Junior Development

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The 2021 U18 Laurie Daley Cup season that was for Blake Forder:

Blake Forder started on the right wing for the Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup side for their Round One match against the Wests Tigers before moving to fullback late in the second half with Blake Forder contributing an early second half try to the victory.

Blake Forder was consistently in the action in the match, including being getting over the line early in the match with a great winding run off his right wing only to be penalised for a (seemed harshly) for a double movement after a great winding run off his right wing.

Blake Forder was also heavily involved in Michael Robert’s first try of the match, early in the first half. Half Harvey Moase kicked towards the right wing with the ball taking a wicked bounce, 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.

As noted Blake Forder scored early in the second half when after receiving a pass from Michael Roberts he stepped back inside and after juggling the ball got it down wide out on the right near the corner post.

Blake Forder also showcased some outstanding hands in the match, including a situation when he misjudged a Wests Tigers kick off, coming in too far, Blake Forder had to stop and dive backwards full length, taking the ball over his shoulder as you was diving in the same direction as the ball. If Blake Forder had not been able to pull off such as spectacular take, the ball would have likely gone dead and the Wests Tigers would have gotten it back from the restart.

Defensively Blake Forder also had some good moments in the match, including in the 51st minute of the match, when he along with Michael Roberts grabbed hold of the Wests Tigers left winger and dragged him eight metres into touch to force a Northern Rivers Titans scrum feed.

After his outstanding Round One performance, in no surprise Blake Forder also started Round Two against local rivals the North Coast Bulldogs at Nambucca Heads on the right wing.

After missing Round Three Blake Forder was back on the right wing for Round Four at Lismore against the Central Coast Roosters and scored in the 67th minute of the match when he dived on a deft right foot grubber into the in-goal in the right corner from Harvey Moase.

Blake Forder continued on the right wing in Round Five against the Newcastle Knights and whilst the ball did not find him too often, Blake Forder did have some good moments including a great in and away off a Northern Rivers Titans scrum win in the 48th minute with Blake Forder surging thirty metres down field.

Blake Forder however did almost get his name on the try sheet but was held up near the right corner in the 55th minute, then in the dying minutes of the match Blake Forder once against broke the Knights line off a Northern Rivers Titans scrum win after receiving the ball to the right of the scrum directly off the back of the scrum.

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The 2021 U16 Andrew Johns Cup season that was for Kye Cooper:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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The 2021 U18 Laurie Daley Cup season that was for Harvey Moase:

Harvey Moase started at halfback for the Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup side for their Round One match against the Wests Tigers and had an outstanding match which saw him cross for a second half double.

Harvey Moase’s first try came early in the second half, when after kicking towards the right corner, he was on hand when a heavy tackle from Michael Roberts dislodged the ball from the Wests Tiger’s fullbacks grasp, under Harvey Moase being on the spot to pick the ball up and race away to score under the posts.

Later in the second half Harvey Moase scored his second try when he backed up fullback Ben Moyle who had split the Wests Tigers line through the centre of the ruck. Ben Moyle drew the fullback to send Harvey Moase away in score under the posts in the 57th minute. Harvey Moase then proceeded to convert his own try.

Harvey Moase was also heavily involved in Michael Robert’s first try of the match, early in the first half. Harvey Moase kicked towards the right wing with the ball taking a wicked bounce, 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.

Over the course of the match, Harvey Moase’s tactical kicking into the right corner kept the Wests Tigers on the back foot and 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.

After his outstanding Round One performance, Harvey Moase also started Round Two against local rivals the North Coast Bulldogs at Nambucca Heads at half back and produced another solid display and another try as the Titans went down to the Bulldogs.

Harvey Moase scored early in the first half when he produced a winding run back to the left side of the field, which included a right foot step before straightening up to dive over under the posts under heavy pressure. Harry Moase made his try scoring run after receiving a pass from fullback ben Moyle after initially passing to Moyle on the right side of the field.

Harvey Moase also continued to showcase his tactical kicking in the match, including a pin point kick towards the left corner in the 19th minute of the first half which came down less than a metre from the North Coast line when the Titans defence right there to drag the catcher back into the in-goal for a Northern Rivers Titans restart.

Harvey Moase also produced an outstanding kick in the 21st minute of the first half, this time to the right corner, once again the ball came down close to the North Coast line with the Bulldogs left winger unable to take the ball cleanly.

Harvey Moase also started at halfback in Round Three against the Greater Northern Tigers once again highlighting his tactical kicking including a smart short kick into the in-goal in just the third minute of the match to force the Tigers to restart by way of the goal line drop out.

From the resultant set of six after the drop out, Harvey Moase had a try assist when he put up a pinpoint kick to the right corner which found Harry Silverwright on the chest for him to score untouched.

Harvey Moase also started at halfback in Round Four at Lismore against the Central Coast Roosters, kicking three conversions including converting Blake Forder’s 67th minute try from the right touchline. Harvey Moase in fact set up Blake Forder’s try with a deft right foot grubber into the in-goal in the right corner.

A minute earlier Harvey Moase had forced the Central Coast fullback to take the ball dead when he put in a right foot grubber kick into the in-goal. Harvey Moase set up Blake Forder’s try from the resultant restart.

Harvey Moase continued at halfback in Round Five against the Newcastle Knights and produced a great try saving tackle in the opening minutes of the second half when he scrambled to his right to get to the Newcastle fullback and prevent a try. Harvey Moase made another try saving tackle in the second half of the match in the 63rd minute when he got low and stopped the Newcastle No. 14 when he tried to sneak over from dummy half from close range to the right of the play the ball.

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The 2021 U18 Laurie Daley Cup season that was for Tanu Nona:

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.

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The 2021 U16 Andrew Johns Cup season that was for Lachlan Offley:

Lachlan Offley started at right centre for the Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup side for their Round One match against the Wests Tigers as they suffered a tough first up loss and also started at right centre in Round Two against local rivals the North Coast Bulldogs in Nambucca Heads.

Round Three saw Lachlan Offley move from right centre to fullback as the Northern Rivers Titans took on the Greater Northern Tigers.

Lachlan Offley scored his first try of the 2021 Andrew Johns Cup season in the 17th minute of the match when whilst operating on the left he received a pass in pace from Kye Cooper. Lachlan Offley then produced a strong left arm fend to create space and then cut back to his right to charge over from eight metres out.

Lachlan Offley also worked hard running out of dummy half including a strong twenty metre run towards the end of the first half which took a lot of pressure off the Northern Rivers Titans side.

Lachlan Offley produced another strong run late in the first half, breaking through the line making thirty metres and then winning the penalty when he was held down whilst trying to execute a quick play the ball.

Early in the second half Lachlan Offley was at it again making another twenty metres on the back of a winding run that included beating three defenders in the set of six after Jaylen Taewa’s 33rd minute try. Just minutes later Lachlan Offley broke the line once again flying twenty five metres down the left touch line.

Lachlan Offley continued at fullback in Round Four against the Central Coast Roosters. Lachlan Offley took the Central Coast kick-off on the full, returning the ball into the defensive line.

Lachlan Offley moved to left centre for Round Five against the Newcastle Knights and as usual worked hard in attack and in the early going back off his line to make fifteen metres from a winding run. Lachlan Offley was at it again just a few minutes later when after a ten metre run he was able to offload to Stevie O’Connor to get outside his man.

In the 19th minute Lachlan Offley continued his good work out of dummy half in the match when he darted to the right, breaking one tackle whilst gaining ten metres. Lachlan Offley’s impressive running out of dummy half continued in the second half when he darted out of dummy half to the right gaining fifteen valuable metres on a run that started inside his own twenty metre area.

The 46th minute of the match saw Lachlan Offley once again dart out of dummy half to his right making sixteen metres before being brought down on the halfway mark and made eleven more metres two minutes later.

It was not just Lachlan Offley’s attack that impressed during the match, his defence was also top quality including in the 39th minute when he was able to hold the Newcastle No. 11 back from scoring through shear strength. Lachlan Offley backed that moment up in the 51st minute when he was able to get across field to force the Newcastle right winger into touch just three metres out from the corner post.

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The 2021 U18 Laurie Daley Cup season that was for Kyhan Weir:

Kyhan Weir’s selection in the 2021 Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup squad was in fact surprisingly the first time in his junior rugby league career that Kyhan Weir was selected in any representative side.

Round One of the 2021 U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition saw Kyhan Weir start in the front row against the Wests Tigers and Kyhan Weir also started in the front row in Round Two against the North Coast Bulldogs and once again was one of the Northern Rivers Titans best in the wet conditions against a far larger forward pack.

Kyhan Weir also started in the front row in Round Three against the Greater Northern Tigers and produced another impressive display starting with his first run of the match which came in the 3rd minute when after making ground through the centre of the ruck, Kyhan Weir was able to offload to Tanu Nona. Kyhan Weir then backed up to take another hit-up from the next play the ball.

Kyhan Weir continued his strong match in the 14th minute when he charged into a short pass from Rowan Mansfield surging forty metres downfield, showing some good speed from a front rower before he was brought down.

Kyhan Weir continued his strong match in the second half with yet another strong run in the 59th minute and won a penalty for the Northern Rivers Titans when he was not allowed to get to his feet quickly to play the ball. Tanu Nona scored from the resultant set of six.

Kyhan Weir made another strong charge in the 69th minute and once again was awarded a penalty when he was not allowed to get to his feet quickly to play the ball.

Kyhan Weir also started in the front row in Round Four at Lismore against the Central Coast Roosters and as usual was heavily involved throughout, including taking the hit-up off the Central Coast kick-off and then also taking the fourth hit-up in the same set of six.

Kyhan Weir was also strong defensively in the match including a strong front on tackle on one of the Central Coast Roosters front rowers in the 36th minute of the first half and then he followed that tackle up by bring down the Roosters half back to make back to back tackles.

Kyhan Weir continued in the front row in Round Five being the final regular season round against the Newcastle Knights and made his presence felt from the kick off when in conjunction with Patrick Gray crunched the Newcastle front rower who took the ball from the kick-off.

Kyhan Weir then took the first of his many hit-ups in just the 4th minute of the match and also charged onto the ball in the 17th minute making fifteen metres into the Knights twenty metre zone and then in the 23rd minute produced a good offload to Harvey Moase to keep the ball moving forward.

Defensively Kyhan Weir also displayed his aggressiveness over the course of the match but also his intensity and effort including making three tackles in a row in the 22nd minute as Newcastle were trying to bring the ball out of their own twenty metre area.

Kyhan Weir’s aggressiveness came to the fore in the 53rd minute of the match when a strong tackle forced the ball loose from his Newcastle opponent to put the Northern Rivers Titans back on the attack in the Knights territory.

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The 2021 U16 Andrew Johns Cup season that was for Brady Turner:

Brady Turner was named in the front row for the Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup side for their Round One match against the Wests Tigers.

Even though he gave away a lot of size to the opposing Wests Tigers forward pack, Brady Turner performed very well in both attack and defence in his stints on the field with his work rate being one his impressive attributes that were on display over the course of the match.

Brady Turner also started in the front row in Round Two against local rivals the North Coast Bulldogs in Nambucca Heads and was immediately in the action with a great tackle as North Coast returned the kick-off. For me Brady Turner was the best player on the field for the Northern Rivers Titans in the match.

Brady Turner started once again in the front row in Round Three against the Greater Northern Tigers producing an outstanding display which started from just the second hit-up of the match with a strong run.

Brady Turner also produced a strong charge from the third hit-up from the restart after Jaylen Taewa had scored in the 33rd minute. Once again Brady Turner charged into the Tigers forward pack making significant post contact metres,

Brady Turner was also very good defensively in the match including being on hand to hold up the Greater Northern Tigers front rower over the line with the assistance of Cameron Bevan. Brady Turner produced another try saving tackle in the29th minute when he brought down the Greater Northern Tigers hooker who had tried to sneak over from dummy half.

Early in the second half, Brady Turner produced a great front on one on one tackle that absolutely rattled the opposing forward.

Brady Turner continued in the front row in Round Four against the Central Coast Roosters as usual impressing early, including taking two of the hit-ups in the opening set of six in the match after Central Coast kicked off.

Brady Turner also started in the front row in Round Five against the Newcastle Knights and as usual was involved from the start, including taking the third hit-up of the match.

Brady Turner deservedly scored his first try of the competition in the 15th minute when after a six again call, he charged onto the ball from ten metres out, producing a slight jink off his left foot before reaching out to get the ball down ten metres to the left of the uprights.

Brady Turner then took the hit-up from the resultant kick-off and then the 4th hit-up in the same set.

Brady Turner also had a strong defensive match including a big front on tackle on the Newcastle centre (No. 3) in the opening minutes of the second half. Brady Turner produced a different type of tackle a couple of minute later but it was equally effective when he cut the legs out from under the Newcastle No. 11 and then also made the next tackle when the Newcastle dummy half tried to sneak out of dummy half to Brady Turner’s left when he was at marker.

In the 51st minute of the match, Brady Turner produced the highlight reel moment of the match (and maybe the season) when he rampaging seventy metres down field right through the centre of the Newcastle ruck after charging onto the ball near his own try line. Brady Turner broke at least four tackles in the incredible run that led to a try a minute later and on at least one occasions near the halfway mark it appeared that he would be brought down but Brady Turner kept fighting and was able to break away from the defence and kept making ground.

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The 2021 U18 Laurie Daley Cup season that was for Michael Roberts:

Michael Roberts started at right centre for the 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.

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In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition last Saturday, Titans contracted Jaylen De Groot started at fullback against the Ipswich Jets. Early in the second half Jaylan De Groot moved to left centre before moving back to fullback late in the match.

Jaylan De Groot second a try in each half of the Seagulls 22 – 20 first up victory the first of which came in just the 5th minute of the match. Thomas Weaver took the ball down a shortish left blindside 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 in from the left corner post to cross for the Seagulls first try of the match.

Jaylan De Groot’s second try came early in the second half in the 40th minute of the match. Thomas Weaver put up a bomb to the Seagulls left corner and it was perfectly weighted for Jaylan De Groot to come through with the momentum to take the ball on the full in the in goal to get the ball down a metre from the dead ball line.

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Since his move to Australia Titans contracted Keano Kini has been nothing short of outstanding and that did not alter last Saturday when he 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, Titans contracted Oskar Bryant started at hooker against the Ipswich Jets and scored a key try in the 61st minute of the match that put Tweed Heads back in front by two points, a lead that they kept for the remainder of the match.

Oskar Bryant moved into dummy half with the play the ball twenty metres out from the Ipswich line. As soon as the ball was played Oskar Bryant shot out of dummy half to the right down a short blind side before cutting back behind the play the ball to find open space. Oskar Bryant then used his speed to veer to the right and dive over to score mid-way between the goal post and corner post on the left side of the field.

In the 68th minute of the match with the clock ticking down Oskar Bryant showed what a talented game manager he is when he kicked out of dummy half forty metres out from his own line. Oskar Bryant took one step out of dummy half to the right of the play the bell with his right foot kick travelling in excess of fifty metres into the right corner, Oskar Bryant was then the first Seagulls defender down field to make the tackle on the Jets fullback.

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In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition on Saturday, Titans contracted Thomas Weaver started at half back and captained the Tweed Heads Seagulls side against the Ipswich Jets as Tweed Heads scored late to record a 22 – 20 first up victory.

Thomas Weaver was heavily involved in two of the Seagulls tries, the first being in just the 5th minute when he 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 got the ball back inside to Jaylan De Groot to score the Seagulls first try of the match.

Thomas Weaver was the catalyst for the Titans first try of the second half which came in the 40th minute of the match. Thomas Weaver, operating on his usual left side of the field, put up a bomb to the Seagulls left corner and it was perfectly weighted for Jaylan De Groot to come through with the momentum to take the ball on the full in the in-goal to get the ball down a metre from the dead ball line.

Thomas Weaver was heavily involved in the Titans two point victory from a defensive aspect as well including a key tackle with a minute to go and the Titans under pressure on their own line. Thomas Weaver produced a big front on one on one tackle on the Ipswich left second rower (No. 11) who had caused the Seagulls defence all lots of problems the entire match. If Thomas Weaver’s tackle was not as good as it was, the Seagulls ultimate two point victory may well have not eventuated.

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

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

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

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

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

Delahia Wigmore’s solid Round One performance came as no surprise after his solid trial form.

Delahia Wigmore came off the bench in Burleigh’s first 2021 MM Cup trial against the Tweed Heads Seagulls. Delahia Wigmore moved in the starting side at left second row for Burleigh’s second trial against the Easts Tigers.

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

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

[mdrew]

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

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

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

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

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