My take on our top juniors

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Letuia Eliu. The giant 183cm 110kg head geared centre had an outstanding 2017 season in the Bundaberg Rugby League A grade competition after moving over from Auckland New Zealand at the start of 2017.* As a result of his play in 2017 and his trial form, Letuia Eliu has been named in the Titans aligned Western Mustangs U20 Colts squad for the upcoming 2018 season.

Letuia Eliu played a total of ten Bundaberg Rugby League A grade matches in 2017, starting the season with Brothers Maryborough for whom he played three matches including scoring in just his second match which was against Wallaroos.

Letuia Eliu then received a clearance to play the remainder of the season for the Hervey Bay Seagulls, playing his first match for the Seagulls on 1 July and scoring on debut which was against Wallaroos again.* In total for Hervey Bay Letuia Eliu played in seven matches and scored six tries.* In addition to his try on debut, Letuia Eliu scored doubles in consecutive weeks against the Devils and Across The Waves and he also scored in his second match for the Seagulls against Western Suburbs,

Prior to his move to Australia Letuia Eliu played in the 2016 Auckland Rugby League competition for the Marist Rugby League club, playing one Premier First grade match, scoring a try and in nine U20 Open Division matches scoring four tries.

From a junior representative rugby league perspective, in 2015 Letuia Eliu was part of the U17 Auckland Vulcans side for the U17 New Zealand National Junior Championships after making the side from the Mt Albert Grammar School.* In the 2015 championships Letuia Eliu crossed for his sole try against Counties Manukau.* In 2015, as a 16 year old Letuia Eliu also played in the U17 National Championships this time for a U17 Auckland Invitation side and scored against het Wellington Orcas.

Letuia Eliu is a powerfully built hard running centre who seems to have a preference to run over an opponent rather than beating them with speed and guile.* He however does have the size, strength and power to achieve his goal.* He runs straight and hard and drops his shoulder into his opposing defender making him difficult to tackle one on one.* In terms of speed for a centre I would argue that it is average for a centre but it plays faster than that as a result of the strength and power that Letuia Eliu runs with as well as the fact that for his size he has a very good initial burst once he receives the ball.

Letuia Eliu can beat a defender on the outside or use a step to create an overlap but his most outstanding feature from an attacking perspective is his power and hard straight running and to be fair that is the trait that he uses more often than not.* From the games that I have seen, he usually lines up at right centre and certainly at present he seems far more comfortable lining up on that side of the field, similarly he plays on the right wing and for that matter when he has been used as an impact forward he normally runs to that side of the field as well.

Letuia Eliu probably just needs to work a little on positioning his winger when he is playing in the centres in relation to when two defenders commit to the tackle and his outside support has a clear path ahead of him, but the more he plays in the centres the better he will get in this regard.

Defensively Letuia Eliu is certainly a hard hitter and often looks to come out of the line in an attempt to hit the ball carrier around the same time as they are receiving the ball, consequently he seems more comfortable defending with an up and in methodology as he does not necessarily have the recovery speed if an attacker beats him for pace and gets on his outside, however his plus lateral movement negates some of the concern about an opposing centre getting on his outside, he is a able to mirror the movement of his opponent and commit to the tackle at the appropriate moment.

As noted previously Letuia Eliu has been named in the Western Mustangs U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts side for the 2018 season where he should complement what looks to be an exceptionally powerful forwards pack for the Darling Downs side.

In terms of a long term position, I think that ultimately Letuia Eliu is likely to end up in the second row, but that is not a certainly at all, as a result of his successful transition to the outside backs, if he stays in the three quarter line. Regardless of position he is a handful for a defensive line, especially when a defender is isolated against him.

From a player comparison perspective in relation to Letuia Eliu, think of someone along the lines of Titans fan favourite and Tongan International Konrad Hurrell as a current player with a similar playing style as a big strong hard running centre who is very difficult to tackle when he is running straight and hard and can dominate games for a period of time, it is just a case of consistently being able to do it on a regular basis.

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Isaac Jones. The young lock forward from the Tenterfield Junior Rugby League club has recently been named in the inaugural Warwick and District Junior Rugby League Academy Squad which is being run with the Western Mustangs and the Titans.

Isaac Jones played for Tenterfield in 2017 in the Warwick and Districts Junior Rugby League competition in the U14 age group, the second year in a row in that Division for him.* Over the course of the season, Isaac Jones played in eleven U14 contests scoring ten tries in a tough season for Tenterfield.* Isaac Jones’s ten tries came from doubles against Collegians Red, Eastern Suburbs and the MIT Jets and also tries against Wattles on two separate occasions, Goondiwindi Blue and Collegians White.

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

When the opposition are on the back foot Isaac Jones 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.

The defensive side of his game is similarly impressive,* Isaac Jones 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 into his opponent.

In addition to his Academy Squad commitments Isaac Jones will play for the Tenterfield Tigers in the Warwick and Districts U16 competition as there is no U15 competition at present in the region.

From a position perspective, from what I understand Isaac Jones has always played in the back row in rugby league and that seems to be his natural position going forward.

Isaac Jones may not be as big as the player that I am going to use for comparison purposes but he plays with the same type of power and intensity, that being Sydney Roosters forward Dylan Napa.

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Ayden Bate. The young centre has recently been named in the inaugural Warwick and District Junior Rugby League Academy Squad which is being run with the Western Mustangs and the Titans.* In 2017 Ayden Bate was part of the wider Western Mustangs Academy Squad and also represented the Western Mustangs U13’s at the Central Division Junior Carnival.* In 2016 Ayden Bate represented the Darling Downs at the QSSRL U12 championships.

Ayden Bate played the 2017 rugby league season for Goondiwindi Maroon in the Warwick and Districts Junior Rugby League U14 competition. In that competition Ayden Bate played in thirteen matches and averaged just over a try a match on his way to scoring 58 points on the season from fourteen tries and a solitary goal which came in the middle of the season against Tenterfield.

Ayden Bate scored four tries in a late season match against Goondiwindi Blue and a fortnight prior scored a hat trick against Collegians Red.* Ayden Bate also scored three doubles including scoring doubles in consecutive finals matches against Collegians Red and the MIT Jets.* Ayden Bate also scored an earlier double against Collegians White.

Ayden Bate is quite quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside. I would not say that he has blazing speed but he does have decent 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 the touchline.

In terms of chasing attacking kicks Ayden Bate 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 also has very good hands low to the ground on grubber kicks or when defenders drop bombs and uses his length to get to the ball quickly before defenders.* Ayden Bate also holds his line well when chasing kicks so that the opposing kick returner meets a straight line of defenders and not a staggered one.

In defence, he is not the strongest player but will certainly look to hold his line defensively.* When he plays on the wing, I did not often see him come in when he did not need to, preferring to stay on his opposing winger and trusting his teams inside 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.

Due to his solid skills in the air and his length he is solid at defusing bombs, and positions himself well by making sure that he is in position to come forward to meet the ball, rather than standing directly under it and trying to jump flat footed.* This negates some of the advantage of the attacking team’s jumpers who can use their momentum to jump higher than defenders if the defender is caught under the ball, another sign of a player with good situational awareness.

In addition to his Academy Squad commitments Ayden Bate will play for Goondiwindi in the Warwick and Districts U14 competition in 2018.

Even though Ayden Bate has played a fair bit of centre especially in relation to his club commitments I believe that ultimately he will continue to develop and ultimately end up as a solid dependable rugby league winger who can fill in at centre and possibly fullback if the need arises.

In relation to how Ayden Bate plays his rugby league look to how new titans recruit Brendon Elliot plays as a more than reasonable comparison.* Like Elliot, Ayden Bate is more solid than dynamic but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

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Trae Bennetto.* The young half/five eight has recently been named in the inaugural Warwick and District Junior Rugby League Academy Squad which is being run with the Western Mustangs and the Titans. In 2017 Trae Bennetto was part of the wider Western Mustangs Academy Squad and also represented the Western Mustangs U13’s at the Central Division Junior Carnival.* Post that carnival Trae Bennetto was selected in the U13 Central Crows Development Squad.

Also in 2017 Trae Bennetto represented Goondiwindi State High School with distinction including being named player of the match in their B Grade Bronco’s Cup Final victory 24 – 10 over Assumption College.

Trae Bennetto played the 2017 rugby league season for Goondiwindi Maroon in the Warwick and Districts Junior Rugby League U14 competition. In that competition Trae Bennetto played in twelve matches and averaged just over a try a match on his way to scoring 108 points on the season from thirteen tries and twenty eight goals.

Trae Bennetto had an exceptional first half of the season in 2017, scoring all thirteen of his tries through his first seven matches, scoring at least once in each of those matches.* Included in that seven week span was a four try effort against Tenterfield and a Round One hat trick also against Tenterfield.* With the boot Trae Bennetto kicked four goals in a match on three occasions coming against Tenterfield on two occasions and Collegians Red.

Trae Bennetto’s calling card from an attacking perspective is his passing and game management abilities. In terms of his running game, Trae Bennetto is not going to be known as someone that is going to beat a defender with speed, but 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.* Also maybe it’s only me, but he seemed to rarely take a big hit when running through the centre of the ruck.

Going back to his speed briefly, as noted he is not very 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.* Trae Bennetto’s running skills compliment his ability to put runners into holes rather than the other way around.

His 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. He 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.

Defensively Trae Bennetto 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.* His quick feet and sense of timing and anticipation enable him to see plays developing in front of him quickly and he is able to adjust and look to shut down the attacking play prior to it fully developing. In short he is quite a solid defender regardless of position.

In addition to his Academy Squad commitments Trae Bennetto will play for Goondiwindi in the Warwick and Districts U16 competition as there is no U15 competition at present.

I believe that five eight is Trae Bennetto’s best position with his ball playing and game management skills to go with his ability to take the line on himself.

Boom youngster Brodie Croft from the Melbourne Storm is a good comparison in relation to how Trae Bennetto plays.* Trae Bennetto is a dynamic player in terms of running with the ball when the opportunity presents as well as being adept at being a ball playing and game manager.

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Kai Williamson-Duggan. The young half from the U15 Toowoomba South’s junior rugby league club was one of the reason that South’s had such a successful year in the U15 Toowoomba junior rugby league competition. Kai Williamson-Duggan started at half back in South’s 38 – 18 Grand Final victory over Toowoomba Valleys.* In that Grand Final Kai Williamson-Duggan contributed a try and three goals to the victory with his try coming seven minutes into the second half.

In 2017 Kai Williamson-Duggan was also part of the U15/16 Western Mustangs Academy Squad and he will be in that squad again in 2018. Previous seasons has seen Kai Williamson-Duggan represent the Central Crows and the South West Mustangs across a number of age groups.

Over the course of the 2017 U15 Toowoomba Junior Rugby League season, Kai Williamson-Duggan scored 102 points in total from nine tries and thirty three goals.* In addition to his Grand Final try Kai Williamson-Duggan scored an early season hat trick against Pittsworth and a Round One double against Oakey.* Kai Williamson-Duggan also scored tries against Valleys (in addition to his Grand Final try), Highfields and Dalby.

With the boot even though he shared the goal kicking duties with Jack Pike, Kai Williamson-Duggan finished as the competitions leading goal kicker with thirty three and had some big matches including kicking seven goals in two separate matches against Pittsworth and Dalby.* Kai Williamson-Duggan also kicked six goals to Round One against Oakey where he finished with twenty points when you add in his two tries.* Kai Williamson-Duggan also kicked five conversions in consecutive matches in August against Valleys and Highfields.

In attack his calling card is his organisational and passing skills more so than his running game.* His speed would probably considered average for a half/five eight but he will throw a dummy and run when opposing defences are focussed on his support runners and provide him with opportunities.* He also does not have quick twitch feet, thus his step is more average than say a plus side step like Titans NYC player AJ Brimson.

Kai Williamson-Duggan also has a good long passing game thus enabling the ball to get out to his back line quickly when they are set deep.* He develops a good spiral on the ball and is able to lead his outside backs onto the ball through putting the ball out in front of them.* He will also take the ball to the line and delay the pass as long as possible to his support runners when necessary.

Assisting his play is the fact that Kai Williamson-Duggan makes the decision what to do with the ball quickly thus enabling the ball to get out wide or when the ball needs to be turned back inside.* In short he looks to dictate what the defensive line needs to do to combat his sides attack rather than waiting to see how the opposition is looking to defend at a particular time in a game.

One aspect that was notable in the 2016 and 2017 Grand Finals was how he directed the team around the field in difficult conditions and he looked to manage the game to take account of those conditions.* He seems like he maintains his composure on the field and does not yell or scream but obviously gets his message across to his team mates with a calm presence.

Kai Williamson-Duggan is also a very good goal kicker with both good range and accuracy, although when he is kicking from wider one, he sometimes tries to kick the ball too hard and his accuracy suffers as a result. Like his general play kicking, I would suggest that he is a real chance to be his side’s primary goal kicker regardless of the level progressing into the future.

Kai Williamson-Duggan has a solid all round kicking game in relation to general play kicking but like most young kickers he just needs to ensure that he does not try to kick the ball too hard with a loss of accuracy resulting.* Certainly his short kicking game close to the try line is good and he weights his attacking kicks quite well.* He probably will not be a team’s first choice general play kicker but will be a solid alternative when required.

Defensively Kai Williamson-Duggan has decent size for a half or five eight, and probably would be considered an average sized played for his age and position. This is a facet which assists in him being an effective defender for his position. Getting stronger over the off season though will make him more effective in the defensive aspects of the game especially as the forwards who will be running at him will continue to get bigger, stronger and faster.

The 2018 season will see Kai Williamson-Duggan play once again in the Toowoomba Junior Rugby League competition for South’s as they look to make it two premierships in a row, with the 2018 season being in the U16 competition.

Whilst he has played a fair bit of football at five eight, I think that ultimately Kai Williamson-Duggan plays half back in the long term, although I do expect that he will continue to play his club football for Toowoomba South’s at five eight for at least next year.

From a player comparison perspective think maybe someone like former Canberra Raiders and St George Dragons half Sam Williams, as a solid half who will play a steady game and look to exploit the skills of the players around him rather than trying to win the game himself.

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Nicholas Currie. The young five eight has recently been named in the inaugural Warwick and District Junior Rugby League Academy Squad which is being run with the Western Mustangs and the Titans.

Nicholas Currie played the 2017 rugby league season for Collegians Red in the Warwick and Districts Junior Rugby League U14 competition. In that competition Nicholas Currie scored a total of 86 points which came from nine tries and twenty five goals in fourteen matches.

Six of his nine tries came from doubles with Nicholas Currie scoring those doubles against Goondiwindi Maroon, the MIT Jets and Tenterfield.* Nicholas Currie look over the goals kicking duties for Collegians Red late in the season and had back to back games against Eastern Suburbs and Tenterfield when he kicked eight goals in each match.* Against Tenterfield he also scored one of his doubles to finish with twenty four points for the match.

Nicholas Currie runs with the ball in both hands which enables him to put doubt into the defensive line in terms of whether he is going to run or pass on any given attacking play and has above average speed off the mark which he uses if he identifies even the smallest gap in the defensive line.

In relation to his play making ability, Nicholas Currie has both a very good long and short passing game and generates very good spin on the ball which aids accuracy in relation to his passing.* Another aspect that is very good is that there is no discernible difference in relation to his passing to either his left or right, in both instances he rotates his body well.* In relation to his short passing Nicholas Currie will run right to the line and present his outside runners with good pop passes which enables them to run right into gaps in the defensive line.

Defensively Nicholas Currie is also a strong presence on the field and more than held his own over the course of the 2017 season even against the largest of opposing forwards looking to target him on the fringes of the ruck.* He gets low and generates significant leverage with his lower body and drives into his opponent with a strong effect.* Against opposing halves Nicholas Currie uses his lateral mobility to mirror their movement to ensure that they do not get on his outside and Nicholas Currie is disciplined enough not to come out of the line and maintain the proper defensive spacing.

In addition to his Academy Squad commitments Nicholas Currie will play for Collegians in the Warwick and Districts U16 competition as there is no U15 competition at present in the region.

From a position perspective, Nicholas Currie has spent his entire career in the halves and will surely continue there for the foreseeable future.

For me a current NRL player with a similar playing style to that of Nicholas Currie is soon to be Penrith Panther and Australian International five eight James Maloney, being that of a solid talented all round five eight who will surprise a defensive line with some very good short balls when it looks for all money like he is going to run himself.

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Jacob Gross. The gritty young hooker has recently been named in the inaugural Warwick and District Junior Rugby League Academy Squad which is being run with the Western Mustangs and the Titans. Earlier this season the youngster represented Darling Downs in the QSSRL U15 School Boy Championships.

The Warwick State High School student played nine matches for Collegians in the Warwick and Districts U16 competition and scored ten tries in an outstanding season for the young hooker.* He also kicked eight goals to finish the 2017 season with 56 points.* Over the course of this season Jacob Gross scored doubles against Stanthorpe twice and also against Collegians Blue and Eastern Suburbs.

Jacob Gross does not necessarily have great speed when he runs out of dummy half, but the times that he does run though, he targets forwards who are offside, if the offside forward is called out of the play he has the speed to break into open space.* Once in open space he does not have the speed required to finish things off himself but he invariably will make the right decision with the ball in terms of whether to take the tackle or pass to a support player.

In terms of his distribution out of dummy half Jacob Gross has a solid pass from both sides of his body and can also generate reasonable distance as well.* When you watch him distribute from dummy half you are not going to come away waxing lyrical about his passing, but it is solid and effective and he is smart enough not to cut his passes too fine when leading his forwards onto the ball.* Like the rest of his game, his passing out of dummy half is solid and virtually mistake free.

Defensively Jacob Gross is more than strong enough to defend in the middle of the ruck and quick enough to defend on the fridges. In the centre of the ruck he sets a strong base to create the necessary leverage to defend against larger forwards.* When defending wider of the ruck he due to his low centre of gravity and tackling technique can effectively engage wide running forwards as well as having the footwork and lateral movement to contain and eliminate the threat of smaller stepping players breaching the defensive line.

Jacob Goss is eligible again for the U16 competition in 2018 with Collegians and will also have a number of sessions with the Warwick and Districts Academy squad and playing for Warwick State High School to keep him busy over the course of the 2018 season.

Where Jacob Goss ends up from an ultimate position perspective is an interesting question, currently he is primarily a hooker but at the end of eth day I am not convinved that he can not also operate as a running backrower for short periods if not longer.

From a player comparison perspective, due to his size and tenacity, a playing style and comparison akin to current Titans and New South Wales State of Origin hooker Nathan Peats would be appropriate from a style, courage and determination perspective.

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Carlos Smith. The young Warwick State High School fullback has recently been named in the inaugural Warwick and District Junior Rugby League Academy Squad which is being run with the Western Mustangs and the Titans.* Earlier this year Carlos Smith was also named at fullback in the U15 Darling Downs School Boys side that competed in the QSSRL U15 Championships.* In 2016 Carlos Smith represented the U14 South West Mustangs at the Central Division Junior Rugby League Carnival where he played in the fullback position.

The young Collegians fullback finished as the equal leading try scorer in the Warwick and Districts U16 competition with seventeen tries, scoring those in just twelve matches.* Early in the 2017 season Carlos Smith scored four tries against Goondiwindi and he also scored a hat trick against Collegians White later in the 2017 season.* Carlos Smith also scored doubles against Eastern Suburbs twice, Wattles and Goondiwindi.* In addition to his seventeen tries Carlos Smith also kicked five conversions to finish with 78 points for the 2017 season.

Carlos Smith is an agile runner of the football who relies on his speed and elusiveness to make it difficult for larger opponents to line him up.* It is interesting though to the extent that when he is open space, it does not look like he is running quickly, but he clearly is as he is rarely run down when he is in open space. When lining up at fullback he always makes himself available for offloads in the centre of the ruck where he has good footwork to beat forwards, including a good stutter step that ‘freezes’ the defensive line and then he can use his speed off the mark to make ground.* I would say that his speed is in the plus category, add to that plus evasive skills and you have a young man who creates matchup problems for a defensive line.

One aspect of his game in terms of the fullback position, he does on occasion take some risks in terms of taking the ball on the full from kicks, I.e. sliding etc. to look to take the ball on the full, but he has good hands and does not often lose control of the ball.* Carlos Smith also has a good leap, thus is able to normally get above the chasers to defuse bombs* and he has good hands, thus he is also efficient at defusing grubber kicks as well where a positive trait is that he will attack the ball rather than being passive and waiting for the ball to come to him.

Defensively if an attacker runs directly at him, Carlos Smith will come forward to cut down the time the attacker has to make a decision and he will hit very hard.* An impressive attribute that he does have he is ability to force attackers in the clear to try to beat him down the side line.* He will stay inside the attacker and force him in the needed direction and then use his timing and anticipation to make the tackle, usually forcing the attacker into touch.

Carlos Smith is eligible again for the U16 competition in 2018 with Collegians where he should also again be one of the star players in the competition and will also have a number of sessions with the Warwick and Districts Academy squad. Carlos Smith will also represent Warwick State High School in relation to his school boy rugby league commitments and will also be in line to represent the South West Mustangs at the U16 level at the Central Crows Junior Rugby league Championships.

Fullback seems the ideal position for Carlos Smith moving forward with his evasiveness and courage under the high ball and returning kicks. Jack Ward could also handle competently the wing position in higher age groups as well.

For me Carlos Smith plays similar to how former Canterbury Bulldogs fullback Luke Patten played in that he is a steady mistake free player appreciated by his team mates and coaching staff alike.

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Jayden Lippi. The exciting young fullback has recently been named in the inaugural Warwick and District Junior Rugby League Academy Squad which is being run with the Western Mustangs and the Titans.

The outstanding young custodian had a great year for Collegians in the Warwick and Districts U14 JRL competition on his way to finishing the season as the competitions leading try scorer with twenty one tries from just twelve matches.* Add in two conversions which came in the last round against Goondiwindi Blue and Jayden Lippi finished the 2017 season with 88 points.

Jayden Lippi scored in ten of his twelve matches with only Goondiwindi Blue and Wattles keeping him scoreless. Jayden Lippi scored five hat tricks in 2017 including scoring a hat trick in each match of a four game run spanning the period from late May to mid-July with those four games coming against Eastern Suburbs twice and Tenterfield twice.* Jayden Lippi also scored a Round One hat trick against Wattles and he also scored doubles against the MIT Jets and Collegians Red.

In 2016 Jayden Lippi was a standout at the South West Mustangs trials and was ultimately selected at fullback for the Mustangs for the Central Division selection trials.

When he runs the ball, Jayden Lippi is exceptionally quick and explosive, with exceptional speed, both off the mark and when he gets into open space, teams in his age group in the Rockhampton U18 competition just could not handle him when he had the ball in his hands. He also can step off both feet exceptionally well and also has a great swerve whilst maintaining top speed.* On occasions when he made a break, his support could not keep up and thus he used his incredible footwork and speed to beat the opposing fullback by himself.* There is nothing that Jayden Lippi cannot do running the ball and it is only now about developing his ball playing skills, which to be fair improved exponentially as this season has progressed to make his footwork and running ability even more lethal.

In addition Jayden Lippi also has the ball playing skills to set up his support runners and get them lines to run into when defenders came out of the line to negate his time with the ball in hand.* In terms of running the ball back from kicks, his timing and anticipation means that he gets to a lot of balls on the full and makes a quick decision whether to run the ball flat out back into the oncoming defenders or look to create an opportunity by running across field.* Regardless Jayden Lippi is an absolute handful to tackle with his speed and evasion skills.

Defensively in the fullback position he does not make a huge amount of tackles but the ones he makes are the ones that need to be made.* If an attacker runs directly at him, Jayden Lippi will come forward to cut down the time the attacker has to make a decision and he will hit very hard and does not fall for a dummy in those situations.

An impressive attribute that Jayden Lippi does have is ability to force attackers who are in open space to try to beat him down the side line.* He will stay inside the attacker and force him in the required direction and then use his timing, closing speed* and anticipation to make the tackle, usually forcing the attacker into touch.

In addition to his Academy Squad commitments Jayden Lippi will play for Collegians in the Warwick and Districts U16 competition as there is no U15 competition at present in the region but hopefully over time one will be able to get up.

From a position perspective, Jayden Lippi is the ideal fullback for the modern game, with game breaking ability when returning the ball and when hunting for off loads through the middle of the field.

In relation to a player that you can compare Jayden Lippi’s skill set and playing style to, you need to look no further than boom Parramatta Eels rookie Bevan French, he just looks so classy every time he is near the ball and constantly maintains his composure under extreme pressure.

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Torben Milton. The explosive young Goondiwindi State High School centre has recently been named in the inaugural Warwick and District Junior Rugby League Academy Squad which is being run with the Western Mustangs and the Titans, a deserved reward for an exceptional 2017 campaign and both club school boy and representative level.

Torben Milton had an outstanding 2017 campaign for Goondiwindi in the Warwick and Districts JRL competition, averaging just under two tries per match to be the competition’s equal leading try scorer with seventeen with Collegians dynamic fullback Carlos Smith.* Torben Milton’s seventeen tries came from just ten matches and included an outstanding stretch of matches from late May through to late July 2017 when from seven matches in that span, Troben Milton scored an impressive fifteen tries.

Included in those fifteen tries was four tries in a match against Collegians White and a hat trick against Eastern Suburbs.* Torben Milton also scored three doubles in that period which came against Stanthorpe and Collegians Blue in two separate matches.* He also scored a late season double also against Collegians Blue.

In addition to his seventeen tries, Torben Milton also kicked thirty five to finish as the competitions leading point’s scorer with 138 points.* On two occasions Torben Milton kicked six goals in a match which came against Stanthorpe and Collegians Blue who must have been sick of the sight of him by seasons end.

Earlier in 2017 Torben Milton also represented the Darling Downs U15 School Boy side in the QSSRL U15 Championships where he was selected on the wing.* In 2016 he represented the South West Mustangs U14’s in the Central Division Junior Carnival and also represented Darlings Downs U12 at the QSSRL U12 School Boy Championships and on Day Three was named the Darling Downs Player of the Match and scored two tries in a big win over North West.

Torben Milton is just a silky smooth runner of the ball who seems to glide across the field effortlessly and certainly has an extra gear in relation to the speed he possesses as well as plus speed off the mark and plus lateral movement as well.* He also has the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is becoming increasingly rare in the modern game.

When he gets the ball early from his inside play makers, Torben Milton is incredibly difficult to deal with one on one, as whilst his speed has already been noted, he is also a powerful runner who has the power to also break tackles through sheer power and not just rely on his speed to beat his opponent, in short he has a myriad of moves to break through the defensive line regardless of the defensive methodology that they are incorporating at any given time.

The one thing he also seems to be able to do well, is to step back inside without the loss of his speed or forward momentum, opposing defenders seem to push out quickly when he has the ball expecting him to look to beat them on their outside, if they come across to far, Torben Milton has a very good step back side and if the inside defenders are not quick enough to cover across he has the speed to make a clean break in those circumstances.

Similarly when an opposing defender looks to come out of the line quickly to put pressure on him, Torben Milton’s quick twitch feet means that he can step off either foot quickly to negate the attempt to cut down his time.* In short he is a very talented attacking player who looks to beat his opponent with speed and guile rather than purely by brute strength.

Torben Milton must be an inside ball players 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 starts to cheat to the outside in an effort to combat the attacking prowess of Torben Milton.* 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 through any gaps that develop as the play progresses.

In defence Torben Milton has good strength, but will certainly look to come out of the line to stop the attack before it has time to fully develop.* 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 centre the sideline and is confident that his speed will enable him to get across to make the tackle.* As he fills out and gains more experience he will become more effective defensively, not that there is all that much wrong with how he defends at present certainly in relation to the standard he is playing at.

Torben Milton is eligible again for the U16 competition in 2018 where he should also again be one of the star players in the competition once again and will also have a number of sessions with the Warwick and Districts Academy squad with a view to progressing his developing rugby league career. Torben Milton will also represent Goondiwindi State High School in relation to his school boy rugby league commitments and will also be in line to represent the South West Mustangs at the U16 level at the Central Crows Junior Rugby league Championships.

Torben Milton has been a centre throughout his rugby league career and certainly looks like he has the skill set to stay there in the long term. Torben Milton has the ceiling of an above average NRL centre and the floor of an above average QCup centre, he just oozes class on a football field.

Torben Milton shapes as a talented centre and thus for player comparison purposes a comparison to ultra-talented Sydney Roosters centre Latrell Mitchell is not unwarranted.* Like Mitchell Torben Milton is an exceptional athlete with a significant amount of natural ability waiting to be harnessed.

[mdrew]

Kavaua (Benji) Neliman.* The young Chinchilla based fullback from all reports was a standout at the Western Mustangs MM Cup trials in early November and shapes as a key member of the squad as they look to go back to back in 2018.* In 2017 Benji Neliman played for Chinchilla in the Roma and Districts Rugby League competition at the U18 level as well as playing for the Central Crows in eth MM Cup competition.

Over the course of the 2017 MM Cup competition, Benji Neliman started at fullback in all of the Central Crows matches and scored a final round double against the Western Mustangs in a tough 70 – 20 loss to the eventually 2017 MM Cup Champions.

In 2016 Benji Neliman was part of the South West U18 squad for the QSSRL Championships playing in all four of South West’s matches against Peninsula, Darling Downs, Met West and the Presidents XIII.* A team mate in that side was outstanding Titans linked youngsters Billy Mozer and Jaxson Paulo. Benji Neliman also represented South West at the U15 level in 2015. 2016 also saw Benji Neliman represent the Central Crows in the U16 State Junior Carnival including scoring a double in a big win against the Northern Marlins.

Benji Neliman is an agile runner of the football who relies on his speed and outstanding elusiveness to make it difficult for larger opponents to line him up, I would say that is speed would be above average for a fullback but just a tick above average for a winger. When lining up at fullback he always makes himself available for offloads in the centre of the ruck when his forwards are bringing the ball out of their own territory.

One thing that impresses me is that Benji Neliman does not jog after the ball when it is kicked down field, he will flat out sprint to get there either on the full or as quickly as possible, thus eliminating the effectiveness of the oppositions kicking game.* 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.

He has the ability to sweep around the back of the ruck and also pop up in supporting in the middle of the ruck, either running himself or looking for offloads from his forwards and use his footwork against big tiring forwards.* His passing game is solid and on occasion he drifts across the field looking for runners to run into holes and has the ability to “freeze” the defensive line as well as drawing opposition defenders out of the line, making to easier for his support runners to determine which holes to run into.

Currently when receiving and running the ball in relation to a traditional fullback play when they chime into the backline, Benji Neliman normally seems to run an outside shoulder line but when he adds an inside shoulder line he will be even more difficult to handle especially one on one.

In terms of running the ball back from kicks, his timing and anticipation means that he gets to a lot of balls on the full and makes a quick decision whether to run the ball flat out back into the oncoming defenders or look to create an opportunity by running across field.* Regardless Benji Neliman is an absolute handful to tackle.

Defensively in the fullback position Benji Neliman understandably he does not a huge amount of tackles but the ones he makes are the ones that need to be made.* If an attacker runs directly at him, he will come forward to cut down the time the attacker has to make a decision and he will hit very hard.* An impressive attribute that he does have he is ability to force attackers in the clear to try to beat him down the side line.

Benji Neliman will stay inside the attacker and force him in the needed direction and then use his timing and anticipation to make the tackle, usually forcing the attacker into touch.* His timing and anticipation in defence are one of the reasons that I think that he could also handle playing in the centres as he progresses into senior rugby league.

Even though the Western Mustangs MM Cup squad has not been reduced, it currently stands at 93, it is hard to envisage that Benji Neliman will not be in the final squad when named and for that matter being one of their key players as they look to repeat their 2017 success.

Even though Benji Neliman has primarily played at fullback to date in his junior rugby league career, I can foresee more of a future in the centres for the powerful youngster. Whether I like it or not,* and I don’t fullbacks these days have to be also a second half or five eight and I just do not think that playing that way would be the best utilisation of Benji Neliman’s skill set. I would prefer to see him in the centres where he can concentrate on isolating his immediate opposite one on one and overwhelm him with speed, power and an exquisite side step.

Taane Milne who is currently starring for Fiji in the Rugby League World Cup and who has recently signed with the Wests Tigers is for me at least the ideal player comparison for the ultra-talented Benji Neliman.

[mdrew]

Liam Horne.* The young former Wavell State High School student had an outstanding 2017 season including captaining his North’s Devils Colts side to the Grand Final which they unfortunately lost to the Redcliffe Dolphins 56 – 16.

Liam Horne played in fourteen of North’s fifteen regular season matches and all three of their finals matches.* Liam Horne started all of North’s regular season matches and their first final in the centres before moving to start the Preliminary and Grand Finals at lock.* Across his matches in the Colts Challenge this season, Liam Horne scored three tries including a double in Round Sixteen against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls and against Tweed Heads in Round Seven.

Liam Horne also represented the North’s Devils in the FOGS Colts Cup competition in 2017 starting four of the Devil’s six matches in the centres and scored a Round Six try against the South’s Logan Magpies.

The former Wavell State High School student also has some representative experience under his belt including representing the PNG Kokomo’s U18 side against Samoa in 2016 where he started at five eight and he also represented Met North in the QSSRL U18 championships the same year also at five eight.* Prior to that Liam Horne was selected in a Brisbane Stingers U15 representative side, in that side was outstanding Titans youngster Daniel Brownbill.

Liam Horne is a hard running centre who runs 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 the majority of the time before moving to the back row late in 2017 has assisted greatly when he is running closer to the centre of the ruck 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, Liam Horne’s feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight corrections to his running direction and he is also able to maintain his speed regardless of the multiple directional changes.* He seems just to run at a faster pace than other forwards on the field. These attributes lead to a lot of line breaks and he has the speed to convert them into tries himself.

As you would expect, due to his size and strength, Liam Horne 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.

Another area where he has a plus attribute is in relation to his leaderships skills.* He is a strong confident personality and that translates to a leader on and off the field.* In the warm ups prior to a game you can see that the other players gravitate towards him.* This is a trait that you cannot teach, you either have it or you don’t.* Even if he is not the nominated captain on the field he is a leader regardless of which team he is lining up for and acts accordingly.

Liam Horne is still eligible for Colts in 2018 and it appears that he will be lining up with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side in the 2018 U20 Hasting’s Deering’s Cup.* It would also not surprise to see him push for a couple of late season QCup matches in 2018 for the Seagulls.

In terms of a long term position for Liam Horne, even though he finished the 2017 season playing the Colts Preliminary and Grand Finals at lock, I firmly believe that Liam Horne still has a lot to offer in the centres for the short term at least and especially from a defensive perspective. However over the long term Liam Horne is likely to end up in the second row.

From a player comparison perspective, one player that springs to mind is Warriors and New Zealand captain and backrower Simon Mannering, as a* wide running backrower who started off in the centres but over time transitioned into a talented backrower with leadership skills to help his team through the tough stretches of games and the grind of training over the course of a long season especially when you take into account a lot of these boys have club, representative and school training sessions to deal with.

[mdrew]

Jack Peoples.* In 2017 Jack Peoples played a lot of rugby league including playing for the North’s Devils Colts side and representing Australian Universities. In the QCup Colts competition for North’s the former Padua College First XV star started from the inter change bench in their Grand Final loss to the Redcliffe Dolphins.* In 2016 Jack Peoples was part of the North’s Devils MM Cup side that made the semi-finals.

In The Queensland Cup Colts Challenge competition, Jack Peoples played in twelve of North’s regular season matches and also all three of their finals matches, culminating in their Grand Final loss.* Jack Peoples started six matches in the second row, two at lock and the remaining matches from the interchange bench including the Grand Final.* Across those matches Jack Peoples scored four tries which came in Round One against the Easts Tigers, Round Twelve against the Ipswich Jets, against the Sunshine Coast Falcons in Round Fourteen and against a Tweed Heads Seagulls side containing a number of Titans contracted NYC players in their Preliminary Final victory.

Jack Peoples also played for North’s in the 2017 FOGS Colts Challenge competition, starting in the second row in all six of North’s matches and scored tries in Round Five against Victoria and Tweed Heads in Round Seven.

As noted above Jack Peoples was a member of the Australian Universities side that won the World Universities Rugby League crown earlier this season, scoring against England in a round robin match against England when he scored under the posts and he also scored in Australia’s Championship Final victory over the Pacific Islands.* Jack Peoples was also named in the World Universities XIII after the completion of the Championships.

To make the Australian Universities side Jack Peoples played for Queensland Universities in late 2016 from the Australian Catholic University in Brisbane and scored against New South Wales in their interstate match.* In that match Jack Peoples received the Queensland Coaches award.

The young giant’s best attribute from an attacking perspective is his off-loading ability primarily with his right hand.* He will attack the edge of the ruck looking to isolate a defender and keep his right arm free to off load.* If his support runner is on his inside he has the strength to maintain contact with the defensive line and pop a short pass.* Whilst Jack Peoples is a powerful runner on both sides of the ruck he primarily off loads when running to the right side, the sample size that I have seem is likely not conclusive so it is not clear whether this hypothesis will hold up with additional observations.

Jack Peoples runs with the primary intention to engage the defensive line front one, he does not over complicate the task and runs straight and hard getting his shoulders down low just prior to contact.* His broad shoulders and strong frame back him a difficult proposition to handle.* As noted he looks to isolate a defender, if that defender goes low Jack Peoples will off load with his right arm and if the defender looks to tackle him around the chest, Jack Peoples will initiate the contact and continue to pump his legs to either gain as much ground as possible or to break the tackle completely through sheer force of will.

Jack Peoples has above average speed for his position and his high knee lift and the constant pumping of his legs means that he will break through the initial defensive line more often than you think likely.* Jack Peoples also has decent mobility which enables him to get to his feet quickly once he has been tackled aiding in the continuation of the momentum that he has established for his team.

Defensively the aggressive nature of the initial contact made by Luke Moretti is the primary component of his defensive methodology, in short Jack Peoples attacks opposition runners front on. Jack Peoples looks for the big front on hit as often as possible but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage and reasonable 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.

Jack Peoples looks to obtain both physical and mental dominance over his opponents in all aspects of the game and as you would except with an aggressive player of his size Jack Peoples will also win the ground wrestle on the vast majority of occasions.

Jack Peoples is still eligible for Colts in 2018 and it appears that he will be lining up with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side.

Jack Peoples has primarily played in the second row over the last couple of seasons although I note that he played a fair bit in the front row earlier in his junior rugby league career. In school boy rugby for Padua College in the AIC competition Jack Peoples played as a No. 8.* Moving forward with his surprising speed for a big man, I believe that Jack Peoples has the ability to develop into a rare commodity that being a try scoring second rower in rugby league.

From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the line of Manu Mau from the Parramatta Eels and New Zealand Test Squad, as a tough hard running and tackling second rower who will not back down from a challenge.

[mdrew]

Lachlan Twort. The young lock from the Wynnum Manly area in Brisbane played for Wynnum Juniors in 2017 U19 Brisbane Rugby League competition, scoring one try from a handful of matches in Wynnum’s green and red. Lachlan Twort has previously represented the Wynnum Manly Seagulls at the MM Cup level in 2016 and the CC Cup level in 2014.


Lachlan Twort is a solidly built forward with a low centre of gravity making him a difficult proposition to tackle for opposing defences.* He may not look it but he is actually quite quick especially off the mark and will surprise a defence line in terms of how fast he gets to them and thus he is in a position to bump off the initial defender who on occasion has been unable to set up for the tackle properly.* Lachlan Twort has some late and subtle footwork prior to the line and will drop his shoulder into the defenders as well.

To say that he continues to fight in the tackle once contact has been established is an understatement.* Lachlan Twort seems to take every confrontation personally and is intent on winning every individual battle.

Where his greatest impact on a game is going to be is his defence.* His has a great tackling technique and a hard hitting aggressive style to go with it.* I think that in every game that I have seen him play, including representative games he has made a solid impact defensively

Lachlan Twort 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 effects projecting into his opponent.

Lachlan Twort is still eligible for Colts in 2018 and it appears that he will be lining up with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side in the 2018 U20 Hasting’s Deering’s Cup.

With his solid frame with a low centre of gravity, Lachlan Twort is certainly going to play in the centre third of a rugby league field, likely at lock for his side.

Luke Yates the rookie from the Newcastle Knights from my perspective has a similar playing style to that of Lachlan Twort.* Both really charge at the defensive line and have very subtle late foot work and both work extremely hard in defence.

[mdrew]

Tyran Rundmann. The former John Paul College winger has never been a player that has been recognised by junior rugby league selectors outside of playing four matches for the Presidents XIII side in the 2016 U18 QSSRL Championships but the young flyer is slowly but surely adding to his resume of work each season.

In 2017 Tyran Rundmann played in two competitions being the Universities Rugby League Queensland Competition playing for the Griffith University Dragons and in the Brisbane Rugby League U19 competition playing for St Brendan’s/Greenbank.* In 2016 Tyran Rundmann played in the Brisbane Rugby League U18 Division One competition with St Brendan’s.

For St Brendan’s/Greenbank Tyran Rundmann played in eleven matches scoring three tries and across the nine rounds of the Universities Queensland competition, Tyran Rundmann scored three tries with his tries coming against the Griffith Logan Redbacks in Round Three, against the UQ Hounds in Rounds Six and in Round Nine against the Griffith Gold Coast Panthers.

Even though he does not have great top end speed Tyran Rundmann is quick enough to take advantage of any space that he is given down the touchline by opposing wingers.* One good thing about his play in attack is that he stays on his wing and is regularly outside his opposite number allowing his inside players to be able to find him in attack and in the games that I have seen he stays back and does not over run the players that are inside of him.

Tyran Rundmann seems to be aware of his skill set as he does not take chances with the sideline and does his utmost to ensure that he is not taken over the sideline and knows when to cut back inside rather than taking his opposite number on along the touchline.

In terms of defence, Tyran Rundmann is solid and seemingly understands the attributes of his opposite number to the extent that he alters his defensive positioning if he is against speedy, elusive wingers and against larger wingers.* Like most young outside backs though he will continue to work on when to come out of the line to cut down the time and space of opposing centre, against staying out on his opposing winger and when to drop back to cover the side line, his time at centre both in rugby league and rugby has clearly helped in these situations in terms of positioning and when to tackle low compared to looking to when to wrap up the attacking player with a ball and all tackle.

Tyran Rundmann is still eligible for Colts in 2018 and it appears that he will be lining up with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side in the 2018 U20 Hasting’s Deering’s Cup.

I think that it is set in stone that Tyran Rundmann will play on the wing exclusively from now on.

Titans Anthony Don for me is a good comparison for how Tyran Rundmann plays, he is a solid player with a touch more speed than he is given credit for and is also a steady defensive presence, a bit of a glue guy if you will. I would not say that Tyran Rundmann is as good as Anthony Don under the high ball (not sure anyone is) but he certainly has a safe pair of hands.