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  1. #811
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    Kai Williamson-Duggan. (Revised) The Downlands College youngster is a talented player in both rugby (Downlands College) and rugby league (Souths in the Toowoomba Rugby League) and has the opportunity to make a career in which ever code that he chooses such is his skill level.

    In the 2018 Toowoomba Junior Rugby League competition, playing for Souths Kai Williamson-Duggan may have played in just eight matches but he certainly made the most of them finishing with 82 points from four tries and thirty three goals.

    Kai Williamson-Duggan scored a double against Valleys and also scored tries against Brothers and Valleys. Kai Williamson-Duggan had some big matches with the boot including kicking eights goals against Brothers and seven in two different matches against Toowoomba Valleys.

    In the U16 Toowoomba Rugby League 2018 Grand Final Kai Williamson-Duggan started at five eight and kicked four from four but Souths went down 26 – 24 to Dalby who scored a last minute try to snatch victory.

    Kai Williamson-Duggan started at fly half for the majority of Downlands Colleges First XV matches this season against GPS opposition including TSS and was particularly impressive against local rivals Toowoomba Grammar School, a match that saw him being awarded a point towards the Downlands College 2018 Best and Fairest.

    In 2017 Kai William-son Duggan had a successful year in the U15 Toowoomba junior rugby league competition. Kai Williamson-Duggan started at half back in South’s 38 – 18 Grand Final victory over Toowoomba Valleys. In that Grand Final Kai Williamson-Duggan contributed a try and three goals to the victory with his try coming seven minutes into the second half.

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

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

    In 2017 Kai Williamson-Duggan also represented Darling Downs at the U15 QSSRL Championships starting at half back in the majority of their matches.

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

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

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

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

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

    Kai Williamson-Duggan is also a very good goal kicker with both good range and accuracy. Like his general play kicking, I would suggest that he is a real chance to be his side’s primary goal kicker regardless of the level progressing into the future.

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

    In 2019 Kai Williamson-Duggan should be part of the Western Mustangs MM Cup squad and will also continue to start at fly half to the Downlands College First XV.

    Kai Williamson-Duggan is a superb organiser and game manager who has an old head on young shoulders and is ideally suited to the half back role in rugby league.

    A fair player comparison for Kai Williamson-Duggan is Sydney Roosters half Cooper Cronk, both have outstanding game management skills and kicking games.

  2. #812
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    Adyn Anguna. (Revised) The big strong powerful young front rower had a great first season on the Gold Coast for the Burleigh Bears in 2017 after moving over from the Cook Islands to attend PBC State High School as part of their Rugby League Excellence Program after starring in a PBC rugby league trial in late 2016 and continued to make strides over the course of the 2018 season.

    In 2018 Adyn Anguna concentrated primarily on school boy rugby league for PBC playing in the majority of their matches from the interchange bench including starting their in the Queensland GIO Cup Final against Kirwan State High School and in the National GIO Cup Final against Patrician Brothers College Blacktown with PBC running out 20 – 12 winners.

    In addition to playing for PBC Adyn Anguna played in three matches for Currumbin in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition scoring in his first match in that competition this season against Helensvale. Adyn Anguna played against Helensvale twice with his other match against Burleigh

    In late 2017 Adyn Anguna was also selected in the Tweed Heads Seagulls 2018 MM Cup squad but he did not play any of Tweed’s MM Cup matches this season.

    In 2017 Adyn Anguna who is already around 101kg and 188cm played in eight matches for Burleigh in the U17 Division One competition scoring two tries which came in consecutive weeks in July against Mudgeeraba and Helensvale. Adyn Anguna also played two matches for Burleigh in the U17 Division Two competition.

    Adyn Anguna’s style of play is that of a wide running back rower with above average speed for the position. He 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 back rower, making it almost impossible for the cover defence to catch him once he is open space.

    When he runs on the fringes of the ruck and Adyn Anguna uses his foot work to beat defenders with a variety of moves, including a decent step off both feet and a very good in and away as well as simply running over people. Couple those two aspects with a very good fend and you have a strong young player who can cause issues for any defensive line.

    Adyn Anguna is an aggressive defender 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 when he is able to set his base. His speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half.

    Once the 2018 MM Cup competition is completed I expect Adyn Anguna to play for Burleigh in the Gold Coast U19 competition and also be a key member of the PBC Open Rugby League side in their Super Six and GIO Cup Schoolboy competitions. Adyn Anguna should also be in line for selection in the South Coast U18 school boy side for the 2018 QSSRL Championships.

    In 2019 Adyn Anguna looks set to play rugby but is still Colts eligible in 2020 if he wants to head back to rugby league.

    Even though Adyn Anguna spent a fair bit of time in the centre prior to coming over to Australian I believe that he has all of the attributes to develop into an outstanding rugby league front rower. Adyn Anguna is a touch raw by Australian standards but he is making incredible progress and looks to be a real player of the future.

    For me a current NRL player how has an eerily similar playing style to Adyn Anguna is Penrith Panther and New South Wales State of Origin front rower Reagan Campbell-Gillard as a young front rower who does not just hit the defensive line hard but makes a lot of ground post contact because of his strength and determination to make as much ground as possible on each and every carry of the ball.

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    Allan Lockwood. (Revised) He is a young fullback or centre who is originally from the Kempsey area, but moved to the Gold Coast to continue his career with the Titans at the start of 2016 as a part of the Titans High Performance Unit.

    In early 2016 he captained the NSW Koori’s U16 side in their annual Murri v Koori U16 interstate clash, with the match finishing in a 16 all draw. For young Lockwood this was the second year in a row that he represented NSW Kurri in this annual match. From a trivia perspective, he is related to Greg Inglis, a cousin I believe.

    In 2018 Allan Lockwood alternated between playing for Burleigh in the U20 Hastings Deering’s Cup and the Bears Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade side.

    Allan Lockwood started the 2018 season in the Burleigh Colts side playing in twelve matches in totals and scoring three tries. Allan Lockwood scored a double in Round Fourteen against the Northern Pride and also scored in Round Twenty Three against Townsville.

    Allan Lockwood started the opening two rounds at fullback. After missing Round Four Allan Lockwood was back in the Burleigh Colts side in Round Five against Souths Logan starting on the wing and also playing on the wing in Rounds Six and Seven.

    After playing a number of matches for the Burleigh GCRL First Grade side, Allan Lockwood came back into the Burleigh Colts side in Round Thirteen against Ipswich, starting in the centres and stayed in the centres for the remainder of the season.

    Allan Lockwood made his Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade debut against Tweed Heads in April. Over the course of the 2018 GCRL First Grade competition, Allan Lockwood played eight matches for Burleigh scoring three tries which came against Ormeau, Bilambil and Runaway Bay.

    The 2017 season saw Allan Lockwood play for Burleigh in the MM Cup competition and upon competition of that competition, the talented youngster made a successful transition to the Burleigh Colts side playing a number of matches at fullback and in the centres. Allan Lockwood also played a number of matches in Gold Coast Rugby League competition for the Bilambil Jets.

    For Burleigh in the 2017 MM competition, Allan Lockwood played in five of their six matches missing only Round Three. Allan Lockwood started the first two rounds at fullback and then played in the centres in Rounds Four, Five and Six. Allan Lockwood came into the Burleigh Colts side in Round Two starting at fullback.

    For the Burleigh Bears in the U20 Colts Challenge competition in 2017, Allan Lockwood played in thirteen of Burleigh’s fifteen matches scoring three tries the first of which came in Round Five against the Sunshine Coast Falcons.

    Allan Lockwood’s other two tries came in consecutive matches in Round Nine against the Western Mustangs and Round Ten against Tweed Heads. Allan Lockwood started at fullback in his first four Colts matches and then transitioned to the centres for his remaining matches in that competition.

    For Bilambil in the Gold Coast U19 competition, Allan Lockwood played in eight matches including starting in the centres in Bilambil’s 34 – 20 Grand Final victory over Tugun. In those eight matches Allan Lockwood scored five tries which all came in two consecutive matches the first when he scored a hat trick against Currumbin and in his next U19 match Allan Lockwood scored against Mudgeeraba. Allan Lockwood made his Gold Coast Rugby League A Grade debut in August against Burleigh.

    Allan Lockwood played the 2016 season with the Burleigh Bears in the U17 Division One competition and started at fullback in their 18 – 12 Grand Final victory. Over the course of the season for Burleigh, Allan Lockwood played in ten matches, scoring seven tries including a double against Currumbin in Round One and a double against Grand Final opponents Runaway Bay mid-way through the season. Allan Lockwood also played for Gold Coast White in the CC Cup competition where he played both at five eight and in the centres scoring two tries in the process.

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

    When he gets the ball early from his inside play makers, Allan Lockwood is incredibly difficult to deal with one on one, as whilst his speed has already been noted, he is also a powerful runner who has the power to also break tackles through sheer power and not just rely on his speed to beat his opponent.

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

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

    From the games that I have seen of his, you can just sense the uncertainty in the defensive line when Allan Lockwood receives the ball with space to manoeuvre. Allan Lockwood must be a half/five eight’s dream in that teams will look to get up onto him quickly, potentially leaving space for them to dummy and run.

    Also when the team is struggling Allan Lockwood can just make something happen out of nothing even against a set defensive line, he can just drift across the field and then explode into any gaps that he can see develop.

    Defensively Allan Lockwood was quite impressive last season and you could see that his physical development of the last couple of seasons has paid dividends. He has always had a solid tackling technique but with additional muscle mass, his initial contact is a lot stronger and he really can redirect the momentum of the ball carrier.

    At fullback Allan Lockwood will come forward when a break is made and force the attacking player to make a quick decision as to what to do, if they try to take him on, Allan Lockwood will make them pay for it.

    Allan Lockwood is Colts eligible once again in 2019 but I would envisage that just like this season, he will spend the majority of the season playing for the Burleigh Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade side as he pushes for a Queensland Cup opportunity.

    From a position perspective, even though he played some five eight in CC in previous seasons and fullback for Burleigh in both MM and Colts competitions and even a match to two this season in the backrow, for me I believe that he has the ability to play in the centres long term and develop into a smooth moving elusive runner of the ball and quite an effective defender.

    Obviously any time that he spends at five eight or fullback will only enhance his ball skills and assist in creating space for his support players.

    Allan Lockwood obviously also has leadership skills to be selected as the NSW U16 Koori captain. The quote below is from U16s Indigenous All Stars chairman of selectors and former Gold Coast Seagull centre Scott Mieni.

    “He has always shown outstanding leadership and his ability is second to none and that is why he has also been selected to captain the side.”

    From a player comparison perspective, think of someone also the lines of former, Bronco, Qld State of Origin and Australian centre Steve Renouf in the context of how Allan Lockwood plays the game, being that of an exceptionally talented attacking player and a dedicated, hardworking person all around.

  4. #814
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    Alexander (AJ) Brimson. (Revised). The outstanding young 181cm 89kg flying fullback or half back late last year signed a three year NRL deal which will keep him with the Titans until the end of the 2020 season.

    AJ Brimson donned a Titans jersey in two pre-season trials this year including scoring a try in an NRL trial against the Brisbane Broncos in Toowoomba in February when he sliced through the broncos defence on the left side of the field to score midway between the touch line and the uprights.

    This season AJ Brimson was a revelation in the NRL earning rave reviews from all and sundry after making his NRL debut in Round Ten against the Melbourne Storm.

    In total AJ Brimson played in fifteen NRL matches, making his debut in Round Ten against the Melbourne Storm. In those matches AJ Brimson scored seven tries the first of which came in Round Eleven in just his second NRL game against the Newcastle Knights.

    AJ Brimson also scored in Round Sixteen against the Wests Tigers and Round Twenty against the Warriors. AJ Brimson finished his debut NRL season with a flourish scoring four tries in the final three rounds including a double in Round Twenty Three against Manly and Round Twenty Four and Twenty Five tries against the Melbourne Storm and Norther Queensland Cowboys respectively.

    AJ Brimson played his first eleven NRL matches at five eight before moving to fullback in Round Twenty Two against the Penrith Panthers playing a total of four matches at the back.

    AJ Brimson ran for 1 444 metres in the NRL in 2018, made 44 line breaks, forced four line drop outs, had two try assists and also two line break assists. Defensively AJ Brimson made 229 tackles at a tackling efficiency of a solid 81.6%.

    AJ Brimson’s 2018 NRL per game averages included running for 96.3 metres and making 15.3 tackles.

    In Round Twenty Four against the Melbourne Storm AJ Brimson ran for an impressive 214 metres and on two occasions being in Round Ten and Eighteen against the Melbourne Storm and Sydney Roosters respectively made twenty five tackles in a match.

    AJ Brimson was also part of the Queensland U20 side this season after also representing Queensland U20’s last year with four Titans team mates being Daniel Brownbill, Apitia Neoma-Matenga, Keegan Hipgrave and Phillip Sami.

    Prior to his NRL call up AJ Brimson plyed his trade in the Queensland Cup with the Tweed Heads Seagulls starting at five eight in Rounds One, Three and Four and at fullback in Rounds Five and Six. AJ Brimson was the travelling 18th man for the Titans when they played New Zealand thus he missed Round two for Tweed Heads.

    In the 2018 Queensland Cup competition, AJ Brimson has played a more understated role than in the NYC in 2017 but he has been quietly effective, especially in relation to his kicking game, both tactical and attacking. Certainly his move to fullback over the last fortnight seems to have been a great move as AJ Brimson has looked more confident especially in terms of running with the ball.

    Against Townsville in his first match at fullback AJ Brimson was a handful for the Blackhawks regularly chiming into the back line on the right side of the field and narrowly being tackled short of the try line after slicing through the defensive line. AJ Brimson also had some good touches on the left especially in terms of getting the out wider to the centres and wingers.

    In saying that however in the two games since he has moved back to fullback, AJ Brimson has been more prominent including a standout performance against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls on Saturday night when he had an outstanding match, including scoring a good second half try when he came into the backline off an inside pass and outpaced the cover defence to score.

    AJ Brimson has had to do a lot more tackling this season but with the added strength from the offseason training with the Titans NRL side he has been effective defensively. Clearly also he is being targeted by sides running big forwards in his direction, which is fair enough as that is what will also occur when he comes into the NRL.

    In the 2018 Queensland Cup competition AJ Brimson from his seven matches been credited with three try assists, three line break assists, six line breaks and forcing two line drop outs. He ran for 608 metres and made an impressive 71 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 78.5%. On a per game basis AJ Brimson ran for 86.9 metres, made 10.2 tackles and kicked for 68 metres.

    AJ Brimson also scored four Queensland Cup tries in 2018, the first of which came in Round Six at Wynnum Manly. He followed that up with a try in Round Seven against the Easts Tigers and in Round Eight against the Mackay Cutters (his last before his NRL promotion) scored a double.

    In his Queensland Cup debut in Round One against North’s AJ Brimson played the entire 80 minutes, ran for 55 metres, ten of those post contact made fourteen tackles at a tackling efficiency of 97.33% and kicked the ball on four occasions for 137 metres.

    In the Round Three rivalry round against the Burleigh Bears AJ Brimson once again played the entire 80 minutes at five eight making 14 metres and 23 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 92.21% as the Bears ran a lot of traffic in his direction in difficult conditions.

    In Round Four against the PNG Hunters in Port Moresby, AJ Brimson once again started at five eight and playing 67 minutes making 56 metres (season best), eight of those post contact and 10 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 89% against an aggressive Hunters forward pack that ran a lot of traffic in his direction the entire match. AJ Brimson was also credited with four tackle breaks in the match.

    AJ Brimson moved back to fullback in Round Five against the Townsville Blackhawks and played the entire 80 minutes on his way to making 60 metres and seven tackles at a tackling efficiency of 87.5%. AJ Brimson also had a line break assist, a line break and eight tackle breaks and was unlucky not to have scored when he spun his way through the Blackhawks defence only to be pulled down just short of the try line.

    AJ Brimson also played fullback in Round Six in Tweed Heads first win of the season over the Wynnum Manly Seagulls, 26 – 22 and having his best match to date in the Queensland Cup. In the match AJ Brimson once again played all 80 minutes on his way to making an even 100 metres (26 post contact) on eleven runs and eight tackles at a tackling efficiency of 80%. AJ Brimson also had a try assist, two line breaks and three tackle breaks to go along with his second half try.

    The table below compares AJ Brimson’s 2017 NYC per game averages his 2018 Queensland Cup averages and of course his 2018 NRL averages.

    2017 NYC 2018 QCup 2018 NRL

    Minutes per game 80* 76 77

    Runs per game 10 8 9.9

    Metres made per game 100 89.9 96.3

    Tackles per game 17 10.2 15.27

    *AJ Brimson played 80 minutes in every game bar one when he played 71 minutes.

    The key take away from the table above is the amount of tackling that a half in the Queensland Cup/NRL has to do compared to the NYC and also the less room and time play makers have at their disposal.

    AJ Brimson was outstanding for the Titans NYC side in 2017 season and was rewarded with being selected on the extended bench for the Titans final NRL match against the Sydney Roosters. In 2017 AJ Brimson was named the Titans NYC player of the season sharing the award with giant young front rower and fellow Titans Top 30 contracted player Moeaki Fotuaika. AJ Brimson was also named in the 2017 NYC team of the year along with fellow Titans Top 30 contracted player Phillip Sami.

    AJ Brimson’s 2017 season kicked off when he played for the Titans in the Auckland Nine’s where he would have gained invaluable experience playing against NRL calibre players. From a trivia perspective, AJ Brimson’s older brother is Will Brimson who progressed through the Broncos U20 ranks and played for the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in the Queensland Cup in 2017.

    In the 2017 for the Titans NYC side AJ Brimson played in twenty one matches and averaged just under a try a match with twenty tries. AJ Brimson scored two hat tricks in 2017 which have come against the North Queensland Cowboys in Round Four and against the Manly Sea Eagles in Round Eleven and also doubles against the Newcastle Knights in Round Two and the St George Dragons in Round Seventeen. AJ Brimson scored a try in every match from Rounds Twenty to last weekend’s Round Twenty-five loss to Canterbury.

    AJ Brimson’s per game 2017 NYC averages were 100 run metres on ten carries and 17 tackles at a tackling efficiency of around 85%. On seven occasions AJ Brimson has run for more than 100 metres in a match including an exceptional match in Round Eleven against Manly when he ran for 215 metres from just thirteen carries. Defensively AJ Brimson made more than 20 tackles on six occasions with his best tally coming in Round Three against the Newcastle Knights.

    For all intents and purposes AJ Brimson was been an 80 minutes player with the Titans NYC side in 2017 as on only one occasion did he not played the entire match that was against the Parramatta Eels in Round Four when he “only” played 71 minutes.

    AJ Brimson made his NYC debut in 2016 starting half back against South Sydney in Round 13 then playing every game up to Round 25 when he was injured after 51 minutes. Over the course of the twelve matches that he played AJ Brimson scored three tries on top of running for a total of 1 162 metres on 114 carries. His tries came in Round 15 against Manly, Round 20 in his fullback debut against Parramatta and finally against the Warriors in Round 22. In total AJ Brimson played his first six NYC matches at half back before playing his final six at fullback. The move to fullback was a master stroke by the NYC hierarchy.

    AJ Brimson’s 2016 season averages per game included 97 metres on 11 carries and 12 tackles. His best running game came in Round 20 in his fullback debut when he ran for 159 metres against the Wests Tigers and in his NYC debut AJ Brimson made 21 tackles against South Sydney. In addition to the exceptional statistics noted above AJ Brimson also made nine line breaks including three against the Wests Tigers in Round 23 on top of his 159 metres. It was only in Round 25 when he was injured that AJ Brimson did not play the entire 80 minutes in a match.

    Surprisingly AJ Brimson only scored two tries in the MM competition in 2016 where he played all of the Gold Coast White’s matches at half back. Upon completion of the MM season, AJ Brimson played a handful of matches with the Tweed Heads Seagulls QCup Colts side before finishing the 2016 in the Titans NYC side where he primarily played fullback. 2016 also saw AJ Brimson made GC White MM Player of the Year and joint MM Player of the year.

    In 2016 he also played his schoolboy football for Keebra and made the South Coast QSSRL U18 squad. He also made his QCup Colts debut Tweed Seagulls late in the 2016 season, and scored a try on debut. Understandably he was also a very good touch rugby player.

    AJ Brimson started attending Keebra Park State High School in 2013 with absolutely no rugby league experience at all focussing on touch instead including representing the Queensland U15 side at the Australian Touch Championships.

    In attack AJ Brimson’s speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice when you see him play live. Any video’s, including video’s on the official site does not do his speed off the mark justice, watching him play live, it is great to see when he takes off. AJ Brimson does not seem to have an extra gear once he is through the defensive line, but has the ability to maintain his speed over a long distance, thus the apparent lack of an extra gear in speed has no discernible impact that I have identified.

    Coupled with a very good right foot step, AJ Brimson’s speed enables him to make numerous line breaks. He can and will beat defenders in the inside with a step and if the defensive line is staggered a dummy and go, presents multiple headaches for the opposition’s defensive strategies. He also backs up any line breaks and loves to score tries.

    AJ Brimson’s try in the February 2018 NRL trial against the Broncos can but put down to the analysis above, he took the ball on the left side and the field, stepped and exploded through a gap to score the Titans first try in their tough trial loss.

    The area that for me AJ Brimson has developed the most over the last couple of seasons is in relation to his play making skills, including putting his runners, whether they are backrowers or centres into holes. His enhanced plays making skills has made his speed with his show and go more effective as defensive lines start to focus in his runners and thus leave more space for him.

    As games progress AJ Brimson is very good at identifying tired forwards in the defensive line, and he will ruthlessly exploit that when he sees that. Multiple times this season he has left forwards clutching at air as they began to tire, for that matter it has not been just forwards as the Townsville Blackhawks backline can attest to.

    AJ Brimson has a good short kicking game but he does not have the strongest leg in terms of kicking deep but is accurate enough and regularly finds the ground to enable the chasers to get down field. He will chase hard and usually is one of the first down field to defend.

    In terms of his short kicking game, AJ Brimson will back himself and put in little kicks over the top or grubber through the defensive line for himself, which causes all sorts of issues for defences due to his speed and desire to get to the ball first. One of his tries against the Melbourne Storm is testament to this situation.

    In defence, due to his size AJ Brimson is obviously not going to come up with the big hit but reads the play well enough and can hold his own when defending much bigger players and shows outstanding courage.

    Prior to his NRL debut I was certain that AJ Brimson could handle the attacking aspects of the NRL but defensively he has been outstanding saving a number of tries with a combination of outstanding cover defending tackles as well as stopping big forwards running directly at him through sheer force of will.

    AJ Brimson will also track across field well looking when the ball is turned back inside. When confronted with forwards running directly at him on the edge of the ruck, he will get in front of them and use his shoulder in an effort to contain them until defensive help arrives. Certainly in the Queensland Cup so far this season the weight training that AJ Brimson did with the NRL squad has clearly benefitted him.

    AJ Brimson has signed a three year deal with the Titans starting in 2018 and is a member of the Titans 30 man NRL squad.

    All in all with his blinding speed, especially off the mark and his play making skills as well as his ability to create for himself means that AJ Brimson is truly exciting player in the NRL for the Titans.

    AJ Brimson is a player who whilst known for his amazing speed off the mark, does have some other attributes to his game which can sometimes get be overlooked when people focus purely on his speed.

    Certainly the key attribute that is developing well in the NRL is in relation to his play making skills which are continuing to develop quickly in the harsh confines of the NRL.

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    Moeaki Fotuaika. (Revised) The giant young 18 year old Titans NRL contracted and former South’s Logan and Keebra Park front rower made an immediate impact in the NRL after starting off the 2018 season for the Tweed Heads Seagulls 2018 Queensland Cup side.

    Playing against hardened players, including NRL and State of Origin veteran’s at just 18 years old and performing so well is very impressive and bodes well for Moeaki Fotuaika’s future in the NRL for the Gold Coast Titans.

    Moeaki Fotuaika is so highly regarded at the Titans that he is given the responsibility of taking the first hit-up from the first kick-off or game restarts, clearly designed to get the Seagulls on the front foot from a momentum perspective to start their set of six tackles coming off their own goal line.

    The fact that Moeaki Fotuaika is the only 18 year old in the NRL speaks volumes for his skill and maturity level. When his four year NRL contract with the Titans expires at the end of the 2021 season he will just be coming into his own, which will be scary proposition for opposition forward packs.

    In the 2018 pre-season the 193cm, 110kg Moeaki Fotuaika started from the inter change bench for each of the Titans NRL trials and had a particularly solid NRL trial against the New Zealand Warriors on the Sunshine Coast in wet and windy conditions. Moeaki Fotuaika also had a couple of solid runs in a youthful Titans side in their first NRL trial this year against the Brisbane Broncos in Toowoomba in February.

    Moeaki Fotuaika played in sixteen NRL matches this season making his debut in Round Nine against the Raiders in Canberra. Moeaki Fotuaika scored two NRL tries this season the first coming in Round Eighteen against the Sydney Roosters and the second a week later in Round Nineteen against the Newcastle Knights.

    In his sixteen matches Moeaki Fotuaika started on the interchange bench in fourteen and he started Rounds Seventeen and Eighteen against Brisbane and the Sydney Roosters in the front row.

    In his NRL matches this season Moeaki Fotuaika ran for 1 359 metres (534.9 post contact being 39.36% of his totals metres gained) at a per game average of 85 metres. Moeaki Fotuaika was also credited with nineteen tackle breaks.

    Defensively Moeaki Fotuaika made 307 NRL tackles at a per game average of 19.2 and an impressive tackling efficiency of 92.4%.

    In Round Twenty Four against the Melbourne Storm Moeaki Fotuaika had an outstanding match, a career match if you will on the way to running for 160 metres and making 25 tackles at a 100% talking efficiency. That match was one of six where Moeaki Fotuaika ran for in excess of 100 metres this season.

    At the Tweed Heads Seagulls prior to his NRL call up Moeaki Fotuaika had the ideal coach to help steer his fledgling rugby league career in Ben Woolf who was also his NYC coach in 2017 and the person who first saw him play in the Open NYC trial and who has gone on record to say that he was immediately impressed and got him signed to the Titans NYC that very same day, job well done Ben Woolf.

    In Round One this season I thought that Woolf may have started Moeaki Fotuaika off the bench to ease him into the Queensland Cup competition. Ben Woolf was spot on however starting the big strong young man in the front row and Moeaki Fotuaika has not looked back in his matches since. Moeaki Fotuaika was named as Tweed Heads Seagulls best player in Rounds One and two.

    In 2018 in the Queensland Cup for Tweed Heads through this seven matches Moeaki Fotuaika ran for 893 metres at an average of 127.6 metres per match and made 158 tackles at an average of 26.4 per game at an outstanding tackling efficiency of 83.3% all whilst playing on average 62.5 minutes per game. Moeaki Fotuaika also has made 325.9 of his running metres post contact, being 36.49% of his total metres, has had twelve off-loads, eleven tackle breaks and one line break.

    Defensively Moeaki Fotuaika made 158 Queensland Cup tackles in 2018 at a tackling efficiency of 83.3%.

    In Round One against the North’s Devils Moeaki Fotuaika ran for 148 metres, 64 of those post contact on fifteen hit-ups and made twenty eight tackles at a tackling efficiency of 88.75%. Moeaki Fotuaika backed that up in Round Two against South’s Logan by running for 168 metres, 53 of those post contact and making twenty nine tackles at a tackling efficiency of a staggering 96.67% (only one missed tackle), all in just 56 minutes on the field. In Round Two, Moeaki Fotuaika also had two off loads and a line break.

    In the Round Three rivalry round against the Burleigh Bears, Moeaki Fotuaika continued his outstanding form on the way to 124 metres, 45 of those post contact on thirteen hit-ups and made 25 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 89.29%. Considering the difficult conditions and the dominance of the Burleigh Bears forward pack that afternoon, Moeaki Fotuaika’s performance was outstanding and received a considerable amount of praise from the Channel Nine commentators including former Gold Coast Charger Scott Sattler.

    In the Round Four clash between Tweed Heads and the PNG Hunters Moeaki Fotuaika continued to hold his form against an aggressive Hunters forward pack on their home ground in Port Moresby on his way to running for 87 metres, 30 of those post contact on eleven hit-ups and made 22 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 100%. Moeaki Fotuaika was also credited with one line break and five tackle breaks.

    Moeaki Fotuaika also scored his first Queensland Cup try in Round Four when he scored under the posts late in the second half to get Tweed Heads back into the game against the Hunters. Moeaki Fotuaika received the ball from the dummy half standing still about five metres out from the try line with three PNG Hunters forwards directly in front of him.

    Moeaki Fotuaika proceeded to get low and barge his way over to score. It was quite an amazing show of strength and power considering that he received the ball with no momentum and was able to push back three Hunters forwards who had set themselves for the tackle but they were still unable to stop the ultra-talented Titans youngster.

    Round Five saw Moeaki Fotuaika and his Tweed Heads Seagulls team mates travelled north to play the Townsville Blackhawks where Moeaki Fotuaika ran for 92 metres,30 of those post contact from eleven hit-ups and made 28 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 93.33%. Moeaki Fotuaika was also credited with three line breaks and three off-loads. Tweed Heads lost the match 38 – 4.

    The table below compares Moeaki Fotuaika’s 2017 NYC per game averages his 2018 Queensland Cup averages and his 2018 NRL averages:

    2017 NYC 2018 QCup 2018 NRL

    Games 22 7 16

    Minutes per game 64 62.5 32

    Runs per game 14 11.1 7.6

    Metres made per game 135 127.6 85

    Tackles per game 26 26.4 19.2

    The key take out for me from the table above is that Moeaki Fotuaika, for an 18 year old, development is exceptional from last year through to now. Moeaki Fotuaika’s statistics are just outstanding when you are talking about such a young man up against NRL veterans.

    Usually when NYC players step up in class, their statistics drop to reflect the difference in skill level and experience of the opposition, the opposite is the case in relation to Moeaki Fotuaika.

    For me Moeaki Fotuaika was one of the real success stories out of the Titans NYC squad in 2017, even more incredible was that Moeaki Fotuaika was still eligible for the MM Cup competition throughout the 2017 NYC season. Moeaki Fotuaika attended an Open Titans NYC trial in late 2016 and has been a revelation ever since including being named as the Titans 2017 NYC joint player of the year alongside fellow Titans Top 30 contracted and current Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup team mate youngster AJ Brimson.

    For the Titans in the NYC competition in 2017, Moeaki Fotuaika played in twenty two matches starting all of those matches in the front row. Moeaki Fotuaika’s averages per match for the season include 14 hit ups for 135 metres, two offloads and 26 tackles with a 90% defensive efficiency rate. Moeaki Fotuaika has also scored six tries with those tries coming against the Knights on two separate occasions, the Sydney Roosters, New Zealand Warriors and a double in the televised Round Twenty match against the Penrith Panthers.

    For a giant young front rower it is an impressive feat that Moeaki Fotuaika played 1 341 minutes to average 64 minutes a match and on four occasions he has played the entire 80 minutes, including against the Broncos in Rounds Twelve and Twenty-Two, the Wests Tigers in Round Sixteen and against the Parramatta Eels late in the season.

    Running with the ball Moeaki Fotuaika had some huge matches including in 17 of his 21 matches running for more than 100 metres. His “best” match from a running metres perspective was against the Wests Tigers in Round Sixteen when he ran for 213 metres on 23 hit ups. Moeaki Fotuaika also ran for 199 metres against the Broncos in Round Twenty two and against the Parramatta Eels ran for 166 metres.

    From an off-loading perspective Moeaki Fotuaika off loaded the ball against the Cronulla Sharks on six occasions in Round Eight as well as six occasions against the Wests Tigers in Round Sixteen.
    Another positive in relation Moeaki Fotuaika is that he has continued to cut down his error rate from the start of last year through this season and is currently averaging well south than an error a match.

    Defensively Moeaki Fotuaika made more than 30 tackles in a match on eight separate occasions in the NYC in 2017, three times making 34 tackles coming against the Raiders in Round Six and Broncos in Rounds Twelve and Twenty Two. Against the Parramatta Eels in Round Twenty Four Moeaki Fotuaika made 20 tackles.

    Moeaki Fotuaika earlier in 2017 was named with fellow Titans Darius Farmer and Rehiena Marsh as part of the New Zealand Australian residents U18 side for a match in October with a New Zealand Residents U18 side. Moeaki Fotuaika was part of the Queensland Academy of Sport U18 squad earlier in the 2017 season and was named in the New Zealand U20 squad as well in 2017.

    The young former Keebra Park student is a giant of a young man who exudes size, strength and power when he plays. In addition to playing in the Keebra Park Open Rugby League sides in 2016, Moeaki Fotuaika started every match in the front row for South’s Logan in the MM Cup and proved to be a handful in that competition for opposing defences.

    For the 2016 South’s Logan MM Cup squad, Moeaki Fotuaika bookended the season with two great performances against the Gold Coast MM sides. In Round One against Gold Coast Green Moeaki Fotuaika scored a double within the first 12 minutes of the game and was basically unstoppable and compared favourably that day to Payne Haas.

    In the last match of the 2016 season he was just as dominant against Gold Coast White (which was the side with the majority of Titans linked boys) on his way to a hat trick, including scoring two barn storming tries in the second half where he just crashed through the Gold Coast White forward pack which was no mean feat when you consider that he was lined up against the likes of Kobe Tararo and Blake Lenehan, two very good defenders both then and now.

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

    An area where Moeaki Fotuaika has really improved over the last two season is in relation to his off-loads in previous seasons he did not off load too much but this season he really has been able to get his arms free and get away some telling off-loads. Moeaki Fotuaika continually put his hand up all day to take the ball up and has a very quick play the ball so that his team can maintain momentum. Moeaki Fotuaika had an impressive off load in Round Three against the Burleigh Bears.

    In the first set of six in the game, in driving rain Moeaki Fotuaika offloaded a great ball with his right hand. The fact that the off load was in the first set of six and only ten metres out from his own line, shows the confidence that Moeaki Fotuaika has in his ability and his team mates.

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

    In defence Moeaki Fotuaika uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. He is not 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, although clearly he is more effective in the centre of the ruck, as most front rowers are. Moeaki Fotuaika’s raw natural strength means that he is also dominant when looking to slow the paly the ball down.

    In Round Three against Burleigh, two tackles that Moeaki Fotuaika made are perfect examples of the impact that he can have in defence. The first tackle that Moeaki Fotuaika made was a brutal front on tackle on Burleigh front rower Luke Page. Luke Page ran straight at the 18 year old youngster. Moeaki Fotuaika set himself and smashed Luke Page front one with a perfectly timed and executed tackle which immediately halted Luke Page’s momentum.

    The second tackle that can be critical reviewed was a tackle on Burleigh’s elusive winger Henere Wells. Wells had come off his right wing to take a hit-up in the middle of the ruck. He was able to isolate Moeaki Fotuaika, but Moeaki Fotuaika steadied himself and waited for Henere Wells to make his final move before coming forward and crunching the Burleigh winger in a copy book front one tackle.

    In the Round Five match against the Townsville Blackhawks Moeaki Fotuaika also made an outstanding tackle on Townsville half Jalen Feeney. Feeney came back on the inside and looked like scoring but Moeaki Fotuaika had not stopped when the ball went past him and covered across on the inside to prevent an almost certain try and from the next play the ball was on hand to hold up the Townsville dummy half.

    Moeaki Fotuaika signed a four year NRL deal with the Titans and multiple reports that came out of the Titans over the off season revolved around his strength and fitness levels stunning his seasoned NRL team mates and coaching staff alike. Clearly the reports were accurate based on his NRL form this season.

    At the end of last season and through the 2018 pre-season, I expected Moeaki Fotuaika to start the season in the Queensland Cup Colts competition before breaking into the Queensland Cup mid-season before getting a game or two in the later rounds of the NRL. How wrong was I?

    I will acknowledge that I thought scrapping the NYC competition was the incorrect decision but seeing Moeaki Fotuaika’s development in the Queensland Cup prior to his NRL call up, and also the play of Jai Whitbread and AJ Brimson, I have to take my lumps and say from a player development perspective the decision appears to be absolutely correct.

    Moeaki Fotuaika recently has been selected as part of the New Zealand U20 side when they play the Australian U20 side later in the year. Fellow Titans Darius Farmer, Kea Pere and Jaxon Paulo have also been selected in the New Zealand U20 squad meaning that the Titans are only behind the New Zealand Warriors in terms of representation in the New Zealand U20 squad.

    Even more amazing for Titans fans is that Moeaki Fotuaika would still be eligible to play in the U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition in 2019 not that I anticipate that he will play in that competition however.

    By 2019 with three years left on his Titans contract I anticipate that Moeaki Fotuaika will be well and truly in the frame for a starting spot in the Titans NRL side, even if he starts out in the inter change bench before coming a starting NRL front rower he has a ten year NRL and representative career in front of him.

    Moeaki Fotuaika has made the front row position his own with the Titans over the last 18 months and that will not change anytime soon. He looks to be a ten year NRL front rower and perennial Tongan International as well. I am glad the Titans hierarchy got this young man signed to a long term deal over the off season.

    Based on his performances in the NRL this season I am really struggling to come up with an NRL player comparison for Moeaki Fotuaika.

    Moeaki Fotuaika has the size of the Titans own Ryan James, the speed of Brisbane Bronco Matt Gillett, the mobility of giant North Queensland Cowboys front rower Jordan McLean, the power of Canberra’s and soon to be Titan Shannon Boyd and the skill set of Sonny Bill Williams from an off-loading perspective.

    I have not EVER seen a young front rower with Moeaki Fotuaika’s physical attributes and skill set all rolled into one. From what I understand Moeaki Fotuaika is also a dedicated hard working young man who has the motivation and dedication to make the most of the opportunity that he has with the Titans. All evidence to date suggests that is absolutely the case and will continue to be so.

    I expected Moeaki Fotuaika to play well this season but seriously he is that far in front of where I thought that he would be it is not funny. Without trying to put undue pressure on him, Moeaki Fotuaika has the ability, skill set, physical attributes and motivation to redefine how front rowers play in rugby league over the coming seasons.

    The Titans over the last six to twelve months have assembled an outstanding crop of young forwards such as Jai Arrow, Morgan Boyle, Max King, Keegan Hipgrave and Jai Whitbread, you can also certainly add Moeaki Fotuaika to that list as well. That is not even taking into consideration the likes of Darius Farmer, Reihana Marsh Apiata Noema-Matenga, James Robinson, Luke Maiden and Blake Campbell amongst plenty of others in the U20 and U18 competitions and as part of the Titans Rookie Squad.

    Below the U18 and U20 age groups the Titans have the likes of forwards Ben Liyou, Bailey Martin, Brody Smitka, Ethan Foster and Ezra Ubaldino who will be coming through as Moeaki Fotuaika starts to hit his prime. The future certainly looks bright for the Gold Coast Titans over the next couple of years.

    There is a lot of hype about former Titan junior and current Brisbane Bronco front rower Payne Haas (and certainly deservedly so) but Moeaki Fotuaika is easily just as good, both from a skill, power and mobility perspective considering as well that Payne Haas is a year older than the outstanding Titans NRL contracted youngster who also has an inspiring back story making it impossible not to cheer for Moeaki Fotuaika.

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    Kyah Watts. (Revised) He is a local young second rower from the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast where he played the 2018 season at the U17 Division One level as well as being involved in PBC’s GIO Cup campaign.

    For Burleigh in the 2018 U17 Division One season Kyah Watts played in ten matches including the finals series, scoring three tries. Kyah Watts scored early in the season against Runaway Bay and then scored in consecutive rounds mid-season against Currumbin and Tweed Heads.

    Kyah Watts played the 2017 season at the U16 Division One level for Burleigh, including starting in the second row in the Grand Final which Burleigh lost 34 – 4 against the talented Currumbin Eagles. For Burleigh in the U16 competition, Kyah Watts crossed for a single try which came against Helensvale in Burleigh’s first final in 2017.

    Kyah Watts this season was part of the PBC open squad playing a number of matches in the centres for the Queensland and National GIO Cup Champions and has previously played for the U13 and U14 Titans Development squads against Samoan opposition.

    2017 also saw Kyah Watts play for the U16 Gold Coast Vikings side in the U16 South East Queensland pre-season competition. In 2016 Kyah Watts was also part of the South Coast U15 side that competed in the U15 QSSRL competition where he was selected on the bench scoring three tries across four games. From there Kyah Watts was selected in the U15 Queensland White side for the U15 ASSRL national Championships playing in all of Queensland White’s matches.

    In previous season Kyah Watts also made a number of representative sides including the U14 Vikings and the South East Queensland U14 squad, where he started on the bench for SEQ. For SEQ he scored three tries across the Queensland age championships, including a double against the Capricorn Capra’s and also a try against the North Queensland Marlins.

    Kyah Watts’s style of play is that of a wide running back rower with quite good speed for the position. He quick off the mark and can maintain his top speed over a reasonable distance and also has a good fend and can step off both feet both in space and in tight situations. I would suggest that his speed could be considered above average for a second rower.

    The side step Kyah Watts has is not a big step but is quick and subtle enough to keep defenders off balance and prevent them from targeting him in relation to gang tackles.

    Kyah Watts will also continue to pump his legs once he makes initial contact with the defensive line and will fight for every yard. Once his momentum is stopped, he will fight for a quick play the ball to maintain his team’s momentum, although on occasion he will rush the play the ball, but that will all come with experience.

    Kyah Watts is a solid defender 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 stop even the bigger opposing forwards in their tracks and targets the area around the chest after setting a solid base to project his momentum into the ball carrier.

    Kyah Watts also has above average lateral mobility from his time playing in the centres and thus will not be over matched against smaller agile opponents operating on the fringes of the ruck where he looks to mirror there movement whether that is across the field or laterally.

    Moving to the 2019 season, Kyah Watts will be looking to break into the Burleigh Colts side post the MM Cup, if not Kyah Watts will play for Burleigh in the GCRL U20 competition.

    Earlier in his junior career, Kyah Watts also played a fair bit of centre for Burleigh PBC and Titans development squads but this year especially for the Burleigh U17 Division One side he spent a reasonable portion of the season at five eight which cannot hurt his development at all.

    From my perspective however I would anticipate that Kay Watts will transition to the second row position full time shortly even though for the next couple of years he would likely still make a good fist of playing in the centres if the need arises.

    From a player comparison perspective, maybe someone like former Titan and current Wests Tiger Chris McQueen may be a good comparison to how Kyah Watts plays the game as a solid all round player who has a touch more speed than you would anticipate when he finds himself in open space as well as decent footwork and a solid tackling technique, a good solid rugby league player if you will.

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    Matthew Wilton-Waldron. (Revised) He is a local Titans linked young front rower/second rower who attends Coombabah State High School as part of their Rugby League Excellence program and was also part of the Titans U15 side that played a Balmain U15 side at Cudgen late in 2017.

    Matthew Wilton-Waldron was also involved in the Titans U13 development squad at the end of the 2015 as an invited player in a match against a Toowoomba U14 selection.

    In 2018 Matthew Wilton-Waldron was part of the Gold Coast Vikings Yellow U16 side that competed in the South East Queensland U16 Challenge.

    From that competition Matthew Wilton-Waldron was selected in the South East Queensland White U16 side for the Queensland Age Championships starting primarily from the bench for his side including in the Championship final which SEQ White lost 30 – 18 to South East Queensland Green.

    In the 2018 GCRL U16 Division One competition, Matthew Wilton-Waldron lined up for Helensvale in 2018 playing in nine matches including the finals series. Matthew Wilton-Waldron started in the second row in Week One of the finals as Helensvale defeated Southport 44 – 4 and also started in the second row in Week Two as Helensvale were knocked out as a result of a tough 24 – 18 loss to Burleigh.

    Matthew Wilton-Waldron played the 2017 season for Helensvale in the GCJRL competition in the U15 Division One competition. Matthew Wilton-Waldron played in sixteen matches for the Hornets including starting in the second row in their 34 – 10 Grand Final loss to Nerang.

    Over the course of his sixteen matches in 2017 Matthew Wilton-Waldron scored three tries including an early season double against Currumbin and he also scored in Helensvale’s finals victory over Burleigh.

    In 2017 Matthew Wilton-Waldron has also played one match up at the U16 Division One Level for Helensvale.

    In 2016 Matthew Wilton-Waldron was part of the U14 Gold Coast Vikings side that went through the 2016 Hill Stumer Championships undefeated and from there was selected in the U14 South East Queensland Training squad.

    Matthew Wilton-Waldron is a hard running player who never seems to just put his head down and runs straight, he always uses a slight step prior to contacting the defensive line, coupled with the fact that he drops his shoulder into defenders, means that he is a bit of a handful to tackle and he is not often knocked back onto his heals. Matthew Wilton-Waldron is also good at maintaining his momentum after impacting the defensive line.

    Matthew Wilton-Waldron has a high work rate and I would suggest that he would normally be at or near the top of his team’s statistics in terms of the number of hit ups he makes and on occasion runs a very good inside shoulder route to supplement his other attacking attributes.

    Matthew Wilton-Waldron has also shown flashes of the ability to off-load when he impacts the defensive line and I am sure that this will be focus going forward in terms of understanding when to off-load and when to maintain possession, and this will only come from playing more matches.

    Defensively Matthew Wilton-Waldron aims hits very hard and usually hits around the top of the ball region and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls by using wrestling techniques well.

    Over the last season or two Matthew Wilton-Waldron’s his speed and mobility seemed to have increased and as a consequence he was better able to mirror the opposition attackers more effectively from a defensive stand point.

    Matthew Wilton-Waldron will probably not make a large amount of hits that are going to knock opposing forwards backwards, but opposing forwards are going to feel everyone and start to look out for where he is in the defensive line.

    In 2019 Matthew Wilton-Waldron will play for Helensvale in the GCRL U18 Division One competition as well as for Coombabah State High School in their various School boy competitions including the GIO Cup.

    In terms of position, I am aware that over the last couple of seasons he has alternated between front row and second row but I think that in the long term he will end up in the second row and one that has more than reasonable mobility and speed for his size and position.

    Matthew Wilton-Waldron has a variety of skills at his disposal when he plays and the next couple of years are simply about gaining experience and allowing his skills to develop at the appropriate pace. A current NRL player with similar qualities from my perspective is rookie Newcastle Knights second rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon.

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    Titan Vaikai. (Revised) The superbly named big, strong young front rower from the Runaway Bay junior rugby league club had a solid 2018 rugby league season across school boy, club and representative competitions,, including starting in the front row for a Titans U15 Invitational side against the Western Mustang at Nerang in March with the Titans winning the match six tries to three.

    Titan Vaikai also started from the bench for the Titans U15 side as they defeated a U15 Balmain Tigers touring side 16 - 10.

    For Runaway Bay in the Gold Coast Rugby League U15 Division One competition Titan Vaikai started in the front row in all fifteen of the matches that he played including Finals series matches, scoring three tries along the way.

    Titan Vaikai’s tries came against Robina and in consecutive weeks against Burleigh and Ormeau.

    Titan Vaikai started in the front row in all four of Runaway Bay’s finals matches including starting in the front row in the U15 Division One Grad Final, unfortunately Runaway Bay went down to Ormeau 38 – 20.

    In Week One of the finals Runaway Bay went down to Ormeau 28 – 12, then bounced back to win 34 – 24 in Week Two against Burleigh before defeating Coomera 58 – 14 in the Preliminary Final to qualify for the U15 Division One Grand Final.

    Titan Vaikai also played one match in the U16 Division One competition this season which was against Mudgeeraba in June. Titan Vaikai had played in the U15 Division One match earlier in the night.

    The Coombabah State High School student represented South Coast at the U15 QSSRL Championships earlier this season.

    In addition to playing for Runaway Bay in the GCRL U15 Division One competition, Titan Vaikai play club rugby on the Gold Coast for the Griffith University Colleges U15 side and was the team’s co-captain with his side winning the premiership with a 47 – 19 victory over the Helensvale Hogs in a match that was curtain raiser to the Wallabies v Argentina test at Cbus stadium.

    In total for Griffith University Colleges, Titan Vaikai played in twelve matches, starting ten matches and coming off the bench twice. Titan Vaikai started seven matches at lock, including the Grand Final, two matches at tight head prop and one at loose head prop and scored one try which was against Wollongbar/Alstonville in Round One.

    The young Coombabah State High School student was a strong contributor in his schools Hancock Cup campaign in 2017 and was also a strong presence for Runaway Bay in the GCJRL U14 Division Once competition.

    In the 2017 U14 Division One competition for Runaway Bay in 2017 Titan Vaikai played in ten matches and even though he did not score in that competition he none the less was a strong presence. Titan Vaikai also played two matches in the U15 Division Two competition for Runaway Bay playing against Helensvale on both occasions and in their second encounter scored his sole try of the 2017 season.

    Titan Vaikai represented the U14 Gold Coast Vikings side early in the 2017 season and consequently made the South East Queensland U14 train on squad and from there was selected in the South East Queensland White U14 side for the Queensland Age Championships.

    Titan Vaikai is a big strong young front rower who is a powerful runner of the football, who knows only one way and that is straight ahead and has shown flashes of the ability to offload once he has impacted the defensive line or has crashed through it.

    For a big front rower Titan Vaikai does actually have quite decent speed and footwork, certainly above average for a player of his size, although he does not necessarily use it all of the time but certainly enough to push through the defensive line on occasion.

    His good footwork enables Titan Vaikai to step prior to the line, creating little half breaks which enhances his ability to off-load the football. In the Titans U15 game, Titan Vaikai was more than just a workhorse and used his deft foot work, mentioned above, to bend the Toowoomba defensive line back regularly on a very very hot afternoon.

    In defence Titan Vaikai is a big hitter of that there is no doubt and every tackle that he makes is felt by the ball runner and he is also good from a wrestling perspective once the tackle has been completed. Titan Vaikai is obviously 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. Titan Vaikai can defensively handle any one on one battle that presents itself as was evidenced in the Titans U15 game.

    At times in games Titan Vaikai really does prevent opposing gaining any ground at all through the centre of the ruck. It is now a matter of extending the duration of his ruck dominance.

    Titan Vaikai will take up a three year full rugby scholarship at GPS school, Brisbane Grammar starting in 2019 and will be a very good addition to their developing rugby program where he will play as a prop.

    Titan Vaikai will start next season in the Brisbane Grammar School U16A side before two years in the Open age group where he will be pushing for a First XV spot as early as 2020. It is a great opportunity for the young man and post his school years will have options in both rugby league and rugby to consider.

    Brisbane Grammar school has a solid tradition of bringing Gold Coast rugby league boys through their rugby program. This season Dennis Waight and Dee Jarn Asi (both have previously played matches for Titans Development Squads) were part of the Brisbane Grammar School First XV at outside centre and fly half respectively and previously Emile Tuimavave has been a Brisbane Grammar School First XV player as a prop.

    From a player comparison perspective for Titan Vaikai consider a comparison from a playing perspective style to young Newcastle Knights front row twins Daniel and Jacob Saifiti as a big strong young man, who if he continues to work hard on his mobility and stamina as Titan Vaikai gains experience may be able to harness all of the considerable physical and skill attributes that he has at his disposal.

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    Callum Boomer. (Revised) The Titans Rookie Squad member had a season where he played a lot of rugby league dividing his time between playing for the Burleigh Colts U20 side and playing in the U19 and First Grade side for Southport in the GCRL competition.

    Callum Boomer started the 2018 season playing in the Gold Cost Rugby League First Grade competition for the Southport Tigers starting on the wing in the first two rounds against Currumbin and Tugun and kicked a conversion in each of those matches.

    In total for Southport in the Gold Coast First Grade competition Callum Boomer played in four matches scoring twelve points from the two tries mentioned above and two conversions.

    In Round Three after being named earlier that week on an extended bench for the Burleigh Colts side Callum Boomer played in the U19 Gold Coast Rugby League competition. Callum Boomer started in the centres and scored a try and kicked three goals in a 22 all draw with the Bilambil Jets.

    Round Four saw Callum Boomer once again start in the centres for the Southport Tigers U19 side in their clash against Burleigh which they won 31 - 18. Callum Boomer had a day out in the win over Burleigh when he scored 19 of Southport’s 31 points. Callum Boomer scored two tries, kicked five goals and a field goal. Through his first two U19 games this season, Callum Boomer scored 29 points from three tries eight goals and the field goal.

    After a couple of matches for the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s U20 Colts side Callum Boomer was back in the Southport U19 side for Round Seven and starting at centre kicked three goals as the Tigers fell to a 28 – 28 defeat to Mudgeeraba.

    Southport progressed all of the way to the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 Grand Final with Callum Boomer starting the Grand Final at fullback and scoring two tries and kicking two conversions as Southport went down 34 – 20 to Currumbin.

    In total for Southport in the U19 competition Callum Boomer played in ten matches scoring 93 points from seven tries, thirty two goals and a field goal (against Burleigh). In addition to the two tries that he scored in the Grand Final Callum Boomer also scored doubles against Burleigh and Mudgeeraba and also scored against Bilambil in his first U19 match of the season.

    Callum also had some big matches with the boot in the U19 competition this season including kicking six in a match against Mudgeeraba (he also scored a double in the match) and five goals in matches against Ormeau, Mudgeeraba and Burleigh. In Week One of the U19 Finals Callum Boomer kicked three goals as Southport progressed with a 34 – 8 win over Burleigh.

    Callum Boomer made his deserved Hastings Deering’s U20 Colts debut for Burleigh in their Round Eleven match against Easts, starting in the centres and kicking seven from seven in a 42 – 4 victory for the Bears.

    Callum Boomer maintained his place in the Burleigh Colts side for their match against the Mackay Cutters starting on the wing as Burleigh won 14 - 6. Callum Boomer kicked three from three and through his first two Hastings Deering’s Colts matches Callum Boomer has kicked ten from ten.

    Round Sixteen saw Callum Boomer score his first career Colts try when he crossed against Tweed Heads. In the match Callum Boomer also kicked eight goals.

    In total for Burleigh in the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition Callum Boomer played in eight matches scoring the try against Tweed heads and kicked twenty goals to finish with fifty two points.

    Callum Boomer started five of those matches on the wing and three in the centres.

    In 2017 Callum Boomer played for the Burleigh Bears MM Cup squad having a great Round One when he scored two tries, one in each half and kicked three goals in Burleigh’s tough two point loss to Redcliffe at Dolphin Oval whilst playing on the right wing. Post the MM Cup competition, Callum Boomer also played a number of matches for Burleigh in the U20 Colts Challenge side playing primarily on the right wing.

    For Burleigh in the 2017 MM Cup competition Callum Boomer started in all six of Burleigh’s matches on the right wing scoring 56 points including five tries and 18 goals. In addition to his double in Round One against Redcliffe, Callum Boomer also scored double in Round Four against Souths Logan and he also scored in Round Six against Tweed Heads. Kicking wise, Callum Boomer kicked eighteen goals from twenty eight attempts for a goal kicking conversion rate of 64.28%.

    For Burleigh in the 2017 U20 Colts Challenge competition, Callum Boomer played a total of nine matches scoring three tries which came in Rounds six, seven and eight against Tweed Heads, Ipswich and Redcliffe respectively. Callum Boomer started Round One on the wing against the Sunshine Coast Falcons and in total played five matches on the wing and four at fullback.

    Callum Boomer also played a number of matches in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition in 2017 for Runaway Bay. He played one match in the GCRL U19 competition and what a match it was. Against Ormeau Callum Boomer scored 22 points from a try and nine conversions in a dominant Runaway Bay performance.

    Callum Boomer also played two matches for Runaway Bay in the Doug Lipp Cup competition, both matches being finals matches starting both on the wing. In his debut match (final) against Beaudesert Callum Boomer kicked four conversions and a fortnight later started on the wing in the Doug Lipp Cup Grand Final and kicked a conversion in a 13 – 6 loss to Beaudesert. A team mate for runaway Bay in the Grand Final was fellow Titans Rookie Squad member Lochlyn Sheldon who started in the front row and an opponent Charlie Gee.

    The former Coombabah State High School student had a successful 2016 season, including kicking a late penalty goal which propelled the Queensland GIO Cup final between his Coombabah side and Keebra Park into golden point territory, unfortunately for Callum Boomer and his team mates Keebra Park kicked a golden point field goal to progress to the 2016 National GIO Cup final.

    Callum Boomer played for Runaway Bay in the 2016 U17 Division One competition on the Gold Coast in 2016, finishing as one of the leading points scorers with 110 points which came from 10 tries and 35 goals from just eleven matches. Callum Boomer scored a hat trick against Beaudesert late in the season and also a double against Currumbin. In terms of goal kicking Callum Boomer twice kicked five goals in a match, on both occasions against Currumbin and in both of those matches, Callum Boomer also scored at least one try, meaning 32 of his 110 points came in just two matches against Currumbin.

    Whilst in does not have a great deal of speed off the mark, Callum Boomer does have decent top end speed once he gets moving and can break tackles by using a very good fend, when he gets to the outside, this prevents defenders from getting he under his ribs and thus he can maintain his running line under defensive pressure.

    When engaged with the defensive line he also has a reasonable offload and when Callum Boomer breaks through the main defensive line he is also very effective at setting up his outside support, by drawing the fullback.

    Callum Boomer also has a decent right foot step which led directly to his first or two tries in Round One of the 2017 MM Cup competition against Redcliffe when he received the ball near the try line and stepped immediately to beat his direct opponent and score in the corner.

    Callum Boomer also has a decent in and away to complement his other attacking attributes and is effective when attacking close to the try line and knows which routes to run to take advantage of situations where the defensive line has not come up off the try line and thus he is able to push through the defensive line and carry defenders over to score. He is just a solid attacking player and before you realise he has made a number of breaks and scored multiple tries.

    Callum Boomer is also adept at keeping his spacing on the wing and that attribute led to his second try for Burleigh on the weekend where he stayed outside his direct opponent on the blind side and thus was in a very good position to score from close range before his opposite winger could react.

    Defensively the area that Callum Boomer has impressed me the most is his ability to defend against any size opponent, from small quick outside backs to big strong powerful backrowers running wide of the ruck. He seemingly has more strength that his size would indicate, and he uses this strength to move up and hit around the area where the ball is usually held, redirecting the momentum of the ball carrier and thus eliminating the attacking threat in the short term.

    Purely from a skill and physical attribute perspective he seems more suited to a sliding defensive methodology rather than an up and in style, but this is more conjecture from me rather than a fact based argument. Like with his attacking attributes Callum Boomer is just solid defensively there is really no other word to describe it.

    Callum Boomer is also a very good goal kicker with both good range and accuracy as positive traits. I would suggest that he is likely to be his side’s primary goal kicker regardless of the level that he progresses to into the future.

    Callum Boomer will continue to press his claims for playing time in the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts side in 2019 and if he is not in the game day seventeen for any given match he will play for Southport in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition.

    For me with his above average speed and elusiveness in the confined space near the touch line, Callum Boomer is the ideal modern day winger. I appreciate that he started the Grand Final for the U19 Southport side at fullback this season but I think that his future is more likely than not on the wing.

    Campbell Graham the former Australian School Boy and boom South Sydney Rabbitohs rookie for me has a similar playing style to that of Callum Boomer. Both have good straight line speed, know their way to the try line and have a willingness to take the ball into the centre of the ruck to take some pressure off their forward pack.

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    Taanei Heu. (Revised) The tall strong young Nerang Roosters front rower played the 2018 season for Nerang in the U16 Division One competition playing in nine matches including the finals series.

    In Week Two of the U16 Division One Finals, Taanei Heu started in the front row and scored as Nerang progressed with a 32 – 22 win over Currumbin.

    Taanei Heu also started in the front row in the U16 Division One 2018 Grand Final once again against Currumbin and once again Nerang prevailed winning 24 – 8.

    In the 2018 U16 Division One regular season, Taanei Heu scored an additional two tries the first of which came in Round One against Runaway Bay and Taanei Heu scored again against Runaway Bay late in the regular season.

    Taanei Heu was also part of the Gold Coast Vikings White side that took part in the South East Queensland U16 Challenge and from there was selected in the South East Queensland White side for the Queensland Age Championships, playing all four of those matches including the Championship Final against South East Queensland Green.

    Taanei Heu’s other matches for South East Queensland Green at the Queensland Age Championships were against SEQ White in the qualifying rounds, Central and Northern.

    For the Nerang Roosters U15 Division One side in 2017 Taanei Heu played in eleven matches including their Grand Final victory over Helensvale and scored against Southport early in the season for his sole try of the season. Taanei Heu also played one match up in the U16 Division Two competition which came against the Ormeau Shearers in early July.

    The PBC student was part of the South Coast Maori representative side as well in 2017.

    Taanei Heu is quite a tall front rower with plus speed for a front rower, in fact his speed would be above average for a forward of any position. Taanei Heu uses this speed to impact the defensive at top speed. He does not necessarily get back deep, but his plus speed off the mark as well as plus top speed enables him to still fit the line hard.

    Taanei Heu runs very front on but will lower his body into the defenders as the commit to the tackle, and through a combination of size, speed and determination regularly bumps the first defender off when they try to tackle Taanei Heu around the chest area.

    Once he impacts the defensive line Taanei Heu also is adept at redirecting his momentum to address the next defender who is coming in the defend him. Taanei Heu’s core body strength also enables him to make significant ground after contact dragging defenders with him.

    In defence Taanei Heu regularly is the first player up to target the ball carriers, even though he is 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.

    Taanei Heu is not averse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique and decent agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents, his technique is also quite decent for a taller player and he gets low in defence to look to mitigate the possibility of his tackles slipping up around the hard and neck area of shorter opponents.

    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. Taanei Heu can defensively handle any one on one battle that presents itself. At times in games he really does prevent opposing gaining any ground at all through the centre of the ruck.

    Taanei Heu has been named in the 2019 Burleigh MM Cup squad and will play his club rugby league on the Gold Coast in the U17 Division One competition for the Nerang Roosters.

    I must admit that I am not wedded to the idea of Taanei Heu being strictly a front rower. With his elite size, strength, speed and power operating wider of the ruck would seem to be the ideal use is his immense skill set. Whilst he may well end up in the front row in the long term it is equally possible for Taanei Heu to make a career in the second row as he moves towards the senior rugby league ranks.

    For me a current NRL player who has an eerily similar playing style to Taanei Heu is Penrith Panther Reagan Campbell-Gillard as a young front rower who does not just hit the defensive line hard but makes a lot of ground post contact because of his strength and determination to make as much ground as possible on each and every carry of the ball. Also like Campbell-Gillard Taanei Heu just exudes strength and power.

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    Flynn Daniel. (Revised)The young Burleigh Bears second rower is part of the Titans Development set up and in 2018 played some outstanding rugby league for Burleigh in the U15 Division One competition and for PBC which led to his selection in the South Coast U15 side.

    From the QSSRL U15 Championships Flynn Daniel was selected for the Queensland U15 White side for the ASSRL U15 Championships. In those Championships Flynn Daniel played in all four of their matches with those matches being against New South Wales Combined Independent School , ACT on two occasions and Queensland Maroon.

    Last week Flynn Daniel started in the second row for the Titans U15 side as they defeated a U15 Balmain Tigers touring side 16 - 10. Flynn Daniel operated on the right side of the field for the Titans in the match in his two stints on the field.

    In the GCRL U15 Division One competition Flynn Daniel played in nine matches including Burleigh’s two finals matches scoring thirteen tries, finishing third on the U15 Division One try scoring list and in fact led all forwards from a try scoring perspective in the 2018 U15 Division One competition.

    In Week One of the U15 Division One finals Flynn Daniel started in the second row as Burleigh defeated Southport 72 -2 scoring a hat trick and also started in the second row in Week Two of the finals as Burleigh were knocked out after going down 34 – 24 against Runaway Bay with Flynn Daniel contributing a double for Burleigh.

    In addition to the outstanding U15 Division One Finals series noted above, Flynn Daniel scored eight tries in the U15 Division One regular season, including hat tricks against Southport and Coomera and also scored against Currumbin and Robina.

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

    Flynn Daniel played the 2017 season on the Gold Coast with Burleigh in the U14 Division One competition unfortunately losing the Grand Final 31 – 16 to Ormeau, Flynn Daniel started the Friday night Grand Final in the second row in maroon and white.

    Over the course of the 2017 GCJRL U14 Division One competition, Flynn Daniel scored two tries from nine matches played with his tries coming against Nerang in May and against Runaway Bay in mid-July. In 2017 Flynn Daniel was also part of the Gold Coast Academy of Sport Rugby League Excellence Program which wound up for this year in early October.

    Flynn Daniel is not the biggest young backrower you will ever see although he is reasonably tall, but he is all effort in attack and will constantly run the ball into the heart of the opposition forward pack regardless of how big they are. He is a smart runner though to the extent that he does use good foot work prior to the defensive line to help negate his lack of size and he also has very good leg drive once initial contact has been made. Flynn Daniel also fights hard when tackled to ensure he gets a quick play the ball to maintain the momentum for his side.

    In addition, he has enough speed to be an effective runner of the football to run the ball on the edges of the ruck. He is not exceptionally quick but quick enough to rush defenders to make a decision of when to commit to the tackle.

    Another area where Flynn Daniel is quite effective is when he goes into dummy half to distribute the football, where he has a decent pass to both sides all be it in limited opportunities.

    In terms of his defence, Flynn Daniel has a very good low tackling technique, a skill that is not always present in any level of rugby league and is also an exceptional cover defender, in part because of the effort he puts in to track the ball across the field when opposition teams spread the ball wide. His head placement is always correct, thus reducing the possibility of injury to himself.

    Flynn Daniel will in 2019 again line up for the Burleigh Bears in the GCJRL U16 Division One competition who should once again have a solid side and also push for selection in the Gold Coast Vikings U16 squads and play for PBC in multiple school boy rugby league competitions.

    Flynn Daniel will also be pushing for a spot in the South Coast U15 school boy’s side for the 2018 QSSRL U15 State Championships from Palm Beach Currumbin State High School where he is part of their Rugby League Excellence Program.

    Flynn Daniel has primarily been a second rower his entire junior rugby league career and there is no reason for the to change as he progresses to the senior rugby league ranks especially in relation to his standard of play this season now that he is seemingly over a raft of injuries and his subsequent involvement with the U15 Titans Development Squads in 2018.

    An NRL player comparison for Flynn Daniel that I consider relevant is North Queensland Cowboys and Queensland State of Origin second rower Coen Hess. Both Flynn Daniel and Hess just charge at the defensive line and take a lot of stopping especially if no defender looks to go low. Also both are underrated defensively because so much of people’s focus is on their attack.

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    Trey Peni. (Revised) The Keebra Park student originally from the Rockingham Sharks in Western Australia is a classic example of why you should not be concerned about where a young player comes from but be only concerned about their ability on a football field and whether they can reach their full potential, Trey Peni has both area’s covered in spades and the proof is on display each weekend on Gold Coast Rugby League fields.

    Trey Peni recently started in the centres and scored for the Titans U16’s as they defeated PNG 60 – 10 at Pizzey Park.

    Trey Peni played the 2018 season with the Nerang Roosters after moving in the off season from the Coomera Cutters and has started in the centres in all bar one of their matches, scoring five tries and kicking three goals to finish the season with an individual point’s haul of 26.

    In Round One Trey Peni had an outstanding match scoring four tries and kicking two goals against Runaway Bay and in Round Four also scored a try against Burleigh.

    Trey Peni started in the centres in both of Nerang’s 2018 Finals matches being in Week Two when Nerang defeated Currumbin 32 – 22 with Trey Peni converting one of Nerang’s five tries and the Grand Final which Nerang won defeating Currumbin again 24 – 8.

    At the start of the 2017 season Trey Peni moved over to the Gold Coast to continue his flourishing rugby league career with Coomera Cutters in the GCRL U15 Division One competition and in 2018 played for the Gold Coast Vikings U16 white squad. In previous years Trey Peni has represented Western Australia at the U12 National Championships and has been a member of the West Coast Pirates Development Squad.

    For the Cutters in the U15 Division Once competition in 2017 Trey Peni played a number of positions including centre and fullback playing in ten matches scoring eight tries and kicking seven goals to finish with 46 points on the season.

    Trey Peni had an outstanding start to the 2017 season, scoring seven of his eight tries in a three game stretch from late April to early May, in that span scoring a hat trick against Helensvale and doubles against Currumbin and Burleigh. Five of his seven goals also came in that period. Trey Peni’s other try came late in the season against Nerang.

    The thing that stands out to me is that whilst he may not seem to be moving quickly Trey Peni clearly is, I cannot recall a game in any competition where he has either been run down by defenders or has been unable to support a team mate who has made a break and believe me some of the young backs at Logan Brothers have absolutely outstanding pace.

    Receiving the ball early in the back line is where Trey Peni is best suited, when he receives the ball early with space to work with, he is adept at straightening the attack and then skipping to the outside of his opposite number of use his speed to break open the opposing defensive line.

    Like his speed his lateral movement is exceptional. I am also impressed by the fact that he will get into dummy half regularly and even though he is running in the centre of the ruck, Trey Peni uses his quick twitch feet to get in between defending forwards and make more ground then you would think possible.

    From a defensive perspective, his timing and anticipation are Trey Peni’s best attributes, he has developed an effective tackling technique in terms of coming out of the line to negate the opposition attack, Trey Peni will not aim of the big hit but he is effective at wrapping out the ball and preventing the play from developing further, his natural strength is a key attribute here.

    Trey Peni will play the 2019 season in the MM Cup for Burleigh and for Nerang in the U17 Division One competition. Trey Peni will also be involved in Keebra Park’s Super Six and GIO Cup school boy rugby league campaigns amongst others.

    Trey Peni’s ultimately position is a bit of an interesting one, he played a fair bit of second row in Western Australia and also when he initially arrived on the Gold Coast. This season however, and to be fair at least the last half of last season as well, Trey Peni has played almost exclusively in the centres and has been absolutely outstanding there. It is for that reason that in the end centre seems where Trey Peni will stay for the duration of his rugby league career.

    From a player comparison perspective for Trey Peni, think of someone along the lines of the South Sydney Rabbitoh and Queensland State of Origin centre or winger back Dane Gagai as a smooth moving player with a try scoring knack who is elusive and difficult to defend against as a result.

    Trey Peni is one of a number of young players who have moved over from Western Australia to try their luck on the East Coast in recent seasons, including former Titans NYC half back Josh Rogers and Titans U18 winger Leevai Sutton and he has been an outstanding addition to the Junior Rugby league ranks on the Gold Coast and has deservedly received NRL recognition from the Titans as a result of his impressive on field performances over the last two seasons on the Gold Coast.
    Last edited by mdrew; 11-10-18 at 07:31 PM.

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    Malachi Roberts.(Revised) The flying young fullback is one of three Ballina State High School and Ballina Seagulls players with links to the Titans. Fellow students and Titans linked youngsters are Rowan Mansfield and Kuyan Roberts-Laurie.

    The exceptionally talented young athlete was offered an opportunity to join the Sydney Swans Academy but thankfully for Titans fans enjoyed rugby league too much for that.

    Malachi Roberts played the 2018 season for the Ballina Seagulls in the NRRRL U18 competition and started the NRRRL U18 Grand Final on the bench.

    In the U18 NRRRL competition this season, Malachi Roberts played in ten matches, scoring four tries which came against Cudgen, Kyogle and Lismore Marist Brothers in two separate matches.

    In 2018 Malachi Roberts also made his NRRRL Reserve Grade debut for Ballina when he came on against Northern United in the last regular season round.

    In 2017 Malachi Roberts was named in the New South Indigenous U16 side that played their Queensland counter parts containing Titans linked Jesse Braslin. Malachi Roberts started the match at fullback and a team mate was second rower and fellow Titans linked youngster Kuyan Roberts-Laurie, 2017 also saw Malachi Roberts represent the East Coast Dolphins U16 side.

    Malachi Roberts was selected to trial for the New South Indigenous U16 side after playing for the Group two junior representative side and the Forster Country Championships and at the Koori Knockout Competition in late 2016. In the trials Malachi Roberts was a standout scoring ten tries in three matches.

    Malachi Roberts played for Lismore Marist Brothers in the 2017 Group One U16.5 competition, playing in ten matches starting all at fullback and scored six tries including a late season hat trick against Ballina.

    When he was selected in the side Malachi Roberts was attending Melville High and playing for the Macleay Valley Mustangs but has since moved to Ballina to attend Ballina High School and play for the Ballina Seagulls.

    From a running perspective, Malachi Roberts just seems to glide across the field and it appears effortless, no matter who is chasing him, they will not catch Malachi Roberts, I am talking James Roberts type of pace but he has a much more effortless running style to that of the current Brisbane Bronco.

    Malachi Roberts does not necessarily have a side step per say, it is more of a swerve and he has a number of variations, with the scary part being that there is absolutely no loss of speed at all, making him incredibly difficult to stop when he is in open space and is moving towards a fullback who is near stationary.

    Malachi Roberts’s passing skills are also developing into those of the highest quality, he can pass equally well from either side of his body and can throw every type of pass imaginable, he can chime into a back line at full pace and then decelerate quickly to maintain his balance a pop a good short ball to his supports, he can throw a great spiral pass to his backline or he can quickly anticipate the numbers a throw a great cut out pass to exploit over laps.

    Defensively Malachi Roberts also stands out, with his closing speed and recovery speed he makes an impact on that side of the ball as well. With his speed, Malachi Roberts has the luxury of being able to stand a touch deeper than some fullbacks yet still be able to close quickly to negate breaks by reducing the decision making time of the attacking player.

    Similar to the attributes that make Malachi Roberts such an effective defender, Malachi Roberts is as you would expect a great returner of the ball. His sense of timing, speed and anticipation means that he gets to a lot of kicks on the full and then accelerates looking to exploit any gaps on the kick chase.

    Malachi Roberts exceptional lateral movement and sure hands means that he is a danger to make a large amount of ground from short attacking kicks by the opposition as he comes forward at full speed and retrieves with absolutely no loss of momentum and then will surprise the attacking team well before they can reorganise the defensive line.

    Malachi Roberts will continue to play for the Ballina Seagulls in the U18 NRRRL competition in 2019 and it would not surprise however if Malachi Roberts also got an opportunity for the Ballina Seagulls NRRRL First Grade side as the 2018 season progresses. Malachi Roberts will also be involved in Ballina High Schools various school boy competitions including the DEX Shield.

    Interestingly Malachi Roberts played a bit of front row in his early junior rugby league career but thankfully has played fullback for the last couple of years and has certainly found a long term home there.

    In a 2016 Macleay Valley Argus newspaper article, Malachi Roberts said of his time playing in the front row:
    “Front row was enjoyable because you get the ball in your hands a lot and I improved my defence but my best position is at the back.”
    Malachi Roberts is an exciting to watch try scoring fullback with exceptional speed, balance and body control and thus can be favourably compared to Brisbane Broncos and New South Wales State of Origin centre James Roberts. Even though they are currently playing in different positions their speed, balance and body control are on the same level.

    You just get the sense when watching Malachi Roberts play that you are watching an outstanding young rugby league player continuing to develop right before your eyes and thankfully the Titans have identified the exact same thing and got this outstanding talent into their junior development system which is fast becoming the envy of a multitude of other NRL clubs.

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    Braden Amundsen. (Revised) The young outside back started the 2018 season as part of the Burleigh MM Cup side progressing through the local U19 competition with Helensvale before getting a late season opportunity with the Burleigh Colts side.

    For Burleigh in the MM Cup competition Braden Amundsen playing five of Burleigh’s six matches, starting the opening four rounds in the centres and coming off the bench in Round Seven against Victoria. Round Seven also saw Braden Amundsen score his sole try of the 2018 MM Cup season.

    Braden Amundsen came into the Burleigh Colts squad in Round Twenty Three against Townsville starting on the wing and also started on the wing in Round Twenty Four against Easts.

    In the GCRL U19 competition of Helensvale Braden Amundsen finished third on the try scoring list with twelve tries from just fourteen matches. After scoring a double against Currumbin and following that up the following round against Ormeau, Braden Amundsen exploded scoring eight tries in a three round span.

    In that span Braden Amundsen scored hat tricks against Bilambil and Mudgeeraba and a double against Burleigh. Braden Amundsen’s final try of the season came against Bilambil late in the season.

    Braden Amundsen was a solid performer for the Helensvale Hornets U17 Division side in the 2017 GCJRL competition and as a result has caught the attention of the Titans as well as being selected in the Burleigh Bears MM Cup training squad for the 2018 season.

    Braden Amundsen started in the centres for Helensvale in their 34 – 20 Grand Final victory over Ormeau and over the course of the 2017 season scored five tries from his fourteen matches in the Yellow and White of Helensvale. All five of Braden Amundsen’s tries came in individual games including a try against Bilambil in their first 2017 final’s match. Braden Amundsen’s tries other tries came against Southport, Mudgeeraba, Runaway Bay and Bilambil in a match during the regular season.

    Braden Amundsen is reasonably quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside and will only get caught by the quickest of defenders from behind if he breaks into open space. I would not say that he has blazing speed but he does have decent top end speed I would think that it would just fall into the above average category.

    Braden Amundsen’s best attribute from an outside back perspective is his ability to keep his width and be available for his team mates, when the opposing defender cheats inside. When the ball is moved out the back line, he stays on his line. He is not and likely never will be a player who scores a great amount of tries.

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

    In defence, Braden Amundsen is not the strongest player but will certainly look to hold his line defensively and he does not hesitate to commit to the tackle regardless of the size of the opponent. I did not often see him come in when he did not need to, preferring to stay on his oppose number and trusting his teams inside and outside defenders in his Hornets team. From my perspective at least, his skill set in defence is more suited to a sliding defence structure rather than an up and in one.

    Braden Amundsen will be part of the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts side in 2019 where he will push for a spot in the centres and will still be Colts eligible in 2020.

    Positionally Braden Amundsen has the skill and physical attributes to stay in the centres for the duration of his rugby league career, but he could certainly also play on the wing at a high level.

    Braden Amundsen is just a solid classy player who seems to be able to break tackles even against far bigger opponents and has a touch of class with his passing game thus from a comparison perspective I can see aspects of the play of Penrith Panthers centre Dean Whare when watching Braden Amundsen play, he is just an effective player who slips under the radar a little.

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    Levi Tomai. The young front rower has recently been selected in the Tweed Heads Seagulls 2019 MM Cup squad after a great 2018 season with Helensvale in the GCRL U17 Division One competition. In 2018 Levi Tomai also played a number of matches in the MM Cup competition with Burleigh.

    In the 2018 MM Cup competition, Levi Tomai played one match coming off the bench in Round Four against the Souths Logan Magpies.

    For Helensvale in the U17 Division One competition Levi Tomai played in eleven matches and scored an impressive eight tries, including doubles against Mudgeeraba in two separate matches and also against Tweed Heads. Levi Tomai also scored against Runaway Bay and Burleigh.

    In 2017 Levi Tomai represented Gold Coast Vikings White at the South East Queensland U16 Age Championships.

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

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

    Levi Tomai moves up and hits the ball carrier as hard as he can, as often as he can, full stop. He is best suited to defending in the centre of the ruck and that is where you will almost always find him. For a solidly built young player, Levi Tomai moves well in terms of moving up and back in defence. His lateral movement is reasonable for a front rower as well.

    Another impressive aspect of Levi Tomai’s play from a defensive stand point is the speed at which he gets around the field, in the GPS games that I have seen him play, he is always in and around the ball, constantly getting low to disrupt the momentum of the attackers.

    Levi Tomai will be part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad in 2019 and post that competition will play for Helensvale 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.

    With his size, strength power and mind set Levi Tomai is ideally suited to playing in the front row or at lock on a rugby league field.

    Joe Ofahenguae of the Brisbane Broncos is a solid NRL player comparison for Levi Tomai in my opinion, both are hard running forwards and both are more athletic and skilful than they are given credit for by casual watchers of rugby league.


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