My take on our top juniors

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Koby Stone. 2023 saw Koby Stone play for the Cudgen Hornets in the Group 18 U13 competition including starting at left centre in the Grand Final against the Tweed Heads Seagulls with Koby Stone scoring a long range solo try in the 24th minute when after receiving a long high cut-out pass from his right eighteen metres out from his own try line, Koby Stone charged down the left touchline and when he was still five metres inside his own territory Koby Stone produced a great in and away to beat the Seagulls fullback down the left touchline with Koby Stone then racing away to get the ball down ten metres in from the left corner post.

Earlier in the match in the 8th minute Koby Stone made a line break down the left channel from his own thirty six metre mark to make twenty one metres down the left touchline.

Koby Stone also did well defensively in the 28th minute when after chasing through a Hornets attacking grubber kick Koby Stone grabbed hold of the Tweed Heads right winger eight metres in from the left touchline with Koby Stone then rag dolling him over the touchline ten metres out from the try line to get the ball back for Cudgen immediately in a great attacking position.

2023 also saw Koby Stone line up for the Wollumbin Brothers U13 side at the New South Wales Koori Rugby League Knock-out.

In terms of his attacking play Koby Stone 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 all but the strongest outside backs at a distance and away from his body.

Koby Stone has quite a good step, predominately off the right foot, so he certainly has the skills to adjust his running line as Koby Stone gains more experience and develops a better rapport with his teams play makers and progresses to a higher level in competition.

When defending in the centres, Koby Stone really does look to come out of the line and hit his opposing centre as hard as possible to cut off the attacking play before it has time to fully develop.

Koby Stone does not let the play unfold in front of him, he looks to disrupt as early as possible. With his size and defensive tendencies when defending in the centres, Koby Stone is more suited to an up and in defensive methodology compared to a sliding system.

In late 2023 Koby Stone was selected in the Tweed Coast Giants Oztag U14 side for the 2024 Queensland Oztag U14 State Cup.

2024 will see Koby Stone continue to play for the Cudgen Hornets in the Group 18 U14 competition as well as continue to play school boy rugby league.

From a positional perspective, I have been impressed with Koby Stone both defensively and in attack this season in the centres, specifically left centre and therefore I see no reason for Koby Stone to need to move positionally in the short term at least.

In many respects the way Koby Stone plays on a football field resembles that of Titans NRL left centre Brian Kelly as a pacy, hard running, hard tackling centre with some more than intriguing potential moving forward as Koby Stone progresses up the junior rugby league ranks over the next couple of seasons.

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Mason Geisel. The talented young front rower was selected to attend a Titans U14 Development Squad camp in late 2023 at Beenleigh.

In 2023 Mason Geisel played for the Dalby Devils in the Toowoomba Junior Rugby League U13 competition with Mason Geisel starting Round One in the front row against Newtown with Mason Geisel scoring a double in a strong first up victory for the Devils.

After missing a number of matches Mason Geisel came off the bench in Round Ten against Gatton, Round Eleven against Souths and Round Twelve against Brother before returning to the Dalby starting side in the front row in Round Fourteen against Valleys.

Mason Geisel then started in the front row in Week One of the Final’s and scoring against Souths. Mason Geisel then started in Dalby’s Preliminary Final against Valleys and the Grand Final against Souths.

Mason Geisel is a hard running player who never seems to just put his head down and runs straight, he always uses a slight step prior to contacting the defensive line, coupled with the fact that he drops his shoulder into defenders, means that Mason Geisel is a bit of a handful to tackle and he is not often knocked back onto his heals. He is also good at maintaining his momentum after impacting the defensive line.

Mason Geisel seems to have a high work rate and I would suggest that he would normally be at or near the top of his team’s statistics in terms of the number of hit ups he makes and on occasion runs a very good inside shoulder route to supplement his other attacking attributes. Mason Geisel does not off-load the ball much however and probably never be one based on how he asked to play the game.

Defensively Mason Geisel aims hits very hard and usually hits around the top of the ball region 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 by using wrestling techniques well. Over the last year Mason Geisel’s speed and mobility seemed to have increased and as a consequence he was better able to mirror the opposition attackers more effectively.

2024 will see Mason Geisel continue to play for the Dalby Devils in the Toowoomba Junior Rugby League U14 competition.

Mason Geisel is a tall, strong young man who seems to relish the physical contact on a rugby league field and with his hard running and hard tackling style Mason Geisel has seemingly already found his ideal position on a rugby league field being in the front row.

The NRL player comparison for Mason Geisel is one of the easiest I have ever considered with his game eerily similar to that of North Queensland Cowboy Coen Hess, both a tall powerfully built players with outstanding speed and mobility for their size.

I think that sometimes big powerful players like Hess and Mason Geisel are unfairly critiqued if they don’t make breaks or score every time that they touch the ball heck opposing teams are always keyed into the danger that they pose and adjust accordingly.

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Jasper Filewood. The electric young fullback was selected to attend a Titans U14 Development Squad camp in late 2023 at Beenleigh alongside twin brother Ryker.

In 2023 Jasper Filewood played for the Dalby Devils in the Toowoomba Junior Rugby League U13 competition, with Jasper Filewood starting all of his matches at fullback including the Grand Final against Souths.

Jasper Filewood scored hat tricks in Round One against Newtown, Round Five against Pittsworth and Round Nine against Highlands. Jasper Filewood scored doubles against Brothers in Round Six and Valleys in Round Seven and Jasper Filewood also scored in Round Ten against Gatton and against Souths in Week One of the Finals and also the Grand Final against Souths.

Jasper Filewood finished the 2023 Toowoomba Junior Rugby League U13 season as one of the competitions leading try scorers.

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

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

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

Jasper Filewood also runs with the ball in both hands which is another reason why the defensive line is unable to determine exactly what Jasper Filewood is going to do.

Like when he has the ball in his hands, there is nothing that Jasper Filewood cannot do in relation to kicking the ball. Jasper Filewood is an exceptional tactical kicker with range and accuracy, he can put up pin point bombs and perfectly weighted grubber kicks into the in goal. In short if you can name a type of rugby league kick, Jasper Filewood can execute it with precision.

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

Jasper Filewood has a very good low tackling technique which is simple and repeatable and effective against all size opponents and thus there is no need for a defensive minder on Jasper Filewood’s side of the field. In short just like his attacking play Jasper Filewood is an outstanding defender.

2024 will see Jasper Filewood continue to play for the Dalby Devils in the Toowoomba Junior Rugby League U14 competition.

With his dynamic ability to run the ball from kick returns, broken play or backing up through the centre of the ruck as well as his development ball playing skills, Jasper Filewood seems set for a long and prospectus career as a rugby league fullback.

Titans own Jayden Campbell is a great NRL player comparison for Jasper Filewood, both Campbell and Jasper Filewood are electric ball runners who are just exciting to watch and attack the game with an air of confidence about them that cannot be taught and both are also fearless with and without the ball.

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Rory McInnes. In late September 2023 Rory McInnes was named in the 2024 Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup squad.

In 2023 Rory McInnes continued playing for the Casino Cougars in the Group One U15 competition with Rory McInnes starting at five eight in Casino’s Grand Final victory. Post the season Rory McInnes was named the 2023 Casino Cougars U15 Group One Best Back.

In early March 2023 Rory McInnes was named at halfback in the Lismore Diocesan U15 School Boy Rugby League Representative Team to attend the Northern Country selection trials at South West Rocks out of St Johns College Woodlawn

The Casino RSM Cougars youngster was part of the Titans JTS Elite Development Program and was part of the Titans 2022 U14 JTS High Performance Academy Group One squad that commenced training in November 2022 in Ballina on a weekly basis.

In early December 2022 Rory McInnes played for the Titans U14 Group One Academy squad in a trial against the Titans U14 Group 18 Academy squad in a trial match at Ballina with both teams wearing Titans jerseys. Rory McInnes in fact captained the Titans U14 Group One Academy side to a victory against the Group 18 Titans Academy Side in a high quality encounter.

Rory McInnes then continued on with the Titans Development Squad attending four sessions in February 2023 as part of a Titans combined Tweed – Ballina U14 Development Squad.

In early March 2023 Rory McInnes was named at halfback in the Lismore Diocesan U15 School Boy Rugby League Representative Team to attend the Northern Country selection trials at South West Rocks out of St Mary’s Catholic College Casino.

Rory McInnes played the 2022 season with Casino RSM in the Group One U14 competition with Rory McInnes starting the Grand Final at halfback and captain with Rory McInnes leading from the front and scoring a smart try as Casino RSM defeated the Ballina Seagulls 32 – 20 in the hotly contested Premiership decider.

In addition to his Grand Final try in 2022 in the Group One U14 competition Rory McInnes also scored against the Marist Rams Lismore in Round Six of the 2022 Group One U14 competition.

Rory McInnes also played for Casino RSM in 2021 in the Group One U13 competition with Rory McInnes finishing the season with an individual points haul of forty six points from ten tries and three conversions which Rory McInnes kicked in Round Two against the Kyogle Turkeys, Round Five against the Clarence Coast Magpies and Round Ten against the Marist Rams.

Rory McInnes scored a hat trick in Round Three against the Marist Rams and added a double in Round Seven against the Clarence Coast Magpies. Rory McInnes also scored against the Kyogle Turkeys in Rounds Two and Nine, against the Marist Rams in Rounds Six and Ten and in Round Five against the Clarence Coast Magpies.

Rory McInnes also played at halfback for Casino RSM in the 2020 Group One U12 competition with Rory McInnes scoring against the South Grafton Rebels in Rounds Six and Ten with Rory McInnes also scoring in Round Six against the Clarence Coast Magpies.

Rory McInnes also kicked two conversions in 2020 with the first of those conversions coming in Round One against the Ballina Seagulls with Rory McInnes’s other conversion coming in Round Six against the Kyogle Turkeys.

Whilst Rory McInnes’s forte is his game management and leadership abilities, Rory McInnes is a good ball runner in his own right with Rory McInnes possessing above average speed both off the mark and top end speed. Rory McInnes has the speed to be able to exploit even small gaps in the defensive line with a strong step off either foot and acceleration as well as outstanding balance and body control.

It is that speed trait which opens up Rory McInnes’s incredible ball playing skills as well. Teams start to focus heavily on Rory McInnes when he has the ball with outside defenders looking to come in to assist that they open up holes wider out in the defensive line that Rory McInnes can exploit by either popping a short ball to the outside or if the entire defensive line moves up and in Rory McInnes will throw a long hard flat cut-out pass to get his outside backs on the outside of the last opposition defender.

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

Rory McInnes also runs with the ball in both hands which is another reason why the defensive line is unable to determine exactly what Rory McInnes is going to do on any given possession. If Rory McInnes sees a gap, he is through it before the defensive line can react also when a forward takes the ball up through the centre of the ruck, Rory McInnes is always in support and if he gets an off load he can accelerate through the resultant gap.

When he has broken through the initial defensive line Rory McInnes will run directly at the fullback to slow his lateral momentum and then swerve around him the second the fullback’s momentum stops or slows. Rory McInnes is also adept at setting up his support runners with Rory McInnes holding the ball to the last moment before passing the ball to ensure that the opposing fullback cannot move off him prematurely to tackle Rory McInnes’s support runner.

Defensively as Rory McInnes is a taller type of half back and he has the size and leverage to be a very good defender on the edge of the ruck and for want of a better term Rory McInnes is his team’s defensive quarter back. Rory McInnes controls and managers his team’s line speed and directs the defenders around him in terms of whether to employ a sliding defensive scheme or enact an up and in defensive methodology.

On an individual level Rory McInnes’s initial contact is strong and he will drive his shoulder through any size opponent that makes the decision to run directly at him with Rory McInnes then finishing the tackle by regularly driving his opponent into the ground and then Rory McInnes, with his high centre of gravity and length is able to slow the play the ball down by holding his opponent on the ground with his weight and body placement.

Against a backline opponent looking to take him on one on one on the fringes of the ruck Rory McInnes, with his high level lateral mobility is able to mirror the movement of the attacker and with his quick twitch feet Rory McInnes is rarely beaten by an opponent who is looking to beat him by stepping past him either on the outside or to the inside.

Rory McInnes will play the 2024 season with Casino RSM in the Group One U16 competition and Rory McInnes may well also play a number of matches for Casino in the NRRRL U18 competition.

Rory McInnes will start the 2024 season as a number of the U16 Andrew Johns Cup Northern Rivers Titans side and will also play school boy rugby league in Northern New South Wales for St Mary’s Catholic College Casino.

Simply put Rory McInnes is a halfback. The more the ball is in Rory McInnes hands the better for everyone. No doubt that Rory McInnes could play a number of different positions but why anyone would even consider moving such a talented young player from halfback would be absolutely beyond me.

With his ability to size up an opportunity in terms of whether to run or pass in an instant as well as his competitive nature, Rory McInnes is the prototypical new age rugby league half back, and one who will certainly not crack under pressure, in fact Rory McInnes seems to thrive on it, the more the better.

Some players in key positions such as in the halves or fullback, want to not lose matches rather than to try to win them, Rory McInnes is on the absolute opposite end of the spectrum, he wants the ball in his hands with the game on the line, wanting to win the game rather than being worried about losing it. Very few players at any level of any sport, even at the professional level, have that sort of mentality. Only a very small handful of people really thrive under intense pressure (a lot say they do but...) Rory McInnes appears to be definitely one of them.

Rory McInnes is a superb organiser and game manager who has old head on young shoulders as the saying goes and Rory McInnes is ideally suited to the half back role in rugby league.

An NRL player comparison for Rory McInnes proved to be an interesting exercise, but ultimately, I believe an appropriate player comparison for Rory McInnes is Cronulla Sharks five eight Nicco Hynes. Rory McInnes has the same type of intensity, will to win, game management and leadership attributes as the Sharks representative five eight. Rory McInnes also has some similarities to former Titans NRL half or five eight Kane Elgey.

Team mates follow Rory McInnes through the sheer force of his will and pure effort, regardless of whether Rory McInnes is the captain or not. Rory McInnes’s leadership skills are far more than just being the captain of a top level team, Rory McInnes has all the hall marks of not just an NRL captain or even a club captain but a representative level one as well, including at the State and International level.

From a leadership perspective in rugby league, the best two leaders I have seen and probably has ever been Cameron Smith and Wally Lewis. Rory McInnes’s leadership skills are right up there in that same overall category, he will back his team mates no matter what but at the same time will let them know when they have to change their attitude, behaviour or the way that they are conducting themselves on the field from a playing or attitude perspective as the match progresses.

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Cormack Werner. The young halfback or fullback currently attends the Titans partnered Rockhampton Grammar School with Cormack Werner named the 2023 Rockhampton Grammar School Best Junior Rugby League Player as well as the 2023 Rockhampton Grammar School Best Junior Rugby Player, an impressive double.

2023 saw Cormack Werner play for the Rocky Tigers in the Rockhampton Junior rugby League U15 competition with Cormack Werner starting all of his matches for the Tigers at halfback. Cormack Werner finished the season with forty four points from four tries and fourteen conversions.

Cormack Werner scorer a double in Round Five against Norths and also scored in Round Eight against Emu Park and Round Ten against Yeppoon. Cormack Werner kicked five conversions in a match on two occasions being in Rounds One and Eight against Emu Park. Cormack Werner also kicked four conversions in Round Twelve against Norths.

2023 also saw Cormack Werner play rugby with Cormack Werner named in the Regional Queensland U15 Reds Rugby side and also the U15 Queensland Country Barbarians Rugby Representative side.

Cormack Werner’s calling card from an attacking perspective is his passing and game management abilities. In terms of his running game, Cormack Werner is not going to be known as someone that is going to beat a defender with speed, but Cormack Werner does very good foot work that he uses to good effect in tight spaces or when the opposing defensive line is fractured.

Cormack Werner has a very good step off both feet and can put together combinations of steps over a short distance to break free of situations where he is seemingly surrounded by defenders. Also maybe it’s only me, but Cormack Werner seemed to rarely take a big hit when running through the centre of the ruck due to his elite footwork.

Going back to his speed briefly, as noted Cormack Werner is not overly quick, but he does have some reasonable speed off the mark, which is complemented by the fact that he runs at the right moment, for example when he is drifting across field he will dummy and run when defenders anticipate the pass rather than focussing on him running the ball. Cormack Werner’s running skills compliment his ability to put runners into holes rather than the other way around.

Cormack Werner’s kicking game is very accurate, and even though he is not a big player he can generate very good distance on his kicks whilst at the same time not losing any accuracy, thus Cormack Werner finds the ground for a lot of his kicks. Cormack Werner can also kick pin point bombs, allowing plenty of time for his chasers to get to the ball as it is coming down close to the try line.

Cormack Werner is also a more than decent goal kicker but I have not seen enough of him in a goal kicking sense to have a firm opinion either wat as to whether Cormack Werner can be a front line goal kicker for his side moving forward.

Defensively Cormack Werner tackles well low and that is seemingly his main tactic against wide running forwards rather than trying to tackle them ball and all and potentially being bumped off. Cormack Werner’s quick feet and sense of timing and anticipation enable him to see plays developing in front of him quickly and Cormack Werner is able to adjust and look to shut down the attacking play prior to it fully developing. In short, Cormack Werner is quite a solid defender in the half or five eight position.

2024 will see Cormack Werner continue to play for the Rocky Tigers in the Rockhampton Junior Rugby League U17 competition and also continue to play for Rockhampton Grammar School in their various school boy rugby league competitions. Cormack Werner will also continue to play rugby in 2024, including for Rockhampton Grammar School.

Whilst Cormack Werner has played a variety of positions in both rugby and rugby league, with his organisational skills, tactical kicking and underrated running game ultimately I am of the opinion that Cormack Werner will settle at halfback in rugby league.

With his ability to size up what is going on around him and subsequently seemingly always taking the right option whether that is to run, pass or kick, Cormack Werner has a playing style similar to Melbourne Storm and New Zealand International halfback and former Titan Jahrome Hughes. Both Hughes and Cormack Werner seem to be everywhere on the field in an attacking sense and invariably both are at the centre of all of the good attacking moments of their respective teams.

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Murrie Herrmann. 2023 saw Murrie Herrmann play for Marsden SHS in the School Boy Rugby League Bronco’s Old Boys competition with Murrie Herrmann starting in the second row in all of Marsden SHS’s matches but Murrie Herrmann started from the bench in the Grand Final against Mabel Park SHS and in October 2023 Murrie Herrmann was named on the bench in the 2023 Marsden SHS School Boy Rugby League Team of the Year.

2023 also saw Murrie Herrmann start in the second row for the Met East School Boy U12 Rugby League Representative side at the Queensland U12 Championships with Murrie Herrmann subsequently named in the Queensland School Boy U12 Rugby League side for the National U12 School Boy Rugby League Championships.

Murrie Herrmann started at left second row in Met East’s first match of the Queensland U12 Championships against North West and scored a barnstorming try in the 14th minute when after taking possession of the ball two passes to the left of the play the ball and thirty three metres from the try line, Murrie Herrmann executed four powerful right arm fends in a row to get rid of four North West defenders to cross the try line wide out on the left with Murrie Herrmann then brining the ball around to put it down under the posts.

In the 4th minute Murrie Herrmann ran onto the ball to the left of the dummy half and was able to carry the ball from five metres inside his own territory to seven metres into North West territory. Then in the 21st minute e Herrmann ran an underneath route to the left of the play the ball from three metres inside North West territory and broke two tackles as Murrie Herrmann got the ball to thirty two metres from the try line. The after being awarded a penalty for a high tackle, Murrie Herrmann ran the ball from the subsequent restart to make an additional twenty metres before being tackled twelve metres out in front of the goal posts.

Murrie Herrmann continued at left second row and was easily the best player on the field in a last minute come from behind Met East victory.

Murrie Herrmann made a line break in the 37th minute with a powerhouse charge through the heart of the Capricornia defensive line from two passes to the left of the play the ball with Murrie Herrmann receiving the ball ten metres inside his own territory and breaking five tackles as Murrie Herrmann carried the ball sixteen metres inside Capricornia territory.

Murrie Herrmann’s great match commenced in just the 2nd minute with an effort that saw him run the ball from eight metres inside his own territory to six metres into Capricornia territory. Then in the 4th minute from a Met East penalty restart Murrie Herrmann was able to get the ball from eight metres inside his own territory to ten metres into Capricornia territory.

The 5th minute then saw Murrie Herrmann run onto the ball to the left of the dummy half from twenty five metres to within four metres of the try line however Murrie Herrmann’s off-load to his left unfortunately went to ground. Murrie Herrmann followed up in the 19th minute with a run down the left channel that saw Murrie Herrmann promote the ball from the forty five metre mark to within thirty metres of the try line.

The 22nd minute saw Murrie Herrmann carry the ball from thirty eight metres from the try line to with eight metres after running onto the ball to the left of the dummy half and breaking four tackles. Two minutes later in the 24th minute Murrie Herrmann, after running onto the ball two passes to the left of the dummy half got within two metres of the try line after Murrie Herrmann broke four tackles in his run from twenty six metres out.

Murrie Herrmann rounded out a great match in the 33rd minute from a Met East penalty restart with Murrie Herrmann able to get the ball from thirty two metres from his own try line to within three metres of the halfway mark.

Murrie Herrmann also started at left second row in Match Three against the Darling Downs with Murrie Herrmann once again having a big match including scoring twice in another Met East victory.

Murrie Herrmann scoring the first of his two tries in the 10th minute as a result of a straight hard charge from ten metres out off a pass from his right from his halfback with Murrie Herrmann getting the ball down ten metres to the left of the goal posts.

Murrie Herrmann completed his double in the 26th minute when after receiving the ball twelve metres from the try line and to the left of the dummy half, Murrie Herrmann cut back to his right and burst through five attempted tackles to get the ball down mid-way between the goal posts and corner post on the right side of the field.

In the 14th minute after running the ball down the left channel Murrie Herrmann carried the ball to twenty eight metres out from his own try line after starting his run just ten metres out.

Murrie Herrmann continued at left second row in Match Four against Northern with Murrie Herrmann scoring in the 35th minute with a big charge from a Met East penalty restart six metres from the try line with Murrie Herrmann crashing through multiple defenders to get the ball down ten metres to the right of the goal posts.

In the 38th minute from twenty two metres from the try line and two passes to the left of the play the ball Murrie Herrmann charged through the centre of the field to get within five metres of the try line. Earlier Murrie Herrmann had taken of the fifth hit-up of the match to carry the ball from forty metres from his own try line to two metres into Northern territory.

Murrie Herrmann also started at left second row in the Semi-final against South Coast with Murrie Herrmann coming close to scoring in the 36th minute only to be held up over the try line five metres to the right of the goal posts after a ten metre charge from a penalty restart.

Murrie Herrmann earlier made a strong run in the 8th minute from a restart on the halfway mark to carry the ball fifteen metres downfield, breaking three tackles along the way.

Murrie Herrmann then started at left second row in the 3 v 4 play-off against Capricornia with Murrie Herrmann running an underneath route to the left of the play the ball in the 13th minute to carry the ball from forty two metres from the try line to thirty metres out. Then in the 20th minute from the left of the play the abll Murrie Herrmann charged from forty six metres to thirty three metres out with Murrie Herrmann then able to get a left arm flick off-load away to his left.

Murrie Herrmann then followed up with a strong run two passes to the left of the play the ball in the 34th minute to carry the ball from twenty metres out from his own try line to thirty four metres out.

2024 will see Murrie Herrmann continue at Marsden SHS moving up to the Renouf Shield School Boy Rugby League competition for the Titans partnered High School.

Murrie Herrmann is already an imposing figure and is a big strong powerful young man and whilst I ultimately believe that he will ultimately establish himself as an outstanding front row rugby league prospect, with his speed and overall mobility I am of the opinion that Murrie Herrmann will be able to continue to operate in the second row for the next couple of seasons at least.

From an NRL playing comparison style perspective for Murrie Herrmann, think along the lines of
of Melbourne Storm and New Zealand International front rower Nelson Asofa-Solomona as a big, tall, powerful front rower with good footwork both in attack and defence.

Like Asofa-Solomona, Murrie Herrmann can set the direction and tempo for his team by leading from the front through his powerful hit-up or a big crunching tackle with a calmness and assurance that belies his age.

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Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia. 2023 saw Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia play for Marsden SHS in the School Boy Rugby League Bronco’s Old Boys competition with Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia starting at halfback in all of Marsden SHS’s matches in that competition.

2023 also saw Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia start at halfback for the Met East School Boy U12 Rugby League Representative side at the Queensland Championships with Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia subsequently named in the Queensland School Boy U12 Rugby League side.

Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia started at halfback in Met East’s first match of the Queensland U12 Championships against North West with Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia putting on a clinic including scoring himself, recording three try assists and a line break assist amongst other exceptional moments in the match.

Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia scored in the 37th minute when after receiving a long pass from his right, Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia had an uninterrupted twenty six metre run to the try line to score mid-way between the goal posts and corner post on the left side of the field.

Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia recorded his initial try assist in the 7th minute when after running the ball down a left blindside from six metres inside his own territory to seven metres into North West territory Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia threw a well weighted pass to his left left centre who raced away to score in the left corner.

Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia added a second try assist in the 18th minute when Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia held up his pass right at the defensive line to put his left centre over to score once again ten metres in from the left corner post.

Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia recorded his third try assist in the 33rd minute with a long cut-out pass to his left from twelve metres out from the try line to put his fullback ***amanu Misa over to score ten metres in from the left corner post.

Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia recorded his line break assist in the 33rd minute when after running the ball to the right of the dummy half from forty eight metres from the try line to forty metres out, Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia brought a runner back underneath him being John Timoteo who ran through the resultant gap.

Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia also started at halfback in Match Two against Capricornia and in the 33rd minute from the left of the play the ball and forty metres from the try line Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia dummied to his left before running the ball himself through the centre of the field to get the ball to twenty eight metres out.

Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia then started at halfback in Match Three against the Darling Downs with Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia recording a try assist in the 10th minute when to the left of the play the ball and ten metres from the try line Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia held the pass up before leading his left second rower onto the ball with Murrie Harrmann then crashing over to score ten metres to the left of the goal posts.

Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia continued at halfback in Match Four against Northern with Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia scoring in the 6th minute with a simultaneous dummy to his left and a left foot step from the left of the play the ball eight metres in front of the right goal post with Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia then able to burst between two defenders to get the ball down next to the right goal post.

Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia also started at halfback in the Semi-final against South Coast with Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia scoring in the 18th minute when from the right of the play the ball and eight metres out from the ty line, Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia dummied to his right and after pushing away from one defender, Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia engaged a second defender and gained separation from him by way of a clockwise spin to score mid-way between the goal posts and corner post on the left side of the field.

Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia then started at halfback in the 3 v 4 play-off against Capricornia.

In late 2023 Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia was named in the New Era U12 side to play the U12 Velocity All Stars with Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia starting the match as captain and halfback.

Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia recorded a line break assist in the 49th minute when after running the ball to the left of the dummy half to the halfback mark Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia threw a cut-out pass to his left to put his winger away down the left touchline.

2022 saw Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia named in the Queensland Māori U12 Tuakana Merit side.

In attack, Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia generally plays an understated role, focussing more on the distribution and game management aspects of his role as a half. A key attribute to how Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia plays is his ability to organise and direct his team around the field as well as adjusting his game to the specific situations encountered within a game. Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia’s 2022 performances are a testament to those attributes.

Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia will though take the line on when the opportunity arises however, but as noted his best attribute is that of a game manager with the ability to draw defenders out of the line and put his runners into the subsequent hole that is generated. Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia has above average speed off the mark and quick twitch feet in confined space but does not have explosive acceleration or high top end speed, but Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia’s top speed in space can certainly be considered in the above average range.

When Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia does take on the line, he just has this amazing ability to slice through a defensive line. It is hard to put into words exactly what I mean but Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia takes the ball and immediately commences to run parallel to the defensive line with the ball out in front of his body in two hands and then he is just able to slide/slice between two defenders with a subtle step normally off his left foot and then Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia accelerates through into space.

What is described above looks deceptively simply but I can assure people that it is not, it is just that Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia makes it look so simple and it is a credit to him that Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia has sliced through defences like this his entire career regardless of the quality of the opposition.

In defence, due to his size Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia is obviously not going to come up with the big hit but reads the play well and can more than hold his own when defending much bigger players through sheer force of will. Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia is also very vocal (in a very positive way) on the field always talking and encouraging his side both in attack and defence.

2024 will see Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia continue at Marsden SHS moving up to the Renouf Shield School Boy Rugby League competition.

I would think that regardless of what level of competition rugby league takes Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia to that he will be in a No. 7 jersey as a tough, feisty, competitive and combative, scheming half back.

I am going back a few years but a player with a similar playing style and skill attributes to Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia for me is former Penrith great, New Zealand Warrior, New South Wales State of Origin and Australian International Greg Alexander.

Both Alexander and Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia make the task of managing the game plan and directing their team around the field from the half back (or five eight) position look easy and natural and both seemingly have as much time as they need to accomplish the required task expertly. Also both Alexander and Te Aoturoa Pirangi-Pokaia can exploit even the smallest gaps in the defensive line with electric speed off the mark.

[mdrew]

Rico Ford. In 2023 Rico Ford attended PBC SHS and was a stand-out in the School Boy Rugby league Bronco’s Old Boys School Boy Rugby League competition including an outstanding performance in Round Seven against local rivals Keebra Park SHS amongst other impressive matches.

In August 2023 Rico Ford was named in the South Queensland Māori U14 Teina Representative squad and was subsequently named in the Queensland Māori Teina U14 squad.

In April 2023 Rico Ford played for E Tu at the New Zealand U13 Māori Championships with Rico Ford primarily operating at five eight. Then in late October 2023 Rico Ford was named in the New Zealand Māori U13 Representative side to play in the 2023 New Zealand Pasifika Youth Cup.

The 2023 U13 New Zealand Pasifika Youth Cup Grand Final saw Rico Ford start from the bench for New Zealand Māori against Tonga with Rico Ford coming off the bench to operate on the right side of the field at five eight in the 23rd minute.

Day One of the 2023 U13 Pasifika Youth Cup saw Rico Ford start at five eight for New Zealand Māori against the Cook Islands with Rico Ford having a huge match with Rico Ford kicking a 36th minute conversion from in front of the posts as well as recording four second half try assists.

Rico Ford recorded the first of his second half try assists in the 34th minute when after taking possession of the ball to the left of the dummy half eight metres from the try line Rico Ford executed a slight stutter step to his left before throwing a well weighted short pass to his left to put a straight charging Tipene Moyes into a gap and over to score four metres to the right of the goal posts.

Rico Ford added a second try assist in the 36th minute when after running onto the ball to the right of the play the ball forty metres out from the try line Rico Ford carried the ball ten metres to the thirty metre mark before passing inside to his right to his trailing fullback who ran through a gap that developed behind the play the ball as a result of the speed of Rico Ford’s run to score under the posts.

Rico Ford’s third try assist came in the 43rd minute and from deep inside his own territory. After receiving the ball to the left of a Māori scrum win thirty five metres from his won try line (Rico Ford did well to take the ball above his head) Rico Ford stepped off his left foot and simultaneously threw a short pass to his left to put his fullback through a big gap to race sixty metres to score next to the left goal post.

Rico Ford rounded out an impressive performance with a fourth try assist in the 46th minute when after running the ball own a short left blindside ran the ball to within six metres of the try line before trying a cut-out pass to his left to put his left winger on the outside of his direct opponent to score in the corner.

Also on Day One of the 2023 U13 Pasifika Youth Cup saw Rico Ford start at five eight and operate on the right side of the field for New Zealand Māori against Tonga.

In late 2023 Rico Ford was named in the New Era U13 side to play the U13 Velocity All Stars with Rico Ford starting at five eight and recording a try assist in the 17th minute when after taking possession of the ball to the left of the dummy half twelve metres from the try line, Rico Ford ran the ball to within eight metres of the try line before throwing a cut-out pass to his left to put his left centre over to score in the corner.

In late 2023 Rico Ford was named in the Coomera Chiefs 2024 U14 Boys Oztag team for the 2024 Queensland State Oztag Championships.

Rico Ford was named in the 2022 QRSS U12 Rugby League Boys Representative Team after representing South Coast at the 2022 Queensland U12 Rugby League Championships.

Rico Ford just has a great passing game in all aspects, he has a very good long passing game and can get the ball out to his centres quickly and Rico Ford is equally adept at taking the ball to the line and delivering a short pass to hole running backrowers just as the defence is converging on him. There just is not a pass that Rico Ford cannot throw with timing, precision and results.

Rico Ford gets a very good spiral on the ball from both sides of his body and leads his outside attackers into the ball, enabling them to maintain the momentum of their run upon receipt of the ball.

A key attribute to how Rico Ford plays is his ability to organise and direct his team around the field as well as adjusting his game to the specific situations within a game and the required game plan.

Rico Ford is not necessarily the quickest five eight running around but he does have some reasonable speed off the mark, which is complemented by the fact that he runs at the right moment, for example when he is drifting across field he will dummy and run when defenders anticipate the pass rather than focussing on him running the ball. Rico Ford’s running skills compliment his ability to put runners into holes rather than the other way around.

Rico Ford’s attacking and tactical kicking game is very accurate, and even though he is not a big player he can generate very good distance on his kicks whilst at the same time not losing any accuracy, thus he finds the ground for a lot of his kicks. Rico Ford can also kick pin point bombs, allowing plenty of time for his chasers to get to the ball as it is coming down close to the try line.

Rico Ford is also a solid goal kicker but I have not seen enough of him taking goal kicks to have an opinion as to whether he can be a front line kicker for his side moving forward.

Where Rico Ford projects very well is in the defensive aspects of rugby league, in essence he is a very good defender for the half back or five eight position, this includes against opposing halves who will try to use footwork and evasion to beat him or against big wide running forwards. No matter who is running at him, Rico Ford’s timing, strength, lateral movement and technique are all well above average even verging on plus, not just for his position but for his age group and competition level in general.

Rico Ford’s defence is an area that stands out when you watch him play in person. Rico Ford from my perspective at least defends like a second rower, which means his team’s defensive strategy can be accommodated to account for the fact that a “defensive minder” is not a critical requirement for any team that has Rico Ford defending in the front line.

2024 will see Rico Ford move up to the School Boy Rugby League Renouf Shield competition with PBC SHS.

Positionally Rico Ford, in 2023 played primarily at five eight and lock and has exceptional potential at both positions.

Rico Ford, with his ability to run the ball and his ball playing ability to be a great link between his forwards and backs, looks an ideal modern day rugby league lock.

From an NRL player comparison perspective for Rico Ford think along the lines of someone like Souths Sydney Rabbitohs and New South Wales State of Origin lock Cameron Murray. Like Murray, Rico Ford is developing into a very solid ball playing lock or five eight who can pop a short pass to his supports both prior to the line and when engaged with the defensive line as well as running the ball effectively himself as well.

[mdrew]

Tyson Tai. In 2023 Tyson Tai lined up for Logan Brothers in the BJRL U13 Division One competition with Tyson Tai starting the majority of his matches at hooker although Tyson Tai started at lock in Round Four against Redcliffe and at five eight in Week One of the Finals also against the Redcliffe Dolphins.

In the 2023 BJRL U13 Division One competition Tyson Tai scored ten tries and kicked twenty conversions for an individual points haul of sixty points.

Tyson Tai scored a hat trick in Round Nine against Carina and also scored doubles in Round Eleven against Redcliffe and Round Twelve against the Albany Creek Crushers. Tyson Tai also scored in Round One against Greenbank, Round Eight against the Norths Devils and Round Thirteen against the Souths Acacia Ridge Magpies.

Tyson Tai also kicked six conversions against Souths in Round Six, four conversions in Round Eight against Norths and kicked two conversions on three occasions being against Greenbank in Round One, Carina in Round Nine and Easts in Round Ten.

In May 2023 Tyson Tai was named in the Brisbane Junior Rugby U14 Representative squad.

In late 2023 Tyson Tai was named in the New Era U13 side to play the U13 Velocity All Stars with Tyson Tai coming off the bench mid-way through the first half.

In 2022 Tyson Tai was named in the QRSS U12 School Boy Rugby League Boys Representative Team after representing Met East out of Marsden SHS.

Tyson Tai also played rugby in 2022 with Tyson Tai playing “up” in the BJRU U13 Division One competition for the Logan Saints, including starting at inside centre (No. 12) against the Ipswich Rangers.

2022 also saw Tyson Tai named in the U13 Brisbane Junior Rugby Representative side for the Queensland Junior Rugby State Championships.

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

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

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

Like when he has the ball in his hands, there is nothing that Tyson Tai cannot do in relation to kicking the ball. Tyson Tai is an exceptional tactical kicker with range and accuracy, he can put up pin point bombs and perfectly weighted grubber kicks into the in goal. In short if you can name a type of rugby or rugby league kick, including goal kicking, Tyson Tai can execute it with precision.

Defensively Tyson Tai is a very strong young man with exceptional functional strength to go along with an innate understanding of the attacking strategies of rugby league thus he is able to anticipate what an attacking side is looking to do with the ball and then be in the best position to negate it. Tyson Tai has a very good low tackling technique which is simple and repeatable and effective against all size opponents and thus there is no need for a defensive minder on his side of the field.

2024 will see Tyson Tai line-up for Marsden SHS in the School Boy Rugby League Renouf Shield competition as well as continue to play for the Logan Saints in the BJRU U14 Division One competition and Logan Brothers I the GBJRL U14 Division One competition.

Tyson Tai is a five eight on a rugby league field, pure and simple. Put simply the more that Tyson Tai has the ball in his hands the better for him and his team mates. Few players can do the absolute extra-ordinary in a rugby league field, Tyson Tai may just end up as one of the few that can do it on a regular basis. Tyson Tai is going to be a high quality match winner, end of story.

Tyson Tai is also already a very handy goal kicker, already possessing length and accuracy with his conversion attempts. On more than a few occasions in 2022 Tyson Tai converted tries from literally right on the sideline.

For me Tyson Tai has the size, strength, speed and power of South Sydney Rabbitohs, former Canberra Raiders and New South Wales State of Origin and Australian International five eight Jack Weighton with the guile and silky ball playing skills of South Sydney Rabbitohs and New South Wales State of Origin five eight Cody Walker. Tyson Tai has the potential to be a very special rugby league player, a very special one indeed.

[mdrew]

Sammy Samson. Sammy Samson is still on the very young side but in 2023 Marsden SHS got a very talented young rugby league and rugby player in Sammy Samson who joined the Titans partnered Marsden SHS Rugby League Excellence Program.

Sammy Samson played in the School Boy Rugby League Bronco’s Old Boys competition for Marsden SHS including starting in the 2023 Grand Final at five eight against Mabel Park SHS.

After the completion of the 2023 School Boy Rugby League Season Sammy Samson was named on the bench in the 2023 Marsden SHS Rugby League of the Year with Sammy Samson also named the Marsden SHS Bronco’s Old Boys School Boy Rugby League Best Back.

In May 2023 Sammy Samson was also named in the Brisbane Junior Rugby U13 Representative squad.

In 2022 Sammy Samson played for the Logan Saints in the BJRU U13 Division One Rugby competition with Sammy Samson starting at No. 10 (fly half) in the Saints Grand Final victory against the Ipswich Rangers. In 2022 for the Logan Saints, Sammy Samson formed a potent right sided combination with open side flanker (No. 7) Kingzen Lefono.

2022 also saw Sammy Samson named in the U13 Brisbane Junior Rugby Representative side for the Queensland Junior Rugby State Championships.

Sammy Samson just has a great passing game in all aspects, he has a very good long passing game and can get the ball out to his centres quickly and Sammy Samson is equally adept at taking the ball to the line and delivering a short pass to hole running backrowers just as the defence is converging on him. There just is not a pass that Sammy Samson cannot throw with timing, precision and results.

Sammy Samson gets a very good spiral on the ball from both sides of his body and leads his outside attackers into the ball, enabling them to maintain the momentum of their run upon receipt of the ball.

A key attribute to how Sammy Samson plays is his ability to organise and direct his team around the field as well as adjusting his game to the specific situations within a game and the required game plan.

Sammy Samson is not necessarily the quickest five eight running around but he does have some reasonable speed off the mark, which is complemented by the fact that he runs at the right moment, for example when he is drifting across field he will dummy and run when defenders anticipate the pass rather than focussing on him running the ball. Sammy Samson’s running skills compliment his ability to put runners into holes rather than the other way around.

Sammy Samson’s attacking and tactical kicking game is very accurate, and even though he is not a big player he can generate very good distance on his kicks whilst at the same time not losing any accuracy, thus he finds the ground for a lot of his kicks. Sammy Samson can also kick pin point bombs, allowing plenty of time for his chasers to get to the ball as it is coming down close to the try line.

Sammy Samson is also a solid goal kicker but I have not seen enough of him taking goal kicks to have an opinion as to whether he can be a front line kicker for his side moving forward.

Where Sammy Samson projects very well is in the defensive aspects of rugby league, in essence he is a very good defender for the half back or five eight position, this includes against opposing halves who will try to use footwork and evasion to beat him or against big wide running forwards. No matter who is running at him, Sammy Samson’s timing, strength, lateral movement and technique are all well above average even verging on plus, not just for his position but for his age group and competition level in general.

Sammy Samson’s defence is an area that stands out when you watch him play in person. Sammy Samson from my perspective at least defends like a second rower, which means his team’s defensive strategy can be accommodated to account for the fact that a “defensive minder” is not a critical requirement for any team that has Sammy Samson defending in the front line.

2024 will see Sammy Samson move up to the School Boy Rugby League Renouf Shield competition with Marsden SHS.

With his elite ball playing skills and also his ability to run the ball when he identifies even the smallest gap or hesitation by a defender in the defensive line, Sammy Samson shapes as an outstanding junior rugby league five eight prospect.

With his size and ball playing skills, for me Sammy Samson has the playing style similar to Manly Sea Eagles second rower Josh Schuster who was also a former junior rugby league representative level five eight for New South Wales U16 and U18 junior age representative sides.

Both Schuster and Sammy Samson are big and strong enough to handle the rigours of playing in the forwards but both also have the ball skills to regularly unlock defences with subtlety and sleight of hand that will no doubt catch defenders off guard if they are not concentrating intently on their defensive duties.

One point of separation between Schuster and Sammy Samson is that Sammy Samson does not look to throw the no look passes that Schuster throws. Those type of passes may look spectacular but they are prone to error. The difference is that Sammy Samson is a stickler for attention to detail, and his only focus is to put his support runners in the best possible position to exploit the room afforded to them by Sammy Samson. Sammy Samson is not worried about how a pass looks, he is only worried about how effective his pass is.

[mdrew]

Jason Woibo. The young rugby league and rugby front rower currently attends the Titans partnered Rockhampton Grammar School.

From club rugby league perspective in 2023 Jason Woibo played for the Rocky Tigers in the Rockhampton Junior Rugby League U15 competition with Jason Woibo starting all of his matches for the Tigers in the front row.

Jason Woibo scored on four occasions being against Brothers White in Round Seven, Emu park in Round Eight, Brothers Blue in Round Eleven and Norths in Round Twelve.

2023 saw Jason Woibo play his first season of rugby with Jason Woibo making an immediate impression in the front row including being named in the Queensland Reds Rugby U15 Regional Representative side.

Jason Woibo is a solidly built young front rower with a low centre of gravity, which makes him quite difficult to tackle as he is also adept at dropping his shoulder into defenders as he impacts the defensive line. There is not a great deal of subtlety to his game, he runs straight and hard, with the only concession to this being a slight step off his left foot in occasion prior to impacting the defensive line.

One thing that Jason Woibo does do will however is continuing to pump his legs once his initial momentum is halted by the defensive line, Jason Woibo makes more metres than he should as a result and also forces defending teams to commit multiple defensive assets to stopping his progress. Jason Woibo does not have a real off load to his attacking game, but that is not his role, Jason Woibo’s role is to take the ball into the heart of the opposition’s defensive line on every run and make as many metres as possible.

For a player of his size and position Jason Woibo actually has decent speed off the mark but obviously does not necessarily have great top end speed. Jason Woibo shows flashes of the ability to off load the football when engaged with the defensive line but it is not a skill attribute that you see often not are you likely to into the future as that his not his primary role on a rugby league team.

When Jason Woibo hits you, you stay hit, due to his height he is able to drive into the ribs of larger forwards and as his centre of gravity is usually lower than that of the person that he is defending against he is able to negatively impact on their momentum and balance and bring them to ground very quickly and is strong enough to win the wrestle and slow the play the ball down to allow his sides defensive line to re-establish itself before the opposition run their next play.

2024 will see Jason Woibo U16 eligible with Jason Woibo also continuing to play for Rockhampton Grammar School both rugby and rugby league in 2024.

Jason Woibo is a front rower in both rugby and rugby league, pure and simple.

From a player comparison perspective for Jason Woibo, I would consider that a player with a similar build and a similar playing style is former North Queensland Cowboys, Queensland and Australian front rower Matt Scott as a big strong front rower who is not flashy but works hard to put his team on the front foot through gaining ground through the centre of the ruck, a lot of which are post contact metres and a quick play the ball.

[mdrew]

Trei Heterick. In late September 2023 Trei Heterick was named in the 2024 Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup squad.

In late 2022 Trei Heterick commenced training with the 2022 Titans U14 Group 18 Academy squad. In early December 2022 Trei Heterick played for the Titans U14 Group 18 Academy side in a trial match against the Titans U14 Group One Academy side at Ballina with both sides wearing Titan’s jerseys in a great initiative by the Titans JTS staff.

2022 saw Trei Heterick play for the Murwillumbah Colts in the Group 18 U14 competition and the halfback was named the 2022 Murwillumbah Colts U14 Best Back at the Colts annual presentation day.

Trei Heterick takes control of his team as soon as they gain possession with Trei Heterick in total control of where, when and how his team attacks the opposition’s defensive line with Trei Heterick moving his team around the field like he is playing a game of chess with invariably Trei Heterick multiple moves ahead of his opponent.

You name a type of rugby league pass and Trei Heterick can throw it, Trei Heterick can take the ball to the line and set up a support runner, he can bring a forward back underneath him and Trei Heterick can also throw an outstanding hard flat cut out pass to his outside backs when he sees that they have gained position outside their opposite number with the accuracy of Trei Heterick’s pass leading his team mate onto the ball with no loss of momentum.

Trei Heterick is not the longest kicker of the ball but he is a very accurate kicker and regularly finds the ground with his tactical kicks, enabling his team mates to get downfield prior to the opposition fullback generating too much momentum and to be fair Trei Heterick more often than not is the first Colts player downfield to defend the kick return.

Trei Heterick is also a smart attacking kicker of the ball with depth and accuracy on his cross fields bombs and deception and feel when putting a grubber kick into the in-goal. Trei Heterick is particularly adept is grubber kicking the ball back across his body as he takes the ball deep into the defensive line thus putting doubt into the opposition as to whether Trei Heterick will run the ball himself or ultimately put in a grubber kick.

From an attacking perspective Trei Heterick is rarely rushed in his decision making with Trei Heterick smartly able to work through his options with Trei Heterick rarely if ever taking the wrong option in a match in an attacking or kicking context.

From a defensive perspective Trei Heterick is like a defensive quarterback in terms of directing his team mates in their defensive structure and Trei Heterick also determines his team line speed from the edge of the ruck. Defensively in his own right, Trei Heterick has a solid and repeatable low tackling technique with Trei Heterick certainly not lacking courage when a big forward runs directly at him on the fringes of the ruck.

From a personal perspective Trei Heterick has a solid low tackling technique with the appropriate head placement and Trei Heterick also looking to come over the top to restrict his opponent’s ability to off-load the ball when they run at him on the edges of the ruck.

2024 will see Trei Heterick continue playing for the Murwillumbah Colts in the Group 18 U16 competition with Trei Heterick commencing the 2024 season as part of the Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup squad.

Trei Heterick is a halfback, end of discussion. With his intelligence and ability to organise and control his team and direct them around the field Trei Heterick will wear the No. 7 jersey in every rugby league match that he will play. Trei Heterick I believe would also make a smart dummy half but there is no need to move Trei Heterick from the halfback position either now or in the foreseeable future, if ever.

I would consider that that Manly Sea Eagles, Queensland State of Origin and Australian International captain and halfback Daly Cherry-Evans has a playing style akin to that of Trei Heterick, being of a skilled player with a very good all round kicking game to compliment his other game management skills. Add to that a decent step and average to slightly above average speed and you have a player in Trei Heterick with a wide range of skills at his disposal and one that makes the players around him better both individually and as a collective.

[mdrew]

Flynn Laffranchi. The young man is the son of former Titan and current Titans NRL manager Anthony and the young brother of Titans contracted front rower Oscar Laffranchi, but unlike his father and older brother, Flynn Laffranchi is not a solidly built front rower or second rower but a quick stepping and elusive play making five eight or halfback.

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

Flynn Laffranchi started the trial at five eight for Titans White against Titans Blue and in the 13th minute after receiving an off-load from his left sixteen metres from the try line Flynn Laffranchi stepped inside off his right foot to come close to come close to scoring only to be tackled less than a metre from the try line next to the right goal post.

Then in the 23rd minute Flynn Laffranchi took possession of the ball to the right of the play the ball on the halfway mark and after dummying to his right Flynn Laffranchi was able to promote the ball a further ten metres.

Flynn Laffranchi played Oztag in 2023 with Flynn Laffranchi named in the 2023 Super Series Queensland Rebels U14 Representative squad. Flynn Laffranchi was also named in the 2023 Queensland Schools Oztag Year Ten Boys All Stars School Merit Team.

In late 2023 Flynn Laffranchi was named in the Miami 2024 U15 Boys Oztag team for the 2024 Queensland State Oztag Championships.

In 2022 Flynn Laffranchi played for the Burleigh Bears in the GCRL U13 Division One competition including starting for the Bears in the 2022 Grand Final against the Coomera Cutters with Flynn Laffranchi scoring in the 35th minute when Flynn Laffranchi stepped his way through numerous members of the Coomera forward pack from ten metres out and to the left of the play the ball to get the ball down under the posts with a defender trying to vain to prise the ball free of his grasp as Flynn Laffranchi got the ball down much to his and his team mates delight.

In early 2023 Flynn Laffranchi was named in the 2023 Palm Beach Stingrays U14 Touch side to compete in the Titans Junior Touch Series Events as well as the 2023 Junior State Cup to be held in Rockhampton. In 2022 Flynn Laffranchi was also a South Coast School Boy Touch Representative Player out of Marymount College on the Gold Coast.

Quick stepping and intuitive are two attributes that you can immediately attribute to Flynn Laffranchi when he see him play for the first time. Whilst Flynn Laffranchi projects as an organising type of halfback, he can certainly exploit holes in an opposition defensive line or defenders that at slow to cover across field himself by way of the ability to step exceptionally well of either foot and I am talking a Shaun Johnson like side step.

I used the term intuitive above and that stands out when Flynn Laffranchi is taking the ball at the defensive line. Unfortunately these days it appears that some coaches are almost “over-coaching” their halves and five eights are requiring them to stick to the nominated game plan no matter what.

What I like about Flynn Laffranchi however is that as he is running the ball at the defensive line with the ball out in front of his body in both hands, if he sees an opportunity to either run the ball himself as defences “cheat out” to engage his outside support runners, or grubber for himself in behind the defensive line, he will take it. Of course halves or five eights must only execute that type of play judicially and from what I have seen that is exactly what Flynn Laffranchi does.

From a kicking perspective Flynn Laffranchi is a solid tactical kicker with decent range and accuracy with Flynn Laffranchi also able to progress through his kicking procedures quickly to reduce the prospect of his kick being charged down. Flynn Laffranchi excels though from an attacking kicking perspective with Flynn Laffranchi able to put the ball exactly on target whether he is putting in a short grubber kick into the in-goal or a chip kick designed to come down onto the head of a defender right on the try line.

Defensively Flynn Laffranchi holds up well on the fringes of the ruck against larger forwards running directly at him as a result of a solid front on defensive technique and strong functional strength. Flynn Laffranchi commits immediately to making the necessary tackle and is adept at bringing the attacker to the ground as quickly and efficiently as possible. Flynn Laffranchi is not a defender who is going to make many dominant tackles, but he makes the ones that are needed to be made against opposition attackers eight his own size and larger forwards efficiently and effectively.

2024 will see Flynn Laffranchi continue to play for the Burleigh Bears with Flynn Laffranchi moving up to the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League U15 Division One competition. Flynn Laffranchi will also play for Marymount College in 2024 in their various School Boy Rugby League competitions, including the well represented Titans Cup School Boy Rugby League Competition.

Flynn Laffranchi is a talented ball player and is a very good side stepper in traffic and thus Flynn Laffranchi is likely to continue to operate at either halfback or five eight for the foreseeable future. Flynn Laffranchi also seems such a calm and assured player and therefore being one of team’s primary play makers in pressure situations will not faze him at all.

With his ability to quickly determine whether to run or pass, I can see aspects of how North Queensland Cowboy and Queensland State of Origin half Tom Dearden plays in relation to Flynn Laffranchi. Both Dearden and Flynn Laffranchi have the ability to move across the field and either draw a player out of the defensive line and pass to a support runner or slice between two defenders and break the defensive line himself.

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Will Sheridan. Round One of the 2023 NRRRL U18 season saw Will Sheridan start from the bench for the Byron Bay Devils against the Murwillumbah Mustangs with Will Sheridan operating on the right side of the field when he came off the bench.

Will Sheridan was also named on the bench in Round Three against the Tweed Coast Raiders with Will Sheridan coming onto the field to operate on the left side of the field late in the first half with Will Sheridan doing well in the 42nd minute with a run out of dummy half to his left with Will Sheridan making eighteen metres down to within twenty two metres of the try line.

Will Sheridan also came off the bench in Round Four against the Cudgen Hornets with Will Sheridan scoring in the 25th minute with a run out of dummy half to his left from close range with Will Sheridan twisting clockwise to get the ball down three metres to the left of the uprights.

Will Sheridan came close to scoring a second try in the 36th minute when from twenty three metres out from the try line Will Sheridan ran to his left out of dummy half and after breaking four tackles Will Sheridan got to within less than a metre from the try line eight metres to the left of the uprights.

A minute earlier in the 24th minute Will Sheridan made a line break from five metres inside his own territory Will Sheridan ran to his right out of dummy half with Will Sheridan then stepping off his right foot to beat one defender with a left arm fend then beating a second. Will Sheridan then pushed past two more defenders and then when he was twelve metres inside Hornets territory Will Sheridan got an off-load away to his right.

Will Sheridan also started from the bench in Round Five against the Tweed Heads Seagulls coming onto the field in the 22nd minute to operate at dummy half with Will Sheridan making a smart run out of dummy half to his right from four metres inside Seagulls territory making fourteen metres in the 36th minute.

Will Sheridan started Round Seven against the Lower Clarence Magpies at lock with Will Sheridan scoring the first of his two tries in the 13th minute when after receiving the ball from his left nine metres out from the try line and to the right of the play the ball and after receiving the ball whilst stationary, Will Sheridan subtly glanced to his right before exploding off the mark to outwit two defenders and score under the posts.

Will Sheridan then scored his second try of the match in the 50th minute when from the right of the play the ball and ten metres from the try line, Will Sheridan after receiving the ball from his left ran to his right and just to the right of the uprights Will Sheridan straightened up his run and whilst being tackled was able to reach out with the ball in his right hand to get the ball down as he was being spun onto his back three metres to the right of the uprights.

Will Sheridan then started at lock in Round Eight against Northern United.

Will Sheridan continued at lock in Round Nine against the Mullumbimby Giants with Will Sheridan scoring in the 48th minute when after running out of dummy half to his right down a short right blindside from sixteen metres out, Will Sheridan stepped off his left foot to beat one defender before using a right arm fend to beat a second with Will Sheridan then backing his way towards the try line, Will Sheridan reached out with the ball in his right hand to get the ball down four metres in from the right corner post.

Will Sheridan also started at lock in Round Ten against the Kyogle Turkeys with Will Sheridan scoring in the 38th minute when with the play the ball seventeen metres out, Will Sheridan ran out of dummy half to his right down a short blindside and after being hit by three defenders nine metres out Will Sheridan spun away from them clockwise before crashing into three defenders on the try line, this time spinning counter clockwise to get the ball down ten metres in from the right corner post.

Will Sheridan almost scored a second try in the 50th minute when after running out of dummy half from sixteen metres out, Will Sheridan looked to have dived over to score in the left corner but the referee ruled that Will Sheridan had lost possession of the ball just prior to the try line.

Will Sheridan continued at lock in Round Eleven against the Casino Cougars.

Will Sheridan then started from the bench in Round Twelve against the Ballina Seagulls with Will Sheridan coming onto the field in the 20th minute.

Will Sheridan then moved to left centre in Round Fourteen against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

Will Sheridan then continued at left centre in Round Sixteen against the Ballina Seagulls with Will Sheridan making a line break in the 3rd minute when after running out of dummy half to his right from twenty two metres out from his own try line, Will Sherdna broke two tackles to break into open space before being dragged to ground twenty six metres out from the try line near the right touchline.

Will Sheridan also started at left centre in the Week One Elimination Final against Northern United with Will Sheridan running the ball to the right of a Devils scrum win from forty six metres from the try line to thirty metres out with approximately 60% of the metres that Will Sheridan gained being post contact with the defensive line.

Will Sheridan then moved to right centre in the Week Two Elimination Final against the Bilambil Jets with Will Sheridan making a line break in the 16th minute when whilst defending twenty metres out from his own try line Will Sheridan trapped a Bilambil grubber kick with his left foot and after picking up the ball Will Sheridan ran down the right touchline before being brought to ground thirty metres out from the try line at the opposite end of the field.

Earlier in the 11th minute Will Sheridan took a penalty tap restart on the halfway and ran the ball to within thirty seven metres of the try line.

2023 also saw Will Sheridan continue to play for Byron Bay Lennox Head in the Group 18 U16 competition with Will Sheridan starting at five eight in the Grand Final against the Murwillumbah Colts.

After the completion of the 2023 season Will Sheridan was named the 2023 Byron Bay Lennox Head International Player of the Year.

The young man who started at five eight in the Group 18 U15 Grand Final victory for Byron Bay/Lennox Head over the Murwillumbah Colts, played for a Titans Invitational U15 NRRRL selection in a match against a Titans U14 JTS squad in September 2022 and whilst the Titans U14 side won the match, Will Sheridan was one of a number of strong performers for the NRRRL U15 Titans Invitational side as they more than held their own for long portions of the match.

Will Sheridan is not necessarily the quickest half running around but he does have some reasonable speed off the mark, which is complemented by the fact that Will Sheridan runs at the right moment, for example when he is drifting across field he will dummy and run when defenders anticipate the pass rather than focussing on him running the ball. Will Sheridan’s ability to put runners into holes complements his ability to run with the ball and will continue to do so into the future.

Will Sheridan’s defence for a five eight is very good for a smaller player. Will Sheridan is a hard hitter and can defend effectively one on one against far larger forwards, Will Sheridan sets a good base with his lower body and explodes upwards with his shoulders into his opponent and is also very good at slowing the play the ball down. Will Sheridan’s intensity means that Will Sheridan will track the play across and thus is in a good position when the ball is passed back inside or a break wider out is made.

In 2024 Will Sheridan will continue to play for the Byron Bay Devils in the NRRRL U18 competition.

I can see Will Sheridan staying at five eight in the long term in relation to his rugby league career. With his ability to see the entire field and be able to put players into gaps as a result, Will Sheridan looks like a real play maker of the future.
From an NRL player comparison perspective, I think that the play of New Zealand International and new Titan five eight Kieran Foran is a good comparison for Will Sheridan, as a strong running and ball playing five eight with very under rated play making skills. Also like Foran, Will Sheridan is also a very solid defender on the fringes of the ruck against any size opponent who chooses to run at him.

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

Lyric Poto started the trial at left centre for Titans White against Titans Blue with Lyric Poto swapping to right centre mid-way through the first half.

Lyric Poto did well in the 12th minute when after picking up a dropped ball by Titans Blue Lyric Poto was able to carry the ball from ten metres inside his own territory to three metres into Titans Blue territory. Then in the 15th minute from the left of the play the ball ran the ball through the centre of the field from thirty one metres from his own try line to forty three metres out.

Lyric Poto played for the Runaway Bay Seagulls in 2023 in the GCRL U14 Division One competition including starting at right centre in the Seagulls 19 – 18 extra time Grand Final victory against the Coomera Cutters and in the 12th minute from a Runaway Bay penalty restart Lyric Poto executed three right foot steps in lightening quick succession to carry the ball from twenty eight metres from the try line to within ten metres with Lyric Poto breaking three tackles on his winding journey towards the try line.

In extra time in the 65th minute after receiving an off-load thirty metres out from the try line, Lyric Poto stepped his way to within seventeen metres of the try lien and executed a lightning quick play the ball.

Lyric Poto also started at left centre in the Week Three Preliminary Final against the Burleigh Bears with Lyric Poto running out of dummy half to his right in the 9th minute to carry the ball from the halfway mark to thirty six metres out from the try line. Then in the 16th minute from the right of a Runaway Bay scrum win Lyric Poto was able to get the ball from five metres inside his own territory to twelve metres into Burleigh territory.

Lyric Poto also started left centre in the Week Two Final against the Southport Tigers with Lyric Poto scoring in the 38th minute when after receiving a looping pass from his right from Ezrah Tangianu, Lyric Poto cut inside off his left foot to wrong foot a number of defenders to score mid-way between the goal posts and corner post on the left side of the field.

In the 3rd minute of the match Lyric Poto made a line break down the left touchline to get the ball from forty five metres out from the try line to twenty eight metres out. Then in the 8th minute Lyric Poto ran the ball down the left channel after receiving a cut-out pass from his inside with Lyric Poto running the ball from thirty five metres out to thirteen metres from the try line.

Also in the 14th minute Lyric Poto ran out of dummy half to his right on the halfway mark with Lyric Poto able to get the ball to within thirty seven metres of the try line. Then in the 32nd minute from a Runaway Bay penalty restart Lyric Poto promoted the ball from twenty metres out from his own try line to forty two metres out with Lyric Poto breaking three tackles along his journey.

Round One of the 2023 GCRL U14 Division One competition saw Lyric Poto start at fullback for the Runaway Bay Seagulls against the Southport Tigers with Lyric Poto scoring in the 5th minute when after taking possession of the ball to the left of a Runaway Bay scrum win sixteen metres out from the try line, Lyric Poto ran to his left before stepping off his right foot to beat one defender and when five metres out from the try line, Lyric Poto stepped back towards the goal posts off his left foot with Lyric Poto then darting over to score under the posts.

Lyric Poto also made a line break in the 43rd minute when after fielding a Southport kick near his left touchline twenty five metres out from his try line, Lyric Poto ran to his right and after stepping off his left foot on two occasions, Lyric Poto straightened up and was able to carry the ball to the opposite end of the field and thirty five metres out from the try line.

Lyric Poto also scored in Round Five against the Helensvale Hornets when in the 5th minute whilst operating at fullback Lyric Poto recovered a Hornets clearing kick on the bounce five metres inside his own territory in the centre of the field and after turning towards the Helensvale chasers, Lyric Poto ran the ball to his left and after getting on the outside of the Helensvale right winger, Lyric Poto charged down the left touchline with Lyric Poto then brushing past the Hornets fullback to put the ball down three metres in from the left corner post.

Lyric Poto also recorded a try assist against the Helensvale Hornets in Round Nine when after starting the match at left centre Lyric Poto drew the Hornets right winger after got the ball away to his left winger from five metres out to score in the left corner.

Lyric Poto then scored a double in Round Ten against the Burleigh Bears with Lyric Poto playing at left centre.

Both of Lyric Poto’s tries in the 37th and 44th minute in many respects were very similar, in both cases Lyric Poto scored in the left corner after an approximate ten metre run and on both occasions Lyric Poto received the ball from his right in space after Seagulls left second rower Jack Hamilton had drawn the defence to him and off-loaded to his left Lyric Poto.

2023 also saw Lyric Poto selected in the Queensland Samoa U14 representative side for the 2023 Annual QPICC Cultural Carnival with Lyric Poto named on the wing in Round One against PEGA U14 Invitational.

Lyric Poto also started on the wing in Round Two against the Cooks Islands, Round Three against Queensland PNG and Round Four against Queensland Māori.

Lyric Poto also started on the wing in Queensland Samoa’s Semi-Final against Queensland Niue with Lyric Poto scoring as Samoa progressed to the Grand Final.

The 2023 QPICC U16 Grand Final saw Lyric Poto start on the wing for Queensland Samoa against the Cook Island in a tough 10 – 4 Grand Final loss with Lyric Poto being Samoa’s try scorer in the match.

2023 also saw Lyric Poto selected in the Met East School Boy Rugby u15 side for the Queensland School Boy Rugby Championships with Lyric Poto starting on the right wing in all of Met East’s matches including their 3rd against 4th play-off victory over Sunshine Coast. In the Championships Lyric Poto also started on the right wing in other matches against Capricornia, Wide Bay, Peninsula and the South Coast.

Lyric Poto is just a smooth mover, he can create for himself or others and if a defensive line does not chase a kick in one straight line the young Kiwi flyer will simply cut them apart. Lyric Poto ’s speed is in the plus plus category and when accompanied with exceptional body control and balance he is a handful for defensives especially when the defensive line is not set.

Just like his explosive speed off the mark, Lyric Poto ’s body and body control are in the plus plus category as is his ability to step off both feet and can, just like Benji Marshall in his heyday, step multiple times in a small time frame and area to change both his direction and momentum as well as defenders.

Lyric Poto also has exceptional hands when defending against kicks especially when low short attacking kicks are put in, Lyric Poto attacks the ball at full speed aiming to get there prior to the arrival of the attacks and look to make ground while the opposition are still in an attacking mode.

Defensively Lyric Poto is more than strong enough to confront any attacker who has broken through the initial defensive line and if he is caught out of position has dynamic closing speed to address this situation. When a break has been made, Lyric Poto ’s primary objective is to more forward to reduce the time available for the attacker to work through is options.

Lyric Poto is also effective at maintaining his composure and taking the player with the ball and not fall for any dummies, he makes an opposing team earn the ground that they make.

2024 will see Lyric Poto continue at the Runaway Bay Seagulls in the Gold Coast Rugby League U15 Division One competitition and U15 School Boy U15 Rugby League and Rugby Met East Representative honours is also definitely on the cards for Lyric Poto in the 2024 out of Marsden SHS.

Postulating Lyric Poto’s best position was an interesting assignment, legitimately a case could be made that Lyric Poto’s best position could either be at fullback or in the centres, but just be a mere fraction I think that ultimately Lyric Poto will settle in the fullback position. Certainly at fullback and in the centres in 2023 for Runaway Bay Lyric Poto was outstanding.

Simply put Lyric Poto looks like he is gliding across the field, Lyric Poto also has an extra gear to accelerate to and Lyric Poto literally just explodes through gaps in the defensive line. When he is either returning a kick or hunting around the centre of the ruck looking for an off load, Lyric Poto just accelerates to full speed in a split second and leaves multiple defenders grasping at thin air regularly whether it is in relation to rugby league or rugby.

From my perspective, a talented, unselfish attacking player with similar attributes to Lyric Poto is North Queensland Cowboys and former Melbourne Storm fullback Scott Drinkwater. Like Drinkwater, Lyric Poto has great acceleration to go along with a wicked sidestep off both feet, and the play making skills to make opposition teams pay if defences look to focus too much on him rather than his support runners or if individual defenders come out of the line too quickly.
Also like Drinkwater, Lyric Poto has the skill set to play multiple positions, including fullback, centre and five eight and play them very effectively over the course of a match or season.