My take on our top juniors

[mdrew]

Ben Valeni. He is a local young centre, who over the last year or so, has started to spend more and more of his playing time in the second row, including representative football, where he represented South West in the QSSRL U18 state school boy competition. He played his school boy rugby league for Coombabah High School. For the 2016 season he has been selected in the powerful Gold Coast Green MM squad.

He is a hard running centre/backrower with solid footwork, obviously developed from his time in the centres, he has good late and quick foot work which enables him to change direction well allowing him to readjust where he is running to take advantage of either a late developing hole in the defensive line or where the defensive line is repositioning late. In terms of his play in the centres, like when he plays in the back row he runs straight lines with footwork, usually outside the opposing centre and looks to exploit his strength advantage against opposing centres. He has decent top end speed and similarly decent speed off the mark but I would not categorise either in the above average or plus category.

Defensively he hits very hard and usually aims for around the waist. As he gains more experience defending in the forwards, he will need to adjust his target zone to more around the area that the opposing forwards are carrying the football to look to mitigate the risk of opposing forwards off-loading the ball. He also has a touch of aggression in his play and definitely finishes off each tackle that he is involved in. He has quickly become adept at defending on the fringes and his initial contact is more than sufficient to make an impact on the ball carrier. His lateral speed is good and thus he can defend well against nippy runners.

As noted above he will be part of the GC Green MM squad, but will face stiff competition for a spot in either the second row or at centre. Upon completion of the MM competition, he will transition to the local U19 competition, which improves from a quality perspective each year. From a position perspective, it is noted he is starting to spend more time in the back row. He probably does not have the size that you immediately consider for a modern day backrower, it least at present, but he does have the speed and evasive skills to be a very effective runner on the edge of the ruck, through in some aggressiveness in defence and you have yet another interesting young player. Obviously his current coaches believe that his future lies in the back row and thus the commencement of the transition to that position.

From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of Sydney Rooster back rower Mitch Aubusson as an effective back rower even though he does not have prototypical size for the position and can also fill in at the centre position if required.

[mdrew]

Isreal Oti. He is a local young player who over the last couple of years has transitioned from the halves to the back row with positive results. He has been named in the Gold Coast Green MM squad where he will likely be in the mix for a back row berth for the 2016 season. In 2014 he captained the Gold Coast Green CC side from the second row and had previously made a number of representative squads such as the Vikings and Kookaburra’s where he played five eight.

As you would expect from a player who has spent a lot of his junior rugby league at five eight, he has very good ball skills for a player of his size. With the transition to the back row he has started to use more footwork prior to the line and is best running on the fringes of the ruck where he can use this trait to the best advantage. He still has decent speed but he does take a little bit of time to get up to his top speed. I would suggest his speed is slightly above average for a back rower overall. He also has a very good left hand fend to add to his solid frame and good functional strength. His low centre of gravity and power make him a difficult proposition to defend against.

Where he is also very effective is providing short passes to his fellow forwards as the defence converges on him, he can also be an effective link between the forwards and the backline. He is also a player that leads from the front and by actions not words thus it is no surprise that a number of coaches see him as a leader and given him the captaincy of the various teams.

Defensively he is a hard hitter who also has a touch of aggression in his play and definitely finishes off each tackle that he is involved in. Since his transition to the forwards his defensive technique had improved immensely and he set a good stable base with his lower body as uses his low centre of gravity to the best possible advantage.

In relation to the 2016 season, as noted he has been named in the GC Green MM squad and upon completion of that competition will play in the local U19 competition, and even though he is unlikely to progress to the NYC squad this season it is not a stretch to suggest that he may spend some time in the QCup Colts competition later in the year. From a position perspective, he has already transition to the second row and that is where I would suggest that he will stay long term.

From a style perspective, a player that stands out with a similar playing style, especially in terms of attack is former Melbourne Storm and Penrith Panther Sika Manu as a tough nuggetty back rower with decent footwork prior to the line to add to sold speed for a backrower and someone who is aggressive in defence. I would argue that he has better ball skills than the above mentioned player but I cannot put my finger on another player who I would consider has a similar playing style. He has a very intriguing skill set and someone to keep an eye in the future.

[mdrew]

Will Lockwood. He is a young centre who is originally from the Kempsey area, but has recently moved to the Gold Coast to continue his career with the Titans. He recently captained the NSW Koori’s U16 side in their annual Murri v Koori U16 interstate clash, this year’s match finished in a 16 all draw, fellow Titans linked player Brent Barnes started at five eight for the Queensland Murri side. For Will Lockwood this was the second year in a row that he represented NSW Kurri in this annual match. From a trivia perspective, he is related to Greg Inglis. I will to be fair note that I have not seen as much as Will Lockwood as some others on the list, but he is someone to keep an eye on moving forward. Thank you also to the great poster who assisted with this one, much appreciated, your contribution really made this one, you know who you are!

He 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, he 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 opponent.

The one thing he 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.

From the games that I have seen of his, you can just sense the uncertainty in the defensive line when he receives the ball with space to manoeuvre. He must be a half/five eight’s dream in that teams will look to get up onto him quickly, potentially leaving space for them to dummy and run. Also when the team is struggling he can just make something happen out of nothing even against a set defensive line, he can just drift across the field and then explode into any gaps that he can see develop.

To be honest, I have not taken a great amount of notice in terms of his defensive ability. He seems solid in that area and clearly has the ability to use his speed to compensate if a player gets around him, based on that attribute plus his foot work that he shows running the ball, I would suggest that he would be better suited to a sliding defensive methodology rather than an up and in style of defence.

Moving to the 2016 season, as noted he has only recently moved to the Gold Coast and I may well be wrong but I believe that he will be attending PBC State High School where high level school boy rugby league awaits in the GIO Cup and Super Six competitions. PBC should have an exceptionally talented attacking backline with Will Lockwood, Daine Laurie etc. He will be playing CC this season with the CC White squad coached by Tim McIntyre and will line up at five eight.

From a position perspective, even though he will be playing some five eight in CC this year, for me I believe that he has the ability to play in the centres long term and develop into a smooth moving elusive runner of the ball and quite an effective defender. Obviously any time that he spends at five eight will only enhance his ball skills and assist in creating space for his support players. He obviously also has leadership skills to be selected as the NSW Koori captain. The quote below is from U16s Indigenous All Stars chairman of selectors and former Gold Coast Seagull centre Scott Mieni.

“William has always shown outstanding leadership and his ability is second to none and that is why he has also been selected to captain the side.”

From a player comparison perspective, think of someone also the lines of former, Bronco, Qld State of Origin and Australian centre Steve Renouf in the context of how he plays the game, being that of an exceptionally talented attacking player and a dedicated, hardworking person all around. For the younger people on the forum, who do not remember Steve Renouf in his prime, former Titan James Roberts is also a good comparison in terms of how he plays.

[mdrew]

Edward (Junior) Mackie-Rikona. He is a local young front rower/second rower and is yet another talented player from the Runaway Bay Seagulls junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast and also attends Coombabah State School as part of their specialist rugby league program, which is really starting to produce some outstanding results, both in terms of player development but also in relation to how the young boys handle themselves off the field. It may still take a couple more years, but I do not thing that it will be too long before Coombabah are right up there with Keebra Park and PBC, their U14 squad is very good.

During the 2015 season he scored an average of a try a game over the course of the 15 games he played at the U13 Division One level for Runaway Bay, including two pre-season pool matches, he also scored a hat trick in July against the Coomera Cutters. Over the season, he finished as the equal top try scorer in the competition along with winger Cory King and the third top points scorer overall when you add the six goals that he kicked, culminating in a total season points scoring tally of 64.

He also played three games up at the U14 Division Two level and once again scored an average of a try a match, including a double against the Southport Tigers. At the U14 Division Two level he was actually on the bench for Runaway Bay in the grand final but unfortunately they lost 30-18 to the Coomera Cutters. The 2015 season was not an anomaly from a try scoring perspective as he had a similar season in 2014 averaging around a try per game as well in fact for the 2014 season he averaged a little over a try per game.

For his age group he is a tall, powerful, exceptional athlete for his normal age group and this can be seen when be he is running with the ball. In his hit ups he carries the ball with pace and is very good at running on the fringes of the ruck. 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.

One trait that stands out every time that you see him play is that he runs with speed into the defensive line and his foot work prior to the line enables him to get partly through the line on a number of occasions. One reason for this is that he is an intelligent footballer, he does not try to run over defenders, but he runs at the gaps between defenders, even though he has the size and power to run over most defenders if he chose to and uses his running speed to break through if defenders only use their arms in the tackle. He has very good speed off the mark for a second rower, which I would rate as above average at least, but it would be considered plus for a front rower and can then translate that into very good top end speed which he can seemingly sustain over long distances, once he is in open space. He would be one of the faster back rowers running around for his age group on the Gold Coast, especially for his size and he knows how to get across the try line as well.

I have not seen him off load the ball in tackles very often, but that is more a result of no need to off load the ball as he makes a lot of breaks on his own. As the level of the opposition increases both at club and school boy level, this is an attribute he will need to develop, but with his size, strength and skill set, I do not thing he will have an issue developing in this area, it is just a matter of time, experience and repetition.

Defensively he will come out of the line and hit very hard and usually aims for around the ball and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls. He defends in the centre of the ruck and seems best suited in the long run defending there and adds a degree of intimidation to any forward pack he plays for. On occasion he can get too carried away with going for the big hit but we are talking about young players who will mature as they grow and gain experience.

Moving towards the 2016, he will play once again for the Runaway Bay side this year at the U14 Division One level and for Coombabah High School also at the U14 age level as well, they have already started playing school boy trials. Over the course of the last season or two, he has played both front row and second row, and I would think that for the foreseeable future he will continue that alternation pattern, but as time progresses I would think that his ultimate position will be that of a big strong powerful second rower based on my projection of his development. For his size he seems to have quite good endurance, playing the entire 60 minutes in a couple of the games I saw last year in club football. Like all players in these age groups he still has a lot of physical development and maturation to go, but he projects well on both counts at this very early stage of his career both on and off the field.

From a player comparison perspective, someone along the lines of the Sydney Roosters, NSW State of Origin and Australian second rower Boyd Cordner as an appropriate player from a style perspective, being big powerful well-rounded back rower who plays the game hard with toughness and at a pace above a lot of the players around him and will get across the try line on a regular basis.

[mdrew]

Reno Gerrard. He is a local young front rower/second rower from the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club and also attends PBC from where he represented South Coast in the QSSRL U15 State Championships, he started in the second row and scored a try against Peninsula in South Coast’s first pool match. South Coast went on to win the championships with Reno Gerrard subsequently being named in the front row for Queensland White for the Australian U15 school boy championships.

For Burleigh, he played for the U15 Division One side, alternating between the front row and second row and scored ten tries in the ten matches he played, including scoring a hat trick against the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in a match in July. He has been named in the Gold Coast Green side for the upcoming CC competition. He also plays rugby and was named alongside a couple of other Gold Coast youngsters, including centre Ronan Kapi in the Queensland Reds U15 rugby side that played NSW in July 2015, I believe that he plays as a flanker (No.6 or 7) in rugby, but I have not seen any of his rugby matches.

He runs exceptionally hard but with a degree of subtlety to his running style, and 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 easily or by a single defender. Due to his speed and size, when he is running on the fringes of the ruck, he as handful and also has a very good fend. When playing in the second row, he seemed from my perspective to play on the right hand side of the ruck on the majority of occasions, including in representative matches. Whilst he is also very effective taking hit ups in the centre of the ruck, when you have someone with his size and speed, I think that getting him to run a little wider is a more effective utilisation of his skill set both from an individual and team perspective.

In terms of his speed, I would consider it above average for a second rower but it would be considered plus for front rower, in short he is a very good athlete, with size, strength, speed and power. He also is very strong, at representative level for South Coast and Qld White he regularly shrugged off opposing defenders when they looked to tackle him front on around the chest area. It regularly takes defences to commit multiple resources to stop his momentum. If he is not tackled around the legs, his strength means that he will continue to make ground after contact due to his never say die attitude.

Defensively he hits very hard and usually aims for just under the ribs and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls. He defends in the centre of the ruck and seems best suited in the long run defending there and adds a degree of intimidation to any forward pack he plays for as a result of his aggressive tackling style. He really does know how to tackle effectively, as he sets a strong base to create the necessary leverage to defend against larger forwards and then explodes through his core with the kinetic effects transferring through his body into his opponent. Throw in a touch of aggression and you have someone who can dominate a game defensively and is able to seal off one side of the ruck on his own for stretches of a game.

Moving towards the 2016 season, he has been selected in the GC Green CC side coached by Nathan Antonik and will also play for Burleigh at the U16 Division One level and for PBC in terms of school boy football and will likely be in the PBC squad for the GIO Cup and Super Six competitions. It would not surprise however if he played a few games up at the U17 level as he is physically ready to make the step up in age group.

From a long term position perspective I believe that he ultimately ends up in the front row in senior football, but for me that is still a few years away. Yes he can certainly play in the front row now, and play very well, but I would much prefer for him to play exclusively in the second row for the near future to take advantage of his speed and hard running on the fringes of the ruck.

The caveat on this however is whether he chooses rugby league or rugby union, clearly he is talented at both codes, and one of his older brothers Levi also has represented Queensland in rugby, at the U16 level, I believe, so the young man has a choice to make in the next few years, which is a good position for him to be in in terms of making the best decision for his future.

From a player comparison perspective, consider someone along the lines of the Canberra Raiders front rower Paul Vaughan as a big strong mobile forward who hits the defensive line hard as well as the opposition when they are running the ball.

[palmbeachpariah]

reno is at tss im sorry mate but hes one of the softest kids ive ever seen..hasnt tackled with a shoulder in a number of years and always runs a passive line. he is very lazy refuses to hold the middle as a frontrower and hangs on the short side..reason why souths dropped him

.kid is huge but very very young and should stick to rugby where hes part of the qld academy like ronin kapi,phransis etc

maybe you have him confused with someone else

[TITAN PETE]

Exciting news for me & maybe a few others here is the Redbacks own Marty Tapow in Ethan Paikea will back to full training (running at full pace) in 2 weeks time & will be wearing the Mudgee Jersey for the 19's in 2016 & he is enormous through living in the gym for the past year

[mdrew]

Sam Clark. He is a local young backrower from the Mudgeeraba Redbacks club on the Gold Coast who started in the second row for a Titans U18 Invitational side in a trial late last year against Samoa, he has also been named in the Gold Coast White MM side for the coming season. During the 2015 season, he played a number of games in the second row in the MM competition for Gold Coast White and in 2014 played in the CC competition where he spent the season alternating between centre and wing for Gold Coast white. In 2012 and 2013 he was part of the Gold Coast Academy of Sport Rugby League excellence program and for the Redbacks during the 2015 season crossed for four tries including double against Southport.

A very well respected poster on this forum noted that he believed that Sam Clark was one of the most improved players in the U17 Division One competition last year, and it is impossible not to agree with that assessment.

He is a very good 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. He does however certainly have the size and strength to just run over people when necessary.

Like one or two others mentioned recently he runs ‘fast’ into the defensive and his foot work prior to the line enables him to get partly through the line on a number of occasions. He has very good speed off the mark for a second rower and can then translate that into decent top end speed which he can sustain over a reasonable distance. He would be one of the fastest if not the fastest backrower running around for his age group on the Gold Coast.

Defensively he makes very solid initial contact and can redirect the momentum of the opposing forward effectively. He does not miss many tackles at all 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. One area that I have noticed is that he does defend a lot in the centre of the ruck, rather than on the fringes, in no way is this a negative in the context that with his size and strength he can handle the physical contact and work load, but as he progresses in age towards senior rugby league he will probably need to adjust to defending more on the fringe of the ruck to enable him to use his exceptional athletic ability more.

Moving to the current 2016 season as noted above he has been named in the 2016 Gold Coast White MM side and will also play for the Redbacks at the U19 level in the local competition subsequent to the MM competition. The Redbacks should have a very strong side with the likes of Ethan Paikea , Jordan Birch and New Zealand recruit Xavier Johannson also likely part of the side and also possibly Darius Farmer. The competition across the Gold Coast White side in a number of positions for a position in the 17 is high, and no more so than in the second row, which is where his future would seem to lie, even though he spent some time out wide in the centres and on the wing earlier in his career.

From a player comparison perspective, I would consider someone like the Roosters Boyd Cordner as a current player with a similar playing style.

[mdrew]

Ulysses Roberts. He is a big strong powerful young backrower from the Bowra Tigers in the Group Two junior rugby league competition. He was part of the Group Two U14 representative side in 2015 and has been named in the U15 side for this year’s NSW Country age championships. In 2015 he scored two tries in the three games that he played in that competition, his tries came against North West Group 4 and Maitland. He was also part of the Macksville High Buckley Shield campaign until he broke his arm playing rugby union.

Let’s get straight to the point, he is a big strong tough backrower who runs with pace, strength and power every time he touches the ball during a game. 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. He 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, school boy and representative football this year, 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 who causes nightmares for a defensive line.

He is aggressive in defence 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 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. Due to his speed and athleticism he 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.

Moving forward to the 2016 season, he will play for Bowra at the U16 level as there is no U15 level played in the Group Two junior rugby league. From a position perspective, he could quite probably play in the centres as well as the back row, but with his skill set and physical attributes I see no reason to move him from the back row where he has the ability to develop into a damaging wide running backrower.

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. He is just a big strong tough powerful young natural rugby league player.

[mdrew]

Zac Stevens. He is a young hooker from the Toowoomba region, who started in that position for the first MM match of the year against the Central Crows. He scored a try in the high scoring 40 all draw. Over the last couple of season he has made a number of representative sides for the Toowoomba Clysdales, Darling Downs and South West Mustangs, including the 2014 QSSRL Darling Downs side and scored a try against Wide Bay in that competition. In relation to is club rugby league he plays for Toowoomba Valleys in the local competition, including starting at hooker in their 36 – 10 grand final win in 2015 against Pittsworth. At the U14 level in 2013 he was named Best and Fairest across the season I believe. From my understanding he has also been part of the Brisbane Broncos development system.

He is solid all round hooker who distributes effectively to both sides of the ruck. He does have some speed when running out of dummy half but as he progresses up the ladder through higher standards of competitions he will need to ensure that he is selective about when he runs the ball and when he passes as at present he sometimes possibly runs a little too often. At present he has decent speed off the mark and does a good job of finding holes behind the play the ball, but does not necessarily have the speed to finish off any breaks himself and thus needs to work progressively through his options once in open space.

He 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. He passes well from both sides of his body although his passing to the right is still a little better than to the left though, both in terms of distance and consistency. One thing that he does well in dummy half is not taking his eye off ball until it is in his hands. I know that that sounds like common sense, but even in first grade the number of fumbles that occur from the dummy half is too high, he seems to have the mentality of watching the ball into his hands already set as part of his dummy half methodology.

He defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and is adept at wrapping the ball up. He is also very good defending at marker in terms of harassing the opposition kickers. Whilst he hits hard it is not necessarily to the extent that he will rock the opponent’s head backwards but certainly solid enough to halt the momentum of the ball carrier, even though he has the capacity to when he is fired up. What you will see is an efficient and effective defender with a hard streak. He also seems to be a good talker in the defensive line, constantly encouraging his team mates.

He has very good endurance and projects as a hooker who will be able to play the entire 80 minutes without interchange, which will become a critical skill as the number of interchange’s are reduced to 8 this year, and possibly even lower in subsequent years.

Moving forward to the current season, as noted he is representing Toowoomba in the MM competition where he started at hooker in the first match of the short competition. Upon completion of the MM season, he will transition back to club rugby league likely for Toowoomba Valleys in the local U18 TRL competition. He has played a number of forward positions over the course of his junior matches, but I think that he has found his niche as a hooker who is a solid distributor of the ball and who is also quite tough from a defensive stand point.

From a player comparison perspective, I would consider someone along the lines of the Cronulla Sharks Michael Ennis as someone with a similar playing style, but without the niggle, definitely without the niggle that is associated with Michael Ennis’s game.

[mdrew]

Jayden McNamara - Lever. He is a young backrower who hails from south of the border and showed flashes of some real potential in his club and school boy football last year and has also been named in the Group 18 U14 representative side for the 2016 season along with Titans linked development squad member centre/wing Daniel Butterini. He was also part of the Kingscliff school side that won the Far North Coast (FNC) cluster of the New South Wales Country Rugby League Cup.

From an attacking perspective, he has a wide running mindset for a backrower with a very good turn of speed once he breaks through the line, he is speed would certainly play at the above average level in game situations for a backrower. Like all good running backrowers though, he takes his share of runs in the middle of the ruck but he is impressive at running good lines on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into although he is not averse to running straight over people either when the need arises. From the games that I have seem play, granted that I have not seen a massive amount of his games, he normally runs to the right side of the field, and will run wider out and look to come back on the inside shoulder of the opposition defence on the edge of the ruck. His determination is one aspect that enables him to be in the right place at the right time. He just seems to try harder than anyone else on the field and wills himself to keep going in a game.

His initial contact is solid and is more than enough to stop the momentum of the ball carrier and effect tackles one on one. He is also effective at wrapping the ball up and preventing offloads. When he hits he hits quite hard and can rock opposing forwards and redirect their momentum on a regular basis. I do not necessarily think that his defensive work will stand out because he is not going to come up with a huge hit all that often, but he will do a lot of work and will likely always finish at or near the top of the tackle count regardless of the level and standard of football he is playing at.

Moving forward to the current season, he will play at the U14 club level in the Group 18 Junior Rugby league competition and well as again playing for Kingscliff High School in school boy football and also represent Group 18 at the U14 level. In terms of a position perspective, at the middle age groups of junior rugby league, he could likely play either front row or second row effectively, but as he progresses up in age group, both in terms of club and representative sides, I would think that based on current projections he will more than likely end up in the second row.

From a player comparison perspective think along the lines of North Queensland Cowboys backrower Scott Bolten as a hard working player who will put in his best possible effort at all times but may be over looked by some who will not see him too often because he is not a dynamic or flashy player.

[mdrew]

Kyah Watts. He is a local young second rower from the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast where he played the 2015 season at the U14 Division One level, including starting in the second row in the Grand Final which Burleigh won 28 – 14 against the Helensvale Hornets. Across the season he played nine matches at the U14 Division One level, scoring four tries and kicking two goals for an overall point’s tally of 20 points. He also played two matches up an age group at the U15 Division Two level crossing for a try in one of those games. He also made a number of representative sides including the U14 Vikings and the South East Queensland U14 squad, where he started on the bench for SEQ. For SEQ he scored three tries across the Queensland age championships, including a double against the Capricorn Capra’s and also a try against the North Queensland Marlins. He was also part of the Burleigh Bears U14 side that won the Tattessels Trophy competition in Cairns late last year.

I will preface the comments below in the context that whilst he has spent some time prior to the 2015 season alternating between centre and second row, I will confine the comments below to his play in the second row as that is where I think that his ultimate future lies. I also note that he has also been part of the Brisbane Broncos development squads in the past as well as the Titans.

His style of play is that of a wide running back rower with quite good speed for the position. He 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. I would suggest that his speed could be considered above average for a second rower. The side step he has is not a big step but is quick and subtle enough to keep defenders off balance and prevent them from targeting him in relation to gang tackles. He 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, he will fight for a quick play the ball to maintain his team’s momentum, although on occasion he will rush the play the ball, but that will all come with experience.

Like a lot of dominant U14 players running around in their competitions he does not offload too often, but that is more a product of the lack of necessity to do so, rather than an identifiable skills gap, which needs to be addressed it is just the way it is in junior football. As young players progress through the age groups and start to play higher quality teams skills such as offloading become a key indicator of future success, but certainly not at present for these age groups.

He is a solid 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 bigger 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. He also has above average lateral mobility from his time playing in the centres and thus will not be over matched against smaller agile opponents operating on the fringes of the ruck where he looks to mirror there movement whether that is across the field or laterally. As noted he is a solid defender and looks to come off the defensive line quickly, he just on occasion needs to temper his enthusiasm and listen to the referee to ensure that he does not leave early and give away penalties for being inside the ten metres.

Moving to the current season, he will play at the U15 Division One level for Burleigh and likely be in line to represent South Coast in the QSSRL U15 school boy competition from PBC. Earlier in his junior career, he also played a fair bit of centre for Burleigh and Titans development squads but this year, seemingly transitioned full time to the back row, and I think that ultimately that is where his future lies, even though for the next couple of years he would likely still make a good fist of playing in the centres if the need arises.

From a player comparison perspective, maybe someone like the Titans new recruit Chris McQueen may be a good comparison to how Kyah Watts plays the game as a solid all round player who has a touch more speed than you would anticipate when he finds himself in open space.

[mdrew]

Blake Roberts. He is a young centre who is the younger brother of NYC utility Ethan Roberts, who has been named in the centres for the Gold Coast CC White side for week two of the CC season. he has been in the Titans junior development system since for the last three or four years, and has played in the centres for the majority of his junior career to date, but in fact lined up at five eight late last year when the Titans U15 development side defeated a Balmain Tigers development squad three tries to two. He also attends PBC as part of their elite sports program after moving up from the Grafton area. He represented PBC in the U14 Hancock Cup rugby league competition in 2014, scoring tries against St Mary’s and Sandgate High Schools. He also represented South Coast in the U15 QSSRL competition in 2014 and scored a try against Northern. In addition to the 2015 match against a Balmain Tigers selection he has also previously lined up for the Titans in U13 and U14 development squad matches at Redlands in 2013 and 2014. He also has played soccer in addition to rugby league.

In terms of his attacking play he is a smooth runner of the ball who has above average to plus top end speed and good evasiveness to get on the outside of his opposing defender with a decent fend that enables him to keep opposing defenders at a distance and away from his body. When playing at centre he just needs to be aware to straighten up the axis of attack on occasion to ensure his outside supports have room to move and exploit any advantages identified. He has quite a good step, predominately off the left foot, so he certainly has the skills to adjust his running line as he gains more experience and develops a better rapport with his teams play makers. He does not have the size or strength to run over the top of opposing defenders thus he needs to use his speed and guile to make an impact and the earlier he gets the ball the better but as noted just needs to straighten up the attack on occasion. In the games that I have seen he lines up mainly on the left hand side of the field.

The thing that stands out about Blake is his defence in terms of a low tackling technique, he is by no means a big player but his defensive low tackling technique is very good, he can defend opposing centres one on one, and is one of the better low tacklers I have seen in a long time. Tackling around the legs seems to have become a lost art, but when done right it is in my opinion it is still the most effective way of defending. He is not the biggest or strongest, thus when he looks to tackle his oppose number around the chest area, he can have difficulty. He does on occasion try to tackle around the chest area too often and just needs to trust his low tackling technique which is effective. Due to these attributes he is clearly more effective defending in a side with a sliding defensive methodology rather than an up and in approach.

As noted he has been selected in the centres for Round Two of the CC competition and then will transition to club football at the U16 level as well as playing for PBC in the GIO Cup and Super Six schoolboy competitions. He has played a couple of positions, including fullback, centre and five eight, but I think that long term he will settle in the centre’s from a position perspective as I do not think that he has the ball skills to play either fullback or five eight long term.

From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of the Newcastle Knights and Queensland State of Origin centre Dane Gagai as a smooth moving centre.

[mdrew]

Isaiah Barker. He is a big strong young front rower who has moved up to the Gold Coast to attend PBC from Kempsey after being named in the New South Wales U16 Ingenuous squad in 2015 where a team mate was fellow Kempsey product and recent Titans signing centre/five eight Will Lockwood. He was also part of the Group 3 U15 representative side in 2014 and part of the Melville High side that won the North Coast U15 Rugby League Schools side in the same year. He has been named on the bench of the Gold Coast MM Green side for their second match of the season in the local derby against GC White.

Running with the football, he has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders rather than trying to simply run over them although you can see that when he gets fired up all subtlety and thoughts of self-preservation goes out the window and he becomes a giant wrecking ball. He 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 usually with his right hand when he has impacted the defensive line as well and regularly showcases this in game situations.

Defensively he can certainly hit very hard, usually aiming for just under the ribs and first intention is to lock up the ball to prevent offloads. He can however on occasion try to tackle too front on which can lead to situations where the opposing forward can bounce off him, but I have no doubt with the MM coaching that he will be getting they will have this corrected in due course. He has quite reasonable lateral mobility for a larger forward and due to the fact that he bends his hips when looking to make a tackle he is 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. He can however get fired up and really cause havoc defensively, he just needs to continue to channel his aggression.

As noted he is part of the GC Green MM squad and upon completion of the MM competition he will transition back to club football at the U17 Division One level as well as being part of the PBC schoolboy program. From a position perspective, he has played the majority of his junior rugby league in the front row and I would envisage an ongoing future in the same position.

From a player comparison perspective, I would consider a player such as the Titans own David Shillington as a current player with a similar playing style, being that of a big strong front rower who may not be the quickest forward but will run and tackle hard, a workmanlike player if you will. Local print media from the Kempsey note that he is considered a talented player of the future with the right attitude to succeed.

[mdrew]

Julian Knapp. He is a local young five eight/half who was actually named at fullback in the Gold Coast Green CC side being coached by Nathan Antonik for the first game of the season, where he kicked a conversion. He played the 2015 season with the Ormeau Shearers in the U15 Division One GCJRL competition and started at five eight in their grand final side, unfortunately it was a tough night for Ormeau, losing 52-14 to a very good Runaway Bay side, containing the likes of second rower Billy Mozer and halfback Tannah Boyd amongst others. He formed a very talented scrum base partnership at the Shearers with Titans linked half Dea Jarn Asi. Over the course of the 2015 season for the Shearer’s, he scored six tries, including a double against the Mudgeeraba Redbacks in the first game of the season, as well as kicking five goals of a total point’s haul of 54 points across 11 matches. He also represented South Coast at the U15 QSSRL state championships, where he started at five eight, a competition that South Coast won convincingly.

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. He is particularly adept at using the short or blind side when he sees an opportunity to exploit an overlap or a tired forward resting there. He will back his judgement and take the game on, assisting his play is the fact that he makes the decision what to do with the ball quickly thus enabling the ball to get out wide quickly. It may have more to do with the dynamics of his interaction with his club scrum base partner in Dea Jarn Asi, but does not necessarily run the ball too much but he has decent speed off the mark and quite a good step off both feet as well as a good swerve. I believe that he also has some experience playing touch football which would help explain his above average footwork in confined spaces.

In defence, due to his size he is obviously not going to come up with the big hit but reads the play well enough and can hold his own when defending much bigger players. When confronted with forwards running directly at him on the edge of the ruck, he will get in front of them and use his shoulder in an effort to contain them until defensive help arrives. Aiding this is the fact that he has a decent low tackling technique which enables him to bring down opposing forwards quite quickly thus negating the time they have to off load the ball.

Moving forward to this year, as noted he has been named in the GC Green CC side where he played fullback in Round One and has been named there again for Round Two and will play his club football at the U16 Division One level once again for the Ormeau Shearers. From a long term position perspective, for me he will likely transition to half back full time as he moves closer to senior football, but that is still a couple of years away and with club team mate Dea Jarn Asi more suited to the half back position, I would expect to see him continue to play at five eight in club football at least but I must admit I did find it interesting that he was named at fullback, a position I did not necessarily consider for him. In terms of representative football, with Tannah Boyd likely to be in the same representative sides for the next few years, Julian Knapp may well continue to play at five eight in those sides as well.

From a player comparison perspective think of someone along the lines of Gareth Widdop of the St George Dragons as a half/five eight who is more of an understated organising type when it is all said and done, but also a player who will surprise if the opposition defensive line leaves a gap for him to exploit if they become too focussed on his support runners.

I think that he will develop into a player who may not do the extraordinary on a football field, but he will do a lot of little things well and make a limited amount of mistakes, but will surprise with some dynamic plays when you least expect it.