My take on our top juniors

[ozynorts]

Thanks for that Mr Drew, he certainly sounds like a great prospect.

[gotitans101_]

Player XX did XX so what, what a waste of the last few years my live has been. I have have spent thousands of hours on the road and what the hell for.

I am that pathetic that even the Titans ignore me, celebrate the loser who has wasted his life

??????????

[mdrew]

Ricardo Evinas. The Titans linked youngster was part of the Burleigh 2019 MM Cup squad heading down the highway from Brisbane after playing the 2018 season with the Easts Tigers in the GBJRL U16 Premier Division competition scoring five tries from fifteen matches (33.33% strike rate) along the way.

Early in 2019 Ricardo Evinas started from the bench for the Titans U18 side against the Newcastle Knights SG Ball squad in Coffs Harbour, making his presence felt when he came on, certainly running with the ball.

Ricardo Evinas was also one of the Titans U16 try scorers as they defeated PNG 60 – 10 in a September 2018 match at Burleigh’s Pizzey Park and was also part of the Titans side that played a New South Wales Country U16 side a week later where he was up against Titans signing Jack Smith who played in the backrow for New South Wales Country U16’s that afternoon.

Ricardo Evanis started in the front row for the 2019 Burleigh MM Cup side in their Round One match against the Norths Devils at Bishop Park Nundah and after a great Burleigh comeback the match ended in a 38 all draw and also started in the front row in Round two against the Ipswich Jets.

In total in the 2019 MM Cup competition for Burleigh Ricardo Evanis played in all six of their matches starting all in the front row and earned praise from Titans TEDS Program Director Jamie McCormack for his outstanding performance in Round Three against the Tweed Heads Seagulls when he more than held his own against a powerful opposing forward pack full of fellow Titans contracted players.

Post the MM Cup competition, Ricardo Evanis played for Burleigh in the GCRL U18 Division One competition making his debut for the Bears in the front row in Round Five against Southport.

The tall long striding Ricardo Evanis is at his best when he is operating in the fringes of the ruck where he can exploit gaps in the defensive line with his size and speed. When he runs Ricardo Evanis is all arms, legs, knees and elbows and with his long stride and strong fend is a difficult proposition for defenders to handle in the context of getting him to the ground prior to Ricardo Evanis being in a position to off load the ball effectively.

Ricardo Evanis’s leg drive and determination also enables him to be equally effective in relation to operating in traffic where as long as he gets his body height low he can shrug off would be tacklers by dropping his shoulder into the defender just as he starts to commit to the tackle, Ricardo Evanis can then redirect his momentum and proceed down the field on a different vector to the one he was on prior to contact. For a player his size Ricardo Evanis can quickly get to his feet both in the context of playing the ball when he is attacking and slowing down the ball from a defensive stand point.

In terms of overall speed, whilst above average for his position, Ricardo Evanis when in space will be caught by cover defenders but he is quick enough to maintain separation until he has progressively worked through his options and invariably makes the right decision with the ball.

Defensively Ricardo Evanis is adept at wrapping up the ball carrier and his initial contact is underrated as his primary function and goal is to wrap up the ball to prevent off loads. As previously noted after making a tackle Ricardo Evanis is quick to his feet to either look to get to marker or get back into the defensive line. His stamina is such that you will see Ricardo Evanis make multiple tackles in a short space of time and then immediately make himself available to take a hit up.

Ricardo Evinas is a big strong powerful young man who is still relatively raw from a rugby league perspective but his selection in the powerful Burleigh Bears 2019 MM Cup squad saw his skill set and physical attributes develop exponentially over the course of the competition,

Post the 2019 MM Cup competition, Ricardo Evinas is playing the 2019 season with Burleigh in the Gold Coast Rugby League U18 Division One competition in the front row.

Even though he played in the front row for the Burleigh MM Cup side this season I do not think that people should automatically think that Ricardo Evinas can only play there, I certainly think that he has the speed and mobility to also play in the second row over the next couple of seasons at least.

From an NRL player comparison for Ricardo Evanis I would consider a reasonable playing comparison could be made to Wests Tigers forward Alex Twal, both are in the early stages of their careers and both exhibit an intriguing physical skill set, developing skills and just as importantly an extremely determined attitude and aptitude for success.

[mdrew]

Demante Murray. The former Hamilton Boys High student received a clearance to play for Burleigh in the Gold Coast Rugby League U18 competition in early April and in Round One of the Gold Coast Rugby League season started in the centres for the Burleigh U18 Division Two side.

Demante Murray broke into the Burleigh U18 Division One side in Round Six against Runaway Bay starting on the wing in their 28 – 6 victory and scored his first try against Currumbin in Round Three.

Demante Murray had an outstanding school boy rugby career in New Zealand for Hamilton Boys High culminating last year in kicking the winning penalty goal in the New Zealand Schools Super 8 final to give Hamilton Boys High a 23 – 22 win over Napier Boys High. In the final in addition to the match winning conversion, Demante Murray kicked another penalty goal and a conversion.

The week prior to the final Demante Murray kicked three conversions in a Hamilton Boys High win against their Super 8 finals opponent Napier Boys High and recorded a try earlier in the season against Tuaranga in a 39 – 0 win.

For Hamilton Boys High Demante Murray played first five eight (No. 10) and his season was also impressive to the extent that he recovered from a broken jaw to get back in time for the Super 8 final.

At the 2018 Hamilton Boys High sports night Demante Murray received the James Hook Trophy for the Hamilton Boys High First XV most outstanding goal kicker.

In New Zealand Demante Murray also played both rugby league and touch, in rugby league he played for the Teiti Rearea Sport Club in the Waikato Rugby League competition.

Demante Murray was also a representative level touch player in New Zealand, representing the Waikato region in touch in 2016 in the U15 age group then going on to represent New Zealand at the U16 level in 2017 and also represented New Zealand in the U18 age group.

There is more to the game of Demante Murray than just goal kicking he provided very adept at getting the ball out to his backline quickly.

Demante Murray also has a very good short passing game including a short “pop” ball to forwards looping around behind him, he will go to the line before delivering the ball.

In terms of running the ball, it is not something that Demante Murray necessarily did a lot of in 2018 for Hamilton Boys High, but when he does run he has above average speed off the mark and a subtle side step.

My previous sentence is going to be a key to how successful Demante Murray will be continued refinement of his running game is going to make his passing game and the game of his outside supports even more effective as defences must commit a resource to Demante Murray especially when his side are in the attacking 20 metre line.

His kicking game will almost certainly be the thing that stands out when people watch a game in which Demante Murray is playing both in terms of his tactical kicking and his goal kicking. In relation to his tactical kicking it is long and accurate and his bombs generate significant height and spin.

In short his goal kicking would be NRL standard already, Demante Murray has outstanding range and accuracy and his goal kicking won Hamilton Boys High a number of matches including the Super 8 Schoolboy final against Napier Boys High.

Defensively Demante Murray is a solid one on one defender who will put his shoulder into the tackle and will mirror the movement of his direct opponent and adjust on the move prior to committing to the tackle.

In rugby the No. 10 always has a lot of traffic directed at them especially giant opposition flankers and No. 8’s thus there can be no doubt that Demante Murray has the courage and skill set to be a very effective defender regardless of the size of the opponent running at him.

Demante Murray will play the 2019 Gold Coast Rugby League season with Burleigh in the U18 Divisions.

Demante Murray played No. 10 for Hamilton Boys High in New Zealand but since his move to the Gold Coast to play for Burleigh in the U18 competitions has played primarily in the centres.

Demante Murray’s tactical kicking game and ability to direct play for me seems best suited to either five eight or fullback in rugby league so it will be very interesting to see where he settles in the long term.

An NRL player comparison perspective for Demante Murray is an intriguing one, I think for me the most appropriate player comparison would be North Queensland Cowboy Te Marie Martin, both are elusive runners, can kick and both have underappreciated game management skills.

Demante Murray is an intriguing prospect and it is scary to think that there are so many talented school boy rugby players in New Zealand that have to head overseas for an opportunity.

The talent level in the school boy rugby First XV competitions is out of this world and if you ever have the opportunity to see any even if you are not a rugby fan, it certainly would be worth it.

[ALX25]

??????????

I believe it is because a pretty handy Gold Coast junior who was with the Titans has been signed by the Broncos.

Also pretty demoralising article in the Courier Mail about all the signings...

[Bayside Titan]

I believe it is because a pretty handy Gold Coast junior who was with the Titans has been signed by the Broncos.

Also pretty demoralising article in the Courier Mail about all the signings...

Which player is that mate. Yeah on Tuesday in the CM I read two of the better Coast boys were Broncos. Coats one of them.

[mdrew]

Josiah Pahulu. The powerful Ipswich youngster is currently a member of the 2019 Queensland U15 Emerging Origin Squad and was one of the standouts for the Titans U15 sides in their February 2019 matches against another Titans side and the Western Mustangs at the U15 level at Mudgeeraba where he started at lock and produced an outstanding display.

In the match, Josiah Pahulu scored a barnstorming try against the other Titans side, taking the ball off the dummy half on the right side of the field and crashing over from around ten metres out.

Josiah Pahulu made another powerful run of about thirty metres later in the day when he took a short pass inside his own twenty metre line and smashed his way to around the half way line before being brought down in a tackle that required multiple defenders.

Josiah Pahulu also had two try assists in his matches, both coming from off-loads close to the opponents try line, on each occasion the support player was able to score reasonably easily. The first pass was popped out around one a metre from the line with Josiah Pahulu engaged with three defenders and the second was when he got halfway through the line before offloading.

As a result of his performance in that game and over recent seasons, Josiah Pahulu, in early 2019 signed a two year contract with the Titans.

Early in the 2019 season Josiah Pahulu trialled for a spot in the Met West U15 rugby league side and to say he was dominant at the trials would be an understatement including an outstanding try when he received an inside ball easily broke through the defensive line before scoring under the posts.

Josiah Pahulu represented Met West, where for me was the stand out Met West player at the U15 QSSRL Championships, in particular Josiah Pahulu was outstanding in matches against Peninsula and Met East. Subsequently Josiah Pahulu was selected in the Queensland White side for the U15 ASSRL Championships.

In 2018 Josiah Pahulu played for Springfield Panthers Black in the Ipswich U14 competition playing in ten matches and scoring eight tries including a try in the Grand Final that his Springfield side was able to win 24 – 4 against Redbank Plains.

2018 also saw Josiah Pahulu represent Met West at the U14 level and from there he was selected in the South East Queensland U14 side for the Queensland Age Championships, where he played all four of their matches starting each in the front row.

In 2017 Josiah Pahulu represented the Ipswich Diggers at the U13 level and prior to that Josiah Pahulu represented Toa Samoa in a two day tournament in Auckland.

The pace and power in terms of how he runs the ball is the outstanding feature of Josiah Pahulu’s game, he takes the ball to the line with speed, but he does not just put his head down and rush forward, he uses quick and subtle footwork prior to the line and seems to targets the gaps between defenders and will actively seek out opposing forwards who are slow to move up.

When the opposition are on the back foot Josiah Pahulu will target the smaller defenders on the edge of the ruck and burst through and for a big young bloke he has very good speed over the medium term and has the strength to drag defenders with him.

I would consider that Josiah Pahulu’s speed would be considered about average for a backrower but plays faster as a result of him timing his runs so well that the dummy half can present a flat pass to him and also as a result of the power that he runs at. In terms of when he operates in the front row his speed would be considered above average for that position.

Josiah Pahulu is also very effective close to the opposition try line with his ability to burst through tackles. If the defenders do not rush off their line he will just drag them across the try line with brute force and power.

With his continued development of which running lines he can utilise, such as running an inside shoulder line when close to the opposition try line Josiah Pahulu will become even more effective and will be an asset to the entire team as defences compress to combat his running thus leaving more room our wide for his play makers to exploit.

The defensive side of his game is similarly impressive, Josiah Pahulu does not just charge wildly up looking for a huge hit, but is calculating in where and when to hit. Quite a few of his tackles resulted in a knock on by the opposition as the ball came loose as a result of the impact of the tackle, he just hits so hard.

Josiah Pahulu drives hard with his legs and always uses his shoulder and core body strength to drive into his opponent. With his strength and technique he should likely always be considered a plus defender regardless of the quality of opponent that he is up against.

Josiah Pahulu will play the remainder of the 2019 season with the Springfield Panthers in the Ipswich U15 competition as well as representing the U15 Queensland White at the upcoming ASSRL U15 Championships to be held at Redcliffe.

Josiah Pahulu has spent time in the second row in previous season but I believe going forward that he will find his niche at either lock or in the front row and be a dominant one at that.

Josiah Pahulu is for me as near a carbon copy for Brisbane Broncos forward Tevita Pangai Jnr as you will ever see. Both are unbelievably powerful players who can smash through a defensive line themselves and then have the outstanding speed and mobility to convert their own breaks.

In defence both have strength, power and an outstanding front on tackling technique which means an opposition player will know that they have been hit and hit hard.

I would argue however that Josiah Pahulu is far less prone to penalties or errors that Tevita Pangai Jnr due to his relative calmness on the field which should not however be mistaken for anything but a cold calculating mind set.

The Titans have a very special player on their hands with Josiah Pahulu, of that there can be absolutely no doubt, no doubt at all.

[mdrew]

Jaiden West. (Revised) He is a Titans contracted local young fullback originally from the Nerang Roosters club for whom he played the 2018 season with in the U16 Division One competition. Jaiden West started at fullback in the GCRL U16 Division One Grand Final as Nerang defeated Currumbin 24 – 8.

Jaiden West also attends PBC as part of their Rugby league Excellence Program and was a standout for PBC in their two point 2018 Walters Cup victory over Keebra Park at Pizzey Park. That night he terrorised the Keebra Park defence especially the right side.

In 2019 Jaiden West was once again part of the PBC side including starting on the right wing in the Langer Cup derby against Keebra Park and had an impressive match scoring a first half try and also making a great try saving tackle late in the second half on Keebra Park left wing Thomas Vickery.

Jaiden West’s try in the match, highlighted his speed, he received the ball after good inside work from Toby Sexton, sprinting down the right side line and dived over under pressure from the Keebra Park half.

In the second half with Keebra Park looking to get back into the match, Thomas Vickery had a lot of room down the left touchline, but Jaiden West came from the clouds to collar him and drag him into touch.

Jaiden West started Round One of the 2019 GCRL U18 Division One competition for Nerang, before they withdrew from the competition.

Jaiden West was named in the Tweed heads Seagulls MM Cup squad, but did not play in any matches but is eligible for that competition once again in 2020.

In Round One of the 2018 Gold Coast Rugby League U16 Division One competition, Jaiden West started at fullback in the Roosters 60 – 0 victory over Runaway Bay and crossed for one of the Roosters tries on the opening Friday night of the season.

In total in the 2018 U16 Division One competition this season for Nerang Jaiden West played in nine matches including the finals series scoring three tries and kicking five goals to finish the season with 22 points.

In addition to his Round One try Jaiden West scored mid-season against Runaway Bay, a match which also saw him kick his five goals, and he also scored in Nerang’s Major semi-final victory over Currumbin.

In 2015 Jaiden West started on the wing for the Titans U13 development squad in a match against a Toowoomba U14 selection in the same year was part of the U13 Gold Coast Vikings representative squad and in 2014 represented South Coast at the U12 level in the Queensland Primary School tournament.

Jaiden West did not get many opportunities on the wing for the development squad as the players inside him like Rixon Andrew, Damon Somerville and Matamatagi Ripley had a field day against the U14 Toowoomba representative selection, meaning the ball did not get out him as much as it usually would in a game. In saying that though he maintained his discipline and did not go chasing the ball but maintained his correct positioning throughout the course of the match.

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

The one thing Jaiden West 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, Jaiden West has a very good step back inside especially off his right foot when running to the left 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, Jaiden West’s 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.

In defence Jaiden West has good strength, and certainly looks to come forward to stop the attack before it has time to fully develop once a break has been made. Jaiden West also has the ability to show the attacker the sideline and is confident that his speed will enable him to get across to make the tackle which he invariably does.

Jaiden West is still MM Cup eligible in 2020 when he should be a key member of the Tweed Heads Seagulls side that will be looking to repeat their success in 2019.

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

From a player comparison perspective for Jaiden West, think along the lines of New South Wales State of Origin and Manly stand out Tom Trbojevic as a taller player with speed and strength.

[mdrew]

Codey McLaughlin. (Revised) He deservedly started the 2019 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Hastings Deering’s Colts squad playing in all twelve of Tweed Heads matches to date, splitting time between starting on the bench and starting in the front row for the Seagulls.

Codey McLaughlin started the first two rounds of the season from the interchange bench before moving into the starting side for Round Three against Burleigh and also started in the front row in Round Five against Wynnum Manly.

Codey McLaughlin’s first Colts try of the season came in Round Four against Central Queensland and he also scored in Round Eleven when he followed through a short attacking kick out of dummy half from Josh Sexton to dive on the ball near the touch in goal.

In a Hastings Deering’s Colts bye week, Codey McLaughlin started from the bench and scored for Runaway Bay as they defeated Southport 40-26 in Round Seven of the Gold Coast Rugby League U20 competition.

His try was a good one too, late in the second half, Cody McLaughlin took a hit up to the left of the play the ball around ten metres out from the Southport line. It looked for all money that he was held and he even got his right arm free over his head looking to offload (he had be turned around and was facing his own try line), but instead he spun around breaking away from the three defenders that had hold of him to crash over.

Codey McLaughlin also scored in Round Twelve of the GCRL U20 competition matches when he scored out wide on the left side of the field untouched after some good work inside of him after starting the match in the front row.

Codey McLaughlin was part of the 2018 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM side and post that competition has played in the GCRL U19, Doug Lipp Cup and First Grade competitions for Runaway Bay.

In the 2018 MM Cup competition for Tweed Heads, Codey McLaughlin played in five matches starting all five from the interchange bench and scoring twice. Codey McLaughlin’s first try came in Round Two against Victoria and he followed that with a try in Round Five against the Townsville Blackhawks.

For the 2018 U19 Runaway Bay side post the MM Cup competition Codey McLaughlin played in twelve regular season matches scoring six tries. Codey McLaughlin scored a Round Fourteen double against Mudgeeraba and also scored in Round Fifteen against Burleigh and well as in Round Seventeen against Beaudesert. Earlier in the season Codey McLaughlin scored against Bilambil and Ormeau to round out his seasons try scoring.

In the Doug Lipp Cup competition for Runaway Bay Cody McLaughlin played five regular season matches including starting Round Sixteen against Helensvale in the second row and Round Seventeen in the centres against Beaudesert, debuting against Currumbin and April.

Codey McLaughlin scored two regular season Doug Lipp Cup tries including scoring in just his second game at that level against Tugun and also scored in his starting debut against Helensvale in Round Sixteen.

In Week One of the GCRL Finals series, Codey McLaughlin started in the second row as well as scoring for Runaway Bay in their 40 – 12 win over Burleigh in the Doug Lipp Cup competition.

In Week Two of the GCRL Finals series, Codey McLaughlin started in the second row for Runaway Bay once again in their 25 – 4 win against Beaudesert.

Codey McLaughlin also started in the second row for Runaway Bay in the 2018 Doug Lipp Cup Preliminary Final against Currumbin with Runaway Bay going down by a solitary point 17 – 16 in a hard fought contest.

Codey McLaughlin made his deserved GCRL First Grade debut in late June 2018 coming off the bench for Runaway Bay against Tugun.

Codey McLaughlin played the 2017 season with the Helensvale Hornets in the GCRL U17 Division One competition including starting at five eight in Helensvale’s 34 – 20 Grand Final victory over Ormeau. Over the course of the U17 Division One 2017 season Codey McLaughlin played in thirteen matches scoring four tries in the process with the tries coming against Southport, Mudgeeraba, Runaway Bay and Burleigh.

For Gold Coast Green in the CC Cup competition in 2016, Codey McLaughlin played in all eight matches, starting the seven regular season games at right centre, but he started the quarter final on the right wing. Over the course of the CC season he scored three tries which came against the Easts Tigers in Rounds One and Six and also against Toowoomba in their quarter final loss, he also kicked two conversions in a Round Two win against local rivals Gold Coast White.

In addition in 2016 Codey McLaughlin also represented South East Queensland White in the Queensland Age Championships at the U16 level, and on Day Two scored a try and kicked two conversions in a win against South East Queensland Green and on Day Three kicked three conversions in a big 42-24 victory over the Northern Marlins.

From an attacking perspective, Codey McLaughlin has a wide running mindset for a backrower with a very good turn of speed once he breaks through the line. 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 if the need arises either.

From the games that I have seen him play Codey McLaughlin 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, looking for situations where the opposition inside defenders are slow to come across.

His determination is one aspect that enables him to be in the right place at the right time. He is a hard runner and does not give up on the run until the opposition puts him on the ground, as a consequence, he makes a lot more metres for his team than he has a right to and with his determination he will also on occasion break clear of the defenders totally. I would consider that he runs ‘tough’ with the ball in his hands.

For Tweed Heads in the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition, Codey McLaughlin defends both in the edge of the ruck and well as through the middle. Codey McLaughlin has been quietly effective in both situations from both a quality and quantity perspective.

Codey McLaughlin’s 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.

While Codey McLaughlin hits he hits hard, but I would not call it aggressive per say, but he is just tough in his approach to his defence. I do not necessarily think that Codey McLaughlin’s defensive work will stand out because he is not going to come up with a huge hit which will get the crowd on its feet, 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.

Codey McLaughlin will play the remainder of the 2019 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side and will also be Colts eligible in 2020.

Earlier in his junior rugby league career Codey McLaughlin played a lot in the centres and even spent some time at fullback but this season, especially in relation to playing for Runaway Bay in the U19 GCRL competition has played almost exclusively at lock, and he has looked very good there.

From a style comparison perspective for Codey McLaughlin, the current NRL player that stands out for me is New South Wales State of Origin and St George front rower Paul Vaughan.

[mdrew]

Thomas Vickery. The young utility started the 2019 season of starting at five eight in Round One for the Northern Rivers Titans in the U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition against the Newcastle Knights Development Squad.

Thomas Vickery tried his guts out the entire match and setup the Northern Rivers Titans sole try of the match late in the second half. Thomas Vickery was operating on the left side of the field and threw a great cut-out pass to left winger Jahvis Kendall who went over untouched and was even able to bring the ball around by about ten metres or so to make the conversion easier for Thomas Vickery.

Round Two saw Thomas Vickery move to right centre for the Northern Rivers Titans match against the Parramatta Eels.

Round Three saw another position change for Thomas Vickery when he started at fullback against the North Coast Bulldogs in Grafton and converted Cooper Many’s second half try near the left upright.

Round Four against the Central Coast Roosters saw Thomas Vickery on the move again, moving back to right centre where he played in Round Two and converted two of the Northern Rivers Titans three tries.

In Round five against the Greater Northern Tigers Thomas Vickery stayed at centre and added four goals to his points tally in the competition.

Post the 2019 Laurie Daley Cup competition Thomas Vickery started in the U18 NRRRL competition for Murwillumbah kicking four goals as the Colts started their season off with a 36 – 4 victory over the Evans Head Bombers.

In Round Two Thomas Vickery added a try and two goals as Murwillumbah went down 18 – 16 to the Lower Clarence Magpies a side which contained Titans contract stand out Ethan Foster.

To date in the NRRRL U18 competition, Thomas Vickery has played in eleven matches to date scoring 66 points from three tries and twenty seven goals.

In addition lt his Round Two try against Lower Clarence, Thomas Vickery has also scored against Tweed Coast in two separate matches.

Thomas Vickery played his first NRRRL First Grade match of the 2019 in Round Eight against Mullumbimby scoring in a Mustangs 28 – 10 victory.

Thomas Vickery has also played in one NRRRL Reserve Grade match this season early this month against Tweed Coast, scoring in that match.

Thomas Vickery was also part of the Keebra Park Langer Cup squad in 2019 including starting on the left wing in the Gold Coast derby against PBC and scoring a first half hat trick. For all intents and purposes all three tries were similar with Thomas Vickery staying on his touch line and showing impressive speed down the touch line to score, including on one occasion when he got a clip across the ear for his troubles after he had put the ball down.

In 2018 Thomas Vickery played two matches for the Northern Rivers Titans Laurie Daley Cup squad, being Round One against the Newcastle Knights when he started on the wing and in Round Four when he started in the centres against the Central Coast Roosters.

Thomas Vickery had a big game against the Central Coast Roosters scoring a double and also kicking a conversion for a ten point match haul.

In Round Five against the Greater Northern Tigers Thomas Vickery added a try and four goals to his season points tally in a tough four point loss.

Post the 2018 Laurie Daley Cup competition, Thomas Vickery played for Murwillumbah in the NRRRL competition, playing in the U18, reserve grade and first grade competitions over the course of the 2018 season.

Thomas Vickery played his first NRRRL First Grade match of the 2019 season in Round Eight scoring against Mullumbimby.

In the U18 competition, Thomas Vickery played in eight matches in 2018 scoring twenty points which was made up of two tries and six goals. Both of his tries came against Evans Head in August, a match which also saw him kick four goals to finish with a match total of sixteen points, which accounted for 80% of his season total.

Thomas Vickery played three NRRRL Reserve Grade matches in 2018 as well and in his reserve grade debut for Murwillumbah scored a double against Cudgen.

Thomas Vickery made his deserved NRRRL First Debut as a 17 year old Casino RSM in April and went on to play in eleven First Grade matches, scoring his first try in his third match against Mullumbimby. Thomas Vickery followed that up with a double later in the season against Evans Head, a match which also saw him kick a conversion.

Thomas Vickery is not the biggest rugby league player running around but do not take his lack of size in any way as a lack of ability or courage, he has a lot of both, which is on display each time he runs onto the field. With the ball he is a very good distributor and will take the ball to the line in an effort to set up his supports.

Thomas Vickery is adept at drawing an opposing defender out of the defensive line and then putting his support runner through the resulting gap. In terms of his speed, I would suggest that an appropriate definition of his speed would be that he is quick off the mark but does not have an extra gear when he breaks into open space.

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

Thomas Vickery is also very vocal on the field always talking and encouraging his side both in attack and defence. Thomas Vickery also has a touch of aggressiveness about his play on occasion which showed in the Northern Rivers Titans U18 Round two match against the Parramatta Eels early in 2019.

Thomas Vickery is not the biggest player but even when defending in the front line will tackle using his shoulder which assists when defending against larger forwards operating on the fringes of the ruck.

Whilst not the biggest Thomas Vickery is strong and tough enough to effectively tackle one on one against opposing halves and with his solid speed and foot work he can cover a lot of ground as he tracks the ball across the field. Thomas Vickery is certainly not going to be a liability in defence for his team and is more than willing to take on bigger forwards.

When defending at fullback Thomas Vickery forces the opposition to make a decision with the football rather than letting the attackers come to him with time on their side and at fullback has very safe hands and will get to a lot of kicks on the full thus enabling his team to start their set of six with good field position, courage is also not an issues for the young Gold Coast junior.

Thomas Vickery played multiple positions for the Northern Rivers Titans U18 side this season including five eight, centre and fullback but ultimately I believe that he ends up as a fullback in the senior rugby league ranks.

Thomas Vickery will play the remainder of the 2019 season in the NRRRL competition with Murwillumbah and even though he has started in the NRRRL U18 competition, I would anticipate that Thomas Vickery will play a lot of NRRRL First Grade for the Mustangs in an NRRRL First Grade competition which with an influx of players this season is a competition of quite a high standard.

Thomas Vickery will also continue to play for Keebra Park in the Langer Cup and GIO Cup competitions, and based on his performance against PBC should continue to feature prominently in those competitions.

From a player comparison perspective in relation to Thomas Vickery, think of someone along the lines of current Newcastle Knights and former St George Dragons fullback Kurt Mann as just a solid, safe and dependable player across the board who can play a variety of positions in the backline from fullback all the way through to the halves.

[mdrew]

Sam Stone. The former local junior and Junior Kangaroo was a mid-season signing from Newcastle and is contracted to the Titans until the end of the 2020 season.

Sam Stone made his NRL debut with the Newcastle Knights in 2017, playing in sixteen matches, he added two more NRL matches in 2018 to take his total to date to eighteen.

In his sixteen NRL matches in 2017, Sam Stone ran for 585 metres (36.6 metres per game), scored two tries, had two line breaks and made 353 tackles (22 per match) at a tackling efficiency of 92.89%.

In his two NRL matches in 2018, Sam Stone ran for 101 metres (50.5 metres per game) and made forty tackles (twenty per game) at a tackling efficiency of 95.24%.

Prior to signing with the Titans, Sam Stone played for Newcastle in the New South Wales Canterbury Cup side.

After signing with the Titans in late June Sam Stone began his time back on the Gold Coast starting in the second row for Burleigh in Round Fifteen of the Queensland Cup against Townsville.

In the match, Sam Stone played all 80 minutes, running for 91 metres (36 post contact), broke three tackles, played the ball at an average speed of 4.85 seconds and made twenty seven tackles at an impressive tackling efficiency of 96.49%.

The pace and power in terms of how Sam Stone runs the ball is the outstanding feature of his game, he takes the ball to the line with speed, but he does not just put his head down and rush forward, he uses quick and subtle footwork prior to the line and seems to targets the gaps between defenders and will actively seek out opposing forwards who are slow to move up.

When the opposition are on the back foot Sam Stone will target the smaller defenders on the edge of the ruck and burst through and for a young bloke he has very good speed over the medium term and has the strength to drag defenders with him.

I would consider that Sam Stone’s speed would be considered above average for a backrower but plays faster as a result of him timing his runs so well that the dummy half can present a flat pass to him and also as a result of the power that he runs at.

Sam Stone’s offloading ability is also improving as he refines his game. Earlier in his junior career, he was almost too good at offloading compared to his team mates as he would pop some passes that they were not expecting but as he has matured and the quality of the opposition and his own team has increased so has the selective nature of his offloading.

The defensive side of Sam Stone’s game is similarly impressive, He does not just charge wildly up looking for a huge hit, but is calculating in where and when to hit. Sam Stone drives hard with his legs and always uses his shoulder and core body strength to drive into his opponent.

Sam Stone sets a strong lower base by setting his legs and generating force by driving through the tackle with his lower body, gaining leverage and momentum to complete the tackle.

Sam Stone is contracted to the Titans until the end of the 2020 and will play out the 2019 season with Burleigh in the Queensland Cup competition and it also would not surprise if he gets an NRL game or to with the Titans later in the season so that they can see just what they have with Sam Stone.

Sam Stone’s 194 cm, 102 kg frame is ideal for him to continue playing in the second row where he has played his entire career, including his eighteen NRL matches to date.

A current NRL player with a similar playing style for me is Sam Stone’s former team mate being Newcastle Knights second rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon. Like Fitzgibbon Sam Stone shapes as a talented young second rower who just needs the right opportunity to highlight his burgeoning skill set.

[mdrew]

Yorel Alapaki. The young hooker or second rower moved over from Auckland to play in 2019 with the Southport Tigers in the Gold Coast Rugby League U18 Division One competition, starting Round One at hooker.

Yorel Alapaki then moved to lock for Round Two against Currumbin. Yorel Alapaki scored his first try on the Gold Coast in Round Three against Runaway Bay as Southport prevailed 26 – 14 and kicked his first goal in Round Five.

In total for Southport in the GCRL U18 Division One competition Yorel Alapaki played in seven matches alternating between lock and hooker, scoring six point as noted above.

Yorel Alapaki has now moved back to Auckland playing his first match back in New Zealand for Marist Saints against Manurewa Allstars in mid-June.

In 2018 Yorel Alapaki played in the Auckland Junior Rugby League U16 competition for Marist Saints. 2018 also saw Yorel Alapaki, who is also an accomplished softball player, represent Howick College in the 2018 New Zealand National Secondary Schools Development Tournament.

In that competition, Yorel Alapaki played in five matches with those matches being against Sir Edmund Hillary College, Onehunga High School twice, Naenae College and Whangaparaoe College. Yorel Alapaki started all five matches at lock for Howick College and scored in both finals matches being against Onehunga High School and Whangaparaoe College.

Yorel Alapaki’s try against Onehunga High School was a case where he just wanted to score more than the defence wanted to stop him. The Howick College centre on the right, Francis Morrison, cut back inside and ran across field, Yorel Alapaki ran straight at a hole in the defensive line and upon receiving the pass barged his way over adjacent to the right upright dragging a couple of defenders with him.

Yorel Alapaki’s try against Whangaparaoe College could not have been more different to the one discussed above. Yorel Alapaki took a hit-up on the left side of the field about sixty five metres out from the try line and after breaking through the defensive line by running over a defender outpaced the Whangaparaoe College cover defence to score an impressive try.

Late in 2018 Yorel Alapaki was the co-captain of the Auckland Niue U16 side that played an Auckland U16 side, starting that match in the second row. In 2018 Yorel Alapaki was also captain of the Northern side in the New Zealand Development Rugby League Finals held in March.

Yorel Alapaki also represented the Cook Islands in the U18 Rugby League Oceania Sevens tournament scoring against the Solomon Islands in Round Four.

In 2017 Yorel Alapaki represented the Akarana Falcons U15’s at the New Zealand National Age Championships playing in matches against the Auckland Vulcans and the Northern Swords.

Yorel Alapaki is a solidly built young man with deceptive speed, both off the mark and at the top end. From hooker he can take off quite quickly and is difficult to tackle as a result of his low centre of gravity thus he makes a lot of post contact metres.

Close to the line Yorel Alapaki is decisive in terms of when to run and when he does he gets down low and pumps his legs.

From a passing perspective, both out of dummy half and in general play Yorel Alapaki has a simple passing technique from both sides of his body which leads to accurate and long passes both off the ground and when playing “out the back”.

When he is playing in the backrow Yorel Alapaki runs hard and uses good running lines rather than late footwork to counter the defensive line. In New Zealand Yorel Alapaki primarily operated on the left side when he played in the second row.

When engaged with the defensive line Yorel Alapaki continues to fight for every metre through the use of his upper body strength and constant pumping of his legs, similarly he always fights for a quick play the ball.

Defensively Yorel Alapaki 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.

Yorel Alapaki 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, he sets a good stable base with his lower body.

Yorel Alapaki played the start of the 2019 season as part of the young Southport Tigers U18 Division One side and will be U18 eligible once again in 2020 although whether he returns to Australia or continues to play for Marist Saints in New Zealand remains to be seen..

Over his junior rugby league career in New Zealand Yorel Alapaki played in every position in the forward pack bar front row, but looking at how he plays I would anticipate that Yorel Alapaki will eventually settle in the hooking role over the coming seasons although that is definitely not set in stone.

In the short to medium term however, as much as I don’t want to say it, Yorel Alapaki may be the ideal interchange player, being one that can come on and play either hooker or in the second row effectively and play big minutes in either position as well.

From an NRL player comparison perspective, with his size, speed and tenacity, for me Yorel Alapaki has a playing style akin to Newcastle Knight and former New South Wales State of Origin player Jamie Buhrer. Both can spend some time either at dummy half or in the second row and not let their team down at either position.

[mdrew]

Cooper Bai. The powerful young lock or second rower from the Burleigh Bears Junior Rugby League club was part of the Titans U13 side that took on a Western Mustangs side at Mudgeeraba in February this year. From a trivia perspective, Cooper Bai is the son of former Titans, Melbourne Storm and PNG International winger Marcus Bai.

Early in the 2019 season Cooper Bai was named in the Gold Coast Vikings U13 squad starting in the second row for the Vikings. After the completion of the competition, Cooper Bai was selected in the South East Queensland U13 training squad.

Cooper Bai started in the second row for Burleigh in Round One of the GCRL U13 Division One competition against Coomera but also spent time in the centres this season for Burleigh.

In total for Burleigh in the 2019 GCRL U13 Division One competition to date, Cooper Bai has played in seven matches scoring four tries including a Round Six double against Currumbin as well as tries in Rounds One and Three against Coomera and Nerang respectively.

In 2018 Cooper Bai played for Burleigh in the U12 Division One competition playing in twelve matches, scoring thirty points from three tries and nine goals, including scoring Burleigh’s only try in their 28 – 6 U12 Division One Grand Final loss to Helensvale. Copper Bai started the Grand Final in the second row, scoring in the first half for the Bears.

In addition to his Grand Final try Cooper Bai scored against Runaway Bay and Coomera. Interestingly, all of his nine conversions were kicked in separate matches over the course of the 2018 season.

2018 also saw Cooper Bai captain the Marymount Catholic Primary School side in the NRL Development Cup Final played at Suncorp Stadium with the Gold Coast school running out 16 – 12 winners against Cairns West Primary School.

Cooper Bai started the match at lock and scored Marymount’s first try when he cut back inside the Cairns West defence to score under the posts to level the score up at 6 all in the first half.

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

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

From a speed perspective has above average to plus speed for both his size and position and when he breaks into open space, Cooper Bai will not be caught from behind other than from only the fastest of opponents and Cooper Ba is also very good at positioning his support players when he gets to the fullback. The only possible question about Cooper Bai’s speed is whether it will stay at or near the plus category as he matures and inevitably fills out.

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

For me when I saw him play for Burleigh this year Cooper Bai was the defensive leader of the three quarter line and other defenders keyed off him in terms of whether to use an up and in methodology and slide to the outside.

Cooper Bai on an individual level has the body control to redirect quickly and mirror the movement of the opposing attackers and anticipate what vector the attack comes from and innately understands when to allow the attacking play to develop in from of him and when to come out of the line to disrupt the attacking play prior to its formation.
Cooper Bai will play the remainder of the 2019 season with the Burleigh U13 Division One side and no doubt is in line for junior representative honours in years to come.

Cooper Bai is a big strong powerful young man with some real speed for his size and therefore seems an ideal fit in the second row on a rugby league field. I do not however that Cooper Bai did play a couple of matches for Burleigh in the centres this season and will likely continue to do so for the next couple of seasons at least.

For me a current rugby league player with similar attributes and a similar playing style is Manly Sea Eagles backrower Joel Thompson, as a big strong player who can transition between centre and second row although I think that just like Joel Thompson, Cooper Bai’s skill set plays slightly better in the second row taking all things into account.

[mdrew]

Darius Farmer. (Revised) He is a young second rower originally from Ipswich who signed with the Titans initially as a 15 year old and has previously represented Queensland at the U16 level in 2015 with Titans team mate Ben Thomas, starting in the second row in the annual interstate match. Darius Farmer originally signed with the Titans in 2015 after being part of the Sydney Roosters Junior Summer Training squad in 2014.

Darius Farmer started from the interchange bench in the Titans first NRL trial this season against the Norther Queensland Cowboys on the Sunshine Coast.

In Round One of the 2019 Queensland Cup competition, Darius Farmer came off the bench for Burleigh against PNG playing 26 minutes, took two hit-ups for 26 metres, 11 post contact, broke two tackles, had a play the ball average of 3.48 seconds and made nine tackles missing only one.

Darius Farmer made his second Queensland Cup appearance of the season in Round Ten for Burleigh as they thrashed the Northern Pride 43 – 0. Starting from the bench Darius Farmer played 23 minutes, ran for 44 metres (an impressive 50% of those post contact) on five hit-ups, broke a tackle, played the ball at an average speed of 4.19 seconds and made ten tackles at a 100% tackling efficiency.

Darius Farmer also started from the bench in Round Eleven of the Queensland Cup for Burleigh as they defeated Central Queensland. Darius Farmer played 29 minutes, running for 35 metres (16 post contact), played the ball at an average of 4.25 seconds and made four tackles.

After Round One Darius Farmer moved back to the Burleigh Colts Hastings Deering’s Colts U20 side for Rounds Two and Three starting in the second row on both occasions.

Darius Farmer was then promoted to the Burleigh Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade side starting in the second row in Round Three of that competition for the Bears in their 28 – 8 win over Currumbin.

Darius Farmer also started in the second row in Round Four against Bilambil and in fact scored his first career GCRL First Grade try. With Burleigh attacking close to the Bilambil line, Darius Farmer flew onto the ball from around two metres out to crash over the top of three defenders to get the ball down.

In total in the Gold Coast Rugby League season to date Darius Farmer has played in five Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade matches.

In 2019 Darius Farmer was also selected in the Gold Coast Vikings First Grade side for the South East Queensland U20 Challenge but in the end was not part of the side that won the competition due to his elevation to the Burleigh Queensland Cup side.

Darius Farmer has had an outstanding 2018 season including making his Queensland Cup debut in Round 18 off the bench for the Burleigh Bears in their 40 – 28 loss to Redcliffe coming on in around the 24th minute of the second half making a couple of solid tackles including one try saving tackle late as Redcliffe looked certain to score. Prior to his introduction into the match, Darius Farmer was deservedly acknowledged by commentator Scott Sattler for his outstanding talent and associated potential.

In his debut Queensland Cup match in Round Eighteen against Redcliffe Darius Farmer played 19 minutes, running for 14 metres, six post contact from two hit-ups and made eleven tackles at a tackling efficiency of 84.62%.

Prior to his Queensland Cup call up Darius Farmer has spent the majority of the 2018 season playing for Burleigh in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition, but has also played a number of matches for the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts side the last of which was in Round 17 against the Norths Devils.

Due to injury Darius Farmer missed the start of the 2017 season but played the majority of the season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side but also made his NYC debut with the Titans as well as representing New Zealand U18’s with Titans team mate Jaxson Paulo.

Darius Farmer started in the second row for New Zealand in their match against the Australian School Boys in September in New Zealand playing on the left side of the field with Jaxon Paulo who played on the left wing. Even though New Zealand lost the International Darius Farmer matched up well with Australian School Boy star David Fifita who lined up on the right hand side of the field for the Australian Schoolboys.

Prior to the International match against the Australian School Boys Darius Farmer represented the New Zealand U18 Taurahere side (NZ eligible players playing in Australia) against the New Zealand Residents U18 side. Darius Farmer was one of four Titans players named in the Taurahere side with the others being Jaxson Paulo, Reihana Marsh and Moeaki Fotuaika, although only Darius Farmer and Jaxon Paulo played in the match with both then progressing to the New Zealand U18 side.

Darius Farmer made his NYC debut with the Titans in Round Twenty against Penrith, almost scoring with his first touch of the ball after coming off the interchange bench and in Round Twenty-Two Darius Farmer started at lock against the Broncos. In 2017 Darius Farmer went on to play in Rounds Twenty Five and Twenty Six against the Bulldogs and Roosters respectively, on both of those occasions starting off the interchange bench.

In total in the NYC competition Darius Farmer was on the field for 150 minutes, ran for 170 metres from twenty hit-ups and made forty four at a tackling efficiency of 72%. Darius Farmer’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing 37.5 minutes, running for 43 metres and making eleven tackles.

Darius Farmer’s best match from a running perspective was against the Panthers on his NYC debut when he ran for 78 metres and in Round Twenty Six against the Roosters he made thirteen tackles in limited minutes.

Darius Farmer missed the MM Cup competition but after spending the 2016 off season training with the Titans NYC squad including playing a couple of NYC trials for example against the Melbourne Storm at Langland’s Park, Darius Farmer was back for the start of the U20 Colts Challenge competition and played in twelve matches for Tweed Heads in that competition starting in the second row in every match that he played except for Round Four when he started at lock. Darius Farmer scored twice in the Colts competition including scoring in just the third minute of the Round One clash against South’s Logan. His other try came in Round Five against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.

During the 2016 season Darius Famer played for the Gold Coast White MM side scoring a try in Round Three against the Easts Tigers. He started all of the matches he played for Gold Coast White in the second row. In addition he also made his QCup Colts debut for the Ipswich Jets in Round 15 scoring a hat trick against Toowoomba and starting in the centres. Darius Farmer started in the centres as well for the other three games that he played for the Ipswich Jets in the Colts competition, being from Rounds 23 to 25 and in Round 24 against the Tweed Heads Seagulls scored a double.

Darius Farmer is a tall, rangy exceptional 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.

Darius Farmer 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.

Darius Farmer 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. Darius Farmer would be one of the faster back rowers running around in Queensland as can be evidenced by the fact that he handled the centre position well at the QCup Colts level.

Playing on the right hand side of the field seemingly more often, means that his right foot step and his fending using his left 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 Darius Farmer 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.

As could be seen in the U16 development squad game a couple of season ago now, when the opportunity presents Darius Farmer 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 Darius Farmer 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.

Darius Farmer will also be pushing for spot in the Titans Top 30 NRL squad in 2020, a season in which he will also certainly be a regular starting second rower in the Burleigh Bears Queensland Cup side, and a difference maker at that if he is not in the Titans NRL game day 17.

I would expect that due to his size, speed and skill attributes that Darius Farmer will continue to play in the back row for the foreseeable future and even though he seems to play more on the right side of the field at present, there is nothing to suggest he will not transition into a player who can play on both sides of the ruck equally effectively.

I appreciate that Darius Farmer played some Queensland Cup Colts matches for the Ipswich Jets as a 17 year old previously in the centres and was very effective there but I do not envisage that was in any way a sign of things to come.

In fact Darius Farmer has gotten bigger and stronger over the last couple of seasons training with the Titans NRL squad, but impressively has not lost any of his outstanding speed and mobility.

From a player comparison perspective, the young 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.

The Titans are building a core group of young forwards such as Moeaki Fotuaika, Keegan Hipgrave, Jai Arrow and Jai Whitbread amongst others.

Darius Farmer may just be the next player to join that “core” group of young forwards in Titans colours for the foreseeable future.

[mdrew]

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 playing in xx matches.

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 2019 season with Redcliffe in the GBJRL U14 Division One competition.

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.