My take on our top juniors

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Keanu Bannan. The young Beaudesert Kingfishers fullback played the 2017 GCJRL season in the U14 age group, playing nine matches in the U14 Division Three competition and two further matches in the U14 Division two competition.

In the U14 Division Three competition, Keanu Bannan played in just nine matches but contributed 64 points to the Kingfishers cause from fourteen tries and four goals. Keanu Bannan did not score in his first and last matches in the U14 Division Three competition but scored in every match in between including four in a July 2017 match against Helensvale( in that match he also kicked three goals to finish with 22 points) and a hat trick against Mudgeeraba. Keanu Bannan also scored doubles against Ormeau and Mudgeeraba during the 2017 season.

Keanu Bannan 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. One thing that impresses me is that he 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.

To date Keanu Bannan 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.

Keanu Bannan 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 come forward to reduce the time an attacking player has to make a decision with the ball.

Keanu Bannan will play the 2018 season with the Beaudesert Kingfishers in the GCJRL U15 competition.

Keanu Bannan could conceivably play a number of positions such as fullback, centre or winger but by a very small margin I think that the most appropriate utilisation of his skills is on a wing, but until then I am sure that Keanu Bannan will get opportunities certainly at fullback.

With is ability to gain separation from his opponent and sound positional sense, I see aspects of the game of new Titans fullback signing Michael Gordon in the play of Keanu Bannan.

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Henry Abdul-Rahman. (Updated) The talented young Dalby Devils hooker was a late call up to the Titans/Western Mustangs camp at Lennox Heads at the end of the 2017 rugby league season but that should not in any way concern anyone as Henry Abdul-Rahman is a talented distributor from the dummy half position as well as being very effective defensively. Another poster with a great knowledge of the Toowoomba region gave me a tip about this young man and deservedly so. ( Thanks you know who you are).

As a result of his performances at the Titans/Western Mustangs camp and throughout the 2017 and previous seasons, Henry Abdul-Rahman has been placed on a Titans scholarship for the next couple of years.

Henry Abdul-Rahman played the 2017 rugby league season with Dalby in the U16 Toowoomba Junior Rugby League competition, averaging a try a match through ten matches. Henry Abdul-Rahman had a great start to the season scoring a hat trick in his first match of the season against Toowoomba Brothers and also scored doubles against Pittsworth, Brothers and against eventual Premiers Souths in a finals loss.

In 2016 Henry Abdul-Rahman represented Darling Downs in the U15 QSSRL Championships starting the majority of matches from the interchange bench but certainly made an impact when he came on including scoring on Day One against South Coast and Day Two against Northern.

Henry Abdul-Rahman is a talented all round hooker, who excels at all three critical aspects of the modern day hooker, those being his distribution out of dummy half, selective running out of dummy half and defending in the centre of the ruck. In terms of his distribution out of dummy half, 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.

In the games that I have seen there is no discernible difference between Henry Abdul-Rahman’s passing from either side of his body, and his passes are crisp and flat and also he can pass a reasonable distance off the ground when the first receiver is standing a little wider of the play the ball. Where he is also extremely effective is leading his forwards onto the ball, he passes in front of the forward ensuring no loss of momentum to the run. In short Henry Abdul-Rahman is a very good game manager from the hooking position.

Where Henry Abdul-Rahman really stands out in terms of attacking play, is his speed out of dummy half, he is extremely quick and has exceptional footwork to take advantage of tiring forwards, using a step off both feet. Henry Abdul-Rahman wins a lot of penalties by running at forwards who are offside, if the offside forward is called out of the play he has the speed to break into open space and has the pace to make it difficult for the cover defence to get to him.

Around the try line Henry Abdul-Rahman is also very good at making the right decision whether the go himself for the try line or pass, where he gets down low and drives with his legs. Obviously as he progresses he will need to ensure that, especially close to the line he continues to make the right decisions. Due to the pace that Henry Abdul-Rahman plays the game at and his speed he is always available in terms of backing up in the centre of the ruck, when forwards get their arms free.

Henry Abdul-Rahman’s defence for a hooker is very good for a smaller type of forward he is a hard hitter and can defend effectively one on one against far larger forwards, he sets a good base with his lower body and explodes upwards with his shoulders to drive opposing forwards backwards and is also very good at slowing the play the ball down. His intensity means that he will track the play across and thus is in a good position to effect the tackle if the ball is passed back inside.

Henry Abdul-Rahman will play the 2018 season in the Toowoomba Rugby League U18 competition and has also been named in the 93 man Western Mustangs MM Cup training squad for the upcoming season and I anticipate that he will make the final cut.

Henry Abdul-Rahman has played a bit in the backrow but for me I believe that hooker will be his best position moving forward although just like how the Titans used Nathan Peats on occasion late in the 2017 season, Henry Abdul-Rahman could play as a running backrower as well for periods.

From a player comparison perspective, due to his distribution, running, defence and the speed and intensity that he plays the game at, a playing style akin to Titans and New South Wales State of Origin hooker Nathan Peats.

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Kyah Hope. In his first season playing rugby league on the Gold Coast the custodian from the Helensvale Hornets Junior Rugby League club wore the green and yellow jersey in eighteen matches across three grades. Kyah Hope played the 2017 season primarily in the U16 Division Two competition, including starting the Grand Final at fullback. Helensvale defeated Runaway Bay in the Grand Final 32 – 12.

In his thirteen U16 Division Two matches Kyah Hope scored ten tries including a final’s hat trick against Currumbin and earlier in the 2017 he scored doubles against Beaudesert and Coomera. In addition to the matches that he played in the U16 Division Two competition, Kyah Hope also played four matches in the U16 Division One competition scoring a sole try against Runaway Bay in his first match at that level.

Kyah Hope also played one match in the U17 Division One competition against Runaway Bay after backing up from the U16 Division One match where he scored. Kyah Hope then backed up the next day to play in the U16 Division Two match meaning that he was involved in three matches in less than 24 hours which is no mean feat at all.

Kyah Hope’s’ main attribute when you see him play is his foot work, it is very good from the fullback position. He can step off both feet without the loss of momentum. Kyah Hope’s speed off the mark would have to be considered plus and whilst his top end speed may not necessarily be at the elite level compared to some he can sustain it over an extended distance.

Regardless of where he receives the ball Kyah Hope is a talented attacking player. If he gets an off load from a forward through the middle he is through the gap before the defence can react, if he gets the ball in space out wide he is make it very difficult for the opposing defender to get a clean shot at him and if he gets the ball from a kick, if the defensive line is not straight in the chase he can make significant ground. Kyah Hope has solid balance and body control as well.

Defensively Kyah Hope uses his size to good effect at the fullback position, by driving with his shoulder into his opponent and he also has very good timing in terms of when to come out of the line and certainly has the speed to react and readjust and chase if his timing is slightly off and the attacking player initially beats him with a move.

Kyah Hope at the individual level has the body control to redirect quickly and mirror the movement of the opposing attackers and anticipate what vector the attack comes from and understands when to allow the attacking play to develop in from of him and comes forward to mitigate the attacking play soon after a break has been made.

Kyah Hope will play the 2018 season with the Helensvale Hornets Redbacks in the GCJRL U17 competition.

With his timing and anticipation in returning kicks and his fearless defence, Kyah Hope presents as a fullback candidate in the years to come.

I appreciate that the comparison for Kyah Hope may on first glace seem a touch strange but the way he runs the ball and his elusiveness remind me of former Brisbane Bronco, Queensland State of Origin and Australian International winger Willie Carne.

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Karl Langi. The former Canterbury 2015 Canterbury Bulldogs U14 junior development squad player made an immediate impact in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League U16 Division Two competition with the Jimboomba Thunder in his first year on the Gold Coast in 2017 averaging a try a match through twelve matches.

Karl Langi had an outstanding try scoring run in a three match span that went from early June to early July 2017. In those three matches he scored a hat trick against Runaway Bay and in the two matches prior Karl Langi scored doubles against Helensvale and Coomera.

In attack, Karl Langi’s role which is to make ground in the middle of the ruck. He does not have quick feet in terms of a step before the line but does use some subtle movement so as not to present himself purely as a straight running target. He just works hard including fighting to get quick play the balls over taking the ball up.

In defence Karl Langi makes sure that the tackle is made and is very effective both in terms of initial contact and also coming in a wrapping up the football, he also covers inside well when balls are turned back inside on the fringe of the ruck, even late in games when he has every right to be worn out, but he somehow wills himself to get there and make the tackle.

When at marker Karl Langi works hard and always gets out of marker quickly to put pressure on the kicker, but then somehow gets back quickly to take his turn to bring the ball out from his own territory. The one thing that will stand out once you have watched him play in a number of games is the amount of defence he does.

Karl Langi will take hit ups and tackle all day and do all of the little things necessary to help his team succeed, including working hard out of the marker position.

Karl Langi will play the 2018 season with the Jimboomba Thunder in the GCJRL U17 competition.

With his size, Karl Langi seems ideally suited to the front row position in rugby league.

From a player comparison perspective a player with a similar playing style is Titans and Queensland State of Origin front rower Jarred Wallace as a forward who will probably take a little while to develop but will be a hard working player who knows his role within a team and does not deviate from it.

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Ryan Rivett. (Updated) The nippy young Burleigh Bears U15 Division One half back’s good 2017 season culminated in him putting on a Titans jersey for the Titans U15 side that took on a Balmain Tigers selection at Cudgen late last year, 2017 also saw Ryan Rivett be part of the Gold Coast Academy of Sport Excellence Program.

Over the course of the GCJRL 2017 U15 Division One competition for Burleigh Ryan Rivett played in thirteen matches scoring five tries, kicking nine goals and a field goal for 39 points on the 2017 season. All of Ryan Rivett’s tries came in individual matches against Southport on two occasions, Coomera on two occasions and Helensvale. Ryan Rivett’s field goal came late in the season against Coomera. Ryan Rivett started off the season as Burleigh goal kicker, kicking four in a match against Southport and the following week, three against Coomera. All of his season’s goals came in the first four rounds of the competition.

In attack, Ryan Rivett generally plays an understated role, focussing more on the distribution and game management aspects of his role as a half. A key attribute to how he plays is his ability to organise and direct his team around the field as well as adjusting his game to the specific situations encountered within a game.

Ryan Rivett will though take the line on when the opportunity arises however, but as noted his best attribute is that of a game manager with the ability to draw defenders out of the line and put his runners into the subsequent hole that is generated. Ryan Rivett has decent speed off the mark and quick twitch feet in confined space but does not have explosive acceleration or high top end speed.

From a kicking perspective Ryan Rivett has a solid kicking game, with reasonable distance and accuracy on all types of kicks, from kicking for field position or from an attacking perspective as well as tactically for field position. I am sure that moving forward focussing on his kicking skills will be a key focus area both from a distance and accuracy perspective.

In defence, due to his size Ryan Rivett is obviously not going to come up with the big hit but reads the play well and can hold his own when defending much bigger players through sheer force of will. He is also very vocal on the field always talking and encouraging his side both in attack and defence.

Ryan Rivett will transition to the U16 Division One competition in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League competition for Burleigh and is also in the training squad for the Gold Coast Vikings U16 side that will play in the 2018 U16 South East Queensland pre-season competition starting in February 2018 which includes three sides from Brisbane, two representing the Gold Coast and also Ipswich.

From a long term position perspective, based on his skill set and size, halfback seems to be Ryan Rivett’s ideal position going forward and a talented game manager at that. After saying what I just said it would be interesting to see how Ryan Rivett would solid at hooker with his decent speed off the mark and his solid kicking and passing game.

From a player comparison perspective, think along the lines of Manly half Daly Cherry Evans as an intelligent skilful player who will be the catalyst for most of the good things that his team does and is faster between the ears than his foot speed.

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Wehi-Te Clarke. (Updated) He is a local young hard running backrower who in 2017 played for the Gold Coast Vikings U14 representative side where he started in the second row. In 2016 Wehi-Te Clarke was a standout performer for the U13 Gold Coast Vikings side.

Wehi-Te Clarke played the 2017 GCJRL season with the Runaway Bay Seagulls in the GCJRL U14 Division One competition playing in eleven matches and scoring four tries. Wehi-Te Clarke scored a Preliminary Final double in an outstanding display against Ormeau and also scored tries against Ormeau in the last match of the regular season and against Burleigh earlier in the year.

Wehi-Te Clarke also played one match in the U15 Division Two competition where he had a day out scoring two tries and kicking a conversion against Helensvale in late July.

Wehi-Te Clarke is a straight runner of the football and there is little subtly to his game, it is get the ball and run straight ahead to gain as much ground as possible and get a quick play the ball. On occasion he does use some footwork prior to the line but in the main it is head down and run straight. If defences do not target his legs he will drag defenders with him as he continues to pump his legs and continue to fight until the tackle is finished, then he will fight to get a quick play the ball.

Wehi-Te Clarke is also good at maintaining his momentum after impacting the defensive line and on occasion runs a very good inside shoulder route to supplement his other attacking attributes. He can off load the football but usually seems cautious not to make a mistake, which based on the way that he has been asked to play, it is quite a wise choice.

Wehi-Te Clarke’s hands are actually more than decent and thus I think that he has some untapped potential to ball play a little more, but he is so young that there is more than enough time for this skill to develop with experience and natural progression.

Wehi-Te Clarke defends both in the edge of the ruck and well as through the middle. He was quietly effective in both situations. His initial contact is solid and is more than enough to stop the momentum of the ball carrier and effect tackles one on one. He is also effective at wrapping the ball up and preventing offloads.

When he hits he hits hard, but I would not call it aggressive per say, but Wehi-Te Clarke is just tough in his approach to his defence just like he is with the other aspects of his game. I do not necessarily think that his defensive work will stand out because he is not going to come up with a huge hit which will get the crowd on its feet, but he will do a lot of work and will likely always finish at or near the top of the tackle count regardless of the level and standard of football he is playing.

Wehi-Te Clarke will play the 2018 GCJRL season at the U15 Division One level likely at a different club than in 2017 and will also be in line to represent the South Coast at the U15 level for the QSSRL Championships.

With his size, strength and above average speed for the position I am comfortable to anticipating that Wehi-Te Clarke will stay in the second row through his progression to senior rugby league competitions.

From a player comparison perspective for Wehi-Te Clarke, think of someone along the line of Manu Mau from the Parramatta Eels, as a tough, uncompromising hard running and hard tackling second rower who will not back down and will add some aggression and an intimidation factor to any side that he plays for.

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Carsil Vaikai. (Updated) The big strong young Coombabah State High School, Runaway Bay Seagull and Titans linked second rower continues to develop his game at an exceptional rate. Carsil Vaikai moved to Runaway Bay from Helensvale at the start of the 2017 season, and played the majority of the 2017 season with Runaway Bay in the U16 Division One competition, but also played four matches in the U17 Division One competition where he made an immediate impact.

In the U16 Division One competition in 2017 Carsil Vaikai played in fourteen matches scoring his sole try against his former club in July and in the last regular season round Carsil Vaikai converted a late Runaway Bay try. Carsil Vaikai also played four matches in the U17 Division One competition and across those four matches scored three tries including a try on debut against Burleigh and also tries against Ormeau and Helensvale. On all four occasions that Carsil Vaikai played in the U17 competition he was backing up after playing in the U16 competition earlier in the night.

Carsil Vaikai was also part of the Gold Coast Vikings Green U16 side that played in the 2017 U16 pre-season competition, scoring against Ipswich in Week Four in a tough 42 – 6 loss. Carsil Vaikai scored in Week Three when Gold Coast Green defeated Brisbane Grey at North Ipswich Reserve.

Carsil Vaikai had a solid season in 2016, at club, schoolboy and representative level, including representing the South Coast U15 side at the QSSRL State U15 championships. For his Helensvale Hornets club side he crossed for three tries in eight matches in the U15 Division One competition, with the tries coming against Runaway Bay, Beaudesert and eventual premiers Burleigh. He also played one match up at the U16 Division One level also against eventual premiers Burleigh in May 2016.

As noted he was selected in the 2016 South Coast U15 side that went through the U15 QSSRL competition undefeated through their four matches in the competition. Other Titans linked members of the U15 South Coast side included five eight Jessie Brasslin. Carsil Vaikai also started in the second row when the Titans U15 side were narrowly defeated 22 – 18 by a Balmain Tigers side in a trial game on the Gold Coast.

Carsil Vaikai runs exceptionally hard but with a degree of subtlety to his running style, and he will not just run upright, he will drop his should into the defender making it difficult if not impossible for him to be stopped easily or by a single defender. Due to his speed and size, when he is running on the fringes of the ruck, he as handful and also has a very good fend.

When playing in the second row, Carsil Vaikai seemed from my perspective to play on the right hand side of the ruck on the majority of occasions, including in representative matches. Whilst he is also very effective taking hit ups in the centre of the ruck, when you have someone with his size and speed, I think that getting him to run a little wider is a more effective utilisation of his skill set both from an individual and team perspective.

In terms of his speed, I would consider it above average for a second rower but it would be considered plus for front rower, in short Carsil Vaikai is a very good athlete, with size, strength, speed and power. If he is not tackled around the legs, Carsil Vaikai’s strength means that he will continue to make ground after contact due to his never say die attitude.

Defensively Carsil Vaikai hits very hard and usually aims for just under the ribs and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls. He defends in the centre of the ruck and seems best suited in the long run defending there and adds a degree of intimidation to any forward pack he plays for as a result of his aggressive tackling style.

Carsil Vaikai really does know how to tackle effectively, as he sets a strong base to create the necessary leverage to defend against larger forwards and then explodes through his core with the kinetic effects transferring through his body into his opponent. Throw in a touch of aggression and you have someone who can dominate a game defensively and is able to seal off one side of the ruck on his own for stretches of a game.

Moving towards the 2018 season, Carsil Vaikai will play for Runaway Bay at the U17 Division One level and is also part of the 2018 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad as well as being part of the Coombabah Open Rugby League side which will once again contest the GIO Cup and Super Six competitions. Carsil Vaikai will also be in line for selection in the South Coast U18 QSSRL side which has had such success over the last couple of seasons.

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

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

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Jake Lenard. (Updated) The young centre/second rower a few other positions from the Clarence Coast Magpies junior rugby league club in the Group One Junior Rugby League competition in Northern New South Wales continued his outstanding try scoring feats throughout the 2017
Group One JRL U13 competition, where the former U12 New South Wales representative scored a staggering 35 tries in just eleven games. Understandably Jake Lenard leads the try scoring list for his age group.

Jake Lenard scored six tries in a May match against Grafton and five against Ballina in August. In addition Jake Lenard scored four tires twice, coming against Kyogle and Casino RSM and also hat tricks against Casino RSM, Marist Brothers, Ballina and Grafton. Jake Lenard in 2017 played two matches in the U14 Group One JRL competition with those matches being against Ballina and South Grafton.

Scoring tries is not a foreign experience for Jake Lenard as in 2016 at the U12 level he scored 20 tries from ten matches. To round off his points scoring this season, Jake Lenard also converted one of his tries in the Round Two clash against Casino RSM.

Jake Lenard is a very calm player on the field even though he plays the game at a very high speed and is most effective on the edge of the ruck. His style of play is that of a wide running player with above average to plus speed. I would actually argue that in fact a better definition of his speed would be well above average, and I am talking the speed of an outside back not a backrower. He is exceptionally quick off the mark, but what makes him even more impressive from a speed perspective is that when he gets into space, he has an extra gear again, making it almost impossible for the cover defence to catch him once he is open space.

Jake Lenard is almost untouchable when he runs on the fringes of the ruck and uses his foot work to beat defenders with a variety of moves, including a step off both feet and a very good in and away. Couple those two aspects with a very good fend and you have a young player who causes nightmares for a defensive line.

Jake Lenard is not a player but he runs with pace, strength and power every time he touches the ball. I have not seen a great deal of him off loading the football, but the ball skills that he possess would suggest this particular will develop into a plus skill over time.

Jake Lenard is aggressive in defence whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can and will stop even the biggest opposing forwards in their tracks and targets the area around where the attackers carry the football.

Jake Lenard’s speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half. Due to his speed and athleticism Jake Lenard covers across the field well, thus putting him in a good position to make the tackle when the ball is turned back inside from the halves.

Jake Lenard will play for the Clarence Coast Magpies in the Group One Junior Rugby League U14 competition in 2018.

From a position perspective I concede that I have no idea where Jake Lenard will actually end up, he can literally play anywhere from centre to second row and a few other positions, but ultimately I would consider that Jake Lenard will end up a devastating second rower in rugby league.

From a player comparison perspective for Jake Lenard, a young Canterbury Bulldogs version of Sonny Bill Williams springs to mind as an appropriate comparison, when you see the combination of the skill set he possesses and the athletic ability and you have a young player of immense potential who plays the game seemingly at a different pace to most of the players around him.

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Ediq Ambrosyev. (Updated) He is a young utility who has recently signed a two year deal to join the Titans High Performance Unit after also being part of the Broncos Elite Junior Program.

Ediq Ambrosyev is part of the 2018 Queensland Academy of Sport U16 squad and was recently been named as part of the 2018 U16 Emerging Origin squad that finished their first camp on the Sunshine Coast last week. Ediq Ambrosyev also started for the Titans in an U15 match against the Balmain Tigers in late 2017 at Cudgen.

Over the course of the 2017 season Ediq Ambrosyev played in the U15 Division One competition on the Gold Coast with the Coomera Cutters, playing in a total of eight matches, including scoring a hat trick late in the season against Burleigh and early in the season also scored against the Southport Tigers.

The PBC student also represented South Coast in the 2017 QSSRL U15 Championships and from there was selected in the Queensland U15 White side for the ASSRL U15 national Championships. In those Championships Ediq Ambrosyev crossed on Day Two in a 44 – 0 victory over the ACT.

In 2016 Ediq Ambrosyev was part of the dominant Gold Coast Vikings U14 side that went through the 2016 Hill Stumer Championships undefeated playing a number of positions over the course of the three matches that the Vikings played including playing on the wing in the Sunday match against the Ipswich Diggers. Post Hill Stumer Championships, Ediq Ambrosyev was named on the inter change bench for the U14 South East Queensland Green team for the Queensland Age Championships.

Previously Ediq Ambrosyev represented Qld at the U12 level, where he was selected in the second row. In Ediq Ambrosyev also started from the inter change bench for the U13 Titans development squad in a game against an U14 Toowoomba selection. In that development squad match Ediq Ambrosyev played a significant portion of the game at centre, scoring two tries including an 80m run away intercept try when he raced down the left hand side of Pizzey park with the Toowoomba defenders chasing in vain.

Ediq Ambrosyev is a 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. Ediq Ambrosyev 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.

Ediq Ambrosyev 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.

Ediq Ambrosyev 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. Ediq Ambrosyev has very good endurance and projects as a hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange.

In the 2018 season, Ediq Ambrosyev will play in the U16 Division One level for the Currumbin and also has been named in the U16 Gold Coast Vikings training squad that will take part in the U16 South East Queensland Pre-season Challenge next month.

Positionally it appears that Ediq Ambrosyev will be moving permanently to hooker which is an interesting development as he played a lot of his junior rugby league at fullback or in the centres although he did spend some time in the second row in various U12 competitions a few years ago.

Focussing on his play at hooker I can envisage a playing style similar to that of former Brisbane Bronco and Manly and current Super League Hooker Matt Purcell, as a youngster with speed and guile out of dummy half.

[ALX25]

Agreed, Ediq did really well at hooker for QLD U15 White. Perhaps the same path as Jake Granville?

[mdrew]

Good call mate I agree

Agreed, Ediq did really well at hooker for QLD U15 White. Perhaps the same path as Jake Granville?

[mdrew]

Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt. (Updated) The big strong young forward from Lismore Marist Brothers Junior Rugby League in the U13 Group One competition was just too much for defences in that age group to handle. In addition to playing eleven matches in his ‘usual’ age group Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt also played six matches in the U14 Age Group with his older brother Michael.

Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt finished the U13 Group One JRL competition is the competitions leading try scorer with nineteen tries from just eleven matches and also added ten goals to finish the 2017 season with 96 points.

Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt scored in all eleven matches that he played in including hat tricks against Grafton and Casino RMS on two separate occasions. Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt also scored doubles against Ballina and South Grafton.

In 2017 Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt also played six matches in the Group One U14 competition and contributed two tries in separate matches against Ballina. On four occasions Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt backed up to play in the U14 match after playing for the Lismore Marist Brothers U13 side earlier in the day. Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt’s U13 side did not make the finals but he played both in Marist Brother’s U14 finals.

In the U12 age group in 2016, Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt scored 14 tries in just six matches with no team being able to prevent him from scoring. He scored five tries against Ballina, a hat trick against South Grafton and doubles against Grafton and Kyogle. His other two tries both came against Clarence Coast in consecutive matches in July and August. Add in two conversions which came against Grafton and Kyogle and you have a season point’s tally of 60 points in six matches.

In 2016 Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt also played seven matches up at the U13 level, scoring a try against Clarence Coast in July. On four occasions between July 2 and August 13, Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt played at both the U12 and U13 levels on the same day. Scoring tries is not a foreign experience for Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt as in 2015 he scored 24 tries from 12 matches in the U11 Group One JRL competition.

Whereas his brother Michael is an outside back, Ezekiel is a big strong young forward capable of playing either in the front row or in the second row.

Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt runs exceptionally hard but with a degree of subtlety to his running style, and he will not just run upright, he will drop his should into the defender making it difficult if not impossible for him to be stopped easily or by a single defender. Due to his speed and size, when he is running on the fringes of the ruck, he as handful and also has a very good fend.

Whilst he is also very effective taking hit ups in the centre of the ruck, when you have someone with Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt’s size and speed, I think that getting him to run a little wider is a more effective utilisation of his skill set both from an individual and team perspective.

In terms of his speed, I would consider it above average for a front rower or second rower but it would be considered plus for front rower, in short he is a very good athlete, with size, strength, speed and power. Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt also is very strong and regularly shrugged off opposing defenders when they looked to tackle him front-on around the chest area over the course of the 2017 season in both age groups that he played in. It regularly takes defences to commit multiple resources to stop his momentum. If he is not tackled around the legs, his strength means that he will continue to make ground after contact.

Defensively Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt hits very hard and usually aims for just under the ribs and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls. He defends in the centre of the ruck and seems best suited in the long run defending there and adds a degree of intimidation to any forward pack he plays for as a result of his aggressive tackling style.

Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt 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. Throw in a touch of aggression and you have someone who can dominate a game defensively and is able to seal off one side of the ruck on his own for long stretches of a game. Even at the U14 level where all of the opposition players were a year older he still shortened up a number of them with copy book tackles.

Moving towards the 2018 season Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt is eligible to play at the U14 level for Lismore Marist Brothers but just like the 2017 season he has the size, skill and maturity to play at the U15 level where he would once again team up with his brother Michael. Ezekiel Stephenson-Bolt will also be in line to represent Group One at the U14 level in the New South Wales Country Age Championships.

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

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

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Connor Williams. (Updated) The young Toowoomba South’s lock was solid throughout the 2017 season playing at the U16 level in the Toowoomba Junior rugby league competition. The 2017 Toowoomba 15/16 Academy Squad member and Titans/Western Mustangs squad member attended a Titans sponsored camp in Lennox Heads for three days including playing a match for the Western Mustangs against the Titans. As a result of his performances over the 2017 season Connor Williams has been placed on a Titans Scholarship for the next couple of seasons.

Connor Williams started at lock in the 2017 U16 TJRL Grand Final that Souths won 32 – 20 against Highfields. Connor Williams scored his first try of the Grand Final in the 27th minute of the first half to extend South’s lead to 14 – 6. Connor Williams second try came in the 21st minute of the second half to give Souths a 30 – 12 lead.

Over the course of the 2017 for Toowoomba Souths in the U16 Toowoomba Junior Rugby League competition Connor Williams scored eleven tries from thirteen matches. In addition to his Grand Final double, Connor Williams also scored doubles against Highfields in the regular season and Valleys.

2017 also say the St Marys College Toowoomba student represent the Toowoomba U16 representative side and from there was selected in the U16 South West Mustangs side in the second row for the 2017 U16 Central Division Selection Trials.

Connor Williams is a solidly built exceptional athlete and this can be seen when be he is running with the football. In his carries Connor Williams rarely takes a hit up without movement, he uses foot work prior to the line to look to break through as well as cutting either cutting back in behind the play the ball or cutting out towards the smaller defenders on the fringes of the ruck.

In the 2016 U15 Toowoomba Junior Rugby League Grand Final, especially in the second half when I thought he was the best player on the field he made some great runs, including on the last play of the Grand Final when he burst onto a pass on the half way mark, he outpaced the cover defence and broke the tackle of the fullback to score a deserved try.

Like one or two others mentioned over the course of these write-ups Connor Williams runs ‘fast’ into the defensive and his foot work prior to the line enables him to get partly through the line on a number of occasions. One reason for this is that Connor Williams is an intelligent footballer, he does not try to run over defenders, but he runs at the gaps between defenders and uses his running speed to break through if defenders only use their arms in the tackle.

Connor Williams has very good speed off the mark for a second rower and can then translate that into very good top end speed which he can sustain over long distances. This was highlighted in the first half of the 2016 U15 TJRL Grand Final when Connor Williams broke through the line from around 40 metres out, he was brought down short of the line but a quick play from Connor Williams set up a try to winger Taegon Inmon from a great Jordan Lipp kick.

Connor Williams would be one of the faster back rowers running around for his age group in the Western Mustangs region. Also in the Grand Final he showed his speed down the left side of the field when he made a 40 metre break before setting up his centre Reece Liston to score his second try in the left corner. Playing on the left hand side of the field seemingly more often, means that his right foot step and his fending using his left hand are the effective attributes, but based on his physical attributes, his skill set and his understanding of how to play the game means that I have no doubt that these attributes are transferrable to playing on the right hand side of the field to increase his effectiveness on the field.

Defensively Connor Williams looks to wrap up the ball on initial contact, he will not constantly come up with big hits, but is certainly capable of hitting hard when the opportunity presents itself, but will rarely miss tackles and also covers across the field very well, meaning he is always in a good position to make a tackle if the ball is turned back inside and also to make cover defending tackles if breaks are made wider out.

One area that I have noticed is that Connor Williams does defend a lot in the centre of the ruck, rather than on the fringes, in no way is this a negative in the context that with his size and strength he can handle the physical contact and work load, but as he progresses in age he will probably need to adjust to defending more on the fringe of the ruck to enable him to use his exceptional athletic ability more.

Connor Williams made the best tackle of the U15 TJRL Grand Final in 2016 in the second half when he came out of the line and smashed his Highfields opponent with a perfectly timed front on tackle right on the half way mark jolting the ball lose and putting South’s back on the attack.

Connor Williams is quick enough to get to most outside backs in cover defence, in short he is one of the better back row cover defenders I have had the opportunity to see in junior football. Due to his speed and positional sense Connor Williams is usually one of the first players down field in relation to kick chase as well. These last two attributes are part athletic ability part determination. Connor Williams just does a lot of the little things well.

In the 2018 season, Connor Williams will play his football at the U18 level in the Toowoomba Rugby League competition for Toowoomba South’s and has also been named in the giant Western Mustangs MM Cup training squad but should also make the final squad when it is culled down shortly.

From a position perspective, Connor Williams seems to have the ideal build for a second rower in the modern game to go along with good pace and thus from a position projection perspective, second row seems to be Connor William’s ideal position moving forward.

From a player comparison perspective, someone along the lines of Boyd Cordner of the Roosters, New South Wales and Australia would be appropriate from a style perspective as a tall powerful well-rounded back rower who plays the game hard with toughness and at a pace above a lot of the players around him.

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Jardyn Watene. (Updated) The young New Zealand fullback from the Waikato region of New Zealand has moved over to the Gold Coast at eth start of the 2017 season and has made an instant impact progressing to the second round of the U14 Gold Coast Vikings trials.

In the GCJRL competition in 2017 Jardyn Watene played for the Coomera Cutters. He started off the 2017 season in the U14 Division Two competition kicking three goals before moving permanently to play twelve matches for the Cutters in the U15 Division One competition including their finals loss to Burleigh. In the U15 Division One competition Jardyn Watene kicked six goals including five in an early season match against Currumbin.

Jardyn Watene had a successful season in 2016 including representing Waikato at the U13 North Island Rugby League tournament where he was selected in the U13 all-tournament team after some outstanding displays for Waikato who are part of the Upper Central Zone region in New Zealand and in fact hosted the 2016 version of the tournament. As well as being named in the all-tournament side Jardyn Watene was part of the Waikato side that won the final 22 – 8 over Coastline.

Jardyn Watene is just a smooth mover, he can create for himself or others and if a defensive line does not chase a kick in one straight line the young Kiwi flyer will simply cut them apart. Jardyn Watene’s speed is in the plus plus category and when accompanied with exceptional body control and balance he is a handful for defensives especially when the defensive line is not set. Just like his explosive speed off the mark, Jardyn Watene’s body and body control are in the plus plus category as is his ability to step off both feet and can, just like Benji Marshall in his heyday, step multiple times in a small time frame and area to change both his direction and momentum as well as defenders.

Jardyn Watene also has exceptional hands when defending against kicks especially when low short attacking kicks are put in, Jardyn Watene attacks the ball at full speed aiming to get there prior to the arrival of the attacks and look to make ground while the opposition are still in an attacking mode. Once or twice Jardyn Watene made at least 30 metres or so after retrieving the ball in the in goal area and similarly gets back into the field of play from seemingly impossible positions.

Defensively Jardyn Watene is more than strong enough to confront any attacker who has broken through the initial defensive line and if he is caught out of position has dynamic closing speed to address this situation. When a break has been made, Jardyn Watene’s primary objective is to more forward to reduce the time available for the attacker to work through is options. Jardyn Watene is also effective at maintaining his composure and taking the player with the ball and not fall for any dummies, he makes an opposing team earn the ground that they make.

Jardyn Watene will play at the U15 Division One level on the Gold Coast for the Coomera Cutters and attend Keebra Park in 2018 where he will be in line to represent the South Coast U15 side for the QSSRL Championships.

From a position perspective from what I have seen Jardyn Watene could play multiple positions including centre and wing but for me with fullback in the modern game being one of the most important positions on the field, Jardyn Watene presents as a dynamic game changing type of fullback.

From an NRL player comparison perspective, when seeing Jardyn Watene in full flight you are seemingly looking at a mirror image for New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand test International fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck. Like Tuivasa-Sheck, Jardyn Watene has blazing speed and balance when he has the ball in his hands.

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

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Noah Gafa. (Updated) The young centre is deservedly in the Titans High Performance Unit, signing a two year deal during 2017 and continues to go from strength to strength with Currumbin as well as with PBC in relation to school boy rugby league.

In the 2017 U16 GCJRL Division One competition, Noah Gafa scored 38 points for the Currumbin Eagles which has come from eight tries and three goals. All three of Noah Gafa’s goals came in the one match in June against the Ormeau Shearers. From a try scoring perspective, Noah Gafa had a great run of four matches from April 28 to May 26 where he scored in all four matches which, in order, where against Ormeau, Runaway Bay, Helensvale and against Ormeau a second time.

Noah Gafa also scored a hat trick against Burleigh in August against Burleigh and the match prior to that scored against Helensvale. Currumbin were the deserved Grand Final winners in the 2017 GCJRL U16 Division One competition, with Noah Gafa starting in the second row in their 34 – 4 Grand Final victory over Burleigh.

In 2017 Noah Gafa was also a key member of the PBC Open Rugby League side that performed so will in the GIO Cup competition and in fact he scored in their tough Queensland GIO Cup semi-final loss to Marsden State High School 22 – 20.

Earlier in 2017 season, Noah Gafa was selected in the Gold Coast Vikings Green U16 side for their South East Queensland U16 pre-season competition and in 2013 Noah Gafa was selected in the Queensland U12 side with fellow Titan Alofiana Khan-Periera.

For a centre Noah Gafa is a big strong young man who does not rely just on his size and speed and using his natural running balance to either engage the opposing defenders and off load, run either an inside or outside shoulder route or an in and away to slow the forward momentum of the defender and accelerate on the outside. For a player of his size, Noah Gafa also has a very good passing game especially to his left side. When the ball is passed out to the back line, Noah Gafa is very good at straitening up the attacking vector of his team and pass to his outside supports if they have room to move further out wide.

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

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

Other defenders key off Noah Gafa in terms of whether to use an up and in methodology and slide to the outside. Noah Gafa on an individual level has the body control to redirect quickly and mirror the movement of the opposing attackers and anticipate what vector the attack comes from and innately understands when to allow the attacking play to develop in from of him and when to come out of the line to disrupt the attacking play prior to its formation.

Noah Gafa will play the 2018 GCJRL season with Currumbin at the U17 Division One level as well as school boy rugby league with PBC. Noah Gafa has also been named in the powerful looking Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad for this coming season.

From a position perspective, Noah Gafa has played well in the centres in recent seasons including last’s U16 pre-season representative competition but there is just something about the way that Noah Gafa plays that suggests that he will ultimately end up in the second row, not necessarily for a few years though.

As a young player Noah Gafa seemingly has it all, size, strength, size and power and uses those attributes to his advantage on a football field. For me a current rugby league player with similar attributes and a similar playing style is St George Dragon’s backrower Joel Thompson, as a big strong player who can transition between centre and second row although I think that just like Joel Thompson, Noah Gafa’s skill set will ultimately play better in the second row over the long term.