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  1. #1021
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    Callum Boomer. (Revised) The hard working winger started the 2019 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Hastings Deering’s Colts squad, playing in sixteen matches for the Seagulls after coming into the side in Round Three on the bench against Burleigh.

    In 2019 Callum Boomer had eighty six points come his way from six tries and thirty one goals.

    Callum Boomer had a try scoring double in Round Eleven against the Northern Pride and also scored in Rounds Ten, Twelve, Fifteen and Twenty against Easts, Souths Logan, Townsville and Ipswich respectively.

    With the boot Callum Boomer kicked five goals in Round Thirteen against Souths Logan and kicked four goals in a match on four occasions.

    Positionally Callum Boomer started his first six 2019 Colts matches in 2019 on the wing, seven in the centres the first being against the Northern Pride in Round Eleven and started two matches at lock with those matches being against Wynnum Manly in Round Thirteen and Ipswich in Round Twenty.

    At the late September 2019 Tweed Heads Seagulls Presentation Night Callum Boomer was awarded the 2019 Tweed Heads Seagulls Hastings Deering’s Colts Coaches Award.

    Callum Boomer made his deserved Queensland Cup debut in Round Seventeen of 2019 in the derby against Burleigh playing the entire match on the right wing, almost scoring on debut when he was held up early in the second half but also saved a try when he held up the Burleigh left centre and then with Tremain Spry pushed him into touch in goal.

    In his debut Callum Boomer ran for fifty one metres (12 post contact), broke a tackle, played the ball at an average speed of 4.83 seconds and had a tackling efficiency of 100%.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Callum Boomer will continue to press his claims for playing time in the Burleigh Bears Queensland Cup side in 2020 and if he is not in the game day seventeen for any given match he will play for Southport in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition.

    For me with his above average speed and elusiveness in the confined space near the touch line, Callum Boomer is the ideal modern day winger. I appreciate that he started the Grand Final for the U19 Southport side at fullback in 2018 but this season he has played exclusively on the wing including in his Queensland Cup debut and thus I think that his future is more likely than not on the wing.

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

  2. #1022
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    Shallin Fuller. (Revised) The live wire young halfback originally from Woodenbong in Northern New South Wales has been an impressive player for the Beaudesert Kingfishers for the last couple of seasons in both the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 and Doug Lipp Cup competitions after moving up from the Kyogle Turkeys for the start of the 2016 season.

    It was great to see Shallin Fuller start at five eight for Burleigh in Round One of the 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition in the Bears 24 all draw with Norths.

    Shallin Fuller spent the majority of the 2019 season being twenty games in the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts competition crossing for ten tries starting eighteen matches at five eight and two from the bench and was one of the key attacking threats for the Bears.

    In the 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts Player of the Year Award tally Shallin Fuller finished with six votes and was awarded the Burleigh 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts Players Player award.

    Shallin Fuller also played five matches for Burleigh in the GCRL First Grade regular season competition starting at fullback in the majority of his games there. In those matches Shallin Fuller scored two tries with those tries coming against Bilambil and Runaway Bay.

    In the 2018 GCRL U19 competition Shallin Fuller finished the season equal third on the try scoring list, finished with 12 tries from 13 matches, including scoring a hat trick against Mudgeeraba in July and a double against Runaway Bay, add in eight goals including three in a match against Burleigh in June and Shallin Fuller finished the U19 season with 64 points.

    In the 2018 Doug Lipp Cup competition Shallin Fuller finished the season as the competitions second leading try scorer with a 100% strike rate through sixteen matches.

    Shallin Fuller had a big Round One scoring a hat trick against Southport and also has three doubles which have come in Rounds Three, Four and Six against Tugun, Currumbin and Ormeau respectively. Shallin Fuller also scored a hat trick against Helensvale late in the season.

    This season Shallin Fuller was also part of the Gold Coast Vikings U19 squad that won the South East Queensland U19 Challenge with the live wire young half outstanding including a dominant performance against Ipswich and recently was selected in the SEQ U18 squad as a result.

    For the U19 Kingfishers in the 2017 season Shallin Fuller has scored a competition leading sixteen tries from just twelve matches and over a four week span from late June to late July he scored ten tries, including four tries on Sunday against Tugun and doubles against Southport, Bilambil and Burleigh.

    Earlier in the 2017 season, Shallin Fuller also scored doubles against Burleigh in Round One and Runaway Bay in Rounds Four. Shallin Fuller has also played two matches for Beaudesert in the Doug Lipp Cup scoring in his debut against Southport backing up after the U19 fixture where he also scored.

    The young half who is also a talented touch player participated in the National Youth Touch Competition last year. In the 2016 season for the Kingfishers in the U17 Division One GCJRL competition, Shallin Fuller scored thirteen tries from just eleven matches including a hat trick against Nerang and four doubles which came against Burleigh on two separate occasions, Nerang and Currumbin.

    In the 2015 season he played in the U16.5 competition for Kyogle alternating between half back and five eight, but due to other commitments he only played in seven matches scoring two tries and kicking three goals for a total points tally of 14 for the season, the tries he scored were against Ballina and Lismore Marist Brothers. He also played schoolboy rugby league for Woodenbong Central High School.

    In attack he has plus to plus plus speed off the mark, it really is quite exceptional but does not necessary have an extra gear in open space, but he is able to sustain his top speed over considerable distance.

    In confined space, he has very good footwork, including a good step off both feet. He can beat defenders in the inside with a step and if the defensive line is staggered a dummy and go, presents multiple headaches for the opposition’s defensive strategies.

    The majority of his tries do not come from long breaks, they come from either darting close to the line with the opposition defensive line back peddling or backing up a forward and exploding through the defensive line and outpacing the fullback.

    At present, one area for him to continue to develop is his play making skills, including putting his runners, whether they are backrowers or centres into holes. With experience and in a stronger overall competition however there is nothing to suggest that these type of play making skills will not develop over time. As games progress he is very good at identifying tired forwards in the defensive line, and he will target them accordingly.

    Presumably as a result of his time playing touch football, he is more comfortable with playing what is in front of him rather than just play to a set game plan. Playing a more structured type of game does on occasion cause him issues as this is not his natural inclination, thus he did struggle a little playing five eight for Kyogle but it was also a reason why he was very successful when he came off the bench as an impact player.

    As noted he is by no means a big player and is more of an instinctive player than one that thrives under a structured game plan but if he can settle into a team that allows him to take the line on when he sees an opportunity I think that he can really thrive. Obviously there is a balance between running himself and distributing the ball but if he can find that balance, which is not easy, he will do well.

    I think that he has found the perfect place with the U19 Kingfishers side, their solid forward pack has enabled Shallin Fuller to operate behind a forward pack that consistently has the opposition moving backwards. He also does not mind at all putting in short attacking kicks for himself regardless of where he is on the field.

    In defence, due to his size Shallin Fuller is obviously not going to come up with the big hit but reads the play well enough and can hold his own when defending much bigger players. When confronted with forwards running directly at him on the edge of the ruck, he will get in front of them and use his shoulder in an effort to contain them until defensive help arrives.

    I have mentioned his size, but Shallin Fuller looks like he has put on some muscle over the last season or so which has had a positive impact defensively.

    Due to his speed off the mark Shallin Fuller is also a very good cover defender as he tracks the ball across the field and is also very good at tracking back to defend against short attacking kicks put in behind his team’s defensive line.

    Shallin Fuller will play the 2020 season looking to break into the Burleigh Queensland Cup squad where I would anticipate that he will be given every opportunity to cement a spot.

    If he does not make a Queensland Cup squad, Shallin Fuller will be one of the most exciting attacking prospects running around in the 2020 Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition.

    Shallin Fuller has seemingly has found a home at five eight for Burleigh this season and that is where he is likely to stay however Shallin Fuller obviously can also play half and potentially even fullback at a high level as well.

    A player comparison for Shallin Fuller is an interesting one and for a good comparison I am going back a while but for the people that saw former Gold Coast Seagull and Manly halfback Paul Shaw play you have someone in Fuller who is similar as a player who was dynamic when running the ball but also someone who was not as effective in a structured environment.

    Obviously with the changes to the inter change Shallin Fuller is not going to be able to play as a Super Sub like how Paul Shaw made his name, but as noted if he can find a balance between being a game manager and distributor and playing on instinct, he will do very well.

  3. #1023
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    Simon Pratt. The Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup squad this season was very young one with a number of players from the successful 2018 U16 Andrew Johns Cup squad moving up this season.

    One player was outstanding St Johns College Woodlawn second rower Simon Pratt from the Casino RSM club who started Round One of the competition at lock against the Newcastle Knights Development Squad. In the match, Simon Pratt who captained the side was heavily involved throughout both in attack and defence.

    After missing Round Two Simon Pratt was back in his customary lock position for the Round Three match against the Northern Coast Bulldogs and also started there in Round Four against the Central Coast Roosters and Round Five against the Greater Northern Tigers.

    In Round Five, Simon Pratt scored the Titans first try when he ran onto a good pass from hooker Zac Hicks to crash over from close to the line.

    In April 2019 Simon Pratt was selected in the New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges (CCC) Lismore Diocese U18 side for the NSW CCC selection trials held in Sydney in May.

    After the completion of the Laurie Daley Cup competition Simon Pratt started for Casino RSM in the NRRRL U18 competition, playing in eight matches scoring against Tweed Heads and Kyogle.

    Simon Pratt made his deserved NRRRL U18 debut at just 17 years old in Round Sixteen against Lismore Marist Brothers and also played in First Grade in Round Seventeen against Evans Head.

    Simon Pratt made his first NRRRL First Grade Finals appearance when he started in the second row in Week One of the Finals in a 40 – 6 loss to Murwillumbah. Simon Pratt also came off the bench in Week two of the Finals as Casino RSM progressed to the Preliminary Final on the back of an 18 – 14 win over the Tweed Coast Raiders.

    Simon Pratt was also part of the Casino RSM side that bowed out of the competition after losing their Preliminary Final to Murwillumbah in an intense spiteful match that included a sending off and a sin binning for foul play.

    In 2018 Simon Pratt played in five matches for Northern Rivers in the Andrew Johns Cup competition, scoring one try.

    Post that competition Simon Pratt played in eleven matches for Casino RSM in the Group One U16.5 competition scoring eight tries, including scoring doubles against Ballina in two separate matches. He also scored against Lismore Marist Brothers in two matches, Kyogle and Clarence Coast.

    Simon Pratt also played two matches for the New South Wales Country U16 side in 2018 with those matches being against PNG and Lismore and a Titans U16 side in Cudgen.

    In 2017 Simon Pratt played eight matches, including the Grand Final for Casino RSM in the U15 Group One Junior Rugby League competition scoring just the once which came against Lismore Marist Brothers mid-season. Simon Pratt started in the second row in all eight of his matches.

    2017 also saw Simon Pratt represent Group One at the U15 level in the New South Wales Country Age Championships starting all three of his matches in the second row and from St Johns College Woodlawn was selected in the New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges U15 Northern Region squad once again in the second row. A team mate in the NSW CCC U15 side was Titans contracted outstanding young half back Thomas Weaver.

    In 2017 Simon Pratt played eight matches, including the Grand Final for Casino RSM in the U15 Group One Junior Rugby League competition scoring just the once which came against Lismore Marist Brothers mid-season. Simon Pratt started in the second row in all eight of his matches.

    2017 also saw Simon Pratt represent Group One at the U15 level in the New South Wales Country Age Championships starting all three of his matches in the second row and from St Johns College Woodlawn was selected in the New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges U15 Northern Region squad once again in the second row. A team mate in the NSW CCC U15 side was Titans contracted outstanding young half back Thomas Weaver.

    The young hard running backrower usually lines up on the right hand side of the field and runs with speed into the defensive line. Even though he is not small Simon Pratt is not the biggest young backrower you will ever see, but he is all effort in attack and will constantly run the ball into the heart of the opposition forward pack regardless of how big they are.

    Simon Pratt is a smart runner though to the extent that he does use good foot work prior to the defensive line to help negate his lack of size and he also has very good leg drive once initial contact has been made. Simon Pratt also fights hard when tackled to ensure he gets a quick play the ball to maintain the momentum for his side.

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

    Simon Pratt is equally adept at defending in the centre of the ruck as he is defending on the fringes and his initial contact is more than sufficient to make an impact on the ball carrier. His lateral speed is very 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 and Simon Pratt is able to effectively mirror their movements to wrap them up in the tackle.

    Simon Pratt will still be eligible for the U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition in 2020 but it would not surprise to see Simon Pratt play in the MM Cup in Queensland or head down to Sydney to play in the U18 SG Ball competition, if not he will no doubt be a leader in the Northern Rivers Titans U18 laurie Daley Cup squad.

    From an ultimately position perspective with his combination of size, speed and strength Simon Pratt seemingly has the ideal skill set to be a very effective second rower as he progresses up the junior rugby league ranks.

    From a player comparison perspective if you watch the Brisbane Broncos Alex Glenn play he hopefully get an appreciation of how Simon Pratt plays, that being of a hole running tough tackling second rower.

  4. #1024
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    Tyrin Ona-Murphy. The former New Zealand hooker was part of the 2019 Burleigh Bears Hastings Deering’s Colts squad but played the season with the Burleigh Bears in the GCRL U20 competition playing in fourteen matches and scoring six tries.

    One of his tries came in Round Ten against Mudgeeraba when Tyrin Ona-Murphy found himself at first received around ten metres out from the line and after receiving the ball dummied to his right before stepping back inside his immediate defender into a giant hole to score ten metres from the left upright.

    Tyrin Ona-Murphy started on the bench in Round Sixteen but when he came on added enthusiasm where culminated in the dummy half crossing in Burleigh’s 40-14 victory over Runaway Bay.

    Tyrin Ona-Murphy started at hooker in Round Nineteen against Helensvale and scored his 5th try of the season when he used his size and power to barge his way over from a metre or so out from the line when he ran to the left of the play the ball to score mid-way between the goal posts and the left touch line.

    In addition to the tries noted above Tyrin Ona-Murphy also scored in Round One against Runaway Bay and Round Fourteen against Helensvale.

    In Week One of the GCRL U20 Finals Series Tyrin Ona-Murphy moved from hooker to start the match in the left second row position and was one of Burleigh’s try scorers as they defeated Mudgeeraba 30 – 24.

    Tyrin Ona-Murphy’s try came in the second half. It appear that Tyrin Ona-Murphy was going to be the decoy runner as Burleigh looked to sweep the ball wide to the left from around fifteen metres out from the Mudgeeraba but at the last second Tyrin Ona-Murphy received a flat pass to slide through a gap and then rounded the fullback and brought the ball around from the left to ultimately score under the posts.

    The young former Manurewa Marlins Auckland Junior Rugby League hooker played the 2018 MM Cup season with the Northern Pride but post that competition moved down to the Gold Coast to complete the 2018 season.

    Tyrin Ona-Murphy played Round Two of the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition with the Burleigh Bears where he started at hooker against the Ormeau Shearers. Round Five saw Tyron Ona-Murphy come off the bench when Burleigh defeated Currumbin 26 – 22 in a closely contested match.

    The 19 year old former St Pauls College (Auckland) student played in three matches for the 2018 Northern Pride MM Cup Side scoring a try in Round two against the Souths Logan Magpies. Tyrin Ona-Murphy started at hooker in all of his MM Cup matches this season.

    In New Zealand prior to moving over to Australia, Tyrin Ona-Murphy made a number of representative sides, including representing the U17 Counties Manukau Stingrays in the 2017 National Championships and scored in their national Final victory over the Akarana Falcons starting at match at hooker.

    In relation to his school boy rugby league in New Zealand Tyrin Ona-Murphy played for St Pauls College in Auckland where a team mate was new Burleigh Bears Colts centre Mikey Williams. He was involved in their SAS College Championship side as well last year.

    In 2015 Tyrin Ona-Murphy was also involved in the National Championships this time at the U15 level when he represented the U15 Auckland Development Squad. In 2015 Tyrin Ona-Murphy was also named in the New Zealand Maori U15 merit side at hooker.

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

    Where he is also extremely effective is leading his forwards onto the ball, Tyrin Ona-Murphy passes in front of the forward ensuring no loss of momentum to the run. In short he is a very good game manager from the hooking position.

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

    Once in open space he does not appear to have the speed required to finish things off himself but he invariably will make the right decision with the ball in terms of whether to take the tackle or pass to a support player as he works progressively through the options that are available to him.

    Tyrin Ona-Murphy’s defence for a hooker is very good, for a hooker his size his initial contact is more than solid and he can defend effectively one on one against far larger forwards, he sets a good base with his lower body and explodes upwards with his shoulders to drive into opposing forwards. His intensity and continuous effort means that he will track the ball across the field and thus is in a good position when the ball is passed back inside.

    Tyrin Ona-Murphy literally looks to tackle everything that moves in the centre of the ruck and displays a solid repeatable defensive technique and is able to make multiple tackles in any given defensive set of six tackles and make them effectively.

    Tyrin Ona-Murphy will play the 2020 season looking to break into the Burleigh Bears Hastings Deering’s Colts squad and if not will play the season with the Burleigh GCRL U20 side.

    In New Zealand through his school boy and representative career as well as with both the Northern Pride MM and Burleigh in 2018 and 2019, Tyrin Ona-Murphy has played at hooker but with his solid low to the ground build I really think that he will ultimately end up in the second row.

    From a player comparison perspective for Tyrin Ona-Murphy think of someone along the lines of New Zealand International and Melbourne Storms Kenny Bromwich as a hard working forward who will be a solid player but will also on occasion flash some plus skills akin to Jesse Bromwich.

    Like Kenny Bromwich, Tyrin Ona-Murphy is solidly built player with a low centre of gravity making him a difficult proposition to defend against.

  5. #1025
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    Cooper Many. The Lower Clarence Magpie started the 2019 season as part of the Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup squad, his second season in that competition.

    Round One saw Cooper Many start in the right centre position for the Northern Rivers Titans in their match against the Newcastle Knights Development Squad.

    In Round Two Cooper Many started the match against the Parramatta Eels in the second row and also started in the second row in Round Three against the North Coast Bulldogs and scored a good second half try when he ran a good inside shoulder route from around fifteen metres out to score neat the left upright.

    Post the U18 Laurie Daley Cup, Cooper Many transitioned to the NRRRL U18 competition with the Lower Clarence Magpies, his second season in that competition and opened his try scoring account in Round Three scoring a double as the Magpies defeated Kyogle 44 – 0.

    Cooper Many had a huge match in Round Fourteen scoring four tries in a big win against Evans Head and also scored a Round Sixteen double against Kyogle.

    In total in the NRRRL U18 competition, Cooper Many played in fifteen matches scoring twelve tries to finish as the competitions fifth highest try scorer.

    In addition to his Round Three and Round Fourteen tries, Cooper Many aslo scored d ouble against Lismore Marist Brothers and Kyogle and also scored against Casino RSM and the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

    Cooper Many started the 2018 season as part of the Northern Rivers Laurie Daley Cup U18 side, playing in four matches, starting all in the second row with those matches coming against the Newcastle Knights Development Squad, North Coast, Central Coast Roosters and the Greater Northern Tigers.

    From a club perspective in 2018, Cooper Many linked up in the second row for the Lower Clarence Magpies in the U18 NRRRL competition, progressing all the way to the Preliminary Final before falling to the Ballina Seagulls 30 - 14.

    Cooper Many played in sixteen U18 NRRRL matches for the Magpies in 2018 including finals and scored eight regular season tries. Each of Cooper Many’s tries came in individual games including games against Lismore Marist Brothers, Ballina, Murwillumbah, Casino RSM, Cudgen and Evans Head.

    In 2017 Cooper Many played for the Clarence Coast Magpies in the U16.5 competition and finished as the competitions leading try scorer with ten tries from just twelve matches. Cooper Many scored a hat trick against Ballina and a double against Lismore Marist Brothers.

    Cooper Many has previously represented Group One at the U14 and U15 levels in 2015 and 2016 respectively.

    Cooper Many is a hard running forward who is very good at running the right line including both and inside shoulder and outside shoulder line and consistently hits the pass off either the dummy half or play maker flat thus generating his best possible speed and momentum to hit the defensive line at full speed.

    Where he really excels though is his footwork, Cooper Many 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.

    Cooper Many is adept at cutting back behind the play the ball area when the markers do not work hard and make ground as a result. When Lower Clarence were in the attacking area, Cooper Many was regularly used to draw the defence into the centre of the ruck thus stretching the defensive line out wide to allow the backline more room to move.

    Even when he is taking a hit up in the centre of the ruck, Cooper Many’s feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight corrections to his running vector and he is also able to maintain his speed regardless of those multiple directional changes. He seems just to run and think at a faster pace than other forwards on the field.

    These attributes lead to a lot of line breaks and he has the speed to convert them into tries himself. Cooper Many’s speed is probably a bit above average but it is the speed that he is able to generate from only a few paces which makes it play faster from a defenders perspective.

    Defensively he hits very hard and had one of the better defensive technique s in the NRRRL U18 competition this season. Cooper Many’s technique revolves around timing and execution. Cooper Many’s head is almost always correctly positioned and he always drives with his shoulder and never just jersey grabs.

    From the matches that I have seen Cooper Many also tackles with both shoulders equally effectively. The impressive thing for me also is that Cooper Many never seems to bounce off the ball when he makes a front on tackle meaning his target area and the ability to hit the area on a regular basis is quite exceptional for a reasonably inexperienced forward.

    Another defensive aspect that I noted during the 2018 season was that Cooper Many does not just make one tackle at a time, he makes a series of tackles one after another all as clinical and effective as the one before.

    Cooper Many’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.

    Cooper Many’s U18 eligibility has come to an end thus he will either play in the NRRRL First Grade or Reserve Grade competitions in 2020 or look to break into a Hastings Deering’s Colts side.

    Cooper Many has a number of traits that certainly lend themselves to a player comparison to Titans and Queensland State of Origin backrower Jai Arrow. Both are hardworking forwards who will impress rugby league followers with their skill and effort.

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    Lewis Cooper. (Revised) He is a young front rower who moved with his older brother and former Titans junior development squad member Austin “Aussie” Cooper to the Sawtell Panthers from the South Grafton Rebels in the Tooheys New Group Two competition in Northern New South Wales for the 2018 season but after spending time training with the Canterbury Bulldogs Jersey Flegg side in the offseason, including playing in the opening trials found himself back in the Group Two competition playing for the South Grafton Rebels.

    Upon his return from Sydney Lewis Cooper played eight Group Two First Grade matches for the Rebels scoring tries against the Grafton Ghosts, Macksville (when he converted his own try) and Sawtell.

    Lewis Cooper who played a number of U14 matches for the Titans junior development squads was named in the North Coast Dolphins 2018 U18 side starting in the front row (wearing the No. 17 jersey) for Round One of the Laurie Daley Cup competition against the Sydney Roosters aligned Central Coast Centurions being Round Two after having a Round One bye. Lewis Cooper also started in the front row in Round Three against Northern Rivers in Coffs Harbour a match that North Coast won 36 – 6 over their fierce local rivals.

    Lewis Cooper scored a double for the North Coast U18 side in their 40 – 20 win in Round Two against Central Coast, the first try coming inside the first two minutes and the second coming in the 54th minute. In fact Lewis Cooper could have had two more tries but was brought down inches short of the try line directly under the posts in the second half twice just prior to his second try.

    Lewis Cooper did not impact the score board in Round Three against Northern Rivers like he did in Round Two but still had a couple of highlights, including a great right arm off load in the eight minute when he shook off a defender who went to tackling him around the chest, a huge collision with Titans linked Northern Rivers front rower Jordan Tauali’i which shook the entire ground and in the second half made a run of about 20 metres where after smashing through the Northern Rivers defensive line dragged a number of defenders with him as a result of sheer strength and power and the ability to keep his legs pumping even under extreme duress.

    A team mate in the North Coast side is Titans contracted standout second rower Ben Liyou. Lewis Cooper also represented the East Coast Dolphins at the U16 level in 2016 and was named in the U18 East Coast Dolphins 2017 squad but did not play any matches that season.

    For the Sawtell Panthers in the 2018 Toohey’s Group Two competition Lewis Cooper played matches in all three grades.

    In ten regular season Group Two U18 matches, Lewis Cooper finished as the equal leading try scorer with ten tries from nine games in the regular season and he was only kept from scoring in two of those matches. Lewis Cooper scored doubles against the Grafton Ghosts, South Grafton Rebels and Bellingen. Lewis Cooper’s other tries came against Macksville in two separate matches, Coffs Harbour and Grafton.

    Lewis Cooper and his U18 Sawtell Panthers were defeated in the Group Two Grand Final 16 – 12 against Macksville.

    Lewis Cooper also played one Group Two Reserve Grade regular season match this season scoring a double in that match against South Grafton in May.

    Lewis Cooper made his Group Two First Grade debut for Sawtell in in April of this year against his former club the Grafton Ghosts (Lewis Cooper played eight First Grade matches for Grafton in 2017) scoring against his former team mates. Lewis Cooper also scored a late season double against Grafton, clearly Lewis Cooper thrived on playing against his former team mates. Lewis Cooper’s other 2018 Group Two First Grade try came against Nambucca heads in Round Two.

    In total in the 2018 Group Two First Grade regular season, Lewis Cooper played in seven regular season matches scoring the above mentioned four tries.

    Lewis Cooper played the 2017 season with the South Grafton Rebels playing in both the first Grade and U18 competitions and was a key contributor to the success of both sides.

    In the U18 Durbridge Family Trophy competition in 2017, Lewis Cooper scored five tries from as many matches including doubles against Coffs Harbour and Sawtell and in the Group Two Tooheys New Shield Lewis Copper scored a single try from eight matches with the try coming against Orara Valley in early July.

    Lewis Cooper played the 2016 season in the Group One U16.5 competition, playing in nine matches and averaging just under two tries a match to pace the competition from a try scoring perspective. Only in the final game of the season was an opposition side able to keep him try less, that opponent being Casino RSM.

    Lewis Cooper scored four tries in a match against Kyogle in August and he also crossed for a hat trick against Marist Brothers in May 2016. Lewis Cooper also crossed for four doubles being against Kyogle, Clarence Coast, Ballina and Casino RSM.

    Lewis Cooper also played rugby in 2016, including making the Mid North Coast Axemen representative side and from there he was selected in the New South Wales Country Cockatoos U16 side. In rugby he played both centre and No. 8 and apparently even played some fullback as well.

    In 2016 Lewis Cooper was also selected in the New South Wales Combined High School’s Open Schoolboy rugby side that toured South Africa for the St John’s College Annual Easter Rugby Festival, a great achievement considering that he missed the trials with injury.

    On the 2016 South African tour Lewis Cooper played in all four of NSW CHS’s matches, starting the first two from the interchange and coming into the starting line-up for the final two matches, including playing against South African side Paarl Boys High who have not lost a match in four years that includes matches against the top New Zealand School Boy sides.

    From his four matches on the South African tour, Lewis Cooper was named Man of the Match in two and was also named as the NSW CHS Best Back of the tour, an impressive feat as a 16 year old.

    In short Lewis Cooper is a big strong young man with surprising speed for his size both in terms of the initial burst and extended straight line speed. When he runs the ball, and I will mainly refer to play in the forwards as that is where I think that he ultimately ends up, Lewis Cooper is like a wrecking ball, he has a strong upper body which allows him to shrug off tacklers who look to go high and whilst he does not use a great deal of foot work prior to the line has shown enough to suggest that this will be able to be incorporated into his game as he progresses.

    Both of Lewis Cooper’s two tries in Round Two of the Laurie Daley Cup highlighted the strength and power discussed above. On both occasions he took the ball from around ten metres out and just charged through a set defensive to score. In fact Lewis Cooper’s first three runs were all outstanding. His first try scoring run was his first run of the game, his second came from the third hit-up from the kick off from his try and his third was in the next set of six that North Coast had.

    In terms of his speed, once Lewis Cooper gets past the initial contact, he really move and his speed would be considered as plus for a front rower of his size and to be fair it is also at the above average for a centre.

    Defensively defence Lewis Cooper uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. He is not averse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage and reasonable agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck, although clearly Lewis Cooper is more effective in the centre of the ruck, but he has the speed and lateral mobility to defend wider out as well.

    The 2020 season will be an interesting one for Lewis Cooper as he is no longer U20 eligible, post the season. If he stays in Grafton Lewis Cooper is a certainty to play a key role for the South Grafton First Grade side, if he chooses to try his luck in the U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition with either Tweed Heads or Burleigh it is hard to see that he would not make an immediate impact with his combination of size, strength speed and mobility.

    From an ultimate position perspective, due to his combination of size and speed playing in the front row seems the most plausible position projection for Lewis Cooper.

    The power and intensity of Canterbury Bulldog, New South Wales State of Origin and Australian International forward David Klemmer is mirrored by Lewis Cooper he is just an intimidating presence on a football field and a young player who will only to continue to get better and better as he gains more experience there is certainly a lot of raw ability and untapped potential to work with.

    If Lewis Cooper can continue to work on his endurance, functional strength and mobility he really does have an extraordinary set of skills both from a physical perspective as well as a rugby league skill attribute perspective.

    Obviously luck is also involved as well, his brother Austin had a similar skill set but unfortunately multiple knee and ankle injuries severely affected his development although he is now fit and performing very well in the Group Two First Grade competition.

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    Cooper Woods. (Updated) Classy young Grafton Ghosts fullback Cooper Woods lined up for his fourth season in First Grade at the age of 20.

    In the 2019 Group Two First Grade competition Cooper Woods finished in the competitions top five from a try scoring perspective with eleven tries from just twelve matches.

    In 2018 Cooper Woods played fourteen matches at fullback under coach and former NRL player Danny Wicks scoring nine tries.

    Cooper Woods scored a Round One hat trick against local rivals South Grafton with his other six tries coming in separate matches. He scored in three consecutive matches in June against South Grafton, Sawtell and Macksville and also scored in other matches against Macksville and twice against Nambucca Heads.

    The classy young Grafton Ghosts fullback had a great 2017 campaign for the Grafton Ghosts starring for the U18 Group Two side as well as playing a number of first grade matches primarily on the wing in the Danny Wicks coached side which was awarded the Claytons Cup as the most outstanding New South Wales Country Rugby League Club.

    In the Group Two U18 Durbridge Family Trophy Cooper Woods finished the regular season as the leading try scorer and points, scoring 118 points in total from twelve tries and 35 goals. Cooper Woods scored a hat trick against Bellingen and doubles against Coffs Harbour and Macksville. Against Coffs Harbour in late July Cooper Woods scored a try and kicked eight goals in the match.

    Cooper Woods played just the one first grade match in the 2017 season which came against Macksville in July when he started on the wing and also scored in a solid Grafton win and he also played four reserve grade matches scoring against Orara Valley and against Woolgoolga kicked seven goals. The 2017 season is the third season that Cooper Woods has played in the U18 competition after he made his U18 debut whilst still eligible for U16’s in early 2015 against the Sawtell Panthers including scoring on debut going on to score four tries that season.

    Cooper Woods is no stranger to playing up in competition level after making his Group Two Tooheys New Shield First Grade debut for the Ghosts in May 2016 against Sawtell, going on to play five first grade matches in total. In 2016 Cooper Woods also played four Reserve grade matches scoring 30 points from tries against Coffs Harbour and Woolgoolga a match in which he also kicked five goals. In the U18 competition in 2016, Cooper Woods scored 82 points from seven tries and 27 goals.

    Cooper Woods is an athletic fullback with an effortless running style who presents as a gifted athlete with speed and also an understanding of where the gap is going to be. Due to his elusiveness and speed he seems almost impossible to stop one on one with his ability to change direction very quickly without the loss of any forward momentum. Cooper Woods is also developing the ability to play as a second five eight and sweep around the back of the ruck and either take the line on himself or pass to his outside support when he receives the ball “out the back”.

    In addition Cooper Woods is always around the centre of the ruck when his side is coming out of their own half looking to take the pressure off his own forward pack where he uses his exceptional footwork to target the gaps between the forwards. Cooper Woods’ positioning enables him to field a lot of kicks on the full and then he accelerates towards the defensive lien where he normally looks to gain as much ground as possible rather than looking to run around the defensive line. When the opposition puts in a short attacking kick, Cooper Woods will attack the ball rather than wait to see what happens and invariably he makes the right decision.

    Defensively in the fullback position Cooper Woods makes the tackles that need to be made. If an attacker runs directly at him, he will come forward to cut down the time the attacker has to make a decision and he will hit very hard. An impressive attribute that he does have he is ability to force attackers in the clear to try to beat him down the side line. Cooper Woods will stay inside the attacker and force him in the needed direction and then use his timing and anticipation to make the tackle, usually forcing the attacker into touch.

    2019 was Cooper Woods last year of Colts eligibility but as happened with former Grafton Ghost Anthony Don you do not have to make it by the time you are twenty to still get to the NRL thus Cooper Woods can either say in Grafton and be a key member of the Ghosts side or look to make a name for himself in a competition like the Gold Coast competition and look to attract the attention of a Queensland Cup or New South Wales side from there..

    Even though Cooper Woods has spent some time in the centres and on the wing in first and reserve grade I like his game at fullback where he can see the entire field and judge where and when he can best impact the game.

    For me an NRL player with a similar playing style of Cooper Woods is Melbourne Storm fullback Cameron Munster. Like Munster Cooper Woods presents as a near complete fullback, he can chime into the backline between the centres, play as a second five eight and also use his footwork through the centre of the ruck. In addition he is a talented defender both on terms of cover defence as well as taking attackers front on in open space.

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    James Torrens. He started off the 2019 season on the bench for the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup side in their Round One match with the Western Mustangs with James Torrens contributing a try in a big 58 – 18 Seagulls win.

    When he came on James Torrens played on the left side of the field and that is where he scored his try, the Titans worked a blind side play with James Torrens receiving the ball literally on the try line and was able to just bend down to score probably the easiest try he ever will.

    In total in the 2019 MM Cup competition, James Torrens played in all nine of Tweed Heads matches starting all from the bench including their semi-final and Grand Final victory over Wynnum Manly as well as the National U18 Championship victory over Illawarra.

    If there was a more improved player for Tweed Heads over the course of their 2019 MM Cup campaign I did not see them. When he came on in the MM Cup James Torrens played in the forwards and on each occasion ran with intensity and purpose, he was to put it simply very impressive in each of his nine outings in the MM Cup this season.

    In the final against Wynnum Manly James Torrens provided a real spark off the bench immediately making some powerful charges in the centre of the ruck. Over the course of the season, when he came on James Torrens played in the second row.

    James Torrens started at right second row for PBC in their Round Two Langer Cup win over St Mary and taking into account his heavy MM Cup schedule played big minutes for PBC and for me he was their best player regularly making big post contact metres, he also had a running battle with the St Mary’s No. 12.

    James Torrens also started in the front row for PBC in their Queensland GIO Cup quarter final win over St Mary’s High School Toowoomba 50 – 6 and started in the front row and scored the last minute try to pushed the GIO Cup Queensland semi-final to Golden Point when he used a late change of angle to score mid-way between the left corner post and left upright.

    After the completion of the MM Cup competition, James Torrens played for Tugun in the Gold Coast Rugby League U18 Division One competition, making his first appearance off the bench for the Seahawks in Round Four against Mudgeeraba.

    James Torrens also came off the bench in Round Six of the GCRL U18 Division One competition scoring a double against Helensvale. James Torrens also scored in Round Thirteen against Currumbin.

    James Torrens played in a total of xx U18 Division One matches in 2019 for Tugun and after starting from the bench in his first two matches moved into the starting side in the second row.

    James Torrens also represented South Coast at the U18 QSSRL Championships where he was named on the bench. On Day One of the Championships against Northern James Torrens was particularly impressive, in one instance splitting the line from a Northern line drop out, after James Torrens effected a quick play the ball the ball was spun to the right for fellow Titan Trey Peni to score.

    At just 17 years old, James Torrens made his Hastings Deering’s Colts debut in Round Nineteen when he started in the second row against the Mackay Cutters.

    The tough young centre/second rower was impressive throughout the 2018 season for Northern Rivers in the U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition as well as in the NRRRL competition for Ballina for whom he played across all three grades of the NRRRL competition including an outstanding NRRRL First Grade debut.

    James Torrens started off the 2018 season, performing solidly for Northern Rivers in the inaugural U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition starting in the centres in four matches against the Newcastle Knights Development Squad, North Coast, Central Coast Roosters and the Greater Northern Tigers.

    For the Ballina Seagulls in the NRRRL U18 competition, James Torrens finished the regular season playing in eleven matches and scoring twelve tries. Of those twelve tries, James Torrens scored ten of those in a six game period from late May to late July.

    In that span James Torrens scored a hat trick against Murwillumbah, doubles against Casino RSM and Cudgen and tries against Tweed Coast, Kyogle and Lower Clarence.

    With his twelve try tally James Torrens finished equal second on the U18 NRRRL try scoring list equal with Tweed Coast forward Oscar Clarke and five behind Cudgen centre Liam Cusack.

    James Torrens was part of the 2018 Ballina U18 NRRRL Grand Final side that won 30 – 4 to Cudgen with James Torrens starting the Grand Final in his usual left centre position. Throughout the Grand Final James Torrens was a handful for the Cudgen defence, scoring a good try and also making a long break when he fielded a Cudgen grubber kick on his own line and charging downfield on a 60 metre run before the cover defence converged.

    In the Grand Final James Torrens had the responsibility of taking the first hit up from every one of Ballina’s scrum wins, regularly bending the Cudgen defence back and putting the Seagulls on the front foot.

    James Torrens made his NRRRL Reserve Grade debut in June 2018, against Casino RSM and in 2018 went on to play in six Reserve Grade matches in total scoring three tries, including a double against Lower Clarence and also scoring in his second Reserve Grade game against Mullumbimby.

    James Torrens made his NRRRL First Grade debut in late July 2018 against Lower Clarence and what a debut he had, scoring a double on a memorable afternoon. James Torrens had scored a double in the earlier Reserve Grade match as well as scoring in the U18 match that same day.

    In 2017 James Torrens represented the East Coast Dolphins in the New South Wales Country U16 Championships and in 2016 represented Group One at the U15 New South Wales Junior Country Championships.

    James Torrens just oozes class on the field he is able to break tackles at will but also understands when it is more appropriate to draw his opponent and pass. He has used this skill set on multiple occasions on the right side of the field. He has a very strong right hand fend which prevents opposing centres getting in on him and forcing him towards the sideline.

    Over the course of the entire season, both at club and representative level James Torrens was outstanding at left centre.

    Even though he has size, strength and power in the centre position, he does look for his outside support when confronted with the fullback, even though he is more than capable of beating fullbacks one on one if need be.

    James Torrens also has very good hands, on a number of occasions for Ballina in the U18 NRRRL competition this season, he picked up a number of passes from either low down or above his head and then can use his speed off the mark to look to create something for either himself or his team mates.

    Defensively James Torrens hits very hard with above average initial contact being more than sufficient to halt the forward momentum of the ball carrier. James Torrens is constantly is in a position to disrupt the attacking movement of the opposition.

    Extrapolating his skill set to the NRL, I would suggest that James Torrens would be more than capable to adapt and excel in either an up and in or sliding methodology.

    The other point I will make is that James Torrens certainly does not shirk contact, both in attack or defence and seems to revel in the physical aspects of defending.

    James Torrens is MM Cup eligible again in 2020.

    James Torrens is a solidly built young man but has the speed, mobility, skill set and mentality to be a representative level second rower for the duration of his rugby league career.

    From a player comparison perspective for James Torrens think of a young version of Brisbane Bronco Alex Glenn, as a powerfully built second rower who is an aggressive player and one who looks to physically dominate his opposite number in defence as well as being more than effective from an attacking perspective.

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    Tyler Kent. The young Tingha Tigers second rower moved up to the Gold Coast and was named in the Burleigh Bears 2019 MM Cup side and came off the bench in their final match of the season.

    Post the MM Cup competition Tyler Kent started Round One of the GCRL U18 Division One competition in the front row for Burleigh in their match against Currumbin.

    In total for Burleigh in the GCRL U18 Division One competition, Tyler Kent played in ten matches but did not cross the try line.

    In Week Two of the U18 Division One Finals series Tyler Kent started in the front row for Burleigh in their victory 34 – 8 against Southport to progress directly to the Grand Final after a dominating victory.

    Tyler Kent came off the bench for Burleigh in the Grand Final that the bears won 28 – 12 against Southport.

    Tyler Kent made his one and only GCRL U20 regular season appearance when he came off the bench for Burleigh in Round Nineteen against Helensvale a match that Burleigh won 24 – 22.

    Impressively in Week One of the GCRL U20 Finals series Tyler Kent started from the bench for Burleigh as they progressed on the back of a 30 – 24 win over Mudgeeraba. Tyler Kent was also on the bench in the Grand Final against Currumbin as Burleigh wet down 14 -6.

    Tyler Kent played the 2018 season in the New South Wales Country Group 19 competition for Tingha spending time in both the U18 and First Grade competitions, for all intents and purposes playing in the U18 match and then backing up to start in the First Grade match every weekend.

    Tyler Kent started the 2018 season as part of the Greater Northern Tigers U18 Laurie Daley Cup squad playing all five of their matches including their tough 32 – 26 semi-final loss to Group 9. Tyler Kent started all five matches from the interchange bench.

    For Tingha in the U18 Group 19 competition, Tyler Kent played in twelve matches scoring five tries and kicking a goal (against Inverell) to finish the season with 22 points.

    Tyler Kent started in the second row in the U18 Group 19 Grand Final and scored as the Tigers went down 28 – 18 to the Moree Boomerangs.

    In addition to his U18 Grand Final try Tyler Kent scored in the regular season against the Moree Boars in two separate matches, the Glenn Innes Magpies and the Armidale Rams, with the last two tries coming in consecutive rounds mid-way through the season.

    Tyler Kent played in eleven Group 19 First Grade matches scoring on debut against the Moree Boars and also kicked a conversion against the Moree Boomerangs.

    Tyler Kent has also represented Group 19 in previous years in the U14, U15 and U16 age groups.

    Tyler Kent is a big strong powerful aggressive young man and uses these attributes when he runs with the ball, he will take the line on and look to drop his shoulder into the defender who is looking initiate contact.

    Tyler Kent can also off load the football both before the line and when he is being tackled, he seems to be one of those players with the innate ability to get his hands free, or more accurately his right hand free.

    Tyler Kent is always the player standing back deep from kick ups to take the first hit up and will charge straight at the line. Tyler Kent also is quite quick for a big strong young bloke, both in terms of explosive speed off the mark and agile from a footwork perspective but also with speed over an extended distance.

    In defence, Tyler Kent can certainly hit very hard and for a solidly built barrel chested player has quite decent endurance thus allowing him to get back quickly into the defensive line play after play. Where he is also very good, due to his good athletic skills is for a front rower is effectively tackling smaller attackers in the centre of the ruck. Tyler Kent does not fall for dummies and is difficult to step as he mirrors the lateral movement of the attacker to effectively wrap up the opposing player.

    Tyler Kent will play the 2020 season in the U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition most likely with the Burleigh Bears and is Colts eligible again in 2021.

    I believe that Tyler Kent’s future lies in the second row when you take into account his size, strength and speed combination although there is no doubt that he could fill in in the front row if the need arises.

    Tyler Kent reminds me of former Titans NYC and Burleigh Queensland Cup player and budding referee Sam Swift in terms of his playing style. Like Swift, Tyler Kent has more than decent speed and mobility for a forward and is also a more than effective defender.

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    Vinncent Takataka. The former Canterbury Bankstown junior moved up to South East Queensland at the start of 2018 and has had an exceptional start to his rugby league career in South East Queensland over the course of the 2018 season.

    Vinncent Takatake came into the Tweed Heads Seagulls U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts side for their Round Two match against the Townsville Blackhawks starting from the bench and maintained his place in the local derby against the Burleigh Bears starting at lock and scoring his sole try of the season.

    In total in the 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition Vinncent Takatake played in thirteen matches including their Elimination Final loss to Mackay. Vinncent Takatake started six matches in 2019, four at lock and two in the second row with his first match in the second row coming in Round Nineteen against the Mackay Cutters.

    Vinncent Takatake made his Gold Coast Rugby League Doug Lipp Cup debut from the bench in Round Twelve against Currumbin.

    Vinncent Takataka also played three GCRL U20 matches for Runaway Bay in 2019 with his total of two points coming when he kicked a conversion against Southport in May.

    Vinncent Takataka represented South’s Logan in the 2018 MM Cup competition starting a number of the Magpies matches including their MM Cup Grand Final against North’s and their National Final against Penrith. Earlier in 2018 the former Canterbury Bankstown junior represented South Coast at the U18 QSSRL Championships in Toowoomba where South Coast was defeated by Met East in the Championship final.

    In the 2018 MM Cup competition for South’s Logan as noted Vinncent Takataka played in four South’s Logan’s matches. Vinncent Takataka broke into the South’s Logan MM side in Round Three against North’s from the inter change bench and also played off the bench in Round Four against Burleigh. Vinncent Takataka started Round Five against Wynnum Manly in the front row and started the MM Cup Grand Final and U18 National Final in the second row, scoring in the National Final against the Penrith Panthers.

    Post those feats, Vinncent Takataka made his debut in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition when he started in the second row for Runaway Bay in Round Eight in their 32-24 win over the Ormeau Shearers. In Round Nine Vinncent Takataka started in the second row once against and scored a double as his Runaway Bay side defeated Beaudesert 32 – 20.

    In total in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition in 2018, Vinncent Takataka played in six matches and in addition to the previously mentioned double against Beaudesert also scored against Burleigh and Helensvale in consecutive matches in August 2018.

    Vinncent Takataka, prior to his move to Queensland was part of the Canterbury Bulldogs Junior Development set-up for a numbers of years, joining the Bulldogs in their U15 Development Squad in 2015 and progressing to playing for the Bulldogs U16 Harrold Matthews Cup side in 2016. Vinncent’s Takataka’s junior rugby league club in Sydney was the Bankstown Sports Club where he started his rugby league journey in the U12’s.

    Vinncent Takataka is a powerfully built second rower with a solid frame and a low centre of gravity, but for his size has above average balance, speed and footwork operating normally on the left side of the ruck.

    Vinncent Takataka’s style of play is that of a powerful wide running back rower with above average speed for the position. I would actually argue that in fact a better definition of his speed would be well above average to plus. Vinncent Takataka is quite quick off the mark, but what makes him even more impressive from a speed perspective is that when he gets into space, he has an extra gear again which is a plus attribute for such a strong powerful second rower, making it almost impossible for the cover defence to catch him once he is open space.

    Couple those two aspects with a very good fend and you have a big strong powerful young player who can cause nightmares for any defensive line. Vinncent Takataka seems to line up on the left side of the field more so than the right, but I have no doubt moving forward that he will be able to play on either side of the field, he seems to be just so skilful.

    For a backrower of his size, he runs with pace, strength and power every time he touches the ball during a game. For a young player, Vinncent Takataka seems to have a good understanding of when to off load the ball, currently most of his off loads occur when he is part way through the defensive line and can get his right arm free to pass to his outside support runners.

    Vinncent Takataka is aggressive in defence whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can and will stop even the biggest opposing forwards in their tracks and targets the area around where the attackers carry the football. His speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half.

    Vinncent Takataka will play the 2020 season as part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts side for the second season in a row.

    With his above average to plus speed and foot work for a solidly built player Vinncent Takataka shapes as a second rower for the duration of his rugby league career.

    This should be no real surprise as Vinncent Takataka has been playing almost exclusively in the second row since starting in the second row for the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs in Round One of the 2016 Harrold Matthews U16 Cup competition. I do note that he did start one MM Cup match this season in the front row for South’s Logan.

    Vinncent Takataka has the look of a very talented player with a playing style similar to that of St George Dragons, New South Wales State of Origin and Australian International second rower Tyson Fizzell as a powerful and devastating runner on the fringes of the ruck.

    Like Fizzell what makes Vinncent Takataka such a handful is his outstanding foot work that compliments his speed and power with a low centre of gravity perfectly.

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    Jack Kearton. The young front row moved down from Mackay State High School to attend PBC at the start of 2018 and was part of the Titans U16 squad played against PNG and New South Wales Country U16 sides in September 2018. The match against PNG will be held at Pizzey Park Burleigh and the New South Wales Country match at Cudgen.

    Jack Kearton played one match for Burleigh in the MM Cup competition in 2019 with that match being in Round Five when he came off the bench in Round Five against Souths Logan.

    In 2019 Jake Kearton played his club rugby league on the Gold Coast for Burleigh in the GCRL U18 Division One competition playing ten regular season matches, primarily starting at lock and scored four tries including a Round Nine double against Currumbin just days after the PBC/Keebra Langer Cup match. Jack Kearton also scored against Ormeau earlier in the season and against Mudgeeraba in Round Fourteen.

    In Week Two of the GCRL U18 Division One Finals series, Jake Kearton started at lock as Burleigh defeated Southport 34 – 4 to progress directly to the Grand Final.

    Jack Kearton started at lock in Burleigh’s 28 -12 U18 Division One Grand Final win over Southport 28 -12 and had strong stints in each half.

    Jake Kearton in 2019 was also part of the PBC Open A rugby league side including starting from the bench (he had been named to start) in the Langer Cup derby against Keebra Park in June and was heavily involved when he came on.

    Jake Kearton was also part of the PBC side for their Queensland GIO Cup quarter final win over St Mary’s High School Toowoomba 50 – 6 coming off the bench in that match and also came off the bench in PBC’s semi-final loss to Marsden State High School.

    Jack Kearton, even though he was eligible for the U16 age group played for the Mudgeeraba Redbacks U17 Division One side in 2018, starting in the second row in their Round One match against Currumbin.

    In 2017 Jake Kearton was part of the Capricornia U15 side that took part in the QSSRL U15 championships. In those Championships he played primarily in the second row but has played in the front row for PBC this season in their Year Ten side although he did miss the recent Walter Cup match won by PBC against Keebra Park by two points through illness.

    Running with the football, Jack Kearton has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders rather than trying to simply run over them although you can see that when he gets fired up all subtlety and thoughts of self-preservation goes out the window and he becomes a giant wrecking ball.

    Jack Kearton does not have great speed off the mark or necessary great high end speed, but he will work hard and make the most of his ability. Jack Kearton actually does have a decent off load usually with his right hand when he has impacted the defensive line as well and regularly showcases this in game situations.

    Defensively Jack Kearton can certainly hit very hard, usually aiming for just under the ribs and first intention is to lock up the ball to prevent offloads. He can however on occasion try to tackle too front on which can lead to situations where the opposing forward can bounce off him, but I have no doubt with the Colts coaching that he will be getting they will have this corrected in short order.

    Jack Kearton has quite reasonable lateral mobility for a larger forward and due to the fact that he bends his hips when looking to make a tackle he is usually is able to wrap up the smaller attackers without his tackles slipping up to around the head or neck, and thus giving away penalties. Jack Kearton can however get fired up and really cause havoc defensively.

    Jack Kearton will play the 2020 season with the Burleigh Bears in the U18 Division One competition and play for PBC in their various School Boy Rugby League competitions a swell as being part of the Burleigh MM Cup squad.

    Jack Kearton has spent time in both the front row, lock and second row this season and last and even though I anticipate that he will continue to play both positions for the next couple of seasons, I believe that as he continues to mature physically Jack Kearton will ultimately end up in the front row on a full time basis.

    From a player comparison perspective in relation to Jake Kearton, consider someone along the lines of the St George Dragons and new New South Wales State of Origin front rower Paul Vaughan as a big strong mobile forward who hits the defensive line hard when he runs as well as the opposition when they are running the ball.

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

    I initially believed that Aydn Anguna was going to play rugby in 2019 and beyond but it was pleasing to see the powerful front rower or second rower start at lock for the Tweed Heads Seagulls Hastings Deering’s Colt side in their Round One win over the Western Mustangs 18 – 14.

    In total for Tweed Heads in the 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition, Adyn Anguna played in seven matches. In addition to starting Round One at lock, Adyn Anguna started at lock in Round Fifteen against Townsville and started in the front row in Round Two against Townsville. Adyn Anguna started from the bench in his other four matches in 2019.

    Adyn Anguna also played a number of matches in the 2019 GCRL U20 competition for Runaway Bay coming into the side in Round Seven on the wing and then backed up to start the following Doug Lipp Cup match on the wing. In total in the 2019 GCRL U20 regular season competition Adyn Anguna played in five matches.

    In Week One of the GCRL U20 Finals series, Adyn Anguna started from the bench as Runaway Bay defeated Helensvale 27 – 20 to progress to Week Two.

    Adyn Anguna made his Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade debut for Runaway Bay when he came off the bench in Round Ten against Burleigh and also came off the bench in Round Thirteen against Bilambil and again in Round Nineteen against Currumbin.

    Adyn Anguna also played in six regular season Doug Lipp Cup matches making his debut in May against Ormeau.

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

    In addition to playing for PBC Adyn Anguna played in three matches for Currumbin in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition in 2018 scoring in his first match in that competition this season against Helensvale. Adyn Anguna played against Helensvale twice with his other match against Burleigh.

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

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

    Adyn Anguna’s style of play is that of a wide running back rower with above average speed for the position. He is quite quick off the mark, but what makes him even more impressive from a speed perspective is that when he gets into space, he has an extra gear again which is a plus attribute for such a strong powerful back rower, making it almost impossible for the cover defence to catch him once he is open space.

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

    Adyn Anguna is an aggressive defender whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can and will stop even the biggest opposing forwards in their tracks when he is able to set his base. His speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half.

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

    In 2020 Adyn Anguna is still Colts eligible in 2020 and should push for a spot once again in the Hastings Deering’s Colts competition with Tweed Heads.

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

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

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    Braden Amundsen. (Revised) The centre/second rower started the 2019 season with Helensvale in the GCRL U20 competition.

    In total in the GCRL U20 competition in 2019 Braden Amundsen played in ten matches scoring four tries including an impressive Round Eleven try.

    Playing right second rower, Braden Amundsen took the ball around ten metres out from the Mudgeeraba line, fending off the first attempted tackle before being corralled by three defenders. He then spun around 270 degrees to break free and score under the posts.

    Braden Amundsen also scored against Burleigh in Round Ten and also against Southport in March and Runaway Bay in July.

    Braden Amundsen made his 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts debut in Round Twelve when he started at left centre for Burleigh against the Sunshine Coast Falcons scoring late in the first half on debut.

    Braden Amundsen received the ball about ten metres out from the Falcons line pushing past his opposite defender before taking on the fullback front on and after disposing of him through sheer strength scored near the left corner.

    In total for the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts side in 2019, Braden Amundsen played in nine matches including Burleigh’s first finals.

    Braden Amundsen split time between starting on the right wing and right centre in 2019, starting five matches on the wing and four in the centres.

    Braden Amundsen started the 2018 season as part of the Burleigh MM Cup side progressing through the local U19 competition with Helensvale before getting a late season opportunity with the Burleigh Colts side.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Braden Amundsen will be part of the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts side once again in 2020 where he will push for a spot in the centres and will also likely play a number of Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade matches in 2020.

    Positionally Braden Amundsen has the skill and physical attributes to stay in the centres for the duration of his rugby league career, but he could certainly also play on the wing at a high level. I must admit also that I was intrigued at how Braden Amundsen went in the second row in 2019 for Helensvale and it will be interesting to see if he gets further opportunities there in future seasons.

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

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    Carl Lolohea. The giant powerful young Ballina Seagulls front rower is another youngster from the Group One region in northern New South Wales making his mark in rugby league.

    Carl Lolohea started the 2019 season of starting from the interchange bench in Round One for the Northern Rivers Titans in the U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition against the Newcastle Knights Development Squad.

    Round Two of the 2019 Laurie Daley Cup competition saw Carl Lolohea once again start the match from the interchange bench in their match against Parramatta.

    Carl Lolohea moved into the starting line-up for the Round Three clash against the North Coast Bulldogs starting the match in the front row and maintained his starting front row spot in Round Four against the Central Coast Roosters where he made some impressive runs making good ground post contact.

    As a result of his earlier performances in the U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition Carl Lolohea also started in the front row in Round Five against the Greater Northern Tigers and was rewarded for an outstanding match scoring a powerful try late.

    Carl Lolohea took the ball from around twelve metres out from the try line to the left of the play the ball and cut back off his left foot to surge over near the left upright dragging a couple of defenders over the line with him.

    Post the U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition Carl Lolohea played in the U18 NRRRL competition playing for Ballina. Carl Lolohea started the U18 NRRRL season off with a bang starting in the front row and scoring in Round One in a 44 - 8 Ballina win over Kyogle and he also scored in Round Two against Casino RSM in another big Ballina victory.

    Carl Lolohea also had a big match in Round Eleven scoring a hat trick against Evans Head in a 54 – 4 Ballina victory.

    In total in the NRRRL U18 regular season competition in 2019 Carol Lolohea scored nine tries from fifteen appearances. In addition to the tries noted above Carl Lolohea also scored against Cudgen and Kyogle and finished the regular season with a bang scoring against Byron Bay.

    In Week Two of the NRRRL U18 Finals Carl Lolohea was part of the Ballina side that defeated Cudgen 26 – 20 to progress directly to the Grand Final.

    In the 2019 NRRRL U18 Grand Final Carl Lolohea started in the left second row position and terrorised his Cudgen opponents continually throughout the match as Ballina drew away in the second half to win 24 – 6 after the scores were locked 2 all at half time.

    Carl Lolohea made his deserved NRRRL Reserve Grade debut in Round Seven for Ballina against the Tweed Coast.

    Carl Lolohea started the 2018 season as part of the Northern Rivers U16 Andrew Johns Cup side playing in four matches, including games against the Newcastle Knights Development Squad, the Central Coast Roosters, the Greater Northern Tigers and the Western Rams which featured recent Titans signing Jack Smith.

    Carl Lolohea also played for Ballina in the Far North Coast U16 Rugby competition starting seven matches in the centres with his first match being in Round Three against Brunswick Valley. IN his seven matches he scored two tries both coming in Round Thirteen against Lismore.

    In 2017 Carl Lolohea represented the Group One U15 side in three matches at the New South Wales Country U15 Age Championships.

    In the Group One U16.5 competition in 2018 Carl Lolohea played in thirteen matches for Ballina scoring five tries. Each of his tries came in individual matches and came against Lismore Marist Brothers twice, Casino RSM twice and Clarence Coast.

    At this stage of his career Carl Lolohea is primarily a hard straight runner with little subtlety or footwork prior to contact with the defensive line but there has been just a few signs this season, including playing for the Group One U16 side against the Western Mustangs U16’s that his footwork is slowly but surely developing nicely.

    Carl Lolohea has continued to get bigger and stronger over the last few years and impressively has also been able to maintain has above average speed and mobility for his position, in fact I would consider his speed for a front rower to be in the plus category as is his mobility.

    Defensively Carl Lolohea 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.

    Carl Lolohea is not averse to looking for the big hit but also does have a good front on defensive technique and decent agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents. Carl Lolohea has the size, strength and power to seal off sections of the field in defence and impressively can sustain that dominance for the entire match regularly.

    Carl Lolohea will also be eligible to play in the U18 competition in 2020 but should also make his NRRRL First Grade debut for Ballina as well as be part of the Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup squad for the second season in a row come 2020.

    Carl Lolohea is a big strong young man still growing into his frame and should continue to do so over the coming years without compromising his outstanding athletic abilities. As he continues to develop his skills and grows physically there would appear to be no doubt that Carl Lolohea will stay in the front row.

    Carl Lolohea has outstanding physical attributes and a rapidly developing skill set and it is just a matter of time for him to figure out how best to use them to dominate on a rugby league field and when he does opposition teams regardless of quality should look out.

    From an NRL player comparison perspective I would consider a player comparison for Carl Lolohea with Penrith Panthers destructive second rower Viliame Kikau as more than appropriate. Both are exceptionally destructive on the fringes of the ruck and take a power of stopping by defences.

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    Lochlyn Sheldon. (Revised) The talented front rower or lock missed the opening rounds of the 2019 season with injury but came back into the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts side for their Round Eight ANZAC Day match against the Western Mustangs starting at lock for the Bears. Lochlyn Sheldon also started at lock in Rounds Nine and Ten against Redcliffe and the Northern Pride respectively.

    In a Gold Coast Rugby League bye week, Lochlyn Sheldon was back in the Burleigh Colts side for Round Sixteen against Souths Logan, starting at lock and scoring his first Colts try of the year. Close to the Souths Logan line, Burleigh hooker Lachlan Turnbull ran to his right and Lochlyn Sheldon ran back towards the play the ball on an underneath route and crashed over after he received the inside pass.

    Lochlyn Sheldon also started at lock in Round Seventeen against Tweed Heads scoring Burleigh’s first try of the match when he ran onto a short pass from his left from hooker Lachlan Turnbull to easily crash over from close range.

    Lochlyn Sheldon added a further try in Round Nineteen against Redcliffe when he was on hand to receive an inside ball from Tristian Powell to score under the posts from about ten metres out.

    Starting at lock in Round Twenty One Lochlyn Sheldon added another try when he cut back underneath Burleigh dummy half Lachlan Turnbull to crash over from close range, it was simply that Lochlyn Sheldon wanted to score more than the defence wanted to stop him.

    Lochlyn Sheldon also had a big part in the first half try for Shallin Fuller, running to the right of the play the ball Lochlyn Sheldon took the ball right to the line before popping a great short ball to his right to put Tristian Powell into a gap, who then found Shallin Fuller to score under the posts.

    Lochlyn Sheldon scored again in Round Twenty Three against Central Queensland, he received the ball on the right of the play the ball, dummied to the right to break through the initial defensive line before stepping off his right foot to easily beat the fullback to score under the posts.

    Lochlyn Sheldon scored again in Burleigh’s Week One Major Semi-final loss to Wynnum Many. Lochlyn Sheldon ran an outside shoulder route to the right of the final the ball and after receiving a pass from Cameron Brown got on the outside of his opponent scoring from fifteen metres out about half way between the corner post and goal post on the left side of the field.

    In Week Two of the Finals Lochlyn Sheldon scored in Burleigh’s 42 – 12 win against Norths after starting the match at lock. After a play to the left broke down Cameron Brown brought the ball back towards the centre of the field and found Lochlyn Sheldon running into a gap. Lochlyn Sheldon then produced a fend with each hand to run twelve metres to score under the posts.

    Lochlyn Sheldon’s 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts season came to an end when he started at lock for Burleigh as they went down 23 – 16 to Sunshine Coast in the Preliminary Final.

    In total in the 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition, Lochlyn Sheldon played in fifteen matches including Burleigh’s finals starting all at lock and scoring seven tries.

    At the end of season Awards night, Lochlyn Sheldon was named 2019 Burleigh Sportsman of the Year and also was awarded the 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts Coaches Award.

    Lochlyn Sheldon in 2019 received a quick promotion to the Burleigh GCRL First Grade side making his 2019 GCRL First Grade debut from the bench as the Bears defeated Currumbin 22 – 20 in Round Nine.

    Lochlyn Sheldon moved into the Burleigh GCRL First Grade starting line-up in the left second row position for their Round Ten match against Runaway Bay scoring a double which were in fact the first two tries that Burleigh scored.

    For his first try Lochlyn Sheldon received the ball down a short left blind side to dive over a couple of metres from the left corner post. Lochlyn Sheldon showed some outstanding pace for his second try a few minutes later. Burleigh made a break on the half way mark and Lochlyn Sheldon showed impressive pace to loom up on the inside to take the ball and run twenty metres to score.

    In total in the 2019 GCRL First Grade competition, Lochlyn Sheldon has played in six matches scoring the two tries noted above.

    Lochlyn Sheldon was an ever present in the front row for the Burleigh Bears early in the Hastings Deering’s U20 Colts side in 2018, starting in the front row in their first nine of their matches before being promoted to the Gold Coast Rugby League Burleigh First Grade side.

    Lochlyn Sheldon is not going to score many tries but did score in Round Three of 2018 in the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

    In 2018 Lochlyn Sheldon made his Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade debut for Burleigh starting from the bench in Round Six when the Bears defeated Bilambil 40 – 10. Lochlyn Sheldon played eight matches for Burleigh in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition in 2018.

    Lochlyn Sheldon had a very good 2017 season on the field for Burleigh in the MM Cup competition and for Runaway Bay across multiple grades in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition. In addition, Lochlyn Sheldon played one match for the Burleigh Bears U20 Colts Challenge side which was in Round Fourteen against the Ipswich Jets, that afternoon Lochlyn Sheldon made his debut from the interchange bench and scored a second half try in a positive debut Colts match.

    For Burleigh in the 2017 MM competition, Lochlyn Sheldon captained the side and started in five of their six matches in the front row and came off the interchange bench in Round Three. Lochlyn Sheldon crossed for three tries over the six matches, scoring in Round One against Redcliffe, in Round Three against North’s and also in Round Six in the local derby against Tweed Heads Seagulls a match in which Burleigh won and a match that also included a number of Tians linked players on both sides.

    For Runaway Bay in the Gold Coast Rugby League Competition, Lochlyn Sheldon played twelve matches in the U19 competition, eleven in the Doug Lipp Cup including starting the Grand Final at lock (Unfortunately Runaway Bay were defeated 13 – 6 by Beaudesert) and one match in the A grade making his A Grade debut in August against Ormeau.

    Across his twelve matches in the 2018 U19 competition, Lochlyn Sheldon scored five tries all coming in a stellar four game period mid-season where he scored double against Mudgeeraba and also tries in that period against Beaudesert, Burleigh and Bilambil.

    Lochlyn Sheldon made his Doug Lipp Cup debut in June 2018 against Bilambil and went on to make eleven appearances for Runaway Bay in that competition scoring three tries which came against Ormeau, Tugun and Bilambil. In five of his eleven Doug Lipp Cup matches, Lochlyn Sheldon played in the U19 contest and then backed up to play the Doug Lipp Cup fixture immediately after the conclusion of the previous match.

    Lochlyn Sheldon was named player of the carnival for the 2016 Confraternity Shield as well as being named in the second row for the Queensland Independent Colleges (QIC) Secondary Schools rugby league side after playing for Gold Coast based Aquinas College in the carnival which was held in September 2016.

    Fellow Aquinas College student Lachlan Douglas was also named in the all carnival side in the front row. Lachlan Douglas is currently part of the 2018 Burleigh U20 Hastings Deering’s squad.

    Previously Lochlyn Sheldon has made multiple representative sides, including the Queensland U13 side, South Coast U15’s where he was named player of the match on Day Two against Darling Downs, Qld Marron U15’s from which he made the U15 Australian Merit Team with Titans linked Konrad Edwards and also the Queensland U16 side in 2015, which also contained Titans Ben Thomas and Darius Farmer.

    Lochlyn Sheldon was part of the Brisbane Broncos elite development squad for a number of years, but unfortunately for him he was not able to gain a contract with the Broncos, which was good news for the Titans.

    Running with the football, Lochlyn Sheldon has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders rather than trying to simply run over them.

    Lochlyn Sheldon does not have great speed off the mark or necessary great high end speed, but he will work hard and make the most of his ability. He actually does have a decent off load when he has impacted the defensive line as well.

    Where there has been a clear development in Lochlyn Sheldon’s game has been he is ability to off load prior to contact with the defensive line in a 2017 Round Three MM match against the North’s Devils Lochlyn Sheldon popped a great short ball to Noah Lolesio off his right hip who crossed untouched for one of his four tries that afternoon at Pizzey Park.

    Defensively Lochlyn Sheldon is not a big hitter, usually aiming for just under the ribs and first intention is to lock up the ball to prevent offloads. One area where is quite effective whether he is defending on the fringes of the ruck or in the centre of the ruck including when he is defending at marker, is against smaller attackers who look to use their foot work.

    Lochlyn Sheldon has quite reasonable lateral mobility for a forward and due to the fact that he also is not that tall, usually is able to wrap up the smaller attackers without his tackles slipping up to around the head or neck, and thus giving away penalties. His ability to successfully defend against these type of attackers as well as having the technique to defend against larger forwards is one of a number of reasons that I consider that a future in the second row is probable.

    Lochlyn Sheldon will probably not stand out during a game but will work hard both in attack and defence and leave all the eye catching things like big hits, line breaks and one handed off loads to other forwards who will benefit from his hard working style.

    Lochlyn Sheldon push for a spot in the Burleigh Queensland Cup side in 2020 and I would not bet against him making an impact in that competition.

    Whilst he has alternated between second row and front row over previous junior seasons, I would anticipate that based on his build and skill set that starting as early as next season Lochlyn Sheldon will likely transition to the second row full time. Lochlyn Sheldon likely could play front row in an emergency type situation but second row seems like a more natural fit for him from my perspective at least.

    From a player comparison perspective, one player with a similar playing style from my perspective is former Titans second rower and current Titans coaching staff member Anthony Laffranchi, as a solid hard working forward who will probably never be a star but will be a solid contributor to a team’s forward pack.

    Likely there will be players with more natural ability that will not go as far in rugby league as Lochlyn Sheldon will, simply because he will make the most of the ability he has through sheer hard work and effort.


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