Junior Development

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2024 Burleigh Bears CC Cup squad member Killarney Lavender has been named on the right wing for the Queensland Reds U16 side for the Natioanal U16 Super Rugby Grand Final against NSW.

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Riley Buchanan started in the front row for the Bilambil Jets in the Week One NRRRL U18 Elimination Final against the Lower Clarence Magpies with Riley Buchanan running onto the ball to the right of the play the ball in the 21st minute on an underneath line to get the ball from thirty six metres out from the try line to twenty metres out. Riley Buchanan also made a strong kick-off return in the 58th minute that saw him get the ball out to the twenty three metre mark.

Riley Buchanan made a good defensive effort in the 55th minute when with the Magpies right second rower No. 11 bringing the ball off his own try line, Riley Buchanan moved up quickly to grab him and force him back into the in-goal to force a Lower Clarence goal line drop-out to restart the match.

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Hudson Towell has been named the NRRRL Under 18s Rookie of the Year and NRRRL Under 18s Player Of The Year for 2023

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In late September 2023 Grant Byers-Brown was named in the 2024 Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup squad.

Round Eight of the 2023 NRRRL U18 competition saw Grant Byers-Brown make his first appearance in the competition when he started from the bench for the Lower Clarence Magpies against the Tweed Coast Raiders with Grant Byers-Brown celebrating his NRRRL U18 debut by scoring in the 21st minute when after loitering behind the play the ball Grant Byers-Brown, at the last moment ran to the left of the play the ball and after receiving the ball down a short left blindside twenty metres out, Grant Byers-Brown dummied to his left before bursting down the left touchline before stepping inside off his left foot to beat two defenders to score two metres in from the left corner post.

Grant Byers-Brown had earlier recorded a try assist in the 17th minute when two passes to the left of the play the ball Grant Byers-Brown executed a smart catch and pass to his left to put his left winger over to score ten metres in from the left corner post.

Grant Byers-Brown also started from the bench in Round Nine against the Cudgen Hornets with Grant Byers-Brown scoring a double with Grant Byers-Brown scoring the first of his two tries in the 22nd minute when after receiving the ball ten metres out, five metres in from the left touchline and two passes to the left of the play the ball Grant Byers-Brown executed a stutter step to beat two defenders in a confined space to force his way over to score six metres in from the left corner post.

Grant Byers-Brown scored his second try in the 51st minute when after receiving the ball twelve metres out from the try line and mid-way between the goal posts and the corner post on the left side of the field Grant Byers-Brown stepped off his left foot then his right as he cut back towards the goal posts then straightening up to dive over to score four metres to the left of the uprights.

The 54th minute saw Grant Byers-Brown receive the ball on the left side of the field and thirty metres out from his own try line with Grant Byers-Brown producing a goose step to beat the Hornet fullback to his left with Grant Byers-Brown then stepping off his left foot and then when he was twenty metres out and in the centre of the field Grant Byers-Brown put in a right foot grubber kick to his left for his winger to collect the ball on the bounce and cross the try line but bizarrely the referee after coming close to awarding a try called the play back for a changeover of possession inside Magpies territory.

Grant Byers-Brown then started at fullback, wearing the No. 3 jersey, in Round Sixteen against the Casino Cougars with Grant Byers-Brown scoring in the 39th minute when Grant Byers flowed through a line break by Kennyon Elisaia-Thomas to receive a pass from his left and run forty five metres to score under the posts untouched.

Grant Byers-Brown made come close to scoring earlier in the 22nd minute when after receiving the ball ten metres out from the try line and two passes to the left of the dummy half Grant Byers-Brown dummied to his left before running himself and seemingly got the ball down over the try line ten metres in from the left corner post but the referee ruled that Grant Byers-Brown had knocked the ball on just prior to the try line.

Grant Byers-Brown also made a line break in the 41st minute when from two passes to the left of the play the ball Grant Byers-Brown received the ball on the halfway mark and then executed an in and away to get on the outside of his opposite defenders and after running twenty metres down the left channel Grant Byers-Brown got a right arm flick off-load away to his right to Zachariah Williams who was able to get to within thirteen metres of the try line.

In the 6th minute of the match Grant Byers-Brown took a Casino kick on the full four metres out from his own try line in front of his goal posts and then was able to return the ball to the twenty metre mark.

Grant Byers-Brown also had a good match defensively including in the 16th minute with a good low cover defending tackle in open space on the Casino right centre No. 3 with Grant Byers-Brown brining him down after a line break sixteen metres out from the try line.

Then in the 23rd minute Grant Byers-Brown turned and chased and ran down the Casino left centre with Grant Byers-Brown turning and chasing from ten metres out from the try line and mow him down from behind on the halfway mark.

Grant Byers-Brown also made a try saving tackle in the 37th minute when after covering ground to his right Grant Byers-Brown crunched the Casino left winger No. 2 two metres out from the try line and three metres in from the right touchline with Grant Byers-Brown’s heavy front-on ball and all tackle forcing the Cougars winger over the touchline with the ball also coming loose at the same time.

Grant Byers-Brown made another good one on one tackle in open space when in the 57th minute Grant Byers-Brown brought down the Casino halfback with a low left shoulder tackle thirteen metres out from the try line after the halfback had made a line break.

Grant Byers-Brown then started from the bench in the Week One Elimination Final against the Bilambil Jets coming onto the field in the 20th minute to line-up at fullback.

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Creedence Donovan started at fullback for the Bilambil Jets in the NRRRL U18 Week One Elimination Final against the Lower Clarence Magpies with Creedence Donovan scoring in the 12th minute when after backing up on the inside of a Bilambil line break down the right side of the field from the halfway mark by James Mellor, Creedence Donovan received the ball from his right and had an easy ten metre run to put the ball down under the posts.

Creedence Donovan also made a line break in the 20th minute when from the right of a Jets scrum win thirty metres out from their own try line, Creedence Donovan producing a jump step off his right foot to break three tackles and make a line break that came to an end only after Creedence Donovan had taken the ball nine metres into Magpies territory.

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Robert Smith was named the 2023 Tweed Heads Seagulls U18 NRRRL Player of the Year.

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AJ Hickling started at left centre for the Lower Clarence Magpies in the Week One U18 NRRRL Elimination Final against the Byron Bay Devils with AJ Hickling scoring in the 60th minute when after taking possession of the ball to the right of the dummy half twenty metres out from the try line AJ Hickling used a right foot step and a left arm fend to beat defenders to get the ball down ten metres to the right of the goal posts. A minute prior to scoring AJ Hickling executed a one on one str[p of the ball twenty five metres from the try line to get the ball back for Lower Clarence.

In the 18th minute of the match AJ Hickling ran onto the ball to the left of the play the ball to get the ball from thirty metres from his own try line to within six metres of the halfway mark and in the 25th minute after running an underneath line to the left of the play the ball AJ Hickling ran the ball from forty four metres out from the try line to thirty metres out before getting an off-load away to his right to Grant Byers-Brown. AJ Hickling ran another underneath line to the left of the dummy half in the 47th minute and broke two tackles as AJ Hickling got the ball to within two metres of the try line next to the left goal post.

AJ Hickling finished the 2023 NRRRL U18 season as the Magpies equal leading try scorer alongside AJ Hickling and Reece Warburton. AJ Hickling was also named the 2023 Lower Clarence Magpies NRRRL U18 Best Back.

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In late September 2023 Roy Tatupu was named in the 2024 Burleigh Bears U19 Mal Meninga Cup squad.

Roy Tatupu will move over from Auckland New Zealand where in both 2022 and 2023 Roy Tatupu played for the Mt Albert Grammar School (MAGS) School Boy Rugby First XV with Roy Tatupu playing fullback for MAGS with Roy Tatupu also the regular goal kicker.

In 2022 at just 17 years old Roy Tatupu played fullback for the Auckland Rugby U18 representative side and also in 2022 Roy Tatupu was selected in the Auckland Blues Super Rugby U18 Development Squad.

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Sam McAlister started from the bench for the Burleigh Bears in the Week Two GCRL U18 Division One Qualifying Final against the Southport Tigers and came onto the field in the 20th minute to play in the front row.

Sam McAlister did well along with Cooper Bai to grab one of the Tigers players who was trying to bring the ball off his own try line, to grab him five metres out and force him back into the in-goal to force a Southport goal line drop-out.

Sam McAlister also did well in the 42nd minute when whilst defending just out from his own try line Sam McAlister stuck out his left foot to block an attempted Tigers grubber into the in-goal and after the ball rebounded into the air Sam McAlister dived forward the retrieve the ball before it bounced to prevent any chance of any Southport player getting to the ball first.

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Damon Coldwell started on the left wing for Northern United in the NRRRL First Grade Week One Elimination Final against the Lower Clarence Magpies with Damon Coldwell scoring the first of his two tries in the 32nd minute when from twelve metres out and to the left of the play the ball, Desmond Ferguson put in a right foot stab kick towards the left corner with Damon Coldwell pouncing on the ball to score five metres in from the left corner post after the ball had been lost forward by the Magpies right winger.

Damon Coldwell completed his double in the 66th minute with a twenty five metre run down the left touchline to score in the corner after receiving a pass from his inside.

Damon Coldwell also recorded a try assist in the 38th minute when after fielding a Lower Clarence kick on the full nineteen metres out from the try line near the left touchline, Damon Coldwell ran the ball back to the thirty metre mark before drawing a defender and off-loading to his left to his fullback who raced seventy metres to score in the left corner.

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Great to see the Titans set up a partnership with Rockhampton Grammar School.

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In 2023 Brooklyn Campbell played for Toowoomba Brothers in the Toowoomba Junior Rugby League U14 competition with Brooklyn Campbell starting at lock and captaining the Toowoomba Brothers side over the course of the season.

When Brooklyn Campbell scored one try he invariably scored a second in the Toowoomba Junior Rugby League U14 competition with this situation arising in Round Two against Gatton, Round Six against Dalby and Round Eight against Toowoomba Valleys.

Brooklyn Campbell went one try better than usual by scoring a hat trick in Round Eleven against Highfields and Districts.

Week One of the Finals series saw Brooklyn Campbell start at lock and captain and score against Gatton. Brooklyn Campbell also started at lock in Toowoomba Brother’s Preliminary Final.

Brooklyn Campbell also captained Toowoomba Brothers at the 2023 Adrian Vowles Cup with Brooklyn Campbell named at lock in the 2023 Adrian Vowles Cup U14 Dream Team at the completion of the Carnival.

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Good to see the Titans form a partnership with Rockhampton Grammar School who play in the Dolphins Cup and Confraternity Shield School Boy Rugby League competitions.

Rockhampton Grammar School also has a rich rugby history and has links to the Melbourne Rebels Super Rugby club.

Some of the players to keep an eye on who are currently attending Rockhampton Grammar School are halfback Ralph Labor, fullback/half Cormack Werner and forwards Dylan O’Donnell, Jason Woibo and Henry Kallquist.

All of the players noted above have represented Queensland Reds U15 or U16 squads in 2023 but all of them also play rugby league for both club and school.

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Desmond Ferguson started at halfback for Northern United in the Week One NRRRL First Grade Elimination Final against the Lower Clarence Magpies with Desmond kicking the first of his five conversions in the 19th minute from five metres to the left of the goal posts. Desmond Ferguson then kicked his second conversion in the 38th minute from the left touchline before kicking a third conversion from ten metres to the right of the goal posts in the 46th minute. Desmond Ferguson kicked another conversion from the left touchline in the 69th minute with Desmond Ferguson kicking his fifth conversion in the 73rd minute from midway between the goal posts and corner post on the right side of the field.

Desmond Ferguson also recorded a try assist in the 32nd minute when from twelve metres out and to the left of the play the ball, Desmond Ferguson put in a right foot stab kick towards the left corner with Damon Coldwell pouncing on the ball to score five metres in from the left corner post after the ball had been lost forward by the Magpies right winger.

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Elijah Tagiilima started at left centre for the Southport Tigers in the Week Two GCRL U18 Division One Qualifying Final against the Burleigh Bears with Elijah Tagiilima surging onto the ball in the 3rd minute from the left of the play the ball and was able to promote the ball from twenty two metres out from his own try line to thirty six metres out. Elijah Tagiilima followed up with another good run down the left channel in the 30th minute to get the ball from ten metres inside his own territory to ten metres into Burleigh territory.