Junior Development

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Earlier this month Titans contracted Nic Hilton was named in the 2022 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad.

In January 2021 Nicholas Hilton started at lock for the Titans U17 side in their annual match at Coffs Harbour against the Newcastle Knights and was his usual impressive outstanding self, leading from the front as the Titans dominated the Knights to record an impressive 32 – 20 victory. As usual Nicholas Hilton’s work rate in both attack and defence was exceptional as was his leadership in the hot and humid conditions.

Nicholas Hilton’s first action of the match against the Knights came in just the second tackle after the Titans kicked off when he along with EJ Finau smashed the Knights second rower who was taking just the second hit-up of the match. Nicholas Hilton also produced a big tackle early in the second half when he hit one of the Knights outside backs with his left shoulder putting him onto the ground quickly and efficiently with extreme force.

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

Nicholas Hilton started from the bench for the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side in their first 2021 trial which was against the Easts Tigers at Langland’s Park as Tweed Heads commenced their season with an impressive 28 – 12 victory against a full strength Tigers side.

In the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup sides second trial against Burleigh, Nicholas Hilton started the second half at lock and scored early in his stint in a big Seagulls win. Nicholas Hilton’s try was as a result of a hard charge that started around twelve metres to the right of the play the ball. Nicholas Hilton charged onto the ball, running slightly back towards the play the ball, when he hit the defensive line, Nicholas Hilton spun 360 degrees clockwise to break the initial defensive contact and then Nicholas Hilton surged back towards the region behind the play the ball beating three additional defenders on the way to getting the ball down.

Nicholas Hilton also showcased some impressive offloading skills over the course of the match, including an impressive one arm (right arm) offload ten minutes into the second half, when he hit the defensive line and was able to spin clockwise to get his right arm free and subsequently offload to Oskar Bryant.

Nicholas Hilton started Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition on the bench as Tweed Heads took on the Ipswich Jets at home. Nicholas Hilton came onto the play in the second row in the 25th minute and took the ball into the defensive line as soon as he had come onto the field making twelve metres against a set Ipswich defensive line.

It did not take long for Nicholas Hilton to take his second hit-up with that coming in the 33rd minute when he bumped away from two defenders to get within ten metres of the Ipswich line. Nicholas Hilton his hard work early in the second half (53rd minute) with a strong run and then a good two handed off-load to Blaze Mozer who made another ten valuable metres.

Nicholas Hilton also started from the bench in Round Two against the Souths Logan Magpies, providing a spark off the bench in both attack and defence when he came onto the field mid-way through the first half.

After missing Round Three against the Burleigh Bears, Nicholas Hilton was back in the Seagulls side for Round Four against the Ipswich Jets, a match that saw Nicholas Hilton named on the Seagulls extended bench however he actually started the match at lock.

One of a number of strong Nicholas Hilton charges came in the 14th minute when Nicholas Hilton made ten metres from a hit-up off the dummy half.

Nicholas Hilton’s intensity and effort was highlighted in the 27th minute when he dived full length to retrieve a Jets loose ball from an Ipswich penalty restart just twenty metres out from the Seagulls line.

Nicholas Hilton also started at lock in Round Five against the Souths Logan Magpies.

After being rested for Round Six in the local derby against the Burleigh Bears, Nicholas Hilton started at lock for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in their impressive semi-final victory against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls with Nicholas Hilton taking the 4th hit-up of the match.

In the 2021 MM Cup Queensland Grand Final against the Townsville Blackhawks, Nicholas Hilton was initially named to start the Grand Final from the bench however he came into the starting line-up late in the week, starting the Grand Final in the front row.

Nicholas Hilton was heavily involved in the Grand Final from the start, including a strong tackle coming over the top of one of the Townsville Blackhawks front rowers (No. 8) in the 5th minute, with the ball coming loose as a result of Nicholas Hilton’s contact.

In Round One of the Gold Coast Rugby League U18 Division One competition, Nicholas Hilton was named at five eight for the Nerang Roosters as they faced the Burleigh Bears and was one of the Roosters try scorers in their impressive first up victory.

In Round Five against the Southport Tigers, Nicholas Hilton came off the bench in the Roosters 34 – 12 victory.

When rugby league recommenced on the Gold Coast in late August 2021 after the Covid 19 lockdown, Nicholas Hilton was named to start from the bench for Nerang in Round Eleven against the Ormeau Shearers and he was also named to start from the bench in Round Twelve against the Southport Tigers.

Nicholas Hilton then was named to start in the second row in Week Two of the 2021 GCRL U18 Final’s series for the Roosters against the Helensvale Hornets and was also named to start on the bench for the Roosters in the 2021 GCRL U18 Division One Preliminary Final against the Ormeau Shearers.

Whilst he was named to start from the bench in the Preliminary Final, Nicholas Hilton in fact started the match at lock and was influential as the Roosters qualified for the 2021 GCRL U18 Division One Grand Final on the back of an 18 – 16 victory.

In the 2021 Gold Coast Rugby League U18 Division One Grand Final Nicholas Hilton started at lock for the Roosters side against the Helensvale Hornets and took the 4th hit-up of the match and was able to make fifteen metres, most of which was post contact against a fast moving Helensvale defensive line.

Nicholas Hilton then added another strong run in the 20th minute with that run accounting for another fifteen metres to get the ball into the Helensvale ten metre zone.

In February 2021 Nicholas Hilton took part in the South Coast Open school boy trials and was named at lock for the South Coast Open A school boy side as a result of his trial performances. Nicholas Hilton was one of two Titans contracted 2021 TSS School Boy Rugby First XV players in the South Coast Squad with the other being Kaleb Ngamanu.

Nicholas Hilton started at lock on Day One as South Coast played Met North with Nicholas Hilton making the opening tackle of the match from the kick-off.

Nicholas Hilton also started at lock on Day Two as South Coast took on Met East and recorded a try assist in the 10th minute when he engaged the defensive line on the left and off-loaded to Ryan Foran who ran twenty metres and was able to bring the ball around to put it down near the goal posts.

Nicholas Hilton was one of South Coast’s try scorers with his try coming in the 42nd minute when he charged at the line from close range (two metres) and after engaging the defence, spun counter clockwise to get the ball down with two defenders still engaged.

Nicholas Hilton also produced a smart piece of play in the 31st minute when he took the line on after receiving the ball of the play the ball and was able to get an off-load away to Brock Priestley.

Nicholas Hilton started at lock once again on Day Three against Capricornia making a strong hit-up in the opening set of six in the match. Nicholas Hilton made another strong hit-up in the set of six after South Coast’s opening try.

Nicholas Hilton also started at lock in the Championship Final against Met North.

Nicholas Hilton was part of the TSS school boy rugby First XV once again in 2021, playing the season as a full colours player in what was Nicholas Hilton’s second season in the TSS First XV.

Nicholas Hilton was named as a stand by player in TSS’s opening GPS trials, being a set of round robin trials against Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie) and Gregory Terrace.

Nicholas Hilton made his first appearance for TSS in late May 2021 for the First XV in TSS’s first full trial against Ipswich Grammar School when he started at No. 8.

Nicholas Hilton also started at No. 8 in TSS’s second 2021 First XV trial against Nudgee College on the Gold Coast and also started in the same position in the final full scale GPS First XV trial against Brisbane Boys College (BBC).

In TSS’s final trial before the commencement of the 2021 GPS First XV school boy rugby season, Nicholas Hilton continued at No. 8 against the TSS Second XV.

Round One of the 2021 GPS school boy rugby First XV competition saw Nicholas Hilton line up at No. 8 for TSS as they took on Brisbane Grammar School at home with Nicholas Hilton producing a couple of moments of class in TSS’s 71 – 5 victory including a try in the opening minutes when he broke away from a ruck to run fifty metres to score under the posts.

Nicholas Hilton contributed a try assist in the 48th minute when after receiving an off-load from Jye Gray Nicholas Hilton charged downfield before drawing the Brisbane Grammar School fullback and passing to his right to his unmarked right winger to score untouched.

The in the 48th minute Nicholas Hilton broke the Brisbane Grammar School line when running on the left side of the field after receiving the ball ten metres from his own line with Nicholas Hilton eventually being brought down after a thirty five metre run.

Such was Nicholas Hilton’s overall performance that he was awarded two points in the 2021 GPS First XV Coaches Award.

Round Two away to Anglican Church Grammar School saw Nicholas Hilton named at No. 8 for the TSS First XV and scored for the second week in a row when he burst onto a Kaleb Ngamanu pass from ten metres out in the 67th minute to crash over next to the right upright.

As a result of his performance in the match, Nicholas Hilton received an honourable mention from the TSS First XV coaches in their weekly awards.

After the GPS school boy rugby competition was suspended for a number of weeks, Nicholas Hilton started at No. 8 for the TSS First XV side that played an internal TSS trial in late August in preparation for the restart of the competition also in late August against Toowoomba Grammar School.

When the 2021 GPS First XV rugby season recommenced in late August, Nicholas Hilton started at No. 8 in Round Six against Toowoomba Grammar School with Nicholas Hilton performing solidly in the match including a line break in the 50th minute making twenty five metres after receiving a good ball from Syris Schmidt. Nicholas Hilton also pulled off a great front on tackle in the 43rd minute of the match.

Nicholas Hilton also started at No. 8 in Round Eight against Nudgee College, producing a strong front on tackle in the 61st minute from a short TSS kick-off. As a result of his impressive overall performance against Nudgee College, Nicholas Hilton was awarded three coaches votes in the 2021 TSS First XV Player of the Season Award.

Nicholas Hilton also started the final round of the 2021 GPS First XV School Boy Rugby season, being Round Nine against Gregory Terrace at No. 8, match that say fellow Titans contracted players Kaleb Ngamanu and Syris Schmidt play their last ever First XV game for TSS.

Nicholas Hilton was at his aggressive best during the match, including probably the best play of the match when in the 26th minute Nicholas Hilton charged directly through the middle of a ruck, totally destroying it and forcing a knock on by the Gregory Terrace halfback who was just picking up the ball from the back of the ruck when Nicholas Hilton destroyed it.

Nicholas Hilton did something similar in the 34th minute when once again with Gregory Terrace on the attack Nicholas Hilton smashed through the centre of a ruck forcing a knock on by the Gregory Terrace acting half.

The 37th minute saw Nicholas Hilton a key figure in a TSS try with he led a TSS rolling maul from a line-out with TSS rumbling forward to score.

Nicholas Hilton also recorded a 56th minute line break where he made thirty metres before off-loading through centre field.

To round out his match, Nicholas Hilton made a critical diving tackle from behind in the 62nd minute on the Gregory Terrace open side flanker who had broken through the TSS line from twelve metres and looked set to score bar the great tackle from Nicholas Hilton.

At the completion of the 2021 TSS First XV campaign Nicholas Hilton was named as the TSS First XV’s best defensive player.

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Titans contracted Tanu Nona has been named in the 2022 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad.

In January 2021 Tanu Nona started at hooker for the Titans U17 side that defeated a Newcastle Knights U17 side in their annual match at Coffs Harbour with Tanu Nona leading his forwards onto the ball well as they dominated the Knights pack as well as running judicially out of dummy half as the match progressed and the Knight forwards tired in the Titans 32 – 20 victory. One such run early in the second half was a superb twenty five metre effort directly through the centre of the ruck after darting to his right out of dummy half.

Tanu Nona did not have to wait long to get into the match, being part of three of the first five that the Titans made after they kicked off to Newcastle to start the match off.

In June 2021 Tanu Nona started at hooker for a Titans U17 side that played a Titans Northern Rivers U18 squad at Cbus Stadium as a curtain raiser to the Titans Round Fourteen NRL match against the Sydney Roosters and caused all sorts of trouble for the Northern Rivers Titans defensive line.

Tanu Nona was named at hooker for the Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup side for their Round One match against the Wests Tigers and had an impressive match as the Northern Rivers Titans had a solid first up victory.

Tanu Nona got the Northern Rivers Titans on the front foot early in the match with a strong forty metre run through the centre of the Wests Tigers ruck after darting out of dummy half to the right of the play the ball. Tanu Nona continued to run from dummy half over the course of the match and it almost paid off late in the match when Tanu Nona darted out of dummy half to his right only to be held up next to the left goal post.

After his outstanding Round One performance, Tanu Nona also started Round Two against local rivals the North Coast Bulldogs at Nambucca Heads at hooker, producing another solid display, including an early first half try assist.

Tanu Nona’s try assist came early in the first half when he darted out of dummy half to his left, three metres out from the North Coast line and through a flat short ball to his left to put Rowan Mansfield into a gap and he was able to put the ball down under the posts.

Tanu Nona produced an early trademark run out of dummy half in just the 14th minute of the first half when he darted out of dummy half to his right and surging twenty metres before being brought down and then being awarded a penalty when the North Coast defence would not allow him to get to his feet.

Tanu Nona produced two more outstanding runs out of dummy half to the match, one a thirty metre run out of dummy half to the right of the play the ball and in the 49th minute of the match, Tanu Nona once again ran to his right making fifteen valuable metres.

Tanu Nona also started at hooker in Round Three against the Greater Northern Tigers recording a try and a try assist.

Tanu Nona’s try came in the 60th minute of the match when he ran out of dummy half to his left before dummying the same way and darting towards the line to get the ball down under the posts.

Tanu Nona recorded his try assist in the 42nd minute of the match when he ran out of dummy half to his left holding his pass to his left nicely to create a gap for Jye David to run into from close range to score.

Tanu Nona also started at hooker in Round Four at Lismore against the Central Coast Roosters as well as in Round Five against the Newcastle Knights. In his second stint on the field in the second half, Tanu Nona initially came on to play as a running forward before reverting back to his dummy half role later in the half.

Tanu Nona was at dummy half less than a metre out from the Newcastle line with nowhere to go in the 60th minute. Tanu Nona deliberately grubber kicked the ball out of dummy half hard into the Knights defenders who were crouched low, forcing a Knights knock on and winning the ball back for the Northern Rivers Titans.

In May 2021 Tanu Nona was part of the South Coast Maroon Open school boy side at the QSSRL Championships starting from the bench on Day One of the Championships.

Tanu Nona moved into the South Coast Maroon starting side at hooker on Day Two against Met North with his first dummy half run coming in the opening minute of the match.

Tanu Nona was also outstanding in South Coast Maroons Day Three match against Darling Downs including scoring late in the first half. From thirteen metres out Tanu Nona ran out of dummy half to his left shaping to pass to his left but instead he barged over next to the right upright.

The Day Four fifth place play-off match against Met East saw Tanu Nona also start from the bench coming on to play in the dummy half run and early in the second half he produced a typical Tanu Nona dart out of dummy half to his right, making sixteen metres through the centre of the ruck.

Tanu Nona started from the bench for the Cudgen Hornets in Round One of the NRRRL U18 competition, coming on in the second half in the dummy half role as the Hornets defeated the Tweed Coast Raiders 38 – 6.

Tanu Nona also started from the bench in Round Five against Byron Bay, initially playing as a running forward when he came into the field before reverting back to his normal dummy half role. Tanu Nona almost got himself on the try scoring list in the match but in the 56th minute he was held up under the posts after darting out of dummy half from close range.

Tanu Nona moved into the Cudgen starting side at hooker in Round Seven against the Marist Brothers Rams, scoring one try and setting up another in Cudgen’s impressive victory.

Tanu Nona scored in the 48th minute when he moved into dummy half fourteen metres from the try line on the left side of the field. Tanu Nona dummied to his left before running out of dummy half in the same direction before stepping off his left foot to run back towards the centre of the field. Running parallel to the defensive line towards the right, Tanu Nona dummied once again, this time to the right to force his way over the line five metres from the left goal post.

Tanu Nona’s try assist came in the 52nd minute when he ran down a short right blind side, drawing the defence towards him before throwing a cut-out pass to right winger Tobey Carpenter who dived over in the right corner.

Tanu Nona continued at hooker in Round Eight against the Kyogle Turkeys scoring an outstanding long-range solo try in the final minute of the match. Playing as a running forward at the time, Tanu Nona received the ball to the right of the dummy half sixty five metres from the line, easily slicing through two defenders in the Turkeys defensive line and from there Tanu Nona beat the fullback with pace. Within metres of the try line, Tanu Nona was actually caught from behind by the Kyogle five eight but he maintained his balance to get the ball down under the posts.

In addition to his outstanding try, Tanu Nona recorded a 23rd minute try assist when after skipping out of dummy half to his left, Tanu Nona threw a flat, hard short ball in the same direction to his front rower to force his way over five metres to the left of the goal posts after running into a gap established by Tanu Nona four metres from the line.

Tanu Nona continued at hooker in Round Ten against the Murwillumbah Mustangs.

2021 also saw Tanu Nona line up once again for PBC State High School in the South East Queensland School Boy Langer Cup competition starting Round One at hooker against Ipswich State High School. Whilst Tanu Nona spent the majority of his time on the field in the dummy half role he did play as a running forward for a portion of the second half.

In his debut Langer Cup A match, Tanu Nona was outstanding recording two try assist (both for Jett Forbes to score) and two line breaks on top of his outstanding distribution out of dummy half and solid defence.

Tanu Nona’s first try assist came early in the match, in the 9th minute to be exact when he ran the ball to the right out of dummy half down a short blindside, picking the ball up nine metres out. Tanu Nona took the ball right to the line before throwing a cut-out pass to his right to Jett Forbes who dived over in the right corner.

As noted above, Tanu Nona’s second try assist enabled Jett Forbes to score once again, with the try completing Jett Forbes’s hat trick. In the 59th minute, Tanu Nona flew out of dummy half to his left breaking three tackles to get through the Ipswich SHS defensive line, Tanu Nona rounded the fullback by veering to his right but was ankle tapped but as he was going to ground Tanu Nona was able to off-load to his right to a flying Jett Forbes to race away to score under the posts untouched.

In addition to his 59th minute line break that led to Jett Forbes third try, Tanu Nona also broke the Ipswich SHS line in the 22nd minute when Tanu Nona burst out of dummy half to his left bursting through the line and making fifty metres downfield but unfortunately his off-load could not find friendly hands.

It was clear that Tanu Nona was in for a good match as early as the 8th minute, when a dart out of dummy half caught the Ipswich SHS defence napping with Tanu Nona making good ground and then he was awarded a penalty when he was hit in a high tackle.

Tanu Nona also started at hooker in Round Two against St Mary’s College Toowoomba and scored his career first Langer Cup try when in the 29th minute he ran out of dummy half to his left from twenty metres out but as he approached the defensive line Tanu Nona cut back to his right to dive over next to the right upright.

Tanu Nona was immediately in the match, making the first tackle after PBC kicked off in conjunction with Jack Cullen and took his first run out of dummy half in the 4th minute when he darted out of dummy half to his left, making eight metres.

Tanu Nona continued at hooker in Round Three against Coombabah State High School and was also named at hooker for Round Four against Marsden State High School however he ended up starting the match from the bench and played a sunning forward role when he was on the field.

Tanu Nona also started from the bench in the much anticipated Round Five local derby against Keebra Park State High School and also was named to start from the bench in Round Six against Mabel Park State high School but he came into the starting side at hooker just prior to the match.

After the competition was suspended for a number of weeks due to a Covid 19 lock down, Tanu Nona was named on the bench for PBC State High School in their semi-final against Keebra Park State High School.

In the 2021 Langer Cup Grand Final against Marsden State High School, Tanu Nona was named to start from the bench for PBC, coming into the match around the twenty metre mark and playing the majority of the match as a running lock.

Post the completion of the 2021 Langer Cup competition, Tanu Nona was named by the Courier Mail as one of the 2021 Langer Cup most impressive rookies.

Tanu Nona was then named to start from the bench for PBC in the Queensland Open School Boys Final (Phil Hall Cup) against St Brendan’s College Yeppoon coming off the bench towards the end of the first half to play as a running forward.

At the end of the 2021 season, Tanu Nona was named at No. 52 in the Courier Mail Top 60 school boys from the GPS Rugby, AIC Rugby and Langer Cup competitions.

In late 2020 Tanu Nona was announced as part of the South East Queensland Magic U17 side for the 2021 Queensland Murri Carnival but in the end Tanu Nona played in the Murri U18 competition with the Deadly Choices Bronco’s and was also named in the second row in the Murri U18 Possibles side.

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Titans contracted Michael Roberts recently was named in the 2022 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad.

In January 2021 Michael Roberts started from the bench for the Titans U17 side in their annual match at Coffs Harbour against the Newcastle Knights with the Titans recording an impressive 32 – 20 victory and Michael Roberts taking away the Titans U17 Player of the Match honours after coming onto the field in the first half to play left centre.

Michael Roberts came into the match early in the first half, but really made his presence felt with the last play of the first half. Newcastle spun the ball to their right with Michael Roberts moving up with the rest of the Titans left sided defence. As the Knights five eight threw a long pass to his right, Michael Roberts anticipated the trajectory of the pass perfectly, taking the intercept seventy five metres away from the line and it was simply shut the gate so no Knights defender got near him as Michael Roberts sprinted away to put the ball down under the posts. Michael Roberts then converted his own try.

Michael Roberts then produced a smart play from the second half kick-off. The Titans let the kick up bounce with the ball bouncing back towards the oncoming Knights defence. Michael Roberts sensed the risk and ran back towards his own try line pushing the ball backwards as it threatened to bounce above his head and then retrieving it with Newcastle players all around him.

Michael Roberts showcased his smarts on the field once again in the second half. Michael Roberts was at marker with Newcastle playing the ball a metre out from their own try line. As the Knights player ran out of dummy half to his left, Michael Roberts got out of marker explosively getting hold of the Knights player and dragging him back into the in-goal to force a Knights drop out.

Michael Roberts continued to showcase his intelligence later in the second half, Michael Roberts tracked back to chase a Knights break down their right, it was clear that Michael Roberts would not be able to get to the line break with a traditional tackle but dived and ankle tapped the Knights player before he could offload, thus stopping the movement in its tracks.

In June 2021 Michael Roberts started at right centre for a Titans U17 JTS side that played a Titans U18 Northern Rivers Development Squad at Cbus Stadium in a curtain raiser to the Titans NRL match against the Sydney Roosters, with Michael Roberts kicking eight conversions for the Titans JTS side.

Michael Roberts started at right centre for the 2021 Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup side for their Round One match against the Wests Tigers and was for me the best player on the field as the Northern Rivers Titans got their season off to an outstanding start on the back of a 30 – 12 victory.

Michael Roberts was in the match early, converting Jack Field’s 100 metre kick return try and he then backed that up just moments later scoring under the posts for the Northern Rivers Titans second try of the match, which he also converted. In total Michael Roberts kicked four goals from as many attempts in the Round One win.

In relation to Michael Robert’s try, half Harvey Moase kicked towards the right wing with the ball taking a wicked bounce back towards the centre of the field, right winger Blake Forder flew through and toe’d the ball forward for Michael Roberts to pick up on the bounce and crash over under the posts. Michael Roberts took possession of the ball ten metres out from the line, pushing the first Wests Tigers defender off with his right arm before charging at the line and forcing the ball down with two defenders all over him.

Michael Roberts in fact could have scored two more tries in the match, on two occasions being in position to take intercepts in his own half, but on each occasion, one in each half, just could not maintain possession.

Michael Roberts also had a try assist early in the second half when after taking possession of the ball drew the Wests Tigers defender and passed to his right to Blake Forder who stepped back inside and after juggling the ball got it down wide out on the right. That try was another that Michael Roberts converted.

Early in the second half Michael Roberts played a big role in Harvey Moase’s first try. Michael Roberts chased through a Harvey Moase kick towards the right corner and smashed the Wests Tigers fullback dislodging the ball from his grasp, Harvey Moase was on the spot to pick the ball up and race away to score under the posts.

That occasion was not the only time that Michael Roberts chased a Harvey Moase kick hard. Midway through the second half, Harvey Moase’s kick travelled into the in-goal and as a result of a strong Michael Roberts tackle, the West Tigers fullback could not get back into the field of play, thus forcing a goal line drop out.

Michael Roberts was also on hand in the 51st minute of the match, when he along with Blake Forder grabbed hold of the Wests Tigers left winger who was returning a Harvey Moase kick and dragged him eight metres into touch to force a Northern Rivers Titans scrum feed whilst he was still inside his own territory.

Even when Michael Roberts missed a tackle he stayed in the game. Late in the second half, the Wests Tigers left centre was able to initially palm off Michael Roberts but he kept chasing and dived full length to ankle tap the Tigers player just as he was accelerating into space.

After his outstanding Round One performance, Michael Roberts also started Round Two against local rivals the North Coast Bulldogs at Nambucca Heads at right centre and kicked two conversions from as many attempts in the 22 – 12 loss.

Michael Roberts also started at right centre in Round Three against the Greater Northern Tigers kicking two conversions in the loss including an outstanding conversion from the right touchline to convert a third minute Harry Silverwright try.

Michael Roberts was into the match early when in just the second minute he rag dolled the Greater Northern Tigers left winger over the sideline.

After missing Round Four Michael Roberts was named to start Round Five against the Newcastle Knights from the bench but actually started the match at right centre and scored early in the first half.

Michael Roberts’s try came in just the 13th minute of the match when he received a long pass in space from Harvey Moase and then got on the outside of his direct opponent around ten metres out from the line and then was able to hold off the Newcastle cover defence with his left arm to get the ball down eight metres in from the right corner post.

Michael Roberts could have had a double in the 22nd minute but was held up after trying to barge his way over from dummy half from close range.

In the 23rd minute Michael Roberts continued to make ground when he cut back towards centre field from his right centre position to beat three defenders whilst making twenty valuable metres.

Michael Roberts was in the match in the match early kicking long into the right corner and then was one of the first Northern Rivers Titans defenders downfield to tackle the Knights fullback in the corner and also was on hand to smash the Knights left winger in the 2nd minute of the second half after the Knights player fielded a Northern Rivers Titans clearing kick.

In Round One of the 2021 NRRRL U18 competition, Michael Roberts started at fullback for the Bilambil Jets as they took on the Murwillumbah Mustangs and had an outstanding match that saw him score an outstanding individual try and well as kicking three conversions from four attempts, including a last minute conversion from the right touchline as well as a late second half penalty goal in the 50th minute to lock the scores up at 18 all.

Michael Roberts try came in the 28th minute and was an outstanding individual effort. Michael Roberts received the ball seventy metres out from the line, chipping over the line perfectly and comfortably regathering before rounding the Murwillumbah fullback and to put the ball down near the posts before converting his own try.

Michael Roberts came very close to scoring a double in the match but in the 14th minute was held up over the line after stepping off his right ten metres out only to be held up.

Michael Roberts also recorded a line break assist in the match when in the 38th minute he ran the ball down a left sided blind side and throwing a cut out pass to his left that hit his winger on the chest, with the winger getting to less than a metre from the corner post before being stopped.

It was not all about his attacking play in the match with Michael Roberts positional play also being first class in the match including in the opening minute when he tracked across to his left to retrieve an attacking grubber kick under heavy pressure but Michael Roberts kept his cool and in fact won a penalty after he was held down in the subsequent tackle.

Then in the 36th minute Michael Roberts took a mid-field bomb under intense pressure, including from a team mate thirty five metres out from his own line and then was able to get the ball into Murwillumbah territory fighting defenders the entire trip.

Michael Roberts also started at fullback in Round Two against the Tweed Coast Raiders kicking three conversions including a great conversion from the right touchline in the 32nd minute in the Jets 22 – 16 victory.

Michael Roberts was also credited with a try assist in the win when in the 27th minute he received the ball from a penalty restart just ten metres from the try line, easing to his left to put his left second rower over the line.

Michael Roberts first impact in the match came inside the first minute when he ran the ball down a short left blindside beating three tackles after dummying to his outside before a right arm flick pass found his hooker who continued to make ground.

In the 7th Michael Roberts positioned himself nicely to retrieve a Tweed Coast kick on his own twenty metre mark, after two left foot steps, Michael Roberts was eventually brought down after making twenty metres.

Michael Roberts continued his dominant start to the match in the 16th minute with a sixteen metre effort out of dummy half to his right before in the 17th minute Michael Roberts chimed into the Bilambil backline on the left, dummying to his outside and slicing through the defensive line from twenty five metres out, only to be brought down a metre short of the try line.

Michael Roberts positioning was also key late in the match with Bilambil leading by just six points when in the 46th minute Michael Roberts moved to his right to field a Tweed Coast attacking in-goal, as soon as he took possession Michael Roberts continued to his right and was able to get the ball back into the field of play.

Michael Roberts followed that good work with another smart piece of play just a minute later after Bilambil had turned the ball over from a charge down by executing a one on one strip to maintain the Jets six point margin.

After missing a number of weeks due to school boy representative commitments, Michael Roberts was back at fullback for Bilambil’s Round Five match against the Kyogle Turkeys, with Michael Roberts dominant in the Jets victory and for me he was a class above everyone else on the field in the Jets victory, a large part due to his performance.

Michael Roberts was outstanding from the opening whistle scoring two tries, setting up another as well as kicking six conversions, including one from right on each touch line.

Michael Roberts scored his first try in the 25th minute when after lining up to the right of a Jets scrum he kicked downfield and chased through putting the Kyogle fullback under pressure. As a consequence the fullback fumbled the ball with Michael Roberts being on hand to kick the ball through a second time with the ball then sitting up perfectly for him to collect the ball and put it down under the posts.

Michael Roberts completed his double just three minutes later in the 28th minute when from a set move twenty metres out from the line, Michael Roberts shot out from behind the play the ball to receive an inside pass from five eight William James, immediately producing a right foot step to beat one and broke through a further three tackles on the way to the line.

Michael Roberts could easily have had a hat trick in the match but in just the second minute after he had dummied to his right to break the Kyogle defensive line thirty five metres out and priding an exquisite left foot step to beat the fullback was held up by the cover defence.

Michael Roberts recorded his try assist in the 4th minute when he ran into the defensive line on the left side of the field double pumping the ball to his left to put Makenzie MacGrarrigal into a big gap just three metres from the line.

Michael Roberts also made an explosive play in the 14th minute when he came forward to take a Kyogle clearing kick on the full, easily beating the first Turkey’s chaser before running straight over two more to make twenty five metres to get the ball to near the halfway mark.

Then in the 20th minute, Michael Roberts saw that the Kyogle fullback was out of position and kicked deep from fifty five metres out with the ball pulling up perfectly in goal, Michael Roberts along with Kai Smallwood was the first Jets played downfield to tackle the fullback just three metres into the field of play.

That was not the only time in the match that Michael Roberts showcased his long kick game as in the 23rd minute, Michael Roberts from a drop out from his own goal line kicked the ball sixty five metres.

It was not all about attack in the match for Michael Roberts as in the 40th minute, the Kyogle No. 17 burst through the line, making a long break but Michael Roberts came from nowhere to tackle him from behind just three metres from the try line.

Michael Roberts produced another outstanding performance from fullback in Round Six against Casino RSM with the mercurial Michael Roberts scoring two tries, recording two try assists and also kicking four conversions.

Michael Roberts scored the first of his two tries in the 18th minute when he ran out of dummy half to his right, shrugging off one defender who had tried to tackle Michael Roberts around his chest. Michael Roberts then got low to dive over to score, and then he stepped up to convert his own try.

Michael Roberts added his second try right on halftime. When time in the first half almost expired and Bilambil having a scrum feed twenty metres out, the Jets put on a set play when after winning the scrum the Jets five eight who was stationed on the left of the scrum put in a short kick for Michael Roberts to chase. Michael Roberts flew through to get to the ball ten metres out but the ball just would not sit up for him so Michael Roberts toed to through again into the in-goal where it did sit up for him to retrieve and get the ball down.

Michael Roberts first try assist in the match came in the 32nd minute when he ran into the line before throwing a pass to his left to put Kelvin Bulluss over in the left corner. Michael Roberts then stepped to kick the conversion from right on the left touchline.

Michael Roberts added his second try assist in the 53rd minute when after packing into a scrum at lock he picked up the ball and ran down a left blindside to put his left centre over to score.

Michael Roberts showed that he has substance to his game as well as flash when in the 5th minute he tracked back a Casino RSM kick, retrieving it in his own in-goal with chasers streaming through. Michael Roberts wrong footed the chasers and made twenty metres down the left touchline before being tackled.

Michael Roberts was named to continue at fullback in Round Nine against the Byron Bay Devils, scoring a try and kicking two conversions in the Jets tough loss.

Michael Roberts scored in the 33rd minute of the match when after receiving the ball thirty metres out from the dummy half to the right of the play the ball, Michael Roberts dummied to his right before slicing through the Byron Bay line between two defenders. Michael Roberts then beat the fullback with a right foot step to dive over three metres to the left of the uprights.

Michael Roberts continued at fullback in Round Ten against the Marist Brothers Rams and scored an outstanding try in the 18th minute when he received an inside ball down a left blindside twenty two metres out from the line. Michael Roberts then produced two outstanding left foot steps to bamboozle the Rams defensive to comfortably score under the posts. Michael Roberts also kicked four conversions in the Jets victory.

Michael Roberts was named to continue at fullback in Round Eleven against the Ballina Seagulls but Round Twelve against the Tweed Coast Raiders saw Michael Roberts move to lock and kick four conversions from as many attempts in the Jets six point loss.

Michael Roberts finished the abridged 2021 NRRRL U18 regular season as the competitions equal leading try scorer with eight tries alongside Damon Coldwell and Cooper Camby.

In total in the 2021 NRRRL U18 competition for the Bilambil Jets Michael Roberts played in ten matches and scored eighty four points from eight tries (80% strike rate) and twenty six conversions.

In February 2021 Michael Roberts took part in the South Coast Open school boy trials and was named in the centres in the South Coast Maroon Open school boy side as a result of his trial performances.

Michael Roberts started South Coast Maroon’s Day One match at right centre, scoring in the 11th when he ran into a gap five metres out and was able to bring the ball around to put it down near the posts.

Michael Roberts also started at right centre on Day Two against Met North and also scored for the second day in a row but he was held up over the try line in the 3rd minute after a ten metre effort.

Michael Roberts continued at right centre on Day Three against Darling Downs and proved once again that he is a legitimate strike weapon, scoring in the 16th minute five metres in from the right corner post after a twenty metre burst.

Michael Roberts scored his second try early in the second half when he received the ball wide on the right before he cut back inside, as he contacted the defensive line near the line, Michael Roberts spun counter clockwise to get the ball down in the right corner.

Michael Roberts almost completed a hat trick mid-way through the second half but he was held-up over the line.

The Day Four fifth place play-off match against Met East saw Michael Roberts once again start at right centre with the Titans contracted standout continuing his try scoring run in the second half. South Coast half Travis May, from thirty metres out, put in a chip kick to the right side of the field, Michael Roberts chasing through. The ball bounced ten metres out and it initially appeared it would sit up perfectly for Michael Roberts but when the ball bounced badly, Michael Roberts pulled his hands backed and instead kicked the ball forward and then he was able to gather the ball and put it down next to the right upright.

Round One of the 2021 Langer Cup School Boy Rugby League competition saw Michael Roberts initially named to start on the right wing for PBC against Ipswich State High School however a late change saw the natural talent start at fullback, with the late positional change not at all impacting on his outstanding performance which included one of the best try assists that you will ever see.

The unbelievable Michael Roberts try assist came in the 27th minute when he chased through a bomb, putting pressure on the Ipswich SHS fullback who dropped the ball forward, Michael Roberts scooped up the ball just metres from the try line, immediately heading towards the goal posts with the ball in his left hand. Michael Roberts was collared a literally swung off his legs by the Ipswich defence but in the process somehow (I have watched the replay multiple times and still do not know how he did it) flick the ball behind his body and put the pass onto the chest of Travis May who scored under the posts.

Michael Roberts also broke the line in the 32nd minute from a kick return. Once he collected the ball Michael Roberts headed for the right touchline, palming off one defender before making a break of twenty five metres down the right touchline but as the cover defence converged Michael Roberts’s pass inside went to ground.

Michael Roberts once again started at fullback in Round Two in Toowoomba against St Mary’s College and scored a double in PBC’s big win.

Michael Roberts scored his first try of the match in the 21st minute when he was loitering around the ruck and was subsequently perfectly placed to receive an off-load from Jack Cullen to dive over next to the left upright after a five metre dart.

Michael Roberts completed his double in the 51st minute when from a set move he received an inside ball from Thomas Weaver ten metres from the line to crash over mid-way between the goal posts and corner post on the left side of the field.

Michael Roberts also recorded a line break assist in the 55th minute when after retrieving a kick just ten metres from his own line, Roberts drew in the St Mary’s left sided defence to put Deine Mariner into a gap with the centre subsequently putting Jett Forbes away to score in the opposite corner.

Michael Roberts moved to the right wing in Round Three against Coombabah State High School. The match saw Michael Roberts record a try assist in the 5th minute with Michael Roberts taking a Thomas Weaver cross kick to his wing on the full and was he was being tackled and with his back to the try line, Michael Roberts offloaded to Deine Mariner who had looped around to the blindside.

Michael Roberts continued on the right wing in the Round Four blockbuster against Marsden State High School and whilst the ball did not get out to his wing often Michael Roberts still found a way to make an impact on the match including in the 12th minute when he chased a great Oskar Bryant right foot kick out of dummy half from thirty eight metres from his own line, with the ball bouncing into the in-goal with the Marsden left winger only able to get the ball a metre out from his own line being tackled by Michael Roberts.

Michael Roberts continued on the right wing in the much anticipated Round Five local derby against Keebra Park State High School and scored a first half double in PBC’s tough loss.

Michael Roberts scored his first try in the 10th minute try assist when Thomas Weaver put in a pin point kick to the right side of the field with the ball falling perfectly for Michael Roberts who took the ball on the fly and was able to bring the ball around to score under the posts.

Michael Roberts completed his double in the 30th minute with a twelve metre burst down the right touchline to score in the right corner.

Round Six against Mabel Park State High School saw Michael Roberts move closer to the action, starting the match at right centre and in the 26th minute scored a long range ninety try which saw him put the ball down under the posts.

Michael Roberts was also PBC’s first choice goal kicker for the match and kicked three conversions from four attempts including a good kick in the 23rd minute from near the left touchline after Reef Sommerville had scored wide out.

After the competition was suspended for a number of weeks due to a Covid 19 lock down, Michael Roberts was named on the right wing for PBC State High School in their semi-final against Keebra Park State High School however Michael Roberts ended up starting the match at five eight and kicked PBC’s final conversion of the match after Keano Kini scored to seal the win for PBC.

Michael Roberts had some good moments in the match, including an outstanding one on one tackle in the 25th minute on the Keebra Park right centre who had cut back inside looking for space through the centre of the field.

Also in the 14th minute, Michael Roberts along with Jayden Wright, Keano Kini and Oskar Bryant held up Blake Mozer over the line and then in the 25th minute, Michael Roberts, Keano Kini, Brock Priestley and Bailey Martin held up Aram Hau over the line directly under the posts.

Then in the 20th minute Michael Roberts chased through a Thomas Weaver kick that pulled up in the in-goal with the Keebra Park fullback unable to get the ball back into the field of play before he was stopped by Michael Roberts and Oskar Bryant.

In the 2021 Langer Cup Grand Final against Marsden State High School, Michael Roberts was named to start at five eight for PBC and was the best player on the field, scoring a double including the match winning try, setting up another and also kicking a key conversion of a Ryan Foran try in the 48th minute from the left touchline to lock the scores up at 18 all.

The first of two Michael Roberts tries came in the 22nd minute when whilst operating on the right side of the field, Michael Roberts was able to get on the outside of his immediate defender eighteen metre out and then after dummying to his right outpaced the Marsden SHS cover defence to crash over five metres in from the right corner post.

Michael Roberts broke an eighteen all tie and sealed the match for PBC in the 56th minute of the match and the try was certainly worth the wait. With Marsden SHS on the attack, one of their forwards spilled the ball around ten metres out from the line, Michael Roberts swooped onto the bell just five metres out from his own line. Michael Roberts immediately burst downfield dummying to his left to take one defender out of the equation before accelerating downfield.

Just inside Marsden SHS territory the Marsden SHS fullback came across in an attempt to effect the tackle but a straight left arm fend from Michael Roberts sent the Marsden SHS sprawling and Michael Roberts was able to run the remaining thirty five metres unaccosted to dive over midway between the corner post and goal posts on the right side of the field.

Michael Roberts try assist came in the 28th minute when once again he got on the outside of his direct opponent on the right side of the field. Once on the outside of his opponent, Michael Roberts drew in the Marsden SHS left winger and then threw a great right arm flick pass to put Jett Forbes over in the right corner.

Post the completion of the 2021 Langer Cup competition, Michael Roberts was named on the wing in the Courier Mail’s 2021 Langer Cup Team of the Season.

Michael Roberts was then named at five eight for PBC in the Queensland Open School Boys Final (Phil Hall Cup) against St Brendan’s College Yeppoon and once again had an outstanding match in PBC’s 62 – 0 thumping win, with Michael Roberts scoring a double and kicking an outstanding conversion to the right touchline in the 57th minute when he converted Jett Forbes fourth try of the match.

Michael Roberts opened his try scoring account in the 37th minute. Michael Roberts moved into dummy half with the PBC play the ball being two metres from the line and on the right side of the field and ran to his left forcing has way over by spinning counter clockwise to crash over ten metres to the right of the uprights.

Michael Roberts completed in double in the 59th minute when he came out of the defensive line to take an intercept and run sixty five metres to put the ball down near the right corner post.

Michael Roberts also recorded two try assists in the Grand Final, the first of which came in the 25th minute when from twenty five metres out he put in a right foot chip kick towards the right corner which bounced perfectly for Deine Mariner to collect the ball and score.

Michael Roberts second try assist was recorded in the 29th minute when he took the ball right to the line on the right side of the field and threw a great cut-out pass to his right to put Jett Forbes over in the right corner a minute before half time.

Michael Roberts was also heavily involved in Deine Mariner’s 11th minute when he took the ball to the line on the right side of the field before throwing a cut-out pass to his right to Jett Forbes who then immediately passed inside to Deine Mariner to force his way over.

Michael Roberts also produced a smart piece of play in the when from forty metres out and down a wide right blindside, Michael Roberts kicked towards the right corner and was one of the first PBC players downfield to take the St Brendan’s fullback into touch just two metres out from his own line.

At the end of the 2021 season, Michael Roberts was named at No. 37 in the Courier Mail Top 60 school boys from the GPS Rugby, AIC Rugby and Langer Cup competitions.

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Great to so many Bilambil Jets juniors in the Titans JTS program being:

Max Wood
Luke Penney
Billy Mulheron
Riley Loughland
Sonny Hayes
Joshua Ross
Zeb Deane
Harley Tincknell

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After an outstanding 2021 season Titans contracted Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa has been named in the 2022 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad and is also MM Cup eligible in 2023.

In October 2021 Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was part of the South Coast Maori side that were successful in the Queensland Maori U16 Tournament with Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa being named Player of the Tournament and subsequently Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was named in the Queensland Maori U16 side for the 2021 QPICC cultural carnival.

At the Carnival Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa started all four of his matches at the Carnival in the front row being Match One against the Cook Islands, Match Two against PNG, Match Three against Tonga and Match Four against Samoa with Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa scoring in Match Three against Tonga.

Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa scored in the 27th minute against Tonga when he ran at the line to the right of the dummy half, receiving the ball ten metres from the line. After impacting the Tongan defensive line, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa spun clockwise to break contact with two defenders before crashing over under the posts.

In January 2021 Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa started from the bench for the Titans U17 side in their annual match at Coffs Harbour against the Newcastle Knights even though he was still U16 eligible in 2021. Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa had some very good moments in the deserved 32 – 20 Titans victory.

Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa made an immediate impression when he can on, making a great first hit-up when he took the ball to the right of the play the ball, throwing a subtle dummy to his right prior to confronting the defensive line.

In a sign of how highly that he is thought of by the Titans Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was used almost like a five eight on a number of occasions in the second half, including deep inside the Knights territory when he was a link between the Titans forwards and backline.

In June 2021 Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was part of a Titans U17 squad that played a Titans U18 Northern Rivers squad at Cbus Stadium as a curtain raiser to the Round Fourteen NRL match between the Titans and the Sydney Roosters.

Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa made some strong runs in the match with none better than mid-way through the second half when he made twenty five metres through the centre of the ruck and then with defenders draped on him, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was still able to get away a right arm off-load.

In late October 2020, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was named in the Gold Coast Rugby League U16 Cyril Connell Cup Academy Squad and when the split occurred Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was named in the Tweed Heads Cyril Connell Cup squad.

Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa started in the front row in the first two quarters for the Seagulls in their final 2021 trial against the Souths Logan Magpies before coming back onto the field in the fourth quarter to line up in the front row once again.

Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa made an immediate impression in the match with a superb front on tackle in the first set of six after the kick off and also in his first run which came when he returned a goal line drop up knocking the initial Magpies defender five metres backwards after initial contact.

Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa started Round One of the 2021 Cyril Connell Cup in the front row as the Bears took on the Ipswich Jets and also started in the front row in the Round Three local derby against the Burleigh Bears, leading from the front as the Seagulls prevailed 33 - 6.

In the Round Three local derby Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa took the third hit-up of the match running an underneath line to the right of the play the ball making nine metres before following that run up with a hit-up on the 5th tackle of the same set of six.

Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa made a further ten metres in the 10th minute when he took the hit-up from a Tweed Heads penalty restart. Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa contributed a further thirteen metres to the metres that Tweed Heads gained in the match in the 60th minute when he got to within three metres of the try line before four Bears defenders finally stopped his forward progress.

Even though he was heavily marked every time that he ran the ball it did not stop Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa from making ground with a good example of that being in the 65th minute of the match when Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa ran onto the ball to the right of the play the ball and even though he as confronted by three Burleigh defenders, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was still able to rumble fourteen metres, the majority of which were post contact, to take the ball into Burleigh’s territory.

Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was also on his game defensively against Burleigh including recording a crunching tackle in the early match on Burleigh winger Andrew Brennan. Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa backed that up in the 6th minute when he engulfed one of the Burleigh front rowers front on knocking the Bears player onto his back.

Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was involved in another big tackle in the 11th minute, along with Jonah Beaven crunched the Burleigh fullback as he was trying to dart through the centre of the ruck, a run that he paid dearly for.

Round Five against the Souths Logan Magpies saw Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa once against start in the front row and scoring in the last minute of the match to seal an impressive victory for the Seagulls.

2021 saw Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa once again play for Marsden State High School, and he was named on the Marsden State High School extended bench for Round One of the Langer Cup School Boy Rugby League competition against Keebra Park however he dropped off the bench on the day of the match.

Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa came into the Marsden SHS side for Round Three against Wavell State High School, coming off the bench and in the second half was the game’s biggest halfback when he regularly feed the scrum for Marsden SHS.

Even though he was two years younger than the majority of his opponents, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa made a big impact in both attack and defence with his defence coming to the fore in the with a crunching tackle in the dying minutes of the match when he came over the top to smash Wavell SHS second rower Will Curran less than a metre from the line.

Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa made a number of telling runs including in the 25th minute with a strong first charge after he had come onto the field, with Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa making eighteen metres through centre field and then in the opening set of six in the second half, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa made a further eighteen metres on the fifth tackle.

Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa continued on the bench in the Round Four blockbuster against PBC State High School before being named at hooker for Round Five against Mabel Park State High School. Even though he initially was named at hooker, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa spent a lot of the time that he was on the field in a first receiver role where he excelled to highlight what a diverse skill set this exceptional talent has.

Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was also named to start at halfback in Round Six against Coombabah State High School.

After the competition was suspended for a number of weeks due to a Covid 19 lock down, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was named on the bench for Marsden State High School in their semi-final against Ipswich State High School.

Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa came off the bench mid-way through the first half and in the 20th minute came close to scoring with a strong run and was only brought down less than a metre short, winning a penalty for a shoulder charge.

In the 2021 Langer Cup Grand Final against PBC State High School, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was named on the bench for Marsden SHS however he ended up starting the match at the left second row position and Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was in the match early making his first hit-up in just the second minute of the match, making ten metres in the process.

At the 2021 Marsden State High School Rugby League Excellence Awards, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was named on the bench in the Marsden State High School Team of the Year.

Post the completion of the 2021 Langer Cup competition, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was named on the bench in the Courier Mail’s 2021 Langer Cup Team of the Season.

At the end of the 2021 season, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa was named at No. 11 in the Courier Mail Top 60 school boys from the GPS Rugby, AIC Rugby and Langer Cup competitions.

Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa started Round One of the Langer Cup School Boy Reserve Grade competition at lock against Keebra Park putting in a solid performance especially in defence.

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After an outstanding 2021 season Titans contracted Keano Kini has recently been named in the 2022 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad.

In January 2021 Keano Kini started at fullback for the Titans U17 side in their annual match at Coffs Harbour against the Newcastle Knights U17’s and impressed in the deserved 32 – 20 Titans victory including scoring a special solo try in the second half.

As noted above, Keano Kini’s second half try was an absolutely special one. Keano Kini’s try started to the left of the play the ball with Keano Kini receiving the ball from the dummy half. Keano Kini immediately stepped off his left to beat the first (of many) Knights defenders and then cut back to his right across the face of the Newcastle defensive line, brushing past a couple of outstretched arms. As a Knights defender came out of the line, Keano Kini spun 360 degrees clockwise to generate a gap in the defensive line, ten metres out and then exploded through the gap forcing himself and the ball over the try line with three defenders still hanging off him five metres in from the right goal post.

Keano Kini also had an early second half try assist in the match when he put Seth Nikotemo into a gap to score from six metres away. In the second half Keano Kini moved up from fullback to spend time in the halves for the Titans with Blake Forder moving from the wing to fullback.

Keano Kini stamped his mark on the match in just the second minute. After the first five tackles of the match, Newcastle put in a clearing kick which Keano Kini took on the full over his left shoulder. Keano Kini immediately assessed the situation and seeing that the Knights had a shortened defensive line on the right side of their kick chase, Keano Kini exploded to his left, getting on the outside of the final Knights defender on the right of their defensive line, surging forty metres down the left touch line before eventually being corralled. The Titans scored the first try of the match two plays later, with the try being directly attributable to Keano Kini’s line break.

Wonderful stepping by Keano Kini was a key determinant in Keano Kini’s second half try, but the Knights should have known what was coming after getting a taste of his stepping ability when Keano Kini restarted play from a tap restart in the eighth minute of the first half after a Knights long kick went dead in-goal. Keano Kini took the tap from the twenty metre mark running to his left before producing a jump step off his right foot. On that occasion the Knights defence prevented a line break, in the second half they were not so lucky.

In June 2021 Keano Kini started at five eight for a Titans U17 side that played a Titans Northern Rivers U18 squad at Cbus Stadium as a curtain raiser to the Titans Round Fourteen NRL match against the Sydney Roosters.

The match saw Keano Kini dominate for long stretches including late in the second half when he scored in the left corner after a long Matthew Barrow. In that period, Keano Kini also had a try assist when after he engaged the defensive line he got a great one arm off-load away to put William Semu into space to score untouched from long range.

Keano Kini also recorded a line break assist in the second half with a smart pass to hie left putting Matthew Barrow away for a fifty metre run down the left touchline.

Keano Kini was no less impressive in the first half, scoring one try and setting up another. Keano Kini scored when he backed up a long break from Arama Hau, receiving an offload from his right to race forty five metres untouched to score.

Keano Kini’s try assist came whilst he was operating on the left side of the field, skipping on the outside of two defenders on two occasions from twenty five metres out before drawing a third defender and offloading to William Semu who charged twenty metres to score near the left corner.

It was great to see in October 2020 Keano Kini named in the 2021 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad.

Keano Kini started from the bench for the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side in their first 2021 trial which was against the Easts Tigers at Langland’s Park and was one of the Seagulls best in their 28 – 12 first up victory.

In Tweed Heads second 2021 MM Cup trial against Burleigh that Tweed Heads comprehensively won, Keano Kini played the first half at fullback and then came back on late in the match to line up at fullback once again and scoring late in the match.

Keano Kini’s late second half try was a typical fullbacks opportunist try when after loitering behind the play the ball Keano Kini loomed up on the left of Ryan Foran. Ryan Foran steamed onto the ball forty eight metres out from the line, utilising a slight step off his left foot to break through the Burleigh defensive line and then Ryan Foran positioned his support in Keano Kini perfectly to draw the fullback and pass to his left for Kini to sprint twenty five metres to put the ball down under the posts.

Keano Kini was in the action early in the match setting up a try down the left side of the field for Tweed Heads left second rower Jayden Wright, Keano Kini took the pass from the dummy half twenty metres out down a wide blind side. Keano Kini ran at the line with the ball in both hands before subtly adjusting his running line to his left and producing a good short ball to the left of his body to put Jayden Wright into a gap and from there the second rower was able to power over and score five metres in from the left corner post.

Keano Kini also produced an outstanding run in the first half, when from a Seagulls scrum win, Keano Kini ran to the left of the field, rounding three defenders and making twenty metres downfield but just as he was about to breakaway, Keano Kini was dragged down from behind. Keano Kini however won a penalty for his team after the run when the Burleigh defence would not allow him to get to his feet and execute a quick play the ball.

Keano Kini also started from the bench in Tweed Heads final 2021 MM Cup final against the Souths Logan Magpies at Logan, scoring early in the second quarter. Keano Kini came onto the left wing in the second quarter before playing fullback in the second half.

Keano Kini’s try came in the 25th minute of the match, he had stayed on the left touchline as the ball was being thrown out in his direction. Keano Kini received the ball from Kaleb Ngamanu who threw a long pass to his left to Keano Kini. Three Souths Logan defenders were coming across in cover defence, but at the last moment Keano Kini who had presented that he was going for the left corner, stepped back inside off his left, resulting in all three defenders sailing past. Keano Kini was then able to dive over to score five metres in from the left corner post.

Keano Kini’s first run of the match came off a Tweed Heads scrum win. Keano Kini had moved in from his left wing to be the first receiver to the left of the scrum, darting past two defenders whilst making fifteen valuable metres from deep in his own half.

Keano Kini produced another superb second quarter run and once again it was as first receiver from a scrum with a Tweed Heads feed ten metres from their own line. Keano Kini received the ball just five metres out from his own line and literally ran around the three Souths Logan right side defenders before beating one when he stepped back inside off his left. Keano Kini burst through four attempted arm tackles on defenders who were trying to keep up with his directional changes before he was hit high from behind with the Souths Logan defender being sin binned and put on report for the high hit. Keano Kini’s exceptional run had brought the ball an additional thirty metres away from the Tweed heads Seagulls line.

Keano Kini continued his dominant performance in the second minute of the third quarter with an outstanding offload and line break assist. After moving to fullback, Keano Kini chimed into the Tweed Heads backline on the left side of the field, going deep into the line before producing an outstanding right arm around the corner pass to put Ryan Foran into space.

Keano Kini continued his exceptional match later in the third quarter with yet another impressive run. Souths Logan received a penalty and kicked for touch but the Tweed Heads left winger was able to bat the ball back into the field of play. Keano Kini retrieved the ball inside his own twenty, immediately racing to his right at a 60 degree angle. As he approached the Souths Logan defensive line, Keano Kini stepped subtly off his left twice but bumping off one defender who tried to take him chest high before cutting back to his left to make an additional ten metres post contact. In total from when he retrieved the ball, Keano Kini make forty metres.

Keano Kini produced a further outstanding run a couple of minutes later from the second hit-up after Billy Mozer’s try. Taking a hit-up to the left of the play the ball, Keano Kini was initially hit behind the advantage line, but after breaking that tackle, he exploded down field to make ten metres.

A third impressive run in the third quarter came in the 8th minute of the quarter when Keano Kini looped around to a short left blind side from a Titans scrum win. Thomas Weaver received the ball from Blake Mozer who had packed in at lock and held the ball up as Riley Lack ran a decoy line, giving the ball to Keano Kini who made twenty metres downfield utilising his exceptional footwork to beat multiple tackles.

Just two minutes later, Keano Kini again broke through the Souths Logan defensive line after being the first receiver of a Titans scrum win. Keano Kini ran to the right after receiving the ball from the back of the scrum, stepping off his left to beat one defender, making fifteen metres downfield before eventually being brought down.

Keano Kini also showcased his outstanding top end speed in the second quarter. Souths Logan Magpies captain and five eight Ezra Mam broke through the Tweed Heads right sided defence and chipped over the fullback with a foot race ensuing. Keano Kini started ten metres behind Mam and on the opposite side of the field but within twenty five metres Keano Kini had caught and passed Mam in the race to the ball that had pulled up in the in-goal, ultimately knocking the ball dead.

Keano Kini started Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition on the left wing before spending a significant portion of the second half at fullback as Tweed Heads took on the Ipswich Jets at home and set up the Seagulls first try of the match.

Thomas Weaver took the ball down a shortish left blindside and throwing a long cut out pass when he was forty eight metres out to his left to put Keano Kini away down the left touch line. Keano Kini flew down the left touchline, drawing the fullback and passing back to his left looking for Jaylan De Groot who was backing up on the inside. The Ipswich Jets right winger got his hand in the way to knock the ball towards the Seagulls try line with Jaylan De Groot retrieving the ball to run ten metres to score nine metres from the left corner post to cross for the Seagulls first try of the match.

One of the things that has stood out in his time in Australia has been Keano Kini’s willingness to bring the ball out of his own territory and against Ipswich that was highlighted in the 16th minute when he made elven metres from a hit-up bringing the ball out of his own twenty metre area.

In the second half with more room to move, Keano Kini had some good moments including in the 54th minute when he tracked back to retrieve the ball essentially on his own line, utilising his outstanding right foot step, Keano Kini easily beat the first defender down the field.

Keano Kini also started on the left wing in Round Two against the Souths Logan Magpies and like he did in Round One Keano Kini moved to fullback in the second half with Keano Kini scoring in just the second minute of the match in their 32 – 24 victory.

Keano Kini scored when he flew down the left touch line to dive over in the left corner, putting the ball down with his outstretched right arm after getting a gem of a pass from Jaylan De Groot.

Keano Kini also had a line break assist in just the 7th minute of the match. As he has all season, Keano Kini was the Seagulls first receiver from scrums, normally on the left side of the field. After receiving the ball, Keano Kini cut to his outside forcing the defender on his left to commit to the tackle and after driving into the line and drawing two defenders, Keano Kini threw a great ball to his left to put Kaleb Ngamanu into space down the left touchline.

Keano Kini’s speed and willingness to take the ball through the centre of the ruck was showcased once again in the 45th minute when he charged onto the ball just inside Souths Logan’s territory to the right of the play the ball. Keano Kini broke two tackles, making twelve metres before bouncing to his feet to generate a quick play the ball with Jaylan De Groot scoring due to the Souths Logan defence still back peddling from Keano Kini’s effort.

Once again in the 48th minute, Keano Kini took pressure off his forward pack when he took the second hit from the kick-off from Jaylan De Groot’s try, with Keano Kini breaking two tackles to get the ball out past the thirty metre line and then was awarded a penalty when the Souths Logan defence would not allow him to get to his feet for a quick play the ball.

Keano Kini continued his exceptional display in the 49th minute when he produced another line break when they got on the outside of his direct opponent on the left, breaking through the defensive line but unfortunately his pass back on the inside went to ground with a try potentially in the offing.

Keano Kini was literally everywhere and bobbed up once again in the 57th minute with yet another hit-up to the left of the play the ball, once again bring the ball out of his own territory, getting the ball up to the forty metre area.

Even with the game winding down and the Seagulls guaranteed the win, Keano Kini could not be kept out of the match. From a Tweed Heads scrum win on their own twenty, Keano Kini received the ball to the left of the scrum and literally ran around the Souths Logan right side defence to run twenty five metres downfield before cutting inside near the halfway mark to put a stamp on yet another impressive dare I say it, dominate performance.

Keano Kini once again started on the left wing in the Round Three Gold Coast derby against the Burleigh Bears scoring once again in the Seagulls victory.

As has become the norm, Keano Kini and Jaylen De Groot swapped positions on a number of occasions over the course of the match.

Keano Kini’s try came towards the end of the first half when he followed through a great break by Bailey Martin who off-loaded to his right to find Keano Kini in open space to run twenty metres untouched to score to the left of the uprights and bring the ball around from the left corner under no pressure.

Keano Kini had to be on his game in just the 9th minute of the match when Burleigh right second rower Seth Nikotemo put in a surprise chip ten metres out from the line. Keano Kini had to come off his left wing and dive forward to take the ball on the full less than a minute away from the try line. Keano Kini was then able to stay low to prevent being forced back into the in-goal.

The second half saw Keano Kini break through the Burleigh defensive line seemingly at will with the first of those occasions coming in the 46th minute when Keano Kini darted out of dummy half to his left. As soon as he was clear of the ruck, Keano Kini stepped off his right to get through the line and get Tweed Heads into Burleigh’s territory with Keano Kini making eighteen metres from the run.

Keano Kini broke the Burleigh line once again in the 50th minute. After Burleigh kicked to their right, Jaylan De Groot received the ball on the left and threw a long pass to his right that found Keano Kini in acres of space. Keano Kini stepped off his right to easily break through a fractured Burleigh defensive line, making thirty five metres downfield before finally being held.

Then in the 55th minute Keano Kini made his third line break in just ten minutes when he ran out of dummy half to his left, breaking two tackles before being tackled on the Burleigh forty metre mark after a twenty one metre run.

Unfortunately Keano Kini was unable to finish the match due to a lower leg injury with that injury forcing Keano Kini to miss the remainder of the 2021 MM Cup season.

In the Queensland Rugby League 2021 MM Cup Player of the Year Award Keano Kini was awarded two votes.

In mid-February 2021 Keano Kini was named at fullback in the school boy Oceanic Opens side for the South Coast school boy QSSRL U18 trial against Broadwater. Following the final round of trials, Keano Kini was named at fullback in the 2021 South Coast U18 school boy QSSRL squad.

After missing the opening two rounds of the 2021 Langer Cup school boy competition, Keano Kini started Round Three for PBC in a Gold Coast derby against Coombabah State High School, putting in a Player of the Match performance in PBC’s come from behind victory. Keano Kini’s initial involvement in the match came in the 3rd minute with his first run when he took a hit-up off the dummy half to the left making twelve metres.

Keano Kini dominant performance included a 33rd minute try when he took possession as PBC spun the ball to their left with Keano Kini collecting a Thomas Weaver pass on the bounce and exploding to his left through a gap and brought the ball around to put it down under the posts completely untouched.

Keano Kini almost scored a second try in the final minute of the match when from fifteen metres out on the left side of the field, Keano Kini stepped off his left foot to beat two defenders before charging at the line, initially it appeared that he got the ball down, but the referee adjudged that Keano Kini lost the ball just short of the line.

In addition to his try, Keano Kini made multiple line breaks with the first coming in the 8th minute with a line break after taking the kick-off after PBC’s opening try, making twenty metres before being brought to ground.

In the 18th minute Keano Kini made another line break when he took a Coombabah SHS clearing kick on the full and burst thirty metres downfield breaking three tackles. Keano Kini broke the Coombabah SHS line yet again in the 44th minute with the line break coming from what appeared at the start to be a regulation hit-up to the left of the play the ball thirty metres out from his own line. As he approached the defensive line, Keano Kini produced a devastating left foot step to slice through the line and then bamboozled the fullback with two left foot steps. Only after he got around the fullback and beat two more tackles was Keano Kini finally brought to ground.

Keano Kini continued at fullback for the Round Four blockbuster against Marsden State High School and was his usual elusive self including a great effort in the 9th minute when he retrieved a short Marsden SHS grubber kick into the in-goal and even with Marsden chasers everywhere, Keano Kini was able to step around a number of defenders to get the ball out of his own in-goal.

Keano Kini also produced an outstanding piece of play after the final siren. With Marsden SHS down by six as the final siren sounded, from fifteen metres from their own line Marsden kicked towards William Semu who charged onto the ball and flew down the left touchline and just as he looked as if he had beaten Keano Kini was able to produce a great desperate tackle to bring William Semu down just short of the line and save the match for PBC.

Keano Kini continued at fullback for the much anticipated Round Six local derby against Keebra park State High School and recorded a 53rd minute try assist when he ran at the line on the left side of the field, digging deep into the line before off-loading to his left to put his winger over in the left corner.

Keano Kini overall had a strong match including an impressive first kick return in just the second minute of the match when he was able to get the ball back to the halfway mark after taking receipt of the ball deep inside his own twenty metre area.

Keano Kini also started at fullback in Round Six against Mabel Park State High School and once again his ability to run parallel to the defensive line before exploding through the smallest of gaps was highlighted on numerous occasions including in the 55th minute when he exploded through a gap to comfortably break through the Mabel Park SHS defensive line, making thirty five metres for his progress was halted.

Keano Kini also scored for PBC in their 22 – 4 victory when in the 48th minute with the Mabel Park SHS defence backpeddling Keano Kini ran the ball down a short left blindside, initially receiving the ball eighteen metres out before cutting off the left foot and then accelerating forward before diving over ten metres in from the left corner post between two defenders.

After the competition was suspended for a number of weeks due to a Covid 19 lock down, Keano Kini was named at fullback for PBC State High School in their semi-final against Keebra Park State High School with Keano Kini scoring the match sealing try in the 49th minute when after receiving the ball on the left side of the field around twenty metres out, Keano Kini dummied to his left before slicing through the Keebra Park defensive line to get the ball down ten metres from the left upright.

Keano Kini’s first of multiple outstanding contributions for PBC came in just the 2nd minute when Keano Kini made twelve metres to get to ten metres out after joining the backline on the left side of the field. Keano Kini then almost set up PBC’s opening try of the match with a great cut put pass to the left but the pass was desperating knocked down by the Keebra Park right winger.

Keano Kini then produced a great kick return in the 5th minute, bringing the ball back and running to his left before straightening up and taking the line on. Keano Kini was hit high in the subsequent tackle and was awarded a deserved penalty.

Keano Kini also recorded a line break assist in the match in the 19th minute when after receiving the ball, Keano Kini cut back to his left before straightening up and getting halfway through the line before throwing a great right arm around the corner pass to put Bailey Martin away down the left channel on a fifteen metre run.

Keano Kini made a line break of his own in the 18th minute with a strong run to his right, making fifteen metres from the second hit-up off the kick off from Jett Forbes first half intercept try.

Keano Kini continued his impressive ball running in the 57th minute with a strong run and right arm flick off-load to Brock Priestley to get the ball well into Keebra Park territory.

Keano Kini was also outstanding defensively in the match including a great one on one tackle on a rampaging Arama Hau in the 26th minute after the Keebra Park lock had broken through the heart of the PBC defensive line.

Also on three occasions Keano Kini was able to hold up Keebra Park attackers over the line. The first of those occasions came in the 12th minute when he along with Ryan Foran and Thomas Weaver held up one of the Keebra Park front rowers over the try line.

In the 14th minute, Keano Kini along with Jayden Wright, Michael Roberts and Oskar Bryant held up Blake Mozer over the line and then in the 25th minute, Keano Kini, Michael Roberts, Brock Priestley and Bailey Martin held up Aram Hau over the line directly under the posts.

In the 2021 Langer Cup Grand Final against Marsden State High School, Keano Kini was named to start at fullback row for PBC and was his usual elusive self in the match including a 20th minute kick return of thirty metres. Keano Kini ran to his right after taking possession of the ball and getting between two defenders making the thirty metres before off-loading to Deine Mariner who was able to make thirty metre more.

Post the 2021 Langer Cup Grand Final, Keano Kini was named the joint Justin Hodges Medal winner for the most outstanding player in the 2021 Langer Cup competition. Keano Kini was also named at fullback in the Courier Mail 2021 Langer Cup Team of the Year.

Keano Kini was then named at fullback for PBC in the Queensland Open School Boys Final (Phil Hall Cup) against St Brendan’s College Yeppoon with Keano Kini scoring a double in PBC’s big 62 – 0 win.

Keano Kini’s opening try of the Grand Final came in just the 3rd minute of the match when Keano Kini received the ball on the left side of the field. When he was ten metres out, Keano Kini dummied to his left and then stepped off his left foot to get through the St Brendon’s initial defensive line before crashing over ten metres in from the left corner post.

Keano Kini scored his second try of the Grand Final in the 40th minute and it was the try of the match. St Brendan’s kicked downfield from inside their own territory with Keano Kini moving forward to take the ball on the move thirty metres from his own line. Keano Kini then split the St Brendan’s line and from there it was shut the gate with Keano Kini easily outpacing the cover defence to score near the right corner.

Keano Kini came oh so close to splitting the St Brendan’s defensive line in the 19th minute when he collected a St Brandan’s attacking kick just ten metres from his own line and burst downfield, getting over the twenty metre line before just being grabbed by his legs from behind. With the St Brendan’s defence still in disarray, the St Brendan’s defender was forced to hold Keano Kini down and concede a penalty.

At the end of the 2021 season, Keano Kini was named at No. 7 in the Courier Mail Top 60 school boys from the GPS Rugby, AIC Rugby and Langer Cup competitions.

[mdrew]

Great to see Anthony Don working with the Titans Group 18 Development Squad.

[mdrew]

Great interview with Kane Elgey and Matt Srama and their role with the Titans JTS Program.

https://www.titans.com.au/news/2021/...nd-matt-srama/

[mdrew]

The strength of the Titans partnered Marsden SHS Rugby League Program can be seen by the fact that in 2021 four Marsden SHS students were named in the Queensland U12 school boy rugby league Merit Team, being Chris Viamaili, Marquis Sando, Marlee Smith and Jeremaiah Toko.

[mdrew]

Young front row/second row prospect Bostyn Taufoou had an outstanding 2021 season, highlighting his outstanding potential.

In addition to playing for Marsden SHS including starting in the front row in Marsden's Bronco's Old Boys school boy Grand Final victory against Ipswich SHS, he also started in the second row for Logan Brothers in their GBJRL U14 Division One Grand Final against Norths.

[mdrew]

Young front rower Marlie Barry highlighted his outstanding potential with a Player of the Match performance for PBC State High School in the Renouf Cup Grand Final as PBC prevailed 8 – 4 against a determined Marsden State High School side earlier this season.

Post the Renouf Cup Grand Final Marlie Barry was named in the front row in the Courier Mail 2021 Team of the School Boy Grand Finals.

2021 also saw Marlie Barry play for the Tugun Seahawks in the Group 18 U13 Junior Rugby League competition. In the 2021 Group 18 U13 competition the Seahawks won seven matches, drew two and lost three, scoring 162 points and conceding 116 to finish with a +46 points deferential.

Prior to moving to PBC SHS Marlie Barry attended Currumbin State School and in 2019 started in the front row for Currumbin PS in their NRL Development Cup Final against Frechville State School as a curtain raiser to the Queensland Cup Grand Final with Currumbin SS winning 32 – 6.

[mdrew]

The Burleigh 2022 U16 Cyril Connell side is certainly going to have some size and power in their side with Keebra Park SHS student Micah Eteru in the squad.

This season the front rower was part of the Keebra Park side that made the school boy Walters Cup Grand Final against PBC with Micah Eteru almost scoring early in the match.

At the conclusion of the Grand Final Micah Eteru was named in the front row in the Courier Mail Team of the School Boy Grand Finals.

[DIEHARD]

Locker Room Chat with the Grates: Kane Elgey and Matt Srama
Video: https://www.titans.com.au/news/2021/...nd-matt-srama/

Good friends Kane Elgey and Matt Srama share their memories of their time at the Titans and developing the next wave of local talent.

[mdrew]

Another talented player at Titans Partnered Marsden SHS is Juaan Penese who earlier this season started at five eight for Marsden in the Renouf Shield Grand Final against PBC.

Juann Penese also plays for Logan Brothers and started in the centres in their U13 Division One GBJRL Grand Final victory 24-8 against Wynnum Manly.

[mdrew]

Ball playing lock Brodie Saunders highlighted his potential with an outstanding performance for PBC State High School in the 2021 Renouf Cup Grand Final as PBC prevailed 8 – 4 against a determined Marsden State High School side.

Post the Renouf Cup Grand Final Brodie Saunders was named at lock in the Courier Mail 2021 Team of the School Boy Grand Finals.

Prior to moving to PBC SHS Brodie Saunders attended Currumbin State School and in 2019 started at lock for Currumbin PS in their NRL Development Cup Final against Frechville State School as a curtain raiser to the Queensland Cup Grand Final with Currumbin SS winning 32 – 6 and Brodie Saunders kicking a conversion.