My take on our top juniors

[mdrew]

Codey McLaughlin. (Revised) The youngster was part of the 2018 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM side and post that competition has played in the GCRL U19, Doug Lipp Cup and First Grade competitions for Runaway Bay.

In the MM Cup competition for Tweed Heads, Codey McLaughlin played in five matches starting all five from the interchange bench and scoring twice. Codey McLaughlin’s first try came in Round Two against Victoria and he followed that with a try in Round Five against the Townsville Blackhawks.

For the U19 Runaway Bay side post the MM Cup competition Codey McLaughlin played in twelve regular season matches scoring six tries. Codey McLaughlin scored a Round Fourteen double against Mudgeeraba and also scored in Round Fifteen against Burleigh and well as in Round Seventeen against Beaudesert. Earlier in the season Codey McLaughlin scored against Bilambil and Ormeau to round out his seasons try scoring.

In the Doug Lipp Cup competition for Runaway Bay Cody McLaughlin played five regular season matches including starting Round Sixteen against Helensvale in the second row and Round Seventeen in the centres against Beaudesert, debuting against Currumbin and April.

Codey McLaughlin scored two regular season Doug Lipp Cup tries including scoring in just his second game at that level against Tugun and also scored in his starting debut against Helensvale in Round Sixteen.

In Week One of the GCRL Finals series, Codey McLaughlin started in the second row as well as scoring for Runaway Bay in their 40 – 12 win over Burleigh in the Doug Lipp Cup competition.

In Week Two of the GCRL Finals series, Codey McLaughlin started in the second row for Runaway Bay once again in their 25 – 4 win against Beaudesert.

Codey McLaughlin also started in the second row for Runaway Bay in the Doug Lipp Cup Preliminary Final against Currumbin with Runaway Bay going down by a solitary point 17 – 16 in a hard fought contest.

Codey McLaughlin made his deserved GCRL First Grade debut in late June coming off the bench for Runaway Bay against Tugun.

Codey McLaughlin played the 2017 season with the Helensvale Hornets in the GCRL U17 Division One competition including starting at five eight in Helensvale’s 34 – 20 Grand Final victory over Ormeau. Over the course of the U17 Division One 2017 season Codey McLaughlin played in thirteen matches scoring four tries in the process with the tries coming against Southport, Mudgeeraba, Runaway Bay and Burleigh.

For Gold Coast Green in the CC Cup competition in 2016, Codey McLaughlin played in all eight matches, starting the seven regular season games at right centre, but he started the quarter final on the right wing. Over the course of the CC season he scored three tries which came against the Easts Tigers in Rounds One and Six and also against Toowoomba in their quarter final loss, he also kicked two conversions in a Round Two win against local rivals Gold Coast White.

In addition in 2016 Codey McLaughlin also represented South East Queensland White in the Queensland Age Championships at the U16 level, and on Day Two scored a try and kicked two conversions in a win against South East Queensland Green and on Day Three kicked three conversions in a big 42-24 victory over the Northern Marlins.

From an attacking perspective, Codey McLaughlin has a wide running mindset for a backrower with a very good turn of speed once he breaks through the line. Like all good running backrowers though, he takes his share of runs in the middle of the ruck but he is impressive at running good lines on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into although he is not averse to running straight over people if the need arises either.

From the games that I have seen him play Codey McLaughlin normally runs to the right side of the field, and will run wider out and look to come back on the inside shoulder of the opposition defence on the edge of the ruck, looking for situations where the opposition inside defenders are slow to come across.

His determination is one aspect that enables him to be in the right place at the right time. He is a hard runner and does not give up on the run until the opposition puts him on the ground, as a consequence, he makes a lot more metres for his team than he has a right to and with his determination he will also on occasion break clear of the defenders totally. I would consider that he runs ‘tough’ with the ball in his hands.

For Tweed Heads in the MM Cup competition, Codey McLaughlin defended both in the edge of the ruck and well as through the middle. Codey McLaughlin was quietly effective in both situations from both a quality and quantity perspective.

Codey McLaughlin’s 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.

While Codey McLaughlin hits he hits hard, but I would not call it aggressive per say, but he is just tough in his approach to his defence. I do not necessarily think that Codey McLaughlin’s 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.

In 2019 Codey McLaughlin will likely be part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side and will also be Colts eligible in 2020.

Earlier in his junior rugby league career Codey McLaughlin played a lot in the centres and even spent some time at fullback but this season, especially in relation to playing for Runaway Bay in the U19 GCRL competition has played almost exclusively at lock, and he has looked very good there.

From a style comparison perspective for Codey McLaughlin, the current NRL player that stands out for me is Titans Bryce Cartwright as a mobile, wide running backrower with a diverse skill set.

Codey McLaughlin could really turn into a special player and sooner rather than later and the experience that he has gained this season playing against men will hold him in good stead for his future rugby league career.

[mdrew]

Luke Kofutua. (Revised) The former Western Australian raised youngster took the opportunity to move across to the Gold Coast to continue his sporting career at Keebra Park for the start of this season and made an immediate impact being selected on the bench for the South Coast U15 QSSRL side after the early season trials.

Even though he was still eligible to play at the U15 age group, Luke Kofutua started off the 2018 season in the U16 Division One competition with the Southport Tigers and started Round Two(Southport had a Round One bye) against Burleigh from the interchange bench in Southport’s 22 – 4 victory in a hard fought clash. After his debut, Luke Kofutua played in an additional nine matches for the Southport U16 Division One side.

Luke Kofutua also played club rugby on the Gold Coast this season, playing for the Griffith University Colleges U15 side and started at No. 8 and scored a try in their 47 – 29 Grand Final victory that was played as a curtain raiser to the Rugby International between the Wallabies and Argentina on the Gold Coast a fortnight ago.

Luke Kofutua played in fifteen of Griffith University Colleges matches, eight at No. 8, five at open side flanker (No. 7), one at blind side flanker (No. 6) and one from the bench.

In those fifteen appearances, Luke Kofutua scored four tries, being in Round Three and Twleve against Bond Pirates, Round Nine and Fourteen against the Gold Coast Eagles.

In Western Australia, Luke Kofutua was a talented junior rugby player from Perth’s Thornlie State High School and in 2017 was selected in the Western Australian U14 State Championship rugby side. Luke Kofutua played No. 8 for the Kalamunda Junior Rugby club in Perth at the U14 level in 2017. Kalamunda were defeated in the Preliminary final 13 – 5 of that competition last year.

Luke Kofutua is a powerful wide running back rower with above average speed for the position. I would actually argue that in fact a better definition of his speed would be well above average to plus. Luke Kofutua is quite 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 which is a plus attribute for such a strong powerful No. 8

Luke Kotutua’s speed thus makes it almost impossible for the cover defence to catch him once he is open space. Couple Luke Kofutua’s hard running style with a very good fend and you have a big strong powerful young player who can cause nightmares for any defensive line regardless of the code.

Defensively the most impressive aspect of Luke Kofutua’s play is his ability to make effective tackle after effective tackle. In the Perth Junior Rugby competition he continually made up to three and four tackles in a row on multiple occasions and then clean out in the rucks and mauls and then he was also the first Epping player to take the ball up.

Whilst his stamina is impressive, so is Luke Kofutua’s initial contact, he uses his strength and leverage to hit the ball carrier hard forcing momentum changes to the ball carrier.

One match in the South Coast U15 QSSRL trials was outstanding, he came out of the line and smashed the Coombabah ball carrier (a more than talented youngster in his own right) with a superb front on tackle perfectly highlighting his timing toughness and technique regardless of his non-rugby league background.

Luke Kofutua is also adept at wrapping up the ball and preventing offloads as he uses his functional strength to engage ball carriers. Defensively in a covering role he is also very effective as even though he is a big strong forward he has very good catch up speed and a solid low tackling technique from a side aspect.

Luke Kofutua will play the 2019 season with the Southport Tigers likely in the U16 Division One competition and will also play for Keebra Park in their various school boy competitions.

From a purely rugby league perspective the extremely talented Western Australian rugby No. 8 looks and plays like an outstanding second rower who can either play in the centre of the field or on the fringes as the game dictates and be equally effective in both situations.

The perfect NRL player comparison for Luke Kofutua is South Sydney Rabbitoh’s boom youngster and former School boy rugby star, Angus Creighton. Like Creighton, Luke Kofutua is a big strong powerful young man with more speed that people will initially give him credit for until this see him play of course that is.

Also like Angus Creighton, Luke Kofutua is a very good off loader of the ball both before the defensive line and whilst he is in contact with it and defensively he is a strong presence with a solid repeatable front on tackling technique with a touch of aggressiveness involved as well.

Luke Kofutua is one of a couple of Western Australian youngsters who have moved over to the Gold Coast. Another young player to come over is former South Perth Lions second rower Wailer Whaiapu who was earlier this year selected in the Gold Coast Vikings U13 Invitational trial squad.

[mdrew]

Kiu Nuku-Ngala. (Revised) The young fullback or winger had a solid 2018 season, starting in the MM Cup for Tweed Heads, playing for Currumbin in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition and also getting a late season opportunity with Tweed Heads in the U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition.

For Tweed Heads in the MM Cup competition, Kiu Nuku-Ngala started on the wing in all seven of Tweed Heads matches including their finals loss to Souths Logan and scored his sole try of the competition in Round Six against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.

With the Currumbin Eagles in the GCRL U19 competition Kiu Nuku-Ngala progressed all of the way through to the Grand Final against Southport.

In the Grand Final Kiu Nuku-Ngala started on the wing and kicked three conversions against a Daniel Shannon led Southport with Currumbin coming out on top 34 – 20.

In the Preliminary Final Kiu Nuku-Ngala started on the wing and scored for Currumbin as they qualified for the Grand Final overcoming Bilambil 36 – 26.

In Week Two of the U19 Finals series Kiu Nuku-Ngala started on the wing in a 20 – 14 Currumbin loss against Southport.

In the GCRL U19 regular season Kiu Nuku-Ngala played nine matches scoring five tries and kicking five goals of a point’s tally of 30. Kiu Nuku-Ngala scored early season tries against Beaudesert and Helensvale. Mid-season Kiu Nuku-Ngala scored in consecutive rounds against Southport, Burleigh and Ormeau.

As noted in the preamble over Kiu Nuku-Ngala got a late season opportunity with the Tweed Heads Colts side starting from the interchange bench and scoring on debut in Round Twenty Four against the Northern Pride.

Kiu Nuku-Ngala had an interrupted first season on the Gold Coast in 2017 after moving down from Brisbane where he played for the Norths Devils in the CC Cup competition in 2016.

In the 2017 U17 Division One competition, Kiu Nuku-Ngala played in seven matches for Burleigh and scored a double against Runaway Bay in June and followed that up a week later with his third try of the season against Mudgeeraba.

As noted Kiu Nuku-Ngala played in the CC Cup competition in 2016 for Norths and in fact scored in their tough semi-final loss to South’s Logan. Also in 2016 Kiu Nuku-Ngala was selected at fullback for the South East Queensland Green U16 side for the Queensland Age Championships scoring a kicking three goals on Day One against Central.

Kiu Nuku-Ngala is a silky smooth player, who looks like he glides across the field picking and choosing his time to get involved and wants to have the ball in his hands when the game is on the line.

Kiu Nuku-Ngala is very quick off the mark and when the ball is being brought out of his teams half he is always around the forwards looking for off loads.

Kiu Nuku-Ngala also can play the way a lot of the current fullbacks play when they receive the football, “out the back” from the half/five eight. In those circumstances, he seems to currently runs more than he passes, but he is usually one of the better players in all of the teams that he has played on to date, thus I have no doubt that his passing and decision making skills will improve in these situations as he continues to play with ‘better’ players.

Kiu Nuku-Ngala has very good positional sense in terms of taking a high percentage of opposing teams general play kicks on the full, thus regularly giving his team good initial field position to start their set of six. Similarly his positional sense when close to his own goal line means he defuses a lot of attacking grubber kicks as well.

Kiu Nuku-Ngala will also take the responsibility to run the ball back himself rather than hand it up to his winger. When the kick goes to a winger, he is good at running out of dummy half prior to the defensive line getting set.

In relation to his defence, one thing that stands out to me is that Kiu Nuku-Ngala will not take a dummy from attackers running at him and he will stay with the ball carrier on all occasions. Kiu Nuku-Ngala seems to stand very shallow at fullback in defence, but with his speed he is able to compensate, also his fullback positioning is dependent on his teams coaching staff and thus I am absolutely not being critical when his positioning is almost certainly a coaching methodology issue.

Kiu Nuku-Ngala is also a good communicator from full back, you can hear him talking to his team mates about their positioning in defence and offering encouragement.

Kiu Nuku-Ngala will look to retain is place in the Tweed Heads U20 Colts side in 2019 after performing well in the final round of the 2018 Colts competition and will also be Colts eligible in 2020.

For me Kiu Nuku-Ngala is one of those players that may not stand out the first one or second time you see him play but the more you see him the more you start to appreciate some of the less obvious aspects to his game such as his positioning, his clean hands, outstanding body control and the ability to score his share of incredible tries.

Ultimately I think that Kiu Nuku-Ngala will end up on the wing although fullback is definitely not out of the question.

From a style perspective, I would consider someone like the Canberra Raiders try scoring winger and former Titan Jordan Rapana as an ideal comparison for Kiu Nuku-Ngala. Kiu Nuku-Ngala just has an uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time to score at any level.

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Orlando Swain. The Ipswich youngster has recently signed with the Titans after a standout campaign with the Queensland Maroon side at the U15 ASSRL Championships. A team mate in the Queensland Maroons side was fellow Titans contracted youngster the outstanding Burleigh lock Bailey Martin.

Orlando Swain is set to start in the centres for the Titans U15 side in their upcoming match against a Balmain Tigers U15 touring squad. Orlando Swain is likely to be partnered in the centres by the equally talented Ezra Ubaldino.

As a result of his outstanding performances on the wing for the U15 Queensland Maroon side Orlando Swain was selected in the Australian U15 Merit side where he was named on the wing.

Orlando Swain started all four of Queensland Maroon’s matches on the wing and scored two tries, the first coming on Day One against New South Wales Combined High Schools and his second try was in the 4th minute of the final against New South Wales Combined Catholic College, a final which Queensland Maroon won 36 – 10.

The Ipswich Grammar School student this season played for Norths Blue in the 2018 Ipswich U15 competition and through nine matches, including the finals series has scored 56 points from twelve tries and four goals.

Orlando Swain scored a recent hat trick against Fassifern and has also scored doubles against Norths Gold, Rosewood and Redbank. Orlando Swain’s other two tries came against West End and Brothers.

In Week Two of the Ipswich Rugby League U15 Finals series, Orlando Swain started on the wing and scored as his Norths Blue defeated a determined Redbank side 30 – 26 to progress to the Grand Final.

In the Ipswich U15 Grand Final Orlando Swain started on the wing for Norths Blue against West End with Norths Blue going down is a close match 28 – 22 with Orlando Swain scoring one of North’s Blue’s four tries on the Sunday morning.

Orlando Swain has an extensive representative resume including representing the Ipswich Diggers at the U14 level in 2017 and earlier this year represented Met West U15’s.

Even though he does not necessarily plus top end speed (It is certainly in the above average category though but probably just falls a touch below the plus category) Orlando Swain is quick enough to take advantage of any space that he is given down the touchline by opposing outside backs.

Orlando Swain’s bread and butter play in the centres is a good in an away to hold the defender and beat him on the outside, Orlando Swain then has the ability to draw and pass to his winger if the opposing winger looks to come in, thus creating an overlap on the outside.

When playing on the wing Orlando Swain always seems to stick to the sideline which means his inside attackers will know where he is at all times, thus allowing them to confidently off load the ball if an overlap is created.

When defending in the centres, Orlando Swain really does look to come out of the line and hit his opposing centre as hard as possible to cut off the attacking play before it has time to fully develop, his timing in those situations is quite good to the extent that he does not often over comment thus allowing his opponent to get on his outside.

Orlando Swain does not let the play unfold in front of him, he looks to disrupt as early as possible and usually does so effectively.

With his size and defensive tendencies when defending in the centres, Orlando Swain is more suited to an up and in defensive methodology compared to a sliding system, where quicker opposing centres look to get on his outside and try to use their pace against him although he is not necessarily a slouch in that department.

Orlando Swain will finish off the season playing GPS school boy rugby for Ipswich Grammar School in the U15A competition.

2019 will surely see Orlando Swain line up for Ipswich in the South East Queensland U16 preseason competition which will see him up against multiple Titans contracted boys who will form key parts of the two Gold Coast Vikings U16 sides to be named later this year.

Over the course of his junior rugby league career Orlando Swain has played fullback, centre and wing at a very high level and for me his best position at least in the short term is in the centres but he can play all three with quality outcomes for both himself and his team.

A current NRL player with a similar playing style to Orlando Swain is for me Sydney Roosters New South Wales State of Origin and seen to be Parramatta Eel’s winger Blake Ferguson, like Ferguson Orlando Swain is a very good kick return and has the size, strength and speed to be a real handful for an opponent’s three quarter line, especially when he looks to run straight at the defensive line.

Like Ferguson, Orlando Swain is also very good in the air both from an attacking and defensive point of view.

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Ashdon Randall. The Grafton local is part of the Titans Junior Development Squad in the Group One region and in addition to being a rugby league stand out with the Grafton Ghosts is also an outstanding rugby player, playing for the Grafton Redmen and is also a member of the New South Waratahs Development Squad. All told including representative sides, Ashdon Randall could play for up to eight different teams in a season.

Recently Ashdon Randall was selected in the New England Representative Rugby side that toured New Zealand in July this year and had a dinner with the All Blacks.

For the Grafton Ghosts U14 side in the Group One Junior Rugby League competition, Ashdon Randall finished as the Group One U14 competitions second leading points scorer with a total of 116 point from fifteen tries and twenty eight goals from just eleven matches including one final.

In only two games this season was Ashdon Randall kept off the score board, the first was in Round One against Ballina and the second match was late in the regular season against Kyogle.

Ashdon Randall scored a hat trick mid-season against Ballina and also scored doubles against Casino RSM and Clarence Coast on two separate occasions. Ashdon Randall’s other 2018 Group One U14 tries came in matches against Lismore Marist Brothers, Casino RSM and Clarence Coast.

With the boot Ashdon Randall had some big matches including kicking six goals late in the season against Lismore Marist Brothers, five against Clarence Coast and kicked four goals in matches against Ballina and Casino RSM.

Combining his tries and goals, Ashdon Randall scored twenty points in a June match against Ballina from three tries and four goals, eighteen points from two tries and five goals against Clarence Coast in May and sixteen points in an August match against Lismore Marist Brothers as a result of a try and six goals.

In Week One of the Group One U14 finals Ashdon Randall started in the front row for Grafton and scored but unfortunately the Ghosts went down to Clarence Coast 32 – 14 meaning that their season came to an end.

At the recent New South Wales Country U14 Championships Ashdon Randall started in the front row for the Group One U14 side in all four of their Championship matches.

In Group One’s first match against Newcastle Ashdon started in the front row as Group One went down 18 – 4.

Game Two saw Ashdon Randall once again start in the front row as the Group One U14 side bounced back to win 38 – 12 against Group 19 with Ashdon Randall scoring his first try of the Championships.

Ashdon Randall also started Game Three for Group One, winning Game Three 16 – 8 against Maitland in the Northern Plate semi-final with Ashdon Randall contributing his second Championship try to the victory.

In the Northern Plate Final Ashdon Randall led from the front as Group One were victorious 20 – 14 against Group Four.

With their U14 Northern Plate Final victory, Group One went on to qualify for the New South Wales Country Plate Final against Group Nine with the result being Group One winning 22 – 18 with Ashdon Randall once again starting in the front row for Group One and scoring in each half of Group One’s victory.
Ashdon Randall is a powerful aggressive ball runner who is adept at using late and quick footwork just prior to contact line which he hits with power and force in absolutely every hit up that he makes dropping his shoulder into the first defender that is looking to make the initial contact.

Ashdon Randall’s ability to get low to engage the defenders with his shoulder rather than allowing them to get in and under his ribs and also a substantial leg drive means that he drives defenders backwards even after they had engaged him with significant force rather than allowing them to impact on his momentum.

In terms of ball skills, Ashdon Randall was able to regularly get his right hand free to deliver offloads when engaged with the defensive line especially when he was running one pass up the ruck and deliver some very good offloads to his support runners.

Once he is in space, Ashdon Randall actually has very good speed, I would consider it above average when analysing his speed from a rugby league forward’s perspective, to add to the difficulties for the defensive line, he runs with a high knee lift and also has a powerful fend.

Whilst his ball running skills are the first thing that you will likely notice when seeing Ashdon Randall his defence is equally effective even though it may not be as noticeable at first glance. Defensively Ashdon Randall has a hard edge to his play and his initial contact is more than sufficient to redirect the momentum of the ball carrier either in the centres or when defending in the forwards. Ashdon Randall sets a very good base which he uses to look to use his opponents their own momentum against them.

Defensively Ashdon Randall hits very hard and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls. Ashdon Randall also has a touch of aggression in his play and definitely finishes off each tackle that he is involved in.

Ashdon Randall is equally adept at defending in the centre of the ruck as he is defending on the fringes and his initial contact is more than sufficient to make an impact on the ball carrier’s momentum.

Defensively the most impressive aspect of Ashdon Randall’s play is his ability to make effective tackle after effective tackle for the entire match.

Whilst his stamina is impressive, so is his initial contact, he uses his strength and leverage to hit the ball carrier hard forcing momentum changes to the ball carrier. Ashdon Randall is also adept at wrapping up the ball and preventing offloads as he uses his functional strength to engage ball carriers. Defensively in a covering role he is also very effective as even though he is a big strong forward he has very good catch up speed and a solid low tackling technique from a side aspect.

Ashdon Randall good situation awareness also enables him to be well positioned when he is defending against smaller quicker players and he endeavours to minimise the time available for the opposing attacker to generate speed and to utilise their footwork.

Ashdon Randall is also able to change direction quickly to adjust to the directional changes of the attacker especially when Ashdon Randall is marking up against multiple attackers running in his direction where he will hold his ground to let the play to develop in front of him before committing to a specific defensive course of action.

Ashdon Randall is on top of all of his other skills a more than competent goal kicker. HE may not become a team’s primary goal kicking option but he will no doubt be a more than solid back-up option if the need arises.

Ashdon Randall has plenty in front of him this season playing both rugby and rugby league, but he is also a talented athlete having represented his region in shot put and discus. At 14 Ashdon Randall has plenty of time to decide his career path and I am certainly in the camp that says the more sports youngsters play at school the better. Plenty of studies in American indicate that playing multiple sports in High School is a better indicator of success than youngsters starting to specialise at a young age.

Obviously I hope that he picks rugby league when he needs to make a decision and continues on as part of the Titans Junior Development Program in the region. In the short term however Ashdon Randall will play the 2019 season with the Grafton Ghosts in the U15 Group One Junior Rugby League competition as well as his club and representative rugby commitments.

Ashdon Randall has played almost every position on a rugby league field from front row, through the second row, lock, five eight and even in the centres so at this stage no-one really has any idea where the he will ultimately end up but looking into my crystal ball, I thing that a future at lock may well be the end result for Ashdon Randall.

So much about Ashdon Randall is up in the air, for example if he going to play rugby league or rugby and regardless of which code he chooses what his ultimate position will be, of course I would prefer that he chooses rugby league but it is great to see that Ashdon Randall has some options to choose from for his future.

Extrapolating that he will play rugby league leads me to a player comparison to aggressive Titans NRL forward Keegan Hipgrave. Like Hipgrave, Ashdon Randall seems to really enjoy the competitive aspects of rugby league and he also clearly likes the physical contact aspects as well.

Well done to the Titans for getting such a talented young man as this into their Junior Development System from a rugby league mad region and one that is slowly but surely becoming a very fertile junior development area for the Titans.

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Jackson North. Giant young front rower Jackson North was recently been named in both the 2019 Tweed Heads Seagulls and Burleigh Bears MM Cup Squads after a consistent 2018 campaign with Burleigh in the GCRL U17 Division One competition.

Jackson North started the 2018 season as part of the Northern Rivers U18 Laurie Daley Cup squad, starting from the bench in all four of their matches which were against the Newcastle Knights Development Squad, Norther Coast, the Central Coast Roosters and the Greater Northern Tigers.

For Burleigh in the GCRL U17 Division One competition, Jackson North played in twelve matches starting all in the front row.

In Round Two of the U17 Division One Finals series, Jackson North started in the front row and scored as Burleigh went down to Currumbin 32 – 22.

In the U17 Division One Preliminary Final Jackson North started in the front row as Burleigh were knocked out of the competition as a consequence of a 34 – 22 loss to Runaway Bay.

In addition to the try that Jackson North scored in Round Two of the finals Jackson North scored three regular season tries with those tries coming against Helensvale in Round One, Mudgeeraba in Round Three and Ormeau in Round Ten.

Jackson North is a big powerful young man who whilst using his size to his advantage by running hard and straight, he does have quite decent footwork prior to the defensive line, which he uses to cut back behind the ball to take advantage of defenders who are slow to get back into the defensive line.

Whilst he does not seem to offload the ball too often, when he does get his arms free Jackson North only passes when his support is in a better position, which is a sign of maturity for such a young player. He continually put his hand up all day to take the ball up and due to his agility for a big young man is able to generate quick play the balls so that his team can maintain or generate momentum.

From a speed perspective for such a big strong young man, Jackson North actually has a more than decent first step to generate speed to impact the defensive line and also quick foot work that may come as a surprise to some for a young man his size.

In defence Jackson North uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. Jackson North is not averse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage and reasonable agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck.

Jackson North has been selected in the 2019 Tweed Heads Seagulls and Burleigh Bears MM Cup squads and post that competition will play for Burleigh in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition.

With his size strength and power Jackson North is certainly going to stay in the front row for the duration of his rugby league career, even though he did spend some time in the centres a few years ago.

The way that Jackson North handles himself on the football field reminds me of Sydney Roosters and New Zealand International enforcer Jarrod Warera-Hargraves as a big strong forward with a skill set that belies the intimidating presence that he projects on the field in the most demanding position on a football field, he has plenty of raw talent to work with.

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Cole Geyer. (Revised) The young hooker has been outstanding this season in both the MM Cup competition and for Currumbin in the U17 Division One competition and Cole Geyer also got an opportunity in the GCRL U19 competition as a result.

In the MM cup competition for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Cole Geyer started at hooker for Tweed Heads opening three matches against Norths, Victoria and Burleigh. His sole MM Cup try of the season came in Round Two against Victoria.

Post the MM Cup competition Cole Geyer transitioned back to the U17 Division One competition and was outstanding over the course of the regular season playing in nine matches and scoring nine tries for a 100% strike rate through the regular season.

Cole Geyer scored three doubles which were against Ormeau, Tweed Heads and Burleigh in the final round of the U17 Division One regular season being Round Eleven. Cole Geyer also scored against Mudgeeraba, Bilambil and Runaway Bay.

In Round One of the GCRL U17 Division One Finals series, Cole Geyer started once again at hooker and was dominant throughout scoring a double as Currumbin defeated Ormeau 18 – 8 in the Qualifying Final to continue their progress towards U17 Division One Premiership success.

In the second round of the GCRL U17 Division One Finals series, started at hooker and made it three tries from two finals matches as he led Currumbin to a 32 – 22 win over Burleigh in a match of exceptional quality.

In the 2018 U17 Division One Grand Final against Runaway Bay, Cole Geyer started at hooker for Currumbin as they overcame the Seagulls to win 30 – 10 in an outstanding display by the Eagles.

Cole Geyer made his U19 debut for Currumbin in June against Bilambil and played his other U19 match in July against Helensvale.

The Marymount College Burleigh Heads student has represented his school with distinction this season including leading Marymount to victory in the Titans School Boy Open competition and in fact Cole Geyer was named Player of the Competition.

Marymount College defeated Keebra Park C 52 – 6 in the final with Cole Geyer scoring the first try of the game to give Marymount College the lead which they never relinquished.

Cole Geyer also represented Marymount College at the 2018 Confraternity Shield and was the Spirit Award winner for Marymount College in the competition. Cole Geyer started at hooker in all six of Marymount College’s matches.

In the Qualifying rounds Marymount College defeated Marist College Ashgrove 24 – 10 in Round One and Rockhampton Grammar School 17 – 10 in Round Two before drawing 18 all with St Brendan’s College Yeppoon in Round Three.

They lost their Qualifying final 24 – 16 to Cathedral College before bouncing back to defeated St Augustine’s College Cairns 24 – 6 and in their final match of the competition suffered a 24 – 22 defeated to Rockhampton Grammar School.

The talented young Currumbin Eagles hooker had an outstanding 2017 rugby league season both from a club and school boy perspective. For his Currumbin side Cole Geyer started at hooker in their 34 – 4 grand Final win over Burleigh scoring a try and also proudly represented his school side being Marymount College in a number of school boy competitions including the GIO Cup when they lost in the last minute to Redbank Plains State High School in a great match which easily could have ended in Marymount’s favour.

Over the course of the 2017 U16 Division One season for Currumbin Cole Geyer played in twelve matches scoring eight tries. Cole Geyer had an outstanding start to the season scoring in each of his five games against Southport, Ormeau, Runaway Bay, Helensvale and Ormeau again. In the match against Helensvale, Cole Geyer in fact crossed for a double. Later in the season Cole Geyer also scored against Runaway bay and as noted scored against Burleigh in the U16 Division One Grand Final.

At the 2017 Queensland Independent Secondary Schools Rugby League (QISSRL) Carnival held at Padua College in Brisbane, Marymount College in fact were the Bob Linder trophy winners beating fellow Gold Coast School Aquinas College in the final and also the QRL Referees Fair Play Award Winners. In the QISSRL Carnival, Cole Geyer played in all six of Marymount’s matches scoring in a tough 16 – 8 loss to St Augustines College Cairns.

Cole Geyer’s best attribute is his passing skills from the dummy half position. His passing is effective from both sides of his body and leads his forwards onto the ball by putting the ball out in front of his runners so that they can maintain momentum.

Cole Geyer does not have an overly long pass but his passing is accurate regardless of whether he is passing to a forward running the ball up or the half back looking to get the ball out wider. The standout feature is the speed in which he gets the ball out of his hands at dummy half.

Cole Geyer is not a huge threat to run the ball out of dummy half but will take what he is given if the defence does not consider him a threat at any particular time. His initial burst off the mark is reasonable and he has decent feet to enable him to create space, but Cole Geyer does not have the top end speed to break clear of the defensive line if he gets through a gap either by accepting an off load or by exploiting a gap in the defensive line.

Cole Geyer’s first thought when coming into dummy half is to distribute the ball effectively to his support players. When close to the line Cole Geyer will dummy and get down low to the line when the opportunity presents but again this is a secondary consideration as he progressively works through his options in that part of the field.

In relation to his defence, Cole Geyer will get in front of opposing forwards and look to slow their momentum with solid initial contact. Cole Geyer is tenacious and courageous, because even at the U16 level there are some huge boys running around.

Cole Geyer has very good endurance and projects as a hooker who will be able to play the full match without interchange something that he is already used to doing with his club side and School Boy sides regularly playing two or more matches in any given week.

Cole Geyer has been named in the 2019 Burleigh MM Cup squad where it will be hard for the coaches to leave him out of the starting side and post that competition will play for Currumbin in the GCRL U19 competition and I would also anticipate that in 2019 Cole Geyer will also get an extended run in the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition such is the maturity in his game.

Cole Geyer is probably a fraction taller than your typical hooker but it has not stopped him at all being a very good distributor at dummy half and also being a more than solid defender. It is these attributes as well as his determination that has me convinced that Cole Geyer can develop into a very good hooker at the NRL level in coming seasons.

From a NRL playing comparison perspective Cole Geyer has a similar playing style to that of Melbourne Storm, Queensland State of Origin and Australian Test Captain Cameron Smith, in that he is a leader on the field, is very good at leading his team around the field and a very good defender on top of all of his other attributes.

Like Smith Cole Geyer just seems to have all the time in the world when he has the ball to do whatever he wants and that always leads to positive outcomes for his side.

Cole Geyer is not just a future NRL captain but a future representative level and club captain and a person that any NRL club would be proud to have their brand associated with.

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Brodie Williams. The tough hard as nails young front rower or second rower was outstanding for the Lower Clarence Magpies over the course of the 2018 NRRRL U18 competition and as a result also made his deserved NRRRL First Grade debut.

For Lower Clarence in the NRRRL U18 competition Brodie Williams played in sixteen matches including the finals series scoring seven tries, including scoring a hat trick against Tweed Coast in June.

The Round after his hat trick, Brodie Williams, after playing in the U18 fixture earlier in the day, made his deserved NRRL First Grade debut coming onto the field against Cudgen.

In addition to team success in 2018, Brodie Williams also received a number of individual accolades, including being awarded the Bernie Donnelly Memorial Shield at the NRRRL Awards night and also finishing second in the NRRRL U18 Player of the Year voting with twelve votes.

Brodie Williams is a powerful runner of the ball and once he has generated momentum he is very difficult to stop and regularly has been able to drag defenders with him after initial contact has been made.

Brodie Williams is also effective at getting quick play the balls by using his outstanding balance to quickly get to his feet to maintain his team’s momentum.

Once he is in space, Brodie Williams actually has very good speed just I would consider to be above average to plus for a front rower and a touch above average for a second rower and to add to the difficulties for the defensive line, Brodie Williams runs with a high knee lift and also has a powerful right hand fend.

Close to the opposition try line, Brodie Williams can either take the ball himself, and when he gets low he is very difficult to stop or he can run as a decoy and attract defenders away from the real axis of attack.

Brodie Williams is suited to defending in the centre of the ruck rather that the fringes and will understandably have some trouble with nippy runners out of dummy half. His calling card though is the strength and power to effectively engage the opposing forward early in their run and use his natural strength to win the forward battle in the centre of the ruck.

Brodie Williams can defensively handle any one on one battle that presents itself and has the requisite strength to slow the play the ball down effectively.

In 2019 Brodie Williams will likely be a permanent member of the Lower Clarence Magpies NRRRL First Grade side if he stays in Northern New South Wales. If Brodie Williams chooses to have a go at pushing for a spot in the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition with either Burleigh or Tweed Heads all bets are off as he certainly has the skill set and toughness to make a positive impact in that competition immediately.

Brodie Williams has played a portion of this season in the front row but I think that at this stage of his career at least he is more suited to playing in the second row.

Brodie Williams plays a lot like Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup stand out Lamar Liolevave, both are solidly built forwards with deceptive speed and an outstanding right hand offload where he holds the defender off with his left arm and off loads with his right.

Defensively Brodie Williams is deceptively strong and making powerful initial contact all whilst playing big minutes in matches.

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Tyrese Walker. (Revised) The young half or five eight will start for the Titans U18 side this weekend against a PNG U18 side at Pizzey Park.

Tyrese Walker moved to the Gold Coast earlier this season and played the remainder of the 2018 season for the Burleigh Bears in the U19 Gold Coast Rugby League competition and through the regular season rounds finished as the leading try scorer in the competition with fourteen.

Tyrese Walker made his debut on the Gold Coast in Round Five against the Currumbin Eagles when he started from the interchange bench but moved into the starting line-up at five eight in Round Six against Mudgeeraba.

Tyrese Walker played in eleven U19 regular season matches scoring fourteen tries for a strike rate of 127% whilst splitting his time between starting at five eight and in the centres for the Bears. Tyrese walker scored in his second U19 fixture which was in Round Six against Mudgeeraba and he has not stopped scoring ever since.

Tyrese Walker scored four tries to announce himself to the Gold Coast public in Round Seven against Beaudesert an scored a hat trick in late June against Beaudesert once again. Tyrese Walker scored a double in Round Fourteen against Helensvale and in that match also kicked four goals.

Tyrese Walker’s other tries have come against Helensvale, Southport and Ormeau and from late May to mid-July this year scored in every match that he was involved in including the seven tries in the two matches against Beaudesert.

In Week One of the GCRL U19 Finals series, Tyrese Walker started at five eight for Burleigh as they went down 32 – 26 to Mudgeeraba kicking a conversion in the hard fought loss.

As a 17 year old Tyrese Walker played the 2018 SG Ball season with the North Sydney Bears after playing for the Bears in the 2017 U16 Harold Matthews Cup competition.

For the Bears in the SG Ball competition, earlier this season, Tyrese Walker played in six matches scoring two tries which both came in Round Seven in a 26 – 12 loss to the Cronulla Sharks. Tyrese Walker came into the North Sydney Bears side in Round Two off the interchange bench against the Western Pirates. Tyrese Walker played five matches from the inter change bench but did start at half back in Round Five against Souths Sydney.

In the 2017 U16 Harrold Matthews Cup competition Tyrese Walker played in eight matches for Norths Sydney starting seven from the interchange bench. Tyrese Walker’s start was in Round Four against the Illawarra Steelers when he started at half back.

Tyrese Walker scored two tries in the 2017 U16 Harrold Matthews Cup competition with both tries coming in Round Five against the Canberra Raiders.

In 2017 in addition to playing in the Harold Matthews Cup competition for North Sydney, Tyrese Walker played club rugby league for the Asquith Magpies in the 2017 Sydney Northern U16 Silver competition. In that competition, Tyrese Walker scored an impressive fourteen tries from just sixteen matches. Tyrese Walker started the Grand Final at half back however Asquith lost 28 – 26 to the Mona Vale Raiders.

Tyrese Walker scored a hat trick against the Avalon Bulldogs in the Preliminary Final and earlier in the year scored a double against Five Docks RSL. The remainder of his tries came singularly in different games.

Tyrese Walker is quite an elusive runner of the ball and some good foot work in confined space. He will take on the line regularly and has a very good step off both feet but his left foot step seems to be the preferred step based on the games that I have seen at least. Tyrese Walker is always around the ball and thus is always available to back up a break by a forward or when they get their hands free.

His passing game is what I would consider a tough above average and he will drift across the field looking for runners to run into holes and has the ability to hold the defensive line in place as he develops the play in front of them, making to easier for his support runners to get a clear passage through the line, especially when a defender comes out of the line and commits to Tyrese Walker instead of maintaining the defensive lines integrity.

Tyrese Walker will also wait until the last possible moment to release the football. His best attribute in his passing game is the speed, timing and accuracy when he passes to his outside backs. He gets a very good spiral on the ball from both sides of his body and leads his outside attackers into the ball, enabling them to maintain the momentum of their run.

A key attribute to how Tyrese Walker plays is his ability to organise and direct his team around the field as well as adjusting his game to the specific situations within a game that he is confronted with.

Defensively Tyrese Walker has a real dig. Regardless of the size of the opponent running at him, he will get in front of him and make as hard contact as possible hold his ground waiting for help to arrive. When defending against players his own size, Tyrese Walker has no issuing handling them on a one on one basis.

Tyrese Walker has been an outstanding addition to the Gold Coast Rugby League ranks and will play the 2019 season for the Burleigh MM Cup side and post that competition play for the Burleigh U19 side.

For Norths Sydney in the Harrold Matthews and SG Ball competitions, Tyrese Walker has primarily played half back and even though he started at five eight for Burleigh in Round Six of the U19 competition and gone in to split his time between five eight and in the centres.

I envisage that Tyrese Walker will play half back moving forward even though he will be able to fill in in other positions if the need arises, including five eight, centre and even hooker.

With his skill set, it would be interesting to see how Tyrese Walker would go at hooker and fair or not shapes as a possible super sub type, who could came on either in the halves or as a back-up hooker and provide a spark with his quickness and enthusiasm.

Tyrese Walker is no monster on the field and but is quick, tough, tricky and courageous. To that extent I can see similarities from a playing style perspective with former Titan and now New Zealand Warriors utility Karl Lawnton.

Both Tyrese Walker and Lawnton are nippy and competitive players who can play a variety of positions and bring a deal of enthusiasm and hard work to their side.

Another player with similar attributes would be Titans interchange hooker Mitch Rein in terms of his immediate impact.

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Jake Martin. (Revised) The Titans linked Grafton Ghosts centre continues to play solidly regardless of the standard of the opponent and that was the case again in 2018 playing for the Grafton Ghosts in the Tooheys New Group Two competition.

Jake Martin started off the 2018 season representing North Coast in the U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition, playing in two matches, starting both on the wing, with those matches coming against the Greater Northern Tigers and the Newcastle Knights Development Squad. In that first match against the Greater Northern Tigers Jake Martin scored to mark his positive debut.

For the Grafton Ghosts in the Group Two competition in 2018, Jake Martin wore the blue and white in all three grades. In the Group Two U18 competition, Jake Martin played in nine matches scoring four tries including tries in the regular season against Coffs Harbour and Sawtell.

Jake Martin also played in four Group Two Reserve Grade games, making his debut against Coffs Harbour in May of this year. In those four Reserve Grade matches, Jake Martin had a 50% strike rate with his tries coming against Sawtell and Macksville.

Few 17 year olds make their First Grade debuts regardless of level or region, but in April Jake Martin joined that exclusive list when he came on for Grafton against Macksville.

Over the course of the 2017 season represented the Grafton Ghosts in the U18 Group Two competition and in the U16.5 Group One junior rugby league competition. Along with fellow Grafton Ghosts player, Ben Liyou, Jake Martin attended a Titans weekend Elite Academy camp held at Lennox Heads.

In the 2017 U18 Group Two competition, Jake Martin played in six matches (not bad at all considering he was still U16 eligible) and in those six matches scored three tries including a double against local rivals the South Grafton Rebels and also against Coffs Harbour in July. Jake Martin also played eight matches in the Group One U16.5 competition scoring late in the season against Casino RSM.

In the blue and white of the Grafton Ghosts U15 side in 2016 Jake Martin scored seven tries in twelve matches including scoring four in a match against Clarence Coast in June 2016. His other tries came against Lismore Marist Brothers on two separate occasions and Ballina. Jake Martin also represented the U15 Group One side in the NSW Age Championships in the centres.

Jake Martin has an extensive representative junior rugby league representative resume including representing Group One at the U14 and U15 levels in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

Whilst Jake Martin does not have a great deal of speed off the mark, he does have decent top end speed once he gets moving and can break tackles by getting on the outside of his opponent and using a solid fend when he gets to the outside, thus preventing defenders from getting he under his ribs and thus he can maintain his running line under defensive pressure. When engaged with the defensive line Jake Martin also has a reasonable offload.

Defensively one area that he has impressed me is his ability to defend against any size opponent, from small quick outside backs to big strong powerful backrowers running wider of the ruck. Jake martin seemingly has more strength that his size would dictate, and he uses this strength to move up and hit just under the ribcage, redirecting the momentum of the ball carrier and thus eliminating the attacking threat in the short term.

Regardless of where he defends Jake Martin sets a good base and uses his leg strength to direct his strength through the core of his body into his opponent even though by no means could he be considered a big centre.

Another area in relation to his defence that has impressed me the most is his ability to defend close to his own try line. As noted above Jake Martin seemingly has more strength that his size would indicate, and he uses this strength to move up off his own try line redirecting the momentum of the ball carrier and thus eliminating the attacking threat in the short term at least.

Jake Martin just intuitively knows how to defend from a timing and technique perspective and rarely loses contact with the attacker once he has engaged them.

In 2019 even though he is still eligible for the U18 NRRRL competition, I would anticipate that Jake Martin will spend a lot of time adding to his one First Grade match with the Grafton Ghosts.

Jake Martin will also more than likely line up in the Laurie Daley U18 Cup competition as well in 2019 for the North Coast.

From an ultimate position perspective, I think that as he progresses towards senior rugby league, Jake Martin will ultimately end up as a solid dependable winger with average to slightly above average skills across the board.

Jake Martin is never going to be a try scoring centre who can break tackles with his size, strength or speed, but he is a very effective defensive centre with enough speed and tackling technique to be able to efficiently and effectively defend both in a sliding or up and in defensive methodology.

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

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Thomas Simpson. (Revised) The tough, gritty young Lower Clarence Magpies hooker was recently rewarded for his outstanding 2018 season by being awarded the NRRRL U18 Rookie of the Year at the recent NRRRL Awards night.

To say that Thomas Simpson had an outstanding 2018 would be an understatement. He started off the season, performing well for Northern Rivers in the inaugural U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition starting at hooker in three matches against North Coast, the Central Coast Roosters and the Greater Northern Tigers, scoring against the Roosters.

For the Lower Clarence Magpies in the U18 NRRRL competition, Thomas Simpson played in fifteen matches including the finals series scoring against Casino RSM and Murwillumbah. Lower Clarence had a great year in the U18 competition progressing all of the way to the Preliminary final which they lost to Ballina 30 – 14.

At just 17, Thomas Simpson also made three NRRRL First Grade appearances, making his debut in May against Northern United and also playing against Murwillumbah and Ballina.

From a junior rugby league representative perspective, Thomas Simpson has represented Group One at the U14 and U15 levels in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

Thomas Simpson is an extremely talented all round hooker, who is effective in the three critical aspects that a modern hooker must have to be a success, those being his distribution and game management out of dummy half, selective running and defending in the centre of the ruck where he is quite effective from a defensive stand point.

In terms of his distribution out of dummy half, he is extremely efficient in his passing and there is no wasted movement or energy as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand first then pass.

There is no discernible difference between his passing from either side of his body, and his passes are crisp and flat and also Thomas Simpson 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, Thomas Simpson passes in front of the forward ensuring no loss of momentum to the run. In short he is a very good game manager from the hooking position. Thomas Simpson is also a good communicator on the field, he is constantly encouraging his team both in attack and defence.

Thomas Simpson does not yell and scream, like the other parts of his game, he is calm and composed and uses positive reinforcement rather than yelling and screaming to get his point across to team mates but he does make it clear that he is in charge however.

Where Thomas Simpson really stands out in terms of attacking play, is his speed out of dummy half, he is extremely quick and has good footwork to take advantage of tiring forwards, using a step usually off his right foot, although he does not necessary run much out of dummy half. The times that he does run though, Thomas Simpson 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 Thomas Simpson does not usually 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 as he works progressively through the options that are available to him.

Around the try line he 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 between opposing forwards. In many respects this is due to the fact that he does not run too much meaning that when he runs he usually catches the opposition off guard. Thomas Simpson will not score many tries from close to the try line, but if opposing defences omit to consider him a threat he will take advantage of any situation that presents itself.

His defence for a hooker is very good, he does not necessarily hit hard but as a result of his good low technique he can defend effectively one on one against far larger forwards, Thomas Simpson sets a good base with his lower body and explodes upwards with his shoulders to drive into opposing forwards.

His intensity and continuous effort means that he will track the ball across the field and thus is in a good position when the ball is passed back inside. Thomas Simpson literally tackles everything that moves in the centre of the ruck even though he is always the smallest forward on the field.

Thomas Simpson is once again U18 eligible in 2019 and whilst he will play a lot of the season in the NRRRL U18 competition, Thomas Simpson will just as surely add to his three NRRRL First Grade matches with the Lower Clarence Magpies.

Thomas Simpson will be all likelihood also line up for his second season in the U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition with the Northern Rivers Titans.

From a position perspective I envisage that Thomas Simpson’s future is that of an 80 minute hooker who will stiffen the defence in the centre of the ruck and lead the forward pack around the field with his distribution and leadership skills as well as being a constant threat to run out of dummy half with solid initial acceleration.

From a player comparison perspective for Thomas Simpson, due to his distribution, running, defence and the speed and intensity that he plays the game at, a playing style akin to Danny Buderis formerly of the Newcastle Knights, New South Wales State of Origin and Australia is an appropriate comparison I would respectfully suggest.

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Kaden Somerville. (Revised) He is a local young hooker from the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast and recently signed a two year contract with the Titans to be part of their High Performance Unit. Kaden Somerville is set to start at hooker for the Titans U15 side in their upcoming match against a Balmain Tigers U15 touring side.

Kaden Somerville joins the like of Ezra Ubaldino, Flynn Daniel, Brody Smitka, Thomas Weaver, Kaleb Ngamanu, Jack Cullen, Josh Gilbert, Rowan Mansfield, Ryan Foran, Bailey Martin, Riley Lack and Orlando Swain as U15 players signed this season.

This season Kaden Somerville played for the Burleigh Bears U15 Division One side, spending the majority of the season at hooker.

In the GCRL U15 Division One competition Kaden Somerville played in nine matches including Burleigh’s two finals matches scoring two tries, with those tries coming in consecutive matches in late July 2018 against the Robina Raptors and the Mudgeeraba Redbacks.

In Week One of the U15 Division One finals Kaden Somerville started at hooker as Burleigh defeated Southport 72 -2 and also started at hooker in Week Two of the finals as Burleigh were knocked out after going down 34 – 24 against Runaway Bay.

Team mates in Kaden Somerville’s U15 Division One side are fellow Titans contracted youngster the outstanding lock Bailey Martin and Titans U15 Development Squad members such as second rower Flynn Daniel and winger Jayden Wright.

In 2017 Kaden Somerville played the season prior to injury at the U14 Division One level. Unfortunately due to injury Kaden Somerville was only able to play in two U14 Division One contest for Burleigh but did score in both outings which were against Runaway Bay and eventual premiers Ormeau.

In 2014 Kaden Somerville represented South Coast in the U11 QPSRL competition. South Coast went through the competition undefeated easily, with Kaden Somerville scoring a try against Wide Bay in round two of the competition.

Kaden Somerville is an extremely talented all round hooker, who excels at all three critical aspects that a modern day hooker must have to be successful, those being his distribution and game management out of dummy half, selective running out of dummy half and defending in the centre of the ruck where he is more effective than people would think when they first see him play.

In terms of his distribution out of dummy half, he is extremely efficient in his passing and there is no wasted movement or energy as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand first then pass.

There is no discernible difference between his 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, more so to the right when the first receiver is standing a little wider of the play the ball.

Where Kaden Somerville 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 he is a very good game manager from the hooking position.

Kaden Somerville is also a good communicator on the field, he is constantly encouraging his team both in attack and defence. He does not yell and scream, like the other parts of his game, he is calm and composed and uses positive reinforcement rather than yelling and screaming to get his point across to team mates but he does make it clear that he is in charge however.

Where Kaden Somerville really stands out in terms of attacking play, is his speed out of dummy half, he is extremely quick and has good footwork to take advantage of tiring forwards, using a step usually off his right foot, although he does not necessary run much out of dummy half.

The times that he does run though, Kaden Somerville 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 Kaden Somerville does not usually 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.

Kaden Somerville’s defence for a hooker is quite good for a young hooker, he does not necessarily hit hard but due to his very good low technique Kaden Somerville can defend effectively one on one against far larger forwards, he sets a good base with his lower body and looks to explode upward with his shoulders to drive into opposing forwards.

His intensity and continuous effort means that he will track the ball across the field and thus is in a good position when the ball is passed back inside. Kaden Somerville literally tackles everything that moves in the centre of the ruck even though he is usually one of the smaller forwards on the field.

Kaden Somerville is also very good at getting out of dummy half quickly to put pressure on the opposing teams kickers in all parts of the field and takes a great deal of pride in it.

Moving to the 20198 season, Kaden Somerville will complete the season for Burleigh in the GCJRL U16 Division One competition and will also be in line for a spot with one of the two Gold Coast Vikings sides that will be selected to be part of the South East Queensland U16 Challenge which will commence in February 2019.

From a position perspective, with his passing skills and quick first step out of dummy half, I believe that Kaden Somerville is already settled in his long term position of hooker noting however that he has spent some time in other positions this year with Burleigh.

From a player comparison perspective for Kaden Somerville think someone along the lines of Andrew McCullough of the Brisbane Broncos and Queensland State of Origin as a hard working player with leadership skills and someone that his team mates would appreciate playing with.

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Nelson Grove. The aggressive young hooker was a more than solid contributor for the outstanding PBC Open School boy rugby league that won the National GIO Cup competition by defeated Patrician Brothers College Blacktown. Nelson Grove came off the bench in all of PBC’s GIO Cup matches, providing a spark and aggression in the dummy half role when he came on to spell regular starting hooker Jed Edwards.

Nelson Grove only played in one GCRL match this season with that match being for Burleigh against Helensvale in the U17 Division One competition. Nelson Grove is also a former member of the Brisbane Broncos Junior Development system and was so for a number of years.

Nelson Grove had an outstanding 2017 season which included being selected in the Queensland U16 side where he was one of six Burleigh youngsters in the Queensland Side for the State of Origin curtain raiser. 2017 also saw Nelson Grove selected in the Queensland Academy of Sport U16 squad. Previously Nelson Grove has been part of the Brisbane Broncos Junior Development Program.

For the Burleigh Bears in the U16 Division One competition in 2017 Nelson Grove started at lock in their tough 34 – 4 Grand Final loss to the Currumbin Eagles. Over the course of the 2017 GCJRL U16 Division One competition, Nelson Grove played in thirteen matches and scored twenty points which came from four tries and two conversions. Nelson Grove’s tries came against Ormeau, Runaway Bay and Helensvale in two separate late season matches. His conversions came in consecutive mid-season matches against Runaway Bay (when he converted his own try) and against Ormeau.

Nelson Grove also played one match for the Burleigh Bears in the GCJRL U17 Division One competition with that match being against the Ormeau Shearers backing up from the U16 match earlier in the night.

In 2017 Nelson Grove also represented South East Queensland Green at the U16 level in the 2017 Queensland Rugby League U16 Boys Junior Championships. In those Championships, Nelson Grove played in four matches which were against Central, Northern and South East Queensland White, including the final. Nelson Grove’s sole U16 Championship try came on Day Two against Northern.

In 2016 Nelson Grove also started in Burleigh’s Grand Final winning side in the U15 Division One competition and across the 2016 season he scored five tries and kicked 13 goals and a field goal to finish with a total points tally of 47. Nelson Grove had a great start to the 2016 season scoring a hat trick and kicking eight goals in the first round of the season proper against the Ormeau Shearers for a 30 point haul in the match.

Nelson Grove’s other tries in 2016 came against Southport and Helensvale later in the season and in a match in July against Runaway Bay Nelson Grove kicked four goals. Nelson Grove over the course of the 2016 season also played two matches up in the U16 Division One competition and in his debut in that grade scored a try against Helensvale after backing up from the U15 match earlier in the night.

Nelson Grove represented South Coast in the U15 QSSRL Championships in 2016 and from there went on to represent Queensland Maroon at the U15 ASSRL Championships where a team mate was Brent Barnes against other Gold Coast based players in that team.

Where Nelson Grove 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 he 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.

Nelson Grove is solid all round hooker who distributes effectively to both sides of the ruck. He is efficient in his passing and there is little wasted movement as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand then pass. He passes well from both sides of his body. One thing that he does well in dummy half is not taking his eye off ball until it is in his hands, read that he does not make many handling errors.

Nelson Grove defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and for his size quite an aggressive defender. He is also very good at getting out of marker quickly to harass the opposition kickers. Nelson Grove 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 and a talker.

Nelson Grove has not been named in either the Burleigh or Tweed Heads Mm Cup squads for 2019 and therefore he is likely to line up for Burleigh in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 side for the 2019 season.

Hopefully Nelson Grove is not lost to rugby league as he may not be the biggest, strongest or most skilful player running around but he is one of the toughest and hardest working.

Nelson Grove has spent a fair bit of his junior rugby league career in the backrow but as a result of how he has handled the dummy half role for PBC this season I would think that hooker has become the ideal position for Nelson Grove not withstanding that he could potentially handle playing some minutes in the second row if necessary.

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

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Isaac Lee. (Revised) He is a tall rangy centre/second rower originally from Lismore Marist Brothers in the Northern River Regional Rugby League and has been with the Titans for a number of years now, since around the age of 15 I believe.
This season Isaac Lee has been a key member of the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts side and over the last half of the season has been in outstanding form operating in the left centre position.

In 2018 for the Seagulls Colts side Isaac Lee was involved in sixteen matches, coming into the side in Round Three on the interchange bench against the Burleigh Bears. After Tweed Heads had a Round Four bye, Isaac Lee was in the starting line for Round Five and has there ever since. In Rounds Five and Seven Isaac Lee started in the second row but in Rounds Six Wynnum Manly Isaac Lee moved to the centres and has been there ever since.

In 2018 Isaac Lee has scored seven tries including in Round Five against the Townsville Blackhawks and in Round Seven against the Easts Tigers when he scored after making a break down the left side of the field and in Round Ten in a 52 – 22 wing against the Ipswich Jets.

Isaac Lee has hit a purple patch of form towards the end of the season and in a three match span from Rounds Twenty to Twenty Two scored four tires, including a double against the Mackay Cutters and tries against Easts and Victoria.

Late in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade season Isaac Lee made his First Grade debut for Tweed Heads against Southport starting on the interchange bench in Round Thirteen as the Seagulls prevailed 26 – 22.

Isaac Lee made his GCRL First Grade starting debut in the final round of the regular season, being Round Seventeen when he started in the centres for Tweed Heads in a 32 – 16 loss to Runaway Bay.

Isaac Lee also started in the centres in the opening week of the finals for Tweed Heads as they went down 37 – 16 to Runaway Bay.
From a trivia perspective he is the son of former Cronulla Sharks front rower Danny Lee, all be it he is a completely different body shape and playing style to his front row father.

For the 2017 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side Isaac Lee started in the centres in all six matches and scored against Victoria in Round Two, against the Western Mustangs in Round Three and in Round Six scored against local rivals the Burleigh Bears.

Upon completion of the 2017 MM Cup competition, Isaac Lee transitioned immediately to Tweed Heads U20 Colts Challenge side and a had great Round One scoring a hat trick inside 20 minutes in the first half against Souths Logan in Round One. Isaac Lee also started in the centres in Round Two before he missed Rounds Three to Six with injury before coming back into the side in Round Seven starting in the centres.

In addition to his hat trick in Round One, Isaac Lee scored a double in Round Ten against the Burleigh Bears and also scored in Rounds Thirteen to Sixteen against Easts, Redcliffe, the Western Mustangs and South Logan respectively.

Isaac Lee was also involved in all three of the Seagulls 2017 finals matches starting on the interchange in Week One of the finals against Redcliffe and on the wing in Weeks two and Three of the finals against Easts and Norths. In those two finals matches Isaac lee scored a double against Norths and also scored Easts in Week Two. In total in the Colts competition in 2018 for Tweed Heads Isaac Lee scored twelve tries to average a try a match.

Isaac Lee started five matches in the centres, four in the second row, two on the wing and one from the interchange bench highlighting his versatility. Isaac Lee had previously spent some time at fullback in the NRRRL competition in previous seasons.
In the NRRRL competition in 2016, Isaac Lee played for the Lismore Marist Brothers Rugby League club at both the U18 and Novaskill NRRRL First Grade level. In the U18 competition where Isaac Lee alternated between centre and fullback, he scored ten tries from twelve matches including doubles against the Murwillumbah Colts and the Ballina Seagulls.

Isaac Lee made his First Grade debut on June 5 2016 against Cudgen and played in four other matches scoring a try against the Tweed Coast Raiders in his third match in the top grade. In the First Grade competition Isaac Lee alternated between fullback, wing and centre in his five matches.

Isaac Lee also represented NSW Combined Catholic Colleges Northern U18’s in 2016 and played for St Johns College Woodlawn in numerous Schoolboy competitions throughout New South Wales. In addition to starting at centre in the late 2015 U16 development squad game against Samoa, he also played in the U15 development squad game against the Balmain Tigers late in 2014, where he was named best back by Balmain Tigers coaching and development staff in their loss.

Over the course of the last couple of years you can see the difference, additional size has made, not in relation to the style of play but to Isaac Lee’s effectiveness as a hard running centre. He has always been a straight running centre, who is not afraid to run over rather than around his opponent, but with increased size and strength his effectiveness has increased exponentially.

Isaac Lee regularly gets half way through the line and with his length is very effective in getting his hands free to off load, including offloading with one hand and has a decent fend to complement his offloading abilities.

Normally though due to his length and speed he regularly attracts multiple defenders leaving opportunities for him to set up his outside support. Due to his length, he is effective both in attacking high attacking kicks as well as defusing them. He is better with high kicks rather than kicks along the ground.

Defensively his increased strength has meant that he is even more effective in the defensive aspects of the game, and can handle one on one situation’s against wide running opposition backrowers as well as smaller faster opposition backline players with his combination of strength and speed.

Isaac Lee seems to rarely over commit in defence allowing the play to develop in front of him before committing to any particular defensive strategy.

The above paragraph would suggest that Isaac Lee is more suited to a sliding defensive methodology, but he is also able to defend using an up and in style of defensive strategy just as effectively. This ability to alternative between the two key defensive methodologies, depending on, the state of the game and where the game is situated on the field is an invaluable attribute for a potential NRL player to have.

Isaac Lee will play the 2019 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition and it would not surprise at all to see Isaac Lee make his Queensland Cup debut sometime in 2019.

If the Titans are looking to give Isaac Lee more matches against men prior to a potential Queensland Cup debut Isaac Lee will play in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition in 2019 but it will not be for the Tweed Heads Seagulls who have pulled their GCRL First Grade side for 2019 onwards.

Isaac Lee spent a significant portion of his junior rugby league career in the centres and even spent some time at fullback in the NRRRL First Grade competition in 2016 but this season is playing more and more in the second row and with continued physical development looks certain to stay there in the long term.

I would suggest however that he could still well in the centres for the next year or two at least if necessary. It is interesting that Isaac Lee started this season in the second row but recently has moved back to the centres.

For me a current NRL player with a similar skill set and playing style is to Isaac Lee is Penrith Panthers young gun Isiah Yeo as a multi-talented player who continues to develop his game through shear hard work.

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Noah Nikotemo. The young front rower has recently been selected in the Tweed Heads Seagulls 2019 MM Cup squad after a great 2018 season with Runaway Bay including starting in the front row for the Seagulls in their 30 – 10 U17 Division One Grand Final loss to Currumbin.

Including Finals series matches, Noah Nikotemo played in eleven matches for Runaway Bay in the GCRL U17 Division One competition scoring six tries along the way. Noah Nikotemo scored doubles twice against Mudgeeraba and also scored in finals matches against Ormeau in Week Two of the finals and Burleigh in the U17 Division One Preliminary Final.

Noah Nikotemo also played one GCRL U19 match this season which was against Bilambil in April.

From an attacking perspective he is a big young man who will run straight and hard, but at this stage of his junior career he does not have a great deal of footwork to utilise prior to the line to prevent defences from focussing on him without the threat of late changes of direction. Due to his size however Noah Nikotemo can absorb a lot of punishment and continue to make ground.

Where he does show flashes of ability is in relation to offloads, during games Noah Nikotemo will pop some very good passes to his supports but he will continue to work on being more selective in his offloads. Regardless he does not shirk contact and seems the more physical the contest the more Noah Nikotemo enjoys himself.

In defence Noah Nikotemo is not an overly big hitter but definitely makes solid initial contact and is very effective at targeting the football in order to reduce the possibility of off loads. For a front rower his lateral movement is solid meaning that he can make tackles against smaller attackers running out of dummy half or on the back of off loads.

Due to his aerobic fitness and relentless attitude, Noah Nikotemo covers inside well when balls are turned back inside on the fringe of the ruck, even late in games when Noah Nikotemo has every right to be worn out, but he somehow wills himself to get there and make the tackle when needed.

When at marker Noah Nikotemo works hard and always gets out of marker quickly to put pressure on the kicker, but then will be one of the first forwards back to take his turn to bring the ball out from his own territory.

Noah Nikotemo will be part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad in 2019 and post that competition will play for Runaway Bay in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition and may also sneak in a match or two for Tweed Heads in the U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition if things fall his way.

A discussion in relation to an ultimate position is an interesting one in relation to Noah Nikotemo, he has the size to play in the front row but the speed and foot work to operate wider out on the edges of the ruck. To that end I can envisage Noah Nikotemo alternating between front row and second row for the next couple of seasons before finally settling in the front row long term.

From a player comparison perspective for Noah Nikotemo, I would consider a player along the lines of current Titans forward and captain Ryan James as a big strong hard working player who looks to get a quick play the ball every time he takes a hit up and also ones that tries to dominate in defence in relation to each and every tackles that he makes.