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  1. #1006
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    Izayah Petricevich. One player in the Titans U13 side that defeated the Western Mustangs 40 – 12 in February was Nerang Rooster Izayah Petrichvich when he played left centre and scored two tries. In the match Izayah Petricevich also spent some time in the second half on the left wing.

    Early in the 2019 season Izayah Petricevich was named in the Gold Coast Vikings U13 squad and played left centre in the Championships including scoring in the Vikings first match on Day one diving over in the left corner against Brisbane Red.

    Izayah Petricevich started the 2019 GCRL club season for Nerang in their Round One match against Ormeau.

    Izayah Petricevich moved to five eight for Round Four scoring as Nerang went down 68 – 10 to Burleigh.

    In total for Nerang, Izayah Petricevich played in three GCRL U13 Division One matches scoring against Burleigh as noted above.

    With the movement in the U13 competition, Izayah Petricevich also played in five U13 Division Two matches scoring seven tries (140% strike rate) including a hat trick against Mudgeeraba in Round Eleven and a Round Twelve double against Helensvale. Izayah Petricevich’s other 2019 U13 Division two regular season tries came against Burleigh White and Jimboomba.

    In 2018 Izayah Petricevich finished the Gold Coast Rugby League U12 Division One competition as the second leading try scorer with nine tries from ten matches, playing primarily in the second row.

    Izayah Petricevich scored hat tricks against Currumbin and Coomera, a double against Burleigh Marron, with his other try coming in Round Two against Mudgeeraba.

    In 2019 Izayah Petricevich was also a key member of the Coombabah State High School Year 8 Renouf Cup school boy side including scoring a 90 metre long range half try as Coombabah overcame a six point half time deficit to defeat Forest Lake State School 36 – 16 in the Renouf Cup Grand Final.

    Izayah Petricevich started the match at left centre and scored when in the second half. Forest Lake State High School spun the ball to the left but the ball was dropped out wide when they were on the attack.

    From a standing start Izayah Petricevich retrieved the ball and took off down the left touch line, at one point it appeared that the Forest Lake fullback would get to him but Izayah Petricevich was able to put on an extra burst of speed to break the jumper grab to score.

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Izayah Petricevich will play the 2020 season with Nerang in the U14 age group on the Gold Coast and I would anticipate continue to make junior representative sides on the Gold Coast for years to come starting with the Gold Coast Vikings side in 2020.

    Izayah Petricevich will also play for Coombabah State High School in their U14 school boy rugby league side.

    Izayah Petricevich is a tall young who played very well at left centre for both the Titans and Vikings U13 sides this season, a position that I would anticipate that he will continue to play for the foreseeable future.

    I appreciate that Izayah Petricevich this season played a number of other positions for Nerang in 2019 including at five eight but I personally believe that his skill set plays perfectly at left centre.

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

  2. #1007
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    Xavier Tauaifaiga. The young Helensvale Hornets winger was part of the Titans U13 side that played a Western Mustangs U13 selection at Mudgeeraba in February, that afternoon playing on the left wing.

    Xavier Tauaifaiga moved to Helensvale this season after playing the 2018 season U12 Division One season with Runaway Bay.

    Xavier Tauaifaiga also played on the left wing for the 2019 Gold Coast Vikings U13 side at the Hill Stumer scoring the U13 Vikings first try of the competition in their first match against Brisbane Red.

    After the completion of the competition, Xavier Tauaifaiga was selected in the South East Queensland U13 training squad.

    Whilst he has been playing on the left wing for the Titans and in the representative arena, Xavier Tauaifaiga has primarily operated in the centres, specifically left centre for Helensvale in the GCRL U13 Division One competition this season.

    Over the course of the 2019 regular season Xavier Tauaifaiga played in twelve matches for the Hornets in the U13 Division One competition and scored twelve tries amongst others against Southport (Round One), Runaway Bay (Round Four) Nerang (Round Five), Runaway Bay (Round Eleven), Currumbin (Round Thirteen) and Burleigh (Round Fourteen).

    In Round Six Xavier Tauaifaiga scored a double as Helensvale defeated Ormeau 54 – 6, he also scored a Round Nine double against Southport and added another double in Round Twelve against Coomera.

    In Week two of the GCRL U13 Division One Finals series Xavier Tauaifaiga started at left centre against Ormeau, scoring in the match which propelled Helensvale directly to the Grand Final.

    In the U13 Division One Grand Final against Burleigh Xavier Tauaifaiga started the match at right centre scoring in the 26th minute of the first half when he dived over from dummy half from close range diving to his right out of dummy half. Helensvale went on to win the U13 Division One Grand Final 26 – 22 against Burleigh.

    In the Grand Final Xavier Tauaifaiga also made an outstanding try saving tackle late in the first half on Burleigh centre Sam Stephenson.

    Xavier Tauaifaiga made his GCRL U14 Division One debut from the bench in Round Nine against Beaudesert after scoring a double in the U13 Division One fixture earlier in the day. Xavier Tauaifaiga made his first U14 Division One start in Round Thirteen against Ormeau on the wing after starting in the centres in the U13 Division One match directly prior.

    In total in the GCRL U14 Division One competition in 2019 Xavier Tauaifaiga played in five matches, on each occasion backing up from playing in the U13 Division One fixture earlier in the round (read day).

    In 2018 Xavier Tauaifaiga played in thirteen U12 Division One matches for Runaway Bay scoring 32 points from seven tries and two conversions.

    For his build, Xavier Tauaifaiga is very quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside and will not get caught from behind if he gets into open space. Whilst his speed off the mark cannot be considered explosive Xavier Tauaifaiga has good top end speed once he gets moving.

    In addition to his speed Xavier Tauaifaiga seems to have the ability to “freeze” his direct opponent with his ability to step off both feet before accelerating around them usually on the touchline side.

    On the wing, with his low centre of gravity Xavier Tauaifaiga is able to come in and take runs through the centre of the ruck, and effective runs at that. Xavier Tauaifaiga will take off from dummy half and use his elite foot work make a lot of the “tough” yards.

    Defensively the area that Xavier Tauaifaiga 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.

    Xavier Tauaifaiga 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.

    Xavier Tauaifaiga will play the remainder of the 2019 season with Helensvale in the GCRL U13 Division One competition.

    Whilst Xavier Tauaifaiga has played in the centres, specifically left centre, for the Helensvale U13 Division One side this season, I would suggest that where he has played for the Titans, Vikings and Helensvale u14 Division One this season, that being on the left wing, is where his future ultimately lies.

    On the wing I like his ability to run out of dummy half and he just seems to know where the sideline is intuitively when he is looking to take advantage of space down the side line.

    For me Xavier Tauaifaiga has a playing style akin that that of Manly Seagulls left winger Jorge Taufua, both are solid players with the ability to make an impact in many facets of the game in a way that many may over look but certainly not their team mates or coaches.

  3. #1008
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    Matthew Wilton-Waldron. (Revised) He is a local 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.

    Matthew Wilton-Waldron this season played for Helensvale in the GCRL U18 Division One competition playing in twelve regular season matches scoring his sole try of the season against Ormeau in June.

    Matthew Wilton-Waldron also started both of Helensvale’s finals matches in the second row including their Week Two Finals loss 34 – 26 to eventual premiers Ormeau.

    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 2020 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 late September Matthew Wilton-Waldron was also selected in the 2020 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad.

    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 Newcastle Knights second rower Lachlan Fitzgibbon.

  4. #1009
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    Jordan Lewis (Stewart-Lewis). The talented Ormeau Shearers youngster has moved around a bit from a position perspective over the last couple of seasons including representing the Gold Coast Vikings at the U13 level in the back row, in 2017 at half and the last two seasons at five eight.

    Jordan Lewis played the 2018 season for Ormeau Shearers in the GCRL U16 Division One competition playing in fifteen matches including starting the Grand Final at five eight and kicking the winning penalty goal in Golden Point as Ormeau defeated Coomera 22 – 20.

    In total in his fifteen matches, including finals, Jordan Lewis scored 98 points from five tries and 39 goals. His five tries came in separate matches against Currumbin and Coomera, twice and also against Helensvale.

    With the boot this season Jordan Lewis kicked eight goals in Round Three against Southport and five on two occasions being against Currumbin and Burleigh.

    In the 2018 Gold Coast Rugby League U15 Division One competition for Ormeau, Jordan Lewis finished as both the competitions leading goal kicker with 40 goals and point’s scorer with 116 points.

    Over the course of the 2018 Jordan Lewis scored nine tries including doubles against Mudgeeraba and Runaway Bay and also scored in matches against Helensvale, Southport, Coomera and Runaway Bay twice.

    With the boot Jordan Lewis kicked six goals in a match on three occasions being against Mudgeeraba (he also scored two tries to finish the match with twenty points), Southport and Coomera.

    Jordan Lewis started at five eight in Week One of the U15 Division One Finals series scoring a try and kicking two goals and Ormeau defeated Runaway Bay 28 – 12.

    In Week Two of the Finals Jordan Lewis also started at five eight as Ormeau qualified for the Grand Final with a 44 – 6 victory over Coomera with Jordan Lewis contributing a try and six goals.

    In the U15 Division One Grand Final Jordan Lewis, once again started at five eight as Ormeau finished a great season by defeating Runaway Bay 38 – 20 in the decider with Jordan Lewis once again at the forefront contributing a try and five goals.

    In 2017 the young man had an outstanding season finishing with 117 points from ten tries, thirty eight goals and a field goal in the GCJRL U14 Division One competition including starting at half back, scoring a try, kicking three conversions and a field goal in the U14 Division One Grand Final against victory over Burleigh.

    From a try scoring perspective, Jordan Lewis scored four tries in a match in early June kicking five goals in that match to finish with 26 points as well and in May against Runaway Bay in May he scored a hat trick and kicked seven goals for 26 points as well. Jordan Lewis also kicked seven conversions in a victory over Nerang in Round One of the competition and five goals against Runaway Bay in the Preliminary Final.

    In 2017 Jordan Lewis represented the U14 Gold Coast Vikings side where he was selected at hooker and from there he was selected in the South East Queensland U14 White side for the Queensland Age Championships which were held in Toowoomba in July 2017.

    In 2016 Jordan Lewis primarily came off the interchange bench for the U13 Vikings side including scoring on Day Two in a 58 – 6 victory over the Ipswich Diggers a match in which Titans linked front rower Brody Smitka was outstanding. After those Championships which were held at Carina Jordan Lewis was selected to represent South East Queensland Green at the Queensland Age Championships.

    Jordan Lewis is not necessarily the quickest half running around but he does have some reasonable speed off the mark, which is complemented by the fact that he runs at the right moment, for example when he is drifting across field he will dummy and run when defenders anticipate the pass rather than focussing on him running the ball. Jordan Lewis’s ability to put runners into holes complements his ability to run with the ball.

    Jordan Lewis’s defence for a half is very good for a smaller forward he is a hard hitter and can defend effectively one on one against far larger forwards, he sets a good base with his lower body and explodes upwards with his shoulders into his opponent and is also very good at slowing the play the ball down. His intensity means that he will track the play across and thus is in a good position when the ball is passed back inside.

    Jordan Lewis will play the upcoming 2020 season once again with Ormeau Shearers in the GCJRL U18 Division One competition and in late September Matthew Wilton-Waldron was also selected in the 2020 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad.

    A final position perspective is an interesting one, in previous seasons Jordan Lewis spent a fair bit of time in the second row but this season he played in various positions including half back and hooker making a good fist of them as well. On that basis it is hard to go past Jordan Lewis staying at half for at least the short term.

    Jordan Lewis may also get an extended opportunity to make his mark at hooker over the coming years. Dare I saw it, but Jordan Lewis looks like the perfect NRL interchange player with his developing ability to play in the halves, at hooker and as a running back rower.

    From a rugby league player comparison perspective, I think that the play of Canterbury Bulldogs and New Zealand International five eight Keiran Foran is a good comparison for Jordan Lewis, as a solidly built, strong running, hardworking half with under rated play making skills.

  5. #1010
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    Tahne Robinson. (Revised) The young Tweed Coast Raiders half has already donned a Titans jersey in a number of Titans junior development matches a couple of years ago and may well do so again in the future if his play in the last two years is any guide at all.

    After moving at the start of 2019 to be part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side, Thane Robinson started Round One at half against the Western Mustangs.

    Tahne Robinson’s Round Six try against the Mackay Cutters which was played as a curtain raiser to the Cowboys – Storm NRL clash resulted from an outstanding piece of play. Tahne Robinson moved across field to his left with Tweed Heads on the attack and it was literally a show and go that split the defence for Tahne Robinson to score.

    Thane Robinson also scored in Round Eight against the Ipswich Jets. Thane Robinson operating on the left sent a pass out second rower Reece Butler who passed the ball back inside to Tahne Robinson who produced two outstanding steps off his left foot in short order to score under the posts untouched.

    Round Ten against the Easts Tigers saw Tahne Robinson with a try assist when he threw a great cut out ball to his left for Callum Boomer to crash over.

    Tahne Robinson also had a try assist in Round Eleven against the Northern Pride. Tahne Robinson ran the ball to a short blind side close to the Northern Pride line taking the ball right to the line before putting in a great short left kick for Harley Wood to score in the corner.

    In the match, Thane Robinson also kicked a field goal. It looked like he was going to continue the move to the right but stepped back off his right foot to slot a left footed field goal from right in front.

    In total for Tweed Heads in the 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition, Tahne Robinson played in eighteen matches, including their Elimination Final loss to Mackay, starting all bar Round Twenty Two against Souths Logan when he started from the bench at half and captaining the side on a number of occasions.

    In addition to the tries noted above in Rounds Six and Eight, Tahne Robinson also scored in Round Five against Wynnum Manly.

    After moving to the Tweed Coast Raiders NRRRL side at the start of the 2018 season Tahne Robinson made every post a winner.

    For the Raiders in the NRRRL First grade competition in 2018 Tahne Robinson was been involved in fifteen matches including the final’s series.

    In the regular season of the NRRRL First Grade competition, Tahne Robinson scored fourteen tries and kicked forty eight goals to finish with 152 points.

    Tahne Robinson had big matches in Round Four against Lismore Marist Brothers when he scored a double and kicked four goals and in Round Five against Mullumbimby when he also scored a double but in that match kicked five goals. Round Nine in a Raiders 60 – 0 win over Evans Head also saw Tahne Robinson score a double and kick two goals in the big win.

    Round Ten saw Tahne Robinson play in the U18 fixture against Lower Clarence and then back up in the NRRRL First Grade match kicking eight goals from ten attempts in a Tweed Coast Raiders 56 – 28 victory over Lower Clarence.

    In Round Twelve against Northern united, Tahne Robinson scored a try and kicked seven goals and Round Fourteen saw Tahne Robinson score a double and kick six goals against Byron Bay.

    Tahne Robinson’s other tries in 2018 have come against Northern United on two occasions, Murwillumbah(on two occasions), Cudgen and his 2017 club Casino RSM.

    In the Round Eight top of the table clash against Cudgen, Thane Robinson kicked three goals from three attempts to lead the raiders to a two point win. In relation to the particular match against Cudgen Tahne Robinson was backing up the day after playing in the New South Wales Country U23 Championship Final.

    In the Preliminary Final Tahne Robinson kicked two first half goals as Tweed Coast held on to defeat Murwillumbah to progress to the NRRRL First Grade Grand Final against Ballina.

    In the NRRRL First Grade Grand Final Tahne Robinson started at half back against Ballina with Tweed Coast winning in convincing style 24 – 4 against Ballina with Tahne Robinson kicking four goals, including three conversions and a second half penalty goal.

    The local paper the Northern Star, in their NRRRL Grand Final write-up gave Tahne Robinson’s performance an 8.5/10 and noted that he kept Ballina off balance the entire game.

    Tahne Robinson set up Tweed Coast first try of the Grand Final in just the second minute when he put in a deft left foot chip which Ballina scored from. In the Grand Final Tahne Robinson regularly took the ball to the field and was also very good defensively.

    In 2018 Tahne Robinson also played in six NRRRL U18 matches for the Tweed Coast Raiders.

    Over the course of 2018 season Tahne Robinson played for the Norther Rivers U23 representative side in the New South Wales Country U23 Championships starting at half back in all three of their matches, including the Championship Final recently in a 26 – 22 wing over Monaro, a match that saw Tahne Robinson kick three goals.

    Thane Robinson’s other two matches for Northern Rivers in the New South Wales Country U23 Championships were against North Coast and the Greater Northern Tigers starting both at half back.

    In 2017 Tahne Robinson was a standout for Casino RSM in the NRRRL First Grade competition even though he was still eligible for U18’s. Unfortunately for Tahne Robinson and his Casino RSM team mates they were defeated 32-20 in their NRRRL semi-final by his new team the Tweed Coast Raiders. Tahne Robinson towards the end of last year was named the NRRRL Rookie of the season.

    The former St Mary’s College Casino student was also selected in the MCC 18 years Presidents Rugby League team in 2017. Tahne Robinson over his junior career has made numerous Group One Junior Representative sides as well.

    Tahne Robinson only played in one U18 NRRRL match in 2017 season but he made the most of it, scoring 18 points from a try and seven goals against Mullumbimby in April. Tahne Robinson played thirteen 2017 Novaskills NRRRL First Grade matches scoring nine tries and a conversion over those matches. In addition to the double in the final regular season round against his new team being the Tweed Coast Raiders, Tahne Robinson scored a double in mid-July against Mullumbimby.

    Earlier in 2017 season Tahne Robinson was named at half back for the East Coast Dolphins U18 side in the New South Wales Country Championships. Tahne Robinson played the 2016 season in the U18 NRRRL Competition with Casino RSM and finished as the leading points scorer in the competition with 106 points which came from four tries and 45 goals.

    Tahne Robinson is only slight of build even when up against players in his own age group but looks even smaller against men. Do not take his lack of size in any way as a lack of ability or courage, Tahne Robinson has a lot of both, which is on display each time he runs onto the field.

    With the ball Tahne Robinson is a very good distributor and will take the ball to the line in an effort to set up his supports. Tahne Robinson is particularly adept at using the blind side when he sees an opportunity.

    Tahne Robinson has an exceptional show and go and step has scored a number of tries in 2017 in first grade using these traits including his first try against the Tweed Coast Raiders late in the 2017 season. Once he is open space his above average speed off the mark allows him to gain separation from the defence and enables him the time to make the correct decision with the ball.

    From kicking perspective Tahne Robinson has a very good short tactical kicking game especially in relation to grubber kicks into the in goal area where he is able to weight the ball well, the try he set up in the Grand Final is testament to his very good left foot.

    Being left footed is a great advantage for Tahne Robinson moving forward as it allows a team to have a kicker either side of the ruck that is kicking using their preferred angle.

    From a goal kicking perspective Tahne Robinson displays both range and accuracy and has the opportunity going forward to be a team’s first choice goal kicking option. Even from right on the touch line, Tahne Robinson’s left foot has the power and accuracy to be a good chance of kicking the goal.

    In defence, due to his size Tahne Robinson is obviously not going to come up with the big hit but reads the play well and can hold his own when defending much bigger players and against players with similar size is very aggressive when finishing off his tackles. He is also very vocal on the field always talking and encouraging his side to move up in a straight line and make hard initial contact with the ball runner.

    Tahne Robinson will be part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts squad once again in 2020.

    Tahne Robinson always has been and always will be a half back when playing rugby league although he would likely be able to full in at hooker should the need arise.

    From a player comparison perspective for Tahne Robinson think of someone like the Titans own Ashley Taylor as a young play maker who whilst having all the skills necessary for a future at half back, also shows the ability to alter his game based on what his team needs during the course of a match and whose kicking game can have a major impact.

    One aspect where Tahne Robinson is a touch different to Taylor is that he is constantly looking to take the line on as often as possible, I am not saying that he is reckless running the ball, more that Tahne Robinson is very confident in his ability to run the ball and looks to do so on a regular basis.

    Tahne Robinson’s improvement this season has been nothing short of incredible and was in no way out of his depth as an 18 year old playing for the Northern Rivers U23 side in 2018 and was unlucky not to be selected in the New South Wales Country U23 side such was the quality of his performances over the course of the 2018 season.

  6. #1011
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    Bailey Martin. (Revised) He is a local young backrower from the Burleigh Bears junior rugby league club on the Gold Coast who is a Titans contracted player.

    Bailey Martin has already played in a number of matches in Titans colours, the first being when he started at lock for the Titans U15 side in their late 2018 match against the Balmain Tigers at Cudgen. Bailey Martin was awarded the Titans best forward award that night.

    In early 2019, Bailey Martin played his second match in Titans colours starting once again at lock for the Titans U16’s against Newcastle. Bailey Martin was the Titans vice-captain for the match.

    In addition to once again confirming that he is an outstanding worker in both attack and defence, Bailey Martin also highlighted his developing ball playing skills. In the second half when the Titans were coming out of their own half, Bailey Martin took the ball for a hit-up but instead of just running into the Newcastle defensive line, he popped a great short ball to his right to Joseph Shannon who charged down the field on a fifty metre run.

    In the lead up to the play you could see Bailey Martin pointing to the gap that he wanted Joseph Shannon to run into and then threw the great ball exactly as he had indicated.

    Bailey Martin also displayed his toughness during the match. He got hit with a high tackle in the second half, but shook it off to take the first hit-up from the penalty restart.

    Speaking of restarts Bailey Martin had an incredible start to the second half, taking two hit-ups in the Titans first set of six and then made two or three tackles in a row the first time Newcastle had the ball.

    In short Bailey Martin had an outstanding match and must have been at or near the top in terms of the most tackles and hit-ups for the Titans in the match.

    Early in the 2019 season Bailey Martin represented the Gold Coast Vikings Yellow U16’s scoring on Match Day Four against Brisbane Green in a big 44 – 4 victory for the Gold Coast side. Post that competition Bailey Martin was named in the South East Queensland U16 train on squad.

    Subsequently Bailey Martin was named in the 2019 South East Queensland Green U16 side for the Queensland Age Championships starting for them at lock. Post those Championships Bailey Martin was selected at lock in the Queensland City U16 side to play Queensland Country U16’s.

    Unfortunately Bailey Martin only lasted twenty five minutes before a shoulder injury forced him off the field, but he made the most of his time on the field including a great second effort with the ball which almost led to him scoring under the posts in the opening minutes.

    In his twenty five minutes on the field, Bailey Martin ran for thirty two minutes (six post contact), had a line break assist, broke a tackle and made fifteen tackles at a tackling efficiency of 88.24%.

    Bailey Martin was named to start Round One of the GCRL U16 Division One competition in the front row for Burleigh in their match against Coomera but due to injuries started in the second row as he did in Round Two.

    In total in the 2019 GCRL U16 Division One regular season competition, Bailey Martin played in six regular season matches alternating between the front row and the second row scoring against Helensvale in late May.

    In Week One of the 2019 Finals series, Bailey Martin came off the bench around the twenty minute mark (he had come off the bench for PBC in their GIO Cup Queensland quarter final win three days prior) and scored a double as the Bears defeated Helensvale 42 – 20.

    Bailey Martin made his GCRL U18 Division One debut in Round Six against Runaway Bay starting from the bench as the Bears won 28 – 6. Bailey Martin came on around the 15 minute mark, playing the remainder of the match at lock for the Bears.

    Impressively for Bailey Martin he was selected on the bench for the PBC Open A side for their first Langer Cup match against Wavell State High School, not bad at all for a 16 year old. Bailey Martin came on in the first half in the dummy half role and played exceptionally well in his approximately 45 minutes on the field, including setting up a try when he darted out of dummy half before giving a good short ball to his front rower. He also made a good twenty break when he took advantage of a back peddling Marsden defensive line.

    Round Two of the Langer Cup saw Bailey Martin start the afternoon playing lock for the PBC Reserve Grade side but after playing impressively and scoring Bailey Martin was removed from the game in preparation for the Open A match.

    In the Open A match Bailey Martin came on at half time in PBC’s 18-12 and was his typical self, tackling everything that moved with his outstanding tackling technique.

    Defensively Bailey Martin stood up to every challenge that the big Marsden forwards threw at him, he really did defend well and for he Bailey martin has the best defensive technique in the Titans development system.

    Bailey Martin was also involved off the bench for the PBC Opens Round Three and Four Langer Cup matches against Ipswich State High School and Wavell State High School.

    Bailey Martin also deservedly started from the bench in the Langer Cup derby against Keebra Park in June scoring PBC’s final try as they prevailed 34 – 26, coming on late in the first half. Bailey Martin also scored PBC’s final try of the match to seal the result for PBC.

    Bailey Martin took a hit up from around ten metres out from the line to the left of the play the ball, running with the ball in two hands out in front of his body, this essentially froze the Keebra Park defenders on their try line which Bailey Martin exploited to dive over near the left upright with just six minutes left in the match.

    Bailey Martin also started from the bench for PBC in their Queensland GIO Cup quarter final win over St Mary’s High School Toowoomba 50 – 6 coming into the match late in the first half initially playing in the backrow.

    Bailey Martin started from the bench for PBC in their GIO Cup Queensland Cup semi-final against Marsden State High School and scored a first half try but unfortunately PBC went down in golden point 23 – 22. In a sign of how highly he is thought up, Bailey Martin was brought back onto the field in the dying minutes and extra time.

    Getting back to his try, Bailey Martin showed outstanding speed to score over forty metres, receiving an inside pass from Toby Sexton and producing a great left arm fend on the initial Marsden defender before showing the Marsden fullback a clean pair of heels to score adjacent to the right upright.

    Bailey Martin after a stellar 2018 QSSRL U15 Championships where he starred for South Coast at lock picking up a number of Player of the Match awards and was subsequently selected in the Queensland Maroon side for the ASSRL U15 Championships in July.

    Bailey Martin was named at lock for Queensland Green who went through the competition undefeated with Bailey Martin involved in each of Queensland Green’s four matches including the Championship final against NSW CCC.

    Bailey Martin also started at lock for PBC in their 2018 Walters Cup match against rivals Keebra Park at Pizzey Park with PBC winning 22 – 16 in a tough match where the last ten minutes or so was particularly willing to say the least. I could not see what happened to set it off from where I watched the game but it got very willing especially between both sets of forwards with the game in the balance.

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

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

    Bailey Martin was part of the 2018 U15 Queensland Emerging Origin squad and attended a couple of the camps including one on the Sunshine Coast in February where the U15 squad played a simulated match against the U16 Emerging Origin squad.

    Bailey Martin is also part of the 2019 Queensland U16 Emerging Origin squad, with the squad completing their first camp of the year recently. At that camp in the opposed session was on the same side as Kaleb Ngamanu and Orlando Swain.

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

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

    In total in the 2018 U15 Division One competition Bailey Martin played in ten matches including the Finals series, scoring three tries in the process. Bailey Martin scored in his first U15 Division One match of the season being Round One against Helensvale and also scored in the regular season against Southport.

    In Week One of the 2018 U15 Division One Finals series, Bailey Martin started at lock and scored his third try of the season as Burleigh dismantled Southport 72 – 2.

    On Week Two of the Finals Bailey Martin and his Burleigh team mates bowed out on the back of a 34 – 24 loss to Runaway Bay.

    In 2018 Bailey Martin also played one match up in the U16 Division One competition with that match being against Currumbin in August.

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

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

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

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

    Where he really excels though is his footwork, Bailey Martin has very good late and quick foot work which enables him to change direction quickly allowing him to readjust where he is running to take advantage of either a late developing hole in the defensive line or where the defensive line is repositioning late.

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

    Even when he is taking a hit up in the centre of the ruck, Bailey Martin’s feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight adjustments to his running angle and he is also able to maintain his speed regardless of the multiple directional changes. He seems just to run at a faster pace than other forwards on the field. These attributes lead to a number of line breaks and he has the speed to convert them into tries himself in eth main.

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

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

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

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

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

    Bailey Martin will play for Burleigh in the U18 Division One competition in 2020 as well as playing for PBC and once again there should be some very good battles in that age group with Keebra Park. With the confidence that the PBC coaching staff have in him it would not surprise if Bailey Martin has a senior leadership role in the PBC Open side come the 2020 school boy campaign.

    Bailey Martin will start the 2020 season as part of the Burleigh MM Cup side and should immediately push for a spot in the starting side if not certainly on the bench as a utility player who can play in the back row or lock as well as spending some time at hooker.

    From a long term position perspective, I believe that he will continue to play in the back row when all is said and done. I appreciate that Bailey Martin played a number of matches in the front row in 2017 but he has too much skill and foot work to be considered as a bash and barge type of player in that position.

    I will admit however that his play at hooker for the PBC Open side has me very intrigued. With his speed off the mark and already decent ball skills (additional repetitions at hooker would only enhance them) and the ability to tackle all day that may well be just where Bailey Martin’s future lies.

    From an NRL player comparison perspective, with his touch above average speed and quick late footwork that Bailey Martin has displayed over recent seasons I think that an appropriate player comparison is Sydney Roosters lock Victor Radley with the potential to be a lot more on top of that as well.

    Like Radley, Bailey Martin is also developing the ability to fill in at dummy half if and when the need arises.

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

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

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

  7. #1012
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    Larry Siala. The big strong young front rower was one of a number of standouts for the Titans U14 side that defeated the Western Mustangs 32 – 8 in February at Mudgeeraba and also started in the front row for the Titans U14 side that defeated a Titans NRRRL U14/15 Invitational side 32 – 10 last Thursday night.

    On that extremely hot Saturday in February at Mudgeeraba Larry Siala had a simply outstanding match constantly making ground with the ball through the centre of the ruck and as a result of his late footwork prior to the line made major metres post contact and also got away a few more than impressive off-loads usually one handed right ones at that.

    I can also recall a couple of huge hits that he put on a couple of Western Mustangs forwards with a couple forcing the ball loose as a result of the contact by Larry Siala. Larry Siala really did stand out as a young player on the rise in that match.

    Larry Siala was selected in the 2019 Ipswich Diggers U14 representative side for the Hill Stumer Championships playing both in the second row and front row in the Diggers three matches.

    After the completion of the competition, Larry Siala was selected in the South East Queensland Green U14 squad for the Queensland Age Championships. At the Championships, Larry Siala was named on the interchange bench. Over the course of his four games at the Championships, Larry Siala highlighted his aggressiveness especially in defence.

    The St Edmunds College (Ipswich) student plays in the Ipswich Rugby League competition, in 2019 playing for Norths in the U14 age group.

    In the 2019 U14 pre-season Larry Siala played in three matches scoring five tries, including a hat trick against Goodna Black in Round Three and a Round Two hat trick against Brothers Ipswich White. His five tries were enough to finish the pre-season as the competitions equal second leading try scorer.

    Larry Siala started Round One of the Ipswich Rugby League U14 competition in the front row, scoring for Ipswich Norths in their 14 – 10 loss to Goodna Black. Larry Siala backed that up by also scoring in Round Two against Springfield as Norths won 44 – 0.

    Larry Siala made it three tries from as many matches when he scored again in Round Three as Norths defeated Brothers Ipswich 24 – 8. Larry Siala also scored in Round Six against Goodna and Round Eight against Ipswich Brothers.

    In total in the 2019 Ipswich Rugby League U14 regular season competition, Larry Siala played in twelve matches scoring eight tries for a 67% strike rate.

    In Week One of the Ipswich Rugby League U14 Finals Series Larry Siala started in the front row for Norths against Goodna with Norths going down 20 -10. Larry Siala also started in the front row in Week Two of the Finals against Brothers Ipswich being their Preliminary Final victory.

    In the U14 Ipswich Rugby League Grand Final Larry Siala started in the front row against Goodna Black with Ipswich Norths going down 14 - 12.

    Larry Siala made his Ipswich Rugby League U15 debut in Round Nine against Swifts Bluebirds celebrating the occasion by scoring in Norths big 58 – 8 win.

    Larry Siala started in the front row in the 2018 U13 Ipswich Grand Final and scored a try as Norths prevailed 26 – 22 in a close contest against Goodna Black.

    In total in the 2018 U13 season, Larry Siala played in fourteen matches scoring twenty one tries for a strike rate of an impressive 150%.

    In 2017 Larry Siala represented Met West in the QSSRL U12 Championships.

    Larry Siala is a tallish front rower with plus speed for a front rower, in fact his speed would be above average for a forward regardless of position. Larry Siala 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.

    Larry Siala runs very front on at present 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 Larry Siala around the chest area.

    Once he impacts the defensive line Larry Siala also is adept at redirecting his momentum to address the next defender who is coming in the defend him.

    In defence Larry Siala is 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 and win the wrestling battle to slow down the play the ball.

    Larry Siala 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.

    Larry Siala will play the 2020 season for Ipswich Norths in the Ipswich U15 competition. In relation to school sport, Larry Siala will play school boy rugby for St Edmunds College in the AIC U15A competition and also likely play rugby league for St Edmunds College in Term Three of 2020 in the AIC school boy rugby league competition.

    Larry Siala is a big strong powerful young man with outstanding attributes such as size, strength, speed, mobility and power and as such seems destined to stay in the front row for the duration of what should be a long and prosperous rugby league career.

    Joe Ofahenguae of the Brisbane Broncos and Queensland State of Origin side is a solid NRL player comparison for Larry Siala 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.

    Larry Siala understandably has a long way to go to get to the NRL (as does every player in the U14 age group for that matter) but wow he really made me sit up and take notice with his performance for the Titans U14 side in February against the Western Mustangs, he was simply dominant and even in the hot conditions played a significant portion of the match without being interchanged.

    Larry Siala really is an outstanding talent and the more games that he gets under his belt the more comfortable and confident he will become with that added experience. This year’s representative exposure with the Ipswich Diggers and South East Queensland Green U14 sides in their respective Championships as well as his two matches for the Titans will hold him in good stead for his future endeavours on a rugby league field

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    Hayden Mills. Big strong young Hayden Mills started in the front row for Southport in Round One of the GCRL U18 Division One competition, his first match on the Gold Coast since moving from Moree in Northern New South Wales.

    For Southport in the GCRL U18 Division One regular season competition Hayden Mills played in fourteen matches including finals over the course of the 2019 season moving between starting in the front row or at lock and scored his first try in Round Thirteen against Mudgeeraba.

    In the U18 Division One Grand Final against Burleigh Hayden Mills started in the front row and toiled hard against a mobile Burleigh forward pack in Southport’s 28 – 12 loss.

    In 2018, for the Moree Boars in the Group 19 competition, Hayden Mills played in both the U16 and U18 competitions.

    In the 2018 Group 19 U18 competition, Hayden Mills played in six matches, not bad at all for a 16 year old. In the 2018 Group 19 U16 competition Hayden Mills was impressive in the eight matches that he played, scoring seven tries.

    Hayden Mills scored doubles against the Inverell Hawks and Glen Innes Magpies and also scored in other matches against the Glenn Innes Magpies twice and the Warialda Wombats.

    In previous seasons, Hayden Mills has been a regular Group 19 under age representative sides including at the U14 and U15 levels.

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

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

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

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

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

    Hayden Mills is also disciplined in his defensive attitude and rarely gets penalised for holding down or having his hands on or near the football. His aim is to win the defensive battle and then be ready to make the next tackle.

    Hayden Mills played the 2019 season with the Southport Tigers in the GCRL U18 Division One competition and is U18 eligible once again in 2020 and I am sure will look to break into either the Tweed Heads or Burleigh MM Cups squads.

    From a position perspective, from what I understand has spent essentially his entire junior rugby league career in the front row or lock and therefore that is likely where he will stay in the middle of the field for the duration.

    I did not see a great deal of Hayden Mills prior to this season but for me his playing style is similar to that of Titan Jai Whitbread. Both have some size about them as well as good footwork and will tackle everything that moves in the centre of the ruck at a high tackling efficiency percentage.

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    Dillon Pinder. For me one of the most impressive players in the NRRRL U18 competition this season was Cudgen left second rower Dillon Pinder. In last weekend’s NRRRL U18 Grand Final, Dillon Pinder was one of Cudgen’s best as they went down 24 – 6 to Ballina.

    Dillon Pinder played matches for Cudgen across all three senior grades in the NRRRL competition in 2019 being First Grade, Reserve Grade and U18’s.

    In the NRRRL U18 competition, including finals Dillon Pinder played in thirteen matches scoring seven tries most of the barnstorming variety.

    In addition to a semi-final hat trick against Ballina, Dillon Pinder also scored tries against Lismore Marist Brothers in Round One and against Lower Clarence and Lismore Marist Brothers on three separate occasions.

    Dillon Pinder also played in two reserve grade matches, his debut coming against Lismore Marist Brothers in March and also played in a match against Northern United.

    Dillon Pinder made his NRRRL First Grade debut in April against Murwillumbah going on to play in nine First Grade matches overall, scoring in three of those. Dillon Pinder’s first NRRRL First Grade try came in just his 4th first grade match against Evans Head and he also scored against Mullumbimby and Kyogle.

    Dillon Pinder also played in the NRRRL U18 competition in 2018 playing in eleven matches scoring six tries including a double in the last round of the regular season against Tweed Coast. Dillon Pinder’s other tries were against Kyogle, Lower Clarence, Murwillumbah and Tweed Coast.

    2018 also saw Dillon Pinder play for the Northern Rivers U18 side in the inaugural U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition.

    Dillon Pinder made his NRRRL U16 debut as a 16 year old in 2017, playing fifteen matches that season and scoring three tries.

    In 2015 and 2016 Dillon Pinder represented Group 18 at the U14 and U16 level respectively at the New South Wales Country Age Championships.

    Dillon Pinder is a powerfully built young second rower, which makes him quite difficult to tackle as he is also adept at dropping his shoulder into defenders as he impacts the defensive line.

    There is no subtlety to his game, he runs straight and hard, with the only concession to this being a slight step off his left foot in occasion prior to impacting the defensive line. One thing that Dillon Pinder does do will however is continuing to pump his legs once his initial momentum is halted by the defensive line.

    Dillon Pinder makes more metres than he should as a result and also forces defending teams to commit multiple defensive assets to stopping his forward progress. Dillon Pinder is also adept at getting a quick play the ball regardless of the number of defenders that are involved in tackling him.

    Like his attacking game, Dillon Pinder’s defensive methodology is simply constructed and enacted. Dillon Pinder moves up and hits the ball carrier as hard as he can, as often as he can, full stop. Dillon Pinder is best suited to defending in the centre of the ruck and that is where you will almost always find him and for a powerfully built young player.

    Dillon Pinder moves well in terms of moving up and back in defence. His lateral movement is also actually quite reasonable for a big second rower as well.

    Dillon Pinder’s U18 eligibility is complete and in 2020 I would like to see him give the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition a real crack and I think that he would push for immediate playing time in that competition with the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

    Dillon Pinder is a big strong powerful young man who has been dominant at left second row over the last two years for Cudgen in the NRRRL U18 competition and for that matter in the NRRRL First Grade competition and that is surely where his future lies.

    The NRL player comparison for Dillon Pinder is one of the easiest I have ever considered with his game eerily similar to that of North Queensland Cowboy Coen Hess, both a tall powerfully built players with outstanding speed for their size.

    I think that sometimes big powerful players like Hess and Dillon Pinder are unfairly critiqued if they don’t make breaks or score every time that they touch the ball heck opposing teams are always keyed into the danger that they pose and adjust accordingly

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    Jayden Campbell. (Revised) The young Titans contracted goal kicking fullback, five eight or winger started at fullback for the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts side in Round One in their 24 all draw with Norths with Jayden Campbell kicked three from four conversions and a last minute penalty goal to tie the match up and finish an outstanding Burleigh comeback after they found themselves 24 – 6 down.

    Jayden Campbell scored his first try of the 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts 2019 campaign in Round Three against Tweed Heads when in the second half he sliced through the Seagulls defence to score near the right corner post. Jayden Campbell had received the ball when he chimed into the back line and sliced through the back peddling defensive line with ease.

    After spending two rounds in the Gold Coast Rugby League U20 competition, and starring with five tries, Jayden Campbell moved back into the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts side on the right wing in Round Eight against the Western Mustangs staring on the wing and scoring a hat trick and kicking two goals as Burleigh ran riot to win 52 – 10.

    Jayden Campbell was simply outstanding in the match, his first try came when he flashed down the right touchline to score untouched, it was not that simple however, the pass to put him in space, was not the best and it bounced about a metre away from Jayden Campbell who scooped it up without breaking momentum to score. If Jayden Campbell slowed down to take the ball the opportunity would have been lost.

    Jayden Campbell’s second try came as a result of a cross field kick from Burleigh five eight Shallin Fuller, Jayden Campbell put pressure on the Western Mustangs winger who could not take the ball cleanly and Jayden Campbell was on the spot to dive on the ball.

    Jayden Campbell’s third and final try was a piece of sheer brilliance. Burleigh had a scrum feed coming out of their own area, Jayden Campbell took the pass off the back of the scrum on the left side of the field and instead of just taking the hit-up produced two magical steps (reminiscent of his father) off his left foot to break after the Western Mustangs defence and then sprinted sixty metres up field to score under the posts. Let’s be clear the Western Mustangs defence turned and chased but Jayden Campbell was already long gone.

    Jayden Campbell continued his rich vein of try scoring form in Round Nine of the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition scoring a hat trick as the Bears defeated Redcliffe 50 – 6. One his tries was down the right touch line when from good work inside he had a corridor to cross.

    Another one of Jayden Campbell’s tries highlighted his ability to linger in the centre of the ruck waiting for an opportunity, Shallin Fuller made a break and Jayden Campbell was on hand on his inside to sprint fifty metres to score under the posts.

    Jayden Campbell also had two try assists in the match, for the first Jayden Campbell threw a great cut-out ball for Reece Tapine to cross in the left corner and second was when he drew the Redcliffe fullback this time on the right to set up Colts debutant Trey Peni to score.

    In Round Ten of the Colts competition, Jayden Campbell once again started at fullback for the Bears and once again scored as well as kicking three conversions in a big Burleigh win. His try was not the typical Jayden Campbell 2019 breathtaking effort.

    Early in the match, Jayden Campbell found himself at dummy half about a metre out from the Pride line, and took the ball himself to his left to score out wide on the right.

    Jayden Campbell did produce an individual piece of business in the match however. Late in the first half, the Northern Pride put in a kick which for all money looked like it was going to be a 40/20 but Jayden Campbell got to the ball just as it was going to go out, throwing the ball in the air back in the field of play, and kicking back in field to take the ball on the full.

    Jayden Campbell continued his outstanding form in Round Eleven against the Central Queensland Capra’s scoring a brilliant try once again, had a try assist and converted two tries.

    Jayden Campbell was playing up in the line and received the ball in space on Burleigh’s left around twelve metres out from the Capra’s line. Jayden Campbell produced two outstanding steps both off his left foot to beat four defenders to get sight of the try line and then dived over with two Capra’s defenders unable to stop him.

    Jayden Campbell’s try assist resulted in a try to Colts debutant Will Evans, Jayden Campbell joined the Burleigh backline when the ball went to their right side and then threw a great cut-out pass to Will Evans who crossed untouched.

    Jayden Campbell continued his points scoring exploits in Round Twelve against Sunshine Coast, scoring a first half try, kicking a conversion and kicking the game winning field goal in the second last minute of the match.

    Jayden Campbell’s try against Sunshine Coast was once again a piece of individual brilliance. The Falcons put up a mid-field bomb, after the ball bounced Jayden Campbell kicked the ball through before retrieving the ball and easily out sprinting the cover defence over fifty metres to score under the posts.

    Jayden Campbell was calm and composed kicking the field from in front about thirty metres out. After some good work down the right side of the field including a line break by Will Evans, Jayden Campbell received the ball two quick play the balls later to slot the game winning field goal.

    Jayden Campbell may not have scored in Round Thirteen against the Easts Tigers but that does not mean that he was any less dangerous. In particular Jayden Campbell had two outstanding line breaks. The first was when he flashed through the centre of the ruck to take a great off-load from fellow Titan Luke Maiden and run fifty metres downfield breaking a number of tackles.

    Jayden Campbell’s other impressive play in the match came when he took a clearing kick on the full. He broke through the initial line but then was corralled and pushed back by three defenders, somehow he broke free from those defenders and made fifteen more metres before being finally tackled.

    Round Sixteen of the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition saw Jayden Campbell add two tries (both in the first half) and a conversion to his burgeoning 2019 Colts points tally. Jayden Campbell’s first try was as a result of him supporting through the centre of the field and receiving the ball after second rower Eli Morgan had made a break and after drawing the fullback passed to Jayden Campbell to score under the posts untouched.

    Jayden Campbell was also untouched when he scored his second try of the day. Once again Jayden Campbell was loitering in the centre of the field and after receiving an inside pass from Shallin Fuller, accelerated through a gap before putting on an outstanding right foot step to easily beat the fullback to once again score under the posts.

    Jayden Campbell also had a try assist when late in the match he ran across field to his right before putting right centre Will Evans into a big gap.

    Jayden Campbell also scored in Round Seventeen against Tweed Heads when he flew onto a good pass from five eight Shallin Fuller around forty metres out and veering to his right to score untouched.

    Jayden Campbell had a huge Round Nineteen match from fullback for Burleigh scoring a hat trick and kicking four goals as the Bears defeated Redcliffe 46 – 12.

    Jayden Campbell scored his first try in intriguing circumstances, Redcliffe made a break from deep inside their own territory, the Redcliffe ball runner had a support player on his inside, but Jayden Campbell kept on his inside and as he passed to his support, Jayden Campbell stepped forward to intercept the pass and run sixty five metres to score untouched.

    Jayden Campbell did not just score his second try he set up the break that led to it. Jayden Campbell, operating on the left side threw a great cut out pass to his right for Braden Amundsen to run down the right touch line and then backed up on the inside to receive the pass back from Braden Amundsen to score with the try spanning sixty five metres.

    Like his second try, Jayden Campbell set up the break that led to the try and then scored it, Jayden Campbell threw a great cut out pass to his left to fellow Titan Lofi Khan-Periera ran thirty metres down the left touch line before kicking back inside for Jayden Campbell to dive on the ball in the in goal.

    Jayden Campbell also had a try assist in the first half that spanned 110 metres, Jayden Campbell retrieved the ball literally on the dead goal line, before exploding down field and then produced a great left arm off load whilst being tackled by two defenders to Lofi Khan-Periera who had backed up on the inside to run fifty metres to score.

    Jayden Campbell had yet another stellar match in Round Twenty against the Western Mustangs scoring a double and kicking six goals.

    It would come as no surprise to find out that Jayden Campbell’s first try was the result of a piece of individual brilliance. Jayden Campbell received the ball on the left side of the field about fifty five metres out from the Mustangs line and proceeded to carve up the defence executing three steps off his left foot in quick succession before a sublime right foot step put Jayden Campbell in space and his speed did the rest.

    In relation to his second try, Jayden Campbell took the ball off the dummy half running down a reasonably short blind side down the right side of the field, the ensuing right foot step from Jayden Campbell put him in space and then Jayden Campbell accelerated between two defenders coming across to score under the posts.

    Jayden Campbell also had two try assists in the match, the first coming when he spilt the Mustangs defence on a kick return in the first half and after beating the fullback it looked like he would run seventy five metres to score but instead he passed to Cameron Brown who had loomed up on his left for Cameron Brown to run away to score.

    Jayden Campbell’s second try assist came in the second half when he found space down the right side of the field, sending a great long pass to unmarked Burleigh right winger Trey Peni to cross untouched.

    Jayden Campbell added a further try and four goals in Round Twenty One against the Northern Pride off a set play late in the match. With Burleigh on the attack, Shallin Fuller received the ball to the right of the play the ball and immediately put in a high chip kick back behind the ruck. Jayden Campbell clearly knew it was coming and glided through the centre of the ruck before jumping and taking the kick one handed with his right hand in the in goal to score.

    Jayden Campbell scored once again in Round Twenty Two against the Sunshine Coast Falcons to maintain his unbelievable try scoring streak, he also added a conversion in the match and scored yet another try and kicked three conversions in Round Twenty Three against Central Queensland.

    Jayden Campbell’s try can be put down directly to sleight of hand and deception. Jayden Campbell floated around the back of the ruck and started to follow the ball as it was passed out to the right, Jayden Campbell’s running line was directly behind the Bears, five eight.

    At the last second Jayden Campbell changed his line to run less an a metre to the right of the five eight to receive a short ball and explode through the line before the defence even knew he was there. From there Jayden Campbell ran fifty metres at an around 45 degree angle to score in the right corner showing his elite speed.

    Jayden Campbell added a further try, as well as three conversions and a field goal right on half time in Burleigh’s Week One major Semi-final loss to Wynnum Manly. In relation to his try, Jayden Campbell went into dummy half, passing the ball to his right to Shallin Fuller who split the defence before passing back inside to Jayden Campbell who had an uninterrupted twenty metre to score under the posts.

    In Week Two of the Finals, Jayden Campbell scored eighteen of Burleigh’s forty two points from a try and seven goals from as many attempts. Jayden Campbell scored the first try of the match from what looked like a set move.

    Burleigh five eight Shallin Fuller received the ball to the right of the play the ball close to the try line and immediately kicked back to the play the ball. Jayden Campbell ran through the ruck to swoop on the ball and after almost colliding with the left goal post scored yet another try.

    Jayden Campbell’s incredible 2019 season came to an end in Burleigh’s 23 – 16 Preliminary Final loss to the Sunshine Coast Falcons. Starting in his usual fullback position Jayden Campbell scored yet another try and also added two conversions.

    As usual Jayden Campbell’s try was a spectacular one, initially it looked like Sunshine Coast may be the team that would score when they made a break down the left side of the field but a pass went to ground. Jayden Campbell retrieved the ball forty eight metres out from the line and proceeded to run around the Falcons defence to score in the left corner.

    In total in the 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition Jayden Campbell played in twenty matches (missing only Rounds Five and Six) scoring 198 points from twenty three tries and fifty three goals with Jayden Campbell finishing as the competitions leading try scorer and overall point’s scorer.

    Jayden Campbell’s performance led to him finishing with a 115% strike rate and an average of 9.9 points per game.

    Whilst a number of his tries are noted above, below is a table noting his tries and goals per game.

    Round Opponent Tries Goals Total

    One Norths 1 3 10

    Two Ipswich 1 7 18

    Three Tweed Heads 1 4 12

    Four Townsville Blackhawks 1 2

    Eight Western Mustangs 3 2 16

    Nine Redcliffe 3 1 14

    Ten Northern Pride 1 3 10

    Eleven Central Queensland 1 2 8

    Sixteen Souths Logan 2 1 10

    Seventeen Tweed Heads 1 3 10

    Nineteen Redcliffe 3 4 20

    Twenty Western Mustangs 1 6 16

    Twenty One Northern Pride 1 4 12

    Twenty Two Sunshine Coast 1 1 6

    Twenty Three Central Queensland 1 3 10

    Final One Wynnum Manly 1 3 10

    Final Two Norths 1 7 18

    Preliminary Final Sunshine Coast 1 2 8

    TOTAL 23 53 198

    Jayden Campbell was also a 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts Player of the Year nominee as a result of his outstanding season finishing second in the voting with twenty six points, two behind the eventual winner of the award.

    After starting the 2019 season off playing in the Burleigh Colts side at fullback, Jayden Campbell moved back to the GCRL U20 competition for Round Three against Runaway Bay starting at half for Helensvale and quickly proving he was too good for that competition after a dominant display which saw him score a hat trick and kick two goals as the Hornets defeated Runaway Bay 28-22.

    Jayden Campbell’s first try was down to his outstanding footwork. With Helensvale on the attack the ball as spun out to the left to Jayden Campbell who stepped off his left foot to split the Runaway Bay defence, he then basically stopped on the spot in front of the fullback to freeze him in place then dived over the line near the left upright.

    Jayden Campbell’s second try came in the second half. Helensvale had the ball on around the half way mark, Jayden Campbell took the ball from the dummy half and moved across field to the left with the ball held out in front in both hands, Jayden Campbell them accelerated through a gap and rounded the fullback with more of a swerve than a step to score an outstanding try.

    Jayden Campbell’s third try and certainly his most visually outstanding came late in the match, when he backed up in the middle of the field around seventy metres out from Runaway Bay’s line, receiving the pass he exploded up field and then without missing a stride chipped the fullback to score a great try.
    Jayden Campbell also had a second half try assist when he kicked to the left corner for a Helensvale try to Hornets centre Ben Glutz.

    In Round Five of the GCRL U20 competition Jayden Campbell started at five eight and was a key reason that Helensvale came back from 24 – 0 down to defeat Burleigh 28 – 24, scoring two tries and kicking four goals in the process.

    In relation to his first try, Jayden Campbell received the ball off the dummy half on a short blind side on the left side of the field, he sprinted at the line and the last minute put in a kick which rebounded off the chest of Burleigh right centre George Santos-Motuapuaka back into his hands. Jayden Campbell sprinted through the dis-organised defence and then ran straight through the Burleigh fullback to score, with the try coming in the first half.

    Jayden Campbell’s second try came in the second half and once again on the left side of the field (Helensvale’s left side). Jayden Campbell initially took the line on himself, after palming off the first Burleigh defender Jayden Campbell skipped back to his right to give himself separation from the defensive line both from a space and time perspective. Jayden Campbell then put in a grubber kick which rebounded off the legs of one of the Burleigh defenders back into his arms.

    Like in his first half try the ball rebounded perfectly into Jayden Campbell’s arms, after exploding through the line, Jayden Campbell produced a wicked left foot step to comprehensively beat Burleigh fullback O’Shea Hannaway to score.

    Even though all Hastings Deering’s Colts sides had a Bye in Round Fourteen, Jayden Campbell suited up for Helensvale in Round Twelve of the GCRL U20 competition at five eight. He may not have scored in the Hornets win but ended the match with three try assists.

    All three of his try assists came in the first half, with the first being when he chipped for himself around sixty metres out and after retrieving the ball drew the fullback and passed to his right to send Brent Barnes away.

    Another try assist was a set play from a scrum, Jayden Campbell received the ball from the back of the scrum and immediately kicked behind the Mudgeeraba defensive line from twenty metres out for Brent Branes to retrieve and put the ball down.

    Jayden Campbell’s other try assist resulted when he followed through a chip kick from hooker Alex Drewe, Jayden Campbell rounded the fullback who just had hold of his jersey. There is no doubt that Jayden Campbell could have pulled away to score but instead passed to his left winger to score.

    During the Hasting Deering’s Colts Round Eighteen bye week, Jayden Campbell was back in the Helensvale U20 side starting at five eight and added to his try scoring tally with another try as the Hornets defeated Runaway Bay 32 – 26 in Round Fifteen. The try in fact was the game winning try with Jayden Campbell chasing through a grubber kick to easily be the first to the ball to score under the posts and seal the Hornets victory.

    Jayden Campbell then backed up to start Round Sixteen of the Dou Lipp Cup at five eight scoring two tries as Helensvale went down 30 – 20 to Tugun.

    Jayden Campbell’s first try was a long range intercept over ninety five metres, with Jayden Campbell streaking away for score under the posts with no chasers in sight after taking the intercept as Tugun spun the ball to their left.

    Jayden Campbell scored his second try when he recovered a Helensvale bomb which bounced back towards the Hornets and straight into Jayden Campbell’s hands, from there Jayden Campbell ran to his right literally around the Tugun defence to score to the right of the up rights.

    Jayden Campbell also scored a double in Round Seventeen of the GCRL U20 competition against Runaway Bay.

    Jayden Campbell had an exceptional 2018 Season starting in the MM Cup competition for Burleigh and his subsequent elevation to the Bears Hastings Deering’s Colts side.

    As a result Jayden Campbell has been brought into the Titans U18 Development set-up playing a number of matches for the Titans including matches against PNG and New South Wales Country U18’s a match that saw him score one of the Titans tries. From a trivia perspective, Jayden Campbell is the son of one of the Titans favourite sons being Preston Campbell.

    Jayden Campbell started the 2018 season in the MM Cup competition, playing in all six of Burleigh’s matches. Jayden Campbell started three matches on the wing being Rounds One, Two and Four, one at fullback being Round Three against Tweed Heads and Rounds Six and Seven at five eight.

    Through those six matches Jayden Campbell scored 50 points from four tries and seventeen goals. Jayden Campbell scored a double in Round One against Sunshine Coast and also scored against the Western Mustangs in Round Six and Victoria in Round Seven. In Round One against the Sunshine Coast Jayden Campbell had a big day with the boot kicking eight goals.

    Jayden Campbell came into the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts side in Round Sixteen in the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls starting on the left wing. Hayden Campbell played on the left wing in three other matches before moving back to fullback for Burleigh’s Round 21 match against Wynnum Manly.

    Jayden Campbell also started Round 23 at fullback against the Townsville Blackhawks and has been named at start at fullback in Round Twenty Four on Saturday against the Easts Tigers in the final regular season round.

    In his six matches to date, Jayden Campbell has scored two tries and kicked eight goals, coming from two goals in four different matches. The matches were in Round Seventeen against Norths, Round Twenty against Victoria, Round Twenty-One against Wynnum Manly and in Round Twenty Three against Townsville.

    Jayden Campbell’s two tries both came in the final ten minutes of the Round Twenty Three match against the Townsville Blackhawks and he converted both of his own tries in that match.

    Between the completion of the MM Cup competition and his elevation to the Burleigh Colts side, Jayden Campbell played a number of matches in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition with the Helensvale Hornets, normally playing in the U19 competition and then backing up for the Doug Lipp Cup match where he played alongside his father on a number of occasions.

    In the 2018 U19 competition, Jayden Campbell played in eleven matches scoring seven tries and kicking 41 goals for a total point’s haul of 110 points. Jayden Campbell scored doubles against Ormeau and Bilambil and has also scored against Ormeau, Currumbin and Burleigh.

    With the boot, Jayden Campbell has had a couple of big games including kicking seven against Beaudesert in his first U19 match of the season and kicked six goals in a late May match against Currumbin as well as five in Round Sixteen against Runaway Bay.

    In the 2018 Doug Lipp Cup competition, Jayden Campbell played in seven matches for a 57% try scoring rate and also kicked eleven goals for a 38 point haul. Jayden Campbell’s first three tries came in his first three Doug Lipp Cup matches of the season which were against Currumbin, Southport and Ormeau. His fourth try came in Round Sixteen against Runaway Bay when Jayden Campbell partnered his father Preston in the halves.

    In 2017 in the U17 Division One competition on the Gold Coast playing for Helensvale, Jayden Campbell had a great season including starting at fullback and kicking seven goals in their Grand Final victory. As a result of his form this season Jayden Campbell has been named in the Burleigh Bears MM Cup training squad for the 2018 version of the competition.

    Over the course of the 2017 U17 Division One competition Jayden Campbell scored exactly 100 points from 44 goals and three tries to finish as the competitions leading point’s scorer. In Helensvale’s first final against Bilambil Jayden Campbell scored two tries and kicked six goals for 20 points in the match.

    Earlier in the 2017 season, Jayden Campbell scored his other try which came against Southport and he also kicked six goals in that match. Jayden Campbell’s biggest match with the boot came against Ormeau in the depths of winter when he kicked eight goals in a match.

    Jayden Campbell also played two matches for Helensvale in the U17 Division Two competition scoring two goals and kicking three goals. He scored all of his U17 Division Two points against Southport in May of this year.

    Jayden Campbell is an agile ball runner who relies on his decent speed and elusiveness to make it difficult for larger opponents to line him up rather than brute strength. When lining up at fullback he always makes himself available for offloads in the centre of the ruck where his quick twitch feet can cause some damage as opposing forwards start to tire.

    Jayden Campbell has decent speed but not absolute blazing speed, relying instead on his positioning to compensate. When he retrieves the ball Jayden Campbell makes a decision quickly about where to look to run around a staggered defensive line or to run straight in an effort to take the yards on offer.

    In a late 2018 season match for Burleigh Jayden Campbell had to turn and chase a kick retrieving the ball facing his own try line under intense pressure, Jayden Campbell who was only two or three metres from the side line, faked turning towards the centre of the stepped back towards the sideline outsmarting the defence and proceeded to sprint down the left touch line and draw the fullback for Burleigh to score against the run of play.

    An aspect of his play that is very good is Jayden Campbell’s ability to chime into the back line and use his elusiveness to slip through the line, when he comes into the back line, it seems to be mainly when the attacking play is being directed towards the left hand side of the field. I note also that as soon as he breaks into space Jayden Campbell starts working through his options in relation to whether he should run himself or look to set up his support players.

    Also his hands at fullback are safe for a young player regardless of the type of kick put towards him. His other calling card is his positioning, he always seems to be the right place at the right time, to defuse bombs, attacking short kicks, potential 40/20 kicks etc. Jayden Campbell can on occasion get caught a little shallow but relies on his timing and anticipation to compensate when tracking balls that have been kicked when the intention of going over his head.

    From a goal kicking perspective, Jayden Campbell has outstanding leg strength and outstanding accuracy which suggests that he will likely to be his side’s primary goal kicking option regardless of level. I would equate his goal kicking to that of current Titans first choice goal kicker Michael Gordon.

    Jayden Campbell will take a hit defensively when needing to make the tackle in the last line of defence and will focus exclusively on the ball carrier, forcing the attacking player to make the decision of what to do with the ball, rather than proving the attacker the avenue to make an easier decision.

    Jayden Campbell is also adept at using the sideline to restrict the attacking options of any opponent who makes a break. To be more effective defensively Jayden Campbell will need to add additional muscle to his frame as he only has a slight build at present, although he does have some height and seemingly has the body type to add muscle mass without compromising his speed and elusiveness.

    Jayden Campbell does also have decent hands when short attacking kicks are put in and is elusive enough when he retrieves the ball to get out of the touch in goal when it appears that that task is unlikely, in fact once or twice this season Jayden Campbell took the ball from his own in goal the length of the field.

    Jayden Campbell has a year of U20 Colts eligibility remaining in 2020 but it is hard to see a circumstance where Jayden Campbell is not permanently in the Burleigh Queensland Cup squad or dare I saw it in the Titans NRL side such is his talent and maturity.

    I will admit that prior to this season, I thought that Jayden Campbell would ultimately end up on the wing, but his play at fullback in the MM Cup competition in 2018 and 2019 and how he has played for Burleigh in the Colts competition in 2019 has forced a rethink and Jayden Campbell seems destined to end up as a lightning quick elusive fullback with more than enough ball skills to play as a second receiver in attack.

    Jayden Campbell is bigger than his father, especially in relation to height and also in overall size but outside of that there are similarities in terms of playing style, courage and tenacity between them. For me however a comparison to Parramatta Eels winger Bevan French is more than appropriate and also very accurate although again Jayden Campbell is probably a touch taller.

    Both have strength and courage that belie their size and both just have an amazing knack of finding the try line on a regular basis as well as making the impossible look routine, something that Jayden Campbell has done in almost every game that he has played his this season.

    Like his father Jayden Campbell does not let his smaller statute define him and he attacks all aspects of the game with a fearless attitude no matter what the circumstance or situation.

    Jayden Campbell has serious speed and if there was a sprint race between Josh Addo Carr, James Roberts and Jayden Campbell, I would bet my house on young Jayden Campbell.

  11. #1016
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    David Neller. The young Ipswich based fullback had a very good match for the Titans U14 side in February at Mudgeeraba that defeated the Western Mustangs 32 – 8. Mdmg18126

    David Neller did not necessarily have to do a lot of work defensively as a result of the Titans dominance but returned the ball well from kicks when the opportunity presented itself and also insured that he was available in the centre of the ruck to receive any off loads from the dominant Titans forward pack.

    The Ipswich Grammar School student (formerly from Mossman State High School in Queensland’s north) started the 2019 season off well in the Ipswich Rugby League U14 pre-season competition scoring twenty two points from just two matches, with all of those points coming in Round Two of the pre-season against Brothers Ipswich White when he scored two tries and kicked seven goals.

    David Neller’s 2019 pre-season stats were enough to see him finish as the competitions equal leading goal kicker (seven) and fourth leading points scorer (twenty two).

    David Neller started Round One of the Ipswich Rugby League U14 competition at fullback, scoring for Ipswich Norths and kicking one from two conversions in their 14 – 10 loss to Goodna Black.

    David Neller had a big night in Round Two against Springfield scoring a double and kicking five goals for an individual point’s haul of eighteen.

    Round Three saw David Neller in the points once again scoring a try and kicking four goals as Norths defeated Brothers Ipswich 24 – 8.

    To say that David Neller had a huge match last week in Round Four would be an understatement.
    He scored 60% of his sides points in their 58 – 0 win over Redbank from four tries and seven goals.

    David Neller continued his points scoring feats in Round Six scoring a try and kicking three goals against Goodna. Round Eight saw David Neller kick five goals from six attempts against Ipswich Brothers.

    David Neller added a further ten points to his competition leading points tally when he kicked five from five in Round Thirteen against the Springfield Panthers.

    In total in the Ipswich U14 regular season competition, David Neller played in eleven matches scoring 127 points from eleven tries, forty one goals and a Round Eleven field goal against Goodna Black.

    His 127 total points meant that David Neller was the Ipswich Rugby League U14 competitions leading points scorer in the fourteen Round regular season as well as the leading goal kicker and third leading try scorer.

    In Week One of the Ipswich Rugby League U14 Finals Series David Neller started at fullback for Norths against Goodna with Norths going down 20 -10 and also started at fullback and scored a try and kicked a goal as Norths defeated Ipswich Brothers in the Preliminary Final.

    In the Ipswich Rugby League U14 Grand Final David Neller started at fullback against Goodna Black with Ipswich Norths going down 14 – 12 with David Neller kicking two from two.

    David Neller was also selected in the Ipswich Diggers U14 side for the 2019 Hill Stumer Championships where he started at fullback in Game One against the Gold Coast Vikings. In the match David Neller, before going off with injury, pulled off some impressive plays including a grubber early in the second half which almost led to a Diggers try and a try saving tackle on Vikings left centre Andrew Brennan as he raced down the left touchline only for David Neller to bring him down in a great cover defending tackle.

    After the completion of the competition, David Neller was selected in the South East Queensland U14 White squad for the Queensland Age Championships where he spent time both on the wing and at fullback.

    In 2019 David Neller also played school boy rugby for Ipswich Grammar School in the GPS U14A competition playing primarily on the right wing including an impressive match in Round Five against Brisbane Boys College at Toowong and scoring in Round Eight against TSS. The Ipswich Grammar School U14A side ended up as joint premiership winners with two other GPS schools.

    David Neller started at fullback in the 2018 U13 Ipswich Grand Final and scored a try and kicked three conversions as Norths prevailed 26 – 22 against Goodna Black in a tight contest.

    In total in the 2018 U13 season, David Neller played in fourteen matches scoring seventeen tries (121% strike rate) and kicking thirty nine goals to finish the season with a total points tally of 146 and an average of just over ten points per game.

    In 2017 David Neller represented Peninsula at the QSSRL U12 Championships prior to his move to Ipswich for the 2018 season.

    When he runs the ball, David Neller is exceptionally quick and explosive, with exceptional speed, both off the mark and when he gets into open space, teams in his age group in Ipswich last season just could not handle him when he had the ball in his hands.

    David Neller also can step off both feet exceptionally well and also has a great swerve whilst maintaining top speed. There is nothing that David Neller cannot do running the ball and it is only now about developing his ball playing skills, which to be fair improved exponentially as this season has progressed to make his footwork and running ability even more lethal.

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

    Defensively in the fullback position he does not make a huge amount of tackles but the ones he makes are the ones that need to be made. If an attacker runs directly at him, David Neller will come forward to cut down the time the attacker has to make a decision and he will hit very hard and does not fall for a dummy in those situations instead focussing all of his energy on the immediate threat being the ball carrier.

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

    David Neller will play the 2020 season for Ipswich Norths in the Ipswich U15 competition. In relation to school sport, David Neller will play schoolboy rugby for Ipswich Grammar School in the GPS competition in their U15A side as they will look to build on their positive 2019 GPS school boy U14A season.

    There is no doubt that David Neller could play a number of positions on a rugby league field in addition to fullback, being wing (as he has done for Ipswich Grammar School), centre and even five eight, but how he has performed at fullback this year in both club and representative rugby league sides would suggest that staying in the custodian role is the most likely scenario.

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

  12. #1017
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    Coby Black. The young Helensvale Hornets five eight played very well for the Titans U13 side in their 40 – 12 win over the Western Mustangs at Mudgeeraba early this year leading the Titans around the field well.

    Starting at five eight Coby Black had a very good game and also recorded a try assist. Coby Black was operating on the left side of the field one off the ruck when he received the ball and subtly stepped off his left to push through the first defensive line and then as he was being tackled provided a great ball to Titans centre Juwann-Claude Wetere who ran around sixty metres to score an outstanding try.

    Early in the 2019 season Coby Black was named in the Gold Coast Vikings U13 squad starting their three matches at five eight and for me was one of their best. In the Championships Coby Black put on a goal kicking master class including two superb efforts from the left touch line in Game One on Day One against Brisbane Red . For me regardless of age group Coby Black was easily the best goal kicker on display in the Championships.

    After the completion of the competition, Coby Black was selected in the South East Queensland U13 training squad.

    Coby Black started at five eight for Helensvale against Southport in Round One of the U13 Division One competition and had a huge game scoring a double and kicking five goals as Helensvale defeated Southport 56 – 6.

    In Round Two as Helensvale defeated Nerang, Coby Black was in the points once again scoring a try and kicking an astounding fifteen goals as the Hornets prevailed 90 – 0.

    Coby Black continued to show why he was asked to start at five eight for the Titans U13 side earlier this season in Round Three scoring two tries and kicking two goals as his Helensvale side defeated Coomera 28 - 10.

    Round Four was also no impediment to Coby Black scoring three tries and kicking seven goals for Helensvale as they defeated Runaway Bay 50 – 10.

    In Round Five against Runaway Bay, Coby Black scored an incredible thirty eight points from four tries and eleven goals in a big 104 – 8 win for the Hornets.

    In Round Six Coby Black continued his outstanding form, scoring a try and kicking seven goals against Ormeau.

    After missing two rounds due to representative commitments Coby Black made his return to the Helensvale side at five eight in Round Nine against Southport and picked up where he left off scoring a double and kicking four goals and in Round Ten against Ormeau added a try and a conversion to his individual points tally.

    Coby Black had a big day with the boot in Round Eleven kicking eight goals as the Hornets had a big win against Runaway Bay. Amazingly the match was the first of the season where Coby Black did not score but regardless he had a huge impact on the result, proving that there is a lot more to rugby league than just scoring tries.

    In Round Twelve against Coomera, Coby Black scored twenty of Helensvale’s forty eight points (41.67%), from two tries and six goals against Coomera.

    Coby Black continued to score in bunches in Round Thirteen scoring a try and kicking six goals as Helensvale smashed Currumbin 78 – 0. Coby Black then added two conversions in Round Fourteen against Burleigh.

    In total in the GCRL U13 Division One regular season competition, Coby Black played in twelve matches scoring a staggering 224 points from nineteen tries (third leading try scorer in the competition) and seventy four goals to average 18.67 points per game in what can only be described as an outstanding season for the young play maker. Coby Black was also by far the leading point’s scorer in the U13 Division One competition as well as the leading goal kicker.

    In the 2019 GCRL U13 Division One Grand Final Coby Black kicked three conversions from four attempts, with his only miss hitting the goal post from the right touch line.

    Unfortunately Coby Black had to leave the field in the Grand Final late in the match with what looked like a shoulder injury but helping to ease the pain was the fact that Helensvale won the Grand Final 26 – 22 over Burleigh.

    Whilst I have noted the three conversions that Coby Black kicked in the Grand Final there were two plays that deserve mention that in many ways were far not noteworthy. The first was with Helensvale under pressure after a Burleigh try, Coby Black angled the ball expertly from the kick off to find touch and get Helensvale the ball back immediately.

    The second key play was also when Helensvale were under pressure, Burleigh grubber kicked into the in-goal and it looked like they were going to get a repeat set before Coby Black got to the ball first and instead of conceding the tackle produced a great run to get out of his in-goal ensure Helensvale finished the first half in front.

    In 2019 Coby Black was also a key member of the Coombabah State High School Year 8 Renouf Cup school boy side starting at half and scoring a second half try as Coombabah overcame a six point half time deficit to defeat Forest Lake State School 36 – 16 in the Renouf Cup Grand Final.

    Coby Black was operating on the left side of the field and took the ball one off the ruck, running at the defence with the ball out in front in both hands. Cody Black then dummied to his left and broke through an arm tackle to run fifteen metres to score under the posts.

    In 2018 Coby Black was a key member of the Helensvale Hornets U12 Division One side that won the premiership as a result of a 28 – 6 Grand Final win over Burleigh White with Coby Black starting the match at five eight and contributing a conversion in the win.

    In total in the U12 Division One competition in 2018 Coby Black played in nine matches scoring 30 points from four tries and seven goals. All four of Coby Black’s four tries came in separate matches against Nerang, Mudgeeraba and Burleigh White in two separate matches including week two of the finals. All seven of Coby Black’s goals were also kicked in separate matches.

    2018 was the second season in a row that Coby Black had played in the U12 age group. In 2017 even though he was still U11 eligible he played the season in the Helensvale U12 Division Two side amassing forty six points from nine tries (100% strike rate) and five goals.

    Coby Black scored four tries in a late May 2017 match against Ormeau and scored a double a fortnight prior against Runaway Bay.

    Coby Black will play the 2020 GCRL season with the Helensvale U14 Division One side as well as being a likely Gold Coast Vikings U14 representative and a key member of the Coombabah Year Nine rugby league side.

    It is hard to put in words just how talented Coby Black is in terms of running the ball, he has outstanding speed both off the mark which I would consider in the plus plus category and top end speed which must be considered above average regardless of position.

    Coby Black with his speed is able to exploit even small gaps in the defensive line with an exceptional step off either foot and incredible acceleration as well as outstanding body control. It is that speed trait which opens up his incredible ball playing skills as well.

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

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

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

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

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

    Coby Black has a very good low tackling technique which is simple and repeatable and effective against all size opponents and thus there is no need for a defensive minder on Coby Black’s side of the field. In short just like his attacking play Coby Black is an outstanding defender.

    Another area where Coby Black has a plus attribute is in relation to his leaderships skills. He is a strong confident personality and that translates to a leader on and off the field and you can see that the other players gravitate towards him.

    This is a trait that you cannot teach, you either have it or you don’t. Even if he is not the nominated captain on the field Coby Black is a leader regardless of which team he is lining up for and acts accordingly both on and off the field.

    When you have a player with the ability to see a number of plays ahead of what is currently happening and has the ball playing and game management skills to take advantage of that you put them in a position to have the balls in their hands as much as possible. Coby Black is one such player and therefore playing five eight seems to be the ideal position for him into the future.

    This young man can do it all run, pass, kick and tackle all whilst seemingly having all the time in the world to make a decision. Coby Black plays two or three plays ahead of everyone on the field and at a different level as well. Coby Black is also an outstanding competitor to go along with his outstanding skill set.

    After taking a deep breath, I still cannot get away from thinking of NRL immortal Andrew Johns (with some Darren Lockyer traits thrown in as well) every time that I see Coby Black play.

    Like Johns, Coby Black is just a class apart in every aspect and is just a natural rugby league player as well as an outstanding on field play maker and leader.

  13. #1018
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    Arama Hau. The powerful second rower took the field for the Titans in February for one of their U15 sides at Mudgeeraba that played round robin matches against each other and the Western Mustangs.

    As a result of his performance in that game and over recent seasons, Arama Hau, in early 2019 deservedly signed a contract with the Titans which will keep him with the club for the next couple of seasons at least.

    Over the off season Arama Hau transferred from Helensvale to the Nerang Roosters, starting from the bench in their U15 Division One Round One match against Ormeau but coming into the starting side in Round Two in the second row.

    In total in the GCRL U15 Division One regular season competition in 2019 Arama Hau played in eleven matches for the Roosters playing the vast majority in the second row scoring three tries, with those tries coming against Helensvale in two separate matches and Ormeau.

    In Week Two of the GCRL U15 Division One Finals series Arama Hau started in the second row against Runaway Bay and also started in the second row in the Preliminary Final as Nerang defeated Helensvale 22 – 18.

    In the 2019 GCRL U15 Division One Grand Final Arama Hau was simply outstanding starting at left second row scoring two tries as Runaway Bay prevailed in a hard 36 – 22 win over Runaway Bay. For me Arama Hau was clearly the best player on the field in the Grand Final.

    Arama Hau’s first try came in the first half after he received the ball as Nerang threw the ball out to the left, Arama Hau cut back inside as the Runaway Bay defence slid across but they could not stop a great charge from Arama Hau who scored under the posts dragging two defenders with him.

    Arama Hau scored his second try in the second half, after he made a long break down the right touchline passing back inside before going into touch. Arama Hau moved into dummy half from the resultant play the ball to dive over down a short blind side from about a metre out.

    2019 also saw Arama Hau represent South Coast at the QSSRL U15 Championships in Ipswich with South Coast going through undefeated, with Arama Hau scoring against Met East on Day Three of the Championships when he was able to score under the posts after a typically powerful hit-up which saw Arama Hau drag a number of defenders over the line with him.

    Arama Hau was also a stand-out performer for Coombabah State High School in their various schoolboy rugby league competitions in 2019 which resulted in his selection in the South Coast side.

    In 2018 Arama Hau started in the front row in the Gold Coast Rugby League U14 Division One Grand Final and was on the victorious side as the Hornets defeated Coomera 29 – 12 along with a number of others Titans players.

    In the 2018 U14 Division One competition in total, Arama Hau played in eleven matches, scoring his sole try in Round One against Beaudesert and kicked two goals, including one in the match against Beaudesert (converting his own try from memory) to finish the season with eight points.

    In 2018 Arama Hau was part of the Helensvale Hornets U14 side that took part in the Tassell Trophy competition in Northern Queensland and scored a try in the final as Helensvale won the competition courtesy of a 40 – 6 win over the Western Lions in the final.

    Arama Hau also made a number of representative sides in 2018, including playing for the Gold Coast Vikings U14 side in the South East Queensland Age Championships where he played primarily in the second row and scored against the Ipswich Diggers.

    Arama Hau scored one try in the 2018 U14 Championships scoring on Day One as SEQ Green defeated SEQ White 20 – 14, fellow Titans that also scored in that match were Joseph Shannon and Nicholas Hilton.

    That was the second occasion Arama Hau had represented the Vikings after being part of the U13 squad in 2017.

    Post the South East Queensland U13 Championships in 2017, Arama Hau was selected in the South East Queensland Green side for the Queensland Age Championships and played four matches from the bench including the final against South East Queensland White.

    Arama Hau is a powerful runner of the ball who runs with a slight jink, usually off his right foot, in his step prior to impacting the defensive line and from when he receives the ball until he hits the defensive line Arama Hau is able to build up significant momentum.

    Arama Hau shows some reasonable pace when in the clear for a player his size and certainly in terms of his speed off the mark Arama Hau has some decent speed for a front rower. Also when he has impacted the defensive line he continues to pump his legs and gain extra metres after contact.

    Like is footwork Arama Hau will show flashes of the ability to off load the ball and with experience this attribute will continue to develop both in terms of when he has impacted the defensive line and prior to contact.

    His lateral movement is reasonable for a front rower and he is powerful enough to combat the largest of opponents looking to run through the centre of the ruck yet has the mobility to be an effective defender on the fringes of the ruck as well.

    Another impressive aspect of Arama Hau’s play from a defensive stand point is the speed at which he gets around the field, for a player of his size, Arama Hau has more than decent speed and mobility.

    For the 2020 Gold Coast Rugby League U16 Division One season, Arama Hau will play for the Nerang Roosters and will also surely be a member of one of the two Gold Coast Vikings U16 sides that will contest the South East Queensland U16 pre-season competition.

    Arama Hau spent time in the second row in 2018 at the U14 representative level but even though I am sure that he will continue to be able to play well in the second row over the next couple of seasons, I am of the opinion that Arama Hua’s ultimate future lies in the front row.

    From an NRL player comparison perspective for Arama Hau I would consider a player comparison with Penrith Panthers destructive left second rower Viliame Kikau as more than appropriate. Both are exceptionally destructive on the fringes of the ruck on the left side and take a power of stopping by defences.
    Last edited by mdrew; 20-10-19 at 11:38 AM.

  14. #1019
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    Larryon Tevita. (Revised) The New Zealand born youngster moved over to the Gold Coast in January 2018 and played for the Burleigh Bears MM Cup side for the 2018 season before being promoted to the Burleigh Colts side as well as progressing through the ranks of the Gold Coast Rugby League competition all the way to the First Grade competition with Burleigh.

    Larryon Tevita started the 2019 season with the Burleigh U20 side in the local Gold Coast Rugby League competition but came back into the Hastings Deering’s Colts side from the bench for their Round Four match against the Central Queensland Capra’s.

    In total for Burleigh in the 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition Larryon Tevita played in nineteen matches including Burleigh’s three finals and scored his sole try against the Western Mustangs in Round Twenty.

    Larryon Tevita started twelve in his 2019 Colts matches from the bench, five in the second row and the remainder in the front row, breaking into the starting side in Round Fifteen in the second row against the Ipswich Jets.

    Late in the match against the Western Mustangs with Burleigh on the attack, Bears dummy half Lachlan Turnbull took off out of dummy half to the right of the paly the ball perpendicular to the defensive line and brought Larryon Tevita underneath for the front rower to crash over.

    In Week Two of the Finals Larryon Tevita started at left second row in Burleigh’s 42 – 12 win against Norths.

    Larryon Tevita’s 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts season came to an end when he started on the interchange bench for Burleigh as they went down 23 – 16 to Sunshine Coast in the Preliminary Final.

    Larryon Tevita took the opportunity to play for Burleigh in the GCRL U20 competition during Burleigh’s Hastings Deering’s bye weeks and had a big match in Round Sixteen scoring a double against Runaway Bay.

    For Burleigh in the GCRL U20 competition Larryon Tevita played in just three matches but scored five tries, including a hat trick in June against Runaway Bay and then adding a double against Runaway Bay in July. In an interesting aside, all three of Larryon Tevita’s GCRL U20 matches were against Runaway Bay.

    Larryon Tevita came into the Bears 2018 MM side in Round Three being the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls in Burleigh’s tough 36 – 6 loss with the young man starting in the front row.

    Larryon Tevita also started on the interchange bench in Round Four against the South’s Logan Magpies a match that Burleigh lost 34 – 20. In total in the 2018 MM Cup for Burleigh this season, Larryon Tevita played in four matches, starting in the front row on two occasions and from the bench in the other two.

    Post the MM Cup competition, Larryon Tevita played in seven matches for Burleigh in the regular season in the 2018 Gold Coast Rugby league U19 competition. On debut in Round Three of the U19 Gold Coast Rugby League competition, Larryon Tevita scored a double against Beaudesert and also started from the bench in Round Four in a tough 31 – 18 loss to Southport when Southport’s Titans Rookie Squad centre Callum Boomer was close to unstoppable, in Round Five also scored in Burleigh’s 26 – 22 victory over Currumbin.

    In Week One of the GRCL U19 finals series Larryon Tevita started in the second row and scored for Burleigh in their tough 32 – 26 loss against Mudgeeraba.

    Larryon Tevita also played in one Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade match, making his debut coming off the interchange bench in July.

    Larryon Tevita made his Doug Lipp Cup debut for Burleigh in Round 16 against Bilambil when he came off the bench in their ten point loss and was backing up after starting in the front row in the U19 match that preceded his Doug Lipp Cup debit.

    In Round Eleven and Thirteen of the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition, Larryon Tevita was named on the extended bench for the Burleigh Bears side however did not make the final 17 for either match.

    Larryon Tevita made his deserved U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts debut in Round Sixteen against Tweed Heads starting from the bench and scoring an impressive double and he broke into the starting line-up in Round Twenty when he started in the second row against Victoria and in Round Twenty-One maintained his starting spot when he started in the front row against Wynnum Manly and in Round 23 against the Townsville Blackhawks.

    In total in 2018 Larryon Tevita played in seven Hastings Deering’s Colts matches, starting four (three in the front row and one in the second row) and coming off the bench on the other three occasions.

    In late 2018 Larryon Tevita played for Samoa in the U18 QPIIC tournament and in fact was named the Samoan U18 Best and Fairest at the tournament.

    The former Kelston Boys High School student was rewarded for a solid season in late 2017 when he was named at lock in the 2017 SAS College team of the year. The majority of players named in the 2017 SAS College team of the year are now in NRL aligned U20 squads so Larryon Tevita’s inclusion certainly highlights his ability on the field against quality opposition and opposition in the main at least a year older than him.

    2018 Burleigh Bears U20 Colts recruit Mikey Williams was named in the centres in the SAS College team of the year as well as the competitions leading try scorer with eight tries to his name.

    In 2017 Larryon Tevita played for the Auckland based Glenora Rugby League club, playing a number of matches in the Open U17 competition and also one match in the SAS Fox Memorial Premier First Grade Competition, not bad at all for a 17 year old.

    Larryon Tevita also represented Kelston Boys High at the 2017 New Zealand National Secondary Schools Premier Tournament starting at lock in all five of their matches which were against Southern Cross Campus twice including the Championship final, Wesley College, Rotorua Boys High School and St Thomas of Canterbury College.

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

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

    Defensively as you would anticipate from a big strong young player Larryon Tevita also had a big impact in games. He engages attacker’s front on and with the strength in his legs and core was able to regularly drive attackers backwards. Larryon Tevita drives hard with his legs and always uses his shoulder and core body strength to drive into his opponent.

    Larryon Tevita sets a strong lower base by setting his legs and generating force by driving through the tackle with his lower body, gaining leverage and momentum through his core.

    Larryon Tevita will play the 2020 season for the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts side and will also be pushing towards the Queensland Cup level or higher prior to the expiration of that period.

    I would also anticipate that in 2020 Larryon Tevita will also get a number of matches for Burleigh in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition to add to his one match in 2018.

    A discussion in relation to an ultimate position is an interesting one in relation to Larryon Tevita, he has the size to play in the front row but the speed and foot work to operate wider out on the edges of the ruck.

    To that end I can envisage Larryon Tevita alternating between front row and second row for the next couple of seasons before finally settling in the front row long term.

    From a player comparison perspective for Larryon Tevita, I would consider a player along the lines of current Titans forward and captain Ryan James (he is a bit shorter and stockier though) as a big strong hard working player who looks to get a quick play the ball every time he takes a hit up and also ones that tries to dominate in defence in relation to each and every tackles that he is involved in.

    I really like the speed that Larryon Tevita hits the line, he was certainly up there with the hardest runners in the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition over the last two seasons.

  15. #1020
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    Caleb Barker. He is a young centre who is adept at both Rugby League and Rugby Union, making representative teams for both codes over the last few seasons.

    Caleb Barker made his 2019 First Grade debut for Grafton in Round Six of the Group Two competition as the Ghosts defeated Macksville 54-4 and in fact that was his only Group Two First Grade match of 2019.

    In addition he played in two Reserve Grade matches with those matches being against Sawtell and Woolgoolga and three U18 matches for the Ghosts over the course of the 2019 season.

    Caleb Barker finished with a 100% strike rate from his three 2019 Group Two U18 matches scoring a double against Coffs Harbour in May and following that up with a try a week later against Woolgoolga.

    Caleb Barker was part of the 2019 NSW Combined High Schools Schoolboy rugby side that went to South Africa to take part in the St Johns College Easter Rugby Festival being named NSW CHS Best Back of the tournament.

    On Day One NSW CHS defeated St Albans College 22-7 and on Day Two they defeated Noordheuwel High School 39 – 19 with their Day Three match abandoned due to lightning.

    After an injury interrupted year or two, Grafton Ghost Caleb Barker was back on the field in 2018 with a team mate being Titan’s contracted Ben Liyou. In fact Caleb Barker has also pulled on a Titans jersey when he lined up for the Titans alongside Ben Liyou for a Titans U14 side in 2015 against Samoa with Caleb Barker starting that match in the centres.

    In 2018 for the Ghosts, Caleb Barker played in nine Toohey’s Group Two U18 matches scoring tries against Coffs Harbour and Belligen.

    Caleb Barker also made his Group Two First Grade debut in 2018 when he played against Sawtell in June and played his second First Grade match in early July against Macksville.

    Caleb Barker also has a junior rugby background representing New South Wales Country U16’s in 2017 and touring New Zealand with that side.

    In 2015 Caleb Barker played his Rugby League at the U14 level for the Grafton Ghosts in Group One competition, where he scored on average almost two tries per game, including a five try effort in one game against Ballina. He also scored a double in their 46-6 Grand Final victory recently. In fact the Grafton Ghosts U14 side went through the season undefeated. Whilst he played the majority of the season in the centres, he did play a couple of games in the back row.

    He has already represented NSW at the U12 level in league and was man of the match when South Grafton High won the Under-14 Daily Examiner Shield, which is a schoolboy competition for schools in the Northern NSW Region. He will be playing for our U14 Development squad in their match against Samoa at Burleigh shortly, after be involved in our Development Squad in the Grafton/Lismore area this year and also representing Group One at the U14 level in the NSW Country age championships where he played in the centres. He has represented NSW Country U14 in Rugby Union, after only taking up union around two years ago. He has even represented NSW North Coast in AFL.

    Caleb Barker is a tall young man at around 188cm, approximately 6 2” in the old scale, but he is exceptionally quick, with a lot of his tries coming from long range efforts originating from his own territory, as once he gets into the clear he is unlikely to be caught by the opposition cover defence. Due to his size and speed he is almost impossible to stop one on one in the competitions that he has played in so far in his career, with his favourite move being an in and away to beat his opposing number on the outside and then using his acceleration to break the game apart.

    Caleb Barker does not just have top end speed, he has very good acceleration off the mark as well. His fend is decent and as he puts on more muscle it will become more effective due to his long reach, meaning opposing defensive players cannot get close enough to combat him one on one before defensive help arrives.

    With his height and reach Caleb Barker should also be able to develop the ability to offload in tackles, making him even harder to defend. Obviously as a result of his height he is good under the high ball both in attacking and defensive situations.

    Defensively Caleb Barker is solid at wrapping the ball up and just needs to refine his technique as he progresses and also when to come out of the line in an effort to limit the time and space of the opposition as well as ensuring that due to his height he keeps his tackles down against opposing centres who are usually not as tall.

    Caleb Barker does however slide well in defence and has the speed to cover opposition line breaks very well. He will need to continue to get stronger and maintain his speed to stay at centre, and potentially become a legitimate strike centre, but there is nothing in his performances to date that suggests that he will not be able to.

    Due to the dominance of his club side and his physical attributes, he has stood out in his junior football, both in league and from what I have been told union (Please note that I have not seen him play any rugby)but obviously is a hard working young man to play multiple sports so well.

    Caleb Barker has two year of Colts eligibility commencing in 2020 and I would love to see him test himself with Tweed Heads in the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition.

    If he stays in Grafton Caleb Barker should be an ever present in the Grafton Ghosts First Grade side with the only issue being whether Grafton play in the Group Two competition or move to the NRRRL competition.

    At this stage, I cannot see any reason that he will not continue to develop as a centre. From a player comparison perspective someone like Shaun Kenny Dowell of the Roosters springs to mind as someone who will be an attacking weapon in any team that he plays for, another player with whom he has some similarities to, from my perspective is Mark Gasnier, although he probably has a bit more speed than the former Dragon centre.


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