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  1. #751
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    Riley Lack. The young Murwillumbah centre or fullback is a Titans contracted player who is having an outstanding 2018 season to date including playing for the Titans U15 Invitational side that took on a Western Mustangs selection at Nerang in March.

    Riley Lack was also selected in the New South Wales Combined High Schools U15 side for the U15 ASSRL National Championships. He was named to start from the bench but started a number of matches.

    Titan’s team mates in the NSW CHS side are fullback Rowan Mansfield and second rower and fellow Murwillumbah High School student Ryan Foran and was one of nine Titans contracted U15 players that participated in the U15 ASSRL Championships.

    Unfortunately a further Titans contracted player in Kaleb Ngamanu was injured on the eve of the Championships and could not take his place in the Queensland Maroon side.

    On Day Three in a semi-final against NSW CCC, Riley Lack started the match and kicked two from two including converting a 9th minute try from fellow Titans contracted player Ryan Foran. Unfortunately after leading 8 – 0, NSW CHS went down 10 – 8.

    On the final day of the Championships being Day Five, Riley Lack started against NSW CIS kicking two conversions in a 12 – 0 victory for his NSW CHS side.

    Riley Lack has also been selected in the Group 18 U15 side that will head to France later in the year to play in the Battlefield Challenge to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the end of World War I. Fellow Titans contracted players Thomas Weaver, Ryan Foran and Josh Gilbert are also part of the touring party.

    In 2017 Riley Lack represented Group 18 at the U14 level in the New South Wales Country Age Championships, playing three matches in the centres and scoring against Group One.

    Riley Lack is a quick centre with a fluid running style with a classic centres build with the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside. In term of his play, the in and away is his bread and butter, he has very good speed off the mark and can break to the outside quickly, couple that with long arms, which he uses to great effect with a powerful fend makes him difficult to tackle. When opposing centres are able to get hold of him, he usually is able to maintain his balance and keeps an arm free, looking to offload.

    Riley Lack has more tools though than just an in and away, he will also use his strength to run straight over smaller opposing centres as well as also having the skill to step back inside of the defender if he is pushing to the outside too early. What Riley Lack is also adept at doing is timing his pass to his outside supports if the outside defender looks to come in and help defend him allowing an overlap to develop.

    Riley Lack will not necessarily hit hard in defence, but he is very good at mirroring the movement of the opposing centre and wrapping him up ball and all. He is also quick enough to recover and chase if the opposing centre gets on the outside and his long reach is also a positive attribute in those situations. From a team defensive methodology stand point, Riley Lack seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage.

    Riley Lack will play out the 2018 season with the Murwillumbah Colts in the Tweed Byron Group 18 U15 competition and is also a likely 2018 Group 18 U15 representative for the New South Wales Country Age Championships which are scheduled to be held in September this year.

    Riley Lack can play either centre or fullback, and I am leaning more towards a permanent spot in the centres for the Northern New South Wales youngster, but only just.

    For me with his ability to slip through gaps in the defensive line especially close to the line and a solid repeatable defensive technique, Riley Lack has a playing style similar to that of Titans centre Dale Copley as a solid reliable player who find is way to the try line on a regular basis.

  2. #752
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    Ediq Ambrosyev. (Revised) He is a young utility who last year signed a two year deal to join the Titans High Performance Unit after also being part of the Broncos Elite Junior Program for a number of seasons.

    Ediq Ambrosyev is part of the 2018 Queensland Academy of Sport U16 squad and was late last year named as part of the 2018 U16 Emerging Origin squad that finished their first camp on the Sunshine Coast in February. Ediq Ambrosyev also started for the Titans in an U15 match against the Balmain Tigers in late 2017 at Cudgen and also represented the Titans in late 2015 against a Toowoomba U14 side.

    Prior to the commencement of the 2018 Gold Coast Rugby League season, Ediq Ambrosyev starred for the U16 Gold Coast Vikings White side in the South East Queensland U16 Championship and post that competition was been named in South East Queensland U16 Green squad.

    For the Queensland Age Championships for SEQ Green Ediq Ambroysev played three matches at hooker. Titans linked team mates in the SEQ Green side were Daniel Butterini and William Parslow all of whom played in the Championship final with Ediq Ambroysev scoring a good try with a snipping run in the first half.

    Ediq Ambrosyev has been named to start from the interchange bench for the Queensland U16 side when they play New South Wales at Suncorp Stadium this weekend. Fellow Titans Tate Roberts (centre) and Samuel Shannon (inter change) are also in the Queensland side.

    For the Currumbin Eagles in the Gold Coast Rugby League U16 Division One competition, Ediq Ambrosyev has been in outstanding form through the opening rounds with a strike rate of 133%, scoring in each match that he has played to date. In all of those matches Ediq Ambrosyev has started at five eight.

    Ediq Ambroysev’s tries have come against Mudgeeraba, Helensvale, Runaway Bay and Nerang in a match that was played as a curtain raiser to the Titans verses South Sydney NRL match at Cbus Stadium recently. Ediq Ambrosyev continued his try scoring trend in Round Six against Southport, the only difference is that he scored a hat trick in that match.

    Ediq Ambrosyev has also been in outstanding form for PBC including scoring the match winning try against Keebra Park in their Langer Cup match at Pizzey Park and was also involved in their 24 – 18 victory over Ipswich State High School. Ediq Ambrosyev also played for PBC in their Langer Cup match against Marsden State High School at Waterford which ended in a 38 – 10 win for the Gold Coast based school.

    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.

    It is hard to put in words just how talented Ediq Ambrosyev is in terms of running the ball, he has
    outstanding speed both off the mark which I would consider in the above average category. Ediq Ambrosyev with his speed is able to exploit even small gaps in the defensive line with an exceptional step off either foot and incredible acceleration as well as outstanding body control. It is that speed trait which opens up his incredible ball playing skills as well.

    Teams start to focus heavily on Ediq Ambrosyev when he has the ball with outside defenders looking to come in to assist that they open up holes wider out in the defensive line that he can exploit.

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

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

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

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

    Ediq Ambrosyev has a very good low tackling technique which is simple and repeatable and effective against all size opponents and thus there is no need for a defensive minder on his side of the field.

    For the remainder of the 2018 season, Ediq Ambrosyev will play in the U16 Division One level for the Currumbin Eagles in the U16 Division One competition as well as for PBC in their Langer Cup and GIO Cup School Boy Rugby League campaigns.

    Positionally it appeared that Ediq Ambrosyev would move to hooker but this season he has played five eight for Currumbin and well as the Vikings, so it is not possible at this stage to bet against him staying at five eight for the duration.

    I do note however that he did play at hooker for South East Queensland Green U16’s in the Queensland Age Championships.

    Although Ediq Ambrosyev may ultimately end up at hooker, the longer he plays at five eight the better his play in the hooking role will become if that is where he ultimately ends up.

    Ediq Ambrosyev is a natural on a rugby league field regardless of position with his ability to size up a situation and invariably take the correct option. To that extent for me he has a playing style similar to that of Cronulla Sharks and former New South Wales State of Origin representative Matt Moylan is an appropriate comparison as an outstanding player who has all of the skills and temperament to be able to turn a game on its head with a piece of individual brilliance just like he did in the U15 Queensland Championship final.

  3. #753
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    Ben Liyou. (Revised) He is a young player from the Grafton Ghosts who last year signed a two year deal with the Titans which will see him finishing his schooling in Northern New South Wales before moving up to the Gold Coast to continue his rugby league career.

    In October 2017 Ben Liyou was also awarded the Aquinas Titans Sportsperson of the Year award at a gala dinner at the Southport Yacht Club.

    Early this season Ben Liyou was part of the North Coast U18 Laurie Daley Cup side starting in the second row in all four of their matches and scoring one try which came against Northern Rivers in Round Two. Ben Liyou was one of the North Coast’s standout players across the Championships constantly challenging the defensive line, normally operating on the right side of the field.

    Ben Liyou has been a Grafton Ghosts player throughout his entire career and that has not changed in 2018. Ben Liyou started the season in the U18 Group two competition and at just 17 years old made his Tooheys New Group Two First Grade debut in Round Three against the Macksville Sea Eagles. He made his debut playing left centre even though he has been playing in the second row exclusively over the last couple of seasons.

    Since his debut Ben Liyou has made two additional Group Two First Grade appearances and in Round Ten in a big win against Macksville had a try assist late in the first half when he broke through the line and set up half Jake Frame for a try on the cusp of half time.

    To date in the 2018 U18 Group Two competition, Ben Liyou has played in seven matches, scoring six tries and kicking two goals for a points tally on the season to date of 20. Ben Liyou scored a double in Round One against local rivals the South Grafton Rebels, also kicking his season’s two goals in the match. He also scored a double against the Rebels in a 33 – 12 Round Nine win.

    Ben Liyou’s other two tries came against Bellingen in Round Five and in Round Six against the league leaders and previously undefeated Coffs harbour side.

    Ben Liyou played the 2017 season at the U16.5 level for the Ghosts as well as playing three matches at the U18 level for Grafton in the Group Two U18 competition. Ben Liyou also attended a Titans Elite Academy session that was held at Lennox Heads late in 2017, another Grafton Ghost in centre Jake Martin was also an attendee.

    Ben Liyou was also part of the East Coast Dolphins U16 side that performed well at the New South Wales Country Championships making the Championship final and as a result was selected for the U16 New South Wales Country side that played two matches in New Zealand as part of a South Island Tour. The NSW Country U16 side won both of their tour matches.

    Previously Ben Liyou has represented the Titans in a number of development squad matches including in 2014 when he came off the bench in a match against a Samoan side playing in the second row.

    With his try and two goals in a Grafton Ghosts 24-4 win over Ballina Ben Liyou finished the U16.5 regular season competition as the leading point’s scorer with 62 points from ten matches. Ben Liyou scored eight tries and kicked fifteen goals. From a try scoring perspective Ben Liyou scored doubles against Casino RSM in June and also against Ballina in July. Ben Liyou also started in the second row in Grafton’s two finals matches against Clarence Coast and the Grand Final against Casino RSM.

    As a 16 year old Ben Liyou also played three matches for the Grafton Ghosts U18 side in the Group Two competition, with his U18 debut coming in April against the Sawtell Panthers. His other two games were against Sawtell again in June and Coffs Harbour in July 2017.

    In the U16 New South Wales Country Championships Ben Liyou scored three tries in their way to the Final where the East Coast Dolphins U16 side lost in extra time to the Western Rams. In that Grand Final Ben Liyou started in the second row and another Titans linked youngster Kade Hill started at half. Ben Liyou scored a double in the East Coast Dolphins 44-0 semi-final win over the Bidgee Bulls and he also scored in Round One against the Central Coast.

    In 2016 Ben Liyou was the U15 Group One’s top try scorer with 18 tries from 12 matches to finish five tries clear of the next highest try scorer. Ben Liyou also started at lock for the Group One U15 representative side that had some good wins over the course of the New South Wales Country Age Championships. Ben Liyou has previous experience in a Titans jersey when he came off the bench in late 2015 in a U14 contest against Samoa.

    For the Ghosts in the U15 competition, Ben Liyou started off the season with a bang scoring seven tries in the first three rounds, including a four try haul against Kyogle and a double against Minor Premiers Clarence Coast. Over the course of the season, Ben Liyou scored five other doubles which came against Ballina on three separate occasions, Lismore Marist Brothers and Kyogle. In April Ben Liyou also played one match at the U16.5 age group against Kyogle backing up after playing in the U15’s earlier in the day.

    Ben Liyou is a tall rangy type of player with a solid passing game, which is understandable due to his experience at five eight, from my perspective his passing to his right hand side is a little better than to his left. Where he excels though is his running with the ball, as noted he is a tall young man who really did dominate opposing backline line defences and regularly carried opposing players with him before off-loading to his support players.

    Ben Liyou’s speed is quite good for his height and has the body shape to add additional muscle mass without compromising either his straight line speed or his mobility with or without the ball in his hands.

    In an U13 Titans development squad game against Samoa in late 2015 and considering he conceded a lot of weight to the opposition, he was very effective and making ground, mainly on the fringes of the ruck, where he used his footwork to get between defenders and make ground. The development squad game was a tough game and even with the step up in overall class of the game, Ben Liyou did well.

    The only issue for his defence is that due to his height he needs to make sure he does not let his tackles slip up too high when defending against smaller opposition and in the Group One competition he had no problem at all dealing with opposition forwards running on the fringes of the ruck.

    In the development squad game, he obviously defended in the centre of the ruck and showed a quite decent low tackling technique and held his own even though he conceded weight to the opposing forward pack. The technique that Ben Liyou showed in that game has only been developed and refined in the subsequent years.

    Ben Liyou will continue to be a standout player for the Grafton Ghosts U18 Group Two side and it is more than likely he will also get an opportunity to add to his three First Grade matches as the Group Two season reaches its conclusion.

    Moving to the 2019 season, Ben Liyou will still be U18 eligible and you may well see him in a Tweed Heads Seagulls jersey in that competition next year.

    From a position perspective, as noted, to date he has played a significant amount of rugby league at five eight in his junior career, but I can really see his move to the second row as a permanent one now.

    From a player comparison perspective think along the lines of someone like South Sydney veteran John Sutton as a player who played a lot of their junior football at five eight before transitioning to the back row and developing into a solid ball playing forward who can pop a short pass to his supports both prior to the line and when engaged with the defensive line as well as defending effectively.

    Make no mistake however Ben Liyou also has the ability to break the defensive line himself through hard running and just as importantly running the correct line including both an inside shoulder and outside shoulder line.

    Ben Liyou also has outstanding leaderships and presents not just as a potential NRL captain one day but a club or representative level captain as well.

  4. #754
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    Bailey Martin. (Revised) He is a local young backrower from the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast who has only recently signed with the Titans and started training with the Titans High Performance Unit at Parkwood.

    Bailey Martin after a stellar QSSRL U15 Championships where he starred for South Coast at lock picking up a number of Player of the Match awards and was subsequently selected in the Queensland Maroon side for the ASSRL U15 Championships in July.

    Bailey Martin was named at lock for Queensland Green who went through the competition undefeated with Bailey Martin involved in each of Queensland Green’s four matches including the Championship final against NSW CCC which resulted in a Queensland Green xx – xx win/loss.

    Bailey Martin also started at lock for PBC in their Walters Cup match against rivals Keebra Park at Pizzey Park recently with PBC winning 22 – 16 in a tough match where the last ten minutes or so was particularly willing to say the least. Could not see what happened to set it off from where I watched the game but it got very willing especially between both sets of forwards with the game in the balance.

    Bailey Martin was also involved in PBC’s 22 – 18 win over Ipswich State High School and their 18 – 16 loss against Marsden at Waterford where the PBC just could not finish Marsden off in the final ten minutes or so of the match.

    In the final ten minutes against Marsden Bailey Martin pulled off some outstanding front on tackles against the Marsden forwards and was the PBC forward urging his side on.

    Bailey Martin is also part of the 2018 U15 Queensland Emerging Origin squad and has already attended a couple of the camps that have been held this year including one on the Sunshine Coast in February where the U15 squad played a simulated match against the U16 Emerging Origin squad.

    In previous seasons Bailey Martin has been part of Brisbane Broncos junior development squads but has now signed a contract with his home town NRL club in what can only be considered a coup for the Titans.

    For the 2018 season Bailey Martin is once again playing for the Burleigh Bears in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League competition this season at the U15 Division One level and is also representing PBC in their various school boy competitions including against St Mary’s a couple of weeks ago on the Gold Coast when he started at lock in a tough loss for the Gold Coast school against a well drilled opponent.

    In Round One of the U15 Division One competition Bailey Martin started at lock against Helensvale and scored as Burleigh won the match 56 - 10. Titans linked players Flynn Daniel (second row) and Jayden Wright (wing) were also in the Burleigh side in the opening round with Jayden Wright another one of the Bears try scorers.

    Round Two saw Bailey Martin once against start at lock against Ormeau with Burleigh losing 18 – 14. Bailey Martin was again at lock in Round Three with Burleigh once again losing a tight contest by two points. Bailey martin has also started at lock in Burleigh’s remaining matches.

    In 2017 Bailey Martin played for the Burleigh Bears at the U14 Division One level. Bailey Martin was also a member of the dominant U14 Gold Coast Vikings representative who went through the Hill Stumer Championships undefeated after victories against Stingers Red and White and Ipswich.

    As a result of his play for the U14 Vikings Bailey Martin was selected in the South East Queensland White side where he was selected in the second row. Bailey Martin also played for PBC in terms of his schoolboy rugby league where they had some good battles against Keebra Park in the U14 age group.

    For Burleigh in the U14 Division Side in 2017 Bailey Martin played in ten matches including starting in the front row and scoring for Burleigh in their 31 – 16 Grand Final loss to the Ormeau Shearers. In mid-July Bailey Martin scored a double against Runaway Bay and earlier in the year scored against Runaway Bay again and his first try of the season came in Round Three against Nerang. Bailey Martin also kicked a conversion against grand final opponents Ormeau mid-season. Bailey Martin was also on the bench for one of Burleigh’s U15 Division One semi-finals.

    Bailey Martin is a hard running backrower who is impressive at running the right line including both and inside shoulder and outside shoulder line and consistently hits the pass off either the dummy half or play maker flat thus generating his best possible speed and momentum to hit the defensive line.

    Where he really excels though is his footwork, Bailey Martin 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.

    A try against Ipswich in the U13 Hill Stumer Championships in 2016 was a perfect example of this. Receiving the ball off the dummy half around 10 metres out, Bailey Martin cut back in towards the ruck and was easily able to break through the set Ipswich defensive line to score a well thought out try by the young man. The try may have looked easy but Bailey Martin identified that the Ipswich defensive line was not moving up in a uniform manner and Bailey Martin was able to quickly identify this and exploit it to his advantage all in a split second.

    Even when he is taking a hit up in the centre of the ruck, Bailey Martin’s feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight adjustments to his running angle 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 number of line breaks and he has the speed to convert them into tries himself in eth main.

    Bailey Martin’s speed is probably a bit above average for a forward but it is the speed that he is able to generate from only a few paces which makes it play faster from a defenders perspective as he gets to the defensive line quicker than the defenders anticipate and thus they are unable to set themselves properly for the initial contact meaning Bailey Martin can bend the line back regularly.

    Defensively he hits very hard and had the best pure defensive technique of the U14 players at the U14 Hill Stumer Championships bar none. Bailey Martin’s technique revolves around timing and execution. Bailey Martin’s head is always correctly positioned and he always drives with his shoulder and never just jersey grabs.

    Bailey Martin also tackles with both shoulders equally effectively as well. The impressive thing for me also is that Bailey Martin never seems to bounce off the ball when he makes a front on tackle meaning his target area and the ability to hit the area on a regular basis is exceptional. This is no fluke this is clearly as a result of an outstanding technique as well as determination and dedication to his craft.

    Another defensive aspect that I noted during the 2017 season and to date this season especially with the South Coast U15 side is that Bailey Martin does not just make one tackle at a time, he makes a series of tackles one after another all as clinical and effective as the one immediately prior.

    Bailey Martin’s lateral speed and mobility is quite good due to his quick twitch feet and thus he is effective at defending against smaller dynamic runners out of dummy half as well as half backs and five eights running of the fringes looking to isolate forwards. For me Bailey Martin is the best defender in his age group in Queensland bar none especially in defending on the fringes of the ruck whether he is operating as the A or B defender.

    Bailey Martin will continue to play for Burleigh at the U15 Division One competition and also represent Queensland at the ASSRL U15 Championships as well as playing at lock for PBC and once again there should be some very good battles in that age group with Keebra Park, as was evidenced by the recent Walters Cup clash and St Mary’s from Toowoomba also look to have a strong U15 school boy side this year for PBC to test themselves against.

    From a long term position perspective, I believe that he will continue to play in the back row when all is said and done. I appreciate that Bailey Martin played a number of matches in the front row last year but he has too much skill and foot work to be considered as a bash and barge type of player in that position.

    From an NRL player comparison perspective, with his touch above average speed and quick late footwork that Bailey Martin has displayed over recent seasons I think that an appropriate player comparison is the Titans own and Queensland State of Origin backrower Jai Arrow with the potential to be a lot more on top of that as well.

    Bailey Martin is not the flashiest player running around in his age group by a long shot but there is no junior rugby league player on the Gold Coast or in Queensland for that matter that has improved as much as he has over the last couple of seasons and rewards for his hard work and dedication and now deservedly starting to shine through for the Gold Coast local with his contract with the Titans for the next couple of years.

    Bailey Martin has always been an outstanding defender, I believe that he is currently the best defender for his age in Queensland if not all of all junior age groups in Queensland but it his attack has really come on over the last two seasons or so, especially in relation to his late footwork and the outstanding lines that he runs especially in relation to the inside shoulder line that he executes flawlessly.

    No one is more deserving of success both on and off the field than this talented young man.

  5. #755

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    Mdrew have you done a revised on Darius been looking but couldn’t find one

  6. #756
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    I wil repost it mate

    Quote Originally Posted by Sunny86 View Post
    Mdrew have you done a revised on Darius been looking but couldn’t find one

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    Thanks very much

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    Darius Farmer. (Revised) He is a young second rower originally from Ipswich who signed an updated two year deal with the Titans at the end of 2016 and represented Queensland at the U16 level in 2015 with Titans team mates Ben Thomas and Reihana Marsh, starting in the second row in the annual interstate match. Darius Farmer originally signed with the Titans in 2015 after being part of the Sydney Roosters Junior Summer Training squad in 2014.

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

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

    After his solid debut which was filled with the promise of plenty more to come, Darius Farmer has maintained his place in the Burleigh side, being named on the interchange bench for the Round 19 Queensland Cup match against the Central Queensland Capras this weekend.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Darius Farmer runs ‘fast’ into the defensive and his foot work prior to the line enables him to get partly through the line quite often, certainly more so than you would expect for a backrower taking the ball through the centre of the ruck. One reason for this is that he is a smart footballer, he does not try to run over defenders, but he runs at the gaps between defenders and uses his running speed to break through if defenders only use their arms on the tackle.

    Darius Farmer does not necessarily have a great top end speed, but he is certainly fast enough to get through to the full back prior to the arrival of the cover defence. Darius Farmer would be one of the faster back rowers running around in Queensland as can be evidenced by the fact that he handled the centre position well at the QCup Colts level.

    Playing on the right hand side of the field seemingly more often, means that his right foot step and his fending using his left hand are the effective attributes, but based on his physical attributes, his skill set and his understanding of how to play the game means that I have no doubt that these attributes are transferrable to playing on the left hand side of the field.

    In defence Darius Farmer regularly is the first player up to target the ball carriers, even though he is not one of the bigger forwards in his team and will make solid initial contact as well as having the ability of defending one on one. As could be seen in the U16 development squad game, when the opportunity presents Darius Farmer has the ability to hit very hard, by setting a good base and driving through his lower body and core into his opponent. Ultimately though he is a strong defender with a good front on technique and good lateral movement to track and defend against smaller opponents either on the fringes or centre of the ruck.

    For the remainder of the 2018 season, Darius Farmer will be in a position to expand on his Queensland Cup experience as well as continuing to be a key figure in the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts side and the Burleigh GCRL First Grade side with all teams in line for finals places.

    Darius Farmer will also be pushing for a Titans Development contract for the 2019 season, a season in which he will also certainly be a regular starting second rower in the Burleigh Bears Queensland Cup side, and a difference maker at that.

    It would not surprise me in the least if Darius farmer makes his NRL debut for the Titans sometime in the 2019 NRL season.

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

    I appreciate that Darius Farmer played some Queensland Cup Colts matches for the Ipswich Jets as a 17 year old previously in the centres and was very effective there but I do not envisage that this is anything permanent but Darius Farmer could probably fill in in the centres if the need arises.

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

    Darius Farmer is really one to watch as the year’s progress and it is even better that you will see him in a Titans jersey for the foreseeable future at least. With new Titans coach Gareth Brennan emphasising local juniors, the re-signing for Darius Farmer at the end of the 2018 season is a must.

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

    Darius Farmer may just be the next player to join that “core” group of young forwards

  9. #759

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    Thanks mdrew

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    Jai Whitbread. (Revised) The former Gold Coast Titans and Northern Rivers junior was signed late last year by the Titans on a Top 30 two year contract and deservedly so after standout performances for the Brisbane Broncos NYC side in 2016 and 2017 as well as a storied school boy rugby career with the Southport School (TSS) in the GPS First XV School boy rugby competition where he played primarily at outside centre.

    As a local junior it was great to see Jai Whitbread make his NRL debut for the Titans when he came off the bench in Round 18 against the Sydney Roosters making a more than positive impression in limited minutes on the field.

    In total in his NRL debut Jai Whitbread played 18 minutes running for 32 metres, 10.5 of those post contact and made nine tackles at a tackling efficiency of 81.8% in a solid debut for the 186cm 107kg Titans junior and South Tweed product.

    Even though Jai Whitbread is still eligible to play U20’s in 2018 he started the season with the Burleigh Bears Queensland Cup side, starting ten of his 12 matches to date from the interchange and starting two being Rounds 13 and 14 against Ipswich and the Northern Pride respectively.

    Jai Whitbread scored his sole try to date in Round Three against Tweed Heads and also getting a try assist in that match when he broke through the Tweed Heads defensive line before passing to half back Jamal Fogerty to score.

    Jai Whitbread broke the Tweed Heads line right through the middle of the ruck on about his own 20 metre line and showed quite good pace especially on the wet and muddy field to draw the fullback and pass to his right to Fogerty near the half way line.

    Jai Whitbread’s try against the Tweed Heads Seagulls can be put down solely to perservence. A long break was made and the ball spun wide late in the first half but Jai Whitbread, who once again showed quite decent speed kept up with the play nicely and was rewarded for his efforts when he received an inside pass from Jamal Fogerty, Jai Whitbread had the presence of mind to also bring the ball around to score close to the left upright.

    In Round Four against the South’s Logan Magpies, Jai Whitbread suffered concussion like symptoms and had to be replaced when he was hit by a shoulder charge by Souths Logan interchange and Brisbane Bronco’s contracted front rower, Thomas Flegler who was immediately sent off. Jai Whitbread was however named for Burleigh’s Round Five match against the Central Queensland Capra’s.

    Over the course of the recent off-season, Jai Whitbread started on the interchange bench in all of the Titans NRL trials and was one of the Titans best in their NRL trial loss to the Brisbane Bronco’s in Toowoomba as well as a solid performer against the Warriors on the Sunshine Coast a fortnight later.

    So far in the Queensland Cup this season through his thirteen matches Jai Whitbread has played 444 minutes for Burleigh, making 1 092 metres, 357 of those post contact (32.69%) and made 220 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 90.1%.

    Jai Whitbread is averaging 34 minutes, just over seven hit-ups for 78.8 metres and 17 tackles. Jai Whitbread has also been credited with fifteen tackle breaks and a line break (the one that led to Jamal Fogerty’s try in Round Three) a try assist this season and four offloads.

    Jai Whitbread had a standout match in Round Thirteen against the Ipswich in his first starting appearance having career highs (at that time) in multiple categories including minutes (70), running metres (166) and tackles (31).

    In Round 19 a week after his NRL debut Jai Whitbread was outstanding for the Bears as they defeated Central Queensland 24 – 14. Starting from the bench Jai Whitbread played 36 minutes, running for a career high 146 metres, 57 post contact, also a career high, broke three tackles and made 16 tackles at a tackling efficiency of a perfect 100%.


    In Round One against the Sunshine Coast Falcons in his debut Queensland Cup match, Jai Whitbread played 32 minutes, making 57 metres from six hit-ups, 13 of those post contact and sixteen tackles at a tackling efficiency of 88.89%.

    In Round Two against the Redcliffe Dolphins, Jai Whitbread played 33 minutes, making 94 metres from twelve hit-ups, 34 of those post contact and fifteen tackles at a tackling efficiency of 88.25%.

    In addition to his try and try assist in Round Three against the Tweed Heads Seagulls, Jai Whitbread played 33 minutes, making 79 metres from six hit-ups, 16 of those post contact and fifteen tackles at a tackling efficiency of 100% in a more than solid display in wet and windy conditions at Tweed Heads in a solid Burleigh victory 32 – 12 where fellow Titans NRL contracted youngster Tyrone Roberts-Davis also scored for Burleigh.

    In Round Four Jai Whitbread started on the interchange bench for the fourth match in a row this time against a giant South’s Logan Magpies pack and played 34 minutes, running for 77 metres, twenty two of those post contact on nine carries and made 13 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 92.86%, yet another solid game for the South Tweed junior even taking into account being knocked out by a deemed shoulder charge. Jai Whitbread was also credited with one tackle break.

    The table below compares Jai Whitbread’s 2017 NYC per game averages as well as his 2018 Queensland Cup and NRL per game averages:

    2017 NYC 2018 Q Cup 2018 NRL

    Games played 23 13 1

    Minutes per game 55 34.25 18

    Runs per game 12 7.8 6

    Metres made per game 118 84 32

    Tackles per game 26 16.92 9

    In 2017 Jai Whitbread was the 18th man for the New South Wales U20 State of Origin side and in 2018 was named in the starting side but withdrew as a result of a hand injury. Jai Whitbread in addition to his rugby league commitments is studying a Bachelor’s Degree in Clinical Phycology so he is also a very intelligent young man.

    Jai Whitbread who originally hails from the Tamworth region of New South Wales and played his junior rugby league with the South Tweed Bears in the Group 18 junior rugby league competition and played a First Grade trial with the Broncos in February 2017 when he came off the bench against the Ipswich Jets in Ipswich.

    In 2017 Jai Whitbread played in twenty three matches for the Broncos NYC side including their finals matches, starting twenty one of those matches in the front row and the other two matches being Rounds Four and Five from the interchange bench. On those matches Jai Whitbread scored two tries which came against the Wests Tigers in Round Eleven and against Newcastle in the Bronco’s first final match this season.

    Jai Whitbread’s 2017 per match averages included 118 running metres on 12 hit-ups and 26 tackles (90% tackling efficiency) in just over 55 minutes. On sixteen occasions Jai Whitbread ran for more than 100 metres including an incredible effort in Round Eleven against the Wests Tigers when he ran for 201 metres. On sixteen occasions also Jai Whitbread made more than twenty tackles including Round Eleven against Wests Tigers when he made 47 tackles. Over the course of the 2017 NYC season Jai Whitbread also made six line breaks and off loaded the ball on seven occasions.

    In 2016 whilst still U18 eligible, in fact he represented New South Wales U18 that year, Jai Whitbread made twenty one NYC appearances for the Broncos starting in the front row thirteen matches and coming off the interchange bench in eight more, His 2016 per match season averages included 78 running metres on 8.5 hit ups and 21 tackles (92% tackling efficiency) in 45 minutes.

    Jai Whitbread’s two 2016 NYC tries came in Round Eight against the Rabbitohs and Rounds Twenty Six against the Sydney Roosters. His best running metre performance in 2016 was in Round Twenty Two against the Dragons and defensively Jai Whitbread in Round Seventeen made 35 tackles with no misses against the Melbourne Storm.

    The 186cm 107kg Jai Whitbread was a former Titans contracted junior from just south of the Border and played for New South Wales at the U16 and U18 levels and also CC and MM Cup for Gold Coast based squads in previous seasons. At the start of the 2016 season Jai Whitbread was signed by the Broncos after a successful GPS rugby career with the Southport School where he played three years in the school’s First XV and making a number of GPS representative sides. Interestingly Jai Whitbread played school boy rugby in the centres but in rugby league has played either front row or second row exclusively.

    Jai Whitbread is a hard running forward who is very good at running the right line including both and inside shoulder and outside shoulder line and consistently hits the pass off either the dummy half or play maker flat thus generating his best possible speed and momentum to hit the defensive line at full speed. Where he really excels though is his footwork, Jai Whitbread 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.

    Jai Whitbread is adept at cutting back behind the play the ball area when the markers do not work hard and make ground as a result. When the Broncos NYC side were in the attacking area, Jai Whitbread was regularly used to draw the defence into the centre of the ruck thus stretching the defensive line out wide to allow the backline more room to move. Jai Whitbread also accepted the responsibility of regularly taking the first hit-up from kick offs and was regularly the first forward to take a hit-up after an opposition tactical kick.

    Even when he is taking a hit up in the centre of the ruck, Jai Whitbread’s feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight corrections to his running vector and he is also able to maintain his speed regardless of those multiple directional changes. He seems just to run and think 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.

    Jai Whitbread’s speed is probably a bit above average but it is the speed that he is able to generate from only a few paces which makes it play faster from a defenders perspective. Obviously playing high level school boy rugby for TSS has assisted in the development of this particular attribute.

    Defensively he hits very hard and had one of the better defensive technique s in the NYC competition this season. Jai Whitbread’s technique revolves around timing and execution. Jai Whitbread’s head is almost always correctly positioned and he always drives with his shoulder and never just jersey grabs. From the matches that I have seen Jai Whitbread also tackles with both shoulders equally effectively.

    The impressive thing for me also is that Jai Whitbread never seems to bounce off the ball when he makes a front on tackle meaning his target area and the ability to hit the area on a regular basis is quite exceptional for a reasonably inexperienced forward.

    Another defensive aspect that I noted during the 2017 season was that Jai Whitbread does not just make one tackle at a time, he makes a series of tackles one after another all as clinical and effective as the one before. His lateral speed is quite good due to his quick twitch feet and thus he is effective at defending against smaller dynamic runners out of dummy half as well as half backs and five eights running of the fringes looking to isolate forwards.

    In addition Jai Whitbread continues to display the leadership attributes that you like to see in a player/person, not just in junior rugby league, but across any level of our game and the community. He shapes as someone who has the attributes to be not just an NRL captain but also a club captain one day and a well-respected one at that. A better role model you will not find.

    As noted Jai Whitbread has signed a Top 30 contract with the Titans and even though he has started the season in the Queensland Cup competition must be a real chance to make his NRL debut over the course of the 2018 NRL season.

    Even though he played a number of matches in the NYC competition in 2017 for the Broncos in the front row I can see Jai Whitbread better suited to the second row in the short term at least as he progresses towards the NRL especially with his mobility, work ethic, foot work and intelligence way above average if not in the plus category for all attributes.

    In many respects Jai Whitbread has a similar playing style to that of two other former Gold Coast youngsters who are now back on the Gold Coast after stints with the Broncos that being Jai Arrow and Keegan Hipgrave.

    Like both Keegan Hipgrave and Jai Arrow, Jai Whitbread is a mobile yet powerful forward who is not just a tackling machine but also a player who has far more to his attacking game than just putting his head down and running straight into the defensive line. His game in Round Three of the Queensland Cup this season should dispel any doubt about that.

    Make no mistake those three mentioned above plus the likes Max King and outstanding 18 year old Moeaki Fotuaika are the future of the Gold Coast Titans forward pack for the next ten years or so. They are all hard working, skilful young men with leadership skills who you can look to build an NRL club around.

    I know that it is a big call but there is no reason to suggest that when (not if) Jai Whitbread breaks into the NRL fulltime with the Titans his impact will be any less than Jai Arrow, Max King, Moeaki Fotuaika and Keegan Hipgrave have had.

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    Dylan Phythian. In his first Queensland Cup game former Newcastle Knight Dylan Phythian had a more than solid debut starting the Burleigh Bears Round 17 match at halfback and scoring early on in his debut.

    Round 18 saw Dylan Phythian move to five eight for the Bears match against the Townsville Blackhawks. Dylan Phythian was named at five eight for Round Nineteen as well but started the match in the centres instead for the Bears against Central Queensland.

    In total in his debut Dylan Phythian played 71 minutes ran for 46 metres, 10 post contact, making a tackle bust and making 16 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 88.9%. Dylan Phythian also kicked for 116 metres and forced three drop outs in a solid debut in Maroon and White.

    In Round 18 Dylan Phythian scored his second try in as many Queensland Cup matches when he sliced through the defence on the left side of the field from around ten metres out. In addition, Dylan Phythian kicked for 197 metres, ran for 26 metres, with a line break and two tackles breaks and made 26 tackles.

    Round 19 saw Dylan Phythian line up in the centres for Burleigh against the Central Queensland Capras. In the match Dylan Phythian played the entire 80 minutes, running for 62 metres, 22 post contact, made a tackle break and made eight tackles.

    In Round 20 Dylan Phythian once again started in the centres as Burleigh went down in a close match against PNG. In the match, Dylan Phythian played the entire 80 minutes once against and ran for 81 metres, 24 of those post contact, an offload, a tackle break and eleven tackles a tackling efficiency of 78.57%

    To date through his first four Queensland Cup matches, Dylan Phythian has been on the field for 310 minutes, running for216 metres and has made 61 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 74.3%. Dylan Phythian was also been credited with a line break, five tackle breaks, an offload and three forced drop outs. His per game averages include playing 78 minutes, running for 54.1 metres and making 15.25 tackles.

    In his time with the Newcastle Knights Dylan Phythian played in three NRL matches making his debut in Round Twenty-Five in 2016 coming off the bench against South Sydney and scoring on debut. He also started from the bench in Round Twenty-Six against St George the following week.

    It looked like 2017 was going to be Dylan Phythian’s year when he started at fullback in Round One against the Warriors but he did his ACL in that match missing the remainder of the season, regardless he did enough for the Knights to resign him on a one year contract for the 2018 season.

    After some off field issues Dylan Phythian was released by the Knights in March 2018 and has moved to the Gold Coast to play the remainder of the season with the Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup.

    After his release from the Knights and prior to his move to the Gold Coast Dylan Phythian played one match in the Newcastle First Grade competition for Lakes United against South Newcastle.

    Dylan Phythian was a local Newcastle junior and progressed through the Newcastle Knights system through the U16 Harrold Matthews Cup, the U18 SG Ball competition and was a stand out from 2014 to 2016 in the Knights NYC side. In 2015 and 2016 Dylan Phythian also played a number of New South Wales Cup matches for the Knights while since NYC eligible.

    Analysing Dylan Phythian’s playing style is a little complex due to the variety of positions that he can potentially play but as he has played in the halves since his move up from Newcastle I will focus there.

    For a five eight or half back Dylan Phythian does have a bit of size about him which enables him to take the defensive line on himself if his back line is either not set or if the opposing outside backs move up quickly and cut off any potential plays on his outside.

    In an attacking sense he stands quite deep and wide and thus is able to generate decent momentum when engaging he defensive line himself. Dylan Phythian’s speed is probably only a touch above average for a five eight but plays bigger as a result of his strength although his lateral movement is a touch above average.

    When he looks to move the ball out to his back line Dylan Phythian plays at the line rather than before it. What this means is that the defensive line cannot just slide from one player to the next progressively limiting the room of the attacking team and must make a decision who to commit to.

    Dylan Phythian also normally straightens up the attack which also slows the lateral movement of the defensive line when they are sliding enabling his outside runners the time and ability to pick the appropriate line to run knowing that Dylan Phythian will put the ball into the gap for them to run on to.

    Defensively Dylan Phythian plays like a second rower he moves up with the aim to win the individual battle against the opponent running at him and hit them hard. When an opponent runs either side of him, Dylan Phythian has a decent low tackling technique but when they run directly at him his sole motivation is to hit them hard and around the chest.

    In his time with Newcastle the 100kg 188 cm youngster has played a variety of positions from fullback to hooker and of course in the halves where he made his Queensland Cup debut with Burleigh recently.

    Dylan Phythian Going will finish the 2018 season in the Queensland Cup with the Burleigh Bears and I am sure get a long look from the Titans in terms of where he may fit in their plans going forward.

    I am conflicted in terms of the best position for Dylan Phythian, in his first two NRL matches he spent time at hooker when he came on and then he started at fullback in Round One of the 2017 NRL season and is now in the halves for Burleigh in the Queensland Cup. If he stays in the halves or at hooker he will be one of the bigger players in those positions in either the NRL or the Queensland Cup for that matter.

    I don’t like pigeon holing someone but at the NRL level he may be the perfect interchange player, being able to play a multitude of diverse positions and play them solidly. He is an ideal player to have on an interchange bench and with his size could also play in the backrow in a similar type of role that Nathan Peats occupies when Mitch Rein comes on for the Titans.

    Former Titan and current New Zealand Warrior Karl Lawnton is an ideal comparison for Dylan Phythian. Like Lawnton Dylan Phythian can play a variety of positions and is invaluable in being able to fill holes for a team all while being effective in whatever position he finds himself in.

    The only real difference is that Dylan Phythian has more explosive speed off the mark than Lawnton has .

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    Jonah Whitlam-Rose. The young Titans linked hooker plays for South Tweed in the Group 18 Junior Rugby League competition at the U16 level and is a player with a maturity and leadership qualities beyond his years that are on display every time he runs onto a field.

    Earlier this season Jonah Whitlam-Rose captained the Northern Rivers U16 Andrew Johns Cup side taking them to the finals in the first year of the competition. In the competition he started at hooker and captained the side in each of their five matches and scored a double in Round One against the Newcastle Knights U16 Development Squad in an outstanding display of dummy half running.

    Representative honours are nothing new for the St Joseph’s College Banora Point student, he represented Group 18 at the NSW Country U15 Championships in 2017 in three matches scoring a hat trick against Group 19 and in 2016 represented Group 18 at the U14 level in two matches.

    From an attacking stand point, Jonah Whitlam-Rose has solid distribution skills in relation to his passing skills to either side of his body and uses a solid, repeatable passing technique to ensure consistency, thus enabling his forwards and play makers to have confidence that his passes will find the mark with the appropriate velocity and angle attached on every occasion.

    Where Jonah Whitlam-Rose really stands out in terms of attacking play, is his speed out of dummy half, he is extremely quick and has very good footwork to take advantage of tiring forwards, using a step off both feet.

    Around the try line Jonah Whitlam Rose is also very good at making the right decision whether the go himself or pass, where he gets down low and drives with his legs. He scored a number of tries this season both from running from dummy half close to the line as well as backing up forwards and getting the offload. When in open space Jonah Whitlam-Rose is very quick and can finish off his own breaks all be it over reasonably short distances, a rare skill for a hooker.

    From a defensive perspective he is a very solid tackler who makes good initial contact and is able to generate momentum through his core and drive into his opponent with enough force to redirect the momentum of the ball carrier. He has both a solid low tackling technique as well as having the functional strength to make ball and all tackles effectively against the biggest of forwards looking to target him in the defensive line.

    He is also very quick out of the marker position and will get to forwards how are running one out before they can generate any momentum. In short he defends like a backrower and certainly if he finds himself on the fringes of the ruck, Jonah Whitlam-Rose has the lateral movement and anticipation to also defend against smaller quicker halves looking to exploit a perceived speed advantage.

    Jonah Whltlam-Rose will play out the 2018 season with the South Tweed Bears in the Group 18 U16 competition who are unfortunately having a tough season and it will be interesting to see if he can push for selection in the Tweed Heads MM Cup squad in 2019.

    With his speed and elusiveness out of dummy half coupled with his leadership ability and ability to lead and direct his side around the field, Jonah Whitlam-Rose is ideally suited to the hooking role.

    Even though he is a touch stockier, Jonah Whitlam-Rose reminders me from a playing style perspective of North Queensland Cowboys hooker Jake Granville. Both can get their sides on the front foot with a timely run out of dummy half but both also have the ability to lead their sides forwards onto the ball.

    I would argue though that Jonah Whitlam-Rose is more selective in his dummy half runs than Granville and always run with a plan in mind rather than running just for the sake of it.

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    Kalani Going. The New Zealand born second rower moved over to Australia chasing his NRL dream with the Canberra Raiders but now continues that dream on the Gold Coast with the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Queensland Cup.

    Kalani Going made his Queensland Cup debut off the bench in Round Seventeen against Wynnum Manly on Stradbroke Island, playing 32 minutes, running for 75 metres, 22 post contact and also had an offload. Defensively he made twenty tackles at a tackling efficiency of 90.9% for a more than solid debut.

    Round 18 saw Kalani Going move into the starting line-up in the second row against the Souths Logan Magpies. Playing the entire 80 minutes the second rower ran for 109 metres, with an impressive 50 of those post contact. Kalani Going also made six tackle breaks and an offload. Defensively he made 30 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 88.24%.

    In Round 19 against the Townsville Blackhawks Kalani Going started in the front row playing the entire 80 minutes running for 87 metres, 31 post contact, made one tackle break and made 32 tackles.

    Kalani Going also started in the front row in Round 20 against the Mackay Cutter playing 37 minutes, running for 80 metres, 32 post contact and made 17 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 77.27%.

    Round 21 saw Kalani Going once again start in the front row against XX and he made the most of his 35 minutes on the field for in Round 21 of the Queensland Cup on the weekend. He ran for an impressive 102 metres, 30 of which were post contact, had five tackle breaks and made 17 tackles.

    To date through his first five Queensland Cup matches, Kalani Going has been on the field for 254 minutes, running for 455 metres and has made 120 tackles. Kalani Going was also been credited with seventeen tackle breaks and two offloads.

    His per game averages include playing 51 minutes, running for 91.2 metres and making 24 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 84.4%.

    The former Canberra Raiders NYC captain started this season off in the New South Wales Intrust Super Cup with the Mounties playing in eight matches prior to his move north. Kalani Going started six of his eight matches from the bench, starting Round Eight against the Wyong Roos in the centres and Round Nine against the Warriors in the second row.

    Kalani Going’s last match before his move north was against the Newtown Jets in Round Fifteen.

    The powerful 178cm 98kg former New Zealand Junior Kiwi scored once with the try coming in Round Two against the Wyong Roos. Kalani Going in the 2018 New South Wales Intrust Super Cup ran for 611 metres, 237 of those post contact (38.79%) and made 140 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 83.9% whilst being on the field for 371 minutes.

    On two occasions Kalani Going played the entire 80 minutes, being in Rounds Eight and Nine. Kalani Going also had a line break and thirteen tackle breaks. Kalani Going’s New South Wales Intrust Super Cup per game averages included playing 36.5 minutes, running for 76.4 metres and making 17.5 tackles.

    On three occasions Kalani Going ran for more than 100 metres in a match including running for 105 metres in Round Nine against the Warriors. From a defensive perspective, Round’s Eight and Nine against the Wyong Roos and New Zealand Warriors respectively, Kalani Going made 28 tackles.

    The table below compares Kalani Goings 2018 New South Wales Intrust Super Cup statistics to those in the Queensland Cup since his move to the Gold Coast:

    2018 NSW Cup 2018 Q Cup

    Games played 8 5

    Minutes per game 36.5 51

    Runs per game 8.3 9.6

    Metres made per game 76.4 91.2

    Tackles per game 17.5 24

    Prior to his Queensland Cup debut off the bench for Tweed Heads against Wynnum Manly, Kalani Going played one match for Tweed Heads in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition off bench in Round Ten against Burleigh just after arriving on the Gold Coast.

    Kalani Going gets back deep and really just runs flat out into the defensive line normally with limited lateral movement prior to contact. As he is approaching the defensive line Kalani Going will drop his shoulder into the defender who is looking to make the initial contact and also runs with a high knee life. Kalani Going has strength in his core which enables him to continue to make ground after contact.

    Kalani Going also has, for a second rower above average speed, not necessarily off the mark but certainly when his is in motion and his speed also plays better as a result of his power running style especially when he is running wide of the ruck targeting the smaller defenders there.

    Whilst he may not necessarily score a lot of tries himself he does contribute significantly as Kalani Going regularly causes havoc when he has engaged the defensive line and with a quick play the ball there is on occasion space out wide for his team to look to exploit.

    Kalani Going 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.

    His speed and lateral movement means that Kalani Going will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half.

    Kalani Going will finish the 2018 season in the Queensland Cup with the Tweed Heads Seagulls and I am sure get a long look from the Titans in terms of where he may fit in their plans.

    Even though he spent a portion of the 2018 New South Wales Intrust Super Cup season in the centres with the Mounties, with his solid frame and his low centre of gravity which makes him difficult to tackle and envisage a future in the NRL in the second row for Kalani Going.

    He may not be as big as Canberra Raider and Queensland State of Origin second row Josh Pappali but Kalani Going plays rugby league the same way.

    Kalani Going is a powerful ball of muscle who is difficult to tackle front on and with his low centre of gravity is able to get into the bodies of forwards running at him and really cut them in half.

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    Kai O’Donnell. (Revised) The young hooker/second rower who is part of the Titans Rookie Squad had a great 2017 season with Burleigh in MM and Colts competitions and South Coast in the QSSRL U18 competition moved down from the North Queensland region to continue to pursue his rugby league career in 2016.

    This season Kai O’Donnell started with Burleigh in the U20 Colts competition with four of those in a different position being hooker after making the transition from the backrow in the offseason. Kai O’Donnell started Burleigh’s first four matches at hooker but moved back to the second row for Saturdays match against the Western Mustangs, a match that the Bears won 46 – 0.

    Kai O’Donnell scored two tries scoring in Round Two against the Redcliffe Dolphins and in Round Four against Souths Logan. Ironically both tries were almost identical in terms of the style and even the place on the field that they were scored.

    In relation to both of his tries, Kai O’Donnell was at dummy half with Burleigh attacking, Kai O’Donnell took the odds to it, getting down low and burrowing over from close to the line. Kia O’Donnell scored both tries at Pizzey Park at the non-car park end crossing mid-way between the left upright and touch line on each occasion.

    Kai O’Donnell quickly progressed to the Burleigh GCRL First Grade side and played in four matches before his next promotion. In his four matches, Kai O’Donnell scored four tries including a double against Southport and a debut try against Tugun. Kai O’Donnell’s other try came against Tweed Heads in his second GCRL First Grade match.

    After standing out in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition, Kai O’Donnell was promoted once again, this time to the Burleigh Queensland Cup side and has gone on to play in three matches primarily off the interchange bench.

    Through his six Queensland Cup matches, Kai O’Donnell is averaging 36 minutes, eight hit-ups for 81.8 metres, 34 post contact (41.56%) and 20.7 tackles at a tackling efficiency of an incredible 96.88. Kai O’Donnell has also been credited with fourteen tackle breaks.

    Incredibly in four of his six matches Kai O’Donnell has been perfect defensively. I knew that he was a good defender but not this good.

    From a ball running perspective Kai O’Donnell in Round 19 against the Central Queensland Capra’s ran for 98 metres and defensively Kai O’Donnell made a career high (to date) 21 tackles in Round Twenty-One and made 17 tackles in Round Twelve in his debut against Tweed Heads made 18 tackles at a 100% tackling efficiency, no surprise there.

    The former North Queensland Cowboys Academy member has been a strong addition to the rugby league ranks on the Gold Coast after making his First Grade debut in the Mackay A Grade competition in 2016. 2016 also say Kai O’Donnell play for the Mackay Cutters in the MM Cup competition and he was named in the Cutters squad for 2017 but moved down to the Gold Coast to attend PBC as part of their rugby league excellence program early that year.

    For Burleigh in the MM competition in 2017 Kai O’Donnell played in all six of Burleigh’s matches scoring in Round Four against the South’s Logan Magpies. Kai O’Donnell started the first two MM Rounds at lock, then came off the interchange bench in Round Three before starting in the second row for the final three rounds.

    Upon competition of the MM Cup competition Kai O’Donnell transitioned to the Burleigh Colts side where he played in six matches prior to injury. Kai O’Donnell started three matches being Rounds One, Six and Seven in the second row, Rounds Four and Five at lock and started from the inter change bench in Round two. Kai O’Donnell actually captained the side in Round Four against Souths Logan.

    Kai O’Donnell may have played in only six matches but he scored five tries in that time including a hat trick inside 22 minutes against Ipswich in Round Seven and he also scored in Round Two against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls and Round Six in the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

    In relation to School boy rugby league in 2017 Kai O’Donnell was part of the South Coast U18 QSSRL side that took all before them and from there was selected in the second row for the Queensland U18 side for the ASSRL U18 Championships from PBC.

    In addition to playing a number of matches in the MM Cup competition, 2016 saw Kai O’Donnell start off for Proserpine in the Mackay U18 competition where he played in six matches scoring four tries including a double against Wests Mackay in his last match in the U18 competition before his promotion to the Proserpine First Grade side.

    Kai O’Donnell made his Mackay First Grade debut in the centres on 23 July 2016 against North’s and celebrated his debut with a try. Kai O’Donnell scored his second try in First Grade in his third First Grade match against South’s. Kai O’Donnell made such an impact in First Grade for the Brahmans that he was awarded First Grade Rookie of the Year as well as being named the First Grade Best Back on the season at the 2016 Whitsunday Rugby League Awards night.

    From a school boy rugby league perspective in 2016, Kai O’Donnell captained the Proserpine High School Open Rugby League team in 2016 including leading his team to victory in the final of the State-wide Queensland Country Cup Carnival beating local rivals Sarina High School in the final 25 – 18 in extra time.

    Kai O’Donnell was named player of the final and was noted by his coach Andrew Jolly as being an inspirational leader. Kai O’Donnell also represented the Northern Region in the U18 QSSRL Championships playing in all four of their matches which were against Met West, Capricornia, Sunshine Coast and South Coast in May 2016.

    For a young player with an already strong frame, Kai O’Donnell has the type of build which suggests that he can continue to add more muscle mass without compromising his already above average speed.

    Kai O’Donnell 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 Kai O’Donnell 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.

    In relation to playing in the second row, Kai O’Donnell is also effective and runs with movement on each occasion that he takes a hit up and is adept at lowering his shoulder onto the defender to make tackling him a difficult proposition for a defensive line. Kai O’Donnell due to his higher centre of gravity and less actual bulk is more suited to running on the edges of the edge where he can best utilise his speed and mobility for his team.

    Defensively I like the intensity that Kia O’Donnell approaches his defensive duties with, just look at the match against the Souths Logan Magpies when he made 45 tackles. On an individual level Kai O’Donnell 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 and execution.

    Kai O’Donnell is eligible once again for the U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition in 2019 and may also spend some time next season in the Queensland Cup ranks for Burleigh. It would also not surprise to see Kai O’Donnell in line for a Titans Development contract over the next year or so.

    Kai O’Donnell’s ultimate position has become a touch clouded. Prior to this season, I expected Kai O’Donnell to have a successful career in the second row and did not see a move to hooker coming. In saying that, even though he is new to the hooker position, Kai O’Donnell has started out the season very well there and thus may just end up there long term.

    Kai O’Donnell may with his continued development at hooker, present coaches will a great option of starting him at hooker and then bringing on a hooker from the interchange bench allowing Kai O’Donnell to transition to a running forward role as he has the mental toughness and physical endurance to play an entire game without fatiguing too much over the course of 80 minutes.

    The scenario that I am postulating is similar to how Gareth Brennan is using Nathan Peats so far this season. He starts at hooker and then has spent some time as a running backrower when Mitch Rein comes on late in the first half.

    From a player comparison perspective, due to 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 leadership, courage and determination perspective

  15. #765
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    Byron Parnell. The rangy Titans linked centre/second rower has had an outstanding 2018 season culminating in his recent match for the Queensland U16 side in their tough loss to their New South Wales counterparts at Suncorp Stadium where he started the match from the interchange bench. Fellow Titans Ediq Ambrosyev (hooker), Samuel Shannon (interchange) and Tate Roberts (centre) were also part of the Queensland U16 side.

    At the start of the 2018 season Byron Parnell was part of the Gold Coast Vikings White side that played in the U16 South East Queensland Challenge and from there was selected in the South East Queensland side for the recent Queensland Age Championships that were held in Mackay.

    At the State Championships Byron Parnell started all of South East Queensland Green’s matches in the centres, including the Championship final and in fact scored as SEQ Green defeated SEQ White 30 – 18. Byron Parnell also scored tries against Central in a SEQ Green 46 – 8 win and against Northern in another 20 – 10 win. Byron Parnell was subsequently selected in the Queensland U16 team.

    The Coombabah State High School student is currently playing for the Nerang Roosters in the GCRL U16 Division One competition, to date playing in five matches scoring five tries and kicking two goals. Byron Parnell has scored doubles against Mudgeeraba and Runaway Bay, converting one of his tries in each of those games and early in the season Byron Parnell also scored against Currumbin.

    Just like this season, 2017 saw Byron Parnell make a number of representative sides including starting in the centres for the Queensland Murri U16 side. Byron Parnell also represented the South Coast U15 side in the U15 QSSRL Championships and from there was selected in the U15 Queensland White side for the U15 ASSRL Championships.

    In the 2017 U15 ASSRL Championships, Byron Parnell started in the centres in four matches, scoring twice including the first try of the Championship final. Unfortunately Queensland lost the final 16 – 14 against New South Wales Combined High Schools. In the Championships, Byron Parnell also scored against New South Wales Combined Independent Schools.

    Byron Parnell is a big, strong, quick young centre with a fluid running style with a powerful centres build with the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside. In term of his play, the in and away is his bread and butter, Byron Parnell has very good speed off the mark and can break to the outside quickly, couple that with long arms, which he uses to great effect with a powerful fend makes him difficult to tackle.

    When opposing centres are able to get hold of him, Byron Parnell usually is able to maintain his balance and keeps an arm free, looking to offload although offloading is not his first priority.

    Byron Parnell has more tools though than just an in and away, he will also use his size and strength to run straight over smaller opposing centres as well as also having the skill to step back inside of the defender if he is pushing to the outside too early.

    Byron Parnell does however on occasion not use his size and strength often enough and will try to beat his direct opponent on the outside every time even though he has shown the ability to run over people, but I am sure that this will come with more experience.

    Over the course of the season, including schoolboy and representative football, he has lined up at both left and right centre but at present he seems to be better suited and more comfortable playing right centre but he is so young there is plenty of time for him to gain experience at left centre as well.

    I will note that in Round Ten of the U16 Division One competition, Byron Parnell started the match against Helensvale at fullback in an interesting move which I had not considered before, well done to the Nerang coaches for giving talented young players a range of opportunities to develop and/or showcase their skills.

    Byron Parnell 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, Byron Parnell also has a very good passing game especially to his left side. When the ball is passed out to the back line, Byron Parnell 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

    As you would expect, due to his size and strength, Byron Parnell is a very good defender, for his size he will not necessarily hit hard (he certainly can however when the opportunity presents), but he is very good at mirroring the movement of the opposing centre and wrapping him up ball and all.

    Defensively Byron Parnell 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.

    His long reach is also a positive attribute in those situations and also when moving up into the defensive line as Byron Parnell can disrupt passing lanes.

    Byron Parnell is the defensive leader of the Nerang U16 Division One BBC three quarter line and other defenders keyed off him in terms of whether to use an up and in methodology and slide to the outside.

    Byron Parnell 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.

    From a team defensive methodology stand point, Byron Parnell seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage.

    Byron Parnell will play the remainder of the 2018 GCRL season with Nerang at the U16 Division One level and also play for Coombabah State High School in relation to school boy rugby league.

    Byron Parnell has spent this season playing in the centres in both club and representative rugby league and whilst he certainly will be able to continue to play in the centres for at least a while yet, I think that ultimately Byron Parnell will transition fulltime to the second row where with his speed and power he will be a handful on the fringes of the ruck.

    I note in the interests of completeness, Byron Parnell started at fullback in Round Ten and at five eight in Round Eleven of the U16 Division One competition for Nerang.

    Penrith’s boom second rower Isaiah Yeo for me is a clear and appropriate choice in terms of looking for an NRL player comparison for Byron Parnell. Like Yeo Byron Parnell has started his career as a tall powerful centre with interesting speed, mobility and skill characteristics and a hard tough defensive methodology.


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