Junior Development

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The 2021 season to date for Titans contracted Isaac Matalavea-Booth.

The young New Zealand born front rower, in October 2020 signed a one year extension with the Titans that takes his contract with the Titans up until the end of the 2021 rugby league season and see him training with the Titans U20 squad over the course of the 2021 season.

Such was Isaac Matalavea-Booth’s early 2021 form for both the Titans U19 side and for Buleigh in the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition, in early June 2021 Isaac Matalavea-Booth started training one day a week with the Titans NRL squad.

In early January 2021 Isaac Matalavea-Booth started in the front row for the Titans U19 side in their annual match against the Newcastle Knights in Coffs Harbour as the Titans ran away with the match in the second half to record an impressive 40 – 6 victory after leading 16 – 6 at half time.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth was in the action almost immediately, being involved in a solid hit in the second tackle after the Titans kicked off. Also involved in the tackle were Samuel Shannon and Ediq Ambrosyev. Isaac Matalavea-Booth was involved in a further heavy tackle just two minutes later when he and Brock Priestley belted the Knight left winger who had come off his wing forcing him five metres backwards before driving him into the ground.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth and Brock Priestley combined once again in a heavy tackle early in the second half when they combined to heavily tackle a Knights player from a twenty metre restart, with the initial contact forcing the ball loose.

It was not just in the centre of the ruck where Isaac Matalavea-Booth was effective defensively, early in the second half, Isaac Matalavea-Booth found himself on the fringes of the ruck on the Titans left side of the field with the Knights attacking the line from close range. The Newcastle five eight identified that Isaac Matalavea-Booth was on a one on one situation with him and tried to beat him on the outside. Isaac Matalavea-Booth however tracked across the field and hit the Knights five eight around the shoulders, knocking him down immediately, which was in fact only a metre out from the Titans line.

Over the course of his stints on the field Isaac Matalavea-Booth was particularly effective in forcing the Knights forward pack to use multiple resources to bring him down and with his quick play the balls, the Titans play makers were regularly able to exploit the additional space that Isaac Matalavea-Booth afforded them.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth was deservedly the Titans first try scorer of the match when he charged onto an Ediq Ambrosyev pass out of dummy half to the left of the play the ball from ten metres out. When Isaac Matalavea-Booth caught sight of the try line, literally no-one on earth was going to stop him from scoring as he planted the ball down adjacent to the right upright.

Over the course of the match Isaac Matalavea-Booth was a difficult for the Knights defensive to stop and that was highlighted when Isaac Matalavea-Booth charged into the Newcastle defensive line when he returned the second half kick-off and made twenty five metres through sheer size and power. A quick play the ball from Isaac Matalavea-Booth led to more metres being gained by Samuel Shannon.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth was at it again in the 8th minute of the second half making eighteen metres, the majority of which were post contact metres with Isaac Matalavea-Booth twisting and turning and bullocking his way downfield, eventually being brought down only after four Knights defenders had to commit themselves to the tackle.

Unbelievably for a big front rower Isaac Matalavea-Booth was still charging at the Knights defensive line in the last couple of minutes, including a big charge and subsequent off-load to Xavier Stowers who then got the ball away to TJ Devery who was held up. Make no mistake however if Isaac Matalavea-Booth’s stamina was not as impressive as it was the Titans would not have had that late match opportunity.

A week after the match against the Newcastle Knights Isaac Matalavea-Booth once again lined up for the Titans U19’s starting in the front row as the Titans took on a Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts squad with the Titans winning 32 – 20 with no conversions attempted.

Like against Newcastle Isaac Matalavea-Booth was exceptional for the Titans both in attack and defence including a late first half try assist and he almost had a second just minutes later after making his initial impact in the match making a strong hit-up, being the third of the match after the Knights kicked off.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth’s try assist come in the 37th minute of the first half. Isaac Matalavea-Booth charged onto the ball to the right of the play the ball from thirteen metres out for the Bears line, heading directly at the posts. After initially being held, Isaac Matalavea-Booth was able to get his right arm free and was able to get a great flick pass away to Oskar Bryant who was backing up on the inside from dummy half who was able to dive over next to the left upright after rounding one Burleigh defender.

Just minutes later Isaac Matalavea-Booth charged into space, getting a strong one armed (right arm) offload away across his body to his left to Thomas Weaver for what seemed was going to be another Titans try but a desperate knock down of a Titans pass by a Burleigh defender put paid to the Titans attacking play.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth also had a number of kick return metres in the match. Late in the first half, Isaac Matalavea-Booth got his hands down low and cleanly took possession when Burleigh grubber kicked not far out from the Titans line, Isaac Matalavea-Booth took possession and then rumbled four metres down field.

Defensively Isaac Matalavea-Booth produced one of the best tackles in the first half when he crunched one of the Burleigh forwards late in the half. Isaac Matalavea-Booth hit him from the left side around chest high and driving his opponent diagonally backwards for at least five metres.

In early May 2021 a Titans U19 side travelled to North Queensland to play an U19 Cowboys selection in a curtain raiser to a Cowboys v Broncos NRL match with Isaac Matalavea-Booth starting the match in the front row for the Titans.

Just weeks after Isaac Matalavea-Booth suited up for the Titans against Burleigh, Isaac Matalavea-Booth was in a Burleigh jersey lining up for the Bears in a 2021 Hastings Deering’s Colts trial against the Easts Tigers at Langland’s Park. Starting in the front row in the second half Isaac Matalavea-Booth was one of Burleigh’s best, alongside fellow contracted Titan Tony Francis in the match that ended up in a twenty all draw.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth was outstanding in his two second half stints but it was a hit-up in the 71st minute of the match in his second stint in the half that summed up not just Isaac Matalavea-Booth’s match but his 2021 season to date.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth charged onto the ball to the right of the play the ball and surged an incredible thirty five metres up field, breaking eight tackles in the process. It looked as if on at least two occasions that Isaac Matalavea-Booth’s momentum would be stopped but on each occasion Isaac Matalavea-Booth produced another effort to keep the run going. Isaac Matalavea-Booth received the ball on his own twenty metre line and was eventually stopped five metres into Easts territory.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth the first of his many second half hit-ups in the opening minutes of the second half when he took a hit-up to the right of the play the ball, jinking off his left foot prior to contact with the line and making ten metres before three defenders had to commit to the tackle to bring him to the ground.

Just a few minutes later, Isaac Matalavea-Booth made another strong surge, making a further ten metres and once again it took three Tigers defenders to get him under control, even those three defenders however could not get Isaac Matalavea-Booth to the ground.

Once again in the 15th minute, Isaac Matalavea-Booth took the ball into the Tigers defensive line, this time making fifteen metres from a hit-up that started in his own twenty metre area.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth made his presence felt in defence with some huge hits in the second half, the first of which came in the 9th minute of the second half when he came in from the left side of the Easts Tigers giant left winger, dropping him to the ground immediately contact was made.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth did not leave it too long to make another strong tackle, this time on the Easts Tigers right centre (No. 4) when he got in under his ribs and drove him back three metres before driving the centre into the ground.

The following week in the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts trial against the Tweed Heads Seagulls, Isaac Matalavea-Booth was once again in the starting side in the front row. Isaac Matalavea-Booth was into the match early taking the second hit-up of the match after Burleigh had received the ball from the kick-off and then backed up to take the fourth hit-up in the same set of six.

In his second stint of the match in the second half Isaac Matalavea-Booth threw his weight around including in the 65th minute when he monstered Tweed Heads and Titans front rower Solomon Torrens in a tackle and that I can assure people is not an easy thing to do.

Round One of the 2021 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition saw Isaac Matalavea-Booth named on the interchange bench for the Burleigh Bears when they took on the Easts Tigers with Isaac Matalavea-Booth coming on in the 23rd minute to play in the front row.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth’s first hit-up occurred just a minute later making fifteen metres to get the ball forty metres away from his own line. The in the 25th minute, Isaac Matalavea-Booth picked up an Easts dropped ball to get within ten metres of the try line and two tackles later rumbled to get to just a metre out from the line.

In the 27th Isaac Matalavea-Booth continued his hectic start to his time on the field, making an additional twelve metres to get the ball to just over the halfway mark.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth showed off his off-loading skills in the 29th minute when he cut to his left on an underneath route off Blake Campbell. After hitting the line, Isaac Matalavea-Booth spun and was able to offload back to Blake Campbell who had an additional twenty metres downfield.

In the 43rd minute Isaac Matalavea-Booth showed off his impressive mobility for such a big unit when he moved deftly low to his left to dive onto a loose bouncing ball that had come off multiple feet.

The 57th minute saw Isaac Matalavea-Booth’s strength come to the fore when he was hit early and hard by multiple defenders when running the ball into the Easts line in the 53rd minute. Isaac Matalavea-Booth was hit just metres into his run but fought and fought and was able to make ten metres before he was finally forced to the ground.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth continued on the interchange bench in the Round Two local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls coming into the match in the 19th minute and almost immediately along with Samuel Shannon was in on a big first tackle on Tweed Heads front rower Ben Liyou.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth proved how difficult he is to bring down in the 18th minute when he surged through the centre of the defence getting the ball to thirty three metres out from his own line before four defenders were eventually able to get him to the ground.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth was at his hard stopping best again in the 34th minute when it took three Tweed Heads forwards to stop his forward momentum and get him to the ground after a ten metre run by the big front rower.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth’s second half continued as strongly as his first half ended when he made twelve metres from the third hit-up after Tweed Heads kicked off, getting the ball over the forty metre line.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth also saved a try when late in the first half he along with Cameron Brown he held Seagulls replacement hooker Jed Edwards up over the line after he had run from dummy half from ten metres out looking to score under the posts.

The 44th minute saw Isaac Matalavea-Booth make another strong try saving tackle, when he along with Vaka Sikahele hit and stopped Seagulls front rower Ben Liyou just centre metres out. Isaac Matalavea-Booth recorded another good tackle in the 62nd minute when Tweed Heads half Taine Udjur-Berghan tried to dummy his way past him but Isaac Matalavea-Booth did not fall for it and monstered the half forcing him back four metres before driving him into the ground.

In the 65th minute Isaac Matalavea-Booth produced a smart piece of play when he was able to trap a Seagulls attempted grubber kick with his right foot two metres out from the try line and then he had the fore sight to dive on the ball before Tweed Heads. Then in the 66th minute Isaac Matalavea-Booth produced a try saving front one tackle when he stopped Ben Liyou in his tracks just short of the try line.

The derby saw Isaac Matalavea-Booth just work all day and in the 70th minute after Burleigh winger Lofi Khan-Pereira scored, Isaac Matalavea-Booth put his hand up to run the ball back from the subsequent kick-off to get the ball to his own twenty metre mark.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth also started from the bench in Round Three against the Western Mustangs.

After missing Round Four due to playing for the Titans U19 side, Isaac Matalavea-Booth started Round Five against the Northern Pride from the bench.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth made his starting debut in the front row in Round Six against the Townsville Blackhawks and was in the action immediately, taking the hit-up from the kick-off and then backing that run up by then hitting the ball up on the fourth tackle of the same set of six.

The match also saw Isaac Matalavea-Booth score a good try in the 58th minute when after he received the ball seventeen metres out from the line to the left of the play the ball, Isaac Matalavea-Booth ran diagonally towards the defensive line, dummying to his left before bursting through the line to crash over five metres from the left upright.

Isaac Matalaevea-Booth certainly made the best of his opportunity to start and that continued in the 15th minute with a twelve metres run that brought the ball out to his own forty metre mark. The in the 17th minute, Isaac Matalaevea-Booth charged head long into the Townsville defence from a Blackhawks drop out.

Isaac Matalaevea-Booth made another strong run in the 70th minute, making fourteen metres to the halfway, with 60% of the metres made post contact.

Isaac Matalaevea-Booth was still going strong in the 75th minute making a further ten metres from the set of six after Cameron Brown’s second intercept try of the match and then he took another hit-up just two tackles later.

In total in the Round Six match, in his fifty five minutes on the field, Isaac Matalavea-Booth ran the ball twenty times, making 246 metres and made eighteen tackles as well as scoring a try which is described above.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth also started in the front row in Round Seven against the Central Queensland Capra’s and scored the Bears second try in their big victory and also recorded a try assist.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth scored in the 12th minute of the match from approximately twelve metres out. Burleigh worked the ball back to the right after initially moving the ball to the left, with Isaac Matalavea-Booth receiving the ball whilst stationary. As soon as he took possession, Isaac Matalavea-Booth ran to his right, before stepping off his right foot just prior to engaging defensive line, beating two defenders as a result of his change of direction. Isaac Matalavea-Booth rumbled towards the line with one Capra’s trying in vain to stop him from scoring by holding his jersey. That proved to be an impossible task with Isaac Matalavea-Booth getting the ball down adjacent to the right upright.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth recorded his try assist in just the 6th minute when after receiving the ball thirty metres out he ran at the defensive line but just prior to engaging the line, Isaac Matalavea-Booth subtly adjusted to his right and threw a great short ball to his right to a rampaging Samuel Shannon who flew through a gap to score untouched from twenty five metres out.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth continued in the front row in Round Eight against the Redcliffe Dolphins and in Round Nine against the Mackay Cutters.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth continued his run of starts in the Round Eleven local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls with Isaac Matalavea-Booth scoring in the 78th minutes of Burleigh’s 38 – 22 loss. Isaac Matalavea-Booth received the ball from the dummy half to the right of the play the ball twenty two metres from the line and initially shaped to pass to his right before cutting of his right foot and then shrugged off one defender to get through the Seagulls line before also pushing off the Seagulls fullback to score next to the left upright.

Isaac Matalavea-Booth also has been named to start in the front row in the previously postponed Round Ten match against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls this weekend.

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The 2021 season to date for Troy Duckett:

After an outstanding 2020 season with PBC in the Langer Cup, Troy Duckett deservedly signed a contract with the Titans in November 2020.

In early January 2021 Troy Duckett started on the left wing for the Titans U19 side in their annual match against the Newcastle Knights in Coffs Harbour with the Titans recording an impressive 40 – 6 victory.

Early in the second half Troy Duckett produced an outstanding heads up play to prevent a Newcastle penalty kick from finding touch. Troy Duckett jumped from the field of play and was a long way over the touch line when he took the ball on the full and threw it back over his head in one movement to get possession back for the Titans.

In early May 2021 a Titans U19 side travelled to North Queensland to play an U19 Cowboys selection in a curtain raiser to a Cowboys v Broncos NRL match with Troy Duckett starting the match on the right wing for the Titans.

In 2021 Troy Duckett was part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls Hastings Deering’s Colts squad and started on the right wing in their final 2021 trial against the Burleigh Bears and scored a spectacular first half try.

In the 10th minute of the first half, Charlie Murray received the ball from the dummy half and put up a high cross field pin point bomb to the right corner, with the ball coming down a metre or so from the try line. Troy Duckett as able to time his jump perfectly to get above the Burleigh left winger in Ronin Rio and get the ball down a couple of metres in from the right corner post.

In the 17th minute Troy Duckett made a line break down a short right blind side. Glenn Mcgradey was able to work the numbers off-load to Troy Duckett who was able to break away down the right touchline. Unfortunately Troy Duckett’s subsequent inside pass after he had drawn the Burleigh fullback was intercepted with a try in the offing.

Troy Duckett showcased his elite speed in the 54th minute. Tweed Heads were on the attack just metres out from the Burleigh line when Bears half back Cameron Brown took an intercept and raced down field. Troy Duckett had to stop, turn and chase and hunted Cameron Brown down tackling him into touch.

Round One of the 2021 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition saw Troy Duckett named to start on the right wing for the Tweed Heads Seagulls when they took on the Souths Logan Magpies however he was a late scratching from the match.

Troy Duckett was also named to start on the right wing in the Round Two local derby against the Burleigh Bears with his first run coming in the 4th minute when he darted out of dummy half to his left to get the ball away from the sideline.

The ball did not get out to Troy Duckett’s that often in the match, but when it did, Troy Duckett attacked the ball, a prime example coming in the 15th minute when he charged forward to take a grubber kick directed towards him on the bounce just a one or two out from his own line with Troy Duckett able to get the ball back to the ten metre line. If he had not attacked the ball as he did, Troy Duckett may well have been trapped in his own in-goal.

Just two minute later, in the 17th minute, Troy Duckett once again went searching for the ball, coming off his wing to take a hit-up making twelve metres off the dummy half to give Burleigh some breathing room before playing the ball thirty metres out from his own line.

Troy Duckett was not going to die wondering again in the 26th minute when he leapt high to take a Burleigh bomb directed to his wing on the full and get to the ground quickly just two metres away from his own line.

It seemed clear that Burleigh were targeting his wing in the air but Troy Duckett kept them at bay including once again in the 42nd minute when he leapt high over Cameron Brown to defuse yet another bomb directed his way.

Trot Duckett was all effort in the match and it showed once again in the 43rd minute when Jed Edwards kicked out of dummy half from sixty metres out with Burleigh fullback Will Evans getting to the ball on his own try line in the corner. As soon as he picked up the ball, Troy Duckett along with Jed Edwards were able to force him over the touchline to put Tweed Heads immediately back on the attack.

In the 70th minute Troy Duckett shone in cover defence to save the Seagulls blushes when he raced back along with Cooper Many to round up Burleigh’s Cole Geyer who had split the defence through centre field and beat the Tweed Heads fullback.

Troy Duckett also started on the right wing in Round Three against the Redcliffe Dolphins, scoring his first Colts try in the Seagulls tough loss.

After missing Round Four due to playing for the Titans U19 side, Troy Duckett started Round Five against the Ipswich Jets on the right wing and scoring a double as the Seagulls ran away with the match to record a 40 – 18 victory.

Troy Duckett scored once again in Round Six from the right wing in the Seagulls 30 – 18 victory over the Easts Tigers. Troy Duckett also started on the right wing in Round Seven against the Norths Devils and Round Eight against the Mackay Cutters.

Troy Duckett scored once again in Round Nine against Wynnum Manly after starting the match on the right wing. Troy Duckett’s try came in the 51st minute when he was on the end of a Seagulls backline movement from a scrum, diving over in the right corner and receiving the ball fourteen metres out.

Troy Duckett scored in the 3rd minute from the right wing in the Round Eleven local derby against the Burleigh Bears with the try being a brilliant solo effort. Troy Duckett received the ball on the ball forty metres from the line with limited space in front of him. Troy Duckett then took the defensive line on, chipping over his opposing defender and then regathering the ball and he was then able to dive over in the right corner to record a spectacular try.

Troy Duckett has also been named to start on the right wing in the previously postponed Round Ten against the Sunshine Coast Falcons this weekend.

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The 2021 season to date for the Titans contracted Sam McIntyre:

In January 2021 Sam McIntyre played his first match in a Titans jersey when he started from the bench for the Titans U19 side in their annual match at Coffs Harbour against the Newcastle Knights with the Titans dominating the match, especially in the second half to record a 40 – 6 victory after leading 16 – 6 at half time.

Initially when he came on Sam McIntyre played on the right before moving to the left side of the field in the second half. It was on the left side of the field where Sam McInrtyre scored, when he ran into a gap and was fed a pass down a short blind side by Oskar Bryant to charge ten metres to score when he ran over the Knights fullback to ensure that he got the ball down to be awarded his first try in his first game in a Titans jersey.

Sam McIntyre also produced an outstanding run in the match in the 5th minute of the second half. After a break down the right touchline by Samuel Shannon, the Titans spun the ball back to the left, with Sam McIntyre receiving the ball then immediately stepping off his right to beat one defender and drag two more another ten metres. After a quick Sam McIntyre play the ball the Titans crossed in the left corner but the play was called back for an earlier forward pass.

Sam McIntyre also produced a smart piece of attacking play mid-way through the second half. Sam McIntyre was taking a hit-up to the right of the play the ball when he Knights defender flew out of the line trying to put a big hit on him, but Sam McIntyre saw him coming stepping off his left with the Knights defender clutching at thin air. Sam McIntyre was then able to make an additional six metres as well as getting a subsequent quick play the ball, when things could have been substantiionally different but for his quick foot work.

A week after the match against the Newcastle Knights Sam McIntyre once again lined up for the Titans U19’s as they took on a Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts squad with the Titans winning 32 – 20 with no conversions attempted.

Sam McIntyre started the match from the bench before coming on at half time playing the entire second half in the left second row position and shortening up a few of the Bears forwards with heavy hits to the ribs. Similiarly when he ran the ball in the second half, Sam McIntyre left a couple of Bears in his wake after dropping his shoulder into then when they attempted to tackle him.

Sam McIntyre made his first appearance for the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts side when he started at left second row in the Bears trial against the Easts Tigers which finished in a twenty all draw. Sam McIntyre made some strong runs in the match including a big run from the kick-off after Branden Amundsen scored the Bears first try of the match.

Late in the first half, Sam McIntyre almost scored his first try since moving to the Gold Coast when he cut back inside to beat one defender and surge towards the line, but he was eventually brought down two metres short of the line.

Sam McIntyre also highlighted in the first half his intelligence when he chased through a mid-field bomb. It would have been easy for Sam McIntyre to charge through and tackle the Easts fullback whislt he was still in the air taking the ball, but Sam McIntyre recognised this and held his momentum to tackle the Easts fullback just as his feet hit the ground.

When Sam McIntyre came onto the field in the second half for his second stint in the match, he swapped sides to play in the left second row position and once again displayed his intelligence when in the 24th minute of the second half, he anticipated an Easts Tigers off-load through the centre of the ruck, getting in between the Tigers players to take an intercept and make eight metres up the field before being stopped.

The following week in the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts trial against the Tweed Heads Seagulls, Sam McIntyre was once again in the starting side at left second row and crossed for a second half try.

Sam McIntyre’s try came in the 57th minute when Cameron Brown chipped over the Tweed Heads defensive line forty metres out, regathering the ball and sending a pass to his left to trailing second rower Sam McIntyre who ran twenty metres to dive over untouched.

In the 15th minute of the match Sam McIntyre ran a straight carsh line off a short ball from Cameron Brown and was able to get to within ten metres of the Tweed Heads line before being stopped. Sam McInrtyre’s efforts to get to his feet to play the ball quickly were hamstrung by Tweed Heads with Sam McIntyre subsequently receiving a deservded penalty. Sam McIntyre then took the first hit-up from the penalty restart.

In the 17th minute Sam McIntyre produced a smart piece of play that may well have saved a try. Tweed Heads had worked the ball well on a short right blindside with winger Troy Duckett getting away down the right touchline with support on his inside. Troy Duckett drew the fullback and passed back inside byt Sam McIntyre was able to trcked back and get between Troy Duckett and his inside support to intercept the pass to prevent a likely Seagulls try.

When the second half started Sam McIntyre switched sides to play at left second row before moving back to right second row late in the match.

Like he did in the first, Sam McIntyre was able to prevent a try in the second half through intensity and effort. In the 49th minute, Tweed Heads attacked to their right from inside Burleigh twenty metre area and generated space for their left winger down the sideline and from there he chip kicked high into the in-goal but Sam McIntyre tracked back and out jumped the Tweed Heads chasers to take the ball on the full and prevent a try. Sam McIntyre then raced back to the centre of the twenty metre line to take the restart and take the ball forward.

In early May 2021 a Titans U19 side travelled to North Queensland to play an U19 Cowboys selection in a curtain raiser to a Cowboys v Broncos NRL match with Sam McIntyre starting the match at left second row for the Titans.

Round One of the 2021 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition saw Sam McIntyre Powell start at left second row for the Burleigh Bears when they took on the Easts Tigers with Sam McIntyre scoring the Bears opening round victory.

Sam McIntyre’s try came in just the 6th minute of the match. Burleigh half, Cameron Brown took the ball to the line on the 5th tackle, getting to ten metres out before putting in a right foot stab kick to his left. The kick was ideally weighted, pulling up perfectly in the in-goal for left second rower Sam McIntyre to dive on the ball to score Burleigh’s first try of the 2021 Colts season.

An impressive part of the try was that Sam McIntyre recognised early in his chase that he had time to make sure that he got the ball down correctly. When he got near the ball Sam McIntyre slowed things down, waiting until the ball was on the ground before getting downward pressure on it instead of trying to ground the ball whilst it was still in the air.

Sam McIntyre got his first touch in the first minute of the match when he took the 4th hit-up of the match to passes off to the left of the ruck and was able to get the ball out of the Bears own twenty metre area.

In addition to running the ball strongly throughout the match, Sam McIntyre was also on hand to prevent an early Easts try in the 4th minute when he along with Cole Geyer stopped the Tigers hooker short of the try line after he had tried to dive over from close range. Sam McIntyre and Cole Geyer were to the right of the play the ball, and when the Easts hooker tried to dive over, they got low to stop him short.

Late in the first half Sam McIntyre was able to get the ball to forty metres out from the try line with an effort that accounted for ten hard metres. Just a few minutes later Sam McIntyre continued to work chasing through an Easts dropped ball that went backwards, belting the East halfback who had gone back to retrieve the ball.

It was all about Sam McIntyre’s effort in the 44th minute when somehow he willed himself to back up a break by Lofi Khan-Pereira who flew sixty metres down the left touchline leaving defenders and his own team mates behind. Somehow Sam McIntyre was able to stay close enough to get an offload from Will Evans who had picked up Lofi Khan-Pereira’s inside pass with Sam McIntyre only being stopped five metres from the try line.

Sam McIntyre’s impressive match continued in the 57th minute when he gained a further twelve metres, the last three with his back towards the try line, to get the ball twenty five metres out from his own line.

Then in the 60th minute Sam McIntyre took the second hit-up after an Easts Tigers drop out, making fourteen metres after receiving the ball to the right of the dummy half to get the ball within twenty five metres of the try line.

Sam McIntyre’s thirst for work continued in the 63rd minute with a ten metre run out to the twenty four metre mark out from his own line and then Sam McIntyre took another hit-up two tackles later in the same set of six.

Sam McIntyre was still going strong in the 75th minute when he made a further thirteen metres to get the ball over his own thirty metre mark.

Sam McIntyre also was named to start at left second row in the Round Two local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls, however he was a late scratching from the match.

Sam McIntyre was back at left second row for Round Three against the Western Mustangs, scoring the Bears second try of the match in th e10th minute. Burleigh hooker Cole Geyer broke through the Western Mustangs defensive line near the halfway mark before offloading to his left to half Cameron Brown who then offloaded to Same McIntyre who cut off his left foot immediately upon receipt of the ball to run over the Mustangs fullback to score midway between the goal posts and corner post on the left side of the field.

After missing Round Four due to playing for the Titans U19 side, Sam McIntyre was named to start Round Five against the Northern Pride at left second row however was a late scratching from the match.

Sam McIntyre also missed Round Six back was back, starting at left second row in Round Seven against the Central Queensland Capra’s as well as in Round Eight against the Redcliffe Dolphins.

Sam McIntyre moved back to the bench for Round Nine against the Mackay Cutters but was back starting at left second row in the Round Eleven local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

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The 2021 season to date for the Titans contracted Jaylan De Groot:

The former Parramatta Eels, but Northern New South Wales junior signed a one year contract with the Titans in late 2020 for the 2021 season encompassed the final year of his U18 eligibility.

To add to the positive news around Jaylan De Groot he extended his contract with the Titans in February 2021, with his new contract that commences in 2022 being a Titans NRL Development contract in recognition of a number of seasons of outstanding performances.

Jaylan De Groot’s first match in a Titans jersey came in January 2021 when he started at fullback for the Titans U19’s in their annual match against the Newcastle Knights in Coffs Harbour with Jaylan De Groot scoring a second half double for the Titans, both from long range, as the Titans defeated Newcastle 40 – 6 in an outstanding display.

Jaylan De Groot first touch of the ball in a Titans jersey came in just the second minute of the match when he moved to his right to field a Knights clearing kick on the bounce before confronting the oncoming defensive line.

Jaylan De Groot’s opening try of the match came two minutes into the second half and it was a typical Jaylan De Groot try. The play that led to the try started five metres inside the Titans own half. With Jaylan De Groot hovering behind the play the ball, the Titans worked a short blindside to get right centre Reef Sommerville into space down the right wing, as he was confronted by the fullback, Reef Sommerville grubber kiced back inside with the ball bouncing up perfectly for Jaylan De Groot who had followed the play as it developed on the inside. Once he took possession of the ball twenty metres out, no one got close to him as he brought the ball around to place it down under the posts.

Jaylan De Groot’s perchant to backing up and being in the right place at the right time, was highlighted once again late in the second half when he scored his second try. Outstanding offloads earlier in the movement by Jack Cullen and Samuel Shannon wput Thomas Weaver into space and when the half was confronted by the Knights fullback, it was none other then Jaylan De Groot who loomed up on Thomas Weaver’s right to receive the ball twenty metres out and from there Jaylan De Groot’s speed easily took him across the line to record his double.

Jaylan De Groot also had an outsanding moment in defense early in the first half. Jaylan De Groot raced to his left as the Knights found space down the right touch line. The Knights right winger cut inside late, but instead to over running the ball, Jaylan De Groot was able to shift his momentum and take the winger ball and all. If the Knights winger had beaten Jaylan De Groot’s tackle, there is no doubt the Knights would have scored.

A week after the match against the Newcastle Knights Jaylan De Groot once again lined up for the Titans U19’s at fullback as they took on a Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts squad at Burleigh Juniors with the Titans winning 32 – 20 with no conversions attempted.

Once again Jaylan De Groot had an outstanding match, being his second in a Titans jersey recording yet another try scoring double as well as multiple other smart positioning and intelligent plays that are fast becoming the norm for Jaylan De Groot.

Jaylan De Groot’s opening contribution to the Titans cause in the match was when he was able to draw the Burleigh right centre after chiming into the Titans backline on the left side of the field with a direct run at him before passing to left to find left centre Tony Francis in space who was then able to charge twelve metres to the line and get the ball down under pressure five metres in from the left corner post.

In the 7th minute of the match, Jaylan De Groot was positioned perfectly to take a Burleigh clearing kick on the full near the left touch line turning back towards the try line and he was able to return the kick twenty metres to put the Titans on the front foot.

Two tackles later Jaylan De Groot moved into dummy half fifty five metres out from the line. Jaylen De Groot darted out of dummy half to the right of the play the ball, dummying to his right before slicing through the middle of the Bears defensive line before a Jaylan De Groot right foot step enabled him to beat the Bears fullback who was defending very shallow. Once he was past the fullback, Jaylan De Groot had an easy forty metre run the line under no pressure to put the ball down under the posts.

Jaylan De Groot’s second try came in the second half when he once again backed up a Titans movement of the left side of the field, through the centre of the ruck. After Kaleb Ngamanu broke through the Bears line seventy metres out, Jaylan De Groot loomed up on Kaleb Ngamanu’s right, receiving the ball thrity five metres out after Kaleb Ngamanu had drawn the fullback, for Jaylan De Groot to put the ball down adjacent to the left upright untouched once again.

Jaylan De Groot also produced a smart play which nearly led to a Titans try in what turned out to be the final play of the first half. As usual Jaylan De Groot was bcking up through the centre of the ruck and after a Burleigh defender desperately knocked a pass down with the Titans on the attack, Jaylan De Groot tracked back to retrive the ball and with the half time siren sounding, from thirty metres out put in an intelligent chip kick which very nearly bounced back over the head of the Burleigh fullback in the in-goal with Ediq Ambrosyev hovering nearby.

One of Jaylan De Groot’s impressive attributes in the match against the Knights was his defensive positioning and that continued a week leter against Burleigh, including in the fist minute of the second half when he was on hand to knock the ball dead after Burleigh had kicked into the in-goal. Jaylan De Groot got to the ball ahead of a number of Burleigh chasers.

Just seven minutes later, Jaylan De Groot’s positioning skills were displayed once against to defuse an urgent situation when he moved to his right to get to another Burleigh kick into the in-goal to save what appeared to be a certain Bears try. Jaylan De Groot made it three exceptional defensive positional plays in the first sixteen minutes of the second half when he had to change direction and once again defuse a Burleigh kick directly behind the goal posts.

Jaylen De Groot was on hand to defuse a try for a fourth time in the second half when in the 79th minute of the match, Jaylan De Groot positioned himself direcrtly behind the play the ball and was perfectly positioned to take a Burleigh gruuber back behind the ruck. Jaylan De Groot was unable to bring the ball back into play but if he was not positioned as he had been, Burleigh would have scored in the matches final minute.

In early May 2021 a Titans U19 side travelled to North Queensland to play an U19 Cowboys selection in a curtain raiser to a Cowboys v Broncos NRL match with Jaylan De Groot starting the match at fullback for the Titans.

In November 2020 Jaylan De Groot was named in the powerful Tweed Heads Seagulls 2021 MM Cup squad and shapes as one of a number of key attacking figures in that side. Prior to that announcement, Jaylan De Groot had been named in the 2021 Parramatta Eels U18 SG Ball squad, highlighting just how good Jaylan De Groot’s junior career to date has been, thus it is another huge credit to the Titans for getting the young man to stay close to home to further his rugby league career rather than to head to Sydney.

In the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup sides second trial against Burleigh, Jaylan De Groot started the second half at fullback, even though he was wearing the No. 11 jersey. As usual Jaylan De Groot was heavily involved in his stint on the field including two try assists.

Jaylan De Groot’s first try assist came when Seagulls hooker Oskar Bryant ran out of dummy half to the right around eleven metres out from the line, drawing the Burleigh B defender before offloading to Jaylan De Groot who then threw a quick short pass to his right to put Josh Lynn over.

Jaylan De Groot’s second try assist of the match, was a piece of subtle magic. Jaylen De Groot received an inside ball after the ball was thrown to the left of the play the ball. Immediately upon receipt of the ball, Jaylen De Groot dropped the ball onto his right foot from around twenty metres out from the line. The Burleigh fullback attempted to shield the ball over the dead ball line but Jaylan De Groot refused to give up and dived full length around the right side of the fullback to knock the ball back into the in-goal for Kruze Rimene to put both hands on it. (Think Kevin Proctor in the NRL at Cbus last season).

Jaylan De Groot also started at fullback in Tweed Heads final 2021 MM Cup trial against the Souths Logan Magpies at Logan. After starting the first two quarters at fullback, Jaylan De Groot moved to the right wing in the final quarter.

Overall in the match Jaylan De Groot made a line break and also recorded a smart try assist in the final quarter whilst playing on the right wing. Jaylan De Groot’s line break came in the second quarter when he was operating just behind the play the ball. Thomas Weaver took the ball to the left before passing back to his right to Jaylan De Groot who burst through the centre of the ruck only to be dragged down just as he was accelerating away.

Late in the fourth quarter Jaylan De Groot burst down the right touchline after good work on his inside. As he was being hemmed in by the Souths Logan fullback and cover defence Jaylan De Groot grubbered kicked with his right foot inside with the kick perfectly weighted for Riley Lack who was tracking the play on the inside to get downward pressure on the ball to be awarded a try, the final one of the eight that Tweed Heads scored in the match.

In Round One of the 2021 MM Cup competition, 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.

Jaylan De Groot also started at fullback in Round Two against the Souths Logan Magpies but moved to the left wing in the second half. In Tweed Heads 32 – 24 victory, Jaylan De Groot scored in the second half and also recorded a try assist in the opening minutes of the match.

Jaylan De Groot scored in the 45th minute when after Thomas Weaver backed up a break out of dummy half by Blake Mozer, drawing the Souths Logan fullback before passing to the left to Jaylan De Groot who was able to bring the ball around to put it down under the posts.

Jaylan De Groot’s try assist came in just the second minute of the match when he received the ball off Thomas Weaver on the left side of the field fifteen metres out from the line, taking the ball towards the defensive line before throwing a great cut-out pass to his left to put Keano Kini away down the left touchline and dive over to score in the left corner.

Jaylan De Groot also had a line break early in the match, when he was part of a set play down the left blind side from a Tweed Heads scrum feed forty metres out from the line. Thomas Weaver received the ball from the back of the scrum with Jaylan De Groot sprinting from the opposite side of the scrum to take Thomas Weaver’s held up pass before dummying to his left and sprinting thirty metres downfield only to be brought down ten metres out.

Jaylan De Groot’s safe hands came to the fore in the 48th minute of the match when Souths Logan kicked to his wing, Jaylan De Groot jumped high to take the ball above his head two metres out from his own line and as soon as his feet touched the ground he took off and was able to get the ball back to the twenty metre mark before finally being tackled.

A strong run in the 63rd minute by Jack Cullen almost produced a second try for Jaylan De Groot when he flew onto the ball in the twenty metre area, getting partially through the Souths Logan line before throwing a right arm off-load to Jaylan De Groot who was backing up on his left with Jaylan De Groot getting within metres of the line. Jaylan De Groot in fact was held down and awarded a penalty which Thomas Weaver then kicked to put Tweed Heads eight points in front with six minutes to go.

Jaylan De Groot once again started at fullback in Round Three in the Gold Coast local derby against the Burleigh Bears and once again was one of the Seagulls try scorers in their impressive victory.

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

Jaylan De Groot’s try came in the 44th minute when Thomas Weaver ran down a short left blind side ten metres out from the line and passed back to his right to put Jaylen De Groot into a yawning gap who was able to bring the ball around to put it down under the posts.

In the 5th minute of the match Jaylen De Groot was well positioned to prevent a Burleigh try when he covered to his left to be on hand to take a short blindside grubber dead in the right corner under heavy pressure from Burleigh chasers.

Jaylan De Groot showed once again in the match that he is always prepared to do the hard work when he got into dummy half and darted to his right, making eighteen metres to get the ball to the halfway mark, breaking two tackles along the way.

Jaylan De Groot was also named to start at fullback for Round Four match against the Ipswich Jets and whilst he did not score, still had a strong contribution to the Seagulls victory.

As usual Jaylan De Groot hunted just behind the play the ball and in the 17th minute he got into dummy half, darting out of that position to his left to make twenty metres through the centre of the ruck to get the ball to within twenty metres of the try line.

Jaylan De Groot also produced a strong defensive play in the 22nd minute when after chasing back to corral an Ipswich line break, Jaylan De Groot picked up the Ipswich right second rower (No. 12) and putting him on his back and taking all of the momentum out of the Jets sails.

Fullbacks need to continuously focus in their positioning and it was that attention to detail that meant Jaylan De Groot was positioned correctly in the 67th minute to field a hard grubber on his own line directly adjacent to the right upright. By being in the right position Jaylan De Groot ensured that he was not trapped in the in-goal.

Jaylan De Groot also started at fullback in Round Five against the Souths Logan Magpies, scoring once again in the Seagulls 38 – 14 victory.

After being rested in Round Six, Jaylan De Groot was named at fullback for the Seagulls Semi-final against Wynnum Manly and had an outstanding match, including scoring in the second half as the Seagulls qualified for the 2021 MM Cup Grand Final.

Jaylan De Groot’s try came in the 45th minute when he backed up on the inside of Ryan Foran after the Seagulls left second rower had taken an inside kick from left winger Elijah Lui and passed to Jaylan De Groot who dived over under the posts.

Jaylan De Groot was heavily involved throughout the match with his initial major contribution coming in the 15th minute when he took the ball from the dummy half down a short left blind side making eighteen metres, breaking three tackles, getting the ball forty two metres out.

Then in the 21st minute, Jaylan De Groot received the ball once again down the left this time off the back of a Tweed Heads scrum win, making a further twelve metres.

In the 23rd minute Jaylan De Groot was on hand to scoop up a Wynnum Manly dropped ball and return it fifteen metres before being tackled but Jaylan De Groot was held down too long and was awarded a penalty.

Jaylan De Groot showcased his positioning when he whilst tracking backwards in the 25th minute he took a towering Wynnum Manly bomb near the posts to gain a twenty metre restart for the Seagulls.

In the 26th minute, Jaylan De Groot once again proved he was safe at fullback when he retrieved a Wynnum Manly grubber kick safely down low and was able to bring the ball back fifteen metres.

Jaylan De Groot produced a key try saving tackle on the final play of the first half when he got low and stopped the Wynnum Manly hooker just short of the line when he tried to sneak over from dummy half.

In the 2021 MM Cup Queensland Grand Final against the Townsville Blackhawks, Jaylan De Groot once again started at fullback and scored in the first half as the Seagulls won back to back MM Cup Championships by defeating Townsville 30 – 24.

Jaylan De Groot’s try came in the 17th minute when Seagulls hooker Oskar Bryant took off out of dummy half to his right on the halfway mark, slicing through the middle of the Blackhawks defence after veering back towards the area behind the play the ball. After he was through the line, Oskar Bryant drew the fullback before passing to his right to Jaylan De Groot who raced away to score under the posts.

Whilst his try was a key moment in the Seagulls Grand Final victory, in the 67th minute Jaylan De Groot produced the play of the Grand Final with the play not just saving the match for the Seagulls but enabling them to claim victory.

With just three minute s to go in the 67th minute with Tweed Heads staring down the barrel of a tough Grand Final loss, being six points down, Jaylan De Groot took a high spiralling bomb just two metres out from his own line and took the Townsville line on by stepping to his right before veering left before spinning counter clockwise breaking two tackles to get the ball to forty metres out from his own line and then Jaylan De Groot whilst finally being tackled was able to get a right arm off-load away to Oskar Bryant.

Tweed Heads were under pressure early and in the 6th minute, Jaylan De Groot along with Thomas Weaver and Oskar Bryant were able to stem the flow by holding of a rampaging Townsville front rower (No. 8) to stop the Blackhawks from scoring twice in the opening minutes.

Jaylan De Groot’s innate positioning sense was highlighted in the 42nd minute when he raced across to his field to get to a Townsville grubber kick well inside his own in-goal. Jaylan De Groot however was able to beat two players and somehow was able to get the ball out of the in-goal and maintain possession for Tweed Heads.

Jaylan De Groot made his Hastings Deering’s Colts debut in Round Six for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in their 30 – 18 victory over the Easts Tigers with Jaylan De Groot starting the match at fullback.

Jaylan De Groot also started at fullback in Round Seven against the Norths Devils, scoring his first career Hastings Deering’s Colts try in the Seagulls big victory.

Jaylan De Groot continued at fullback in Round Eight against the Mackay Cutters, kicking a conversion in the Seagulls tough loss and also started at fullback in Round Nine against Wynnum Manly.

Jaylan De Groot continued at fullback in the Round Eleven local derby against the Burleigh Bears.

During a Tweed Heads Seagulls Hastings Deering’s Colts bye week, Jaylan De Groot started for the Cudgen Hornets NRRRL First Grade side at fullback against the Byron Bay Devils.

Round Eight against the Kyogle Turkeys, in another Tweed Heads Colts bye week saw Jaylan De Groot move to the right wing against the Kyogle Turkeys with Jaylan De Groot making an immediate impact by scoring inside the opening minute of the match when he received an off-load thirty metres out and darted downfield to score with a big dive in the right corner.

Jaylan De Groot added a second try in the 24th minute when a bomb was put up towards his right wing with Jaylan De Groot jumping high to take the ball in his right hand and get it down in the right corner.

Jaylan De Groot also started on the right wing in Round Eleven against the Lower Clarence Magpies with Jaylan De Groot scoring one try and setting up another.

Jaylan De Groot scored in the 43rd minute when he was on the end of a Cudgen backline movement, receiving the ball around eight metres from the line with Jaylan De Groot diving over acrobatically in the right corner.

As noted above Jaylan De Groot contributed to a Hornets try in the 18th minute. After Lower Clarence kicked downfield from well inside their own territory, the Hornets fullback got the ball to Jaylan De Groot to space and he burst forty five metres down field. Just inside Magpies territory Jaylan De Groot stepped off his left foot to beat one cover defender before drawing the fullback and getting the ball away to his right to send his right centre away to score under the posts.

In a Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts bye week, Jaylan De Groot was named to start on the left wing in Round Eight of the NRRRL U18 competition for the Cudgen Hornets against the Kyogle Turkeys. Whislt he started the match on the left wing, Jaylan De Groot certainly did not park himself there and wait for the ball to come in his direction, with the Titans contracted youngster popping up all over the field.

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Last night Cooper Camby started at left centre for PBC in Round Six of the Langer Cup Reserve Grade competition against Keebra Park with Cooper Camby scoring PBC’s opening try of the match in just the 2nd minute of the match when after PBC, on the last tackle, spun the ball to their right, the ball came back to Cooper Camby on the left around eight metres out.

Cooper Camby was confronted immediately by a defender and subsequently put in a short grubber kick for himself, regathering the ball just short of the line and getting the ball down near the left corner.

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Titans contracted Sam Stephenson started at fullback for PBC in Round Six of the 2021 Hancock Cup school boy competition against Coombabah State High School with the powerful young man scoring a double.

Sam Stephenson’s first try came in the 22nd minute when he looped around to the left side of the field, receiving the ball from his five eight eighteen metres from the line, after pushing off one defender Sam Stephenson burst through a gap between two defenders to power over.

Sam Stephenson’s second try came in the 33rd minute with Sam Stephenson racing away to score under the posts. The try scoring movement started when from deep in their own territory PBC kicked downfield. It looked as if the ball would go into touch but the PBC centre got to the ball and whipped back inside to Sam Stephenson who to be fair was not expecting the ball, but he was able to take the ball and run away to score.

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Coombabah SHS’s Izayah Petrichvich is having an outstanding Walters Cup campaign and scored once again in Round Six against Forest Lake State High School last night when in the 29th minute from the left centre position, Izayah Petrichvich received a pass from his inside and was able to dive over in the left corner.

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Last night for PBC, Titans contracted Bailey McConnell was outstanding in a beaten side in Round Six of the Langer Reserve competition against Keebra Park SHS, recording two line breaks amongst an overall impressive match.

Bailey McConnell’s opening line break came in the 9th minute of the match when, whilst operating on the left around twenty metres from the line, Bailey McConnell ran at the ball before dummying to his left and subsequently sliced through the Keebra Park line. Bailey McConnell was then able to draw the fullback but his support to his left could not handle the pass with the try line beckoning.

Bailey McConnell also broke the Keebra Park defensive line in the 21 minutes when once again he sliced through the Keebra Park right sided defence. Once he was through the line, Bailey McConnell got the ball away to Jett Forbes and then stayed alive to get the ball back from the fullback and make a further fifteen metres down field.

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Last night Titans contracted Zane Harrison continued at halfback for PBC in Round Six of the Walters Cup against Keebra Park SHS and one was of PBC’s best in their tough loss recording a try assist in the 28th minute with a pin point cross field kick to the right corner for his winger to race through to take the ball on the full and score wide out on the right.

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Last night I was lucky enough to witness one of the most dominant school boy performances I have ever seen from Keebra Park’s Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki who started at left centre in Round Six of the Walters Cup against PBC SHS and was simply dominant in a player of the match performance, scoring two tries and kicking four conversions from five attempts as Keebra Park put their local rivals to the sword.

Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki scored his opening try in the 18th minute as a result of a great forty metre charge down the left side of the field to score wide out untouched after getting an offload from his inside.

Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki completed his double in the 55th minute, and what a try it was. Keebra Park spun the ball out to his left side but the pass intended for Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki was knocked forward by PBC. Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki tracked back to retrieve the ball twenty five metres from the line and ran back towards centre field. After bumping off one defender which included Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki dropping to one knee, he rumbled forward breaking four more tackles and then dragged three more PBC defenders over the line with him to get the ball down under the posts.

It was clear in just the 4th minute of the match that Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki was going to have a big match when he made the first of many line breaks with a twenty metre run and Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki made a further twelve metres in the 8th minute.

Dorian Mapusua-Lotaki made another line break in the 31st minute when after running an underneath route he broke six tackles in a devastating run into the PBC defensive line.

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Unsung Jay Blazek started at lock last night for Coombabah SHS in Round Five of the Langer Cup against St Mary’s College Toowoomba scoring one try and setting up another as Coombabah SHS put their opponents to the sword in a comprehensive 38 – 0 victory.

Jay Blazek scored an outstanding try in the 21st minute when he backed up a break from deep inside Coombabah SHS territory by Tana Clark. Jay Blazek loomed up on Clark’s right and one he received the ball fifty five metres from the line, Jay Blazek easily outpaced the cover defence to dive over near the left corner.

Jay Blazek’s try assist came in the 26th minute when after running to the left side of the field and bumping off one defender, Jay Blazek was able to attract one defender out of the line and big a good short pass away to his left to put Dre Goldsmith into a big gap ten metres out with the powerful right centre easily getting across the line.

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The Round Five Langer Cup local derby last night against PBC saw Keebra Park’s De’Ontae Perese start at right centre and in the 33rd minute he produced an exceptional right arm flick off-load to put Levi Jones over in the right corner to kick off Keebra Park’s stunning second half comeback.

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The Round Five Langer Cup local derby against PBC saw Keebra Park’s Elijah Lui continue on the left wing and scored Keebra Park’s opening try in the match in the 23rd minute with a try in the left corner after he had taken the cut-out pass above is head.

Elijah Lui came close to a second try in the 37th minute when after a great off-load from Immanuel Kalekale, Elijah Lui raced down the left touchline and kicked forward for himself when confronted by PBC fullback Keano Kini. Keani Kini got back to the ball first but Elijah Lui was able to force Keani Kini into the in-goal to force a goal line drop out.

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Former NZ U16 representative K-CI Newton-Whare scored his first Langer Cup try last night for Coombaabah SHS after starting in the front row last night in Round Five against St Mary’s College Toowoomba, scoring in the opening minutes of Coombabah SHS’s impressive victory. In just the third minute of the match, K-CI Newton-Whare ran onto the ball two passes to the right of the play the ball and after a sligh step off his right foot, K-CI Newton-Whare broke through two tackles and dragged two more defenders over the line to get the ball down under the posts.

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Last night Titans contracted Caleb Gould-Waiariki started at halfback for Coombabah SHS in Round Five of the Langer Cup against St Mary’s College Toowoomba and he put on a play making clinic including recording two try assists as Coombabah SHS belted their Toowoomba based rivals 38 – 0.

Caleb Gould-Waiariki’s opening try assist came in the 9th minute when he took the ball down a short left blindside and threw a great cut-out pass to his left to put his left centre over in the corner.

Caleb Gould-Waiariki recorded his second try assist in the 45th minute when he put in a perfectly weighted right foot stab kick towards the left corner with the ball sitting up perfectly for his left second rower to charge onto the ball to score wide out.