldino was on hand accompanied by Delahia Wigmore to force the Easts Tigers fullback over the dead ball line as force a goal line drop out. Ezra Ubaldino produced another strong tackle in the 63rd minute of the match when he and Seth Nikotemo combined to smash the Easts second rower who had tried to run the ball off the back of an Easts Tigers scrum win. The contact forced the ball lose for a Titans scrum feed with Syris Schmidt scoring from the resultant set of six tackles.

After missing a number of weeks, Ezra Ubaldino was named on the Bears extended bench for Round Five against the Ipswich Jets however started the match at left second row.

In the 13th minute, Ezra Ubaldino showed what he can do when he receives the ball with room to move making thirteen metres, and then as he was trying to get to his feet quickly Ezra Ubaldino was held down for too long to receive a penalty. Ezra Ubaldino produced another strong run from the third hit-up from the tape restart from the penalty that he had previously been awarded.

Round Six being the final regular season round of the 2021 MM Cup competition saw Ezra Ubaldino once again line up at left second row in the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls and was the Bears first try scorer in their last minute 34 – 30 victory.

Ezra Ubaldino’s try came in the 14th minute when he ran at a gap on the left side of the field from ten metres out and was presented with a perfectly timed pass from his right to put him through the gap by Syris Schmidt with Ezra Ubaldino then running to the line untouched to score ten metres in from the left corner post.

Ezra Ubaldino was his usual aggressive self in the match, including in defence in the 64th minute when Ezra Ubaldino raced up and smashed one of the Tweed Heads front rowers with Ezra Ubaldino’s initial contact jarring the ball loose.

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The 2021 MM Cup season of Delahia Wigmore.

In late October 2020, Delahia Wigmore was named in the 2021 Burleigh MM Cup squad and came off the bench in their first 2021 MM Cup trial against the Tweed Heads Seagulls. Delahia Wigmore moved in the starting side at left second row for Burleigh’s second trial against the Easts Tigers at Langland’s Park.

Delahia Wigmore had a very impressive trial against the Easts Tigers building into the match in the opening minutes with a great right arm offload to Caleb Gould-Waiariki. Delahia Wigmore made a strong fifteen metre run in the 40th minute when he ran off a Jye Gray pass on the left side of the field, breaking three tackles one of which was as a result of Delahia Wigmore spinning counter clockwise to break the tackle and gain more ground after his separation from the defender.

From a defensive standpoint in the 34th minute, Delahia Wigmore was on hand and accompanied by Ezra Ubaldino to force the Easts Tigers fullback over the dead ball line to force a goal line drop out to keep Burleigh on the attack.

In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, Delahia Wigmore started at left centre against the Souths Logan Magpies after playing the 2021 trials at left second row. Delahia Wigmore was one of Burleigh’s try scorers in their 38 – 28 first up trial victory.

Delahia Wigmore’s try came in the 25th minute when he backed up on the inside of a long break down the left touchline by Jeremaiah Temapo which started on the halfway. Jeremaiah Temapo drew the fullback before passing to his right to Delahia Wigmore who ran twenty metres to score.

In the 6th minute of the first half, Delahia Wigmore was able to showcase his speed when he made a line break down the left touchline from inside his own territory before passing inside to his right to Jye Gray who then kicked ahead.

In the 22nd minute of the first half, Delahia Wigmore’s pace was once again to the fore when he received an off-load from front rower C****n Patu and burst down the left fourteen metres, dragging three defenders with him.

In the 55th minute, Delahia Wigmore showed that he is far more than just an attacking threat when he came out of the line to smash Souths Logan five eight Ezra Mam and as a result of Delahia Wigmore’s initial contact, the ball came loose.

Delahia Wigmore was named to start at left centre in Round Two against the Ipswich Jets but after a late team change in fact started the match at left second row.

The match get tense and physical in the middle of the first half and Delahia Wigmore is in the thick of it all, including a powerful tackle break down the left side of the left in the 10th minute, with Delahia Wigmore’s run accounting for fifteen metres to bring Burleigh into the Ipswich Jets twenty metre area.

In the 13th minute Delahia Wigmore made a line break after receiving an offload from Brody Smitka with Delahia Wigmore bursting down field before offloading to his left with the movement making forty five metres.

Delahia Wigmore’s match was not just all about his effectiveness running the ball, he was also impressive defensively including a heavy front on hit in the 58th minute on the Ipswich No. 16 around the halfway which rocked the head back of his much bigger opponent. Delahia Wigmore then rounded out his match with a winding run that accounted for fourteen metres to get the ball out to around the halfway mark.

Delahia Wigmore once again started at left second row in the Round Three Gold Coast derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls with his first major contribution of the match coming in the 9th minute with a strong run of fourteen metres out of his own twenty metre area. As soon as he was taken to ground Delahia Wigmore fought to get to his feet quickly and was awarded a penalty when he was prevented from doing so.

Delahia Wigmore added a try assist to his solid first half when in the 33rd minute he ran to the left off the dummy half before bouncing out of a tackle to move to the left once again and throwing the final pass for Hunter Plogsma to score wide out.

The halftime break did not slow Delahia Wigmore down with the left second rower once again charging onto the ball in the 29th minute and he was able to get his arm free to offload to his left for Burleigh to continue to progress the ball upfield.

In total against the Tweed Heads Seagulls from left second row, Delahia Wigmore made an impressive 183 metres running with the ball.

Delahia Wigmore was also named to start at left second row for the pivotal Round Four match against the Souths Logan Magpies.

Delahia Wigmore was also named to start in the second row in Round Five against the Ipswich Jets however ended up starting the match at left centre.

It was a bit of a strange match for Delahia Wigmore as the ball just did not get out to his side of the field very often but he showed some touches of class when it did including in the 36th minute, when he engaged the defensive line and threw a good out of the back of his left arm off-load to Tuvalli Khan-Pereira who had loomed up in his left.

Then in the 43rd minute, Delahia Wigmore had the opportunity to run out of dummy half to his right, breaking three tackles and then producing a great off-load to his left once again to Tuvalli Khan-Pereira to get inside the Jets forty metre area.

The Ipswich defence could not stop Delahia Wigmore offloading in the second half and in the 50th once again he was able to off-load to his left, this time to Jeremaiah Tamepo.

Round Six being the final regular season round of the 2021 MM Cup competition saw Delahia Wigmore once again named to line up at left centre in the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls however he ultimately started at lock and took his first hit-up of the match in the 5th minute when he ran to the right of the play the ball to get within three metres of the try line before his forward progress was halted.

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The 2021 MM Cup season of Titans contracted Immanuel Kalekale.

Immanuel Kalekale’s first hit-out with the 2021 Burleigh Bears MM Cup side came when he started on the bench in the Bears second trial against the Easts Tigers. Immanuel Kalekale did not come into the match until the final twenty metres, playing in the front row but what a cameo appearance he made.

Immanuel Kalakale’s initial contribution was a strong twenty metre charge directly into the heart of the Tigers forward pack off a Titans penalty restart just inside Easts territory. Immanuel Kalekale contributed another strong charge in the 65th minute when he took the hit-up from the Easts Tigers kick-off from Syris Schmidt’s try. In the same set of six Immanuel Kalekale made fifteen more metres from another hit-up and was awarded a penalty when the Easts Tigers defence did not allow him to his feet quickly enough.

In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, Immanuel Kalekale started from the bench against the Souths Logan Magpies and as him did in the trial against Easts, Immanuel Kalekale produced an impressive display starting with a moment in the 28th minute when a ball was kicked into his shins, Immanuel Kalakale retrieved the bouncing ball bursting twenty metres downfield from a standing start, breaking two tackles along the way. The second attempted tackle actually tripped Immanuel Kalekale who went to ground but was not held and whilst siting down he was able to off-load for Burleigh to make more metres.

In the final minute of the first half after Burleigh had absorbed a significant amount of pressure, Immanuel Kalekale was the release valve for the pressure with a strong ten metre run which commended from within his own twenty metre area, breaking four tackles to give Burleigh some breathing space.

After missing a number of weeks, Immanuel Kalekale was named on the Bears extended bench for Round Five against the Ipswich Jets however started the match from the bench and scoring as Burleigh overcame a 20 – 0 first half deficit to record a 44 – 26 win.

Immanuel Kalekale’s try in the 32nd minute was one of the more impressive front row tries that I have seen. Immanuel Kalekale received the ball twelve metres out from the try line to the left of the play the ball with a set defensive line in front of him. Immanuel Kalekale engaged the initial defender with a left arm fend ten metres out before engaging two additional defenders five metres out. Initially it looked like the three Jets defenders would be able to get Immanuel Kalekale to the ground but he kept fighting the defenders and was able to get the ball down under the posts.

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The 2021 MM Cup season of Titans contracted Xavier Stowers.

In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, Xavier Stowers was named to start on the bench for the Ipswich Jets against the Tweed Heads Seagulls but ended up starting the match in the front row and in fact was involved in the first tackle of the match after Ipswich kicked the ball off.

The 9th minute saw the damage that Xavier Stowers can do running with the ball when he charged onto the ball to the right of the dummy half bustling his way twelve metres before eventually being brought down just ten metres away from the try line.

Xavier Stowers was at it again just a minute later when he took the ball from a Tweed Heads drop out charging thirty five metres to get inside the Seagulls twenty before being forced to play the ball. The 23rd minute saw yet another strong run from Xavier Stowers shewing up a further twelve metres (eight post contact) to get within five metres of the Tweed Heads line.

Defensively over the course of the match, Xavier Stowers defence was just as strong as his ball running with probably his best moment from a defensive perspective coming in the 57th minute when he came out of the line and monstered Seagulls five eight Harrydon Wilson. Xavier Stowers had crunched Wilson before he even knew what was going on and with Tweed Heads just ten metres out from the line, Xavier Stowers tackle completely shut down all of the momentum.

Xavier Stowers was immediately back on his feet at marker and moved to his right to tackle Seagulls front rower Jack Cullen around the legs with a copy book low tackle.

Xavier Stowers also started in the front row in Round Two against the Burleigh Bears, scoring the Jets first try in their tough loss and had a huge opening few minutes including scoring a powerhouse try in just the 6th minute of the match.

Xavier Stowers try showcased everything that is good about his game, that being size, strength, speed and power. Ipswich restarted from a penalty ten metres out from the Bears line, just to the left of the uprights. Xavier Stowers received the ball ten metres out, running directly at the defensive line before cutting back towards the uprights, pushing off one Bears defender before spinning counter clockwise to beat two more defenders before carrying three more Burleigh defenders across the line to smash the ball down a metre to the left of the uprights.

Xavier Stowers first major contribution to the game came in just the 3rd minute with a strong ten metre charge to get Ipswich into the Burleigh forty metre area. Xavier Stowers then made significant ground in just the 5th minute. Xavier Stowers initially ran to the left of the play the ball before offloading to his left. Xavier Stowers then backed up and get the ball back from the Jets player that he had passed to, making fifteen more metres before offloading for the second time in the same movement this time to his hooker who was trailing the play through the centre of the field.

Xavier Stowers continued to make ground running the ball including in the 39th minute when he made eleven metres to get Ipswich inside the Burleigh twenty metre area.

It was not just running with the ball that made Xavier Stowers so impressive in the match, defensively he was also very strong, including a heavy tackle where he monstered Syris Schmidt who was taking a hit-up in his own territory. Xavier Stowers literally engulfed Syris Schmidt and forced the fullback backwards a number of metres.

The in the 64th minute Xavier Stowers put a massive hit on Burleigh second rower Delihia Wigmore twenty metres out from the line with the Burleigh player taking a bit of time to recover from the big hit. Then just two minutes later Xavier Stowers smashed Burleigh Jaxon Yow as he was running across field just outside the Burleigh forty metre area.

Xavier Stowers was named on the interchange bench in Round Three against the Souths Logan Magpies and in Round Four against the Tweed Heads Seagulls. Xavier Stowers came into the match at half time, wasting no time getting involved by taking the first hit-up of the second half after Tweed Heads kicked off the second half to get the ball out to near the twenty metre mark.

Only two minutes later in the 38th minute, Xavier Stowers one again broke tackles after making thirteen metres from a hit-up to the left of the dummy half to get two metres over the halfway mark.

Then in the 43rd minute Xavier Stowers once again ran to the left of the dummy half before cutting back towards the play the ball to make thirteen metres. Xavier Stowers bounced quickly to his feet but was dragged back down and subsequently was awarded a penalty. From the next set of six after the penalty restart, Xavier Stowers was back in the action, getting to within ten metres of the try line before twisting and offloading with his right arm to Josiah Pahulu who got within two metres of the line before finally being stopped.

Even though Ipswich were out of the match with ten minutes to go, that did not dissuade Xavier Stowers from his task and in the 62nd minute, Xavier Stowers made eleven metres from a hit-up to the right of the play the ball with more than 50% of the metres that he made from the run were post contact.

Round Five against the Burleigh Bears saw Xavier Stowers named on the Jets extended bench however he ended up starting the match from the bench and he also started from the bench in Round Six against the Souths Logan Magpies.

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The 2021 MM Cup season of Tuvalli Khan-Pereira.

In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, Tuvalli Khan-Pereira started at right centre against the Souths Logan Magpies. Tuvalli Khan-Pereira did not have too many opportunities in the match but in the 54th minute, he was able to get outside his direct opponent and throw a one armed (right arm) offload to winger Levi Jones after attracting the Souths Logan left winger but unfortunately the ball could not be taken with the line open.

Tuvalli Khan-Pereira also started at right centre in Round Two against the Ipswich Jets and was one of the Bears try scorers in their impressive 44 – 16 victory.

Tuvalli Khan-Pereira’s match started in interesting fashion when he took the Ipswich kick off on the full but had his legs taken out whilst he was still in the air, flipping onto his back. Fortunately Tuvalli Khan-Pereira was not injured and was awarded the penalty for being tackled in the air.

Tuvalli Khan-Pereira’s try came in the 67th minute when a pass to the right cut-out Tuvalli Khan-Pereira to find Levi Jones on the right wing, near the right corner Levi Jones passed the ball inside to Tuvalli Khan-Pereira who dived over in the corner to score the final try of the match.

Tuvalli Khan-Pereira shined defensively in the match including a great ball and all tackle in just the 3rd minute on the Ipswich right centre which stopped him in his tracks. Tuvalli Khan-Pereira added a further outstanding tackle to his resume when he cut down his opposing centre with an outstanding low tackle moving to his left.

In the 67th minute Tuvalli Khan-Pereira’s defence continued to be impregnable with a massive front on tackle on the Ipswich No. 20 which forced the ball loose and immediately put Burleigh back on the attack.

Tuvalli Khan-Pereira once again started at right centre in the Round Three Gold Coast derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls. Whilst early in the match the ball did not find him in much space, Tuvalli Khan-Pereira was still able to contribute in attack including a strong ten metre run in the 10th minute to get the ball to the halfway mark.

Tuvalli Khan-Pereira did however to produce a smart piece of play in the 65th minute that led to a line break for Levi Jones down the right wing when he caught a pass on his inside and then got a quick pass away to Jones.

Tuvalli Khan-Pereira was originally named to start at right centre for Round Four match against the Souths Logan Magpies however in fact started the match at fullback. Tuvalli Khan-Pereira enjoyed the extra space afforded to him at fullback scoring one of the Bears four tries.

Tuvalli Khan-Pereira also started at fullback in Round Five against the Ipswich Jets and was one of the Bears try scorers as they recorded an astonishing come from behind victory.

Tuvalli Khan-Pereira scored in the 40th minute when Caleb Gould-Waiariki burst out of dummy half to his right, thirty five metres out from the line, beating two defenders before a step off his left got him through the line and then he was able to draw the fullback and offload to Tuvalli Khan-Pereira. When he received the ball it certainly was not simply a case of Tuvalli Khan-Pereira coasting to the line, he had to fight through three defenders before being able to get the ball down next to the left upright.

Burleigh were immediately under pressure in the opening moments of the match and but for Tuvalli Khan-Pereira and team mates, Arama Hau an Seth Nikotemo Ipswich would have opened the scoring in the 4th minute when the Ipswich No. 10 was held up over the line.

Tuvalli Khan-Pereira’s defence was once again called upon in the 11th minute when he along with Syris Schmidt converged on the Ipswich right winger who had made a break down the touchline. The initial contact by the two Bears players kept the Jets winger off the ground and they then were able to force him into touch.

After being heavily involved defensively, Tuvalli Khan-Pereira was finally able to get some room to move with the ball in the 16th minute when he ran the ball from a Burleigh scrum win, making fifteen metres down the right to get within ten metres of the try line.

Tuvalli Khan-Pereira showcased his innate ability to be at the right place at the right time in the 43rd minute, when Delahia Wigmore ran out of dummy half to his right, breaking three tackles and then producing a great off-load to his left to find Tuvalli Khan-Pereira who was able to get the ball inside the Jets forty metre area.

Round Six being the final regular season round of the 2021 MM Cup competition saw Tuvalli Khan-Pereira once again line up at fullback in the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

Tuvalli Khan-Pereira’s first significant impact on the match came in the 13th minute when he got into dummy half and was able to bring the ball upfield thirteen metres from inside his own territory.

The first of two line breaks that Tuvalli Khan-Pereira made in the match came in the 27th minute when he split the Seagulls line from a Bears scrum win. Tuvalli Khan-Pereira received the ball from the base of the scrum to the right and got on the outside out the Tweed Heads widest left side defender, making thirty metres down the right touchline and it looked as if Tuvalli Khan-Pereira would score in the right corner but he was bundled into touch less than a metre from the right corner post.

Tuvalli Khan-Pereira’s second line break came in the 43rd minute and once again came when he made a break off a Bears scrum win. Once again Tuvalli Khan-Pereira received the ball from the base of the scrum but this time to the left of where the scrum was packed and once again was able to made nineteen metres down the left touchline only to be bundled into touch close to the left corner post.

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The 2021 MM Cup season of Titans contract Joseph Shannon.

Joseph Shannon’s first hit-out with the 2021 Burleigh Bears MM Cup side came when he started in the front row in the Bears second trial against the Easts Tigers.

After taking a head knock from the opening kick-off Joseph Shannon did not play too many minutes in the trial but still made his presence felt in the match including a huge front on tackle in just the third minute of the match to rattle the teeth of his opposite number.

In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, Joseph Shannon started in the front row against the Souths Logan Magpies, scoring Burleigh’s try of the match and for the 2021 season for that matter.

In the 5th minute Joseph Shannon charged onto the ball from around six metres out from the line, cutting to his left immediately prior to receiving the ball from Caleb Gould-Waiariki to take advantage of a big gap. The only defender in the vicinity being the Souths Logan hooker could only hold on for the ride as Joseph Shannon carried him over the try line to get the ball down under the posts at the dressing room end of Pizzey Park.

Just after coming back onto the field early in the second half for his second stint of the match, Joseph Shannon took out his energy on the Souths Logan defensive line with a strong hit-up in the 53rd minute, when after making ten metres and attracting a multitude of Souths Logan Joseph Shannon was able to get an off-load away to Caleb Gould-Waiariki who darted another ten metres downfield.

After missing Rounds Two and Three, Joseph Shannon was named to start on the bench for Round Four match against the Souths Logan Magpies.

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The 2021 MM Cup season of Titans contracted Brody Smitka.

Brody Smitka’s first hit-out with the 2021 Burleigh Bears MM Cup side came when he started on the bench in the Bears second trial against the Easts Tigers.

Brody Smitka came onto the field mid-way through the first half and was able to score late in that half. Caleb Gould-Waiariki went into dummy half nine metres out from the Easts Tigers line directly in front of the goal posts putting in a grubber kick which pulled up nicely a metre or so from the dead ball line which was perfect for Brody Smitka to dive on in front of two Easts Tigers players much to his and his team mates delight.

In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, Brody Smitka started at left second row against the Souths Logan Magpies and was immediately in the action making the first tackle of the match from the kick-off with Caleb Gould-Waiariki also in on the tackle.

Brody Smitka was named to start at left second row in Round Two against the Ipswich Jets but in fact actually started the match in the front row after a late week reshuffle.

Brody Smitka showed early in the match that he is more than capable of handling the rigors of playing in the centre of the field with a strong front on tackle on the Ipswich right second rower jolting the Jets players head back as a result of the initial contact.

Brody Smitka showcased his off-loading skills in the 13th minute of the match when he off-loaded a great right arm pass to his left to Delahia Wigmore who burst down field before offloading to his right with the movement making forty five metres.

Brody Smitka once again started in the front row in the Round Three Gold Coast derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls, producing a strong twenty metre run in the 9th minute that took Burleigh into Tweed Heads territory. Brody Smitka took the ball to the right of the play the ball and immediately stepped off his left foot to take him through the centre of the ruck in the area behind the play the ball.

After missing Round Four, Brody Smitka was back for Round Five against Ipswich starting the match from the bench and scoring as Burleigh came from behind to record an incredible came back victory 44 – 36.

Brody Smitka’s try in the 37th minute when Caleb Gould-Waiariki ran out of dummy half to his right before straightening up his run to freeze the defence in place before passing to his right for Brody Smitka to crash over from five metres out.

Brody Smitka then in the 45th minute charged into the Ipswich defensive line from a kick-off making twenty metres, more than a few of them post contact to get the Bears on the front foot once again.

Round Six being the final regular season round of the 2021 MM Cup competition saw Brody Smitka once again start from the bench in the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

Brody Smitka came into the match at halftime and took out his frustration of not coming on until then throughout the second half, starting by taking the second hit-up of the second half after Tweed Heads kicked-off. Brody Smitka then took the 4th hit-up of the same set of six. Then a minute later Brody Smitka made a further hit-up with the fourteen metres gained getting coming off a Burleigh penalty restart.

Brody Smitka produced yet another strong run in the 50th minute when he made a further fourteen metres from off his own goal line. Brody Smitka continued his fast start to his time on the field in the 53rd minute when he made twelve metres from a Burleigh penalty restart and once his momentum was stopped Brody Smitka got away a right arm off-load to Eren Eden who was backing up.

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The 2021 MM Cup season of Titans contracted Syris Schmidt.

Syris Schmidt’s first hit-out with the 2021 Burleigh Bears MM Cup side came when he started at fullback in the Bears second trial against the Easts Tigers scoring in the 64th minute of the match when Syris Schmidt had moved to the dummy half role for a short period of time.

Syris Schmidt showed his positioning skills early in the match when he moved quickly to his left to take an Easts attacking kick on the full and was then able to draw a penalty when he was not allowed to get to his feet to execute a quick play the ball.

Whilst Syris Schmidt had more opportunities to run the ball in the second half, it was his defensive from the fullback position early in the second half that stole the show. From Burleigh’s second half kick-off, Easts spun the ball to their left on the second tackle, splitting the Bears line and leaving Syris Schmidt confronted by two attackers. Syris Schmidt moved forward and hit the ball carrier with a solid right shoulder to the mid-rift whilst he was still trying to get his hands in the right position to pass to his left and as a result the ball went to ground and the try scoring opportunity with it.

As noted above Syris Schmidt spent some time in the dummy half role late in the match and it was whilst operating at dummy half that he scored in the 64th minute. Syris Schmidt darted to his left when he took possession a metre out dummying to his right before spinning clockwise to get the ball down under the posts.

In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, Syris Schmidt started at fullback against the Souths Logan Magpies. Syris Schmidt’s first involvement in the match came when he chimed into the backline on Burleigh’s right side, making around ten metres before the Souths Logan left sided defence was able to halt his progress.

Only a few minutes later being in the 7th minute Syris Schmidt produced a smart piece of play to get Burleigh out of a potentially difficult situation. Syris Schmidt tracked back to retrieve a long Souths Logan kick which pulled up just two metres from the dead ball line with a plethora of Souths Logan Magpies chasers converging on him.

Syris Schmidt held his nerve, darting to his left just as the defence was about to converge on where he was. As a result of his rapid movement Syris Schmidt was able to get out of the in goal and promote the ball a few additional metres to give Burleigh some breathing space.

Syris Schmidt came to Burleigh rescue again late in the first half when he got low and stopped the Souths Logan No. 15 from sneaking over from dummy half from close range. By being low Syris Schmidt was able to put downward pressure on the shoulders of the much larger Souths Logan player thus forcing him to ground the ball short of the line.

Syris Schmidt put an exclamation mark on his solid performance with a try assist in the 64th minute of the match. Syris Schmidt came into the backline on the left, drawing two defenders before popping a short ball to his left to put replacement left centre Hunter Ploegsma over for his second try of the match.

Syris Schmidt also started at fullback in Round Two against the Ipswich Jets and had to be on the ball from a defensive perspective on a number of occasions in the opening minutes of the match.

In just the 4th minute of the match, the Ipswich left winger split the Burleigh defence through the centre of the ruck but Syris Schmidt was able to make a copy book low right shoulder tackle as the Jets winger tried to go around Syris Schmidt to his right whilst in open space, with only Syris Schmidt to beat.

Then in the 6th minute, Syris Schmidt had to rapidly more to his right and make a desperate diving low tackle with his right shoulder less than ten metres out from his own line to bring down the Ipswich five eight who had darted through the Bears defensive line and looked set to score.

It was a tough match for Syris Schmidt from an attacking perspective as the ball just did not came to him when he had room to move, either when returning kicks or when he looked to get involved up in the line. A positive point however was that Syris Schmidt really did go looking for the ball and more and more as the game went on acted as a second five eight up in the line, normally on the right, when Burleigh had the ball.

Also as he did in Round One against Souths Logan, Syris Schmidt more than held his own bringing the ball out of his own territory, normally from within his own twenty metre area, taking more than a few hit-ups one pass off the dummy half right into the heart of the massive Ipswich Jets defensive line.

Syris Schmidt once again started at fullback in the Round Three Gold Coast derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls, scoring the final try of the match as the Bears went down to their fierce rivals.

Syris Schmidt scored in the 66th minute after getting into dummy half close to the Tweed Heads line. Syris Schmidt darted to the right out of dummy half from three metres out and was able to force his way over ten metres inside the right corner post.

Syris Schmidt almost had an early try assist when in just the 5th minute of the match, he took the ball down a short right blindside putting in a deft left foot chip but Tweed Heads fullback Jaylan De Groot got across to take the ball dead fractionally in front of the Burleigh chasers.

In the 10th minute of the match it was Syris Schmidt’s turn to be on alert when he had to move quickly to his left to stop a 40/20 which was kicked out of dummy half by Tweed’s Oscar Bryant. Syris Schmidt was also on guard in the 64th minute of the match when he had to track to his right as Tweed Heads made a break from inside their own twenty metre area. Syris Schmidt was confronted by Campbell Watchairs who had made the make with support inside and out but Syris Schmidt was able to corralle the winger and prevent any further damage on the score board.

Early in the second half in the 38th minute of the match, Syris Schmidt moved into dummy half darting out of that position to the right and was able to make fifteen metres before being brought down in the tackle.

Syris Schmidt was originally named to start at fullback for Round Four match against the Souths Logan Magpies but in fact moved to start the match at halfback and also started at halfback in Round Five against the Ipswich Jets.

The match saw Syris Schmidt record a try assist in the 34th minute when he put up a left foot bomb from twenty five metres out which came down right on the touchline and was dropped by Ipswich with the Titans scooping up the miss to score next to the right upright.

Syris Schmidt’s first significant contribution to Burleigh’s come from behind win against the Jets came from the 5th tackle of the first set of the match when he put in a long raking left foot kick into the left corner with Syris Schmidt being the first Bears player down field to make the tackle.

Syris Schmidt’s defence was called upon in the 11th minute when he along with Tuvalli Khan-Pereira converged on the Ipswich right winger who had made a break down the touchline. The initial contact by the two Bears players kept the Jets winger off the ground and they then were able to force him into touch.

In the 27th minute, Syris Schmidt produced a good left foot step that resulted in a line break off a Burleigh scrum win with Syris Schmidt getting the ball to within twenty five metres of the try line.

Syris Schmidt’s all-out effort in the match was certainly to his sides benefit in the 44th minute he chased through a Burleigh bomb to the right corner. Syris Schmidt arrived just after the Jets winger feet touched the ground and with the momentum and initial contact, Syris Schmidt was able to force the winger back into his own in-goal.

Syris Schmidt produced an exceptional bomb of his own in the 67th minute when he pin point left foot bomb of his to the left corner could not be taken cleanly by the Jets winger. Burleigh scored from the subsequent scrum, which Burleigh took centre field.

Round Six being the final regular season round of the 2021 MM Cup competition saw Syris Schmidt line up at halfback in the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls recording two try assists as well as continually forcing Tweed heads back inside their own territory as a result of his judicious left foot kicking game.

Syris Schmidt’s first try assist came in the 14th minute when Ezra Ubaldino ran at a gap on the left side of the field from ten metres out and was presented with a perfectly timed pass from his right to put him through the gap by Syris Schmidt with Ezra Ubaldino then running to the line untouched to score ten metres in from the left corner post.

Syris Schmidt added his second try assist of the match in the 51st minute when he received the ball down a short left blindside, firing a cut out pass to his left from ten metres out to put Levi Jones over in the left corner.

It took only until the 6th minute for Syris Schmidt’s kicking game to come into prominence when he put in a short left foot grubber down the blindside to force a Tweed Heads line drop out.

[mdrew]

The 2021 MM Cup season of Titans contracted Jeremaiah Temapo.

Jeremaiah Tamepo’s first hit-out with the 2021 Burleigh Bears MM Cup side came when he started on the left wing in the Bears second trial against the Easts Tigers. In general play the ball did not get out to Jeremaiah Tamepo often but he made a lot of metres bringing the ball out of his own territory. This situation was evidenced in the 60th minute when Jeremaiah Temapo surged twelve metres out of dummy half from inside his own twenty metre line.

Jeremaiah Tamepo also made a great defensive read in the match. In the 45th minute of the match facing an overlap, Jeremaiah Tamepo came off his left wing and crunched the East Tigers right centre just as he received that ball ensuring that there was no opportunity for him to get the ball out to the unmarked Tigers right winger.

In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, Jeremaiah Tamepo started on the left wing against the Souths Logan Magpies.

In the 25th minute Jeremaiah Tamepo was the catalyst for Delahia Wigmore to score. Jeremaiah Tamepo made a long break down the left touchline which started on the halfway. Jeremaiah Temapo drew the fullback before passing to his right to Delahia Wigmore who ran twenty metres to score.

Jeremaiah Tamepo’s effort in the 29th minute, highlighted his intelligence and positioning on the left wing. Souths Logan were attacking and with the Burleigh fullback on the other side of the field they put in a short grubber kick into the in-goal, Jeremaiah Tamepo identified the threat and positioned himself to be on hand to take possession to prevent the Souths Logan hooker from getting to the ball first.

In the second half the play seemed to be focussed on Burleigh’s right side but credit to Jeremaiah Tamepo for going to look for the ball including in the 56th minute when Jeremaiah Tamepo came off his left wing and took a hit-up from a scrum deep in Burleigh’s own territory. Jeremaiah Tamepo took the ball off the back of the scrum making twelve metres down a relatively short right blindside.

Jeremaiah Tamepo also started on the left wing in Round Two against the Ipswich Jets and was one of the Bears try scorers in their impressive 44 – 16 victory.

Jeremaiah Tamepo’s try came in the 53rd minute when he was on the end of a Burleigh backline movement to the left with Jeremaiah Tamepo receiving the ball unmarked five metres out from the line and was able to jog over untouched.

Jeremaiah Tamepo handled the early pressure easily when he leapt above everyone to take an Ipswich bomb to his left wing easily on the full ten metres out from his own try line.

Once again in the 5th minute, Jeremaiah Tamepo had to be on his game when his opposite winger temporarily got on his outside, down the left touchline but Jeremaiah Tamepo was able to track back and make a copy book low covering tackle to reign the jets winger in.

Jeremaiah Tamepo continued his strong defensive efforts in the 21st minute when he, with the assistance of Caleb Gould-Waiariki haltered the momentum of the Ipswich Jets right winger and then dragged him into touch forty metre out from the try line.

Jeremaiah Tamepo showed that he is not just all about strength when it comes to defence, when from the kick-off to the second half, he made a text book low tackle on the giant Ipswich No. 19 who was returning the kick-up, it would have been an ideal tackle to showcase in any rugby league coaching manual. Jeremaiah Tamepo followed that tackle up with a strong kick return after Ipswich kicked downfield from the final tackle in that same set of six.

Jeremaiah Tamepo just could not stay out of the match early in the second half and in the 43rd minute swooped on an Ipswich dropped ball, sprinting twenty eight metres down the left touch line before being rounded up.

Jeremaiah Tamepo once again started on the left wing in the Round Three Gold Coast derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls scoring in the second half and overall having a very very good game for the Bears including standing up well to a plethora of high kicks directed towards his wing by Thomas Weaver. Although Jeremaiah Tamepo started the match on the left wing, he in fact moved to left centre late in the first half.

Jeremaiah Tamepo’s try came in the 57th minute of the match when he dived over in the left corner after Burleigh lock Arama Hau threw a great right arm off-load to an unmarked Jeremaiah Tamepo to run fifteen metres to score in the left corner.

Jeremaiah Tamepo also worked hard bringing the ball out of his team’s territory including a twelve metre effort in the 19th minute which saw Jeremaiah Tamepo bring the ball out of Burleigh’s twenty metre area.

Once again in the 33rd minute Jeremaiah Tamepo took the responsibility of taking the ball up when he ran the ball back from a kick-off making a solid fourteen metres.

Late in the match Jeremaiah Tamepo had to contend with a Thomas Weaver bomb barrage to his left side of the field, the first coming in the 64th minute but Jeremaiah Tamepo was able to get above the Seagulls chasers to take the ball on the full just out from his own try line and them a couple of minutes later had to replicate the play as another huge bomb came in his direction.

Jeremaiah Tamepo was also named to start on the left wing for Round Four match against the Souths Logan Magpies and was one of the Bears try scorers in their tough loss to the Magpies.

Jeremaiah Tamepo also started on the left wing in Round Five against the Ipswich Jets and made his presence felt in the 3rd minute when Ipswich manufactured an overlap to their left side, but Jeremaiah Tamepo identified that the overlap was developing and came out of the line quickly to hit the Ipswich left centre just as he received the ball to shut down the movement on the spot.

With Burleigh under pressure early in the match, Jeremaiah Tamepo came off his wing in the 12th minute to take pressure off his forwards, taking a hit-up from a Burleigh play the ball restart with Jeremaiah Tamepo able to make twelve valuable metres.

Jeremaiah Tamepo came close to scoring in the 17th minute when he was able to get away near the left corner but only the intervention of three Ipswich defenders were able to stop him and bundle him into touch just a metre short of the line.

With Burleigh under pressure towards the end of the match, in the 66th minute to be precise, Jeremaiah Tamepo came all the way from his left wing to the right side of the field to help Burleigh bring the ball out of their own territory with the resultant hit-up making ten metres to get Burleigh out to near their own thirty metre line.

Round Six being the final regular season round of the 2021 MM Cup competition saw Jeremaiah Tamepo named once again line up on the left wing in the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls however he ended up starting the match at left centre.

From the left centre position Jeremaiah Tamepo took the first Burleigh run of the match when from a scrum win in his own territory Jeremaiah Tamepo was able to make ten metres. Jeremaiah Tamepo was involved again in the 13th minute with a strong twelve metre run out of dummy half and after not being allowed to his feet quickly Jeremaiah Tamepo was awarded a penalty.

From left centre once again in the 50th minute Jeremaiah Tamepo made a bumping run of fifteen metres to get the bell thirty five metres away from his own try line.