Junior Development

[mdrew]

PBC SHS’s Cooper Camby was named at right centre for Round Two of the Langer Cup for PBC SHS against Redcliffe State High School with Cooper Camby recording a try assist in the 57th minute when after receiving the ball from his inside Cooper Camby was able to draw in the outside Redcliffe SHS defender and get the ball away to his right to put Jett Forbes over in the corner.

Cooper Camby executed a smart piece of play in the 33rd minute after being hemmed in near the right touchline around five metres out from the line, Cooper Camby put in a short right foot grubber kick into the in-goal that had to be forced in-goal by Redcliffe SHS to force a goal-line frop-out.

Cooper Camby then made a great play from a defensive perspective in the 37th minute when he came out of the PBC SHS defensive line to smash the Redcliffe SHS fullback around seventeen metres from the try line with PCB SHS facing an overlap.

[mdrew]

Titans contracted Josh Lynn was named at five eight for PBC SHS in Round Two of the Langer Cup against Redcliffe State High School with Josh Lynn kicking four conversions including a great conversion from the left touchline in the 49th minute.

Josh Lynn also recorded a 49th minute try assist when after taking the ball down a short left blindside popped a good short ball to his right to Keano Kini who was able to run ten metres to score near the left corner.

Josh Lynn also recorded a 25th minute line break assist when from near halfway he threw a long cut-out pass to his left to put Sam Stephenson away down the left touchline.

Josh Lynn also put in a good kick in the 59th minute when from thirty metres out Josh Lynn’s kick went into the in-goal and had to be taken dead by the Redcliffe SHS fullback, forcing a goal line drop-out.

[mdrew]

Titans contracted Zane Harrison started at halfback for PBC SHS in Round Two of the Langer Cup against Redcliffe State High School with Zane Harrison recording a 34th minute try assist when from twenty metres out and directly in front of the posts Zane Harrison put in a right foot bomb towards the right corner with Jett Forbes taking the kick on the full to score.

Zane Harrison put in another great kick in the 48th minute from three minutes inside his own territory and to the right of the play the ball. Zane Harrison’s long raking right foot kick bounced into the in-goal and had to be taken dead by the Redcliffe left winger to force another goal line drop-out.

Zane Harrison made it three outstanding kicks in the 59th minute when from forty two metres out Zane Harrison once again got the ball into the in-goal and it was Zane Harrison who chased his own kick through to tackle the Redcliffe SHS fullback in the in-goal and force yet another goal line drop out.

[mdrew]

Titans contracted Sam Stephenson was named to make his Langer Cup Open A debut for PBC SHS on the left wing for Round Two of the Langer Cup on Tuesday afternoon against Redcliffe State High School.

Sam Stephenson made a line break in the 25th minute after receiving a long cut-out pass from his inside from Josh Lynn and after a twenty metre burst down the left touchline got a pass away to his inside to Michael Roberts.

Sam Stephenson made a further strong run in the 29th minute when from a twenty metre tap after a Redcliffe SHS kick went dead Sam Stephenson charged through the defensive line making a thirty metre line break before off-loading the ball on halfway to Jett Forbes.

Sam Stephenson maintained his compose in the 45th minute when a short goal line drop out was put up towards his left wing with Sam Stephenson taking the ball on the full under intense pressure.

Sam Stephenson then did very defensively in the 54th minute when after Redcliffe SHS had made a break down the opposite wing Sam Stephenson raced across the field to tackle the Redcliffe SHS left centre just a minute from the try line on the final tackle. Sam Stephenson did not rest on his laurels, taking the hit-up from the changeover, getting the ball twelve metres away from the line before being awarded a penalty.

[ALX25]

I can only encourage everyone get to CBus Stadium early to watch the Titans U16 play and Northern Rivers Titans U17 selection.

https://www.titans.com.au/news/2022/...bbitohs-clash/

Most eligible for QLD from the Future Titans U16's?

[mdrew]

Titans contracted and PBC SHS’s Keano Kini started at fullback for Round Two of the Langer Cup on Tuesday afternoon against Redcliffe State High School with Keano Kini scoring in the 49th minute when after receiving a good short ball from his right from Josh Lynn, Keano Kini ran the ball down a short blindside to score five metres in from the left corner post.

Keano Kini also recorded a try assist in the 27th minute when after joining the PBC SHS backline to the right of the play the ball Keano Kini took the ball deep into the defensive line before throwing a hard cut-out pass to his right to put Jett Forbes over in the right corner from eight metres out.

Keano Kini made a strong run in the 25th minute when from his own twenty metre mark Keano Kini executed a number of right foot steps to make eighteen metres.

The match also saw Keano Kini make a great try saving tackle in the 29th minute he raced to his left and smashed the Redcliffe SHS right winger just as he was preparing to put the ball down in the corner with Keano Kini’s heavy contact knocking the ball from the wingers grasp.

Keano Kini also did well defensively in the 47th minute when after the Redcliffe SHS left winger got to a kick before him just fifteen metres out from the try line, Keano Kini did not panic and made suire of the tackle on the winger to eliminate the danger for PBC SHS.

[mdrew]

Most are Queensland eligible but a few like Zane Harrison, Beau Hartmann and Riley Buchanan are NSW eligible and Ryder Williams has come over from New Zealand to play in this match, his first in a Titans jersey.

Most eligible for QLD from the Future Titans U16's?

[mdrew]

Round One of the 2022 Langer Cup School Boy competition saw Titans contracted Arama Hau named to start at lock and captain for Keebra Park State High School against Ipswich State High School however he was a late scratching from the match.

Arama Hau was then named at lock for Round Two against Coombabah State High School on Tuesday afternoon and recorded a great try assist in just the 7th minute when he chased through a Keebra park SHS mid-field bomb that the Coombabah SHS fullback let bounce. With the ball bouncing high near the try line Arama Hau leapt above the pack and in one movement then off-loaded to his left to Xavier Asi who just had to fall over the line to score Keebra Park SHS’s opening try.

Arama Hau recorded a second try assist in the 58th minute when after receiving the ball fifty five metres out down a short left blindside, Arama Hau dummied to his left to break the line and charged forty five metres downfield before drawing the Coombabah SHS fullback to put his left winger over in the corner to bring up fifty points in the match for Keebra Park SHS.

Arama Hau was also heavily involved in Xavier Asi’s 34th minute try when after receiving the ball to the right of the play the ball Arama Hau cut back towards the left side of the field, all of the way holding the ball in his left hand before off-loading to his left to Eli Tuli who then was able to put Xavier Asi away to score in the left corner.

It was clear that Arama Hau was going to have a big match inside the opening minute when he took the fourth hit-up of the match to get the ball to forty metres out from his own line.

Arama Hau then took a further strong hit-up in the 17th minute from a Coombabah SHS kick-off and after breaking six tackles Arama Hau was finally stopped just six metres short of the half-way mark.

[mdrew]

Bo Piestley has been named to start at halfback for a Northern Rivers Titans U17 squad that takes on a Titans U16 JTS side at Cbus Stadium as a curtain-raiser to the Titans NRL Round Fourteen against the Souths Sydney Rabbitohs this weekend.

. In early May 2022 Bo Piesley started at halfback for a Northern Rivers Titans U17 squad that took on a Titans U16 JTS side at Cbus Stadium as a curtain-raiser to the Titans NRL Round Fourteen against the Souths Sydney Rabbitohs.

In June 2021, Bo Peisley was a member of the Titans U17 Northern Rivers Academy side that drew 28 all with a Titans JTS U16 side at Cbus Stadium in a curtain raiser to the Titans NRL fixture against Manly.

Bo Peisley was named at halfback for the Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup side for their 2021 Round One match against the Wests Tigers operating on the right side of the field in the match.

Unfortunately the Northern Rivers Titans went down in the match but Bo Peisley had some good moments including putting up a big mid-field bomb early in the second half towards the right touchline. The Wests Tigers left winger knocked the ball on and the Northern Rivers Titans, through jesse Soric scored from the next set of six.

Bo Peisley also started at halfback in Round Two against local rivals the North Coast Bulldogs in Nambucca Heads and in Round Three against the Greater Northern Tigers kicking three conversions in the Titans 30 – 16 victory.

Bo Peisley was also involved in a strong tackle in the 21st minute of the match when along with Kaden Rees and Creedence Donovan he initially held up the Tigers fullback and dragged him into touch five metres out from the line.

Bo Peisley continued at half back in Round Four against the Central Coast Roosters, producing an outstanding short kicking game early including forcing Central Coast to ground the ball in their own in goal twice in the opening twenty four minutes of the match.

Bo Peisley also started at half in Round Five against the Newcastle Knights scoring a double as the Northern Rivers Titans finished their season with an impressive 28 – 4 victory.

Bo Peisley’s first try came in the 24th minute of the first half through a show and go as he ran to the left, once through the line Bo Peisley ran at a 45 degree angle to score under the posts. Just a minute earlier Bo Peisley produced a show and go to the left but was dragged down centremetres short but won a penalty when he was held down by the Newcastle defence.

Bo Peisley scored his second try of the match in the 52nd minute when he moved into dummy half a metre out from the Newcastle line and just to the right of the uprights. Bo Peisley dummied to his right before darting over to score.

Bo Peisley, like he had all competition kicked well in the match, including in the 43rd minute when he produced a stabbing right foot kick from forty metres out that found the touchline less than ten metres out from the Newcastle line in the right corner.

Bo Peisley did it all in the match including defensively with probably his best moment of the match in relation to that attribute coming in the 48th minute with a great ball and all tackle on the Newcastle five eight who had tried to run over him from a Knights scrum win.

In early October 2020 Bo Peisley was part of the Titans Group 18 U14/15 side that played a trial match against a Titans Gold Coast U14 squad with the match being played at Cbus Stadium, giving the young players a great experience with an added bonus that the players wore Titans jerseys.

In the 2020 Group 18 U15 competition Bo Peisley played for the South Tweed Bears with the Bears finishing the regular season winning three and losing seven matches. Along the way, the Bears scored 158 points and conceded 222 to finish with a points differential of -64.

In early November 2020 Bo Peisley was a member of the Banora Point High School side that went through the Titans 9‘s U16.5 northern New South Wales school boy competition that was held in Murwillumbah undefeated.

The South Tweed youngster was part of the Titans U14 squad that played a Western Mustangs selection in February at Mudgeeraba and also in 2019 was part of the Group 18 U14 representative side being named at half back for the 2019 New South Wales Country Age Championships with Bo Peisley kicking two conversions in Group 18’s second match of Day One as they went down 26 – 20 to Group Four.

Late in the 2019 season Bo Peisley was named the 2019 Group 18 U14 representative season’s best back at the Group 18 Presentation Night.

[mdrew]

Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas has been named to start from the bench for a Northern Rivers Titans U17 squad that takes on a Titans U16 JTS side at Cbus Stadium as a curtain-raiser to the Titans NRL Round Fourteen against the Souths Sydney Rabbitohs this weekend.

In early December 2021 Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas was named in the 2022 Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup Train-on Squad.

Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas’s first 2022 match for the Northern Rivers Titans U16 side came on late January when he was part of the Titans side that defeated local rivals, the North Coast Bulldogs four tries to one in a trial at Sawtell.

Round One of the 2022 U16 Andrew Johns Cup competition saw Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas start from the bench for the Northern Rivers Titans side against the Macquarie Wests Tigers in Sydney’s west with Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas coming into the match late in the first half to operate in the dummy half role.

Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas made his first dart of the dummy half in the 36th minute when after taking possession Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas ran to his left making fifteen metres to get the ball to within thirty five metres of the try line. Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas was then awarded a penalty when the Wests Tigers defence would not allow him to play the ball quickly.

Then in the 42nd minute Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas almost laid on a try for Zane Harrison. After picking up a loose ball Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas burst through the centre of the ruck making twenty five metres before off-loading to Zane Harrison but just as he was diving over the try line, the ball was knocked from Zane Harrison’s grasp.

It was great to see Kennyon Elisasia-Thomas named on the Northern Rivers Titans extended bench for the 2022 U16 Andrew Johns Cup Grand Final against the Wests Tigers.

The young five eight in late 2020 was selected in the 2020/21 Titans Group One Elite Academy Squad.

Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas started Round One of the 2021 Group One U15 competition at five eight as the Clarence Coast Magpies took on the Ballina Seagulls.

Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas also started at five eight in Round Two against the South Grafton Rebels kicking a conversion in the Magpies 24 – 12 victory. Round Three against the Ballina Seagulls saw Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas once again start at five eight.

Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas moved to fullback for Round Nine against South Grafton and scored two tries and kicked one conversions in the Magpies 32 – 12 victory.

Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas was back at halfback in Round Ten against Casino RSM and Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas was an his scheming best including a 41st minute line break when whilst operating on his usual right side of the field fifty five metres from the line, Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas shaped to pass before slicing through two Casino RSM defenders and then showed the cover defence a clean pair of heels. Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas then was able to position his right sided support well and after drawing the Casino RSM fullback he passed to his right but unfortunately the ball could not be held by his support player.

Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas also started at halfback in Round Twelve against the Grafton and was also named to start at halfback in Round Thirteen against Casino RSM and was one of the Magpies try scorers in their 16 – 10 victory.

In 2020 Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas played for the Clarence Coast Magpies in the Group One U14 competition, including starting at five eight in the Grand Final and scoring a try and kicking a conversion in the Magpies 30 - 16 Grand Final victory against Grafton.

In addition to his 2020 Group One U14 Grand Final points Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas scored and kicked a conversion in Round Five against Ballina (his first match of the season) when he started at five eight and scored a double and kicked four goals for an individual points haul of sixteen points in Round Ten against Grafton once again starting the match at five eight. Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas’s other Group One U14 match in 2020 was in Round Six when he started from the bench against Casino RSM.

Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas also played one match in the 2020 Group One U15 competition, being Round Seven when he started from the bench against the Kyogle Turkeys.

In 2019 Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas also played for the Clarence Coast Magpies in that season in their Group One U13 side and was part of the Magpies Grand Final side that went down 24 – 16 to the Grafton Ghosts.

[mdrew]

Samuel Petch has been named to start from the bench for a Northern Rivers Titans U17 squad that takes on a Titans U16 JTS side at Cbus Stadium as a curtain-raiser to the Titans NRL Round Fourteen against the Souths Sydney Rabbitohs this weekend.

In early December 2021 Samuel Petch was named in the 2022 Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup Train-on Squad.

Round One of the 2022 U16 Andrew Johns Cup competition saw Samuel Petch start at right centre for the Northern Rivers Titans side against the Macquarie Wests Tigers in Sydney’s west with Samuel Petch scoring a key second half try in the 52nd minute to help the Northern Rivers Titans to hold on to win 22 – 20.

Samuel Petch scored in the 52nd minute when he flashed sixteen metres down the right touchline, cutting off his right foot to get away from the right touchline and crash over between two Wests Tigers cover defenders three metres in from the right corner.

Just a minute after scoring his try, Samuel Petch saved a try with a smart piece of play when it looked certain that the Wests Tigers would score. The Wests Tigers spun the ball wide out to their left deep inside the attacking twenty metre zone with the two man overall. Samuel Petch however came out of the defensive line to take the intercept less than ten metres from the line. If Samuel Petch had not taken the initiative to move up and cut off the ball the Wests Tigers would have certainly scored in their left corner.

Samuel Petch also started at right centre in the Round Two local derby against the North Coast Bulldogs before Samuel Petch was named on the bench for Round Three against the Greater Northern Tigers however he was a game day scratching from the Northern Rivers Titans side.

Samuel Petch was then named on the bench in Round Four against the Central Coast Roosters with Samuel Petch coming on mid-way through the first half at right second row before moving to left second row in the second half.

After being named on the Northern Rivers Titans extended bench for the twice delayed Round Five match against the Newcastle Knights, Samuel Petch came into the starting line up on the right wing on the morning of the match and scored in the right corner from thirteen metres out in the 40th minute after good work on his inside by Noah Waldock.

Samuel Petch was then named on the right wing for the Northern Rivers Titans Week One Final against St George however a late change saw Samuel Petch move back to start the match from the bench.

Samuel Petch also started from the bench for the Northern Rivers Titans in the 2022 U16 Andrew Johns Cup Grand Final against the Wests Tigers.

Post the 2022 U16 Andrew Johns Cup competition Samuel Petch transitioned back to the Group One U16 competition starting Round One for the South Grafton Rebels at fullback against the Clarence Coast Magpies however the match was postponed due to the wet conditions.

Samuel Petch was also named at fullback in Round Two against Casino RSM.

Even though he was still U16 eligible Samuel Petch also played a number of matches for the South Grafton Rebels in the Group Two U18 competition with his first match being in Round Two when he started at right second row in a 30 – 16 victory over the Sawtell Panthers.

Round Six against Coffs Harbour saw Samuel Petch start at right centre.

The young South Grafton Rebel was one of the better performers in the Group One U15 competition in 2021, finishing near the top of the competition’s try scoring and overall points scoring list.

Samuel Petch started in the second row in the opening ten rounds of the competition in the second row before moving to five eight in Round Eleven against the Ballina Seagulls and also started at five eight in Round Twelve against the Marist Rams before starting from the bench in Round Thirteen against the Marist Rams.

Through the opening twelve rounds, Samuel Petch scored twelve tries and kicked twenty four goals.

Samuel Petch had an impressive Round One match, scoring four tries and kicking four goals against Casino RSM. Samuel Petch also scored three doubles which came in Round Four (Ballina), Round Seven (Marist Rams) and Round Eleven against the Ballina Seagulls. Samuel Petch also scored in Round Six against Casino RSM and Round Nine against the Clarence Coast Magpies.

Samuel Petch finished the abridged 2021 Group One U15 regular season as the competitions second leading try scorer with twelve tries.

With the boot through the opening thirteen rounds, Samuel Petch kicked five goals in a Round Four match against the Ballina Seagulls and kicked four gaols in Rounds One and Seven against Casino RSM and the Marist Rams respectively.

Samuel Petch also played for the South Grafton Rebels in 2020 in the Group One U14 competition, scoring four tries across the season.

[mdrew]

Thomas King has been named to start from the bench for a Northern Rivers Titans U17 squad that takes on a Titans U16 JTS side at Cbus Stadium as a curtain-raiser to the Titans NRL Round Fourteen against the Souths Sydney Rabbitohs this weekend.

In early October 2020 Thomas King was part of the Titans Group 18 Invitational U14/15 side that played a trial match against a Titans Gold Coast U14 squad with the match being played at Cbus Stadium, giving the young players a great experience with an added bonus that the players from both team’s wore Titans jerseys for the occasion.

In 2022 Thomas King played for the Bilambil Jets in the NRRRL U18 competition and started Round One of the competition off the bench against the Murwillumbah Mustangs and also started from the bench in Round Three against Northern United before starting Round Six against Casino RSM in the front row.

Thomas King then started in the front row in Round Seven against the Cudgen Hornets.

Round Three saw Thomas King make his first appearance for the Northern Rivers Titans 2021 U16 Andrew Johns Cup squad when he started from the bench against the Greater Northern Tigers. Thomas King came onto the field early in the second half, playing in the centre of the field.

Thomas King also started from the bench in Round Four against the Central Coast Roosters as well as in Round Five, being the final regular season round against the Newcastle Knights coming on early in the second half to operate in the front row.

In the 2020 Group 18 U15 competition Thomas King played for the Bilambil Jets and played in the Jets 14 – 6 Grand Final victory over Byron Bay/Lennox Head.

In the 2020 Group 18 U15 regular season the Bilambil Jets went through winning all ten of their matches, scoring 242 points and conceding 72 to finish the season with an impressive +242 points differential.

[mdrew]

Creedence Donovan has been named to start in the centres for a Northern Rivers Titans U17 squad that takes on a Titans U16 JTS side at Cbus Stadium as a curtain-raiser to the Titans NRL Round Fourteen against the Souths Sydney Rabbitohs this weekend.

2022 saw Creedence Donovan once again line up for PBC SHS and started on the left wing in Round One of the School Boy Langer Cup Reserve Grade competition, scoring in the 49th minute when after PBC SHS won a scrum deep on the attack Creedence Donovan cahsed through a kick from the first tackle and got to the ball first to get the ball down ten metres in from the left corner post.

Creedence Donovan also started on the left wing in Round two against Redcliffe SHS and scored in the 49th minute when he chased through a Ray Puru chip kick to collect the ball on the bounce and dive over to score ten metres in from the right corner post.

Also in 2022 season saw Creedence Donovan play for the Tweed Heads Seagulls U18 side in the NRRRL U18 competititon starting Round One of the competition at fullback against the Byron Bay Devils with Creedence Donovan scoring two long range tries to seal an outstanding 20 – 12 first up victory for Tweed Heads.

Creedence Donovan’s opening try came in the 36th minute with Tweed Heads deep inside their own territory. Creedence Doovan ran to the ball to the left of the dummy half with the play the ball just ten metres out from his own line and ten metres in from the left touchline. Creedence Donovan drew in the Byron Bay right winger and put his left cnetre down the left touchline and then backed up on the inside to get the pass back and run sixty metres to score under the posts.

Creedence Donovan completed his double just six minutes later in the 42nd minute and once again the try line was near length of the field effort. Byron Bay were deep on the attack and from close range put in a hard low kick towards the in-goal, just two metres from his own line Creedence Donovan took the kick on the full in front of the right upright and after cutting slightly to his left ran ninety eight metres untouched to score to the left of the uprights.

It was immediately clear in the match that Creedence Donovan was set for a strong match when in the 3rd minute he took the Seagulls opening hit-up of the match with Creedence Donovan initially taking the ball ten metres out from his own tryline and to the left of the play the ball with Creedence Donovan able to get the ball fifteen metres downfield.

Creedence Donovan made a further strong run in the 25th minute when he positioned himself well to take a Devils chip ten metres out from his own line and directly in front of the goal posts. From there Creedence Donovan stepped off his left foot and burst through two defenders to get the ball thirty metres away from his own line and then on the 4th tackle in the same set of six Creedence Donovan backed up to make a further run to get the ball to near the halfway mark.

Creedence Donovan also started at fullback in Round Two against the Cudgen Hornets and was heavily involved in the Seagulls 20th minute try. Creedence Donovan initially received the ball around twenty metres out to the right of the play the ball and got the ball away to his right to Ricco Waitititi who after getting part way through the ball off-loaded to Creedence Donovan who had looped around behind him. After getting the ball back Creedence Donovan ran ten metres before getting the ball away to his his right to put his centre over in the right corner.

Creedence Donovan produced a strong defensive effort in the 45th minute when after Cudgen put up a high kick towards the Seagulls right wing, Creedence Donovan waited until the Hornets winger took the ball on the full and then Creedence Donovan drove him over the touch line around twenty metres out from the try line.

Creedence Donovan also did well in the 54th minute when he showed some real courage when he raced forward and dived on a Hornets grubber kick just in front of three chasers.

Creedence Donovan moved to five eight in Round Six against the Ballina Seagulls scoring one of the Seagulls tries in their tough loss.

Creedence Donovan then started at five eight in Round Seven against the Lower Clarence Magpies and scored an impressive hat trick in a 50 – 0 win for the Seagulls.

Creedence Donovan’s opening try came in the 38th minute when on the halfway mark to the right of the play the ball Zane Harrison dummied to his inside and then exploded through a gap before drawing the Magpies fullback and passing to his left to Creedence Donovan who scored mid-way between the goal posts and corner post on the left side of the field.

Creedence Donovan added a second try in the 51st minute when he followed through a line breaks through the centre of the field by his hooker and received the ball after the Lower Clarence was drawn by his No. 9 to dive over ten metres in from the left corner post.

Creedence Donovan completed his hat trick in the 53rd minute when Zane Harrison ran the ball on the left side of the field just fifteen metres out from his own line and after double pumping a pass to his left put Creedence Donovan onto a gap with the five eight racing eighty metres to dive over under the posts.

Creedence Donovan also recorded a 26th minute try assist when on the left side of the field and thirty metres out he threw a good short ball to his left to a hard charging Ricco Waitititi who bursting through the defensive line to score under the posts.

In late 2021 Creedence Donovan trialled for a position in the 2022 Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup squad and is also U18 eligible in 2023.

In Round Two in the 2021 U16 Andrew Johns Cup competition, Creedence Donovan started at fullback for the Northern Rivers Titans side that took on local rivals the North Coast Bulldogs in Nambucca Heads.

Creedence Donovan was the Northern Rivers Titans most dangerous ball runner in the match and also produced on outstanding piece of play when after a Northern Rivers Titans turnover when attacking the North Coast line, he turned a chased down the Bulldogs left winger after he had broken away.

Round Three saw Creedence Donovan move from fullback to the right wing as the Northern Rivers Titans took on the Greater Northern Tigers.

Creedence Donovan produced an outstanding piece of play in the opening minutes of the second half. Creedence Donovan tracked back to retrieve a kick towards the right corner and after running the ball back, he was held down and drew a penalty on his own twenty metre mark. Creedence Donovan took the tap quickly and flew down the right touchline seventy metres before being caught just metres short of the try line.

Creedence Donovan was also involved in a strong tackle in the 21st minute of the match when along with Bo Peisley and Kaden Rees, he initially held up the Tigers fullback and dragged him into touch five metres out from the line.

Creedence Donovan was at it again late in the first half when he dragged his opposite winger over the sideline as soon as he had taken a kick on the full.

Creedence Donovan continued on the right wing in Round Four against the Central Coast Roosters a match that was played as a curtain raiser to the Titans/Warriors NRL trial in Lismore.

Creedence Donovan started Round Five against the Newcastle Knights on the right wing producing a start piece of play in the 2nd minute of the second half when he trapped a difficult grubber kick to his right wing with his foot and then was able to bring the ball back a further ten metres.

Creedence Donovan made a further ten metre run in the 41st minute of the match when he came off the wing to make the metres through the centre of the ruck.

Creedence Donovan continued to play for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Junior Rugby League Club in 2021 in the U16 Group 18 competition and had some exceptional matches including in Round Five as the Seagulls accounted for the Murwillumbah Colts 44 – 8.

2021 also saw Creedence Donovan once again represent PBC in school boy rugby league, starting Round One of the Langer Cup Reserve Grade competition agaisnt Ipswich State High School on the left wing.

Creedence Donovan also played a number of matches in the Walters Cup competition, including starting the Grand Final against Keebra Park SHS at fullback with Creedence Donovan throwing the last pass for Ray Puru’s 9th minute try in the right corner.

It was not just in the Walters Cup that Creedence Donovan had a strong match, he also played well including multiple line breaks after also starting at fullback in Round Three against Coombabah State High School.

In September 2021 Creedence Donovan played for the Gold Coast Kookaburra’s in the 2021 Queensland Murri U16 Carnival.

In late November 2021 Creedence Donovan represented Team Indigenous at the 3PTAG (non-contact modified rugby league) Cultural Touch Tournament held at Marsden State High School.

[mdrew]

AJ Hickling has been named to start in the front row for a Northern Rivers Titans U17 squad that takes on a Titans U16 JTS side at Cbus Stadium as a curtain-raiser to the Titans NRL Round Fourteen against the Souths Sydney Rabbitohs this weekend.

In early December 2021 AJ Hickling was named in the 2022 U16 Northern Rivers Titans Andrew Johns Cup Train-on Squad.

AJ Hickling’s first 2022 match for the Northern Rivers Titans U16 side came on late January when he was part of the Titans side that defeated local rivals, the North Coast Bulldogs four tries to one in a trial at Sawtell.

Round One of the 2022 U16 Andrew Johns Cup competition saw AJ Hickling start in the front row for the Northern Rivers Titans side against the Macquarie Wests Tigers in Sydney’s west with AJ Hickling taking the second hit-up of the match after the Wests Tigers had kicked off to get the match underway.

AJ Hickling made a further strong hit-up in the 15th minute when he charged onto the ball to the left of the dummy half, with AJ Hickling make twelve metres to get the ball inside the Northern Rivers Titans attacking twenty metre zone. AJ Hickling was at it again just two tackles later, making a further eight metres to get to within five metres of the try line directly in front of the goal posts.

AJ Hickling also started in the front row in the Round Two local derby against the North Coast Bulldogs and took the second hit-up of the match after North Coast had kicked off to get the match underway.

AJ Hickling continued in the front row for Round Three against the Greater Northern Tigers and AJ Hickling could not have made a better start to the match when from the kick-off AJ Hickling charged onto the ball and went straight through the Greater Northern Tigers defensive line making twenty five metes. AJ Hickling then took the 4th hit-up from the same opening set of six tackles.

Then in the 9th minute AJ Hikcling made a further twenty metre run, the majority of which were post contact metres to get the ball to within twenty metres of the try line.

AJ Hickling also started in the front row in Round Four against the Central Coast Roosters with AJ Hickling making a great driving left shoulder tackle on the Central Coast front rower attempting to return the Northern Rivers kick-off.

AJ Hickling then continued in the front row in the twice delayed final round being Round Five against the Newcastle Knights in Grafton with AJ Hickling producing a strong run to the right of the dummy half in the 51st minute when after contact with the defensive line after s slight jink off his right foot AJ Hickling was able to get away a right arm off-load to his left to put Zane Harrison through a gap with the halfback making a sixteen metre line break to put the Titans deep into attack.

AJ Hickling also had a strong run in the 54th minute when he charged sixteen metres from the second hit-up from Isaac Harrison’s 51st minute try with AJ Hickling getting the ball away from the Titans defensive twenty metre zone.

AJ Hickling then continued in the front row for the Northern Rivers Titans Week One Final against St George with AJ Hickling taking his first hit-up of the match in just the 4th minute.

AJ Hickling also started in the front row for the Northern Rivers Titans in the 2022 U16 Andrew Johns Cup Grand Final against the Wests Tigers with AJ Hikcling making some strong charges in the Titans great last second 24 – 22 Grand Final victory including in the 42nd minute with a twelve metres run to the right of the play the ball out of his own twenty metre area.

Post the 2022 U16 Andrew Johns Cup competition AJ Hickling played once again for the Clarence Coast Magpies in the 2022 Group One U16 competition and after a Round One washout AJ Hickling was part of the Magpies squad in Round Two against the Marist Rams.

The young man from the Clarence Coast Magpies was over the course of the 2019/20 offseason part of the Titans Group One Junior Academy Squad that was training on a weekly basis at Ballina every Tuesday afternoon.

In November 2020 Anthony Hickling started once again training with the Titans development squad from the Group One region under the direction of former Titans NRL player Matt Srama.

AJ Hackling missed the opening round of the 2021 Group One U14 competition but was back starting in the front row in Round Five against the Grafton Ghosts and also started in the front row in Round Six against the Ballina Seagulls.

AJ Hickling continued in the front row in Round Seven against Casino RSM and was the Magpies sole try scorer in their 10 – 6 loss. AJ Hickling also started in the front row in Round Eight against Marist Brothers and continued there in Round Nine against South Grafton.

AJ Hickling also started in the front row in Round Twelve against the Grafton and was also named to start in the front row in Round Thirteen against Casino RSM and AJ Hickling scored both of the Magpies tries in a 12 all draw.

AJ Hickling continued in the front row in Round Thirteen against Casino RSM and was one of the Magpies try scorers in their 16 – 10 victory.

In late June 2020 AJ Hickling started training with his Clarence Coast Magpies club side in preparation for the late start of the Group One U14 junior rugby league competition. Round One saw AJ Hickling start for the Magpies at left second row and score as Clarence Coast defeated the South Grafton Rebels 24 – 10.

After Clarence Coast’s Round Two match was postponed, AJ Hickling was back in the second row for Round Three against Ballina and made it two tries from as many matches, scoring as Clarence Coast defeated Ballina 24 – 8.

In Round Four against Grafton Anthony Hickling continued his run of scoring in every match in 2020 when he added a double as the Magpies went down 22 – 16 with Anthony Hickling once again starting in the second row. AJ Hickling also started in the second row in Round Five against Ballina as the Magpies recorded a 26 – 0 victory.

In Round Six AJ Hickling scored a hat trick after starting the 28 – 0 win over Casino RSM from the bench for the Magpies. AJ Hickling started Round Nine in the front row and scored twice as Clarence Coast defeated Ballina 52 – 6. AJ Hickling also started in the front row in Round Ten against the Clarence Coast Magpies.

In total in the 2020 Group One U14 regular season AJ Hickling scored nine tries from six matches for a 150% strike rate.

AJ Hickling started the 2020 Group One U14 Grand Final in the front row as the Magpies took on the Grafton Ghosts and was named the Player of the Match in the Magpies 30 – 16 victory after they came from behind at half time to win the premiership decider with AJ Hickling in devastating form recording two tries in the victory.

With the Clarence Coast U14 side recording a forfeit victory in Round Seven against Casino RSM, Anthony Hickling instead moved up to the Clarence Coast U15 side, coming off the bench for his U15 debut in the Magpies Round Seven 22 – 14 loss to the Kyogle Turkeys.

In 2019 AJ Hickling played in the Group One U13 competition with the Magpies, including scoring in their Grand Final Qualifying Final against Lismore Marist Brothers when he split the Rams defence on the right side of the field and utilising his speed was able to bring the ball around to score under the posts with a number of defenders trailing long way in his wake.

AJ Hickling was also part of the Clarence Coast Magpies Group One U13 Grand Final side that went down 24 – 16 to the Grafton Ghosts in the decider. AJ Hickling also scored in the Grand Final getting Clarence Coast back in the match before Grafton pulled away again after scoring their third try of the match.

[mdrew]

Kye Cooper has been named to start in the centres for a Northern Rivers Titans U17 squad that takes on a Titans U16 JTS side at Cbus Stadium as a curtain-raiser to the Titans NRL Round Fourteen against the Souths Sydney Rabbitohs this weekend.

In 2022 Kye Cooper once again lined up for the Ballina NRRRL U18 side for the second season in a row, starting Round One against the Kyogle Turkeys at lock.

Kye Cooper also started at lock in Round Two against the Byron Bay Devils with Kye Cooper scoring in the 33rd minute when after receiving a low pass from the dummy half from his left Kye Cooper was able to barge his way over from six metres out surging between two defenders to get the ball down ten metres to the right of the uprights.

Kye Cooper was to continue at lock in Round Three against the Kyogle Turkeys however the match had to be postponed due to wet weather. Kye Cooper also started at lock in Round Six against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

In June 2021, Kye Cooper was a member of the Titans U17 Northern Rivers Academy side that drew 28 all with a Titans JTS U16 side at Cbus Stadium in a curtain raiser to the Titans NRL fixture against Manly.

Kye Cooper started at fullback for the Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup side for their Round One match against the Wests Tigers. Kye Cooper moved into the starting side at lock for Round Two against local rivals the North Coast Bulldogs in Nambucca Heads.

Round Three saw Kye Cooper move from lock to five eight as the Northern Rivers Titans took on the Greater Northern Tigers with the move suiting him perfectly as he scored one try and was heavily involved on others in an all-round impressive display in the Titans 30 – 16 victory.

Kye Cooper’s try came in the 25th minute when he dummied to his right then cut back to his left and whilst he was being held by three defenders, Kye Cooper was able to reach out to get the ball down.

Kye Cooper’s involvement started in the 10th minute when he along with Reshawn Anderson smashed a Greater Northern Tigers front rower forcing him to lose the ball just ten metres out from the line.

Just minutes later Kye Cooper threw the pass that put fullback Lachlan Offley into space on the left for the Titans to score their first try of the match.

Kye Cooper finished off his impressive match with a huge bomb in the last minute. The spiralling kick could not be taken on the full by the defence and Levi Dangerfield was able to dive on the ball in the in-goal to score just prior to the final siren sounding.

Kye Cooper continued at five eight in Round Four against the Central Coast Roosters and was for mine the Northern Rivers Titans best, including scoring a try and converting that same try in the 35th minute of the match.

In the 49th minute, Kye Cooper kicked a huge spirally mid-field bomb that could not be held by the Central Coast fullback, giving the Northern Rivers Titans good field position. Kye Cooper put up another huge kick in the dying moments of the match and then chased hard down field, with the Northern Rivers Titans forcing the Central Coast fullback to lose the ball to give themselves a final opportunity to attack.

Kye Cooper also produced a try saving tackle in the 54th minute of the match when he held one of the Central Coast second rowers back from the line, forcing the Roosters player to extend his arms forward to get the ball down but in the process was penalised for a double movement.

Kye Cooper also started at five eight in Round Five against the Newcastle Knights and kicked four conversions from five attempts as the Northern Rivers Titans ended their 2021 season with a resounding 28 – 4 win.

Kye Cooper also made a line break late in the second half when whilst operating on the left dummied to his outside before slicing through the defensive line and beating two defenders in his twenty metre run.

Impressively Kye Cooper started Round One of the 2021 NRRRL U18 season at right centre for the Ballina Seagulls as they defeated the Kyogle Turkeys 54 – 4 even though he was still U16 eligible.

The match saw Kye Cooper record a try assist when in the 22nd minute he took the ball down a short right blindside and held the ball up perfectly to put right winger Lachlan Offley away down the touchline to score in the corner.

Kye Cooper also started at right centre in Round Two against the Byron Bay Devils making the opening tackle of the match after Ballina had kicked off and the Byron Bay No. 10 was returning the ball. Kye Cooper then was involved in the next tackle on the Devils left second rower and then to round out a great defensive first set, Kye Cooper made the 4th tackle of the match on the No. 10 once again.

Kye Cooper’s tackle in the 9th minute was even better as it was a ty saving one when he rag dolled the Byron Bay left winger over the touchline when he looked a certainly to score in the corner. The in the 25th minute Kye Cooper made an aggressive ball and all tackle on from the marker position.

The match was not all defence for Kye Cooper as in just the 2nd minute of the match he made his first run when he ran out of dummy half making ten metres from inside his own territory. Kye Cooper also made a solid twelve metres in the 25th minute as he brought the ball out of his own twenty metre area.

Kye Cooper continued at right centre (he spent time at left centre in the second half) in Round Three against the Tweed Coast Raiders getting himself involved early by making the fourth tackle of the match produced a strong effort in the 23rd minute when from marker he rag dolled the Raiders left winger and dragged him back into the in-goal to force a goal line drop out.

Kye Cooper also recorded a try assist in the 29th minute when he worked an overlap on the right well to send Kade Garrett over in the right corner.

Kye Cooper continued at right centre in Round Four against the Marist Brothers Rams and in the 46th minute scored his first try of the season in the NRRRL U18 competition when after a Ballina cross field kick was taken on the full on his inside with Key Cooper receiving the ball and scoring wide out on the right.

Kye Cooper continued at right centre in Round Five against Casino RSM and almost scored in the 31st minute in the right corner from a chip kick to his wing but a terrible bounce of the ball meant the try just eluded him.

Round Eight against Northern United saw Kye Cooper initially named at halfback but on the day of the match, he moved back to his regular right centre position and Kye Cooper continued at right centre in Round Eleven against the Bilambil Jets and in Round Twelve against the Byron Bay Devils.

Kye Cooper continued at right centre in Round Thirteen against Murwillumbah scoring a key try in the 53rd minute when he was on hand to take possession of a kick into the in-goal that the Murwillumbah defence could not deal with by letting the ball bounce, with Kye Cooper getting the ball down in the right corner.

In addition to his try, Kye Cooper made a 14th minute line break down the right touchline of twenty five metres.

Kye Cooper was also named to continue at right centre in Round Fourteen against the Cudgen Hornets.

In late March 2021 Kye Cooper was part of Diocesan of Lismore Opens Squad that attended the Northern Country Catholic Colleges Rugby League Selection Trial that were held at Smithtown.

Kye Cooper’s first 2020 hit out came for one of the three Titans U15 sides that played round robin matches against each other in mid- February 2020 at Burleigh’s Pizzey Park spending the majority of his time on the field in his two matches at five eight. Kye Cooper’s team won both of their matches in the series of round robin matches.

When community rugby league restarted in July 2020 Kye Cooper played once again for the Ballina Seagulls in the Group One competition, this season in the U16.5 competition and in Round One in a 16 – 14 loss against Casino RSM Kye Cooper started in the left second row position.

Kye Cooper moved to five eight for Round Two and scored as Ballina defeated South Grafton 28 – 0. Kye Cooper continued at five eight in Round Three and scored once again as Ballina defeated Clarence Coast 18 – 12. Kye Cooper also kicked three goals in the match to finish with a ten point haul.

Kye Cooper started at lock in Round Four against Kyogle scoring once again as Ballina defeated the Turkeys 28 – 6. In Round Six Kye Cooper was back at five eight and kicked a conversion as Ballina defeated Grafton 32 – 22. Kye Cooper also started at five eight in Round Seven as Ballina defeated Casino RSM 32 – 0.

Kye Cooper continued at five eight in Round Nine and scored one of Ballina’s tries as they defeated South Grafton 38 – 14. Kye Cooper also started at five eight and was one of the Seagulls try scorers as they defeated Clarence Coast 32 – 10.

In total in the 2020 Group One U15 regular season competition Kye Cooper scored twenty eight points from eight matches, made up of five tries and four conversions.

Kye Cooper started at five eight in the 2020 Group One U15 Grand Final against Casino RSM and was close to the best player on the field, scoring two tries and kicking two goals as Ballina defeated Casino RSM 28 – 10 to become 2020 Premiers..

In Round Ten of the Group One competition, being the final regular season round, Kye Cooper made his U16.5 debut off the bench as Ballina went down 28 – 17 to the Clarence Coast Magpies.

Kye Cooper also played rugby in 2020, playing the opening three matches of the Far North Coast U15 Junior Rugby competition at inside centre (No. 12) for the Lennox Head Trojans. In Round One against Casurina Beach Kye Cooper scored a double, also scored in Round Two against the Brunswick Billygoats and then added another double against the Grafton Redmen in Round Three.

In Round Five of the U15 Far North Coast Junior Rugby competition Kye Cooper started at inside centre (No. 12) and was amongst the Lennox Head try scorers in their match against Lismore. Kye Cooper once again started at inside centre in Round Six against Casuaina Beach scoring a double for the Trojans in their victory.

In Round Eight Kye Cooper also started at No. 12 (inside centre) for the Trojans as they defeated the Grafton Redmen with Kye Cooper scoring three tries in the big 64 – 0 win. Kye Cooper added a further try in Round Nine when he once again started at inside centre in a tight 15 – 12 win over Wollongbar Alstonville.

Late in 2019 Kye Cooper played for a Titans U14/U15 NRRRL Invitational side against a Titans U14 Gold Coast/Brisbane side at Piggabeen starting the match at five eight with the result being that the NRRRL side went down 32 - 10.

Kye Cooper started the 2019 Group One U14 competition off in outstanding fashion scoring two tries and kicking two goals for a game haul of twelve for Ballina in their 34 – 6 victory in Round One against the South Grafton Rebels.

Kye Cooper was on fire once again in Round Two scoring five tries and kicking two conversions as Ballina defeated Casino RSM 54 – 4.

Kye Cooper continued his try scoring feats in Round Three scoring a double as Ballina defeated Clarence Coast 44 – 8.

In Round Five against Lismore Marist Brothers Kye Cooper finished with an individual point’s tally of twelve from two tries and two goals in a big win against Lismore Marist Brothers.

Round Seven saw Kye Cooper continue to add points to his season tally when he kicked two conversions in a 38 – 0 win over Kyogle.

In Round Ten against Casino RSM Kye Cooper continued his outstanding season by scoring a hat trick and kicking two goals.

Round Twelve against Grafton saw Kye Cooper add two tries and three goals to his already impressive 2019 points tally.

Kye Cooper added a hat trick and four goals in finish the Round Thirteen match against Lismore Marist Brothers with an individual point’s tally of twenty.

In total in the Group One U14 regular season Kye Cooper scored 112 points from nine regular season matches, from nineteen tries and eighteen goals. Kye Cooper’s 2019 try scoring strike rate was 211% and Kye Cooper averaged just under 12.5 points per game.

A try that Kye Cooper scored against Marist Brothers Lismore highlighted the exceptional skill set that Kye Cooper possesses. Kye Cooper received the ball on the half way mark on the left side of the field and stepped to his outside to get around the compressed Turkeys defensive line and then he used his speed to outpace the cover defence down the left touch line before beating the fullback with a right arm fend.

In Round One of the 2019 Group One U14 Finals series, Kye Cooper scored a try and kicked five goals as Ballina defeated South Grafton 40 – 6 and was also a member of the Ballina side that won the Grand Final with Kye Cooper once again prominent, starting the Grand Final at half back.

Kye Cooper was one of the best players on the field in the Grand Final scoring two tries and also setting up four others in a confident and assured display.

Kye Coopers first try of the 2019 Group One U14 Grand Final came when he backed up a strong run from Reshawn Anderson and after his received a great one armed off-load from Reshwn Anderson, Kye Cooper was able to score just to the left of the uprights.

Kye Cooper scored his second try of the Grand Final when he ran the ball down a short blind side on the right side of the field ten metres out, before stepping off his left foot and diving over with a Rebels defender hanging off him.

As noted above Kye Cooper also had four try assists in the Grand Final with the first coming when he put in a kick from a Ballina tap kick on the half way mark. IT must have been a set play as fullback Lachlan Offley flew downfield and got a perfect bounce to score in the left corner.

Kye Cooper recorded his second try assist of the Grand Final when he threw a long cut out pass to his left to find front rower Reshawn Anderson who stepped inside the first defender to score. Kye Cooper’s third try assist came when he put his left winger over after a supurb winding run by Kye Cooper left multiple defenders in his wake. Kye Cooper’s final Grand Final try assist occurred when Kye Cooper took the ball into the line before popping a short ball to his left for fullback Lachlan Offley to fly through a gap to score.

Post the Grand Final Kye Cooper’s Group One U14 Ballina side was named team of the Group One Junior Rugby League competition for their unbeaten season. On an individual level Kye Cooper was named Group One U14 Player of the Season to put an exclamation mark on an oustaanding 2019 rugby league season.

Kye Cooper made his Group One U15 debut in Round Thirteen against Lismore Marist (he had scored twenty points in the preceding U14 match) kicking a late conversion in a 32 – 18 Ballina victory.

The St Johns College Woodlawn student was selected in the 2019 New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges (CCC) Lismore Diocese U15 side for their for the NSW CCC selection trials that were held in Sydney commencing 25 May, very impressive for a 14 year old.

The result was that Kye Cooper was selected in the New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges U15 Country side.

Kye Cooper was named at five eight for the 2019 Group One U14 Taipans representative side for the New South Wales Country Age Championships that were held in Port Macquarie in late September and kicked a conversion in Group One’s 26 – 10 Northern Cup Final loss to Central Coast.

Kye Cooper had an outstanding 2018 season for Lismore Marist Brothers in the New South Wales Group One U13 competition, scoring in all thirteen of his matches to finish the season as the competitions, leading point’s scorer, leading goal kicker and second leading try scorer.

All told Kye Cooper scored 240 points from just thirteen matches (18.5 points per game average). He scored 40 tries (308% strike rate) and also kicked forty goals.

Kye Cooper scored five tries in a match on two occasions, being against Kyogle in May 2018 and Clarence Coast in August. He also scored four tries in four matches which came against Casino RSM, Clarence Coast, South Grafton and Kyogle.

Kye Cooper scored hat tricks against South Grafton and Ballina and doubles against Grafton in two matches and Ballina. Grafton and Ballina were the only teams able to keep Kye Cooper to one try in a game.

With the boot, Kye Cooper kicked nine in a July match against Kyogle and eight the following round against Clarence Coast. In those two matches Kye Cooper finished with impressive individual totals. In the match against Kyogle, along with his nine goals he scored four tries to points the match with 34 points and in addition to his eight goals scored five tries to finish the match against Clarence Coast with 36 points.