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  1. #1051
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    Connor Te Kani. (Revised) He is a local young centre who played his club rugby league on the Gold Coast with the Coomera Cutters in the 2019 GCRL U16 Division One competition.

    For the Cutters Connor Te Kani played thirteen matches, including starting the Grand Final at five eight and kicked four goals as the Cutters went down in heart breaking fashion in golden point 22 – 20 to Ormeau.

    In his thirteen matches Connor Te Kani scored seventy three points from three tries, thirty goals and a field goal which he kicked in Round Two against Ormeau. Connor Te Kani’s tries came in matches against Ormeau in Round Two and also in matches against Helensvale and Burleigh.

    With the boot Connor Te Kani kicked six goals in week on of the U16 Division One Finals Series against Burleigh and five mid-season against Helensvale, he also scored in those two matches. Connor Te Kani added three further goals in Coomera’s Preliminary Final victory over Currumbin.

    Connor Te Kani started all eight of Brisbane Grammar Schools GPS First XV matches at No. 10 (fly half) making his debut In Round Two against Ipswich Grammar School after Brisbane Grammar School had a Round One bye. In his eight matches Connor Te Kani kicked seven conversions with his first coming in Round Three when he kicked a pressure conversion in the last minute to lock the scores up at 17 all against Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie).

    Connor Te Kani kicked two conversions in Round Seven and Eight against Nudgee and Brisbane State High School respectively and also kicked a conversion in Round Six against Gregory Terrace and in Round Nine against Toowoomba Grammar School.

    In the 2019 QPICC Connor Te Kani represented the Cook Islands U16 side playing in all four of their matches at half and had an outstanding final scoring two tries and kicking three goals as the Cook Islands defeated Tonga 14 – 6 in the Final.

    For the Cutters (he had previously played for Runaway Bay) Connor Te Kani played in eleven matches in the 2018 GCRL U15 Division One competition, including points and finished as one of the competitions leading point scorers with 84 from ten tries and twenty two goals.

    In Round Two of the U15 Division One Final’s series, Connor Te Kani started at five eight and kicked a conversion as Coomera went down 44 – 6 to eventual Grand Final winners Ormeau.

    In the U15 Division One Preliminary Final Connor Te Kani once again started at five eight, scoring a try and kicking a conversion as Coomera bowed out of the competition on the back of a 58 – 14 loss to Runaway Bay.

    In addition to his finals try, Connor Te Kani scored four doubles which came in matches against Currumbin (in two matches), Mudgeeraba and Ormeau. Connor Te Kani’s other try came late in the season against Mudgeeraba.

    Connor Te Kani had some big matches from a goal kicking perspective in 2018 including six goals in a match against Currumbin (he also scored a double in the same match) and five against Mudgeeraba late in the season.

    In addition Connor Te Kani was co-captain of the Griffith University Colleges U15 rugby side that won their Grand Final, which was played as a curtain raiser to the Wallabies against Argentina test 47 – 19 against the Helensvale Hogs with Connor Te Kani starting the Grand Final at fullback.

    In total for Griffith University Colleges Connor Te Kani played in fourteen matches, starting six at fullback, two from the interchange bench, two at fly half (No. 10), two at inside centre and two at outside centre.

    Connor Te Kani scored three tries and kicked eight conversions, including three in Round Fourteen against the Gold Coast Eagles. Connor Te Kani’s tries came in Round Nine against the Gold Coast Eagles, Round Twelve against Bond University and in Round Fifteen against the Surfers Dolphins.

    Connor Te Kani was also part of the Queensland Red side that won the Australian Gold Cup (U15) Championships starting at outside centre in the final as Queensland Red were victorious 17 – 5 against NSW Gen Blue I. Connor Te Kani also started at outside centre in the semi-final.

    In 2016 the season Connor Te Kani was also yet another member of the exceptionally talented U13 Gold Coast Vikings side that went through the Hill Stumer Championships undefeated. From those championships, Connor Te Kani was selected in the centres for the South East Queensland White team for the Queensland Age Championships. Connor Te Kani kicked five goals on Day One in wins against Brisbane Red and Brisbane White.

    Unfortunately for Runaway Bay even though they finished the U14 Division One 2016 season proper as the minor premiers, they were defeated 34 – 22 in the Grand Final by the Ormeau Shearers, with Connor Te Kani starting in the centres and kicking three conversions.

    Over the course of the 2016 season, Connor Te Kani scored 13 tries from just nine matches and also kicked 18 goals to finish with 88 points in the season. In a four games stretch during June and July 2016, Connor Te Kani scored nine tries including two hat tricks which came against Jimboomba and Helensvale and also in that same stretch scored a double against Jimboomba. Earlier in the season, he also scored a double against Nerang. Connor Te Kani also averaged two tries a game across seven matches in the U13 pre-season grading competition.

    With the boot, Connor Te Kani had two big games when he kicked seven against Ormeau and six against Jimboomba (the same day he scored three tries for 30 points in the game). Connor Te Kani also played one match at the U14 Division One level which was against Nerang.

    During the 2015 season, he also made the Qld U12 side that won the national U12 championships with a 4 – 0 victory against NSW in the final. During the course of the U12 National championships, he scored two tries in the pool matches, against Western Australia and ACT and also scored in Queensland’s semi-final victory against Victoria.

    Connor Te Kani is a big strong super quick centre with an effortless running style with a classic centres build with the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is rare in the modern game. His has used this skill set on multiple occasions on the right side of the field. Right centre is the only position that I have seen him play for his club side.

    Connor Te Kani has a very strong left hand fend which prevents opposing centres getting in on him and forcing him towards the sideline. Even though he has size, strength and power in the centre position, he does look for his outside support when confronted with the fullback, even though he is more than capable of beating fullbacks one on one if need be and certainly does on occasion when he outpaces his support players.

    When the defence is sliding he will cut inside and when the defence is playing an up and up style he has the plus speed and agile footwork to get on the outside of his direct opponent and beat him for speed to exploit the gap created. In terms of his speed, in all aspects it would be considered at the plus level in terms of speed off the mark, top end speed and sustainability.

    Another aspect where he is also very good is his ability to run out of dummy half. Connor Te Kani’s size strength speed and power coupled with his plus footwork enables him to make a significant amount of ground out of dummy half and also give his forward a breather.

    Defensively his game is built on intimidation, he will come in when the opportunity presents itself and hit very hard around the chest, you can see the opposing centre looking where he was positioned as the ball was moved out to the back line also his plus speed enables him to recover if he is beaten on the outside.

    Currently Connor Te Kani is better to an up and in defensive methodology but I would argue that is more to do with how coaches want him to play rather than any concern that he cannot be effective in a sliding defensive scheme. With his speed, timing and strength, why not take advantage of his ability to intimidate his opposing centre.

    Moving to the 2020 season Connor Te Kani will/should play for the Coomera Cutters in the GCRL U18 Division One competition and will once again start at fly half for the Brisbane Grammar School First XV in the GPS school boy rugby competition.

    Connor Te Kani has also been named in both the Burleigh and Tweed Heads MM Cup squad for 2020 so that duplication will be something that is addressed shortly.

    For me Connor Te Kani a strong powerful centre with plus speed and footwork and has the skills to stay at centre in the long term and more than that has the skills to potentially become a legitimate strike centre and they are a rare breed to say the least.

    Connor Te Kani has played a lot of five eight recently both for Brisbane Grammar School in rugby and Coomera in the GCRL U16 Division One competition and whilst I still believe that on the balance of probabilities that he will end up in the centres, his play at five eight is definitely cause for pause on my assessment.

    The skills and experience that he is picking up at five eight especially in rugby for the Brisbane Grammar School First XV is going to be of huge benefit going forward even if Connor Te Kani ends up in the centres in the long term.

    Regardless of the age group or level, you do not often see a player with such a combination of his speed, size, strength and power compared to his peers, couple that with an innate understanding of how to play rugby league and you have a young player with immense potential waiting to be tapped in the coming years.

    With his outstanding skill set coupled with his size and speed combination Connor Te Kani is simply a player of immense potential and the play of Parramatta Eels boom rookie Dylan Brown is a more than fair comparison.

    Both have the ability to play to a set game plan as well as playing what is in front of them and unlike some current NRL halves have the youthful courage to look to win the match rather than trying not to lose it.

    Many young players pop up with incredible potential but few are able to work hard enough to harness and exploit it, few would argue that Connor Te Kani will do everything possible to not just make it to the NRL but dominate once he gets there.

  2. #1052
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    Karl Oloapu. The outstanding five eight/ centre was one of numerous stand out Titans U14 players in their match earlier this season against the Western Mustangs at Mudgeeraba.

    In the match that the Titans won 32 – 8 (no conversions were taken), Karl Oloapu played in the left centre position and formed a lethal combination on the left with left second rower William Semu.

    Impressively in early 2019 Karl Oloapu started at five eight for the Met East U15 side at the QSSRL U15 Championships, including starting their in the final against South Coast. Not bad at all for a young man playing against players a year older and at such as high level.

    Karl Opoapu played the 2019 season for Redcliffe in the GBJRL U14 Division One competition.

    Post the GBJRL competition Karl Opoapu was named in the U14 Queensland Samoa side for the 2019 QPICC Championships starting all four of Samoa’s matches at five eight including their 8 – 6 final loss to PNG. Karl Opoapu scored a try in Round Three against PNG and added a goal in Round One against Tonga.

    Karl Opoapu also represented the Brisbane Red U14 side at the 2019 Hill Stumer Championships playing at half back and scored an impressive try in their Day One match against Brisbane Blue. He was operating on the left, after receiving the ball, Karl Opoapu stepped off his left foot and then crashed through three defenders to score under the posts.

    After the completion of the competition, Karl Opoapu was selected in the South East Queensland U14 Green squad for the Queensland Age Championships.

    Karl Oloapu played for SEQ Green at the Championships at five eight and was simply outstanding across all four of their matches, recoding multiple try assists with his ability to see the entire field from five eight as well as always being a couple of steps of the opposition, both figuratively and literally.

    In 2018 Karl Oloapu played in the GBJRL U13 Premier Division for the Redcliffe Dolphins and started at five eight in their tough 26 – 12 Grand Final loss to Carina who had in their line-up William Semu.

    In late 2018 Karl Oloapu represented Queensland Maori U14’s at the QPICC carnival and the former Wellington New Zealand youngster was also selected in the U13 South East Queensland Merit side.

    In attack Karl Oloapu’s plus speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice when you see him play live. He also has an extra gear once he is through the defensive line, and has the ability to maintain his speed over a long distance.

    In short with his plus speed, Karl Oloapu can make a break himself and then has the speed to finish the break off by himself because his support players have a heck of a time trying to stay with him when he is in open space.

    Karl Oloapu can and will beat defenders in the inside or outside with a step off either foot and if the defensive line is staggered a dummy and go, presents multiple headaches for the opposition’s defensive strategies and back-ups well.

    Put simply Karl Oloapu is a very difficult proposition for any defence that comes up against him.

    As you would expect, due to his size and strength, Karl Oloapu is a very good defender regardless of position. Karl Oloapu will not necessarily hit hard but is definitely aggressive and he is very good at mirroring the movement of the opposing centre and wrapping him up ball and all.

    Karl Oloapu is also quick enough to recover and chase if the opposing centre gets on the outside and his long reach is also a positive attribute in those situations.

    From a team defensive methodology stand point, Karl Oloapu seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage in though he can be an intimidating presence when he comes out of the line.

    Karl Oloapu will play the 2020 season with Redcliffe in the GBJRL U15 Division One competition and will without doubt also be part of the QSSRL U15 Championships.

    Even though Karl Oloapu played the majority of his club rugby league in 2018 at five eight for the Dolphins, he played in the centres for the Titans U14 side against the Western Mustangs and by the barest of margins that is where that I believe his best position will be on a rugby league field even though I must admit that his play for South East Queensland Green at five eight may cause my opinion to alter back and forth on a regular basis.

    Karl Oloapu’s playing style resembles that of Melbourne Storm, Queensland State of Origin and Australian International Cameron Munster.

    Both are explosive players equally effective in both attack and defence and in most respects it does not matter what number jersey they are wearing, they are just outstanding players.

  3. #1053
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    William Semu. The outstanding young second rower proved to be almost unstoppable on the left side of the field for the Titans U14 side in February in their 32 – 8 win over the Western Mustangs at Mudgeeraba.

    In addition to starting the match in the second row, William Semu scored an outstanding try and was awarded the award as the Titans player in the match. In the match William Semu formed a lethal left side combination with centre Karl Oloapu.
    William Semu is currently playing for Carina in the GBJRL U14 Division One competition where a team mate is fellow Titans U14 player Hayden Miller.

    The GBJRL U14 competition features a number of boys with Titans links including Jacob Tinsley (Logan Brothers), Xavier Atoa (Souths Acacia Ridge) and Karl Oloapu (Redcliffe).

    William Semu was due to represent the Brisbane Blue U14 side at the 2019 Hill Stumer Championships due was forced to miss the Championships where he was named in the second row due to injury.

    William Semu made his return from injury in Round Ten of the GBJRL U14 Division One competition against Souths Acacia Ridge and started the match in the No. 7 jersey. Throughout the match, William Semu operated on the left side both in attack and defence and made some good plays, including one outstanding run down the left touch line which looked like leading to an outstanding long range individual try but unfortunately William Semu just put his foot on the touch line.

    With Carina in front late in the game against the previously undefeated South Acacia Ridge side, William Semu also pulled off some outstanding defence on his own try line, constantly turning back the Souths attack.

    William Semu was heavily involved in Carina’s U14 GBJRL Finals series including their Major Semi-final victory over Souths Acacia Ridge and started at left second row in the Grand Final once again against Souths Acacia Ridge but unfortunately Carina went down 28 – 4.

    Post the GBJRL competition William Semu was named in the U14 Queensland Samoa side for the 2019 QPICC Championships. William Semu started in the U14 Final for Samoa as they went down 8 – 6 to PNG but scored a double in Round Three (one try in each half) also against PNG.

    In 2018 William Semu played for Carina in the GBJRL U13 Premier Division competition and started in the second row in the Grand Final with his Carina side coming away victorious 26 – 12 against a Redcliffe side that contained fellow Titans U14 player Karl Oloapu who started the match at five eight for the Dolphins.

    2018 also saw the Marsden State High School student represent Brisbane Blue in the U13 trials and in 2017 William Semu represent Met East at the Queensland U12 Championships were he was selected in the centres.

    William Semu is an athlete and this can be seen when be he is running with the football. In his carries he rarely takes a hit up without movement, he uses foot work prior to the line to look to break through as well as cutting either cutting back in behind the play the ball or cutting out towards the smaller defenders on the fringes of the ruck.

    William Semu runs ‘fast’ into the defensive and his foot work prior to the line enables him to get partly through the line quite often, certainly more so than you would expect for a backrower taking the ball through the centre of the ruck. One reason for this is that he is a smart footballer, he does not try to run over defenders, but he runs at the gaps between defenders and uses his running speed to break through if defenders only use their arms on the tackle.

    William Semu does not necessarily have a great top end speed, but he is certainly fast enough to get through to the full back prior to the arrival of the cover defence.

    Playing on the left hand side of the field seemingly more often, means that his left foot step and his fending using his right hand are the effective attributes, but based on his physical attributes, his skill set and his understanding of how to play the game means that I have no doubt that these attributes are transferrable to playing on the left hand side of the field.

    In defence William Semu regularly is the first player up to target the ball carriers, even though he is not 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.

    When the opportunity presents William Semu has the ability to hit very hard, by setting a good base and driving through his lower body and core into his opponent. Ultimately though he is a strong defender with a good front on technique and good lateral movement to track and defend against smaller opponents either on the fringes or centre of the ruck.

    William Semu will play the 2020 season in the U14 GBJRL Division One competition with Carina but potentially may move to the Souths Acacia Ridge Magpies.

    For me, with his physical attributes and skill set indicates that William Semu will settle into the back row as his long term position with no need for a positional switch and will be a representative level second rower for many years to come. I appreciate that William Semu also spent time in the halves for Carina in the GBJRL U14 Division One competition this season but I firmly believe that second row is his ideal position moving forward.

    From a style perspective think of a someone along the lines of Brisbane Bronco and Queensland State of Origin second rower David Fifita as an intense aggressive well-rounded backrower with the ability to break the line by himself or as a result of running a good line, William Semu then has enough speed to break into space prior to looking for his support players.

    Like Fifita, William Semu is also an extremely efficient and effective defender who will hit hard when the opportunity presents itself and looks to always dominate his opponents both mentally and physically in all aspects of the game. Similarly both William Semu and Fifita play the left second row position.

    Put simply William Semu is just an outstanding talent in both rugby (both fifteen man and 7’s) and rugby league and the sky is the limit in terms of just how far he could go in his career.

  4. #1054
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    Beau Frazer. The young Beaudesert Kingfishers front rower/second rower started from the bench of the Titans U13 Invitational side early this year in their 40 – 12 win over the Western Mustangs. In the match Beau Frazer took the ball up well and was also solid defensively in the centre of the ruck in his first match in Titans colours.

    In 2019 Beau Frazer played for Beaudesert in the GCRL U13 Division Three competition appearing in fourteen matches for the Kingfishers.

    In 2019 Beau Frazer also played in seven U14 Division One matches and two U14 Division Three matches regularly playing in two matches over the course of a particular round. In fact in Round One of the 2019 season against Mudgeeraba in April, Beau Frazer played in his U13 Division Three match before making his debut in both the U14 Division One and Division Three competitions against the Redbacks.

    In 2018 Beau Frazer played eleven matches for Beaudesert in the GCRL U12 Division Two competition including starting the Grand Final in the second row, but unfortunately Beaudesert lost 24 – 12 to Helensvale.

    In his eleven matches Beau Frazer scored a late July try against Coomera for his sole try of the season and also kicked a conversion in late June against Ormeau to account for his six points.

    Impressively Beau Frazer also played four matches for Beaudesert in the 2018 U13 Division One competition making his debut against Burleigh in June. His other three U13 Division One matches were against Runaway Bay, Mudgeeraba and Currumbin and on each occasion including his debut Beau Frazer was backing up after playing for his U12 side earlier in the day.

    Running with the football, Beau Frazer 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.

    Beau Frazer 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. Beau Frazer actually does have a decent off load usually with his right hand when he has impacted the defensive line as well and regularly showcased this in game situations over the course of the 2019 season.

    In defence Beau Frazer is not an overly big hitter but definitely makes solid initial contact with the ball carrier and is very effective at targeting the area around the football in order to reduce the possibility of off loads occurring.

    For a front rower his lateral movement is reasonable and Beau Frazer is also quite effective when defending at marker, and does not use it as a chance to have a break and will chase hard from the position targeting the next ball runner or putting pressure on the opposing kicker.

    Beau Frazer will play the 2020 season with Beaudesert in the GCRL U14 age group and will push for Gold Coast Vikings U14 representative selection.

    Beau Frazer has spent a fair bit of the last two seasons playing in the front row but for me he is a little undersized there and will likely settle in the second row in the coming years.

    From a player comparison perspective for Beau Frazer, one player with a similar playing style from my perspective is former Titans front rower/second rower and current Titans coaching staff member Anthony Laffranchi, as a solid forward who will may never be a star but will be a solid contributor to a team’s forward pack both from an attacking and defensive perspective and someone who will give nothing less than his best every time that he runs onto the field

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    Hayden Miller. The young Carina five eight was a more than solid performer for the Titans U14 side that defeated the Western Mustangs 32 – 8 at Mudgeeraba in February of this year providing a positive link between the forward pack and outstanding back line that the Titans fielded that day. Unfortunately Hayden Miller broke his arm in the match missing the start of the 2019 season proper.

    Hayden Miller played the 2019 season with Carina in the GBJRL U14 Division One competition although his season was interrupted by injury on a number of occasions.

    Hayden Miller was heavily involved in Carina’s U14 GBJRL Finals series including their Major Semi-final victory over Souths Acacia Ridge and started at half back in the Grand Final once again against Souths Acacia Ridge but unfortunately Carina went down 28 – 4.

    Hayden Miller also represented the Brisbane Blue U14 side at the 2019 Hill Stumer Championships playing five eight and operating on the left side of the field and was Brisbane Blue’s primary goal kicker and tactical kicker as well.

    After the completion of the competition, Hayden Miller was selected in the South East Queensland U14 training squad.

    In 2018 Hayden Miller also played for Carina in the GBJRL U13 Division One competition.

    In 2018 Hayden Miller was selected in the South East Queensland U13 squad and in 2017 he represented Met East in the Queensland Primary School U12 age group competition.

    Hayden Miller’s calling card from an attacking perspective is his passing and game management abilities. He seems to have the ability to drift across the field and a wait for opportunities to develop as a defender on the edge of the ruck over commits causing gaps to develop in the defensive line. Once a gap develops Hayden Miller’s has quick hands and timing to provide a weighted pass to his support runners.

    In relation to his speed Hayden Miller does not appear to be overly quick, but he does have some reasonable speed off the mark, which is complemented by the fact that he runs at the right moment, for example when he is drifting across field he will dummy and run when defenders anticipate the pass rather than focussing on him running the ball.

    For a five eight I would agree that his speed when be considered average for a five eight, but if Hayden Miller transitions to the back row I would consider it to be above average for that position. Hayden Miller does not appear to have an extra gear when he gets into open space.

    Hayden Miller’s kicking game is very accurate, and he can generate very good distance on his kicks whilst at the same time not losing too much accuracy, thus he has the ability to find the ground regularly for a lot of his kicks allowing his teams chasers more time to get down field and thus gaining an advantage in relation to field position.

    Hayden Miller also has the ability to kick very high bombs, allowing plenty of time for his chasers to get to the ball. Hayden Miller is also a very good goal kicker and has the potential to be his team’s primary goal kicking and tactical kicking option moving into the next stage of his rugby league career.

    Defensively Hayden Miller tackles well low and that is seemingly his main tactic against wide running forwards rather than trying to tackle them ball and all but due to his size and strength Hayden Millers initial contact is strong and he will not shirk his defensive responsibilities.

    Hayden Miller will play the 2020 season with Carina in the GBJRL U15 Division One competition.

    Hayden Miller is currently playing five eight at a high level but is a bigger type of five eight thus a move to the second row to be a ball playing second rower may be possible in the future, and the distant future at that, potentially like the career progression of Wade Graham that being a talented five eight who over time has transitioned to a representative level second rower.

    In relation to the style of play of Hayden Miller I would consider that a current NRL player with a similar playing style is former Penrith Panthers five eight Travis May. Both a bit bigger than a traditional five eight, but both have very good passing games and both can surprise defences with their burst of speed if defenders are not paying attention to what is happening in front of them.

    Hayden Miller’s play for the U14 Titans side at five eight earlier this season certainly made me sit up and take notice

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    Michael Roberts. In early in October the young entre was named in a Titans U14/15 Invitational NRRRL side that played the Titans U14 Gold Coast/Brisbane Academy side in a development match at Tweed Heads. Although unable to play Michael Roberts selection for the match shows the high regard he is held in by the Titans.

    Michael Roberts was part of the Group 18 U15 side that played at the 2019 New South Wales Country Age Championships held in Port Macquarie in September. In those Championships Michael Roberts scored doubles in Group 18’s two matches on Day One which were against Central Coast and Group Three.

    Michael Roberts was also part of the Group 18 side that drew 18 all with Newcastle on Day Two. As a result of his two doubles, Michael Roberts finished the Championships as Group 18’s leading try scorer and in the top five of the U15 Championships overall.

    In late 2019 Michael Roberts headed to Sydney to trial for the 2020 New South Wales Koori U16 side with fellow Titan Kai Smallwood.

    Michael Roberts also represented Group 18 in 2018 at the U14 New South Wales Country Age Championships and had a big match on Day One scoring a try and kicking two goals against Group 21.

    Michael Roberts played the 2019 club rugby league season with Byron Bay/Lennox Head in the Group 18 U15 competition and was part of their side that went down in the Grand Final against Bilambil.

    Michael Roberts has good size and on his day is a powerful and determined runner who will crash through tackles with sheer force of will. He runs with power and even though he does run straight on he will drop his body into the first defender and will bump off the first tackler regularly with limited loss of momentum.

    In terms of speed, Michael Roberts has what I would consider above average speed for a for centre and whilst he does not have an extra gear when he breaks into open space, Michael Roberts has the ability to sustain his speed for the duration of his runs.

    In terms of beating a defender other than with power, Michael Roberts has a good in and away and can hold defenders off his body with a strong fend with either hand and is also able to drift across the field looking to set up his support runners if/when a hole develops in the defensive.

    In relation to the defensive aspects of rugby league, Michael Roberts is an aggressive defender who focusses heavily on the physical contact of the defensive side of the game. He has a hard tough streak and will definitely not shirk contact. The majority of time Michael Roberts is an aggressive defender who aims to dominate his immediate opponent when they have the ball.

    Michael Roberts will play the 2020 season with Byron Bay/Lennox Head in the Group 18 U16 competition and will also push for a spot in the U16 Andrew Johns Cup Northern Rivers Titans side.

    Michael Roberts is just a talented athlete with size and speed and as he fills out his strength and power will continue to develop. Michael Roberts has a frame that can add a fair degree of muscle mass yet maintain his speed, a potent combination.

    Michael Roberts is ideally suited to playing in the centres, especially with his speed and projects as a strike centre moving forward.

    From a player comparison perspective, I will once again qualify my comments that when I am making a player comparison I am talking about a playing style rather than potential career path. For me Michael Roberts has a little bit of former South Sydney Rabbitoh, Queensland State of Origin captain and Australian Test centre Greg Inglis in his game. On his day, which are increasingly more frequent he can be a bullocking runner who can just break a game open individually

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    Lachlan Offley. The Ballina Seagulls flyer’s 2019 season can favourably be compared to anybody’s in the entire Group One Junior Rugby League competition and for that matter all of Northern New South Wales.

    For Ballina in the 2019 Group One U14 competition Lachlan Offley finished the season scoring in all of his ten matches and finishing as the competitions leading try scorer with twenty seven tries for an out of this world strike rate of 270%. Lachlan Offley also kicked seven conversions to finish as the competitions leading point’s scorer as well with 122 points to average more than twelve points per match.

    In addition to scoring five tries against Kyogle in June Lachlan Offley scored five hat tricks including in each of his first three 2019 Group One U14 matches against South Grafton, Casino RSM and Clarence Coast respectively. Lachlan Offley added hat tricks against Clarence Coast and Lismore Marist Brothers later in the season.

    Lachlan Offley also scored a finals double against South Grafton and tries against Grafton in two separate matches.

    Lachlan Offley also played in five Group One U15 matches in 2019 and once again showcased his try scoring prowess scoring seven tries (140% strike rate) including a Grand Final double against Clarence Coast, unfortunately Ballina went down 14 – 10 in a tight encounter.

    In addition to his Grand Final double, Lachlan Offley also scored U15 doubles against Lismore Marist Brothers and Kyogle as well as scoring on his Group One U15 debut against Clarence Coast in May.

    In late 2019 Lachlan Offley started at fullback in all three of the Group One U14 representative sides matches at the New South Wales Country U14 Age Championships scoring on Day One against Maitland. On Day Two Lachlan Offley started at fullback in matches against Group 21 and Central Coast.

    To prove that his try scoring feats in 2019 were no fluke Lachlan Offley scored twenty one tries and kicked thirteen goals in Ballina in the 2018 Group One U13 competition to record 110 points.

    It is hard to put in words just how talented Lachlan Offley is in terms of running the ball, he has
    outstanding speed both off the mark which I would consider in the plus plus category and top end
    speed which must be considered plus regardless of position. Lachlan Offley with his speed is able to
    exploit even small gaps in the defensive line with an exceptional step off either foot and incredible
    acceleration as well as outstanding body control.

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

    Lachlan Offley has good timing on his passes and is able to weight them perfectly as well and can do so from either side of his body. Adding in this is that Lachlan Offley can stop on a dime even travelling at full speed and pop the short pass, thus it looks for all money that he is going to run the ball thus the defence converges and then the ball is delivered to a support runner who is through a hole before the defensive line can readjust. Lachlan Offley also runs with the ball in both hands which is another reason why the defensive line is unable to determine exactly what he is going to do.

    Defensively Lachlan Offley is a stronger young man than he appears with exceptional functional strength to go along with an innate understanding of the attacking strategies of rugby league thus he is able to anticipate what an attacking side is looking to do with the ball and then be in the best position to negate it.

    Lachlan Offley has a very good low tackling technique which is simple and repeatable and effective against all size opponents and thus there is no need for a defensive minder on his side of the field if he is defending in the line

    Lachlan Offley will play the 2020 season in the Group One U15 competition with Ballina and may also get an opportunity in the U16.5 competition as well and should also be part of the Group One U15 representative side for the 2020 New South Wales Country Age Championships after being heavily involved in the U14 side this season.

    From my perspective, a talented, unselfish attacking player with similar rugby league attributes to Lachlan Offley is North Queensland Cowboys and former Melbourne Storm fullback Scott Drinkwater. Like Drinkwater, Lachlan Offley has great acceleration and top end speed to go along with a wicked sidestep and the play making skills to make opposition teams pay if defences look to focus too much on him whether he is returning kicks, or chiming into the back line on a block play or looking for an offload or inside pass through the centre of the ruck.

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    Patrick Gray. The Titans linked second rower was part of the Titans U15 development squad and was involved in their matches against each other and a Western Mustangs U15 side at Mudgeeraba in February 2019.

    The Mount St Patrick College Murwillumbah student was selected in the New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges (CCC) Lismore Diocese U15 side for their for the NSW CCC selection trials that were held in Sydney in May 2019. The end result of those selection trials was that Patrick Gray was selected in the 2019 New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges U15 Country side.

    2019 also saw Patrick Gray represent Group 18 in the U15 age group at the 2019 New South Wales Country Age Championships held late in the year at Port Macquarie when he started in the second row. Late in the 2019 season Patrick Gray was named the 2019 Group 18 U15 representative season’s best forward.

    The Murwillumbah second rower represented the Group 18 U14 representative side in 2018 in the New South Wales Country Age Championships and post those Championships was selected as part of the Titans 2018/19 Group 18 U15 Development Squad.

    In the U14 New South Wales Country Age Championships for Group 18 Patrick Gray played in all three of Group 18’s matches which were against Group’s Twenty One, Four and Two starting all three in the second row.

    Patrick Gray is a hard running all effort player who runs not just with speed into the defensive line but with intelligence as well. Once he has gained speed, Patrick Gray will look to target the gaps between forwards rather than looking to initiate contact, what Patrick Gray will do is look to isolate a particular forward in the defensive line and at the last minute change the axis of his run with a slight step off either foot to look to throw off the timing of the defender this is why Patrick Gray makes so many half breaks and post contact metres.

    Defenders either side of the one that he has targeted incorrectly anticipate that he will be tackled by the defender immediately in from of him only to find Patrick Gray actually running into the gap which they should have been covering. From an overall speed perspective Patrick Gray’s speed can be considered in the above average to plus category for a second rower and plays faster as a result of the effort and intensity that he puts into every run.

    In relation to the defensive aspects of his game Patrick Gray is an exceptional cover defender. With his above average to plus speed for his position he is able to track the ball across the field and be in a position to make the cover defending tackle if breaks are made.

    From a front on tackling perspective for a player that plays with so much intensity and enthusiasm he actually has a solid repeatable technique which he can use against attackers of any size. The keys to his technique are his timing and anticipation as well as correct head placement.

    So many defenders in either rugby or rugby league have no idea about head placement but Patrick Gray is not one of them. Another impressive aspect from a defensive stand point for Patrick Gray is the fact that he came make multiple tackles one after another and then still be in position to track the ball across the field, he has exceptional stamina from an aerobic capacity stand point including the ability to consistently sprint short distances time and again in a short time span whilst maintaining his positioning on the field.

    Patrick Gray will play the 2020 season with Murwillumbah in the Group 18 U16 competition and push for a spot in the U16 Andrew Johns Cup Northern Rivers Titans side as well as playing for Mount St Patrick College in multiple school boy rugby league competitions across Northern New South Wales.

    With his speed and skill combination it is hard to envisage Patrick Gray playing anywhere but second row as his rugby league career progresses even though he will not be the biggest second rower running around no matter which team he is playing for.

    From a player comparison perspective for Patrick Gray one current NRL player really does stand out as being an ideal comparison from a playing style perspective and that is Mitch Aubusson of the Sydney Roosters as a hard working player with a touch of speed and class about him that you may not appreciate until you see him play on a number of occasions.

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    Izayah Lewis. The youngster from the Tweed Heads Seagulls Junior Rugby League club in Northern New South Wales started on the wing for the Titans U14/15 NRRRL Invitational side that went down 32 – 10 to a Titans U14 side in early October at Piggabeen Sports Complex in a thoroughly entertaining match.

    2019 saw Izayah Lewis represent Group 18 at the New South Wales Country U14 Age Championships playing two matches on the wing being against Group Four and Central Coast with both matches occurring on Day One.

    For his build, Izayah Lewis is very quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside and will not get caught from behind if he gets into open space. Whilst his speed off the mark cannot be considered explosive Izayah Lewis has good top end speed once he gets moving.

    In addition to his speed Izayah Lewis seems to have the ability to “freeze” his direct opponent with his ability to step off both feet before accelerating around them usually on the touchline side.

    One thing that I have noticed a couple of times is the use of a stutter step to stop the momentum of the opposing defender and then accelerate to the outside forcing the defender to chase from a standing start. For his size, he is also quite good in the air, both in terms chasing attacking kicks and defending them.

    On the wing, with his smaller frame Izayah Lewis is able to come in and take runs through the centre of the ruck, and effective runs at that. Izayah Lewis will take off from dummy half and use his elite foot work make a lot of the “tough” yards.

    Defensively the area that Izayah Lewis has impressed me the most is his ability to defend against any size opponent, from small quick outside backs to big strong powerful backrowers running wide of the ruck.

    Izayah Lewis seemingly has more strength that his size would indicate, and he uses this strength to move up and hit around the area where the ball is usually held regardless of the size of the opponent running at him.

    I did not often see Izayah Lewis come in when he did not need to, preferring to stay on his oppose number and trusting his teams inside defenders.

    Izayah Lewis will play the 2020 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Group 18 U15 competition and should also represent Group 18 for the second season in a row in the 2020 New South Wales Country U15 Age Championships to be held in late 2020.

    Izayah Lewis is nippy and elusive and is also quick out of dummy half (read – regularly makes the first defender miss) and as a result I think that his future ultimately lies on the wing as his career progresses.

    From a player comparison perspective for Izayah Lewis think of someone along the lines of former St George Dragons and New Zealand International winger Jason Nightingale as a winger who may not be the biggest physically but has the speed and elusiveness to regularly find the try line especially in situations where it looked highly likely that he had no chance of getting the ball over the line

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    Zac Toole. The hard working Ballina Seagull was part of the Titans 2018/19 Group One Development Squad after a number of solid seasons for Ballina in the Group One competition.

    Zac Toole played the 2019 season with Ballina in the Group One U15 competition, playing in twelve matches for the Seagulls including starting in the second row in their Grand Final loss to the Clarence Coast Magpies.

    Zac Toole scored four tries in 2019, with the first coming in Round Four against Clarence Coast, Zac Toole also scored in Round Eight also against Clarence Coast and added a double in Round Thirteen against Lismore Marist Brothers.

    Zac Toole was named on the interchange bench for the Group One U15 Taipans for the New South Wales Country Age Championships that were held in Port Macquarie in late September. In the Championships Zac Toole played in all three of Group One’s matches being against Maitland and Group 19 on Day One and Central Coast on Day Two.

    2018 saw the Ballina Coast High School student represent Group One at the U14 New South Wales Country Age Championships playing in all five of their matches that year.

    For Ballina in the 2018 U14 Group One competition, Zac Toole played in fourteen matches crossing for tries against Lismore Marist Brothers and Clarence Coast.

    In the U14 New South Wales Country Age Championships for Group One Zac Toole played in all four of Group One’s matches including the Northern Plate Final against Group 19 which Group One won 38 – 12. The other games that he played in the Championships were against Group’s Nine and Four and Newcastle.

    Zac Toole an old style, hardworking, effective forward. He is just solid at all aspects and also has good size for a forward and has the physical attributes to add more muscle mass without compromising his speed, lateral movement or aerobic endurance at all.

    Zac Toole is a hard working forward who understands how to run the right the right line including both and inside shoulder and outside shoulder line and consistently hits the pass off either the dummy half or play maker flat thus generating his best possible speed and momentum to hit the defensive line.

    Where Zac Toole really excels though is his footwork, he has very good late and quick foot work which enables him to change direction quickly allowing him to readjust where he is running to take advantage of either a late developing hole in the defensive line or where the defensive line is repositioning late.

    Even when he is taking a hit up in the centre of the ruck, Zac Toole’s feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight corrections to his running direction and he is also able to maintain his speed regardless of the multiple directional changes.

    Zac Toole also excels is his ability to generate quick play the balls. He fights to get to his feet quickly and then executes the quick play the ball whilst the opposition defensive lines is still resetting.

    His technique revolves around timing and execution. Zac Toole’s head is always correctly positioned and he always drives with his shoulder and never just jersey grabs. From the matches that I have seen Zac Toole also tackles with both shoulders effectively as well.

    The impressive thing for me also is that Zac Toole never seems to bounce off the ball when he makes a front on tackle meaning his target area and the ability to hit the area on a regular basis is very impressive.

    Zac Toole will play the 2020 season with the Ballina Seagulls in the Group One U16.5 competition and will be in line to be part of the U16 Andrew Johns Cup Northern Rivers Titans side. Zac Toole will also be a key member of the Ballina Coast High School Open Rugby League side in 2020 in their multiple school boy competitions.

    Zac Toole has the hard working mentality and body type to stay in the second row as his rugby league career develops.

    Zac Toole has a similar playing style to that of Titans second rower and New Zealand International Kevin Proctor as a second rower who can defend either in the centre of the ruck or a little wider out as a foil for his half or five eight.

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    Reece Noble. The hard working second rower is currently part of the Titans 2018/19 Group One Development Squad after a sold season for Ballina in the 2018 Group One U14 competition.

    Reece Noble played the 2019 season once again with Ballina in the Group One U15 competition, playing in twelve matches for the Seagulls including starting in the second row in the Grand Final but unfortunately Ballina went down 14 – 10 to Clarence Coast.

    From his twelve matches Reece Noble scored two tries and kicked one goal which came against Lismore Marist Brothers when he converted his own try. His other try came six weeks later against Casino RSM.

    Reece Noble was named on the interchange bench for the Group One U15 Taipans for the New South Wales Country Age Championships that were held in Port Macquarie in late September 2019. In the Championships Reece Noble played in all three of Group One’s matches being against Maitland and Group 19 on Day One and Central Coast on Day Two.

    2018 also saw the Ballina Coast High School student represent Group One at the U14 New South Wales Country Age Championships playing in all five of their matches that year.

    For Ballina in the 2018 U14 Group One competition, Reece Noble played in thirteen matches crossing for six tries. Reece Noble scored a mid-season double against Grafton and also scored against Lismore Marist Brothers in two separate matches, Clarence Coast and Casino RSM.

    In the 2018 U14 New South Wales Country Age Championships for Group One Reece Noble played in all four of Group One’s matches including the Northern Plate Final against Group 19 which Group One won 38 – 12. Reece Noble in fact scored in the Final after starting the match in the second row.

    Reece Noble’s style of play is that of a wide running back rower with quite good speed for the position. Reece Noble is quick off the mark and can maintain his top speed over a reasonable distance and also has a good fend and can step off both feet both in space and in tight situations.

    The side step he has is not a big step but is quick and subtle enough to keep defenders off balance. Reece Noble will also continue to pump his legs once he makes initial contact with the defensive line and will fight for every yard. Once his momentum is stopped, Reece Noble will fight for a quick play the ball to maintain his team’s momentum.

    Reece Noble is an aggressive defender whether he is 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 stop even the biggest opposing forwards in their tracks and targets the area around the chest after setting a solid base to project his momentum into the ball carrier. Reece Noble also has decent lateral mobility and thus will not be over matched against smaller agile opponents.

    Reece Noble will play the 2020 season with the Ballina Seagulls in the Group One U16.5 competition and will be in line to be part of the U16 Andrew Johns Cup Northern Rivers Titans side. Reece Noble will also be a key member of the Ballina Coast High School Open Rugby League side in 2020 for their multiple school boy rugby league competitions in Northern New South Wales.

    Reece Noble is solid in all aspects, he is a hard working runner of the ball and has a solid and repeatable defensive technique with both coming together to highlight a solid rugby league second rower both now an into the future.

    The game of New Zealand Warrior and New Zealand International second rower and occasional centre Tohu Harris is probably a reasonable comparison from a playing style perspective for the talented Reece Noble.

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    Tuki Seiuli. Tuki Seiuli has been a jack of all trades for the Ormeau Shearers across the GCRL Division Ones competitions in recent seasons playing a variety of positions from hooker, second row and even some five eight. From a rugby perspective you can add in outside centre and even left wing in 2019.

    In the 2019 GCLR U18 Division One competition Tuki Seiuli normally started at hooker. In his nine U18 Division One matches this season Tuki Seiuli scored thirty points made up of six tries and three goals.

    Tuki Seiuli’s first three matches of the 2019 season saw him score four tries including a double against Tugun and tries against Runaway Bay and Burleigh. Later in the season Tuki Seiuli added tries against Currumbin and Mudgeeraba.

    Two of Tuki Seiuli’s three goals came on June 1 against Currumbin (he also scored in that match) with his other coming earlier in the season against Tugun, he also scored in that match too.

    In 2019 Tuki Seiuli also played a number of rugby matches for the Bond University Colts Ii side including starting Round One on the bench against Brothers before starting on the left wing against University of Queensland in Round Two and also starting at outside centre in Round Four against Easts.

    In 2018 Tuki Seiuli played twelve matches for the Shearers in the GCRL U17 Division One competition scoring twenty six points which was made up of four tries and five goals. Tuki Seiuli scored a final’s double against Runaway Bay and added tries earlier in the season against Helensvale and Tweed Heads.

    In the match against Helensvale Tuki Seiuli kicked three of his five goals with his two other goals coming in matches against Burleigh and Tweed Heads.

    Tuki Seuili was part of the Burleigh MM Cup side in 2018.

    Tuki Seiuli who was a standout performer in late 2015 for the Titans U14 Development Squad in a match at Pizzey Park against Samoa, has played seven matches in the U16 Division One competition and seven more including Friday nights semi-final in the U17 Division One competition. In the U16 Division One competition, Tuki Seiuli has scored four tries including a double against Helensvale and also tries against Helensvale against in late July and against Currumbin early in the season. In the U17 Division One competition his sole try some far came in his second match in that age group against the powerful Bilambil Jets line-up.

    Tuki Seiuli has had some previous representative experience including playing for the U16 Gold Coast Vikings U16 side in the 2017 U16 pre-season competition going on to be named in the U16 South East Queensland train-on squad and in 2015 Tuki Seiuli started in the front row for the South East Queensland U14 side. Tuki Seiuli in 2015 was named on the interchange bench in Keebra Park’s team of the year.

    Regardless of where he is playing Tuki Seiuli is a hard runner who really does look to run straight over people and is best running on the fringes of the ruck, rather than straight up the centre. Tuki Seiuli also has developed the art of running with the ball in two hands thus presenting a different look to the defensive line and creating doubt as to whether he is going to run or pass.

    Tuki Seiuli still has decent to above average top end speed but he does take a little bit of time to get up to his top speed. I would suggest his speed is a tick above average for a back rower. Tuki Seiuli also has a very good right hand fend to add to his stocky frame and good strength. His low centre of gravity and power make him a difficult proposition to defend against, regardless of where he lines up in attack.

    Defensively Tuki Seiuli hits very hard and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls. He also has a touch of aggression in his play and definitely finishes off each tackle that he is involved in. He 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. Tuki Seiuli set a good stable base with his lower body, which he them used to explode into the attacker.

    Tuki Seiuli has two years of Hastings Deering’s Colts eligibility commencing in 2020 but may also continue to play rugby for Bond University.

    To be honest when I saw Tuki Seiuli play a couple of season ago I was certainly that he was going to be a second rower moving forward, but in recent seasons he has played in multiple positions doing well in all. I still think that he will ultimately end up in the second row but still be a very versatile player who could fill a number of roles for a team over the course of a match including at dummy half.

    Due to his versatility and varied skill set, I believe that an appropriate NRL player comparison for Tuki Seiuli is current Canberra Raiders interchange forward and Tongan International hooker Siliva Havili

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    Greg (GL) Leleisiuao. It is almost a case of the cult hero returns in relation to Greg Leleisiuao who was a star for the Titans NYC side in 2015 and 2016 before he headed down Parramatta where he won an NYC title in 2017 and was also named on the wing in the National Youth Competitions Team of the Year before being elevated to the Eels NRL Top 30 squad for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

    Whilst he did not make an NRL appearance for Parramatta Greg Leleisiuao starred for the Wentworthville Magpies Canterbury Cup side especially in 2019 when he led the competition in multiple attacking categories, and led them by a big margin in each case.

    Greg Leleisiuao has signed for Burleigh for the 2020 season and is currently training with the Titans NRL squad on a short term pre-Christmas train and trial contract.

    In 2019 for the Magpies in the New South Wales Canterbury Cup competition Greg Leleisiuao played in all twenty six of the Magpies matches starting all on the right wing, playing 80 minutes in all bar two meaning that in the Canterbury Cup, including finals matches in 2019 Greg Leleisiuao played 2 063 minutes out of a possible 2 080, seventy seven of which were in the Grand Final that the Magpies lost 20 – 15 to the Newtown Jets who went on to narrowly defeated Burleigh in the National Final.

    In 2019 Greg Leleisiuao led the Canterbury Cup in four categories being most runs (433), most run metres (4 513), most post contact metres (1 535) and most tackle breaks (196). Greg Leleisiuao also scored twelve tries, eleven in the regular season and also scored in Week One of the Finals against the Penrith Panthers.

    In addition to a Round Two double against the Bulldogs, Greg Leleisiuao scored in matches against the Mounties (Rounds Five and Fifteen), Wests Magpies (Round Six), North Sydney (Round Ten), Penrith (Round Eleven), Souths Sydney (Round Twelve), the Warriors (Round Fourteen)and Blacktown (Rounds Sixteen and Twenty Two).

    In addition to his Canterbury Cup league leading stats in 2019 that are mentioned above, Greg Leleisiuao also made fifteen line breaks, had two line break assists and a try assist which was in Round Eight against the Dragons.

    Defensively Greg Leleisiuao made seventy six tackles at a tackling efficiency of 79.17%. Greg Leleisiuao in fact did not miss his first tackle of the 2019 season until Round Six against the Wests Magpies and in thirteen of his twenty six matches had a 100% tackling efficiency.

    Incredibly in all twenty six of his 2019 Canterbury Cup matches Greg Leleisiuao ran for in excess of 100 metres, with his “lowest” run total being 115 metres in Round Seven against Newcastle, he made up for that later in the season. In thirteen of his matches, Greg Leleisiuao was his team’s leader from a metres gained perspective and led his side in tackle breaks far more frequently than that.

    Even more impressive was the fact that Greg Leleisiuao ran for in excess of 200 metres on five occasions being Round Eight against St George (246 metres), Round Sixteen against Blacktown (210 metres), Round twenty against St George (201 metres), Round Twenty Two against Blacktown (211 metres) and in Round Twenty One against the Newcastle Knights Greg Leleisiuao ran for a staggering 283 metres. In the Round Twenty One match against Newcastle 108 of his 283 metres were post contact (38.16%).

    On eight occasions in the Canterbury Cup in 2019 Greg Leleisiuao broke at least ten tackles in a match including breaking twelve tackles in his “career” match in Round Twenty One against Newcastle.

    On a per match basis in 2019 in the Canterbury Cup Greg Leleisiuao played just over 79 minutes, ran for 173 metres (59 post contact), broke 7.54 tackles on 16.65 runs and made three tackles.

    Greg Leleisiuao is a powerfully built young man who runs with pace and power. It would be unfair to categorise that his game is only built on pace and power though as he has a very good right foot step and left hand fend, he can also draw defenders in to give players outside him room.

    If he gets on the outside of his opposing winger Greg Leleisiuao is definitely quick enough to break into open space although I would not say that he has plus speed, he is quick enough to gain separate from the cover defence.

    When you look at his build Greg Leleisiuao may not look like he has a lot of speed, but he definitely does. Greg Leleisiuao is not necessarily the quickest off the mark but ha very good acceleration once he is moving and can sustain his top pace over an extended period.

    Impressively a lot of Greg Leleisiuao’s metres in 2019 came through the centre of the ruck with Parramatta regularly running down the blind side on his side of the field. If the opposing winger is drawn in Greg Leleisiuao broke down the touch line, if not he would come back inside and bash and barge his way through the centre of the ruck.

    Greg Leleisiuao is also very good at running out of dummy half. In relation to kick returns Greg Leleisiuao, on the majority of occasions would not be subtle, he would retrieve the ball and run straight and hard into the oncoming defensive line.

    Greg Leleisiuao is always going to be judged on his attacking ability, but he is a solid defender as was evidenced in the Canterbury Cup this season. Greg Leleisiuao has the size and strength for powerful initial contact especially when he come out of the line and also has the speed to turn and chase when required.

    Greg Leleisiuao may never be considered an outstanding defender but he has the skill set and physical attributes to be a solid NRL defender both from an individual and team perspective.

    As noted above Greg Leleisiuao is currently training with the Titans NRL squad on a train and trial basis and if he does not pick up an NRL contract will play for Burleigh in the 2020 Queensland Cup competition.

    I think that Greg Leleisiuao should be a real chance to grab one of the five remaining Titans NRL contracts for their Top 30 as he would immediately bring power running from the wing position as well as the ability to break through tackles on a regular basis.

    I do not for a second believe that Greg Leleisiuao would recreate his 2019 Canterbury Cup statistics in the NRL should be make his debut for the Titans in 2020 but certainly running with the ball he has a real chance of being a difference maker as well as helping to get supporters excited about the season and thus helping get them to come to home matches.

    Earlier in his career Greg Leleisiuao spent time in the centres and at fullback including for the Titans NYC side (and on the wing for the Titans as well) and even spent time at five eight in the U16 Cyril Connell Cup for Souths Logan in 2013 but moved to the wing permanently when he left for Parramatta and to be fair has not looked back since and at around 99kg and 180cm is the perfect build for a wrecking ball type winger who is just as happy to run over opposing wingers as he is to run around them.

    For people who followed the Titans NYC side before its demise, Greg Leleisiuao is a bit of a cult figure of sorts as that star youngster who displayed immense ability before heading south, let’s hope that in his second coming Greg Leleisiuao can secure an NRL contract straight off the bat but if not he should be a dominant player for Burleigh come the 2020 Queensland Cup season.

    Greg Leleisiuao plays like well Greg Leleisiuao, he is a ball of muscle with speed and a low centre of gravity who is very difficult to tackle and has steadily improved defensively over the last couple of seasons.

    For the people that have not seen Greg Leleisiuao possibility a good NRL player comparison is former New Zealand Warrior and New Zealand International centre Solomon Kata that being of a hard running aggressive type of player with a solid build who relishes the contact, the harder the better both in attack and defence and also one that seems to be more than happy to run over his direct opponent rather than beating them with speed and/or guile even though he has both in his attacking ****nal.

  14. #1064
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    I remember when he first came under notice from the Titans NYC side.
    He was hailed as ex Hip Hop dancer to be the next big thing.
    To be fair he was stuck behind some very talented Fijians at Parra. Looking forward to seeing how he has progressed.

  15. #1065

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    https://www.titans.com.au/news/2019/...to-pre-season/

    Good to see our juniors looking like pros and getting the treatment too. A few kids here from the U16s AJ cup that will go into MM with tweed this year I believe


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