Junior Development

[ja4220]

Have they trimmed the 2 coast sides down yet mate do you know ? , it will be interesting too see who gets the hooking role , You would expect it too be Cole for burleigh and Jed for Tweed but there are a few others in the running

Burleigh cut their squad down to 30 I think the week before last.

[mdrew]

Agree mate Jed and Cole will certainly be in the running for their respective teams

Have they trimmed the 2 coast sides down yet mate do you know ? , it will be interesting too see who gets the hooking role , You would expect it too be Cole for burleigh and Jed for Tweed but there are a few others in the running

[mdrew]

Evan though there will be a lot of competition for a spot in the halves for the 2019 Burleigh Bears MM Cup side, I fully expect Ryan Rivett to make it almost impossible for the coaching staff to leave him out.

The Titans linked half spent the 2018 season playing for Burleigh in the U16 Division One competition but also got an opportunity in the U17 Division One competition as well.

Ryan Rivett started at half back and scored a hat trick for the Titans U16 side in a 60 – 10 win over PNG at Pizzey Park and was named by the coaches as the player of the match. Ryan Rivett also started in the halves for the Titans U16’s in their 30 – 10 to New South Wales Country U16’s and kicked a second half conversion in the match.

In the U16 Division One competition, Ryan Rivett played in twelve matches including the finals series scoring 101 point from eight tries, thirty four goals and a field goal (kicked against Southport).

From a regular season try scoring perspective, Ryan Rivett scored a double against Runaway Bay and also scored against Helensvale, Mudgeeraba in two separate matches and against Southport.

Ryan Rivett’s best goal kicking match was against Mudgeeraba in June when he kicked six and on three occasions he kicked four goals in a match.

In Week Two of the U16 Division One Finals series, Ryan Rivett started at half back for Burleigh as they defeated Helensvale 24 – 18. In the Friday night match Ryan Rivett scored a try and kicked four from four.

In Week Three of the GCRL Finals series being the Preliminary Finals, Ryan Rivett was certainly busy. On the Friday night he started at half back in the U16 Division One match, scoring as Burleigh went down 28 – 26 to Currumbin.

Ryan Rivett then started at five eight for the Burleigh U17 Division One side, scoring a try and kicking three second half conversions but unfortunately Burleigh went down to a rampant Runaway Bay side 34 – 22 to end their season.

Ryan Rivett made his U17 Division One debut against Mudgeeraba in late May 2018 starting the match at half back and running riot on the way to scoring a hat trick. In his second and final U17 Division One match of 2018 Ryan Rivett kicked two goals against Helensvale.

Ryan Rivett has also recently been selected in the 2018 Queensland Indigenous U16 side for the QPIIC Championships to be held in October in Beenleigh.

Ryan Rivett was part of the Gold Coast Vikings White U16 side that played in the South East Queensland U16 Challenge early in the season and recently was named joint winner of the GCRL U16 Representative Player of the Year.

The nippy young Burleigh Bears half back’s outstanding 2017 season culminated in him putting on a Titans jersey for the Titans U15 side that took on a Balmain Tigers selection at Cudgen late last year, 2017 also saw Ryan Rivett be part of the Gold Coast Academy of Sport Excellence Program.

Over the course of the GCJRL 2017 U15 Division One competition for Burleigh Ryan Rivett played in thirteen matches scoring five tries, kicking nine goals and a field goal for 39 points on the 2017 season. All of Ryan Rivett’s tries came in individual matches against Southport on two occasions, Coomera on two occasions and Helensvale.

Ryan Rivett’s field goal came late in the season against Coomera. Ryan Rivett started off the season as Burleigh goal kicker, kicking four in a match against Southport and the following week, three against Coomera. All of his season’s goals came in the first four rounds of the competition

[mdrew]

Larryon Tevita, the New Zealand born youngster moved over to the Gold Coast in January of this year and played for the Burleigh Bears MM Cup side for the 2018 season before being promoted to the Burleigh Colts side as well as progressing through the ranks of the Gold Coast Rugby League competition all the way to the First Grade competition with Burleigh.

Larryon Tevita has recently been named in the 2019 Burleigh U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts side.

Larryon Tevita came into the Bears 2018 MM side in Round Three being the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls in Burleigh’s tough 36 – 6 loss with the young man starting in the front row.

Larryon Tevita also started on the interchange bench in Round Four against the South’s Logan Magpies a match that Burleigh lost 34 – 20. In total in the MM Cup for Burleigh this season, Larryon Tevita played in four matches, starting in the front row on two occasions and from the bench in the other two.

Post the MM Cup competition, Larryon Tevita played in seven matches for Burleigh in the regular season in the Gold Coast Rugby league U19 competition. On debut in Round Three of the U19 Gold Coast Rugby League competition, Larryon Tevita scored a double against Beaudesert and also started from the bench in Round Four in a tough 31 – 18 loss to Southport when Southport’s Titans Rookie Squad centre Callum Boomer was close to unstoppable, in Round Five also scored in Burleigh’s 26 – 22 victory over Currumbin.

In Week One of the GRCL U19 finals series Larryon Tevita started in the second row and scored for Burleigh in their tough 32 – 26 loss against Mudgeeraba.

Larryon Tevita also played in one Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade match, making his debut coming off the interchange bench in July.

Larryon Tevita made his Doug Lipp Cup debut for Burleigh in Round 16 against Bilambil when he came off the bench in their ten point loss and was backing up after starting in the front row in the U19 match that preceded his Doug Lipp Cup debit.

In Round Eleven and Thirteen of the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition, Larryon Tevita was named on the extended bench for the Burleigh Bears side however did not make the final 17 for either match.

Larryon Tevita made his deserved U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts debut in Round Sixteen against Tweed Heads starting from the bench and scoring an impressive double and he broke into the starting line-up in Round Twenty when he started in the second row against Victoria and in Round Twenty-One maintained his starting spot when he started in the front row against Wynnum Manly and in Round 23 against the Townsville Blackhawks.

In total in 2018 Larryon Tevita played in seven Hastings Deering’s Colts matches, starting four (three in the front row and one in the second row) and coming off the bench on the other three occasions.

The former Kelston Boys High School student was rewarded for a solid season in late 2017 when he was named at lock in the 2017 SAS College team of the year. The majority of players named in the 2017 SAS College team of the year are now in NRL aligned U20 squads so Larryon Tevita’s inclusion certainly highlights his ability on the field against quality opposition and opposition in the main at least a year older than him.

2018 Burleigh Bears U20 Colts recruit Mikey Williams was named in the centres in the SAS College team of the year as well as the competitions leading try scorer with eight tries to his name.

In 2017 Larryon Tevita played for the Auckland based Glenora Rugby League club, playing a number of matches in the Open U17 competition and also one match in the SAS Fox Memorial Premier First Grade Competition, not bad at all for a 17 year old.

Larryon Tevita also represented Kelston Boys High at the 2017 New Zealand National Secondary Schools Premier Tournament starting at lock in all five of their matches which were against Southern Cross Campus twice including the Championship final, Wesley College, Rotorua Boys High School and St Thomas of Canterbury College

[mdrew]

Looking to break into the Burleigh MM Cup squad next year will be local young second rower Kyah Watts from the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast where he played the 2018 season at the U17 Division One level as well as being involved in PBC’s GIO Cup campaign.

For Burleigh in the 2018 U17 Division One season Kyah Watts played in ten matches including the finals series, scoring three tries. Kyah Watts scored early in the season against Runaway Bay and then scored in consecutive rounds mid-season against Currumbin and Tweed Heads.

Kyah Watts played the 2017 season at the U16 Division One level for Burleigh, including starting in the second row in the Grand Final which Burleigh lost 34 – 4 against the talented Currumbin Eagles. For Burleigh in the U16 competition, Kyah Watts crossed for a single try which came against Helensvale in Burleigh’s first final in 2017.

Kyah Watts this season was part of the PBC open squad playing a number of matches in the centres for the Queensland and National GIO Cup Champions and has previously played for the U13 and U14 Titans Development squads against Samoan opposition.

2017 also saw Kyah Watts play for the U16 Gold Coast Vikings side in the U16 South East Queensland pre-season competition. In 2016 Kyah Watts was also part of the South Coast U15 side that competed in the U15 QSSRL competition where he was selected on the bench scoring three tries across four games. From there Kyah Watts was selected in the U15 Queensland White side for the U15 ASSRL national Championships playing in all of Queensland White’s matches.

In previous season Kyah Watts also made a number of representative sides including the U14 Vikings and the South East Queensland U14 squad, where he started on the bench for SEQ. For SEQ he scored three tries across the Queensland age championships, including a double against the Capricorn Capra’s and also a try against the North Queensland Marlins

[mdrew]

A key member of the 2019 Burleigh Bears Hastings Deering’s Colts side will be outstanding strike centre Mikey Williams.

The young Auckland New Zealand born centre moved over to Australia and started the season as part of the Burleigh Bears U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts side starting in the centres in their 28 – 24 victory over the Sunshine Coast Falcons in Round One.

After playing in nine matches for Burleigh in the U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition, Mikey Williams was promoted to the Burleigh Bears Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade side and did not looked back, alternating between playing on the wing and in the centres.

After his move from the Colts competition, Mikey Williams played in eleven GCRL First Grade regular season matches, scoring seven tries including a double on debut against the Bilambil Jets in late May and also a double against Ormeau.

As noted above Mikey Williams started the 2018 season as part of the Burleigh Bears Hastings Deering’s U20 Colts side and prior to his promotion started in the centres in all nine of Burleigh’s Colts matches. Mikey Williams last Colts match was in Round Eleven against the Easts Tigers.

In those nine matches, Mikey Williams scored four tries, the first of which came in Round Four against Souths Logan. His other tries came in Round Six against the Western Mustangs, Round Eight against Central Queensland and Round Nine against the Townsville Blackhawks.

2017 saw Mikey Williams play a lot of matches for both his school boy side, being Auckland’s St Pauls College and well as in the SAS Fox Memorial competition which is essentially an Auckland based U20 competition with the standard being quite high as well.

In 2017 Mikey Williams was part of the St Pauls First XIII side that won the SAS College Open Rugby League Championship for the third straight season with a victory over Kelston Boys High for whom new Burleigh Bears MM Cup player Larryon Tevita started at lock. Mikey Williams was also part of the 2016 St Pauls Open side.

To cap off a great 2017 rugby league season, Mikey Williams was named in the 2017 SAS College Rugby League team of the year in the centres with Burleigh MM Cup and Colts player Larryon Tevita named at lock.

Mikey Williams also took home the leading try scorer of the season award with eight tries including a double in a victory over Aorere College in one of the early rounds of the competition in a dominant display.

Mikey Williams played in the SAS Fox Memorial competition for Richmond, playing in a total of twelve matches scoring four tries including a double in June against the Te Atatu Roosters and tries in consecutive weeks against the Mangere East Hawks and Mt Albert. Mikey Williams also played one match in the 2017 SAS Fox Memorial Premier competition, which is the Auckland equilivant to the Gold Coast Rugby League First grade competition, an impressive feat for an 18 year old school boy.

In 2017 Mikey Williams was also selected in a New Zealand Select U18 side that played against the Australian School Boys with Mikey Williams starting on the interchange bench for the New Zealanders. Starting on the wing for the New Zealand Select U18 side was 2018 Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts player Aublix Tawha.

Mikey Williams made the New Zealand Select side after starting in the centres for the U18 New Zealand Residents side in their 28 – 10 victory over New Zealand Taurahere with Mikey Williams scoring in the match. Mikey Williams was also selected for the New Zealand U18 side in 2017.

A team mate in the U18 New Zealand Residents side was 2018 Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts player Aublix Tawha and opponents in the New Zealand Taurahere side were Titans contracted Jaxson Paulo (try scorer) and Darius Farmer, both of whom were also team mates in the Burleigh Bears Colts side and are now also playing for the Burleigh First Grade side.

From an additional representative perspective Mikey Williams has represented the Akarana Falcons at the U15 level in 2014 and U17 level in 2015 in the New Zealand National Age Championships, scoring three tries in 2014 and one in 2015

[mdrew]

One of a number of Titans contracted players who have been selected in the 2019 U16 Emerging squad is Flynn Daniel.

The young Burleigh Bears second rower in 2018 played some outstanding rugby league for Burleigh in the U15 Division One competition and for PBC which led to his selection in the South Coast U15 side.

From the QSSRL U15 Championships Flynn Daniel was selected for the Queensland U15 White side for the ASSRL U15 Championships. In those Championships Flynn Daniel played in all four of their matches with those matches being against New South Wales Combined Independent School , ACT on two occasions and Queensland Maroon.

Flynn Daniel started in the second row for the Titans U15 side as they defeated a U15 Balmain Tigers touring side 16 - 10. Flynn Daniel operated on the right side of the field for the Titans in the match in his two stints on the field.

In the GCRL U15 Division One competition Flynn Daniel played in nine matches including Burleigh’s two finals matches scoring thirteen tries, finishing third on the U15 Division One try scoring list and in fact led all forwards from a try scoring perspective in the 2018 U15 Division One competition.

In Week One of the U15 Division One finals Flynn Daniel started in the second row as Burleigh defeated Southport 72 -2 scoring a hat trick and also started in the second row in Week Two of the finals as Burleigh were knocked out after going down 34 – 24 against Runaway Bay with Flynn Daniel contributing a double for Burleigh.

In addition to the outstanding U15 Division One Finals series noted above, Flynn Daniel scored eight tries in the U15 Division One regular season, including hat tricks against Southport and Coomera and also scored against Currumbin and Robina.

Team mates in Flynn Daniel’s U15 Division One side are fellow Titans contracted youngsters the outstanding lock Bailey Martin and hooker Kaden Somerville and Titans U15 Development Squad members such as winger Jayden Wright.

Flynn Daniel played the 2017 season on the Gold Coast with Burleigh in the U14 Division One competition unfortunately losing the Grand Final 31 – 16 to Ormeau, Flynn Daniel started the Friday night Grand Final in the second row in maroon and white.

Over the course of the 2017 GCJRL U14 Division One competition, Flynn Daniel scored two tries from nine matches played with his tries coming against Nerang in May and against Runaway Bay in mid-July. In 2017 Flynn Daniel was also part of the Gold Coast Academy of Sport Rugby League Excellence Program which wound up for this year in early October.

[mdrew]

The Tweed Heads Seagulls 2019 MM Cup side has size, strength, speed and power covered in the centres with Titans linked James Torrens involved. He played against NSW Country U16 at Cudgen at the end of the year.

The tough young centre was impressive throughout the 2018 season for Northern Rivers in the U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition as well as in the NRRRL competition for Ballina for whom he played across all three grades of the NRRRL competition including an outstanding NRRRL First Grade debut.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In 2017 James Torrens represented the East Coast Dolphins in the New South Wales Country U16 Championships and in 2016 represented Group One at the U15 New South Wales Junior Country Championships.

[mdrew]

Come the 2019 MM Cup competition, I anticipate one of the key members of the Tweed Heads Seagulls squad will be Titans contracted Ediq Ambrosyev.

The young utility last year signed a two year deal to join the Titans High Performance Unit after also being part of the Broncos Elite Junior Program for a number of seasons.

Ediq Ambrosyev was part of the 2018 Queensland Academy of Sport U16 squad and was late last year named as part of the 2018 U16 Emerging Origin squad that finished their first camp on the Sunshine Coast in February. Ediq Ambrosyev also started for the Titans in an U15 match against the Balmain Tigers in late 2017 at Cudgen and also represented the Titans in late 2015 against a Toowoomba U14 side.

Prior to the commencement of the 2018 Gold Coast Rugby League season, Ediq Ambrosyev starred for the U16 Gold Coast Vikings White side in the South East Queensland U16 Championship and post that competition was been named in South East Queensland U16 Green squad.

For the Queensland Age Championships for SEQ Green Ediq Ambroysev played three matches at hooker. Titans linked team mates in the SEQ Green side were Daniel Butterini and William Parslow all of whom played in the Championship final with Ediq Ambroysev scoring a good try with a snipping run in the first half.

Ediq Ambrosyev was been named to start from the interchange bench for the Queensland U16 side when they play New South Wales at Suncorp Stadium but in fact ended up starting the match at hooker. Fellow Titan Samuel Shannon (inter change) was also in the Queensland side.

For the Currumbin Eagles in the Gold Coast Rugby League U16 Division One competition this season Ediq Ambrosyev was in outstanding form in the regular season finishing with a strike rate of 113% through eight matches. In all of those matches Ediq Ambrosyev has started at five eight.

Ediq Ambroysev’s tries in the regular season came against Mudgeeraba, Helensvale, Runaway Bay and Nerang in a match that was played as a curtain raiser to the Titans verses South Sydney NRL match at Cbus Stadium recently. Ediq Ambrosyev continued his try scoring trend in Round Six against Southport, the only difference is that he scored a hat trick in that match.

Post the hat trick Ediq Ambrosyev also scored against Mudgeeraba and Southport. In only one regular season game did Ediq Ambrosyev not score which was in the final regular season round against Southport.

In the 2018 GCRL U16 Division One Finals series, Ediq Ambrosyev started at five eight in all four of Currumbin’s matches including their Grand Final loss 24 – 8 against Currumbin. He did however have a great time against Burleigh in two Finals matches being a Week One victory 30 – 14 and a 28 -26 Preliminary Final victory scoring doubles in each of those matches.

Ediq Ambrosyev has also been in outstanding form for PBC including scoring the match winning try against Keebra Park in their Langer Cup match at Pizzey Park and was also involved in their 24 – 18 victory over Ipswich State High School. Ediq Ambrosyev also played for PBC in their Langer Cup match against Marsden State High School at Waterford which ended in a 38 – 10 win for the Gold Coast based school.

Edqi Ambrosyev was also part of the Titans U16 side that played matches against PNG and New South Wales Country U16’s and in fact scored against NSW Country on a wet afternoon at Cudgen.

Over the course of the 2017 season Ediq Ambrosyev played in the U15 Division One competition on the Gold Coast with the Coomera Cutters, playing in a total of eight matches, including scoring a hat trick late in the season against Burleigh and early in the season also scored against the Southport Tigers.

The PBC student also represented South Coast in the 2017 QSSRL U15 Championships and from there was selected in the Queensland U15 White side for the ASSRL U15 national Championships. In those Championships Ediq Ambrosyev crossed on Day Two in a 44 – 0 victory over the ACT.

In 2016 Ediq Ambrosyev was part of the dominant Gold Coast Vikings U14 side that went through the 2016 Hill Stumer Championships undefeated playing a number of positions over the course of the three matches that the Vikings played including playing on the wing in the Sunday match against the Ipswich Diggers. Post Hill Stumer Championships, Ediq Ambrosyev was named on the inter change bench for the U14 South East Queensland Green team for the Queensland Age Championships.

Previously Ediq Ambrosyev represented Qld at the U12 level, where he was selected in the second row. In Ediq Ambrosyev also started from the inter change bench for the U13 Titans development squad in a game against an U14 Toowoomba selection. In that development squad match Ediq Ambrosyev played a significant portion of the game at centre, scoring two tries including an 80m run away intercept try when he raced down the left hand side of Pizzey park with the Toowoomba defenders chasing in vain.

[mdrew]

2019 will see Reece Butler play his second season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts.

In 2018 he played seven Colts matches starting four and coming off the bench in the other three. Reece Butler started in the second row in Round One against the Norths Devils and also started in the second row in Rounds six and ten against Wynnum Manly and Ipswich respectively and started at hooker in Round 14 against Central Queensland.

In 2018 he also played in onw GCRL U19 match for Southport against Burleigh and also played one Doug Lipp Cup match against Bilambil.

Reece Butler made his GCRL First Grade debut off the bench against Tweed Heads and also played First Grade matches against Runaway Bay and Bilambil scoring against Runaway Bay.

[mdrew]

My nomination for the 2018 GCRL Most Improved player is Kayah Riggs-Noble who will play this year as part of the Burleigh MM Cup side.

The big strong young 17 year old front rower came from the clouds a touch in 2018 not just breaking into the Coombabah State High Side but by seasons end being one of their better performers alongside Titan Carsil Vaikai. Kayah Riggs-Noble started for Coombabah in their 17 – 16 win over Marymount College to qualify for the Queensland GIO Cup quarter finals.

Kayah Riggs-Noble played the 2018 season with the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in the Gold Coast Rugby League U17 Division One competition, playing in five matches in that grade with those matches coming against Currumbin, Tweed Heads, Burleigh, Ormeau and Runaway Bay.

Kayah Riggs-Noble also played in one U19 GCRL match in 2018 that match occurring in Week Two of the Finals. Kayah Riggs-Noble started from the bench as Mudgeeraba were knocked as a result of a 54 – 26 loss to Bilambil.

Kayah Riggs-Noble also played one MM Cup match and one Hastings Deering’s Colts match in 2018. He made his MM Cup debit in Round Seven against Victoria from the bench and in an impressive feat for a 17 year old made his U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts debit in Round Twenty Four from the bench against the Easts Tigers in a big 52 – 12 win for Burleigh in the competitions final round.

[mdrew]

Taine Tuaupiki is a local young Titans linked halfback or five eight who was in outstanding form for the Burleigh Bears U20 Hastings Deering’s Colt’s side this season and also deservedly played a number of Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade matches with Burleigh.

2019 will see Taine Tuaupiki once again line up for the Burleigh Bears U20 Hastings Deering’s Colt’s side.

In Round Two of the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition in a 28 – 20 victory over Redcliffe at Pizzey Park he was as dominant as I have seen a player at that level as he constantly split the Redcliffe defence and directed Burleigh around the field superbly.

In that match, Taine Tuaupiki had the ball on a string and also scored a great try highlighting his speed and elusiveness. Taine Tuaupiki also scored in Round One against the Sunshine Coast Falcons.

In addition to the tries that he has scored in the Colts competition this season Taine Tuaupiki had at least four try assists on the season that I can recall including one from a deft banana grubber kick in Round Two against the Redcliffe Dolphins and three from sublime passes right at the defensive line.

Taine Tuaupiki’s Round One try came as a result of a great short ball to his right side to Titans fellow linked second rower Apiata Neoma-Matenga who went through the line untouched before drawing the fullback and passing back inside to Taine Tuaupiki to score under the posts untouched for an outstanding Burleigh try.

Taine Tuaupiki’s try in Round Two against Redcliffe was as a result of a dummy where after receiving the ball two wide of the ruck on the right side Taine Tuaupiki shaped to pass wider out and then exploded through a gap to score just wide of the right hand upright.

Over the course of the opening rounds Taine Tuaupiki forged a very successful combination on the right side of the field with fellow Titans youngster Apiata Neoma-Matenga which I am sure will lead (and has already) to a lot of line breaks and tries for both over the course of the season.

In total in the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition this season Taine Tuaupiki played in fourteen matches for Burleigh starting all at five eight bar Round Four against Souths Logan when he started from the interchange and has scored six tries and kicked five goals.

As noted above Taine Tuaupiki scored in the opening two rounds of the season against Sunshine Coast and Redcliffe. Taine Tuaupiki has also scored in Round Nine against Townsville, Round Thirteen against Ipswich, Round Fourteen against the Northern Pride and in Round Twenty-One against Wynnum Manly.

Taine Tuaupiki made his Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade debut at five eight against Tweed Heads and prior to his move back to the Burleigh Colts side made three First Grade appearances and recorded a 100% strike rate. Taine Tuaupiki scored a double on debut against Tweed Heads and also scored against Southport.

Taine Tuaupiki started the 2017 season in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side and upon completion of the competition progressed to the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts Challenge side. From a representative perspective Taine Tuaupiki has represented South East Queensland at the U16 level in 2016 was one of the key reasons that Coombabah State High School had such a great GIO Cup run which finished in heart breaking fashion against Keebra Park.

For the 2017 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side Taine Tuaupiki played all six matches at half back including scoring in Round Two against Victoria. Immediately upon completion of the MM Cup competition, Taine Tuaupiki was drafted into the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts Challenge side and except for Round Six which he missed, he played every match. Taine Tuaupiki started Rounds One to Five at fullback scoring tries in Round Two against Easts, Round Three against Redcliffe and Round Five against Wynnum Manly.

Taine Tuaupiki switched to five eight in Round Seven, making an immediate impact scoring against the North’s Devils and except for Round Ten where he started from the interchange bench, Taine Tuaupiki started at five eight, scoring doubles in Round Eight against Ipswich and Round Thirteen in a comeback win against the Easts Tigers. Taine Tuaupiki also scored against the Sunshine Coast Falcons in Round Twelve. Taine Tuaupiki also started at five eight in Round Fourteen through Sixteen.

In the 2017 finals series Taine Tuaupiki started in Tweed Heads three matches, starting Week One at five eight before starting at half back in Tweed Heads second final and their Preliminary Final loss.

In 2016, Taine Tuaupiki played for Runaway Bay in the U17 Division One GCJRL competition where his side finished as the minor premiers, however they were beaten 18 – 12 in the Grand Final by Burleigh. Taine Tuaupiki started the 2016 Grand Final at half back.

Over the course of the 2016 U17 Division One season, Taine Tuaupiki scored five tries and conversion and field goal to finish with a total points tally of 23 on the season with the field goal coming in a semi-final against Burleigh.

If anything Taine Tuaupiki looks like he has put on a bit of size over the recent off season but a huge positive is that his outstanding speed off the mark has not been compromised at all nor has his elusiveness in general.

[mdrew]

Powerfully built Titans linked young forward Solomon Torrens moved up to the Gold Coast in 2018 from Northern New South Wales and made an immediate impression at PBC State High School and for me was the best player on the field when PBC defeated Keebra Park 26 – 22 in the Langer Cup (Open Age Group) recently. The match was a high quality affair but Solomon Torrens was a class apart with his powerful running on the fringes of the ruck for PBC.

Late last season he played for the Titans U18 side against PNG and NSW Country and this season will be part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts squad.

Solomon Torrens started that match at lock and was dominant throughout regularly making metres through the centre of the ruck as well as on the right side of the ruck. For me Solomon Torrens performance on the Wednesday night against Keebra Park was the best performance I have seen from a school boy since watching Ryan James destroying everyone when he was in his senior year also at PBC seven or eight years ago now.

Solomon Torrens started from the bench for PBC in the Queensland GIO Cup Final and the GIO Cup National Final against Patrician Brothers College Blacktown with PBC leading from the start to become 2018 GIO Cup National Champions on the back of a 20 – 12 victory.

The former Casino RSM youngster generated a lot of buzz around him as a result of his great season in the U16.5 Group One junior rugby league competition in2017 and it was certainly deserved. As a result Solomon Torrens was selected in the Tweed Heads Seagulls U18 MM Cup squad for the 2018 version of the competition.

For Tweed Heads in the 2018 MM Cup competition Solomon Torrens played in two matches being Rounds One and Two against Norths and Victoria respectively coming off the inter change bench on both occasions.

After the MM Cup competition reached its conclusion, In addition to playing for PBC Solomon Torrens played for the Bilambil Jets in the Gold Coast Rugby League U17 Division One competition. Round One saw Solomon Torrens start in the front row as the Jets lost 20 – 18 to the Tweed Heads Seagulls. An opponent in that match but a team mate for PBC in the Langer Cup match against Keebra Park was giant Titans linked front rower Jordan Tauali’i .

Solomon Torrens was back in the U17 Division One competition in Round Three when he came off the interchange bench. In Round Four Solomon Torrens started from the interchange bench for Bilambil and scored in their tough 18 – 10 loss to Currumbin.

In total in the U17 Division One competition for Bilambil, Solomon Torrens played in six matches scoring two tries which came against Currumbin and Tweed Heads. Solomon Torrens also converted a try against Burleigh to finish the season with 10 points.

In Round Five of the Gold Coast Rugby League competition, Solomon Torrens deservedly made his GCRL First Grade debut when he started in the centres for the Bilambil Jets in their 26 – 18 loss to the Tugun Seahawks. Making your GCRL First Grade debut at just 17 is an impressive feat.

For Casino RSM in the 2017 U16.5 Group One JRL competition, Solomon Torrens averaged just under a try a match on his way to scoring nine tries from just eleven matches including a great first two rounds when he scored a hat trick in Round One against Ballina and a Round Two double against Lismore Marist Brothers.

Prior to his move to Casino RSM, Solomon Torrens played for the Kyogle Turkeys including at 2016 at the U15 level where he scored five tries across 10 ten matches, including a hat trick against Clarence Coast, and also tries against Marist Brothers on two separate occasions. Unfortunately his U15 side has had a difficult season and finished last. Solomon Torrens also played eight matches up in the U16.5 age group, scoring two tries in the process, one being in his first match in that age group against Grafton and the second against Casino RSM.

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An intriguing development in relation to Junior Rugby in Queensland this year is that it is being offered in AIC schools, which have previously exclusively played rugby.

The schools in question are Iona, St Laurence’s, Villanova, Marist Brothers Ashgrove, Padua, St Edmund’s, St Patrick’s and St Peters Lutheran College.

Ryley Jacks is a former St Laurence’s student and the likes of Cooper Cronk, Dylan Napa and William Zillman attended AIC schools.

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The Tweed Heads Seagulls 219 Colts squad will have a try scorer on their flanks with Indiha Saotui-Huta.

The Titans linked New Zealand born youngster has moved around a little in his junior rugby career to date but make no mistake Indiha Saotui-Huta is a talented outside back in either rugby or rugby league.

Indiha Saotui-Huta late last year started on the wing for the Titans U18 side in their victories over the PNG and NSW Country U18 sides.

This season Indiha Saotui-Huta was part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup playing in all six of their matches including their semi-final, starting each on the wing. In his seven matches Indiha Saotui-Huta scored five tries.

Indiha Saotui-Huta’s first try came in Round Three against the Burleigh Bears. Indiha Saotui-Huta followed that up with tries in Rounds Five and Six against Townsville and Wynnum Manly respectively. Indiha Saotui-Huta completed his 2018 MM Cup try scoring with a double in the final regular season being Round Seven against the Easts Tigers.

Post the MM Cup competition, Indiha Saotui-Huta played for Mudgeeraba in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition, playing in six matches and scoring eight tries.

In his first match with Mudgeeraba in the U19 competition Indiha Saotui-Huta scored a double against Bilambil and then backed that up a fortnight later scoring four tries against Beaudesert and then in his last U19 game of the season scored another double this time against Helensvale.

Indiha Saotui-Huta also played in one Hastings Deering’s Colts match for Tweed Heads late in the 2018 season starting on the right wing in Round Twenty against the Mackay Cutters.

This season Indiha Saotui-Huta was also part of the PBC Opens Rugby League side that had such a great run in the GIO Cup competition. Indiha Saotui-Huta had a particularly solid match in the Queensland GIO Cup semi-final against Ignatius Park, starting on the left wing and setting up a try for fullback Braydon McGradey.

In the Queensland GIO Cup final against Kirwan State High School Indiha Saotui-Huta started on the right wing as PBC held off a determined Kirwan State High School side 32 – 26 to qualify for the National GIO Cup Final.

Indiha Saotui-Huta moved to fullback for the GIO Cup National Final against Patrician Brothers College Blacktown with PBC winning 20 – 12 to become the 2018 GIO Cup National Champions.

Indiha Saotui-Huta was born and raised in New Zealand but spent from 2013 to 2015 on the Gold Coast where he played both rugby and rugby league. Indiha Saotui-Huta made an immediate impact playing for Surfers Paradise in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby competition playing in the centres and also represented the Gold Coast Cyclones representative side on a number of occasions.
In 2015 when his club side played in the Brisbane club rugby competition, Indiha Saotui-Huta finished as the leading points scorer with 147 points.

Indiha Saotui-Huta returned to New Zealand for the 2016 year, playing two years for the New Plymouth Boys High First XV, playing a number of outstanding matches including scoring against Auckland’s King’s College in 2016 and in 2017 scored against St Pats Silverstream. In 2017 Indiha Saotui-Huta also started for New Plymouth Boys High in a curtain raiser for a Reds v Chiefs Super Fifteen clash in New Zealand. Indiha Saotui-Huta also had an outstanding Rugby Sevens school boy career.

From a rugby league perspective, Indiha Saotui-Huta represented the U17 Taranaki Sharks rugby league side in 2017 and from there has been identified to take part in the 2018 New Zealand U18 talent squad.

Whilst in Australia previously Indiha Saotui-Huta only played four rugby league matches, which all came in 2015 for the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in the GCJRL U15 Division One competition, from those four matches, he scored for a solitary try which came against Southport.