My take on our top juniors

[mdrew]

Jordan Lee. The Titans really have a great junior club on their doorstep in the Ballina Seagulls and young backrower Jordan Lee is another one from the club that has already produced David Mead and Brian Kelly amongst others. The young backrower will be coming off the bench for the U16 East Coast Dolphins side against the Greater Northern Tigers U16 side this weekend and it should be a good battle in the back row up against the likes of Northern Tigers backrowers Max Altus (Farrer) and Bailey Lennox (Gunnedah) amongst others. For Ballina in the 2015 season he scored eight tries across 14 matches and a sign of consistency is that he did have any multiple try scoring games. He was also part of their Grand Final success against Casino RSM 26-14.

His style of play is that of a wide running back rower with what I would consider slightly above average speed for the position he plays and also taking into account his solid build. He is quick off the mark and can maintain his speed over a reasonable distance and also has a good fend and can step off both feet both in space and in tight situations. From what I have seen though his left foot step seems slightly quick and with more deception. The side step he has is not a big step but is quick and effective enough to keep defenders off balance when he is running the ball. Once his momentum is stopped, he will fight for a quick play the ball to maintain his team’s momentum, although on occasion he will rush the play the ball, but that will all come with experience and maturity.

Like a lot of talented young players he does not offload the ball too often, but that is more a product of the lack of necessity to do so, rather than an identifiable skills gap which needs to be addressed for him to progress and reach his potential as a player. As he progresses in club, school boy and representative rugby league he will no doubt continue to work on this aspect of his game as much out of necessity as well as a desire to improve as a player. For the dominant young players it is more the need to gain experience against the best opposition possible rather than strict coaching that is the key determinant for their progression as footballers.
He is a naturally aggressive defender whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his inherent natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can stop the momentum of opposing forwards on initial contact and targets the area around the chest after setting a solid base to project his momentum through his tackles. He also has reasonable lateral mobility and thus will not necessarily be over matched against smaller agile opponents. As noted he is an aggressive defender and looks to come off the defensive line quickly, he just on occasion needs to temper this and ensure that he does move up too early and give away penalties for being inside the ten metres.

In relation to this season he will play for Ballina in the U16.5 Group One competition and is a chance to also play some U18 matches in the NRRRL Nova Skills U18 competition. From a position perspective, I think that his hard working attitude and determination suites his current position in the back row perfectly.

From a player comparison perspective, someone with a similar playing style that could be used for a comparison perspective would be the Brisbane Broncos backrower Alex Glenn as a strong hard running, hard tackling aggressive and effective backrower who can play for 80 minutes without the need for a break on the interchange bench.

[mdrew]

Alec Cocking. He is a big strong young front rower from the North Tamworth in Group 4, who had a very good game in the Northern Tigers victory over the East Coast Tigers U18 in Armidale on Saturday including scoring two tries, including his sides opening try within the first five minutes. He was also part of the 2015 Greater Northern Tigers U16 side that won the NSW Country championships and has also represented Group 4 previously at the U14 and U14 level. With the Greater Northern Tigers success in 2015, he was selected in the NSW Country U16 side that toured New Zealand, starting his sides matches from the bench. In a game against an Auckland selection, he played against Titans linked New Zealand centre AJ Kepaoa. He is also part of the 2015/2016 Greater Northern Academy squad.

He plays his schoolboy rugby league for local school powerhouse Farrar Agricultural College and was in their squad for their GIO Cup campaign. In relation to club football, he played for Farrar in the Group 4 junior rugby league competition and started in the front row in their 26-12 grand final victory against Narrabri and also scored a try, he scored a double against Narrabri in the major semi-final also and across the regular season scored seven tries including doubles against Narrabri again and also Gunnedah.

Running with the football, he has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders when his side has decent field position. When he is taking the ball out of his own territory however, he literally just puts his head down and runs straight into the defensive line. He also is usually the player to take the first hit up from a kick up and winds up and runs straight and hard into the defensive line and regularly get the ball back to the 20 metre line.

He does not have great speed off the mark or necessary great high end speed, but he will work hard and make the most of his ability. He actually does have a decent off load when he has impacted the defensive line as well. The key to his running is his low centre of gravity, to go along with his foot work. These attributes make him very difficult to tackle and he can rarely be stopped one on one. He is also quite effective close to the try line where he is used as his teams lead runner, giving his half back the option of throwing him a flat pass if the opposition is sliding or passing out the back if the opposition defensive line compresses in the centre of the ruck.

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

This season he will play his U18 club football with North Tamworth in the Group 4 senior rugby league. North Tamworth has provided two members of the Titans current NYC squad in Cory Manicharos who scored on debut yesterday and also half Tye Barry who has played three matches in the NYC competition this season. He will also continue to play for Farrar in relation to school boy rugby league.

In relation to a long term position perspective, he has played exclusively in the front row in his young career and that situation is very unlikely to change as he moves towards senior football. He has another year of eligibility at the U18 level in 2017 and will likely get at least an opportunity to trial for an NYC contract at that stage taking into account he is likely to spend the majority of the 2017 season playing in the Group 4 1st grade competition. He does not necessarily have the prototypical build for a modern day NRL front rower in that he is probably a little shorter and solider than what appears to be the current trend but it should always be about how effective a player is rather than their “key measurables”

From a player comparison perspective, consider a comparison from a playing perspective style to young Newcastle Knights front rower Sam Mataora as a big strong young man, who if he continues to work hard on his mobility and stamina as he gains experience may be able to harness all of the physical and skill attributes that he has at his disposal. For people who watched the Knights match yesterday against the Wests Tigers, Mataora was very destructive early in the match.

[mdrew]

Koen Reiri. He is a powerful young front rower from the North Tamworth Bears junior rugby league club in the Group 4 region, who was one of the best players on the field for the Greater Northern Tigers U16 side in their close win against the East Coast Dolphins U16 side in Armidale on Saturday. Koen Reiri started from the bench but come on with the Tigers leading by only two points but for a 20 minutes stretch he was absolutely unstoppable scoring one try and setting up another and was a key reason for the Tigers stretching their lead to 20 in the second half, when he was spelled in the second half, the Dolphins came back to almost steal the match late. The 20 minute stretch was one breath taking, he was just everywhere causing all sort of damage.

In addition to representative football already this year with both Group 4 and the Greater Northern Tigers, he represented Group 4 in 2015 at the U15 level, including scoring a try against Group One and is also part of the 2015/2016 Greater Northern Academy. In relation to his club football, for the 2015 season he played for the North Tamworth Bears and was part of their grand final losing side which lost 34-6 to Farrar. Over the course of the season however he scored 10 tries and also kicked 10 goals for 60 points across the season. He finished third on both the try scoring and total points scoring list.

Running with the football, he has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders rather than trying to simply run over them. He does reasonably decent speed off the mark and that assists in his ability to hit the defensive line hard and with pace. He does not have another gear once through the defensive line but continues to pump his legs and fights for every metre. He has decent off load when he has impacted the defensive line as well. The key to his running is that he stays low and does not present himself to be an easy target for defences and will drop his shoulder into the defensive line, but his all out running style does mean he can fatigue reasonably quacking but regardless he can be absolutely devastating.

Defensively he hits very hard and usually aims for around the area where the upper edge of the ball is carried and in the match against the East Coast Dolphins lead to a number of dropped balls as his hits dislodged the ball from the ball carrier. He defends in the centre of the ruck and seems best suited in the long run defending there and adds a degree of intimidation to any forward pack he plays for. He really does know how to tackle effectively, as he sets a strong base to create the necessary leverage to defend against larger forwards and then explodes through his core with the kinetic effects transferring through his body into his opponent.

He will play this season with the North Tamworth Bears in the Group 4 junior rugby league competition at the U16 level and based on the match on Saturday against the East Coast Dolphins must be some sort of chance to be selected in the New South Wales country U16 side especially if the Greater Northern Tigers U16 side are able to repeat their 2015 success. He has seemingly played the majority of junior rugby league career in the front row but I think that if he continues to work hard on his mobility and fitness and career in the second row where he could be very effective running a little wider of the ruck may be on the cards. Regardless he is a powerful runner of the ball who will also comfortably put on a big hit if the opportunity presents.

From a player comparison perspective, I would suggest a perfect match from a playing style perspective would be former Melbourne Storm and Penrith Panther backrower Sika Manu, as a hard running and hard tackling forward. Every time I have seen him play he has stood out as an intense hard working player who just has something about him which suggests that he has a huge amount of untapped potential. Whether he is able to unlock that potential is the key question. I hope that he can as he is a young player that seems to have all of the necessary physical and skill attributes to be a special player.

[mdrew]

Daniel Adamson. He is a young backrower originally from Central Queensland who moved down to the Gold Coast in the off season for an opportunity with the Burleigh Bears after captaining in the Central Queensland Capras MM side in 2015. The Central Queensland side made the Queensland MM semi-finals before losing 28-22 to the Easts Tigers. Over the last couple of weeks he has broken into the Burleigh QCup Colts side, initially coming off the bench but in the last week or two has been promoted to the starting side including their weekend victory 28-16 against the Sunshine Coast falcons. The St Brendan’s College Yeppoon graduate, previously represented his school for Capricornia in the QSSRL U18 competition in 2014 and also the 2014 QISRL Confraternity Shield competition and played his club football for Yeppoon in the Rockhampton and Districts competition after growing up playing for the Moura Tigers junior club.

He is a wide hard running backrower who is impressive at running good lines on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into thus making the play makers on his team look good. Where he really excels though is his footwork, obviously playing in the backline in prior seasons has assisted greatly and he has very good late and quick foot work which enables him to change direction quickly allowing him to readjust where he is running to take advantage of either a late developing hole in the defensive line or where the defensive line is repositioning late.

Even when he is taking a hit up in the centre of the ruck, his feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight corrections to his running direction and he is also able to maintain his speed regardless of the multiple directional changes. He seems just to run at a faster pace than other forwards on the field. It would be fair to say however that there are occasions where he discards the use of footwork and charges almost recklessly into set opposing defences, this is great for motivating his team mates but he in occasion gets hit very very hard.

As you would expect, due to his size and strength, he is a very good defender regardless of position. He will not necessarily hit hard, but he is very good at mirroring the movement of the opposing attacker and wrapping him up ball and all. He is also quick enough to recover and chase if the opposing players gets on the outside. From a team defensive methodology stand point, he seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage. Also regardless of where he defends he has a degree of aggressiveness in relation to how he defends.

Like noted above in relation to his attack, he can occasion try to put on a big hit to fire his team up, this can go wrong however as he is never the biggest forward on the field,. It is a bit of a dilemma because on one hand it is great to see a captain to try to motivate his team by leading by example but you do not want to see a tackle go wrong, regardless you have to be impressed with the thought process. With more experience he will continue to develop these leadership skills.

As already noted, he has already broken into the starting line-up for the Burleigh Bears in the QCup Colts, and based on the start that he has made in that level of competition, I can see him staying in the squad for the entire season, barring injury of course. From a position stand-point, He is a taller lanky type of second rower, and does not have the size or bulk for the front row. The main concern for Daniel Adamson going forward is injuries, I appreciate that they are part of the game, both in terms of running the ball as well as trying to inspire his team with big hits, he has had to deal with a multitude of injures so far in his young career, but hopefully the majority are behind him.

From a player comparison perspective, someone along the lines of current New Zealand Warriors second rower and captain Ryan Hoffman would be an appropriate comparison as an all effort player who is also recognised for his leadership skills. He has another year of eligibility in the U20 age group in 2017 and hopefully the Titans have a look at him as a possible squad member in the NYC side in 2017.

[mdrew]

Tyler Lee. He is a young centre/winger who after coming over from Western Australia has started to make a name for himself in the Gold Coast Junior rugby league ranks culminating in his selection in the Gold Coast Green MM squad for the current MM season where he has started the last two of Gold Coast Green’s MM matches on the wing including the weekends 40-22 loss to the Easts Tigers and the previous 58-10 loss to Gold Coast White. He moved over from Western Australia at the start of the 2015 season to play for the Burleigh Bears in the U17 Division One competition and started in the centres for the Bears in their 18-12 Grand Final loss to Runaway Bay. Over the course of the 2015 season, he scored seven tries in 11 matches including doubles against Helensvale and Tweed Heads.

In Western Australia he played three seasons with the Joondalup Giants, the last being the 2014 season at the U16 level where he scored 11 tries in eight matches playing in the centres. He also represented Western Australia in the ASSRL U15 championships from Duncraig Senior High School and in fact made the Pool B (emerging rugby league states pool) Australian Merit team in the centres. He was one of the starting centres in WA’s John Allen Trophy Final victory against Victoria 26-18 and scored a try in that Pool B championship final. He also scored a double against Victoria in their pool match on day 4.

He is sneaky quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside and has just enough speed to finish off try scoring movements if given the room. Like most of the modern day outside backs he also has the ability to find the try line in some unlikely situations where it appears that there is no way he could possibly get the ball down without going into touch. His most impressive attribute from an attacking perspective, is his positioning, he stays out wide to ensure that he is available if opportunities are presented.

Due to his build, he is reasonably effective In terms of chasing attacking kicks and has a very good leap and uses his forward momentum well to get above defenders, where the majority of the time he looks to catch the ball rather than hit it back to his team’s advantage. He will also chase general play kicks with vigour trying to improve the effectiveness of his teams kicking game, he just needs to remain focussed on maintaining his discipline in terms of keeping a straight defensive line when approaching the opposing kick returner.

In defence, he is not the strongest winger, that is something to work on moving forward, but will certainly look to come out of the line to stop the attack quickly. Like all younger players he just needs experience to ensure that he picks the right time to come out of the line. He will show his opposite winger the sideline and is confident that his speed will enable him to get across to make the tackle. In terms of defending kicks he will certainly go up to try to make the catch, but his standing leap is not huge compared to his leap when he has forward momentum and he also needs to ensure that his timing is right. As he fills out and plays against higher quality opposition he will become more effective defensively.

Upon completion of the MM competition and unfortunately it does not appear that the Gold Coast Green MM side will make the quarter final, Tyler Lee will transition back to Burleigh where he will play for the Bears in the U19 Powergard Cup competition which kicked off with Round One over the weekend. Prior to this year he played exclusively in the centre in relation to both club and representative football, but this year has transitioned to the wing to accommodate centres such as Derome Mafi and Broughton Clarke in the GC Green MM side. I am not convinced however that he cannot stay in the centres in the short term at least, he is not going to be a strike centre per say, but he has a solid skill set.

From a player comparison perspective someone along the lines of Brisbane Broncos centre Jack Reed as an effective all round centre, in terms of an outside back who may not have the “perfect” attributes for a modern day player but will surprise in terms of his effectiveness even though he does not have one plus attribute to specifically focus on.

The Titans have had some success in nurturing players from Western Australia in the last couple of years, including current NYC five eight Josh Rogers and lasts years NYC forward Shane Gillham, also Burleigh have two young Western forwards in their current QCup Colts squad being Willem Boshoff and Jordan Waterworth who are both second rowers and both played first grade in Western Australia and remain eligible for U20’s in 2017.

[mdrew]

Liam Lazar. The young Tingha Tigers front rower had a big year on the field in 2015 and is looking to continue that on during the upcoming 2016 season. The powerful young front rower scored 30 tries across only 12 games in the 2015 New England Group 19 U14 competition, but finished only second on the try scoring list to Armidale Rams centre Roderick Ahoy. He really enjoyed playing against Guyra, scoring 10 tries across two matches, including six in the last round of the regular season and also scored nine in two games against Moree, with five tries in April 2015. He also kicked one goal, also against Moree for a season point’s total of 122, a good return on the season. The next highest try scorer in his side was nine and across the 2015 season he scored approximately 60% of his teams tries, which is all the more impressive considering that opposition defences really did focus in on him when he took the ball up. In addition he is also a 2016 NIAS Rugby League scholarship holder.

Whilst I note that he played the entire 2015 season in the front row, I really do think that he ends up in the second row in the long term, and an exceptional one at that and thus the comments below reflect that assumption.

The pace and power in terms of how he 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 he 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 his 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. He also has an extra gear when he breaks into open space, and only the quickest of outside backs can catch him once he is in open space.

He is also very effective close to the opposition try line with his ability to burst through tackles. If the defenders do not come off the try he will just drag them across the try line, 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 he 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.

One area of development for Liam Lazar moving forward is his off-loading, his off-loading skill attributes in my eyes could be considered untapped. He shows flashes of ability to off load when in contact with the defensive line, but on occasion can try to off load the miracle pass with multiple defenders handing off him, I am sure however that he will become more selective as he progresses.

I appreciate that to date, he is bigger, stronger and faster than the majority of his opponents to date, but it is the intensity and speed that he plays the game at that holds him in good stead as he starts to be selected in representative sides and plays against a higher quality of opposition.

The defensive side of his 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. He drives hard with his legs and always uses his shoulder and core body strength to drive into his opponent. He 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, culminating with the power projecting through his shoulders with the kinetic effects projecting into his opponent. Because of the zone he targets, his tackles derives a lot of dropped balls as his tackles hit the bottom of the football knocking it loose and forcing the mistake from the opposition player.

His defensive dominance will not continue at its current rate as he starts to play against higher quality opposition but the timing and defensive technique that he has will mean that he will always likely be a plus defender. He really does have a very good tackling technique. One understated area of his defensive game is the fact that he will turn and chase nay breaks made by the opposition and in fact has been able to catch even some outside backs because of his willingness to chase.

Moving to the current year he will play at the U16 level as the Group 19 New England Group does not have an U15 competition. He will also be line for selection for the U15 Group 19 side. As noted already he has played the majority of his football to date in the front row but as he transitions to the upper echelons of the junior rugby league age groups, I fully expect him to transition to the back row. He is likely going to be able to play in the front row, but when you have such an explosive powerful runner of the ball, I would prefer to see him utilised on the fridges where he can us his speed, power and footwork to the best possible advantage of his team.

From a player comparison perspective think of South Sydney Rabbitoh Sam Burgess as a big strong powerful hard running and hardworking forward with a touch of class about him and is someone who his team mates will follow as he leads by example.

[mdrew]

Rodrick Ahoy. He is a young centre hailing from Armidale on the New South Wales North Coast and has already attended some development sessions for the Titans after playing well for Armidale High School in the annual Challenge Shield which pits the best players from High schools in Armidale and Inverell against each other an initiative that the Titans set up a couple of years ago. In the 2014 Challenge Shield match against Inverell Schools he scored a hat trick in front of Titans scouts.

It must be noted however that he has also attended some junior development camps with South Sydney as well. He has already represented Group 19 at the U14 level and in the three games he played for Group 19, scored two tries. He is also an NIAS Rugby League Program scholarship holder for 2016.

Where his try scoring feats are the most impressive however is in relation to his club football with the Armidale Rams. Playing at centre for the U14 Rams in 2015 he scored an incredible 33 tries in thirteen games and added another try in one game at the U16 level for the Rams. He scored five tries once against Glenn Innes and on three other occasions he scored four tries, in matches against Moree, Glenn Innes and Inverell West. In only one of the 13 games he played at the U14 level did he not cross the try line and that was against Inverell West the team that the Rams met in the 2015 Grand Final. It should come as no surprise that the Armidale Rams won that U14 Grand Final 38-10.

He is just an incredibly fast player who has an effortless running style, he looks like his is gliding across the ground. In the centre position, he has the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is rare in the modern game. When he gets the ball early from his inside play makers, he is incredibly difficult to deal with one on one, as whilst his speed has already been noted, he is also a powerful runner who has the power to also break tackles and not just rely on his speed.

You can just sense the uncertainty in the defensive line when he receives the ball with space to manoeuvre. He is a half/five eight’s dream in that teams will look to get up onto him quickly, potentially leaving space for them to dummy and run if the defensive line cheats out looking for Roderick Ahoy to receive the ball. Also when the team is struggling he can just make something happen out of nothing even against a set defensive line, he can just drift across the field and then explode into any gaps that he can see develop a la James Roberts. He is also adept at making ground out of dummy half especially when he goes into dummy half after a team mate returns a kick or makes a break, he darts out of dummy half using his speed to make ground before the defensive line can reset.

Defensively he does not necessarily stand out, which is a good thing to the extent that he is an effective defender and does not jumper grab but does use his shoulder. Purely from a skill and physical attribute perspective he seems more suited to a sliding defensive methodology rather than an up and in style, but this is more conjecture from me rather than a fact based argument. He certainly has the speed to compensate if he is beaten on the outside.

Moving to the current year he will play at the U16 level as the Group 19 New England Group does not have an U15 competition, but it is unlikely that playing against players a year older than him will impact at all, they have to catch him first. He will almost certainly be one of if not the first player chosen for the U15 Group 19 side. He seems to have played the majority of his football in the centres and whilst that is where he is very likely to stay, having him play at fullback with the extra room available would be very interesting to watch.

A player comparison is quite easy, he has outstanding speed and excellent evasion skills, with similarity to former Titan James Roberts. Understandably this young man has a couple of clubs after him, including the Titans and rightly so.

[mdrew]

Aiden Kennedy. The young front rower from Northern New South Wales has recently been selected in the New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges (CCC) Northern Region side for the NSW trials, along with Titans linked juniors in backrower Max Bryant (also a very good cricketer), fullback/centre Isaac Lee, Justin Bleakley (currently playing wing for GC White MM) and silky smooth centre Caleb Nichols (currently playing centre for GC Green CC). He made the Northern NSW CCC squad after standing out for the Lismore Diocese CCC Open side in trials held in Smithtown on April 6.

He played his club rugby league in the Group One combined U16/U17 competition in 2015, representing Lismore Marist Brothers. Across the season he scored 11 tries in ten matches to finish the top try scoring forward in the competition and equal second overall, tied with Titans linked centre/fullback Isaac Lee and new PBC student fullback/five eight Daine Laurie. He scored four double in the 2015 season, being against Kyogle twice, Ballina and Grafton. He is another St Johns College Woodlawn student and thus plays matches in various school boy competitions with them including the National GIO Cup competition.

He 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 he 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. He 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. He does not off-load the ball much however and probably never be one based on how he asked to play the game.

Defensively he 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. Last year his speed and mobility seemed to have increased and as a consequence he was better able to mirror the opposition attackers more effectively. He will probably not make a large amount of hits that are going to knock opposing forwards backwards, but opposing forwards are going to feel everyone and start to look out for where he is in the defensive line.

This season he will once again play for Lismore Marist Brothers in the U16.5 Group One junior rugby league competition and may also get an opportunity in the NRRRL Nova Skills U18 competition later in the year. He still is a couple of years away from potentially being an NYC possibility. From a position perspective, he seems to have the skill attributes and mentality to stay in the front row as he moves through the upper echelons of junior rugby league towards senior rugby league competitions.

From a player comparison perspective, I would consider that he plays the front row position similar to how the Titans own Luke Douglas or Canterbury Bulldog Aiden Tolman play the front row position. He is a sold hard working no nonsense type of front rower and every side needs at least one of those although they are usually the last ones noticed by NRL scouts.

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Tyler Carson. He is a young fullback from the Armidale region who is also a very good touch player. He played the 2015 season with the Armidale Rams in the New England Group 19 U14 competition and started at fullback in their Grand Final victory 38-10 against Inverell West. Over the course of the season he scored 17 tries in 12 matches at the U14 level and added an 18th try on the season in three games at the U16 level. He finished second on the try scoring list to Rams team mate, Roderick Ahoy. Add 12 goals and you have a total points haul for Tyler Carson of 98 points. He scored five tries in one game against Warialda and on four other occasions scored doubles. He has also represented Group 19 at the U14 level in 2015 season.

From O’Connor Catholic College, he made this year’s Armidale Diocese U15 rugby league side that played against other Combined Catholic College squads from Northern NSW in Smithtown on 6 April and as a consequence has been named in the U15 Northern NSW CCC for the NSWCCC State Selection Trials. He is also a 2016 NIAS Rugby League Program scholarship holder.

In attack his speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice when you see him play. It is great to see when he takes off, this trait obviously stems from the skills that he has developed playing touch football. He also has an extra gear once he is through the defensive line and has the ability and endurance to maintain his speed over a long distance. Couple his speed with a very good right foot step and you have a young player who seemingly makes breaks at will. He can and will beat defenders in the inside with a step and if the defensive line is staggered a dummy and go, presents multiple headaches for the opposition’s defensive strategies. He also backs up any line breaks made.

At present due to his age and quality of competition, he does not play as a fullback who receives the ball “out the back” from the half/five eight, but he is usually one of the better players in all of the teams that he has played on to date, thus I have no doubt that his passing and decision making skills will improve in these situations as he matures as a player and plays against higher quality teams at club, schoolboy and representative level. He also has very good hands for such a young player and when he retrieves the ball from an opponent’s kick he simply just takes off and is difficult for the opposition to get his hands on again a skill attribute honed from playing touch football.

He is not the biggest or necessarily strongest player but will take the hit when needing to make the tackle in the last line of defence and has the recovery speed to compensate if he needs to turn and chase an opponent’s break.

Moving to the current year he will play at the U16 level as the Group 19 New England Group does not have an U15 competition, but it is unlikely that playing against players a year older than him will impact at all, they have to catch him first. He will also be line for selection for the U15 Group 19 side who this year should have a very good side, especially from an attacking sense at least, they will likely lack some size in the forwards however. He seems to have played the majority of his football in at fullback and seemingly is likely to stay there, however with his speed and footwork off the mark, I am intrigued at how he would go at halfback to be honest.

From a player comparison perspective, think along the lines of former Cowboys fullback Matt Bowen as a fullback with exceptional pace and footwork who is also courageous when it comes to his defensive duties.

[mdrew]

Josh Frier. He is a young hooker from just across the New South Wales border and grew up playing for the Bilambil Jets in the Group 18 Junior Rugby League competition. He started at hooker for the East Coast Dolphins U18 side in their loss last weekend to the Greater Northern Tigers in Armidale after representing Group 18 in the selection matches against U18 sides from Groups One and Two. In 2015 Josh Frier played the season with the Gold Coast White CC side that lost their semi-final to the Sunshine Coast, with Frier coming off the bench in that match. He scored three tries I believe in the CC competition in 2015. Previously he has represented Group 18 at the U14 and U15 levels, and plays his school boy football with Tweed River High School which is also where talented Titans linked centre Caleb Nichols and half Ethan Kane also attends.

He is solid all round hooker who distributes effectively to both sides of the ruck. He does have some speed when running out of dummy half but as he progresses up the ladder through higher standards of competitions he will need to ensure that he is selective about when he runs the ball and when he passes. He has become more selective in terms of running out of dummy half and as a result ended up more effective and drew a number of penalties as forwards tired and just could not get back on side.

He is efficient in his passing and there is little wasted movement as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand then pass. He passes well from both sides of his body. His passing to the left is still a little better than to the right, but over the last couple of seasons he made positive strides in that regard, thus there is no reason to expect anything other than continued progression. One thing that he does well in dummy half is not taking his eye off ball until it is in his hands. I know that that sounds like common sense, but even in first grade the number of fumbles that occur from the dummy half is far too high and change the course of a game.

Another skill that he continued to develop playing in CC last year was kicking out of dummy half. He did not kick out of dummy prior to the 2015 season but kicked from there more regularly as the CC season progressed. He is not a long kick, but is effective at finding the ground with his kicks. He was an effective kicker in terms of game management, what I mean by that is that late in games when his team were up or needed a breather he kicked for touch in those instances, which showed a high level of maturity and game management skills.

He defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and is adept at wrapping the ball up. He is also very good defending at marker in terms of harassing the opposition kickers. He is not going to wow you with his defence because you will not see big hits, but you will see an efficient and effective defender. He has very good endurance and projects as a hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange.

He will play this season with the Bilambil Jets at the U17 level and will likely battle for a spot in one of the Gold Coast MM sides in the 2017 season. From a position perspective, he has played the vast majority of his junior rugby league career at hooker and I cannot see why that would change any time soon. He could potentially fill in at half back for short periods of time due to his passing skills but it would only be on an as needs basis to compensate for injuries in the course of a match.

In terms of NRL players with a similar playing style for comparison purposes, think of someone along the lines of how Matt Parcell of the Sea Eagles plays in terms of his running out of dummy half and also his improving passing skills.

[mdrew]

Domonic Briggs. He is a young centre from the Toowoomba, who played in the CC competition for Toowoomba in 2015 and is currently playing in the Toowoomba U18 competition and is the leading try scorer through the first four rounds of the competition with eight tries, including two hat tricks against Goondiwindi and Gatton and a double and a goal against Dalby. He also made a bit of a name for himself in 2015 when he scored seven tries in a match for the Pittsworth U16 side in a match against Toowoomba Souths. In the CC competition in 2015 he also crossed the line on a number of occasions including a double on the Round One fixture against Victoria.

He is very quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside and will not get caught from behind if he gets into open space. I would not say that he has blazing speed but he does have above average top end speed and is unlikely to get caught from behind by anyone but the absolute quickest of opponents. His best attribute from an outside back perspective is his ability to keep his width and be available for his team mates, when the opposing defender cheats inside.

When the ball is moved out the back line, he stays on his line, and a lot of the tries that he scored were when he was able to beat his opposite defender when they had come in just a fraction. He probably could have scored a few more tries but made sure that his team would score when in open space as he would draw the fullback and pass to his support when he could have easily gone himself, a sign of a smart team player.

When playing in the centres he looked to draw in the winger to try to create space down the touch line for the attackers outside him, but he does have enough pace, when he is able to get outside his opposing defender and make line breaks when the defensive winger stays out. Thus from what I have seen he has very good situational awareness in attack from the centre position.

In defence, he is not the strongest player but will certainly look to hold his line defensively. I did not often see him come in when he did not need to, preferring to stay on his oppose number and trusting his teams inside and outside defenders. From my perspective at least, his skill set in defence is more suited to a sliding defence structure rather than an up and in one. Working on his functional strength whilst maintaining his speed will I am sure will be a focus going forward.

This season he will play the season in the U18 Toowoomba competition and is still eligible for U18 rugby league in 2017 and should be a sure fire selection for Toowoomba in the MM competition in 2017. He will also likely be involved in the Darling Downs U18 QSSRL squad later in the year. From a position perspective, even though he has played the majority of his junior football in the centres, I think that as he progresses to the senior ranks he will transition to the wing. He has the speed to stay at centre certainly but probably does not have the size and strength especially from a defensive perspective and thus a move to the wing where he can utilise his speed and his uncanny ability to find the try line can be used to its greatest effect would seem an appropriate career path.

From a player comparison perspective, for me he plays a little like former Titans winger Kevin Gordon with his speed (before multiple injuries for Kevin) and his ability to find the try line.

[mdrew]

Errol Simpson. He is a young utility back, who has spent time at fullback, centre and most recently five eight in the Toowoomba U18 competition this season for Burnett. After the opening rounds he is second on the try scoring list with six tries, including a hat trick against Pittsworth and a double against Dalby. He is originally from Cherbourg and has moved to pursue his rugby league career and in 2015 represented Wide Bay Bulls in the U16 age group for the SEQ age championships scoring a try and kicking a goal in a victory against the North Queensland Marlins on Day 4. In 2015 he also represented U16 Queensland Murri in their annual match against NSW Kurri where he played against Titans linked centre/five eight Will Lockwood and front rower Isiah Barker originally front Kempsey and now both residing on the Gold Coast and attending PBC High School.

He is a bit of an enigma in terms of how he plays, he certainly plays what is in front of him but does seem to struggle in a structured environment in comparison to when he plays off the cuff. I was intrigued to see him play five eight, in the sense that he is very unpredictable when he gets the ball, he is adept at running himself and has a very good turn of speed off the mark and similarly can throw some superb passes to his support runners, but at the same time passes will go to ground because his team mates are sometimes not thinking alone the same lines that he does. To that extent currently he is a much better runner of the ball and can step off both feet and is quite strong for his size and will shrug off larger defenders if they try to go high and wrap up the ball.

He drifts across field very slowly and then just takes off through any gaps in a staggered defensive line. He plays a similar way when he played at fullback and whilst I would much rather fullbacks just grab the ball and gain as much ground as possible by running straight, he takes his time to size up the chase and then will try to create something then and regularly makes ground in those situations. When he plays in the centres he does in fact play a modified style in the context that he run into gaps for his ball players and is also quite good at drawing in outside defenders to give his winger a clear path to the line by creating a two on one situation.

Defensively is actually quite aggressive in terms of finishing off tackles and certainly seems adept at getting his hands between attackers and their support players and knocking the ball down. He does need to be aware however not to go for the intercept too much, but his quick feet enable him to defend well especially against small light stepping attackers as he can mirror their movement.

He will play this year in the Toowoomba TRL U18 competition and will be eligible against for that age group in 2017, I will be intrigued whether he tries out for the Toowoomba MM squad, he should he has the natural ability but it will come down to the style that the coach wants to play. From a position perspective, due to how he plays what is in front of him and thus is less comfortable in with a structured attacking methodology at present at least, although I am sure that will develop. I would suggest that his best position moving forward would be at fullback in the short term at least where he can see the entire field in front of him and look to create from there.

He will need the right coach to harness his natural skills. If a coach tries to change him into playing to a set pattern I think that he will struggle but if a coach is prepared to give him free reign then the skills he possesses means that he could develop into a very interesting player indeed over the coming seasons.

From a player comparison perspective, the only one that I can think of is long retired Manly Sea Eagle Cliff Lyons as a natural player who is more at home the less structured the game plan is and could throw some memorable passes. The closest I can think of in terms of a current NRL player is Jonathon Thurston in terms of his ability to do the unexpected with the ball in his hands.

[mdrew]

Wally Pegler. He is a young fullback/halfback from the Toowoomba region and is currently playing in the U18 Toowoomba TRL competition where he is the leading point’s scorer in the early rounds with 46 total points so far, made up of three tries and 17 goals, including a double in Round One against Brothers. He also played in the U18 TRL competition in 2015 scoring 10 tries and kicking 36 goals across the season for a total point’s tally of 112. In 2013 he represented Queensland Murri U16’s coming off the bench in the annual interstate clash. Titans linked winger Lui Lockington was a team mate that night started on the wing for Queensland Murri against NSW Kurri U16. He also played school boy football for Toowoomba State School. He was also fortunate to be selected as a guest player for a Legends of League match that was held in Toowoomba a couple of years ago, he came off the bench to score three tries, playing with the likes of Steve Renouf that night.

He is an agile runner of the football who relies on his decent speed and elusiveness to make it difficult for larger opponents to line him up. When lining up at fullback he always makes himself available for offloads in the centre of the ruck. He has decent speed but not absolute blazing speed, relying instead on his positioning to compensate. When he retrieves the ball he makes a decision quickly about where to look to run around a staggered defensive line or to run straight in an effort to make as much ground as possible.

To date he has not been asked to be a ball player out of the back of the ruck so it will be interesting to see how that skill develops as he plays at the higher levels, including as early as next year in the Mal Meninga Cup competition. Also his hands at fullback are as safe as I have seen in a young fullback regardless of the type of kick put towards him. His other calling card is his positioning, he always seems to be the right place at the right time, to defuse bombs, attacking short kicks, potential 40/20 kicks etc.

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

He is not the biggest or necessarily strongest player but will take the hit when needing to make the tackle in the last line of defence and will focus exclusively on the ball carrier, forcing the attacking player to make the decision of what to do with the ball, rather than proving the attacker the avenue to make an easier decision.

He will play this year in the U18 TRL Toowoomba competition and I am a little surprised he is not part of the Toowoomba MM squad this year after playing in the CC competition previously.
From a long term position perspective, I think that the likelihood of a transition to the wing is more probable than a future at fullback, although I do note that he started Round Four of the TRL U18 competition at half back, he played the first three rounds at fullback. He is an extremely safe player in terms of fielding kicks and being at the right place at the right time but at this point in his career, does not play a lot like the current fullbacks in terms of playing like a second five eight.

From a player comparison perspective, think of someone like St George Dragons and New Zealand test winger Shaun Nightingale as an extremely competent winger who may not make highlight reel plays but quietly does what needs to be done in terms of safe hands and positioning. He also has a similarity in playing style to the Cowboys Shaun Feldt.

He does not have the explosive or highlight reel type of game that is going to stand out for NRL scouts necessarily so in terms of the possibility of obtaining an NYC contract next year is probably unlikely, the more likely route is playing for the Toowoomba QCup Colts side in 2017 and making a name of himself there to attract NRL scouts. The Toowoomba Colts side is very competitive this season and that will help the cause of young players like Wally Pegler and Kurtis Shayler. For the last couple of years the Titans have had a link with the Toowoomba Junior Rugby League so hopefully that link starts to bear fruit.

[mdrew]

Payne Haas. He is a giant local young front rower who is currently starring for Gold Coast Green in the MM competition and in fact has been the stand out front rower throughout the MM competition and is eligible again for that competition. So far in the MM competition for Gold Coast Green MM he has scored two tries which came from a double against the South’s Logan Magpies in Round Three. Even in the 58-10 loss to the Gold Coast White MM he was probably the best forward on the field.

He was part of our Junior Development System until the NRL took over the Titans last year and subsequently signed with the New Zealand Warriors but…….

He has also been selected in the South Coast Open Rugby League side after starring in the trials. He attends Keebra Park and even though last year he was still eligible for the CC competition he was superb against PBC in a GIO Cup semi-final even though Keebra lost. He has also previously represented New South Wales at the U16 level, opposing Titans linked players Ben Thomas, Darius Farmer and Max Dowd, Queensland won that interstate match.

That is only one small component of his representative resume. In 2014 he represented South Coast at the U15 level in the QSSRL competition, South Coast finished second in the competition, losing the Grand Final to Met West 18-10, with Payne scoring a try in that match to be named South Coast Player of the Match, he was also named Player of the Carnival. He also scored a try on Day Two in a 26-10 win against Darling Downs.

From there he was named in the Queensland Maroons side to play in the ASSRL National U15 competition, where Queensland Maroons won the Championship Final 34-6 against Queensland Maroon. A team mate in the final was Titans linked Jacob Faribank. On Day Three he scored in a 10-6 victory over NSW CCC and was also named the Qld Maroons player of the match. As a result of his performances he was also named Player of the Carnival. The Titans have had a very good run with linked players being U15 ASSRL Player of the Carnival with Geordie Brand and Ethan Paikea previously being named Player of the Carnival, about time front rowers got some recognition. He has also represented the Phillipines in a U16 match, scoring four tries and being named Player of the Match.

A is a powerful giant young man who for his size is very quick on his feet. He takes the line on with pace and powerful and literally just smashes his way through opposing defences. When he runs to the line he does have a subtle step and almost always steps back towards the play the ball, it is not a big step but just enough to break up his running angle so that the defensive line cannot key in on him. Opposing MM defences have not been able to negate him one on one, even the GC White MM side who have some very good defenders such as Blake Lenehan, Kobe Tararo and Darius Farmer. Even the MM White big hitters such as Xavier Johannson have not made much of a dent.

The dilemma for opposing forwards when they are looking to tackle Payne Haas is how to actually tackle him, do you go higher and try to wrap up the ball and potentially get bumped off due to his size and strength or do you go low with a potential outcome being to allow him the get his hands free, also he constantly pumps his legs and thus can break free of tackles. It is not just the size and strength that is so impressive it is the speed he has for such a big young man, he runs at the line with plus speed for a front rower even against opposition two or three years older. He has scored a number of tries from close to the line where he just powers through defenders and is almost close to unstoppable when receiving the ball close to the line.

When he gets to the NYC level, and it is when not if, he is going to be an asset to his team in relation to drawing in defenders when he runs especially close to the line as teams will have to compress their defensive line to combat him, but play makers then will have more room to work with by using him as a decoy runner. If there is one minute critique is that sometimes he runs too front on and takes opposing forwards on chest to chest, when he drops his shoulder into the oncoming defender he is more effective, but this is only a very very small issue.

One area that he has not seemed to use too often this year, but does seem to have the capacity to develop based on his size, skills and footwork is the ability to off load before the line, an example of what I am meaning is how the Canterbury Bulldogs forward pack uses those small offloads prior to the line. Stanley Jackson has shown glimpses of having the skills to utilise the same skills if the opportunities arise, developing this skill with only enhance his effectiveness.

In defence he uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. He is not adverse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining leverage and for his size plus agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck, although clearly he is more effective in the centre of the ruck, as most front rowers are, but do not underestimate his ability to mirror smaller quicker opposing attackers. Another positive trait is that when defending against smaller opponents he keeps his arms low to look to mitigate the risk of giving away penalties for a high tackle.

He will finish the MM season this week with Gold Coast MM Green as they will not make the quarter Finals and over the course of their season was probably their best player, just shading young five eight Kyle Williams, who must surely get most improved. As already noted he has been selected in the South Coast U18 side for the QSSRL competition and will almost certainly be selected in one of the two Queensland sides which will contest the ASSRL U18 championships and he will be a front runner for an Australian School boys berth. He will also play for Keebra Park in the Super Six and GIO Cup competitions and no doubt lead from the front for them, just like he did last year against Arch rivals PBC. In terms of 2017, I have absolutely no doubt that even though he is still eligible for the MM competition he will spend most if not all of the year in the NYC competition. I would not be surprised to see him play QCup Colts by the end of this year either.

He is and has always been a front rower even back to his days with the Titans U13 and U14 develop squads when they played matches at Redlands.

From a player comparison, there are really very few players even in the NRL with his combination of size, speed, strength and power. The closest player I can think of in terms of a similar playing style is South Sydney and English International Sam Burgess.

[mdrew]

A poster whose opinion I value mentioned this young man, and subsequent to video review recollection from live matches etc...

Emani Vaovasa. He is a young backrower, originally from Wellington New Zealand who along with his younger brother Bryson ( a young centre) moved over to the Gold Coast at the start of the 2015 season to attend Keebra Park. Both have started to make a name for themselves since. He is currently playing for the Gold Coast Green MM side that finish their season this weekend in a match against the South’s Logan Magpies, but unfortunately they will miss the quarter finals, with GC White and Easts. He came into the GC Green MM side in Round Three on the interchange and the following week, broke into the starting side in their most recent match against MM White, scoring a try in Green’s heavy 58-10 loss. He was in the starting line up again in Round 6 against Easts and also crossing for his second try in as many games and has been named at lock for the final match against South’s Logan.

He also represented the Wellington Orca’s at the U15 level in the New Zealand National Age Championships in 2013 and at the U17 level in the 2014 Championships where he scored a try in the U17 Orca’s victory 28-26 against the Wai-Coa-Bay Colts, he also converted a try as well. I am not going to cover his goal kicking as I do not believe that it is something that he will continue with as he progresses towards the senior ranks.

Also in 2014 he made the U16 New Zealand High Performance Squad, a team mate in that squad was Titan Elite Academy member and Gold Coast White MM player Bostyn Hakaraia, where in a trial he played for Team Vatuvei and started in the second row of that match from memory his team won that trial where was played at the end of the camp. His club side in New Zealand was the St George Dragons in the Wellington Junior Rugby League competition, he last played for them in 2014 where he played at the U17 age group I believe.

During the 2015 season he played for the Nerang Roosters at the U17 Division One level, scoring three tries as well as kicking seven goals for a points haul on the season of 26. Over the course of the season he played a number of positions in the forward pack for the Roosters including starting a number of matches in the front row. A team mate in eth Nerang side was Titans linked fullback Jordan Birch.

He is a hard running backrower who runs a line on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into thus making the play makers on his team look good. Where he really excels though is his footwork, he has very good late and quick foot work, usually a step off the right foot which enables him to change direction quickly allowing him to readjust where he is running to take advantage of either a late developing hole in the defensive line or where the defensive line is repositioning late to counter the attacking threat identified.

Even when he is taking a hit up in the centre of the ruck, his feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight corrections to his running direction and he is also able to maintain his speed regardless of the number of directional changes he undertakes. He seems just to run at a faster pace than most of the other forwards on the field. These attributes lead to a number of breaks or half breaks that his team can capitalise on. These critical attributes mean that he is difficult to target and runs at a very fast pace into the defensive line but the fluidity of his directional changes means he is a difficult target to get a line on for defenders. In relation to his speed I would argue that it is above average for a backrower, both in terms of speed off the mark and top end speed.

Defensively he hits very hard and usually aims for around the top of the ball and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls, although he does need to be aware of how quickly some referees will blow penalties for holding down. He is equally adept at defending in the centre of the ruck as he is defending on the fringes and his initial contact is more than sufficient to make an impact on the ball carrier. His lateral speed is solid due to his quick feet and thus he is effective at defending against smaller dynamic runners out of dummy half as well as half backs and five eights running of the fringes looking to isolate forwards.

Upon competition of the MM competition, he will transition back to play at the U19 level in the local Gold Coast Competition. From a position perspective, at least since he has moved to the Gold Coast and also before that for the Wellington Orca’s he has played in the back row, although as noted he did play some matches this year in the front row and based on the quality of his play through the MM competition, his future seems to lie in the back row in the long term.

From a player comparison perspective, someone with a similar playing style that could be used for a comparison perspective would be the Brisbane Broncos backrower Alex Glenn as a strong hard running, hard tackling aggressive and effective backrower who can play for 80 minutes without the need for a break on the interchange bench. He already probably about the same size as Alex Glenn as well just to finish off the comparison.

[mdrew]

Huston Holloway. He is talented young halfback/five eight, originally from the North Shore of New Zealand who has had a good season for Gold Coast Green in the MM competition and has already made his QCup Colts debut for Burleigh, in fact captaining the side as well as crossing for a try on debut, he actually played at lock in that match against the North’s Devils at Bishop Park, unfortunately Burleigh lost that match 56-22. For MM Green, he has either come off the bench or played at five eight, alternating with the much improved Kyle Williams, and that has been where he has been named for the final MM match of the season against the South’s Logan Magpies. So far over the course of the MM season he has scored a try in Round Six against the Easts Tigers. He also played a couple of games in MM in the 2015 season, scoring a try against North’s in a 28-26 loss.

During the 2015 season he played at the Division One U17 level for the Nerang Roosters, scoring 13 tries and a single goal in 13 matches which culminated in an 18-12 victory against Burleigh where he started at five eight. Team mates that night included Titans linked fullback Jordan Birch and front rower Bronson Kennich, another team mate was impressive hooker Jayden Parker who is also in the MM Green side. During the 2015 season he scored five tries against the Southport Tigers, a hat trick against the Mudgeeraba Redbacks and doubles against the Seagulls and Helensvale Hornets.

In attack, as already noted he is a half/five eight who is a reasonably dynamic runner of the football who excels in taking on the defensive line with good footwork around the ruck, looking to seek out bigger slower forwards when they are caught on the edge of the ruck. He has above average to plus speed off the mark, but does not necessary have plus top end speed to individually exploit his own breaks and thus needs to look to off load once he breaks through the defensive line as the cover defence starts to converge.

He does very good foot work that he uses to good effect in tight spaces. He 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 and going nowhere.

When his backline is set deep, he can see an overlap or a another play developing he will get the ball out quickly and effectively, using his solid passing skills from both sides of his body, where he will put the football out in front of his runners. His long passing game is reasonably good from an accuracy perspective, but something that can be worked on. Possibly the feature of his passing game where he has made the most improvement is when he takes the ball to the line and holding the ball until the last possible moment looking to draw in the defender on his outside and putting a forward/centre running into the resulting hole. He seems to be better running to the right side of the field in this circumstance. I am sure that the continued evolution of his short passing game to put his runners into holes will be a key focus area for him, but he certainly has made very positive strides in that area over the last year or so. He makes the decision what to do with the ball quickly thus enabling the ball to get out wide quickly and also backs up well, which adds another string to his bow.

He has a solid all round kicking game but needs to ensure that he does not try to kick the ball too hard and lose accuracy as a result on occasion he does take a little while to get his kicks away and this is something that he may need to work on, but when not rushed he does generate significant distance and accuracy, again a linear development path will address any of the very small issues discussed. In terms of attacking kicks he has a very good short kicking game in terms of putting the ball into the in goal area, looking for either a try directly from the kick or earning a goal line drop out. With likely continued improvement and experience, he has the ceiling to be his side’s primary tactical kicking option, but his floor is that of a more than effective secondary option.

Defensively he has decent, although not great size for a half/five eight, and probably would be considered an above average defenders for his age group on the Gold Coast. He is an asset to his team’s defensive pattern to the extent that he has the technique to more than hold his own one on one against wide running forwards and thus a forward does not necessarily need to be allocated to the fringes of the ruck for defensive purposes. From what I understand he held his own playing at lock for Burleigh in Colts and obviously continue to work on his stamina in terms of not allowing the additional work he will do in defence at the higher levels to detract from his attacking game.

Once the MM competition is completed this weekend he will transition back to club football and will play at the U19 level in the local Powergard Cup as well I am sure more opportunities with Burleigh at the QCup Colts level. From a position perspective, certainly since he has come over from New Zealand has played a variety of positions including halfback, five eight and even lock, but based on his skill set and physical attributes, I envisage that his ultimate future lies at the halfback position and one who has a very good attacking ****nal at his disposal.

From a player comparison perspective, I would consider that the North Queensland Cowboys and Queensland State of Origin representative Michael Morgan has a similar playing style, being that of a talented attacking player who continues to develop the ability to bring his team mates into the game by developing his skills around taking the ball to the line and putting his runners through gaps as they develop.

At present he does not have a contract with an NRL club to play at the NYC level, but I am sure that will happen sometime this year and then it is up to Huston Holloway. I hope that he is being considered by the Titans along with the likes of Kyle Williams, both have made the most of their opportunities with the Gold Coast Green MM side this year.