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  1. #946
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    Damon Somerville. The former Titans Development Squad member is off contract with the Broncos at the end of this season and it would be great to see him back with the Titans sooner rather than later.

    Damon Somerville started the 2019 season with Burleigh in the MM Cup competition, playing in all six of their matches, spending time at both centre and second row. Damon Somerville started in the centres in Rounds One and Five against Norths and Souths Logan respectively, starting in the second row in his remaining four fixtures.

    Damon Somerville ended the 2019 MM Cup campaign with two tries with those tries coming in Round Two against Ipswich and Round Four against the Townsville Blackhawks.

    Damon Somerville also was part of the South Coast U18 QSSRL side but unfortunately was injured in the QSSRL U18 Championships.

    Damon Somerville is also part of the Burleigh U18 Division One side this season but has only played a limited number of matches as a result of the arm injury suffered playing for South Coast.

    The 2018 Queensland U16 Emerging Origin Squad member is part of the PBC Rugby League Excellence Program and has been a Burleigh Heads Junior his entire career. Damon Somerville’s younger brother Kaden is contracted to the Titans.

    Damon Somerville was an ever present for the PBC side last season playing a key role for the PBC Open side that won the National GIO Cup competition. Damon Somerville primarily came off the bench for PBC playing left second row when he came on.

    Damon Somerville in 2018 played four matches in the GCRL U16 Division One competition for Burleigh and certainly made an impact on his way to scoring five tries, including a hat trick against Mudgeeraba and tries against Nerang and Currumbin.

    Damon Somerville also played one match at the U17 Division One level which was against Mudgeeraba in May 2018. In that match Damon Somerville was one of the Burleigh try scorers.

    Damon Somerville first wore a Titans jersey in 2014 when he started at five eight for the Titans U13 Development Squad in a match against a Toowoomba U14 selection and that morning at Pizzey park he cut Toowoomba apart including scoring a try under the posts with a great show and go splitting the Toowoomba defence from about 40 metres out.

    Earlier this season Damon Somerville was part of the Gold Coast Vikings side that played in the South East Queensland U16 pre-season competition. In 2017 Damon Somerville was part of the South Coast U15 side that competed in the U15 QSSRL competition, playing four matches in the centres and from there was selected in the U15 Queensland Maroon side for the U15 ASSRL Championships.

    For Queensland Maroon, Damon Somerville played in four matches and scored against Queensland White and ACT.

    In 2014 Damon Somerville was part of the Queensland Rugby League U12 side. A team mate in that side was Titans contracted and fellow PBC student Ediq Ambrosyev. Damon Somerville has also represented Gold Coast Viking at the U13 and U14 levels to round out an extensive representative resume.

    For a centre, Damon Somerville is a big strong young man who does not rely just on his size and speed and using his natural running balance to either engage the opposing defenders and off load, run either an inside or outside shoulder route or an in and away to slow the forward momentum of the defender and accelerate on the outside.

    For a player of his size, Damon Somerville also has a very good passing game especially to his right side. When the ball is passed out to the back line, Damon Somerville is very good at straitening up the attacking vector of his team and pass to his outside supports if they have room to move further out wide.

    From a speed perspective Damon Somerville has above average speed for both his size and position and when he breaks into open space, he will not be caught from behind other than from only the fastest of opponents and he is also very good at positioning his support players when he gets to the fullback.

    The only possible question about Damon Somerville’s speed is whether it will stay at or near the above average to plus category as he matures and inevitably continues to fill out.

    Defensively Damon Somerville 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.

    For me when I saw him play for either PBC or Burleigh Damon Somerville was the defensive leader of the 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.

    Damon Somerville 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.

    Damon Somerville will play out the 2019 season as part of the Burleigh U18 Division One side and for PBC in their various school boy competitions including the Langer Cup and GIO Cup.

    Damon Somerville is also MM Cup eligible in 2020 when he will surely be a key member of the Burleigh squad for that competition. I have no doubt that after the completion of the 2020 MM Cup competition, Damon Somerville will make the move quickly to the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition.

    Damon Somerville has played primarily in the centres and five eight throughout his junior rugby league career but has spent a lot of time in the second row in the last season or two, especially for PBC and the Burleigh MM Cup squad.

    For me though it is far too early to write Damon Somerville off in terms of not being able to stay in the centres long term.

    A player with a similar playing style for me for Damon Somerville would be Cronulla Sharks centre Ricky Leutele, they are both around the same size and look to use their size and speed to their advantage to dominate the opponent directly in front of them.

  2. #947
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    Thomas Weaver. (Revised) The talented young half back from Cudgen in Northern New South Wales recently signed a new two year contract with the Titans and earlier this year started at half for the Titans U16’s and captaining the side in their match at Coffs Harbour against the Newcastle Knights and was involved in the first play of the game being the opening tackle after the kick off on the Knights front rower with team mates, Brody Smitka and Ryan Foran.

    Like in previous matches for the Titans Junior Development sides, Thomas Weaver was in the thick of the action against the Knights directing the Titans around the field and scored a good solo try in the second half when he stepped off his left foot about ten metres out from the Newcastle Knights line and beat two or three defenders, plus dragged one over the line to score just to the left of the goal posts for the Titans first try of the match.

    Against the Knights Thomas Weaver operated primarily on the left side of the field with five eight Riley Lack operating on the right. When the Titans had a scrum feed, Thomas Weaver played as the first receiver with Riley Lack feeding the scrum.

    Just like he has in a number of matches, Thomas Weaver had the ball on a string and included in his outstanding passing game was a great cut out pass to left winger Kaleb Ngamanu who got outside his direct opponent and sprinted down the touch line on a 40 metre run before passing the ball inside to centre Ezra Ubaldino.

    I do want to site a specific example or two of Thomas Weaver’s tenacity, late in the first half he put in a great kick from around 30 metres out from the Newcastle line with the ball pulling up a metre short of touch in goal, instead of sitting back resting on his laurels, Thomas Weaver was the first Titan down the field and made the tackle to trap the Knights fullback in the in goal.

    It was a similar situation for the Titans captain in the second half, he put in a kick from around forth metres out which held up a metre or so from the touch in goal making the Knights fullback have to play the ball and whilst on that occasions he did get out of his in-goal, once again Thomas Weaver was the first Titan down the field to make the tackle.

    Just to round off his outstanding kicking display in the match, one of his kicks for touch in the second half made around fifty metres, it was just an outstanding kick and put the Titans well and truly on the attack.

    In June of this year, Thomas Weaver started at half for the Titans U18 side in their match against North Queensland that was played as the curtain raiser to the Titans/ Warriors NRL match in June, an impressive feat considering that the majority of the players that he was up against were already 18 years old.

    In March of 2018 Thomas Weaver captained and started at half back for a Titans U15 Invitational side that defeated a Western Mustangs U15 side six tries to three (no goal kicks were taken) with Thomas Weaver being one of a number of stand outs for the Titans.

    In the match against the Western Mustangs he formed a solid combination with five eight Jed Bignell. To be honest, it was clear in that match that Thomas Weaver was the leader of the team, he dictated the Titans tempo and controlled the play well from a game management perspective determining who got the ball, where the play was to and the ultimate aim of the particular set up six tackles and was the Titans primary tactical kicker.

    Thomas Weaver also had a try assist in the match when he threw an outstanding flat ball to left centre JT Manufeoata who ran into a whole to score out wide in the first half. Thomas Weaver was also the Titans primary tactical kicker in the match.

    Late in the 2018 season Thomas Weaver started at half back for the Titans U15 as they defeated a U15 Balmain Tigers touring side 16 – 10 with Thomas Weaver being prominent throughout including throwing a great cut-out ball to winger Kaleb Ngamanu to score in around the 6th minute when he flashed down the left touch line untouched and was able to bring the ball around under the posts to help back Thomas Weaver’s conversion a whole lot easier.

    Thomas Weaver was also involved in Rowan Mansfield second half match sealing try against Balmain throwing the first of a chain of passes through five eight Jye Gray to Kaleb Ngamanu who put Rowan Mansfield into a gap down the sideline. Rowan Mansfield used an outstanding in and away to beat the Balmain fullback to score untouched after a seventy metre run just to the right of the goal posts. Once again making Thomas Weaver’s conversion attempt a whole lot easier.

    Thomas Weaver almost scored himself in the match when he was backing up an outstanding fifty metre second half run from Kaleb Ngamanu when he expertly fielded a low kick and split the defence from his own line, but unfortunately just could not find Thomas Weaver with the inside pass.

    Clearly Thomas Weaver and Kaleb Ngamanu have developed a good rapport which hopefully continues all the way to the NRL.

    In Round One of the U18 Andrew Johns Cup competition this season, Thomas Weaver started at half back for the Northern Rivers Titans in their match against the Newcastle Knights Development Squad and like in matches described above, captained the side and pulled the strings for the Titans in their big 38 – 8 victory and contributed five goals from seven attempts.

    Thomas Weaver can really throw a great long pass and showcased that once again for the Titans in Round One when he set winger Matthew Avery away down the left touch line. The match also saw Thomas Weaver force three drop out with outstanding kicks each coming from around thirty metres out from the Newcastle line each pulling up in the Newcastle in goal.

    Thomas Weaver also had a first half try assist when he drifted to his right and threw a great short ball to left second rower and fellow Titans contract player Ryan Foran who charged thirty metres to score late in the first half.

    Round Two of the 2019 Andrew Johns Cup competition saw Thomas Weaver once again line up at half in their match against Parramatta and yet again he had an outstanding match scoring twenty four points from two tries and eight conversions from nine attempts.

    Both of Thomas Weavers tries were from backing up plays. In his first half try, Thomas Weaver threw a great cut out ball to his left to send winger Jack Field away and then backed up to receive a pass back from the winger to score. Thomas Weaver’s try in the second half came when he backed up a break from interchange forward Byron Jones to score.

    Thomas Weaver also had a try assist when he drifted to his left and put left second rower Ryan Foran on his way to the try line, a try which was eerily similar to the try that the two put on in Round One against Newcastle.

    As in Round One Thomas Weaver also had the ball on a string from a kicking perspective, with both of his first two kicks of the game being outstanding, the first trapping the Parramatta fullback a metre out from his own line where he had to dive to the ground or he would have been either pushed into touch and back into the in-goal in the left corner and the second even better forcing a drop out.

    Thomas Weaver’s outstanding game included two try saving tackles in the second half helping to keep the Northern Rivers Titans line intact. On the first occasion he held a Parramatta player up in the left corner after making up an impressive amount of ground and in the second instance, after a long Parramatta break, Thomas Weaver stripped the ball from the Eels centre when he looked set to score.

    Thomas Weaver also started at half in the Round Three local derby against the North Coast Bulldogs and added another three try assists to his outstanding 2019 Andrew Johns Cup campaign. Two of his three try assists, one in the first half and the other in the second where eerily similar. Thomas Weaver took the ball down a short blind side close to the North Coast line and on each occasion threw a cut out pass to winger Jack Field (Craig Field’s son) to score.

    Thomas Weaver’s other try assist was providing a good pass to left second rower Ryan Foran to crash over. In each of the first three rounds Thomas Weaver and Ryan Foran have combined on the left side of the field for a Ryan Foran try.

    In Round Four against the Central Coast Roosters Thomas Weaver started again at half and captain and well once again was special, with five conversion and an incredible six try assists, five from passes and one from a kick.

    Thomas Weaver garnered a try assist in each of Titans left centre Keegan Pace’s three first half tries. In Keegan Pace’s first and third tries, Thomas Weaver drifted across field, forcing the Central Coast defence to back pedal and then found a straight running Keegan Pace with a great pass to his left.

    The other try assist in the first half for a Keegan Pace try was when Thomas Weaver split the Central Coast defence on his own twenty metres through a hard straight and when confronted with the fullback, Thomas Weaver popped a good ball back across his right shoulder to send Keegan Pace away to score under the posts.

    Thomas Weaver was also involved in two tries in the first half for Titans left second rower Ryan Foran. Thomas Weaver and Ryan Foran combined for a try in each of the opening three rounds but combined for two in Round Four.

    For Ryan Foran’s first try, Thomas Weaver took the ball quickly to his left about five metres out from the Central Coast line and passed to Ryan Foran who ran an outside shoulder route to score. In the second try, Thomas Weaver ran to his left from a scrum win and again with Ryan Foran running an outside shoulder route found him with a pass for Ryan Foran to run twenty metres to score.

    In the second minute of the second half Thomas Weaver got his sixth try assist of the afternoon when be put in a good grubber kick near the posts which the Central Coast defence could not defuse with the Titans pouncing on the mistake to score under the posts.

    Thomas Weaver also forced a Central Coast line drop out in the match after a great klick from around forty metres out with Titans left centre Keegan Pace making the tackle in the Central Coast in-goal.

    Thomas Weaver also started at half back in Round Five against the Greater Northern Tigers adding five conversions to his points tally and another try assist when he grubbered into the in goal area for Riley Lack to score the first try of the match.

    Thomas Weaver could have scored two tries of his own in the second half from scrum moves but on each occasion he was dragged down just short of the line. On each occasion Thomas Weaver Thomas Weaver looped around five eight Riley Lack putting the defensive line under pressure but unfortunately was on each occasion dragged down just shy of the try line.

    Thomas Weaver was also dominant in the Northern Rivers Titans semi-final victory over Penrith scoring a double and kicking three conversions from five attempts. In relation to his first try Thomas Weaver was the recipient of an outstanding piece of work from second rower Ryan Foran. Ryan Foran charged down a Penrith kick and passed immediately to Thomas Weaver upon retrieving the ball for Thomas Weaver to sprint forty five metres to score.

    Thomas Weaver’s second try came just two minutes after the first. He backed up through the centre of the ruck after an outstanding run from lock Bailey Cox, who offloaded to fullback Jaylan De Groot who was able to find Thomas Weaver to space to race away and score.

    Thomas Weaver could in fact have finished the match with a hat trick but was adjudged to have knocked on when attempting to ground the ball from a kick after the siren to conclude the first half.

    Thomas Weaver also had a try assist in the match. Operating on the left of the field close to the Penrith line, Thomas Weaver took the ball right to the line before popping a good short ball to his left to Ryan Foran to crash over.

    In the 2019 U16 Andrew Johns Cup Grand Final against the Western Rams Thomas Weaver started at half captaining the side to an 18 – 6 victory, contributing ten points from a try and three conversions from three attempts. Thomas Weaver also had a try assist when he threw good flat ball for Titans lock Bailey Cox to crash over for the first try of the match.

    In the second half, Thomas Weaver scored after receiving a pass from fullback Jaylan DeGroot. DeGroot had field a kick on his own try line with the Western Rams on the attack and then offloaded to Thomas Weaver to sprint ninety metres to score under the posts. As a result of his performance, Thomas Weaver was named player of the final.

    Post the victory Thomas Weaver was named at halfback for the New South Wales Country U16 side for their November two match tour of the United Kingdom and was also named in the 2019 New South Wales U16 36 man train on squad and was one of only four New South Wales Country players in the squad, two others being fellow Titans Riley Lack and Ryan Foran.

    The New South Wales Country U16 side played a New South Wales U16 Harold Matthews squad as a curtain raiser to the Penrith/Warriors NRL match on a Friday night at Penrith Park in May. Thomas Weaver started the match at half back.

    Even though the NSW Country side went down 16 – 6, Thomas Weaver who captained the side was outstanding including converting Country’s only try of the match which was scored by fellow Titans contracted player, hooker Oscar Bryant.

    It was his defence that stood out in the match with Thomas Weaver making two try saving tackles, the first in the first half was a classic cover defending tackle down the right touchline and the second was when he tracked back to stop one of the giant Harold Matthews forwards, Thomas Weaver rounded him up from behind dragging him down with the assistance of fellow Titan Rowan Mansfield.

    After that match, Thomas Weaver was selected in the New South Wales U16 side that defeated a U16 Pasifika team 36 – 6 at Belmore Sports Ground on Sunday 9 June with Thomas Weaver starting the match at five eight.

    At the Northern Rivers Awards night held in April, Thomas Weaver received the 2019 Players Player Award for the U16 Andrew Johns Cup side.

    A week after the Andrew Johns Cup final Thomas Weaver made his NRRRL U18 debut in Round Three for Cudgen, starting on the wing against Murwillumbah and scored a try and kicked four goals from seven attempts in an outstanding debut as his Cudgen side defeated Murwillumbah 36 – 0.

    In Round Four of the NRRRL U18 competition, Thomas Weaver moved into five eight and kicked three goals as Cudgen defeated Byron Bay 26 – 10.

    Round Five of the NRRRL U18 competition saw Thomas Weaver start at five eight and he kicked three from three as the Hornets defeated Ballina 18 – 12.

    2018 saw Thomas Weaver represent Group 18 in the New South Wales Country Age Championships scoring a try and kicking eight goals in his three Championship matches. Thomas Weaver scored against Group 21 and also kicked six goals in that match to finish with sixteen points and also kicked two goals in a tough 16 all draw with Group Two.

    In April of 2018 Thomas Weaver was selected in the Northern Region New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges (CCC) U15 side for the New South Wales trials. Thomas Weaver was the half back in the side after being selected from St Joseph’s College Benora Point.

    After those trials Thomas Weaver has been selected in the New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges U15 team for the ASSRL U15 Championships where he will be up against the Queensland Maroon and White sides which both contain Titans contracted boys.

    After the completion of the 2018 season Thomas Weaver and fellow Group 18 U15 team mates headed overseas to play in the Battlefield Challenge to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the end of World War I, a competition that the side won including victories against Emory Moor 12 – 6 and Leigh East 18 – 12.

    In a warm up match in England prior to the Tournament they defeated a Hemel Stags U16 side and post the Tournament defeated French side Aude Cathare. A number of other Titans players will also be involved in the tour including Keegan Pace, Jack Cullen, Ryan Foran, Byron Jones and Bailey Cox. On the tour Thomas Weaver won a number of Player of the Match awards.

    Thomas Weaver is also an outstanding touch player who has represented his region with distinction in multiple touch competitions and tournaments in both Queensland and New South Wales including last year’s Queensland Championships.

    The Titans contracted young half backs 2017 rugby league commitments ended when he was part a the Titans U15 Invitational side that played against a Balmain Tigers side at Cudgen and even though they were defeated the young Titans players put in a great effort on the night against a primarily older Balmain Tigers side.

    Thomas Weaver and his U14 Cudgen Hornets side had a great club campaign in the 2017 Group 18 junior rugby league competition going through the U14 competition undefeated with their skill and discipline on show in every match.

    The outstanding young Group 18 half back was a constant threat to opposing defences in the New South Wales Country Age Championships early in 2017 where Group 18 were defeated in the U14 Final with Thomas Weaver scoring Group 18’s sole try in the final and then he converted his own try. In two of the preliminary rounds Thomas Weaver kicked two goals apiece including a local derby against Group One to finish with a points total of 14 over the course of the Championships.

    Earlier in 2017 year Thomas Weaver was selected in the Northern Region Combined Catholic Colleges side at half back representing St Joseph’s College Benora Point. In 2015 Thomas Weaver was selected in the New South Wales U12 side for the Australian U12 Championships and that same year after being named Player of the Final for Cudgen in the Group 18 U12 competition was also named as the U12 Group 18 Player of the Season.

    Even though Thomas Weaver has plus acceleration off the mark and above average top speed, his primary focus on a football field is to direct his side around the field, putting his side where they need to be to maintain pressure on the opposition. Holding the ball out in front of his body in both hands enables Thomas Weaver to put doubt into the minds of the opposing defensive line and thus he can dummy and run if there is a gap in the defensive line or put his support runners into gaps.

    This trait was in evidence in this year’s Titans U16 match against Newcastle when he dummied and stepped off his left foot to score the Titans first try of the match.

    Thomas Weaver’s decisive nature also means that when the ball needs to get out to his back line he will get it out there quickly to give his outside backs as much space as possible to work with prior to contact with the opposing defensive line. Getting the ball out to the back line quickly is no issue for Thomas Weaver as he has a very good long passing technique which delivers the ball quickly and accurately to the right place.

    In defence, due to his size Thomas Weaver is obviously not going to come up with the big hit but reads the play well and can hold his own when defending much bigger players and against players with similar size is very aggressive when finishing off his tackles. Thomas Weaver is also very vocal on the field always talking and encouraging his side.

    Thomas Weaver is also a very good goal kicker with both good range and accuracy. I would suggest that he is likely to be his side’s primary goal kicker regardless of the level he progresses to into the future.

    Thomas Weaver also has a very good short attacking kicking game with a positive being that he will go right to the line before dropping the ball to his foot, add to the fact that he regularly runs with the ball out in front of his body in both hands, he gives defensive lines a lot to consider, is Thomas Weaver going to kick, run or pass, a defensive line that anticipates incorrectly will be scrambling to recover before he makes them pay for their error in judgement.

    Like with his goal kicking Thomas Weaver has a real opportunity to be his team’s primary tactical kicking option going forward.

    Once he returns from injury Thomas Weaver play the remainder of the 2019 rugby league season with the Cudgen Hornets in the U18 NRRRL competition even though he is still eligible for the Group 18 U16 competition as well as playing for St Joseph’s College Benora Point in their various school boy competitions. Thomas Weaver will also tour the UK with the New South Wales Country U16 side in October/November.

    It will be interesting to see whether Thomas Weaver plays the 2020 season in the MM Cup competition, most likely with Tweed Heads or plays in the U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition with the Northern Rivers Titans.

    From a position perspective with his speed and rapidly developing ball playing, game management and tactical kicking skills, Thomas Weaver has an opportunity to develop into a very talented young player who can play either half back at the NRL or representative level. The more that Thomas Weaver has the ball in his hands the better it is for his entire team as was evidenced multiple times this season.

    Thomas Weaver is just an outstanding player and one that I cannot think of a current NRL player with similar attributes. For comparison purposes however, Thomas Weaver controls and his side around the field and kicks and passes at the Cooper Cronk level.

    Like Cronk, Thomas Weaver has a wide variety of skills which he is developing and whilst they may not all develop at the same pace or a linear fashion, they surely will all be above average to plus attributes at least when it is all said and done.

    Thomas Weaver does far more however than control play, he will take the defensive line on regularly and to that extent an ideal comparison when Thomas Weaver runs the ball is Cronulla Sharks and New Zealand International half Shaun Johnson.

    Thomas Weaver is rapidly developing into a very talented young play maker indeed and certainly a player to keep an eye on as he progresses through the Titans junior development ranks.

    The other exceptional trait that Thomas Weaver possesses is outstanding leadership and it is no wonder that the Titans selected Thomas Weaver to captain their U15 and U16 sides over the last two seasons and that he captained the outstanding 2019 U16 Andrew Johns Cup Northern Rivers Titans side this season and well as the New South Wales Country U16 side.

  3. #948
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    Brent Barnes. The former Gold Coast Titans Junior Development Squad member, including captaining the Titans U14 side in 2015 has moved around a bit in recent years including spending time in Sydney as part of the Parramatta Eels 2018 SG Ball side and previously was part of the Broncos Development establishment.

    Brent Barnes also 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 he was named in the Australian U15 Merit Side.

    In 2017 Brent Barnes represented Queensland Murri U16 in their annual match against New South Wales Kurri.

    Late last year however Brent Barnes returned to the Gold Coast and has made an impact with the Helensvale Hornets in the GCRL U20 and Doug Lipp Cup competitions.

    Earlier in 2019 Brent Barnes was selected in the South Coast U18 school bot side but did not play for South Coast in the QSSRL U18 Championships and also played a MM Cup trial with Norths in Brisbane.

    After linking back with Helensvale Brent Barnes started the 2019 season at right centre for the Hornets U20 side before moving to five eight.

    Brent Barnes had an outstanding Round Ten match in the U20 competition scoring four tries against Mudgeeraba.

    Brent Barnes first try was a long range effort when he received the ball early and get on the outside of his direct opponent and race 60 metres to score. His second try followed an outstanding chip and chase from Jayden Campbell who drew the fullback to send Brent Barnes on his way.

    His third try was a set play from a scrum, Jayden Campbell received the ball from the back of the scrum and immediately kicked behind the Mudgeeraba defensive line from twenty metres out for Brent Branes to retrieve and put the ball down.

    His fourth try and his only one in the second half was one built from strength, from around ten metres out from the try line, he shrugged off the first defender before splitting two defenders and dragging them across the line to score near the right corner flag.

    Brent Barnes also scored in Round Twelve against Currumbin when he ran a hard straight line for Cameron Brown to find him with a good pass.

    Brent Barnes made it seven tries from as many U20 matches in Round Fourteen in Helensvale’s 30-22 loss to Burleigh. Playing five eight as he has in the last couple of weeks, Brent Barnes received the ball on the right side of the field about twelve metres out from the Burleigh line.

    Brent Barnes beat the initial defender with a powerful right arm fend before darting over as three Burleigh defenders closed in on him. Even though he has played primarily fullback, wing or centre in his career to date, Brent Barnes is making a good fist of the five eight position.

    In total for Helensvale in the 2019 GCRL U20 competition, Brent Barnes has played in seven matches scoring seven tries.

    Brent Barnes made his Doug Lipp Cup debut in Round Twelve against Currumbin scoring on debut with his try coming when he found space down the right touchline line and beat the fullback with a good in and away.

    Brent Barnes scored his second Doug Lipp Cup try from as many matches with an outstanding individual effort in Round Fifteen against the Bilambil Jets.

    Playing right centre Brent Barnes received the ball seventy metres out from the try line in space and then accelerated around the Bilambil left sided defence (James Roberts style) before cutting back inside off his left foot when it looked for all money like the Bilambil fullback and another cover defender was going to box him in before easily outpacing the remaining defenders to score an outstanding solo try.

    Brent Barnes has also played in a handful of GCRL U18 Division One matches this season, including a double in Round Eight against Currumbin and also scoring in Round Nine against Ormeau.

    Once you have seen Brent Barnes run with the ball on a football field, you probably will not see anyone move as well as he does. He has an effortless running style seemingly gliding over the field and has what can only be considered plus plus speed both from an acceleration and top speed perspective, I am talking James Roberts type speed.

    Brent Barnes is a silky smooth runner of the ball who seems to glide across the field effortlessly and certainly has an extra gear in relation to the speed he possesses as well as plus speed off the mark. In the centre position, he has the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is becoming increasingly rare in the modern game.

    When he gets the ball early from his inside play makers, Brent Barnes is incredibly difficult to deal with one on one, as whilst his speed has already been noted, he is also a powerful runner who has the power to also break tackles through sheer power and not just rely on his speed to beat his direct opponent.

    The one thing Brent Barnes also seems to be able to do well, is to step back inside without the loss of his speed or forward momentum, opposing defenders seem to push out quickly when he has the ball expecting him to look to beat them on their outside, if they come across to far, Brent Barnes has a very good step back side and if the inside defenders are not quick enough to cover across he has the speed to make a clean break in those circumstances.

    Similarly when an opposing defender looks to come out of the line quickly to put pressure on him, his quick twitch feet means that he can step off either foot quickly to negate the attempt to cut down his time. In short he is a very talented attacking player who looks to beat his opponent with speed and guile rather than purely by brute strength even though he has the capacity to do so when necessary.

    Defensively Brent Barnes is solid rather than exceptional but will commit to the initial contact and also has the speed to use the sideline to his advantage and also turn and chase if the need arises.

    Brent Barnes will play out the 2019 season with Helensvale playing in both the GCRL U20 and Doug Lipp Cup competitions and will surely look to link with either Burleigh or Tweed Heads for the 2020 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition. Brent Barnes is also Colts eligible in 2021.

    Brent Barnes played a lot of his early rugby league at fullback but in recent seasons has played wing, including for Parramatta in the U18 SG Ball competition and centre this season for Helensvale. Brent Barnes has also played five eight this season which I think will ultimately assist him to reach his full potential in though I do not think that he will ultimately end up there.

    At five eight Brent Barnes will get the opportunity to develop his play making skills as well as getting a lot of larger forwards running at him then he would if he was in the centres or at fullback.

    A couple of season ago I would have argued that Brent Barnes’s future lies at fullback, but I must admit his play this season for Helensvale at right centre has made me alter my opinion.

    With his lightning speed, balance and body control I can see Brent Barnes maintaining his position in the centres into the future although there is no doubt that he could also play at fullback or on the wing at a very high level as well.

    Watching Brent Barnes at full speed with his ability to change direction without losing an ounce of speed, it is impossible for me not to see a mirror image for former Titan James Roberts. Both are just exceptional to terms of running with the ball and the ease in which they maintain their top speed over an extended distance.

    A lot of things have to go right for Brent Barnes to achieve his potential and get an opportunity in the NRL but this season he has made strides that get him closer to getting a shot at reaching his potential and getting there.

  4. #949
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    Cameron Brown. (Revised)He is a talented young half who was heavily involved late in the 2018 season with the Burleigh Bears Colts side and is playing just as well if not better in the 2019 Colts competition for Burleigh this season.

    Cameron Brown was played in all fifteen of Burleigh’s Hastings Deering’s Colts matches to date this season scoring seven tries.

    One of Cameron Brown’s tries came in Round Ten against the Northern Pride. Cameron Brown had come off the bench to play the dummy half role and was able to dive over from close range to his right in the second half to score.

    Cameron Brown also scored in Round Eleven against the Central Capra’s when he followed through his own bomb and retrieved the ball after it was mishandled to score under the posts for Burleigh’s first try.

    Cameron Brown had an outstanding match in Round Fifteen against Ipswich constantly sniping at the Jets defensive line and scored a try of his own when he intercepted a pass to run ninety metres to score, with no defender able to keep up with him over the journey.

    Cameron Brown also recorded another try assist when he grubbered for Reece Tapine to score and was also heavily involved in tries for Lofi Khan-Periera and Will Evans.

    Cameron Brown also scored in Round Seventeen against Tweed Heads as a result of a good individual effort. He received the ball to the right of the play the ball around fourteen metres out from the line and after shaping to pass to his backline to his right, stepped off his right foot to get through the initial defensive line and then used another right foot step to round the fullback to score under the posts.

    In addition to the tries noted above Cameron Brown has also scored against Norths in Round One, the Western Mustangs in Round Eight and Redcliffe in Round Nine.

    From a position perspective so far this season, Cameron Brown has played half, five eight (one match being Round Five against Souths Logan), hooker and came off the bench in one match being Round Ten against the Northern Pride.

    Cameron Brown started at half in Round One against Norths, before moving to hooker for Rounds Two and Three against Ipswich and Tweed Heads respectively.

    In total Cameron Brown has started eleven matches at half, one at five eight, one from the bench and the other two matches at hooker.

    In an early season Hastings Deering’s Colts competition bye week, Cameron Brown, instead of having the weekend off started at five eight for Helensvale in their GCRL Round Seven U20 match against Mudgeeraba and scored in the Hornets 38 – 32 victory.

    Cameron Brown also started at five eight in Round 12 of the GCRL U20 competition, scoring a double against Currumbin. Both tries highlighted Cameron Brown’s ability to run the ball and he also had a try assist when he put Brent Barnes through a gap on the right side of the field.

    Cameron Brown came into the Burleigh Colts side in Round Eleven of 2018 against Easts starting from the interchange bench and went on to play an additional nine Colts matches, splitting time between starting in the halves and from the interchange bench. Cameron Brown started five matches, the first being in Round Twelve against the Mackay Cutters.

    Cameron Brown scored four Colts tries in 2018, including a Round Twenty Four double against Easts and tries in Round Twenty and Eighteen against Victoria and Redcliffe respectively. Whether or not it really means anything, all of Cameron Brown’s tries came in matches where he started.

    Cameron Brown has played for Helensvale for a number of seasons and this year was no different lining up for the Hornets in the GCRL U19 competition. In the U19 competition, Cameron Brown played in nine matches, scoring seven tries.

    Cameron Brown had an outstanding start to the U19 competition this season, scoring in his first five matches including a double against Southport and tries against Beaudesert, Currumbin and Ormeau in two separate matches. Cameron Brown also scored a late season try against Bilambil.

    Late in 2017 Cameron Brown was named in the Burleigh 2018 MM Cup squad but he did not play in any MM Cup matches this season.

    For Helensvale in the 2017 GCRL U17 Division One competition Cameron Brown played in thirteen matches in total including starting at half back in the Hornets 34 – 20 Grand Final win over Ormeau scoring to cap off a great match. In addition to his try in the Grand Final Cameron Brown scored another ten tries to finish third on the try scoring ladder for the U17 Division One competition including scoring a hat trick against Mudgeeraba in May and a double in June against Grand Final opponents Ormeau. Cameron Brown also scored in Helensvale’s other finals match which was against Bilambil.

    Cameron Brown is only slight of build but do not take his lack of size in any way as a lack of ability or courage, he has a lot of both, which is on display each time he runs onto the field. With the ball he is a very good distributor and will take the ball to the line in an effort to set up his supports. Cameron Brown is adept at drawing an opposing defender out of the defensive line and then putting his support runner through the resulting gap.

    In terms of his speed, I would suggest that an appropriate definition of Cameron Brown’s speed would be that he is quick off the mark but does not have an extra gear when he breaks into open space.

    Cameron Brown will back his judgement and take the game on especially when the game is on the line. Assisting his play is the fact that Cameron Brown makes the decision what to do with the ball quickly thus enabling the ball to get out wide quickly.

    In previous seasons when I have seen him play he sometimes took the line on himself too much, but the times that I have seen him play this season Cameron Brown has become more selective about when to pass and when to run. His passing game is solid but seems to be slightly better when he is passing to the right side of the field.

    Cameron Brown has a good short kicking game but he does not have the strongest leg in terms of kicking deep but is accurate and regularly finds the ground to enable the chasers to get down field to enhance his team’s field position.

    Defensively I like the way that he takes the line on, Cameron Brown is aggressive and attacks the ball carrier rather than waiting for the attackers to come to him. He clearly looks to limit the time opposition players have to generate momentum before they get to him.

    Against players similar in size or reasonably close to it, Cameron Brown is very aggressive and makes sure that he finishes off every tackle in an effort to win every one on one individual battle against his opponent.

    Cameron Brown will finish the 2019 season with Burleigh in the U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition and will also be Colts eligible in 2020.

    I would think that regardless of what level of competition rugby league takes Cameron Brown that he will be in a No. 7 jersey as a tough feisty half back. Gaining experience at hooker however can only be a positive for Cameron Brown as he would a coach’s dream in terms of being able to cover multiple positions equally effectively.

    For me a current NRL player with a similar playing style to that in Cameron Brown is Sydney Roosters five eight Luke Keary being that of a solid talented all round half who will surprise a defensive line with some very good short balls when it looks for all money like he is going to run himself.

    Also like Keary, Cameron Brown has more speed that defensive lines give him credit for and that is a recipe for disaster.

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    Jovahn Te Aroiti. He played three matches off the bench for the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side in 2019 being Rounds Two, Four and Five against Townsville, Central Queensland and Wynnum Manly respectively.

    Post the MM Cup competition Jovahn Te Aroiti played for Runaway Bay in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition playing matches in four separate competitions being the U18 Division One, U20, Doug Lipp Cup and First Grade competitions.

    In the U18 Division One competition Jovahn Te Aroiti has played in eight matches. In the U20 competition Jovahn Te Aroiti has played in one match and in the Doug Lipp Cup competition Jovahn Te Aroiti has played in three matches.

    In the First Grade competition Jovahn Te Aroiti made his debut in late June against Southport in his only match to date.

    The young front rower had an outstanding season in 2018 including starting in the front row for the PBC Open schoolboy side as they beat all comers to win the National GIO Cup competition with a victory over Patrician Brothers College Blacktown in the National Final.

    Jovahn Te Aroiti was also a Premiership winner in the 2018 Brisbane U17 Rugby Premiership playing for the Nerang Bulls in that competition, interestingly spending time in the centres there.

    In 2017 Jovahn Te Aroiti played for Helensvale in the GCRL U16 Division One competition playing in thirteen matches and he also played in one U17 Division One match against Runaway Bay.

    In the 2015 season, Jovahn Te Aroiti alternated between playing for his proper age group being U14’s and playing up an age group in the U15’s. At the U14 Premier level he scored one try and at the U15 level he scored two tries across Division 1 and Division 2.

    Jovahn Te Aroiti also started on the bench for the Titans U14 development squad in their recent match against Samoa. When he came on, he played in the second row.

    Jovahn Te Aroiti also represented the Vikings, Kookaburra’s and South East Queensland U14’s during the 2015 season, starting in the second row for those representative sides in their various competitions.

    In attack, regardless of the position he is playing, Jovahn Te Aroiti is quick and strong and has good footwork to beat opposition defenders and then has very good speed, not necessarily speed off the mark, but definitely has good top end speed once he gets moving.

    Jovahn Te Aroiti can run from dummy half and his strength and speed does compensate if there are no gaps in the defensive line. Once tackled he immediately starts fighting to get a quick play the ball in an effort to maintain momentum.

    In terms of wider positions, such as in the back row or at centre, he can and will take on defenders and look to run over them, when he stays wide, like he did for PBC good things happen for his team.

    Defensively Jovahn Te Aroiti is more than strong enough to defend in the middle of the ruck and quick enough to defend on the fridges. In the centre of the ruck he sets a strong base to create the necessary leverage to defend against larger forwards.

    When defending out wide, he is better in an up and in type defensive scheme rather than a sliding defensive structure. Jovahn Te Aroiti is also extremely fit thus getting back into the defensive line is no issue for him over the course of the entire game.

    Jovahn Te Aroiti will play the remainder of the 2019 season with Runaway Bay likely in multiple grades like he has done to date and is Colts eligible in both 2020 and 2021.

    Even though Jovahn Te Aroiti spent 2018 season playing in the front row for PBC’s successful GIO Cup campaign and this season in the front row for Runaway Bay I believe that he has the speed, mobility and the understanding to run the appropriate line to make a fist of the second row position long term.

    With his intriguing skill set the NRL player I can see from a playing comparison perspective is North Queensland’s versatile John Asiata. Both have intriguing skills and a hardness to their play that compels others to follow their lead.

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    Oskar Bryant. The young hooker signed a contract with the Titans after an outstanding season with the Andrew Johns Cup premiership winning U16 Northern Rivers Titans side and his subsequent selection in the New South Wales Country U16 side.

    In the U16 Andrew Johns Cup competition, Oskar Bryant started at hooker in all of the Northern Rivers Titans matches also scoring four tries including a double against the Greater Northern Tigers and tries against Central Coast and Newcastle.

    Post that competition, Oskar Bryant was selected at hooker in the New South Wales Country U16 side and started at hooker for them as they took on the U16 New South Wales Harold Matthew Cup representative side in a curtain raiser to the Penrith/Warriors NRL match at Penrith Park.

    Oskar Bryant will also be part of the New South Wales Country U16 side that will embark on a two match tour of the United Kingdom in November this year.

    Oskar Bryant was Country’s sole try scorer in the match when he dived over from close range in the second half to the Country within two points. Oskar Bryant also received the Players Player Award post-match.

    After that match, Oskar Bryant was selected in the New South Wales U16 side that defeated a U16 Pasifika team 36 – 6 at Belmore Sports Ground on Sunday 9 June with Oskar Bryant starting he match on the bench.

    Post the 2019 Andrew Johns Cup competition, Oskar Bryant moved directly to the NRRRL U18 side even though he was still U16 eligible, starting from the bench in Round Three and scoring a double against Murwillumbah to cap an outstanding debut. Oskar Bryant also scored in Round Five against Ballina when once again he started from the bench.

    Oskar Bryant made his first NRRRL U18 start in Round Fourteen against Byron Bay starting the match against the Devils at hooker and scoring as well.

    Oskar Bryant kicked his first NRRRL U18 goals in Round Eleven when he kicked three goals for as many attempts for Cudgen as they drew 18 all with Casino RSM.

    In total in the 2019 NRRRL U18 competition to date this season Oskar Bryant has played in eight matches, scoring twenty two points from four tries and three goals.

    Prior to 2019 Oskar Bryant represented Group 18 twice, at the U15 level in 2018 and in the U14’s in 2017.

    Oskar Bryant is an extremely talented all round hooker, who excels at all three critical aspects of the modern day hooker, those being his distribution out of dummy half, selective running out of dummy half and defending in the centre of the ruck.

    In terms of his distribution out of dummy half, Oskar Bryant is efficient in his passing and there is little wasted movement as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand then pass.

    In the games that I have seen there is no discernible difference between his passing from either side of his body, and his passes are crisp and flat and also Oskar Bryant can pass a reasonable distance off the ground when the first receiver is standing a little wider of the play the ball.

    Where Oskar Bryant 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. In short Oskar Bryant is a very good game manager from the hooking position.

    Where Oskar Bryant really stands out in terms of attacking play, is his speed out of dummy half, he is extremely quick and has exceptional footwork to take advantage of tiring forwards, using a step off both feet.

    Oskar Bryant wins a lot of penalties by running at forwards who are offside, if the offside forward is called out of the play he has the speed to break into open space and has the pace to make it difficult for the cover defence to get to him.

    Around the try line Oskar Bryant is also very good at making the right decision whether the go himself for the try line or pass, where he gets down low and drives with his legs. Due to the pace that Oskar Bryant plays the game at and his speed he is always available in terms of backing up in the centre of the ruck, when forwards get their arms free.

    His defence for a hooker is exceptional, for a smaller forward Oskar Bryant is a hard hitter and can defend effectively one on one against far larger forwards, he sets a good base with his lower body and explodes upwards with his shoulders to drive opposing forwards backwards and is also very good at slowing the play the ball down.

    Oskar Bryant’s intensity means that he will track the play across and thus is in a good position when the ball is passed back inside. Oskar Bryant literally tackles everything that moves in the centre of the ruck.

    Oskar Bryant will play out the 2019 season with Cudgen and will likely to continue to play in the NRRRL U18 competition but also may spend some time in the Group 18 U16 competition as well.

    It will be interesting to see where Oskar Bryant lines up in 2019, will he be part of the Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup squad or will Oskar Bryant play for Tweed Heads in the MM Cup competition.

    Oskar Bryant is an outstanding dummy half both in terms of his distribution and his running and there is no doubt that he will stay there long term.

    Oskar Bryant is by no means a big rugby league player but is a tough, hard all effort type of dummy half and on that basis a player comparison to Cronulla Sharks hooker Blayke Brailey is a more than fair and appropriate one from my perspective.

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    Stanley Jackson. (Revised) The powerful young right sided second rower is a former Titans U14 development squad member who until recently continued to elevate his game with the incredible Logan Brothers Club in Brisbane’s south.

    Over the 2018/19 off season Stanley Jackson was named in the Burleigh Bears MM Cup squad but in the end he was not involved in any of their matches.

    The next time that Stanley Jackson was sighted was when he turned out for Gatton in the Toowoomba Rugby League U18 competition.

    In his eleven matches to date in that competition Stanley Jackson has been as close to unstoppable as you can get on the way to scoring thirteen tries.

    Stanley Jackson scored a Round Thirteen hat trick against Wattles and also scored doubles in three consecutive matches in May and June with those matches being against Toowoomba Valleys, Wattles and South Burnett.

    Stanley Jackson made his Toowoomba Rugby League First Grade debut in Round Sixteen coming off the bench against Souths, with the debut coming after he had played in two Reserve Grade matches debuting against Toowoomba Brothers in June and also playing in Reserve Grade against Highfields.

    It was exciting to see Stanley Jackson playing on the Gold Coast and dominate in his second GCRL 2018 U17 Division One match for Helensvale as they defeated Mudgeeraba 58-16 in Round Ten. In the Round Ten match he was unstoppable on his way to scoring four tries.

    Stanley Jackson’s first match for Helensvale was in Round Nine against Runaway Bay when he started in the second row.

    Earlier this season Stanley Jackson was part of the Easts Tigers MM Cup side, playing all seven of their matches. He started one match at lock being Round One against Central Queensland, one in the second row, four in the front row and one from the interchange bench.

    I did not see all of his MM Cup matches this season but he certainly was outstanding for Easts in their Round Seven match against Tweed Heads and even though the Tigers were defeated Stanley Jackson stood up well to the powerful Tweed Heads Seagulls forward pack.

    Stanley Jackson scored tries in Rounds Five and Six against Redcliffe and Northern Pride respectively.

    Stanley Jackson was a standout for Logan Brothers U16’s in 2017 and in one game against Carina that I saw was at his rampaging best as Logan Brothers put Carina to the sword with Stanley Jackson being prominent on the right side for Logan Brothers both in attack and defence.

    Earlier in 2017 Stanley Jackson was part of the Brisbane Red U16 representative side for the South East Queensland U16 pre-season competition.

    In 2015 Stanley Jackson started in the front row for the Titans U14 development squad in their 28-10 win against Samoa. He also captained his U14 Logan Brothers club side in their GBJRL grand final that same year at Nundah against Wynnum Manly.

    Stanley Jackson made numerous representative sides in 2015 including U14 Stingers and U14 South East Queensland for the Queensland age championships in June, starting in the front row for both of those representative sides. Previously Stanley Jackson has been part of the Titans, Broncos and Cowboys development squads.

    Stanley Jackson 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 play the ball to take advantage of defenders who are slow to get back into the defensive line.

    In the GBJRL grand final in 2015 Stanley Jackson played a major role in South’s Logan wrestling back the momentum from Wynnum Manly in the second half by running straight and hard into a Wynnum defensive line that had their tails up after closing the gap on the score board.

    Where Stanley Jackson’s game has really developed over the last couple of seasons his ability to play wider of the ruck, which is where he is primarily playing for the U16 Logan Brothers Premier Division side this season. With his size and strength wider of the ruck Stanley Jackson attracts defenders and thus is in a position to use his ball skills to set up his outside supports early in a match.

    When defences start to try to anticipate that Stanley Jackson is going to pass then he can use his size and power to cash through the defensive lien as no defender is going to be able to handle him one on one by themselves.

    Logan Brothers run a number of set plays to the right side of the field to look to exploit Stanley Jackson being on that side such as their “Melbourne” play and Stanley Jackson is the centre piece of all of them.

    In defence Stanley Jackson uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. Stanley Jackson is not adverse 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 front rowers are.

    It is clear from how his team mates respond to him that Stanley Jackson is a leader on the field and clearly is a hard trainer due to the fact that he was still going at the same pace at the start of the grand final as he was at the end even though he seemed to take a knock early in the game but came back on when his team needed him on a very hot day against a quality opposition who had the momentum at that critical stage of the game.

    Also you are not made captain of any Logan Brothers side unless you show leadership attributes and also train hard and remain dedicated.

    Stanley Jackson will play out the 2019 season with Gatton in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition and will most likely add to his one First Grade game to date.

    I will be very interested where Stanley Jackson plays in 2020 as he has the ability to be a stand out in the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition no matter what team he plays for.

    With his above average speed and his continuing rapidly developing ball skills it is part not to see Stanley Jackson being a dominant second rower all the way up to the NRL level for this exceptionally talented young man.

    From a style perspective, think along the lines of a faster, far more athletic version of Jarrod Warera-Hargraves of the Roosters from a size and power perspective but having the ball skills of Sonny Bill Williams.

    I always thought that Stanley Jackson had a big future in rugby league and nothing that I have seen in recent seasons has changed my opinion, the sky is the limit.

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    Zac McCormack. The exceptionally talented former Coombabah State High School student is as talented a young player as you would wish to see. The young man who graduated last year from Coombabah as the dux of the school is a Broncos scholarship holder but is a Gold Coast local so where there is life there is hope in relation to one day seeing Zac McCormack wearing a Titans jersey.

    To date in 2019 Zac McCormack has played for Burleigh in the GCRL U20 competition as well as for the Bears in the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition.

    Zac McCormack started on the bench in Round One of Hastings Deering’s Colts competition against Norths and has also come off the bench in his six other Hastings Deering’s Colts matches this season.

    To date in the 2019 GCRL U20 competition, Zac McCormack has played in five matches scoring three tries, including a double against Runaway Bay also scoring early in the in the season against Southport.

    In 2018 Zac McCormack started the season with the Burleigh MM Cup squad starting at hooker in all six of their matches and scoring in Rounds Four and Six against Souths Logan and the Western Mustangs respectively.

    Zac McCormack played in paly match of the 2018 Hastings Deering’s Colts season off the bench in Round Fourteen against the Northern Pride, going on to play three more Colts matches, all off the bench.

    Zac McCormack also played four matches in the GCRL U19 competition in 2018, scoring against Ormeau in May.

    Zac McCormack has had an outstanding 2017 campaign for Burleigh in both the MM Cup competition and more recently the U20 Colts Challenge competition where he has spent some time at half back as well as hooker. Not bad at all for a young man of 17 who is still eligible for the MM competition in 2018. Zac McCormack also played a number of matches at the U17 Division One and U19 levels in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition for Runaway Bay.

    In the 2017 MM Cup competition for Burleigh Zac McCormack played in all five of the Bears matches, starting the first three rounds at hooker and coming off the inter change bench for the final three. Zac McCormack had the honour of captaining the Burleigh side in Round Three.

    Zac McCormack made his U20 Colts Challenge debut starting at hooker in Round Five of 2017 against the Sunshine Coast Falcons and also started at hooker in Round Sixteen. Zac McCormack played in four additional Colts matches coming off the inter change bench between his two starts including scoring in Round Fourteen against the Ipswich Jets.

    Zac McCormack played six matches for Runaway Bay in both the U17 Division One and U19 Gold Coast Rugby League competitions over the course of the 2017 season. In the U17 Division One competition Zac McCormack scored against Ormeau and in the U19 competition he scored against the Bilambil Jets.

    In 2016 Zac McCormack was the starting hooker for the Queensland U16 side and has made numerous other representative sides over the years including playing for Gold Coast Green in eh CC Cup competition in 2016.

    Zac McCormack is a 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. Zac McCormack looks to lead his forwards onto the ball and provides a flat pass to enable his forwards to time their run onto the ball. Zac McCormack 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 Zac McCormack 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 Zac McCormack is a leader 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. Zac McCormack 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. Zac McCormack is also a solid worker when at marker and will chase and look to harass both ball runners and tactical kickers alike.

    Another area where Zac McCormack has a plus attribute is in relation to his leaderships skills. He is a strong confident personality and that translates to a leader on and off the field, this is a trait that you cannot teach, you either have it or you don’t. Even if he is not the nominated captain on the field he is a leader regardless of which team he is lining up for and acts accordingly. The confidence that his team mates have in Zac McCormack is just extraordinary.

    Zac McCormack is still eligible for the Hastings Deering’s Colts Cup competition in 2020 and for me at least he should be a real chance at making his Queensland Cup debut next season. Zac McCormack is more than capable is handling that standard and for that matter excelling.

    Even though Zac McCormack has played a number of matches at half back for Burleigh in 2017 season, I firmly believe that with his game management, distribution and leadership skills Zac McCormack will have a long and distinguished career at hooker.

    From a rugby league playing comparison perspective Zac McCormack has a similar playing and leaderships style to that of former Australian Test Captain Cameron Smith, in that he is a leader on the field, is very good at leading his team around the field a very under rated kicker from the dummy half position and a very good defender.

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    Lochlyn Sheldon. (Revised) The talented front rower or lock missed the opening rounds of the 2019 season with injury but came back into the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts side for their Round Eight ANZAC Day match against the Western Mustangs starting at lock for the Bears. Lochlyn Sheldon also started at lock in Rounds Nine and Ten against Redcliffe and the Northern Pride respectively.

    In a Gold Coast Rugby League bye week, Lochlyn Sheldon was back in the Burleigh Colts side for Round Sixteen against Souths Logan, starting at lock and scoring his first Colts try of the year. Close to the Souths Logan line, Burleigh hooker Lachlan Turnbull ran to his right and Lochlyn Sheldon ran back towards the paly the ball on an underneath route and crashed over after he received the inside pass.

    Lochlyn Sheldon also started at lock in Round Seventeen against Tweed Heads scoring Burleigh’s first try of the match when he ran onto a short pass from his left from hooker Lachlan Turnbull to easily crash over from close range.

    Lochlyn Sheldon in 2019 received a quick promotion to the Burleigh GCRL First Grade side making his 2019 GCRL First Grade debut from the bench as the Bears defeated Currumbin 22 – 20 in Round Nine.

    Lochlyn Sheldon moved into the Burleigh GCRL First Grade starting line-up in the left second row position for their Round Ten match against Runaway Bay scoring a double which were in fact the first two tries that Burleigh scored.

    For his first try Lochlyn Sheldon received the ball down a short left blind side to dive over a couple of metres from the left corner post. Lochlyn Sheldon showed some outstanding pace for his second try a few minutes later. Burleigh made a break on the half way mark and Lochlyn Sheldon showed impressive pace to loom up on the inside to take the ball and run twenty metres to score.

    In total in the 2019 GCRL First Grade competition , Lochlyn Sheldon has played in six matches scoring the two tries noted above.

    Lochlyn Sheldon was an ever present in the front row for the Burleigh Bears early in the Hastings Deering’s U20 Colts side in 2018, starting in the front row in their first nine of their matches before being promoted to the Gold Coast Rugby League Burleigh First Grade side.

    Lochlyn Sheldon is not going to score many tries but did score in Round Three of 2018 in the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

    In 2018 Lochlyn Sheldon made his Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade debut for Burleigh starting from the bench in Round Six when the Bears defeated Bilambil 40 – 10. Lochlyn Sheldon played eight matches for Burleigh in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition in 2018.

    Lochlyn Sheldon had a very good 2017 season on the field for Burleigh in the MM Cup competition and for Runaway Bay across multiple grades in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition. In addition, Lochlyn Sheldon played one match for the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts Challenge side which was in Round Fourteen against the Ipswich Jets, that afternoon Lochlyn Sheldon made his debut from the interchange bench and scored a second half try in a positive debut Colts match.

    For Burleigh in the 2017 MM competition, Lochlyn Sheldon captained the side and started in five of their six matches in the front row and came off the interchange bench in Round Three. Lochlyn Sheldon crossed for three tries over the six matches, scoring in Round One against Redcliffe, in Round Three against North’s and also in Round Six in the local derby against Tweed Heads Seagulls a match in which Burleigh won and a match that also included a number of Tians linked players on both sides.

    For Runaway Bay in the Gold Coast Rugby League Competition, Lochlyn Sheldon played twelve matches in the U19 competition, eleven in the Doug Lipp Cup including starting the Grand Final at lock (Unfortunately Runaway Bay were defeated 13 – 6 by Beaudesert) and one match in the A grade making his A Grade debut in August against Ormeau.

    Across his twelve matches in the 2018 U19 competition, Lochlyn Sheldon scored five tries all coming in a stellar four game period mid-season where he scored double against Mudgeeraba and also tries in that period against Beaudesert, Burleigh and Bilambil.

    Lochlyn Sheldon made his Doug Lipp Cup debut in June 2018 against Bilambil and went on to make eleven appearances for Runaway Bay in that competition scoring three tries which came against Ormeau, Tugun and Bilambil. In five of his eleven Doug Lipp Cup matches, Lochlyn Sheldon played in the U19 contest and then backed up to play the Doug Lipp Cup fixture immediately after the conclusion of the previous match.

    Lochlyn Sheldon was named player of the carnival for the 2016 Confraternity Shield as well as being named in the second row for the Queensland Independent Colleges (QIC) Secondary Schools rugby league side after playing for Gold Coast based Aquinas College in the carnival which was held in September 2016.

    Fellow Aquinas College student Lachlan Douglas was also named in the all carnival side in the front row. Lachlan Douglas is currently part of the 2018 Burleigh U20 Hastings Deering’s squad.

    Previously Lochlyn Sheldon has made multiple representative sides, including the Queensland U13 side, South Coast U15’s where he was named player of the match on Day Two against Darling Downs, Qld Marron U15’s from which he made the U15 Australian Merit Team with Titans linked Konrad Edwards and also the Queensland U16 side in 2015, which also contained Titans Ben Thomas and Darius Farmer.

    Lochlyn Sheldon was part of the Brisbane Broncos elite development squad for a number of years, but unfortunately for him he was not able to gain a contract with the Broncos, which was good news for the Titans.

    Running with the football, Lochlyn Sheldon 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.

    Lochlyn Sheldon 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. He actually does have a decent off load when he has impacted the defensive line as well.

    Where there has been a clear development in Lochlyn Sheldon’s game has been he is ability to off load prior to contact with the defensive line in a 2017 Round Three MM match against the North’s Devils Lochlyn Sheldon popped a great short ball to Noah Lolesio off his right hip who crossed untouched for one of his four tries that afternoon at Pizzey Park.

    Defensively Lochlyn Sheldon is not a big 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.

    Lochlyn Sheldon 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 type 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 second row is probable.

    Lochlyn Sheldon will probably not stand out during a game but will work hard both in attack and defence and leave all the eye catching things like big hits, line breaks and one handed off loads to other forwards who will benefit from his hard working style.

    Lochlyn Sheldon will finish the 2019 season with Burleigh in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition but may well play additional Hastings Deering’s Colts matches as Burleigh head towards the finals in that competition.

    Whilst he has alternated between second row and front row over previous junior seasons, I would anticipate that based on his build and skill set that starting as early as next season Lochlyn Sheldon will likely transition to the second row full time. Lochlyn Sheldon likely could play front row in an emergency type situation but second row seems like a more natural fit for him from my perspective at least.

    From a player comparison perspective, one player with a similar playing style from my perspective is former Titans second rower and current Titans coaching staff member Anthony Laffranchi, as a solid hard working 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 Lochlyn Sheldon will, simply because he will make the most of the ability he has through sheer hard work and effort.

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    Tyler Szepanowski. (Revised) The big tall young former St Brendan’s College front rower signed with the Titans mid-way through the 2017 season and is currently a member of the Titans Rookie Squad.

    Like he did in 2018 Tyler Szepanowski started the 2019 season in the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts side, playing the opening eight rounds in the front row before being promoted to the Burleigh GCRL First Grade side, starting from the bench in Round Seven in a 16 all draw with Tugun.

    Tyler Szapanowski made his 2019 GCRL First Grade starting debut in Round Eleven against Bilambil when he started in the front row and also started in the front row in Round Sixteen against Tugun and Round Seventeen against Runaway Bay.

    In total in the 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition for Burleigh to date this season Tyler Szapanowski has played in eight matches

    In total in the 2019 GCRL First Grade competition for Burleigh this season to date Tyler Szapanowski played in seven matches, starting in three and coming off the bench in the remaining matches.

    Tyler Szepanowski started the 2018 season in the Burleigh Bears Hastings Deering’s U20 Colts squad starting his opening ten matches in the front row before being promoted to the Burleigh Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade side where he has stayed since that time.

    In the GCRL First Grade competition Tyler Szepanowski made his debut against Southport in June and went on to play in seven matches and scored his first and to date only try against Tugun in late July. For Burleigh in the GCRL First Grade side Tyler Szepanowski on the majority of occasions has come off the bench but he has started one or two matches at lock towards the end of the season.

    In 2017 Tyler Szepanowski was part of the Central Queensland Capra’s U18 squad after having a solid season in Schoolboy rugby league in 2016. The young front rower was the St Brendan’s College Co-captain a great achievement for the young man who came to the school from Moranbah and also was part of the St Brendan’s side that made the 2016 Final of the Confraternity Shield where they played Ignatius Park in that final.

    Tyler Szepanowski was approached by the Titans after the Capra’s Round Three match against the Burleigh Bears MM side in 2017 at Browne Park and is probably the first player the Titans have signed with a Prussian heritage.

    For the Central Queensland Capra’s MM side in 2017 Tyler Szepanowski started in five of their six matches, in each of his starts Tyler Szepanowski played in the front row. Tyler Szepanowski only missed the final round being Round Six.

    Tyler Szepanowski scored two tries in the five matches with his tries coming in Rounds One and Two against the Central Crows and Redcliffe Dolphins. Tyler Szepanowski also captained the Capra’s in their Round Five matches against eventual MM champions the Western Mustangs.

    At the completion of the MM competition in 2017, Tyler Szepanowski moved to playing first grade in the Rockhampton Rugby League competition with Brothers Rockhampton making his First Grade debut in late April against the North’s Chargers. In total Tyler Szepanowski played in thirteen Rockhampton RL First Grade matches and scored his sole first grade try in June against Woorabinda.

    Tyler Szepanowski started all of his first grade matches in the second row. Late in the 2017 season, Tyler Szepanowski also played one match in the Rockhampton Rugby League U20 competition with the match being against Brothers Rockhampton.

    At the Rockhampton Senior Rugby League awards in late 2017 Tyler Szepanowski was named at the Rockhampton Rugby League First Grade Rookie of the Year.

    Tyler Szepanowski who trailed for the Parramatta Eels Harrold Matthews side in 2015 won the Coaches Award at the 2016 St Brendan’s Sports Awards night and represented the Queensland Capra’s in the CC Cup competition in 2016 and also Capricornia U15 side in 2014 at the QSSRL U15 Championships.

    The young front rower who currently weighs around the 101kg mark has what I would consider plus speed for a front rower, in fact his speed would be above average for a forward of any position. He uses this speed to impact the defensive at top speed. Tyler Szepanowski does not necessarily get back deep, but his plus speed off the mark as well as plus top speed (for a front rower) enables him to still hit the line hard.

    Tyler Szepanowski runs very front on but will lower his body into the defenders as the commit to the tackle, and through a combination of size, speed and determination regularly bumps the first defender off when they try to tackle Tyler Szepanowski around the chest area.

    Once he impacts the defensive line Tyler Szepanowski also is adept at redirecting his momentum to address the next defender who is coming in to hit him.

    When he is close to the line he seems to have an extra gear again and crashes into the defensive line low and hard and is very difficult to stop. He scores a high proportion of his tries coming from situations where he took on a set defensive line from reasonably close range and was able to carry defenders across the line.

    I have not seen too many off loads from him in relation to when he has engaged the line, the majority of his offloads have come from situations where his momentum is stopped but Tyler Szepanowski is able to get an arm free, usually his right arm and then pop the ball out the back.

    In defence Tyler Szepanowski regularly is the first player up to target the ball carriers, even though he is one of the bigger forwards in his team and will make solid initial contact as well as having the ability of defending one on one. He is not averse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique and decent agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents.

    Tyler Szepanowski’s technique is also quite decent for a taller player and he gets low in defence to look to mitigate the possibility of his tackles slipping up around the hard and neck area of shorter opponents when he is looking to initiate contact.

    Tyler Szepanowski will also track the ball across the field and just needs to ensure that he stays vigilant when the ball is moved further out and continue to cover the inside channel so that he is not caught out of the ball is passed back inside.

    At this stage he has the speed to compensate and close the distance to the attacker quickly but as he progresses in the upper age groups he just needs to ensure that he is in the right position, and to be fair he is in the right position the vast majority of the time.

    Tyler Szepanowski will finish the 2019 season with Burleigh in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition and will look to progress to the Queensland Cup competition in 2020.

    With his build (190cm and 101kg) and style of play, I can envisage Tyler Szepanowski playing in the front row as he continues his junior rugby league career although he will likely to continue to spend some time in the second row while he continues to develop physically.

    From a style perspective, think along the lines of the James Tamau of the Penrith Panthers as a tall front rower with good footwork both in attack and defence and he is also a leader on the field who can set the direction and tempo for his team by leading from the front in the most demanding position on a football field regardless of the age group or level of competition.

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    Tyrhys Williams. (Updated) He is a young backrower hailing from Casino in Northern New South Wales and was part of the Titans development squad based in the area in 2015.

    Tyrhys Williams started the 2019 season playing in Round One of the GCRL U18 Division One competition for Nerang but post their demise, moved to Murwillumbah playing his first match for the Mustangs in Round Seven of the NRRRL U18 competition as Murwillumbah overcame Byron Bay 25 – 24.

    This season Tyrhys Williams has also played NRRRL U18 matches against Tweed Heads, Kyogle and Lismore Marist Brothers.

    In 2018 Tyrhys Williams started the season off playing in four matches for Northern Rivers in the U16 Andrew Johns Cup competition starting in the centres in all four contests.

    Tyrhys Williams only played in one Group One U16.5 match in 2018 but made the most of it by scoring a hat trick and kicking two goals for Casino RSM in a big win against Lismore Marist Brothers.

    Also in early 2018 Tyrhys Williams started on the wing for the New South Wales Kurri U16 side in their annual match against Queensland Murri U16’s.

    In 2017 Tyrhys Williams was selected in the Group One U15 representative side for the New South Wales Country age championships.

    The Casino High School student started off the 2017 Group One U15 season with Ballina playing two matches for the Seagulls scoring a double against Lismore Marist Brothers and also scoring against Clarence Coast. Tyrhys Williams then transferred to Casino RSM for the remainder of the 2017 season.

    With Casino RSM in the 2017 U15 competition, Tyrhys Williams played in another six matches including scoring five tries in his first match for Casino RSM against Clarence Coast and the following week Tyrhys Williams scored against Kyogle. Tyrhys Williams also played seven matches for Casino RSM in the U16.5 competition. On five of those occasions Tyrhys Williams backed up after playing in the U15 match earlier in the day.

    In those U16.5 matches Tyrhys Williams scored two tries which came in consecutive weeks with both matches being against the Grafton Ghosts where he played against Titans linked Jake Ryan and Ben Liyou.

    In 2016 Tyrhys Williams was selected in the centres for the U14 Group One representative side which participated in the New South Wales Age Championships. In late 2015 he was named in on the bench for the development squad in a match against Samoa, but unfortunately did not participate in the match.

    Tyrhys Williams started off the 2016 season with Casino RSM in the U14 Group One Junior Rugby League competition before making a mid-season move to the Kyogle Turkeys where he finished the season. For Casino RSM at the start of the season, Tyrhys Williams crossed for ten tires in just six matches, including four against Lismore Marist Brothers and doubles in consecutive matches in May against his soon to be new team Kyogle and Ballina.

    Tyrhys Williams is a very calm player on the field even though he plays the game at a very high speed and is most effective on the edge of the ruck. His style of play is that of a wide running back rower with above average speed for the position. I would actually argue that in fact a better definition of his speed would be well above average to plus, and I am talking the speed of an outside back not a backrower where he plays.

    Tyrhys Williams is exceptionally quick off the mark, but what makes him even more impressive from a speed perspective is that when he gets into space, he has an extra gear again, making it almost impossible for the cover defence to catch him once he is open space.

    Defences had all sorts of trouble trying to contain him in his club football over the last couple of seasons, both in terms of him taking the ball up into the centre of the ruck, but he was almost untouchable when he ran on the fringes of the ruck and he used his foot work to beat defenders with a variety of moves, including a step off both feet and a very good in and away as well as simply running over people. Couple those two aspects with a very good fend and you have a young player in Tyrhys Williams who causes nightmares for a defensive line.

    For a backrower of his size, Tyrhys Williams runs with pace, strength and power every time he touches the ball during a game. I have not seen a great deal of him off loading the football, but the ball skills that he possess would suggest this particular will develop into a plus skill over time, although at this stage of his career it is not a necessity.

    Tyrhys Williams is aggressive in defence whether defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can and will stop even the biggest opposing forwards in their tracks and targets the area around where the attackers carry the football.

    His speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half. I have noted that he is aggressive, but not to the extent that he will give away penalties, he just wants to win every one on one battle. He is also a very good cover defender.

    Due to his speed and athleticism Tyrhys Williams covers across the field well, thus putting him in a good position to make the tackle when the ball is turned back inside from the halves. One thing that seemed to be the case for me was that he appears to be very quiet on the field, but as Tyrhys Williams gets more accustomed to the players around him this may change.

    Moving forward to the 2020 season, Tyrhys Williams will move up to the U20 ranks if he chooses to try his hand at the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition if not he is more than capable of making the immediate transition to the NRRRL First Grade competition.

    From a player comparison perspective, I am a little reluctant to say so but the Canterbury Bulldogs version of Sonny Bill Williams springs to mind as an appropriate comparison, when you see the combination of the skill set he possesses and the athletic ability, add in a touch of aggression and you have a young player of immense potential who plays the game seemingly at a different pace to most of the players around him.

    Tyrhys Williams just looks like he is a young man who was born to play rugby league.

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    Simon Pratt. The Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup squad this season was very young one with a number of players from the successful 2018 U16 Andrew Johns Cup squad moving up this season.

    One player was outstanding St Johns College Woodlawn second rower Simon Pratt from the Casino RSM club who started Round One of the competition at lock against the Newcastle Knights Development Squad. In the match, Simon Pratt who captained the side was heavily involved throughout both in attack and defence.

    After missing Round Two Simon Pratt was back in his customary lock position for the Round Three match against the Northern Coast Bulldogs and also started there in Round Four against the Central Coast Roosters and Round Five against the Greater Northern Tigers.

    In Round Five, Simon Pratt scored the Titans first try when he ran onto a good pass from hooker Zac Hicks to crash over from close to the line.

    In April 2019 Simon Pratt was selected in the New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges (CCC) Lismore Diocese U18 side for the NSW CCC selection trials held in Sydney in May.

    After the completion of the Laurie Daley Cup competition Simon Pratt started for Casino RSM in the NRRRL U18 competition, to date playing in seven matches scoring against Tweed Heads and Kyogle.

    Simon Pratt made his deserved NRRRL U18 debut at just 17 years old in Round Sixteen against Lismore Marist Brothers and also played in First Grade in Round Seventeen against Evans Head.

    In 2018 Simon Pratt played in five matches for Northern Rivers in the Andrew Johns Cup competition, scoring one try.

    Post that competition Simon Pratt played in eleven matches for Casino RSM in the Group One U16.5 competition scoring eight tries, including scoring doubles against Ballina in two separate matches. He also scored against Lismore Marist Brothers in two matches, Kyogle and Clarence Coast.

    Simon Pratt also played two matches for the New South Wales Country U16 side in 2018 with those matches being against PNG and Lismore and a Titans U16 side in Cudgen.

    In 2017 Simon Pratt played eight matches, including the Grand Final for Casino RSM in the U15 Group One Junior Rugby League competition scoring just the once which came against Lismore Marist Brothers mid-season. Simon Pratt started in the second row in all eight of his matches.

    2017 also saw Simon Pratt represent Group One at the U15 level in the New South Wales Country Age Championships starting all three of his matches in the second row and from St Johns College Woodlawn was selected in the New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges U15 Northern Region squad once again in the second row. A team mate in the NSW CCC U15 side was Titans contracted outstanding young half back Thomas Weaver.

    In 2017 Simon Pratt played eight matches, including the Grand Final for Casino RSM in the U15 Group One Junior Rugby League competition scoring just the once which came against Lismore Marist Brothers mid-season. Simon Pratt started in the second row in all eight of his matches.

    2017 also saw Simon Pratt represent Group One at the U15 level in the New South Wales Country Age Championships starting all three of his matches in the second row and from St Johns College Woodlawn was selected in the New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges U15 Northern Region squad once again in the second row. A team mate in the NSW CCC U15 side was Titans contracted outstanding young half back Thomas Weaver.

    The young hard running backrower usually lines up on the right hand side of the field and runs with speed into the defensive line. Even though he is not small Simon Pratt is not the biggest young backrower you will ever see, but he is all effort in attack and will constantly run the ball into the heart of the opposition forward pack regardless of how big they are.

    Simon Pratt is a smart runner though to the extent that he does use good foot work prior to the defensive line to help negate his lack of size and he also has very good leg drive once initial contact has been made. Simon Pratt also fights hard when tackled to ensure he gets a quick play the ball to maintain the momentum for his side.

    Defensively Simon Pratt looks to wrap up the ball on initial contact, he will not constantly come up with big hits, but is certainly capable of hitting hard when the opportunity presents itself, but will rarely miss tackles and also covers across the field very well, meaning he is always in a good position to make a tackle if the ball is turned back inside and also to make cover defending tackles if breaks are made wider out.

    Simon Pratt is equally adept at defending in the centre of the ruck as he is defending on the fringes and his initial contact is more than sufficient to make an impact on the ball carrier. His lateral speed is very good due to his quick twitch feet and thus he is effective at defending against smaller dynamic runners out of dummy half as well as half backs and five eights running of the fringes looking to isolate forwards and Simon Pratt is able to effectively mirror their movements to wrap them up in the tackle.

    Simon Pratt will play out the 2019 season with Casino RSM in the NRRRL U18 competition and may also add to his two NRRRL First Grade matches.

    Simon Pratt will still be eligible for the U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition in 2020 but it would not surprise to see Simon Pratt play in the MM Cup in Queensland or head down to Sydney to play in the U18 SG Ball competition.

    From an ultimately position perspective with his combination of size, speed and strength Simon Pratt seemingly has the ideal skill set to be a very effective second rower as he progresses up the junior rugby league ranks.

    From a player comparison perspective if you watch the Brisbane Broncos Matt Gillett play he hopefully get an appreciation of how Simon Pratt plays, that being of a hole running tough tackling second rower.

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    Leevai Sutton. Powerfully built winger Leevai Sutton was part of the Titans U18 side that defeated New South Wales Country U18’s 14-12 on a wet (very wet) Saturday afternoon at Cudgen late last year.

    In 2019 Leevai Sutton has been playing for Souths Logan in the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition, starting thirteen of his fourteen matches to date on the wing, he started Round Sixteen against Burleigh at fullback, and has missed the last couple of rounds through injury I believe.

    In his thirteen matches to date, Leevai Sutton has scored eight tries including a purple patch from Rounds Eight to Twelve when he scored in five straight matches with those matches being in order against, Wynnum Manly, Sunshine Coast, the Ipswich Jets, the Western Mustangs and Tweed Heads.

    Leevai Sutton was also scored this season against Norths in Round Three, Redcliffe in Round Four and Mackay in Round Fifteen.

    Leevai Sutton has also kicked eighteen goals, including kicking four goals in Round One against Central Queensland an three in a Round Three match against Norths.

    The 2018 Souths Logan MM Cup winger has been an impressive performer since moving over from Western Australia (New Zealand born) for the start of the 2016 season to attend Ipswich State High School and progress in developing rugby league career on the East Coast.

    In the 2018 MM Cup season Leevai Sutton played in ten matches for Souths Logan starting all on the wing including the Queensland MM Cup final against Norths and the National U18 final against the Penrith Panthers.

    Leevai Sutton finished the 2018 U18 season with six tries including scoring a hat trick in Round Two against the Northern Pride. Leevai Sutton also scored in Round Four against the Burleigh Bears and scored in both Queensland Finals being against Tweed Heads and Norths.

    Leevai Sutton also was involved in one U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts U20 match this season, starting from the bench in Round Twenty Four against Ipswich.

    Leevai Sutton also played in one match for Souths in the GBRL Senior Southside One competition and one match in the 2018 “In Safe Hands Cup BRL A Grade” competition being in Round Nineteen against the Easts Tigers.

    At the recent QPICC Tournament Leevai Sutton represented the Samoa U18 who won their opening two matches on the second day of the Tournament.

    In 2017 Leevai Sutton represented Met West in the QSSRL U18 Championships playing all of Met West’s matches in the centres.

    Leevai Sutton’s last season in Western Australia was in 2015 when he played for the Rockingham Sharks in the U16 competition scoring eight tries, kicking twenty two goals and a field goal for 77 points on the season as a 15 year old.

    In the Western Australian U14 competition in 2014 Leevai Sutton had an outstanding season scoring thirty one tries and kicking fifty goals for a 224 point haul from just sixteen matches.

    The young man is very difficult to stop once he is in motion, his speed, power and body height all contribute to this. On the wing when he can wind up and build momentum he looks to run over his direct opponent rather than try to run around them. In fact in the majority of occasions it is Leevai Sutton that actually initiates the contact and I do not recall seeing a player being able to run over his direct opponent with absolutely no loss of momentum.

    From a speed perspective I would argue that his speed is a tick above average for a winger but obviously the key attribute from an attacking perspective is how hard he hits the defensive line. Like his overall speed Leevai Sutton’s lateral mobility is probably just a tick above average. Leevai Sutton with his size and strength is also able to make a lot of ground after contact with his ability to absorb the defensive contact and maintain his balance and body control.

    When he is close to the line Leevai Sutton is able to absorb a significant amount of punishment and still hold his running line thus he is able to score close to the side line without being pushed over the sideline regardless of the number of defenders looking to do so. The ability to absorb contact is on display when Leevai Sutton comes into the centre of the ruck to take the ball up into the teeth of the defensive line.

    Defensively for a big strong powerful young man, Leevai Sutton actually has good discipline for such a young player and in the main stays on his man rather than coming in and looking for the big hit. Do not get me wrong he will on occasion aim to smash the opposing outside if they do not see him coming but in the main he is quite disciplined and looks to ensure his opposing winger does not get on his outside looking to use their speed against him.

    Leevai Sutton will play the 2019 season in the U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition and will also be Colts eligible in 2020 if he has not broken into the Queensland Cup or higher before then.

    Whilst there is no doubt that Leevai Sutton could also play in the centres, with his speed, finishing ability and hard running out of dummy half staying on the wing is where Leevai Sutton is seemingly best placed to have a long and fruitful rugby league career including at the NRL level.

    For me Leevai Sutton has a playing style similar to that of Brisbane Broncos winger and occasional fullback Jamayne Isaako, both are just outstanding talents who with time and experience could be just about anything on a rugby league field.

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    Layne Hardy. The outstanding fullback started the 2019 season off with a bang scoring often in the 2019 NRRRL U18 competition and to date has a strike rate of 60% through fifteen matches.

    Layne Hardy scored a Round One doubles against Ballina, also scored against the Tweed Heads Seagulls in Round Three and followed that up with a double in Round Five against Evans Head as well as scoring in Round Eleven against Ballina, Round Sixteen against Lower Clarence and Round Seventeen against Lismore Marist Brothers.

    2019 is the second season that Layne Hardy has played in the U18 NRRRL competition after playing two matches in 2018, including scoring a double on debut against Casino RSM.

    In 2018 Layne Hardy played in eleven matches for Kyogle in the Group One U16.5 competition scoring eight tries and kicking four goals for a total point’s haul of forty.

    The talented young Kyogle Turkeys fullback was outstanding when he starred for 2018 Northern Rivers against Newcastle in Round One in the U16 Andrew Johns Cup including scoring a great second half try from a Tyrelle Roberts chip in their 22 – 12 victory.

    In total in the Andrew Johns Cup in 2018, Layne Hardy played in all five of the Northern Rivers matches and in addition to the Round One ty against Newcastle, Layne Hardy also scored against the Central Coast Roosters.

    Layne Hardy’s selection in the Northern Rivers side in 2018 was the second season in a row that he achieved representative selection as in 2017, he was selected at fullback for the Group One representative side for the New South Wales Age Championships.

    In those championships, Layne hardy started all three of Group One’s matches at fullback scoring three tries in the process with all three tries coming in Group One’s Round One match against Group 19.

    In relation to his club rugby league in 2017, Layne Hardy represented the Kyogle Turkey’s in the Group One U15 competition, contributing 36 points from seven tries and four goals. Layne Hardy had an outstanding start to the 2017 season, scoring in his first three matches, which were against Clarence Coast and against Casino RSM in two separate matches.

    In late June 2017, Layne Hardy scored a double against Clarence Coast and followed that up a week later when he scored once again against Casino RSM. Layne Hardy final try came late in the season against Ballina. From a goal kicking perspective all of Layne Hardy’s goals came in different matches towards the conclusion of the season.

    In 2014 Layne Hardy attended school in Kyogle and starred for Kyogle Primary School as part of their Matt King Shield side who finished as runners up with Layne Hardy being named the competitions Best and Fairest.

    Layne Harding is a smooth runner of the ball who seems to glide across the field effortlessly and certainly has an extra gear in relation to the speed he possesses as well as plus speed off the mark. When returning kicks, he has the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is becoming increasingly rare in the modern game.

    In Round One of the 2018 Andrew Johns U16 Cup against Newcastle Layne Hardy showed his impressive acceleration and speed when he outpaced the defence to retrieve a deft chip kick from Northern Rivers half back Tyrelle Roberts.

    In what was a planned moved, Tyrelle Roberts stood two passes wide of the ruck on the right hand side of the field and chipped back across his body, Layne Hardy timed his run perfectly and retrieved the ball and outpaced the Newcastle cover defence to score a crucial second half try.

    Also in Round One against Newcastle, Layne Hardy regularly chimed into the backline, usually on the right side of the field and either made ground himself or set up his outside support, on one occasion setting up right winger Kailis Fourmile-Bolt for a try scoring run to the right corner.

    The one thing Layne Harding also seems to be able to do well, is to step back inside without the loss of his speed or forward momentum, opposing defenders seem to push out quickly when he has the ball expecting him to look to beat them on their outside, if they come across to far, he has a very good step back side and if the inside defenders are not quick enough to cover across he has the speed to make a clean break in those circumstances.

    Similarly when an opposing defender looks to come out of the line quickly to put pressure on him, his quick twitch feet means that he can step off either foot quickly to negate the attempt to cut down his time. In short he is a very talented attacking player who looks to beat his opponent with speed and guile rather than purely by brute strength.

    Defensively in the fullback position Layne Hardy understandably he does not a huge amounts of tackles but the ones he makes are the ones that need to be made. If an attacker runs directly at him, he will come forward to cut down the time the attacker has to make a decision and he will hit very hard.

    An impressive attribute that Layne Hardy does have he is ability to force attackers in the clear to try to beat him down the side line. He will stay inside the attacker and force him in the needed direction and then use his timing and anticipation to make the tackle, usually forcing the attacker into touch.

    Against Newcastle in the 2018 Andrew Johns Cup in Round One this attribute was on display late in the match with Newcastle only six points behind. Layne Harding pulled off a great try saving tackle in the right hand corner of the field closest to the grand stand when it looked for all money like the Newcastle winger would score in the corner and possibly tie to game up. Layne Hardy got across nicely to tackle the Newcastle winger into touch and alleviate the threat.

    Layne Hardy will play out the 2019 season with the Kyogle Turkeys in the NRRRL U18 competition and is U18 eligible again in 2020.

    My understanding is that Layne Hardy did not try out for the U18 Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup side this season, but hopefully that will change in 2020, he certainly has the ability to make a big impact in the side.

    Layne Hardy has primarily been a fullback for the majority of his junior rugby league career to date and even though I am sure that he could handle playing in the centres or on the wing, fullback seems to be his ideal position going forward.

    From a player comparison perspective, think along the lines of a younger Brisbane Broncos, Queensland State of Origin and Australian International fullback Darius Boyd as a fullback with above average pace and footwork who is also courageous when it comes to his defensive duties and retrieving and returning kicks.

  15. #960
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    Kayah Riggs-Noble. The big strong young 18 year old front rower came from the clouds a touch in 2018 not just breaking into the Coombabah State High Side but by seasons end being one of their better performers alongside Titan Carsil Vaikai. Kayah Riggs-Noble started for Coombabah in their 17 – 16 win over Marymount College to qualify for the Queensland GIO Cup quarter finals.

    In 2019 to date, Kayah Riggs-Noble has played in two matches for Souths Logan in the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition, both off the bench with those matches being Rounds Nine and Fifteen against Sunshine Coast and the Mackay Cutters respectively.

    Kayah Riggs-Noble played the 2018 season with the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in the Gold Coast Rugby League U17 Division One competition, playing in five matches in that grade with those matches coming against Currumbin, Tweed Heads, Burleigh, Ormeau and Runaway Bay.

    Kayah Riggs-Noble also played in one U19 GCRL match in 2018 that match occurring in Week Two of the Finals. Kayah Riggs-Noble started from the bench as Mudgeeraba were knocked as a result of a 54 – 26 loss to Bilambil.

    Kayah Riggs-Noble also played one MM Cup match and one Hastings Deering’s Colts match in 2018. He made his MM Cup debit in Round Seven against Victoria from the bench and in an impressive feat for a 17 year old made his U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts debit in Round Twenty Four from the bench against the Easts Tigers in a big 52 – 12 win for Burleigh in the competitions final round.

    Kayah Riggs-Noble is a powerful runner of the football, who knows only one way and that is straight ahead and can offload once he has impacted the defensive line or has crashed through it. There is no subtlety to his running, it is straight and hard and another positive is that he will not just run upright, he will drop his should into the defender making it difficult if not impossible for him to be stopped one on one.

    Kayah Riggs-Noble does have quite foot speed when/if he gets into space, probably above average for a front rower but any tries that he scores will come as a result of power running close to the line, with the added benefit that if he does not crash over, Kayah Riggs-Noble will draw in the defence meaning that there will be space out wide for his side.

    In defence Kayah Riggs-Noble uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. Kayah Riggs-Noble has a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage when defending against opposing forwards and reasonable agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck.

    Kayah Riggs-Noble will play out the 2019 season with Souths Logan in the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition and is Colts eligible also in 2020 and 2021.

    In relation to the Gold Coast Rugby League competition, Kayah Riggs-Noble, if not involved with the Burleigh MM Cup or Colts squads will play the 2019 season as part of the Mudgeeraba U19 side.

    Kayah Riggs-Noble has played in the front row or lock for the majority of his rugby league career and exclusively there this season and on that basis I cannot see him moving from there into the future.

    For me a solid NRL comparison for Kayah Riggs-Noble is current Wests Tigers and New Zealand International front rower Russell Packer as a front rower who regularly crashes head long into the defensive line but does have some subtle footwork which seems to get largely over looked. As for that matter does his solid defensive technique.

    Kayah Riggs-Noble has made rapid improvement over the last two seasons and I will be following him closely in coming years to see how his career progresses.


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