Junior Development

[mdrew]

Former Sydney Roosters U18 SG Ball outside back Reece Tapine made every post a winner in his first season on the Gold Coast in 2018 after being rewarded with a starting spot on the left wing for the Burleigh Bears U20 side for their Round One matches against the Sunshine Coast Falcons and will be looking to keep that trend going as part of the Burleigh Colts side in 2019.

Reece Tapine’s debut was a good one scoring in Burleigh’s big 52 -22 victory over the Sunshine Coast Falcons. Reece Tapine also started on the left wing for Burleigh’s Round Two match against the Redcliffe Dolphins on the Gold Coast and once again scored to have a 100% strike rate after the first two rounds of the 2018 season.

In total in the 2018 Hastings Deering’s U20 Colts competition, Reece Tapine played in seventeen matches scoring eight tries. Reece Tapine scored doubles in Round Six against the Western Mustangs and in Round Eleven against Easts.

Reece Tapine’s other four tries came in Rounds One, Two, Eight and Thirteen against Sunshine Coast, Redcliffe, Central Queensland and Ipswich.

Reece Tapine started his first seven U20 Colts matches this season on the wing before moving to the centres in Round Eight against Central Queensland and remaining there for the remainder of the 2018 season.

Late in the 2018 season Reece Tapine was promoted to the Burleigh Bears Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade side scoring on debut against Bilambil in Round Sixteen and also scored in his second and first GCRL First Grade match of the season against Tugun the following round being Round Seventeen. Reece Tapine started both of those matches in the centres.

The former Springfield Panthers junior rugby league player played in two matches for the Sydney Roosters in the 2017 U18 SG Ball competition. In that competition the former Trinity College Beenleigh student played in matches against the Cronulla Sharks and the Penrith Panthers starting both matches being Rounds One and Two on the left wing.

The Sydney Roosters signed Reece Tapine from the Ipswich region where he played for the Springfield Panthers with his last year there being the 2016 season representing the Panthers in the Ipswich U17 competition scoring eleven tries from just thirteen matches. For the Springfield Panthers, Reece Tapine spent the vast majority of his playing time in the centres.

Reece Tapine also represented Trinity College with distinction across a number of seasons including at the Open level in the 2015 QISSRL Confraternity Shield Division Two competition as a 16 year old starring against St Joseph’s Assumption College when he scored a double starting in the centres.

Reece Tapine’s Round One try against the Sunshine Coast Falcons came as a result of him maintaining his position and spacing. It was not a spectacular try in the context of a dive for the corner and so forth but as the ball went to the left through the hands of Titans due five eight Taine Tuaupiki and left centre Jaxon Paulo, Reece Tapine stayed on his wing and did not over run the ball to make it easy for Jaxson Paulo (who was outstanding on the day and on the season for that matter) to draw and pass to send Reece Tapine over in the left corner untouched.

Reece Tapine’s try in Round Two against the Redcliffe Dolphins can also be put down to his positioning. After a long break by Burleigh and with the Redcliffe defence all over the place it would have been easy for Reece Tapine to come in from the left wing looking to be the hero, but instead he stayed on his wing.

Burleigh half back Harry Fitzhugh got the ball from the dummy half and seeing Reece Tapine out wide to the left unmarked put in a deft chip which Reece Tapine took easily on the full to cross untouched and was even able to bring the ball around to near the posts to make the conversion a lot easier for Jaxson Paulo

[mdrew]

Another Darling Downs local who will line up for the Western Mustangs U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts side in 2019 is Pittsworth lock Cody Evans.

In 2018 he played eleven Toowoomba Rugby League Reserve Grade games scoring against Gatton in Round Four and also scored against Southern Suburbs and Wattles.

2018 also saw Cody Evans make his Toowoomba Rugby League Hutchies A Grade debut in May against Oakey and also played A Grade matches against Gatton and Goondiwindi.

In addition this season he played for the Toowoomba U20 side and for the Toowoomba Clydesdales U20’s in the 47th Battalion Trophy competition

[mdrew]

Local young hooker Jed Edwards has recently been selected in the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad for the upcoming 2019 version of the State-wide U18 competition after playing a number of matches for the Tweed Heads MM Cup side earlier this season.

Jed Edwards came into the Tweed Heads MM Cup side in Round Five against the Townsville Blackhawks starting at hooker and also started at hooker in Rounds Six, Seven and in the first week of the finals against Wynnum Manly, Easts and Souths Logan respectively.

For Burleigh in the GCRL U17 Division One competition this season, Jed Edwards played only the one match which was against Helensvale in May.

Where Jed Edwards really shone this season was for PBC starting in all of their matches including both the Queensland Final against Kirwan and the National GIO Final against Patrician Brothers College Blacktown. In the Queensland Final Jed Edwards scored late in the first half to level the scores when he was on the spot to retrieve a good short kick from PBC half Thomas Dearden.

In the Queensland GIO Cup semi-final victory over Ignatius Park, Jed Edwards set up one of fellow Titan Noah Gafa’s first of two tries which came early in the first half when he ran an outside shoulder route close to the try line and received a good ball from Jed Edwards to crash over.

For PBC Jed Edwards started all of their matches this season playing the majority of the first half before rotating with Nelson Grove, Jed Edwards normally then came back on mid-way through the second half to finish out the match.

To say that Jed Edwards had an outstanding 2017 season would be an absolute understatement. The youngster played a key hand in the success of the Parramatta Eels U16 Harrold Matthews side and then represented New South Wales in the annual U16 interstate match against Queensland as one of six young players in the match from both sides who had a Gold Coast background with the majority being from the Burleigh Bears.

Jed Edwards started at hooker in all ten of Parramatta’s Harrold Matthews matches this season (Round One was washed out) including starting both their Qualifying and Preliminary Finals. In those matches Jed Edwards scored five tries which came against St George in Round One, Balmain in Round Two, the Cronulla Sharks in Round Seven, Central Coast in Round Eight and North Sydney in Round Ten.

[mdrew]

Big tall young former St Brendan’s College front rower Tyler Szepanowski signed with the Titans mid-way through the 2017 season and is currently a member of the Titans Rookie Squad and will be part of the Burleigh Colts squad in 2019.

Tyler Szepanowski started the 2018 season in the Burleigh Bears Hastings Deering’s U20 Colts squad starting his opening ten matches in the front row before being promoted to the Burleigh Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade side where he has stayed since that time.

In the GCRL First Grade competition Tyler Szepanowski made his debut against Southport in June and went on to play in seven matches and scored his first and only try against Tugun in late July. For Burleigh in the GCRL First Grade side Tyler Szepanowski on the majority of occasions has come off the bench but he started one or two matches at lock towards the end of the season.

In 2017 Tyler Szepanowski was part of the Central Queensland Capra’s U18 squad after having a solid season in Schoolboy rugby league in 2016. The young front rower was the St Brendan’s College Co-captain a great achievement for the young man who came to the school from Moranbah and also was part of the St Brendan’s side that made the 2016 Final of the Confraternity Shield where they played Ignatius Park in that final.

Tyler Szepanowski was approached by the Titans after the Capra’s Round Three match against the Burleigh Bears MM side in 2017 at Browne Park and is probably the first player the Titans have signed with a Prussian heritage.

For the Central Queensland Capra’s MM side in 2017 Tyler Szepanowski started in five of their six matches, in each of his starts Tyler Szepanowski played in the front row. Tyler Szepanowski only missed the final round being Round Six.

Tyler Szepanowski scored two tries in the five matches with his tries coming in Rounds One and Two against the Central Crows and Redcliffe Dolphins. Tyler Szepanowski also captained the Capra’s in their Round Five matches against eventual MM champions the Western Mustangs.

At the completion of the MM competition in 2017, Tyler Szepanowski moved to playing first grade in the Rockhampton Rugby League competition with Brothers Rockhampton making his First Grade debut in late April against the North’s Chargers. In total Tyler Szepanowski played in thirteen Rockhampton RL First Grade matches and scored his sole first grade try in June against Woorabinda.

Tyler Szepanowski started all of his first grade matches in the second row. Late in the 2017 season, Tyler Szepanowski also played one match in the Rockhampton Rugby League U20 competition with the match being against Brothers Rockhampton.

At the Rockhampton Senior Rugby League awards in late 2017 Tyler Szepanowski was named at the Rockhampton Rugby League First Grade Rookie of the Year.

Tyler Szepanowski who trailed for the Parramatta Eels Harrold Matthews side in 2015 won the Coaches Award at the 2016 St Brendan’s Sports Awards night and represented the Queensland Capra’s in the CC Cup competition in 2016 and also Capricornia U15 side in 2014 at the QSSRL U15 Championships

[mdrew]

Lismore Marist Brothers U15 player and St Johns College Woodlawn student Jake Coleman will be lining up for the Northern Rivers Titans U16 squad in 2019 after a 2018 season which saw him play both rugby and rugby league.

In the Group One U15 rugby league competition in 2018 he scored three tries in his 13 matches, scoring against Casino RSM and Kyogle in two separate matches.

For Woodlawn he was part of the school side that New South Wales U15 School Boy rugby 7’s competition defeating Hills Sports High in the final with Jake Coleman scoring a try wide out in the second half.

[mdrew]

An interesting addition to the Burleigh Queensland Cup squad in 2019 is former ACT School Boys representative half George House.

Also joining Burleigh for the 2019 Queensland Cup season is New Zealand born centre Letuituia Charis Eliu who joins the Bears after a 2018 season which saw him play for the Easts Tigers U20 Colts squad. In New Zealand he played for the Auckland based Marist club.

[mdrew]

Young hooker Oskar Bryant will make another foray into the representative ranks in 2019 when he lines up for the Northern Rivers Titans U16 side.

In 2018 Oskar Bryant represented the Group 18 U15 side at the New South Wales Country U15 Championships playing matches against Group 21 (he score a double in the match), Group Two and Group Four.

He also represented Group 18 in 2017 at the U14 level.

[mdrew]

Well done to Titans Bailey Martin, Brody Smitka, Kaleb Ngamanu, Flynn Daniel, Caleb Gould-Waiariki and Orlando Swain for making the 2019 U16 Emerging Origin squad.

[mdrew]

Recently graduated Keebra Park student Brendan Hoffman has been named in the Tweed Heads MM Cup squad for the 2019 season. In addition to playing in the second row for Keebra Park, he has had a solid junior athletics career in shotput.

Brendan Hoffman is originally from the Darling Downs region and moved down to the Gold Coast to take up a partial Wests Tigers scholarship at Keebra Park

[mdrew]

2018 Group One U15 five eight Jordan Gallagher will be lining up in the 2019 Northern Rivers Titans representative side.

For the Group One U15 side at the New South Wales Country U15 Championships, he played three matches, starting all at five eight and scored in their second match against Group Three. Jordan Gallagher also represented Group One in 2017 at the U14 level kicking six goals from three matches.

Jordan Gallagher played the 2018 season for South Grafton in the Group One competition, playing in the U15 age group and finishing as one of the competitions leading points scorers with 76 points from 15 matches.

Jordan Gallagher scored tries against Kyogle and Clarence Coast in consecutive rounds mid-season and scored in all bar one match.

With the boot he kicked five goals in a late season match against Lismore Marist Brothers and four midseason also against Marist

[mdrew]

When Murwillumbah youngster Fletcher Condon runs out for the U18 Northern Rivers Titans U18 squad in 2019 he will do so with some U18 experience behind him after making his NRRRL U18 debut during the 2018 season when he ran onto the field against Lismore Marist Brothers in June

[mdrew]

After directing the Group 18 U14 representative side around the field this year, Cudgen Hornets half Harvey Moase will be looking to do the same for the Titans U15 Development squad when they play the Western Mustangs in February 2019.

In the New South Wales Country U14 Championships earlier this year Harvey Moase played in matches against Group 21, 2 and 4, kicking a conversion against Group 21.

[mdrew]

Currumbin Eagles U19 half or centre Nash Geyer is undertaking the pre-season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts squad after a 2018 season saw him score 58 points from 15 fifteen games.

The 58 points came from 13 tries and three goals. He scored a hat trick against Ormeau and doubles against Mudgeeraba, Burleigh and Bilambil. Nash Geyer who is the son of former Melbourne Strom player Mark Geyer also scored in matches against Ormeau, Runaway Bay and Southport on two occasions. He kicked two goals early in the season against Beaudesert and also kicked a goal against Runaway Bay.

In the 2018 U19 Grand Final Nash Geyer started at half as Currumbin defeated Southport, with Nash Geyer capping off a solid match with a try.

In August he made his GCRL First Grade debut when he ran on against Tugun.

[mdrew]

After representing Northern Rivers at the U16 level in 2018, hooker Zac Hicks will once again represent the Northern Rivers Titans in 2019, this time at the U18 level. For Northern Rivers in 2018 the Murwillumbah youngster played in three Andrew Johns Cup U16 matches, with those matches being against the Greater Northern Tigers, North Coast and the Newcastle Knights Development Squad.

[mdrew]

Group One front rower Logan Smith may not score a great deal of tries but is more than an effective player as was evidenced by a 2018 season which saw him represent Group One at the U15 level as well as playing for Ballina in the Group One competition.

In 2019 he will be lining up for the U16 Andrew Johns Cup Northern Rivers Titans squad.

For Ballina he played in 14 Group One U15 matches and also played four in the U16.5 competition, making his debut against Kyogle in Round One. In all four of his U16.5 matches he backed up after playing in the U15 match the game earlier