My take on our top juniors

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Calvin Harris-Tavita. In September 2023 Calvin Harris-Tavita played for a Titans U14 side that played against another Titans U14 side in a match in Ipswich which saw the two sides both wear Titans jersey to give the players a great experience.

Calvin Harris-Tavita started the trial at halfback for Titans White against Titans Blue with Calvin Harris-Tevita recording a try assist in the 18th minute when after running onto a good right arm off-load from his right from Baxter Best five metres inside Titans Blue territory Calvin Harris-Tavita continued to run to his left and when twenty metres out from the try line and near the left touchline Calvin Harris-Tavita passed to his right to left winger Elijah Kadima who had cut inside with the left winger running to the try line untouched.

Calvin Harris-Tavita recorded a second try assist in the 57th minute with a long cut out pass to his right to put his winger over to score in the right corner after Calvin Harris-Tavita had received the ball “out the back” when twelve metres from the try line and to the right of the play the ball.

Calvin Harris-Tavita also recorded a line break assist in the 42nd minute when from the left of the play the ball and thirty two metres from his own try line Calvin Harris-Tavita threw a cut-out pass to his left to put Baxter Best away down the left touchline.

Calvin Harris-Tavita made his first run of the match in the 13th minute when from the left of the play the ball and forty metres from the try line Calvin Harris-Tavita stepped his way to within twenty one metres from the try line before receiving a penalty after being hit in a high tackle near the left touchline.

Then in the 15th minute after running out of dummy half to his right from twenty one metres from his own try line, Calvin Harris-Tavita stepped off his right foot to get the ball out to the thirty seven metre mark.

The 38th minute saw Calvin Harris-Tavita run the ball down a short left blindside from thirty two metres from the try line to twenty metres out with Calvin Harris-Tavita then putting in a left foot grubber kick which was knocked on by one of the Titans Blue defenders with Titans White getting the ball back ten metres from the try line as a result.

A minute later in the 39th minute from the right of the play the ball Calvin Harris-Tavita, from sixteen metres out stepped off his right foot and after getting to within three metres of the try line Calvin Harris-Tavita was able to get an off-load away to his right.

2023 saw Calvin Harris-Tavita attend Kings College with Calvin Harris-Tavita starting at halfback in the Kings College U15A School Boy Rugby side even though Calvin Harris-Tavita was still U14 eligible.

Calvin Harris-Tavita in 2023 played for the Katahitanga U14 Representative side including scoring two tries and kicking four conversions in a 32 – 16 victory against a Future Warriors U14 side that was played as a curtain-raiser to a Warriors NRL match.

Calvin Harris-Tavita is just a superb mover seemingly gliding across the field effortlessly with outstanding balance, body control and exquisite hand eye co-ordination which has been aided by playing hockey at a very high level. Seriously Calvin Harris-Tavita’s running style looks just effortless and perfectly balanced and is undertaken at speed.

It is hard to put in words just how talented Calvin Harris-Tavita is in terms of running the ball, he has outstanding speed both off the mark which I would consider in the plus plus category and top end speed which must be considered plus regardless of position.

Calvin Harris-Tavita with his pace is able to exploit even the smallest of gaps in the defensive line with an exceptional step off either foot and incredible acceleration as well as outstanding balance and body control. When Calvin Harris-Tavita steps, regardless of the size of the step or in which direction there is absolutely no loss of speed or momentum as Calvin Harris-Tavita moves to his new vector and continues on.

It is that speed trait which opens up his incredible ball playing skills as well. Teams start to focus heavily on Calvin Harris-Tavita when he has the ball with outside defenders looking to come in to assist that they open up holes wider out in the defensive line that Calvin Harris-Tavita can exploit.

Calvin Harris-Tavita has exquisite timing on his passes and is able to weight them perfectly as well and can do so from either side of his body. Adding in this is that Calvin Harris-Tavita can stop on a dime even travelling at full speed and pop the short pass, thus it looks for all money that he is going to run the ball thus the defence converges and then the ball is delivered to a support runner who is through a hole before the defensive line can readjust.

Calvin Harris-Tavita also runs with the ball in both hands out in front of his body which is another reason why the defensive line is unable to determine exactly what Calvin Harris-Tavita is going to do with the ball at any given time. By the time that they have figured it out it is usually too late to stop Calvin Harris-Tavita.

Calvin Harris-Tavita just seems to have all of the time in the world to do what he wants on a rugby league field and is just so calm and composed and seemingly always two or three plays ahead of the opposition and his own team mates on occasion to be honest.

Defensively Calvin Harris-Tavita is a very strong young man with exceptional functional strength to go along with an innate understanding of the attacking strategies of rugby league thus he is able to anticipate what an attacking side is looking to do with the ball and then be in the best position to negate it.

Calvin Harris-Tavita has a very good low tackling technique which is simple and repeatable and effective against all size opponents and thus there is no need for a defensive minder on Calvin Harris-Tavita’s side of the field.

In 2024 Calvin Harris-Tavita will be U15 eligible.

Lining up at five eight or halfback does not really matter in relation to Calvin Harris-Tavita, what matters is that the ball is in Calvin Harris-Tavita’s hands as often as possible as good things happen, very good things if the ball is in Calvin Harris-Tavita’s hands.

The Titans own Thomas Weaver is a very good player comparison for Calvin Harris-Tavita. Both Weaver and Calvin Harris-Tavita are calm and composed as they steer there side around the field and both are also on field leaders of their team.

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Chase Harris. In September 2023 Henry Willis played for a Titans U14 side that played against another Titans U14 side in a match in Ipswich which saw the two sides both wear Titans jersey to give the players a great experience.

Chase Harris started the trial at lock for Titans White against Titans Blue and in just the 2nd minute of the trial Chase Harris made his presence felt with a huge front on hit on the Titans Blue front rower (No. 8) on the halfway mark.

In the 7th minute after running onto the ball to the right of the play the ball Chase Harris carried the ball to the halfway mark after taking possession of the ball thirty six metres out from his own ty line.

In 2023 Chase Harris lined up for the Burleigh Bears in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League U14 Division One competition.

Running with the football, Chase Harris 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 although you can see that when he gets fired up all subtlety and thoughts of self-preservation goes out the window and he becomes a giant wrecking ball.

Chase Harris 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. Chase Harris actually does have a decent off load usually with his right hand when he has impacted the defensive line as well and regularly showcases this in game situations.

In game situations Chase Harris is also showcasing his ability to offload prior to the defensive line, a skill that he has developed and incorporated is recent seasons.

As you would expect, due to his size and strength, Chase Harris is a very good defender, for his size he will not necessarily hit hard (he certainly can however when the opportunity presents), but he is very good at mirroring the movement of the opposing centre and wrapping him up ball and all.

Defensively Chase Harris uses his size to good effect, he drives with his shoulder into his opponent and has very good timing in terms of when to come out of the line and certainly has the speed to readjust and chase if his timing is slightly off and his opposing centre gets on his outside.

His long reach is also a positive attribute in those situations and also when moving up into the defensive line as Chase Harris can disrupt passing lanes on the fringes of the ruck.

Chase Harris is the defensive leader of the Nerang U16 Division One BBC three quarter line and other defenders keyed off him in terms of whether to use an up and in methodology and slide to the outside.

Chase Harris on an individual level has the body control to redirect quickly and mirror the movement of the opposing attackers and anticipate what vector the attack comes from and innately understands when to allow the attacking play to develop in from of him and when to come out of the line to disrupt the attacking play prior to its formation.

2024 will see Chase Harris continue to play for the Burleigh Bears in the GCRL U15 Division One competition.

Chase Harris at this stage is probably on the lighter side for a lock but has the frame to add weight and additional muscle mass without compromising his overall speed and athleticism.

Impressively Chase Harris also has shown an amount of ball playing ability prior to engaging the defensive line that would suggest that Chase Harris can be a link between his fellow forwards and his team’s backline along the lines of an Isaiah Yeo type of player.

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Ranel Filipine. In September 2023 Ranel Filipine played for a Titans U14 side that played against another Titans U14 side in a match in Ipswich which saw the two sides both wear Titans jersey to give the players a great experience.

Ranel Filipine started the trial from the bench for Titans White against Titans Blue with Ranel Filipine coming onto the field to play right second row in the 24th minute and just two minutes later in the 26th minute Ranel Filipine charged onto the ball to the right of the play the ball and as a result was able to carry the ball from twelve metres inside his own territory to three metres inside Titans Blue territory.

Then in the 32nd minute from the left of the play the ball and thirty metres from his own try line Ranel Filipine was able to make eleven metres to get within nine metres of the halfway mark.

In February 2024 Ranel Filipine was selected in a Samoa U14 (2023 U14) side to play a Queensland Murri U14 side with Ranel Filipine starting the match in the front row.

2023 also saw Ranel Filipine play for the Souths Acacia Ridge Magpies in the GBJRL U14 Division One competition with Ranel Filipine alternating between starting in the second row and off the bench including starting from the bench in the Grand Final against Logan Brothers.

Ranel Filipine also played a number of matches for the Magpies “up” in the GBJRL U15 Division One competition in 2023 including starting on the wing in Round Nine against the Redcliffe Dolphins.

Ranel Filipine is a powerful runner of the ball and once he has generated momentum he is very difficult to stop and regularly has been able to drag defenders with him after initial contact has been made.

Once he is in space, Ranel Filipine actually has very good speed, I would consider it above average when analysing his speed from a rugby league forward’s perspective, to add to the difficulties for the defensive line, he runs with a high knee lift and also has a powerful right hand fend.

Defensively the most impressive aspect of Ranel Filipine’s play is his ability to make effective tackle after effective tackle. For the Souths Acacia Ridge Magpies in the 2023 in the GBJRL U14 Division One competition Ranel Filipine continually made up to three and four tackles in a row on multiple occasions. Whilst his stamina is impressive, so is Ranel Filipine’s initial contact, he uses his strength and leverage to hit the ball carrier hard forcing critical momentum changes to the ball carriers running line.

Ranel Filipine is also adept at wrapping up the ball and preventing offloads as he uses his functional strength to engage ball carriers. Defensively in a covering role he is also very effective as even though he is a big strong forward Ranel Filipine has very good catch up speed and a solid low tackling technique from a side aspect.

2024 will see Ranel Filipine continue to play for the Souths Acacia Ridge Magpies in the GBJRL U15 Division One competition.

Ranel Filipine is a big strong powerful young man with the requisite speed and mobility to continue in the second row for the duration of his rugby league career no matter how far it takes him.

Powerhouse former New Zealand Warriors and current Melbourne Storm signing Eliesa Katoa is a strong NRL player comparison for Ranel Filipine, both are powerhouse ball runners with the requisite speed to be very damaging on the fringes of the ruck.

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Elijah Kadima. In September 2023 Elijah Kadima played for a Titans U14 side that played against another Titans U14 side in a match in Ipswich which saw the two sides both wear Titans jersey to give the players a great experience.

Elijah Kadima started the trial from the bench for Titans White against Titans Blue with Elijah Kadima coming onto the field to operate on the left wing in the 15th minute with Elijah Kadima in the action almost immediately after coming onto the field Elijah Kadima was involved in the action when he was awarded a penalty for being tackled in the air as Elijah Kadima was chasing through a Titans White attacking kick to receive the penalty twenty two metres out near the left touchline.

Elijah Kadima scored in the 18th minute with Elijah Kadima backing up a line break from half Calvin Harris-Tavita to receive an inside pass to run twenty metres untouched to score ten metres in from the left corner post.

In the 38th minute after receiving a high cut-out pass to his wing when just four metres from his own try line Elijah Kadima was able to carry the ball to within twelve metres of the halfway mark.

2023 also saw Elijah Kadima attend Ipswich SHS will Elijah Kadima starting on the right for in the School Boy Rugby League Renouf Shield Grand Final against Redcliffe SHS with Elijah Kadima scoring a hat trick in the Ipswich SHS victory including Ipswich SHS’s go head try with twelve minutes remaining in the Grand Final.

As a result of his performances in the Renouf Shield Elijah Kadima was named on the wing in the 2023 Ipswich SHS School Boy Rugby League Team of the Season.

Also in 2023 Elijah Kadima played for Goodna in the Ipswich Rugby League U14 competition with Elijah Kadima finishing as the competitions leading try scorer with fourteen tries.

In addition to his fourteen tries Elijah Kadima also kicked three conversions to finish the season with a total of sixty two points to finish as the competitions equal fifth leading points scorer.

Elijah Kadima scored hat tricks in Round Five against Redback Plains Blue, Round Eight against Laidley and in Week One of the Finals against Redbank Plains Red. Elijah Kadima also scored a double in Round Seven against Norths Gold and scored in Round Six against Brothers White and Round Ten against Redbank Plains Red.

For Goonda, Elijah Kadima split time between starting on the wing and in the centres as well as coming off the bench in Round Five against Redbank Plains Blue.
One of the reasons Elijah Kadmia is so successful on a football field is his exceptional speed and elusiveness, he is one of the fastest player I have ever seen on a field and when you add in his elusiveness, he is a nightmare for opposing defences. In relation to his elusiveness the thing that makes it play even better is his ability to change direction with no loss of speed, this enables him to use the sideline exceptionally well with an in and away, all three of his first half tries against Ipswich in Round Thirteen last weekend are a testament to this skill.
When the opposing defender’s momentum slows just for a split second, Elijah Kadmia is away down the sideline and will not get caught and also regularly also beats the fullback who no matter how fast they are cannot recover the ground.
Elijah Kadmia is also adept at making ground out of dummy half. Once he has picked the ball up he simply explodes out of there and targets a gap between opposing forwards and looks to accelerate through it. If the defenders look to jersey grab or make an arm tackle, Elijah Kadmia simply bursts through it and into the space behind the ruck.
Elijah Kadmia is not a big player at all and the obvious question is whether he is strong enough to handle the defensive side of rugby league at the higher levels, I would argue that the answer is absolutely yes. In defence against the bigger outside backs running around, Elijah Kadmia looks to cut down the time that they have to gain momentum thus eliminating the size differential as a defensive aspect to take into consideration.
At the opposite end of the spectrum when opposing a quick winger, Elijah Kadmia will show them the side line and use his speed advantage to force the opponent towards the touch line, with their only real option to slow and try to come back inside towards Elijah Kadmia and the cover defence.
Elijah Kadmia also has the speed to show his opponent the sideline and cut him down and has the recovery speed to turn and chase if a break is made either on his side of the field or for that matter the other side.

2024 will see Elijah Kadima continue at Ipswich SHS with Elijah Kadima moving up to the School Boy Rugby League Hancock Cup competition. Elijah Kadima will also continue to play for Goodna in the Ipswich Rugby league U15 competition.

With his straight line express speed being on the wing appears to be the best utilisation of Elijah Kadima’s skill set both now and into the future. Playing in the centres for the next couple of years however would be positive from a development perspective for Elijah Kadima but make no mistake Elijah Kadima is a rugby league winger when all is said and done, pure and simple.

The Titans own speedster Lofi Khan-Pereira with his outstanding straight line speed is a more than solid playing style comparison for Elijah Kadima. Both Khan-Pereira and Elijah Kadima have explosive speed both off the mark as well as when in motion and for both it is more about understanding the most appropriate way to utilise that speed to the advantage of themselves and their team.