My take on our top juniors

[mdrew]

Max Elliott. Sorry all, I could not help myself, Max Elliott has been one of my favourite players ever since I saw him play at the age of thirteen in Northern New South Wales for the Titans Development Squads, progressing all the way through to being outstanding for the Titans NYC squad in 2015 before heading to the Bronco’s with his brother Sam for the 2016 season.* Max Elliott played the 2016 season with the Brisbane Broncos NYC side before spending the 2017 season with the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in the Queensland Cup.

In 2016 the 21 year old former Lismore Marist Brothers junior represented New South Wales U20 and 2013 he was part of the Australian Institute of Sport School Boy side that toured New Zealand after making the side from St John’s College Woodlawn in Northern New South Wales.* Former Titans NYC star Sam Swift was also part of the AIS touring party.

For the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in 2017 Max Elliott played in thirteen contests in the Queensland Cup including starting on the inter change bench in Round One and moving into the starting line-up in Round Nine against the Townsville Blackhawks in the front row. Max Elliott started one match in the front row, two in the second row, two from the interchange bench and his remaining matches at lock and scored his sole 2017 try in Round Twelve.

In total Max Elliott was on the field for 516 minutes, making 947 metres and also making 289 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 90.6% in the Queensland Cup in 2017.* Max Elliott also broke 20 tackles and had four offloads on the season.

Max Elliott’s 2017 per game Queensland Cup averages included playing 40 minutes per game, running for 73 metres and making 22 tackles. On three occasions Max Elliott ran for in excess of 100 metres in a match including running for 137 in a Round Fifteen match against the North’s Devils and in Round Nineteen Max Elliott made 45 tackles in just 63 minutes on the field.

Of the 947 metres that he made in 2017, Max Elliott made 378 of those post contact thus 40% of all his running metres were made after he had impacted the defensive line, including running for 54 post contact metres in Round Thirteen and 51 post contact metres in Rounds Fourteen and Sixteen.

Over the course of the 2017 Max Elliott also played in the In Safe Hands Cup which is the Brisbane A Grade competition, playing four games and scoring a solitary try.

In total in the NYC competition for the Broncos in 2016, Max Elliott played 1 051 minutes across twenty four matches, running for 1 873 metres from 195 carries and made 526 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 93%.* Max Elliott’s 2016 NYC per game averages included playing 38 minutes, taking 8 runs for 78 metres and making 22 tackles.

In total in the NYC competition in 2015 for the Titans, Max Elliott played 921 minutes, running for 1 653 metres from 169 carries and made 473 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 89%.* Max Elliott’s 2015 NYC per game averages included playing 42 minutes, taking 7.7 hit-ups for 75 metres and making 21.5 tackles.

Max Elliott is a big strong powerful aggressive young man and uses these attributes when he runs with the ball, he will take the line on and look to drop his shoulder into the defender who is looking initiate contact. Max Elliott can also off load the football both before the line and when he is being tackled, he seems to be one of those players with the innate ability to get his hands free, or more accurately his right hand free.

Max Elliott is always the player standing back deep from kick ups to take the first hit up and will charge straight at the line. Max Elliott also is quite quick for a big young bloke, both in terms of explosive speed off the mark and agile from a footwork perspective but also with speed over an extended distance.

In defence, Max Elliott can certainly hit very hard and for a solidly built player has quite decent endurance thus allowing him to get back quickly into the defensive line play after play.* *Where he is also very good, due to his good athletic skills is for a front rower is effectively tackling smaller attackers in the centre of the ruck.* * Max Elliott does not fall for dummies and is difficult to step as he mirrors the lateral movement of the attacker to effectively wrap up the opposing player.

Max Elliott will line up for Wynnum Manly again I believe in 2018 in the Queensland Cup and hopefully will have a good run in the game day seventeen. I will admit I would love to see Max Elliott playing for either Burleigh or Tweed Heads but regardless he is great to watch with his tough aggressive attitude on display.

For me Max Elliott has been used incorrectly the last couple of seasons where he has spent a lot of time playing in the front row.* Whilst he is certainly tough enough to play there, Max Elliott is a little under sized there at 186cm and 103g and also cannot use his footwork as well as he can if he played wider of the ruck in the second row or at lock.

The Brisbane Broncos, Queensland State of Origin and Australian International lock Josh Maguire is a great player comparison for Max Elliott.* Like Maguire, Max Elliott works all day both in attack and defence and when you least except in, he will produce a great offload or massive hit to ignite his team. Also like Josh Maguire, Max Elliott is more effective when he has the freedom to use his footwork wider of the ruck rather than just taking the ball forward into a set defensive line.

[mdrew]

Hayden Schwass. The young former Titans NYC player and Mudgeeraba Red backs junior spent the 2016-17 off season training with the Titans NRL squad but injuries prevented the hard tackling former centre from making his mark. As a result Hayden Schwass spent the 2017 playing with the Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup competition. Hayden Schwass’s twin brother Daniel was also a Titans NYC and Burleigh Bears player but has recently retired to continue his refereeing career.

In 2017 the 185cm 90kg second rower played fourteen matches primarily off the interchange bench and over the course of the season ran for 1 224 metres and made 430 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 85.1%, Hayden Schwass also offloaded the ball on seven occasions. Hayden Schwass’s 2017 Queensland Cup per game averages included running for 87.4 metres and making 31 tackles. Coming back from injury Hayden Schwass also played one match for Burleigh in the Gold Coast A grade competition in 2017.

Hayden Schwass is a hard running former centre with solid footwork, obviously developed from his time in the centres, he has good late and quick foot work which enables him to change direction well allowing him to readjust where he is running to take advantage of either a late developing hole in the defensive line or where the defensive line is repositioning late.

In terms of his play in the centres, like when he plays in the back row he runs straight lines with footwork, usually outside the opposing centre and looks to exploit his strength advantage against opposing centres. Hayden Schwass has decent top end speed and similarly decent speed off the mark but I would not categorise either in the above average or plus category.

Defensively Hayden Schwass hits very hard and usually aims for around the waist and has a solid, compact, repeatable technique. Hayden Schwass also has a touch of aggression in his play and definitely finishes off each tackle that he is involved in. He has quickly become adept at defending on the fringes and his initial contact is more than sufficient to make an impact on the ball carrier. His lateral speed is good and thus he can defend well against nippy runners.

At 22 years old Hayden Schwass will line up once again for the Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup in 2017 and the defensive minded second rower will also be pushing for a Queensland Residents side.

Even though at 90kg Hayden Schwass is on the small side for a rugby league second rower, with his defensive technique and speed from his days as a centre, Hayden Schwass has developed into a very talented second rower who would not let anyone down in the NRL.

A player comparison would possibly be someone like former Storm, Cowboys and Qld player Dallas Johnson, as a smaller player who will get absolutely everything out of the skills that he has both from a physical and technical perspective.

[Mr Bods]

MDREW-do you know of a PBC young man named Jordan Tauali’i??
If you do what comments can you make on him for me please.

[mdrew]

MDREW-do you know of a PBC young man named Jordan Tauali’i??
If you do what comments can you make on him for me please.

Jordan Tauali’i. The giant young Tweed Heads Seagulls had a very solid 2017 season commencing with representing Group 18 at the U16 level and then progressing through to playing for the East Coast Dolphins U16 side in the New South Wales Country Age Championships. Jordan Tauali’i finished the season by participating in the Titans U16 High Performance Unit camp in Lennox Heads and starting for the Titans in their U16 match against a Western Mustangs selection.

The Palm Beach Currumbin High School student who is in the Rugby League Excellence program at the school scored two tries for the East Coast Dolphins U16 side earlier this season, both coming in the first round when he scored a double against the Central Coast. East Coast Dolphins U16 team mates included fellow Titans linked youngster Ben Liyou and Kade Hill.

The East Coast Dolphins U16 side actually made the New South Wales Country U16 final with Jordan Tauali’i starting the final in the front row. Post the final Jordan Tauali’i was named as a starting front rower in the New South Wales Country U16 side that toured New Zealand’s South Island convincingly winning both matches. Fellow Titans linked youngsters Ben Liyou and Kade Hill were also part of the New South Wales Country U16 touring side.

Jordan Tauali’i was born in Auckland and moved with his family in Australian when he was just 18 months old. In addition to playing rugby league Jordan Tauali’i also played two seasons in rugby with the Currumbin Alligators before moving back to rugby league. Jordan Tauali’i was also a nominee for the Aquis Sports Person of the Year. Jordan Tauali’i has also represented Samoa on a number of occasions including in 2015 playing for Samoa U14’s against a Titans U14 Development Squad captained by Brent Barnes. The Titans U14’s won the match 28 – 10.

Jordan Tauali’i is a big powerful young man who whilst using his size to his advantage by running hard and straight, he does have quite decent footwork prior to the defensive line, which he uses to cut back behind the ball to take advantage of defenders who are slow to get back into the defensive line. Whilst he does not seem to offload the ball too often, when he does get his arms free he only passes when his support is in a better position, which is a sign of maturity for such a young player. He continually put his hand up all day to take the ball up and due to his agility for a big young man is able to generate quick play the balls so that his team can maintain or generate momentum.

From a speed perspective for such a big strong young man, Jordan Tauali’i actually has a more than decent first step to generate speed to impact the defensive line and also quick foot work that may come as a surprise to some for a young man his size.

In defence Jordan Tauali’i uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. He is not averse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage and reasonable agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck, although clearly he is more effective in the centre of the ruck, as most rugby league forwards are. Jordan Tauali’i does however show flashes of above average lateral mobility which he uses to his benefit both in attack and defence.

Jordan Tauali’i will play the 2018 season at the U17 Division One on the Gold Coast and is line to represent the East Coast Dolphins at the U18 level as well as playing a leading hand for PBC in the school boy Super Six and GIO Cup competitions.

With his size strength and power Jordan Tauali’i is certainly going to stay in the front row for the duration of his rugby league career, even though he did spend some time in the centres a few years ago.

The way that Jordan Tauali’i handles himself on the football field reminds me of Sydney Roosters and New Zealand International enforcer Jarrod Warera-Hargraves as a big strong forward with a skill set that belies the intimidating presence that he projects on the field in the most demanding position on a football field, he has plenty of raw talent to work with.

[DIEHARD]

You are amazing mdrew

[Mr Bods]

He’s a superstar and he should be on the Titans staff

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks heaps mdrew by the way

[mdrew]

Nelson Grove. (Updated) The young PBC second rower has been a defensive stand out in his age group for the last couple of years and the 2017 season was no different with Nelson Grove who once again lining up for Burleigh in club rugby league and also for the Gold Coast Vikings Green U16 team that played a Western Mustangs U16 selection in a trial in Toowoomba as well as for PBC in relation to the GIO and Super Six competitions.

Nelson Grove’s outstanding 2017 season also included being selected in the Queensland U16 side where he was one of six Burleigh youngsters in the Queensland Side for the State of Origin curtain raiser. 2017 also saw Nelson Grove selected in the Queensland Academy of Sport U16 squad. Previously Nelson Grove has been part of the Brisbane Broncos Junior Development Program.

For the Burleigh Bears in the U16 Division One competition in 2017 Nelson Grove started at lock in their tough 34 – 4 Grand Final loss to the Currumbin Eagles. Over the course of the 2017 GCJRL U16 Division One competition, Nelson Grove played in thirteen matches and scored twenty points which came from four tries and two conversions. Nelson Grove’s tries came against Ormeau, Runaway Bay and Helensvale in two separate late season matches. His conversions came in consecutive mid-season matches against Runaway Bay (when he converted his own try) and against Ormeau.

Nelson Grove also played one match for the Burleigh Bears in the GCJRL U17 Division One competition with that match being against the Ormeau Shearers backing up from the U16 match earlier in the night.

In 2017 Nelson Grove also represented South East Queensland Green at the U16 level in the 2017 Queensland Rugby League U16 Boys Junior Championships. In those Championships, Nelson Grove played in four matches which were against Central, Northern and South East Queensland White, including the final. Nelson Grove’s sole U16 Championship try came on Day Two against Northern.

In 2016 Nelson Grove also started in Burleigh’s Grand Final winning side in the U15 Division One competition and across the 2016 season he scored five tries and kicked 13 goals and a field goal to finish with a total points tally of 47. Nelson Grove had a great start to the 2016 season scoring a hat trick and kicking eight goals in the first round of the season proper against the Ormeau Shearers for a 30 point haul in the match.

Nelson Grove’s other tries in 2016 came against Southport and Helensvale later in the season and in a match in July against Runaway Bay Nelson Grove kicked four goals. Nelson Grove over the course of the 2016 season also played two matches up in the U16 Division One competition and in his debut in that grade scored a try against Helensvale after backing up from the U15 match earlier in the night.

Nelson Grove represented South Coast in the U15 QSSRL Championships in 2016 and from there went on to represent Queensland Maroon at the U15 ASSRL Championships where a team mate was Brent Barnes against other Gold Coast based players in that team.

Nelson Grove is a very well balanced runner of the ball with exceptional hands for a back rower and can pluck bad passes from the dummy half effortlessly and continue his run into the defensive line with little loss of momentum and no wasted effort. The above average speed to Nelson Grove has is also an invaluable attribute that Nelson Groves possesses which enables him to be a very effective runner both in the middle of the ruck or wider out including running as far out as between centres from set pieces such as scrums where he can utilise the speed and also his size to great advantage.

Nelson Grove also has the ability to off load the ball both in tackles or prior to the defensive line where he will draw in one or two defenders before releasing the ball to his support runners. In terms of running wider out, Nelson Grove has almost perfected the art of getting his right free to off load to his outside backs.

Just like his attacking play, Nelson Grove has some very good defensive attributes not the least being an effective tackling technique which includes correct head placement. Too often even in first grade do you see players put their head in the wrong place even in front on tackles let alone side on tackles, but is something that you will not see from Nelson Grove in games.

Nelson Grove is drives with the correct shoulder and puts the ball carrier on the ground effectively and efficiently. Along with Kyle Fairbank and Kyah Watts, Nelson Grove has one of the best low tackling techniques for a forward in his age group in South East Queensland.

The Burleigh Bears will once again have the services of Nelson Grove for the upcoming 2018 season where he will play at the U17 Division One level and he may also get a run in the GCRL U19 competition. Nelson Grove will also be in line to part of the PBC GIO Cup and Super Six campaigns, playing in the open age group where PBC will battle the likes of local rivals Coombabah and Keebra Park.

Nelson Grove has consistently been one of the better, hardworking and most determined players in his age group on the Gold Coast and there is no reason to suggest that that trend will not continue. For me the way that Nelson Grove plays the game is similar to that of New Zealand Warrior and New Zealand International Simon Mannering as a solid all round backrower all be it a touch on the small side who is above average in all other aspects of the game of rugby league.

[mdrew]

Mitchell Farlow. The young lock or front rower from the Highfields club in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition has recently been awarded a Titans Development Scholarship after a solid season in the Toowoomba Junior Rugby League U16 competition as well as a solid performance for the Western Mustangs U16 Development Squad that played a match against the Titans U16 Development Squad in Lenox Heads in Northern New South Wales in early October this year.

Mitchell Farlow started a lock in the Grand Final but his Highfields side were defeated by Toowoomba South’s 32 - 20. Fellow Titans Scholarship recipients Connor Williams (lock - Toowoomba Souths) and Jack Sullivan (front row - Highfields) also started in the Grand Final that afternoon. Over the course of the U16 competition, Mitchell Farlow started in nine matches for Highfields, including the Grand Final but did not cross the try line, it certainly was not through lack of effort that is for sure.

In 2017 Mitchell Farlow represented Toowoomba U16’s at the South West Mustangs U16 trials and from there was selected in the front row for the South West Mustangs side that participated in the U16 Central Division Carnival. At the conclusion of the Central Division Carnival Mitchell Farlow was selected in the Central Crows U16 side for the Queensland Age Championships.

Running with the football, Mitchell Farlow has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders rather than trying to simply run over them. Mitchell Farlow does not have great speed off the mark or necessary great high end speed, but he will work hard and make the most of his ability. Mitchell Farlow actually does have a decent off load when he has impacted the defensive line as well.

Defensively Mitchell Farlow is a solid hitter, usually aiming for just under the ribs and first intention is to lock up the ball to prevent offloads. One area where is quite effective whether he is defending on the fringes of the ruck or in the centre of the ruck including when he is defending at marker, is against smaller attackers who look to use their foot work.

Mitchell Farlow has quite reasonable lateral mobility for a forward and due to the fact that he also is not that tall, usually is able to wrap up the smaller attackers without his tackles slipping up to around the head or neck, and thus giving away penalties.

His ability to successfully defend against these types of attackers as well as having the technique to defend against larger forwards is one of a number of reasons that I consider that a future in the higher echelons of senior rugby league is certainly feasible.

In relation to the upcoming 2018 season, Mitchell Farlow has been named in the 93 strong (yes 93) initial Western Mustangs MM Cup training squad and in relation to club rugby league, Mitchell Farlow will move up to the Toowoomba Senior Rugby League competition where he will play in the U18 competition for Highfields and Districts.

The big strong barrel chested young man is certainly going to play in the centre third of the field and thus will be either a front rower or a lock over the remainder of his rugby league career.

From a player comparison perspective, one player with a similar playing style from my perspective is Parramatta Eels front rower Nathan Brown, as a solid forward who will probably never be a star but will be a solid contributor to a team’s forward pack.

Likely there will be players with more natural ability that will not go as far in rugby league as Mitchell Farlow will, simply because he will make the most of the ability he has through sheer hard work, effort and determination.

[mdrew]

Good Q&A with the Western Mustangs Colts signing

http://www.kiwileaguecentral.com/lat...oani-kafoa-qa/

Hedi Moani-Kafoa.* The giant 117kg front rower played the 2017 rugby league season in Hervey Bay after moving over from Auckland New Zealand where he was part of the 2015 Otahuhu College side that won the New Schools Championship.* Hedi Moani-Kafoa’s story is a great one as the 117kg front rower was born without a right hand but that has not stopped him from chasing his NRL dream which starts in earnest next year when he lines up with the Western Mustangs U20 Colts side in what shapes to be a giant and powerful forward pack for the Toowoomba based side.

In 2017 Hedi Moani-Kafoa played in the 4bu/Hitz FM Bundaberg Rugby League A Grade competition. He started off the season with Maryborough Brothers playing in eight matches scoring against the Devils in Round One and also against Eastern Suburbs.

Hedi Moani-Kafoa then received a clearance to play the remainder of the Bundaberg Rugby League season with Hervey Bay for whom he played six matches scoring three tries and kicking two conversions for 16 points in total.* His tries came in a two week span including scoring a double and kicking his two conversions against the Devils and the following week also scoring against Bundaberg Past Brothers.

Hedi Moani-Kafoa is a big powerful young man at 117kg who whilst using his size to his advantage by running hard and straight, he does have quite decent footwork prior to the defensive line, which he uses to cut back behind the play the ball to take advantage of defenders who are slow to get back into the defensive line.* Hedi Moani-Kafoa continually put his hand up all day to take the ball up and has a very quick play the ball so that his team can maintain momentum.

In defence Hedi Moani-Kafoa uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. He is not averse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage and reasonable agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck, although clearly he is more effective in the centre of the ruck, as most rugby forwards are.

Hedi Moani-Kafoa’s is a great story in that he is pursuing his NRL dream regardless of the fact that he was born without a right hand.* If that is not a reason to cheer for the young man then I do not know what is.

Hedi Moani-Kafoa has taken the first steps towards to fulfilling his NRL dream after making the Western Mustangs U20 Hastings Dearings Colts side for 2018 where he will be in an intense battle for a starting spot with the squad full of Titans linked young forwards.

With his size and innate strength and power Hedi Moani-Kafoa is the ideal modern day front rower who has already shown the desire and dedication to leave no stone unturned to look to make it in the NRL. His attitude and desire is highlighted by the fact that he has lost 22kgs in the last year alone as he gets closer and closer to his dream.

The way that Hedi Moani-Kafoa handles himself on the football field reminds me of Sydney Roosters and New Zealand International enforcer Jarrod Warera-Hargraves as a big strong front rower with a skill set that belies the intimidating presence that he projects on the field, and you also add in leadership skills in the most demanding position on a football field.

- - - Updated - - -

Hedi Moani-Kafoa.* The giant 117kg front rower played the 2017 rugby league season in Hervey Bay after moving over from Auckland New Zealand where he was part of the 2015 Otahuhu College side that won the New Schools Championship.* Hedi Moani-Kafoa’s story is a great one as the 117kg front rower was born without a right hand but that has not stopped him from chasing his NRL dream which starts in earnest next year when he lines up with the Western Mustangs U20 Colts side in what shapes to be a giant and powerful forward pack for the Toowoomba based side.

In 2017 Hedi Moani-Kafoa played in the 4bu/Hitz FM Bundaberg Rugby League A Grade competition. He started off the season with Maryborough Brothers playing in eight matches scoring against the Devils in Round One and also against Eastern Suburbs.

Hedi Moani-Kafoa then received a clearance to play the remainder of the Bundaberg Rugby League season with Hervey Bay for whom he played six matches scoring three tries and kicking two conversions for 16 points in total.* His tries came in a two week span including scoring a double and kicking his two conversions against the Devils and the following week also scoring against Bundaberg Past Brothers.

Hedi Moani-Kafoa is a big powerful young man at 117kg who whilst using his size to his advantage by running hard and straight, he does have quite decent footwork prior to the defensive line, which he uses to cut back behind the play the ball to take advantage of defenders who are slow to get back into the defensive line.* Hedi Moani-Kafoa continually put his hand up all day to take the ball up and has a very quick play the ball so that his team can maintain momentum.

In defence Hedi Moani-Kafoa uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. He is not averse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage and reasonable agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck, although clearly he is more effective in the centre of the ruck, as most rugby forwards are.

Hedi Moani-Kafoa’s is a great story in that he is pursuing his NRL dream regardless of the fact that he was born without a right hand.* If that is not a reason to cheer for the young man then I do not know what is.

Hedi Moani-Kafoa has taken the first steps towards to fulfilling his NRL dream after making the Western Mustangs U20 Hastings Dearings Colts side for 2018 where he will be in an intense battle for a starting spot with the squad full of Titans linked young forwards.

With his size and innate strength and power Hedi Moani-Kafoa is the ideal modern day front rower who has already shown the desire and dedication to leave no stone unturned to look to make it in the NRL. His attitude and desire is highlighted by the fact that he has lost 22kgs in the last year alone as he gets closer and closer to his dream.

The way that Hedi Moani-Kafoa handles himself on the football field reminds me of Sydney Roosters and New Zealand International enforcer Jarrod Warera-Hargraves as a big strong front rower with a skill set that belies the intimidating presence that he projects on the field, and you also add in leadership skills in the most demanding position on a football field.

[Wayne1969]

Cody McNiece is now officially a Titans high performance Unit Member.

Nice about Cody McNiece

[mdrew]

Ronin Rio. He is a local young utility originally from Wellington in New Zealand and plays on the Gold Coast for the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club and was part of the 2016 Gold Coast CC White side coached by Tim McIntyre. Over the course of the 2016 CC competition he only played in the first match of the season and started on the wing in that match before injury struck. Ronin Rio has been named in the Burleigh Bears 2018 MM Cup training squad. From a trivia perspective Ronin Rio is the younger brother of Titans linked Jaman Rio who played for Tweed Heads in MM Cup and U20 Colts competitions this year.

In relation to the 2017 season Ronin Rio played for the Burleigh Bears in the GCJRL U17 Division One competition, playing in a total of six contest scoring three tries including a double against Mudgeeraba and a try against Ormeau. Ronin Rio also played one match for Burleigh in the U19 Gold Coast Rugby League competition which was against Runaway bay in August. Interestingly in prior years Ronin Rio was a utility back but this season played primarily at hooker.

In terms of his distribution out of dummy half, Ronin Rio is efficient in his passing and there is no wasted movement or energy as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand first then pass. Where he is also extremely effective is leading his forwards onto the ball, he passes in front of the forward ensuring no loss of momentum to the run.

Ronin Rio’s speed out of dummy half could be considered a touch above average for a hooker but due to his functional strength he is able to make ground through the centre of the ruck based on strength alone, however I note that with the increased standard of competition he is about to face Ronin Rio’s strength advantage will be mitigated somewhat. Once in open space he does not appear to have the speed required to finish things off himself but he invariably will make a quick decision with the ball in terms of whether to take the tackle or pass to a support player as he works progressively through the options that are available to him.

Ronin Rio’s defence for a hooker is very good for a hooker his size his initial contact is more than solid and he can defend effectively one on one against far larger forwards, he sets a good base with his lower body and drives upwards with his shoulders to drive into opposing forwards bodies. His intensity and continuous effort means that he will track the ball across the field and thus is in a good position when the ball is passed back inside. He literally tackles everything that moves in the centre of the ruck and displays a solid repeatable defensive technique and head placement and is able to make multiple tackles in any given defensive set of six tackles over the course of a match.

Ronin Rio is part of the training squad for Burleigh Bears MM Cup squad this coming season and will also be a part of the Burleigh U19 side in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition.

Ronin Rio’s ultimate position is an interesting one, prior to this season I thought that he would be a utility back who could play a number of backline positions but he played well enough at hooker that staying in the hooker role is now the more likely scenario and thus the analysis above relates to his play at dummy half.

Based on limited observations of Ronin Rio playing at hooker, I would suggest that a current NRL player with a similar playing style would be New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand International hooker Isaac Luke. Like Isaac Luke, Ronin Rio is a more than capable runner out of dummy half and a very solid defender with developing distribution skills.

[mdrew]

Glenn McGrady. (Updated) The talented young former Goondiwindi youngster from the Warwick and Districts Junior Rugby League had having an incredible first season for the Bilambil Jets, representing the club in both the U17 Division One and U19 competitions. Glenn McGrady was also a standout performer for PBC as they progressed all the way to the Queensland GIO Cup semi-finals losing in the end 22 – 20 to Marsden State High School.

Over the course of the 2017 season the young five eight played in fourteen U17 Division One matches scoring twelve tries to lead the competition try scoring tally and has also kicked twenty five goals to have 98 points on the season. Glenn McGrady also played in seven U19 matches scoring five tries and kicking fourteen goals for 48 points on the season.

Glenn McGrady had a great U19 debut in July against Ormeau after playing in the U17 match earlier in the day and what a debut the young man had, he scored a double and kicked three goals as well to finish with 14 points for the match. Glenn McGrady in fact started at fullback for Bilambil in the Gold Coast U19 Grand Final kicking three conversions in Bilambil’s 34 – 20 Grand Final win over Tugun.

In the U19 competition Glenn McGrady, in addition to his debut double he also scored a double against Tugun in a regular season match and also scored against Currumbin and on four occasions kicked three goals in a match.

At the U17 Division One level, Glenn McGrady scored an incredible five tries in a Round Two match against the Ormeau Shearers and also kicked five goals in that match as well for 30 points. Glenn McGrady also scored a double a fortnight later against Helensvale and in July against Mudgeeraba he scored 16 points in a match from a try and six goals. The following week against Burleigh Glenn McGrady kicked six conversions in a win over Burleigh and in the Preliminary Final Glenn McGrady scored a try and kicked a goal in their loss to Ormeau which knocked them out of the competition this season.

Glenn McGrady is a bit of an enigma in terms of how he plays, he certainly plays what is in front of him but does seem to struggle in a structured environment in comparison to when he plays off the cuff. I was intrigued to see him play five eight, in the sense that he is very unpredictable when he gets the ball, he is adept at running himself and has a very good turn of speed off the mark and similarly can throw some superb passes to his support runners, but at the same time passes will go to ground because his team mates are sometimes not thinking along the same lines that he does.

To that extent currently Glenn McGrady is a much better runner of the ball and can step off both feet and is quite strong for his size and will shrug off larger defenders if they try to go high and wrap up the ball. Glenn McGrady drifts across field very slowly and then just takes off through any gaps in a staggered defensive line.

Defensively is actually quite aggressive in terms of finishing off tackles and certainly seems adept at getting his hands between attackers and their support players and knocking the ball down. He does need to be aware however not to go for the intercept too much, but his quick feet enable him to defend well especially against small light stepping attackers as he can mirror their movement.

Glenn McGrady is eligible for the MM Cup competition in 2018 and has been named in the Tweed heads Seagulls MM Cup squad and when that competition is completed Glenn McGrady will play the remainder of the season in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition. It would not surprise at all to see Glenn McGrady play some Gold Coast First Grade with Bilambil and/or move immediately upon completion of the MM Cup competition to the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Colts side.

Glenn McGrady will also play for the PBC Open schoolboy side in their GIO Cup and Super Six campaigns and is also a likely starter in the South Coast U18 School boy side for the QSSRL U18 Championships and it would not surprise at all to see Glenn McGrady make the Queensland U18 Open School boys side for the ASSRL U18 Championships next year.

From a position perspective, due to how Glenn McGrady plays what is in front of him and thus is less comfortable in with a structured attacking methodology at present at least, although I am sure that will develop. I would suggest that his best position moving forward would be at fullback in the short term at least where he can see the entire field in front of him and look to create from there.

Glenn McGrady will need the right coach to harness his natural skills. If a coach tries to change him into playing to a set pattern I think that he will struggle but if a coach is prepared to give him free reign then the skills he possesses means that he could develop into a very interesting player indeed over the coming seasons and certainly for me at least the most surprising player that I have seen in the Gold Coast rugby league competition.

From my perspective, a talented, unselfish attacking player with similar attributes is Brisbane Broncos five eight Anthony Miford. Like Milford, Glenn McGrady has great acceleration to go along with a wicked sidestep and the play making skills to make opposition teams pay if defences look to focus too much on him.

[mdrew]

Tyler Mahon. The young Burleigh Bears U16 Division One player and Marymount College Year 11 student has continued to develop his skill set and as a consequence of his play with both Burleigh Heads and Marymount College Tyler Mahon has been selected in the 2018 Burleigh MM Cup training squad which starts next February.

For Burleigh in the U16 GCJRL Division One competition, Tyler Mahon played in twelve matches all at five eight including their Grand Final loss in early September to the Currumbin Eagles. Over the course of the season, Tyler Mahon scored five tries including a double in Round One against Helensvale and Tyler Mahon also scored against Ormeau and Helensvale on two other occasions. Tyler Mahon also played one match for Burleigh in the U17 Division Two competition.

The Year 11 Marymount College Burleigh Heads student represented his school with distinction at the 2017 Queensland Independent Secondary Schools Rugby League (QISSRL) Carnival held at Padua College in Brisbane earlier this year. Marymount College in fact were the Bob Linder trophy winners beating fellow Gold Coast School Aquinas College in the final and also the QRL Referees Fair Play Award Winners. In the QISSRL Carnival, Tyler Mahon played in all six of Marymount’s matches scoring in a 32 – 0 victory over Aquinas College in the Bob Lindner Trophy final and also in Marymount’s final match of the carnival against Emmaus College Bundaberg on a 12 – 6 victory.

In terms of running the ball, it is not something that Tyler Mahon necessarily did a lot of during the 2017 but when he does run he has reasonable speed off the mark and a subtle but still pronounced step, but Tyler Mahon’s running of the ball is likely only ever going to be a compliment to his passing and tactical kicking game rather than his primary skill however the ability to keep defences honest by taking running opportunities when they present themselves is still an important attribute in rugby league. When he does run Tyler Mahon runs with the ball out in front of his body in both hands casting a degree of doubt in the defensive line regularly.

Tyler Mahon’s calling card moving forward is clearly going to be his passing game, and this is what will set up the other parts of his game such as taking the line on and also differentiate him from other young play makers. From what I have seen Tyler Mahon is reasonably quick off the mark but still will be able to make some line breaks when teams focus on him passing and ignore him in terms of running the football especially as games progress into the second half.

Tyler Mahon reads the play well and is tenacious when defending against much bigger players who look to target him in the defensive line. He will hold on and look to slow the attacker down until defensive help arrives. Against players his size Tyler Mahon’s strength and technique is more than sufficient to address any attackers running in his direction.

Tyler Mahon will be back at Marymount College for his senior year and will play for his school side once again in the GIO Cup, Titans Cup and QISSRL competitions. Tyler Mahon will also play for the Burleigh Bears U17 Division One side and as previously noted has been selected in the Burleigh MM Cup training squad for 2018 that recently played development/trial matches against Redcliffe and Wynnum. Fellow Burleigh youngster Zane Harris and Tyler Mahon may well be great competition for each other in the race for the starting five eight position come the start of the MM Cup competition in February 2018.

With his trait of running with the ball on both hands and his quick release of the ball when passing Tyler Mahon projects as an ideal five eight and whilst I agree, it does intrigue me how Tyler Mahon would go playing at fullback where he could play as a second five eight as well as having the ability to exploit any gaps in the defensive line when returning kicks.

For me the playing style of Tyler Mahon is similar to that of St George Dragons England Test five eight and recent Dally M five eight of the year Gareth Widdop as a solid player who compliments the players around him rather than him being the dominating presence on an individual level.

[mdrew]

Dakota Whalan. (Updated) Dakota Whalan finished his 2017 rugby league commitments by attending a Titans U16 Elite Performance camp at Lenox Heads and at that camp was part of the Titans side that played against the Western Mustangs side that also attended the camp. Not that it is necessarily relevant but the U16 Titans High Performance Unit won in a high quality match eight tries to two.

The young hooker started in the 2017 season at hooker for the Gold Coast Vikings Green U16 side that played a Western Mustangs U16 selection in Toowoomba recently with the Gold Coast Green side winning the match 24 – 8 against a committed opposition side. As noted the Titans linked youngster represented Gold Coast Green in the South East Queensland U16 pre-season competition and then progressed to the GCJRL U16 Division One competition.

Dakota Whalan started off the U16 Division One season with the Southport Tigers playing in four matches for them before obtaining a clearance to move to the Burleigh Bears. Dakota Whalan made his U16 Division One debut for Burleigh in early June against Ormeau and in total played seven matches in the Burleigh’s maroon and white including starting at hooker in Burleigh’s 34 – 4 Grand Final loss against Currumbin.

Dakota Whalan scored two late season tries while playing for Burleigh with those tries coming in consecutive weeks against Currumbin in the final regular season round and in Burleigh’s first semi-final against Helensvale.

Dakota Whalan played the 2016 season for the Southport Tigers in the U15 Division One competition on the Gold Coast where he scored three tries from seven matches, including a double in the first regular season round against Beaudesert and Dakota Whalan also scored late in the season against the Helensvale Hornets.

Dakota Whalan is a vocal dummy half with a goal to lead his team around the field and determine when the forwards take the ball up and when the ball is directed out to the backline. Dakota Whalan looks to lead his forwards onto the ball and provides a flat pass to enable his forwards to time their run onto the ball. Dakota Whalan aims to be the team’s general from dummy half and control the pace of the match and the axis from which his team directs their attack and also from what part of the field.

Running with the ball Dakota Whalan has reasonable speed off the mark, probably in the average category for a hooker but normally runs off the back of a big run from one of his forwards so that he runs when the defensive line is still retreating back to their 10 metre mark.

Just like he is when he is at dummy half Dakota Whalan is vocal when he is in the defensive line looking to direct his forwards towards where the ball is likely heading and individually identifying which forward defends which attacker. Dakota Whalan certainly has a tough streak and will look to hit opposing forwards regardless of their size as hard as possible and looks to finish off each tackle with aggression. Dakota Whalan is also a solid worker when at marker and will chase and look to harass both ball runners and tactical kickers alike.

Dakota Whalan will play the 2018 season with the Burleigh Bears at the U17 Division One level.

Dakota Whalan has spent the last couple of season exclusively at hooker and I can see no justification for an alteration to that particular situation as he moves forward in his rugby league career.

From a player comparison perspective I can see aspects of a playing style similar to that of Sydney Roosters Jake Friend in the play of Dakota Whalan as a hooker who looks to control his forward pack from the dummy half position and lets his team know what he wants from them.

[mdrew]

Tommas Skerke. (Updated) If you are looking for distribution out of dummy half you need to look no further than Tommas Skerke the talented young hooker from the Beaudesert Kingfishers who started off the season in the 2017 Gold Coast Green Vikings U16 side and finished it participating in the recently completed Titans U16 High Performance Unit camp and playing against the Western Mustangs squad at Lennox Heads in Northern New South Wales.

For the 2017 season Tommas Skerke transferred to the Runaway Bay Seagulls JRL club and played for them in the GCJRL U16 Division One competition. In that competition Tommas Skerke played fourteen matches scoring a sole try which came against Helensvale in early July.

For the Beaudesert Kingfishers in the U15 Division One competition Tommas Skerke played in seven matches in 2016. In addition Tommas Skerke played one match in the U16 Division Two competition and three in the U16 Division Three competition.

Tommas Skerke’s best attribute is his passing skills from the dummy half position. His passing is effective from both sides of his body and leads his forwards onto the ball by putting the ball out in front of his runners so that they can maintain momentum. Tommas Skerke does not have an overly long pass but his passing is accurate regardless of whether he is passing to a forward running the ball up or the half back looking to get the ball out wider. The stand out feature is the speed in which he gets the ball out of his hands at dummy half.

Tommas Skerke is not a huge threat to run the ball out of dummy half but will take what he is given if the defence does not consider him a threat at any particular time. His initial burst off the mark is reasonable and he has decent feet to enable him to create space, but he does not have the top end speed to break clear of the defensive line if he gets through a gap either by accepting an off load or by exploiting a gap in the defensive line.

Tommas Skerke’s first thought when coming into dummy half is to distribute the ball effectively to his support players. When close to the line he will dummy and get down low to the line when the opportunity presents but again this is a secondary consideration as he progressively works through his options in that part of the field.

In relation to his defence, Tommas Skerke will get in front of opposing forwards and look to slow their momentum. Due to his size he tackles low on almost every occasion, he just does not have the size to try to take on opposing forwards one on one, but he is tenacious and courageous, because even at the U16 level there are some huge boys running around. Tommas Skerke has very good endurance and projects as a hooker who will be able to play the full match without interchange something that he is already used to doing with his club side at Beaudesert.

Tommas Skerke will play the 2018 season with the Runaway Bay Seagulls at the U17 Division One level. From a position perspective Tommas Skerke is ideally suited to the hooking position with his speed out of dummy half and his distribution skills.

To me the playing style of Tommas Skerke is similar to that of former Wests Tiger and new South Sydney Rabbitoh Robbie Farrah as a hooker with very good distribution skills and speed out of dummy half that plays better as a result of his knack to run at the right time and with a plan on each occasion that he runs rather than running just for the sake of it.