My take on our top juniors

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Jury Taewa. In early October 2020 the young second rower was part of the Titans Group 18 U14/15 side that played a trial match against a Titans Gold Coast U14 squad with the match being played at Cbus Stadium, giving the young players a great experience with an added bonus that the players wore Titans jerseys.

In the 2020 Group 18 U15 competition Jury Taewa played for the Bilambil Jets including being part of the Jets side that won the Grand Final 14 – 6 against Byron Bay/Lennox Head.

In the 2020 Group 18 U15 regular season the Bilambil Jets went through winning all ten of their matches, scoring 242 points and conceding 72 to finish the season with a +242 points differential.

In 2019 Jury Taewa played for the Group 18 U14 representative side at the New South Wales Country Age Championships, playing primarily coming off the bench, playing in the second row when he came on.

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

For Bilambil, Jury Taewa has defended both in the edge of the ruck and well as through the middle. Jury Taewa was quietly effective in both situations from both a quality and quantity perspective. Jury Taewa’s initial contact is solid and is more than enough to stop the momentum of the ball carrier and effect tackles one on one. Jury Taewa is also effective at wrapping the ball up and preventing offloads.

When Jury Taewa hits he hits hard, but I would not call it aggressive per say, but he is just tough in his approach to his defence. I do not necessarily think that Jury Taewa’s defensive work will stand out because he is not going to come up with a huge hit which will get the crowd on its feet, but Jury Taewa will do a lot of work and will likely always finish at or near the top of the tackle count regardless of the level and standard of football he is playing.

Jury Taewa will play the 2021 season with the Bilambil Jets in the Group 18 U16 competition. Jury Taewa is also a member of the 2021 Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup Squad.

With his size, speed and strength combination, Jury Taewa is the ideal modern day rugby league second rower.

From a player comparison perspective for Jury Taewa, someone with a similar playing style that could be used for a comparison perspective would be the Brisbane Broncos second rower Alex Glenn as a strong hard running, hard tackling aggressive and effective backrower.

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Dominic Bowman. In early October 2020 the fullback or centre was part of a Titans Group 18 U16 Invitational side that played a trial match against a Titans squad with the match being played at Cbus Stadium, giving the young players a great experience with an added bonus that the players wore Titans jerseys.

In the 2020 Group 18 U16 competition Dominic Bowman played for the South Tweed Bears who defeated Murwillumbah 20 – 16 in the Grand Final.

In the regular season in the 2020 Group 18 U16 season, South Tweed won seven games and lost three, along the way scoring 210 points and conceding 160 to finish with a +50 points differential.

In 2019 Dominic Bowman played for the Group 18 U15 representative side at the New South Wales Country Age Championships, playing primarily in the centres and also represented Group 18 in 2018 at the U14 level where he played on the wing.

For a rangy type of player Dominic Bowman is very quick off the mark and when the ball is being brought out of his teams half he is always around the forwards looking for off loads but as evidenced by one of his tries he also can play the way a lot of the current fullbacks play when they receive the football “out the back” from the half or five eight.

In those circumstances, currently Dominic Bowman runs more than he passes, but he is playing at the U16 level and I have no doubt that his passing skills will improve as he maturing and gets more experience in older age groups and possible representative games.

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

In terms of his defence, one thing that stood out to me is when the opposition makes a break Dominic Bowman moves forward looking to cut down the time of the attacking player, which is quite impressive for such a young player. Due to his height, he is good also at defending the high ball.

Dominic Bowman will play the 2021 season in the NRRRL U18 competition and will be eligible for that competition in 2022 as well. Dominic Bowman is also a member of the 2021 Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup Squad.

Dominic Bowman, at this stage of his career can play both fullback and in the centres already at a high level, but if pushed, I would suggest that with his ability to chime into a backline, Dominic Bowman has a better than even chance to settle at fullback as his career continues towards the senior ranks.

From a player comparison perspective, I will once again qualify my comments that when I am making a player comparison I am talking about a playing style rather than potential career path. For me Dominic Bowman has a little bit of recently retired South Sydney Rabbitoh, Queensland State of Origin and Australian Test centre/fullback Greg Inglis in his game.

Like Inglis, Dominic Bowman has speed and power when running the ball (and defensively for that matter) as well has just having the uncanny knack of making the initial defender miss the first up tackle on a regular basis.

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Kovi Ngan-Woo. In early October 2020 Kovi Ngan-Woo was part of a Titans Group 18 U16 Invitational side that played a trial match against a Titans squad with the match being played at Cbus Stadium, giving the young players a great experience with an added bonus that the players wore Titans jerseys.

In the 2020 Group 18 U16 competition Kovi Ngan-Woo played for the Bilambil Jets who finished the regular season winning five matches, scoring 152 points and conceding 118 to finish with a +34 points differential.

In addition to playing in the Group 18 U16 competition for Bilambil, Kovi Ngan- Woo played one match for the Jets in the 2020 NRRRL U18 competition with the match coming in early September 2020 against the Cudgen Hornets. Kovi Ngan-Woo had a dominating debut game being named Player of the Match against the Jets local rivals.

Kovi Ngan-Woo 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.

Kovi Ngan-Woo 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.

Kovi Ngan-Woo is always the player standing back deep from kick ups to take the first hit up and will charge straight at the line. Kovi Ngan-Woo also is quite quick for a big 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, Kovi Ngan-Woo can certainly hit very hard and for a solidly built 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. Kovi Ngan-Woo 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.

Kovi Ngan-Woo will play the 2021 season with the Bilambil Jets in the NRRRL U18 competition and he will also be U18 eligible in 2022.

Kovi Ngan-Woo, for his size, is exceptionally quick and mobile, whilst maintaining his strength and power and even though he is outstanding on the fringes of the ruck, Kovi Ngan-Woo will without a doubt develop into a powerhouse front rower with exceptional speed. Mobility and power for the position.

From a player comparison perspective for Kovi Ngan-Woo, think of someone along the lines of Sydney Roosters and New Zealand test player Jarred Warea-Hargreaves and a big strong powerful front rower.

Kovi Ngan-Woo has a huge amount of potential and hopefully for him everything comes together and he can develop into the best player he can be there is certainly a lot of raw ability and untapped potential for him to work with.

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Levi Dangerfield. In early October 2020 Levi Dangerfield was part of the Titans Group 18 U14/15 Invitational side that played a trial match against a Titans Gold Coast U14 squad with the match being played at Cbus Stadium, giving the young players a great experience with an added bonus that the players wore Titans jerseys.

In the 2020 Group 18 U15 competition Levi Dangerfield played for the combined Cudgen/Murwillumbah side that two two games and lost eight, scoring 122 points and conceding 298 to finish the season with a -176 points differential. Post the season Levi Dangerfield was named the Cudgen Hornets Group 18 U15 Best and Fairest.

In 2019 Levi Dangerfield played for the Group 18 U14 representative side at the New South Wales Country Age Championships, playing primarily at lock.

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

Where Levi Dangerfield’s game has really developed over the last couple of seasons his ability to play wider of the ruck. With his size and strength wider of the ruck Levi Dangerfield attracts defenders and thus is in a position to use his ball skills to set up his outside supports early in a match.

When defences start to try to anticipate that Levi Dangerfield is going to pass then he can use his size and power to cash through the defensive lien as no defender is going to be able to handle him one on one by themselves.

In defence Levi Dangerfield uses his size and strength to make very solid initial contact and certainly can take on all opposing forwards one on one. Levi Dangerfield is not adverse to looking for the big hit but does have a good front on defensive technique, maintaining decent leverage and reasonable agility and lateral movement when looking to tackle smaller opponents on the edge of the ruck, although clearly he is more effective in the centre of the ruck, as most front rowers are.

Levi Dangerfield will play the 2021 season with the Cudgen Hornets in the Group 18 U16 competition and will also likely get the opportunity to play a number of matches for the Hornets in the NRRRL U18 competition. Levi Dangerfield is also a member of the 2021 Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup Squad.

Levi Dangerfield is a big strong powerful young man but has exceptional speed and mobility and is ideally suited to play on the fringes of the ruck in rugby league although there is no doubt Levi Dangerfield is also very effective through the centre of the ruck.

With his size and speed Levi Dangerfield has a playing style similar to that of Canberra Raiders backrower Joseph Tapine as a player who is simply a hard player. What I mean by “hard” is that Levi Dangerfield runs very hard at the defensive line and tackles just as hard.

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Jaylen Taewa. In early October 2020 the young second rower was part of the Titans Group 18 U14/15 side that played a trial match against a Titans Gold Coast U14 squad with the match being played at Cbus Stadium, giving the young players a great experience with an added bonus that the players wore Titans jerseys.

In the 2020 Group 18 U15 competition Jaylen Taewa played for the Bilambil Jets including starting in the Jets 14 – 6 Grand Final victory over Byron Bay/Lennox Head and being Player of the Match in the Grand Final.

In the 2020 Group 18 U15 regular season the Bilambil Jets went through winning all ten of their matches, scoring 242 points and conceding 72 to finish the season with a +242 points differential.

In 2019 Jaylen Taewa played for the Group 18 U14 representative side at the New South Wales Country Age Championships, playing primarily in the second row.

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

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

Defensively the most impressive aspect of Jaylen Taewa’s play is his ability to make effective tackle after effective tackle. For the Bilambil Jets in 2020 in the Group 18 U16 competition he continually made up to three and four tackles in a row on multiple occasions.

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

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

Jaylen Taewa will play the 2021 season with the Bilambil Jets in the Group 18 U16 competition and will also likely get the opportunity to play a number of matches for the Jets in the NRRRL U18 competition. Jaylen Taewa is also a member of the 2021 Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup Squad.

With his size, speed and strength combination, Jaylen Taewa is the ideal modern day rugby league second rower.

A near perfect NRL player comparison for Jaylen Taewa is boom New Zealand Warriors rookie second rower Eliesa Katoa. Both Jaylen Taewa and Katoa are big strong and powerful and can break tackles seemingly at will. Similiarly both are hard hitters defensively but also have a solid tackling technique including placing their head appropriately.

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Caleb Case. In early October 2020 the young winger was part of a Titans Group 18 U16 Invitational side that played a trial match against a Titans squad with the match being played at Cbus Stadium, giving the young players a great experience with an added bonus that the players wore Titans jerseys.

In the 2020 Group 18 U16 competition Caleb Case played for the Bilambil Jets. In the 2020 Group 18 U16 regular season, the Bilambil jets win five matches, scoring 152 points and conceding 118 to finish with a +34 points differential.

In 2019 Caleb Case played for the Group 18 U15 representative side at the New South Wales Country Age Championships, playing primarily on the wing.

Even though he does not have great top end speed Caleb Case is quick enough to take advantage of any space that he is given down the touchline by opposing wingers. One good think about his play in attack is that Caleb Case stays on his wing and is regularly outside his opposite number allowing his inside players to be able to find him in attack and in the games that I have seen he stays back and does not over run the players that are inside of him.

Caleb Case seems to be aware of his skill set as he does not take chances with the sideline and does his utmost to ensure that he is not taken over the sideline and knows when to cut back inside rather than taking his opposite number on along the touchline.

Caleb Case will also come in and take his fair share of hit ups to give his forwards a rest, when the ball needs to be brought out of his end of the field even though he is not the biggest or strongest player.

In terms of defence, Caleb Case is solid and seemingly understands the attributes of his opposite number to the extent that he alters his defensive positioning if he is against speedy, elusive wingers and against larger wingers.

Like most young outside backs though Caleb Case will continue to work on when to come out of the line to cut down the time and space of opposing centre, against staying out on his opposing winger and when to drop back to cover the side line, his time at fullback has clearly helped in these situations.

Caleb Case will play the 2021 season with the Bilambil Jets in the NRRRL U18 competition and will also be U18 eligible in 2022.

With his speed and elusiveness, Caleb Case seems set to stay on the wing for the duration of his rugby league career.

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Riley Buchanan. The northern New South Wales youngster is currently a member of the Titans Tweed Heads based junior academy.

In 2020 Riley Buchanan played right second row for the Tweed Heads Seagulls U14 side in the Group 18 junior rugby league competition with the Seagulls going through the ten regular season rounds undefeated, scoring 316 points and conceding just 64 to finish the regular season with +252 points differential from their ten matches to record an average winning margin of just above twenty five points.

As a result of their outstanding season the Tweed Heads Seagulls U14 side qualified for the Grand Final against the Tugun Seahawks. Tweed Heads prevailed in the 2020 decider 30 – 4 with Riley Buchanan starting the Grand Final at right second row and being heavily involved throughout, including a strong run in the early minutes of the match, with Tweed Head scoring two play the balls later after Riley Buchanan’s quick play the ball.

Riley Buchanan also scored in the Grand Final when he scored next to the right goal posts in the first half. With Tweed Heads playing the ball two metres out from the try line, Riley Buchanan charged onto the ball to the right of the play the ball and dragged three defenders with him over the try line to get the ball down adjacent to the right upright.

Post the season Riley Buchanan was nominted to the Tweed Heads Seagulls Junior Rugby League’s International Player with the Most Potential.

In early October 2020 Riley Buchanan was part of the Titans NRRRL U14/U15 Invitational squad that played a match against a Titans Gold Coast based U14 side, with the match being played at Cbus Stadium, giving the young players a great experience and in a Titans jersey as well.

Riley Buchanan also played touch in 2020 making the U14 Boys Queensland Fury side for the Queensland Oztag Super Series after representing the Tweed Coast Giants.

The tall long striding Riley Buchanan is at his best when he is operating in the fringes of the ruck where he can exploit gaps in the defensive line with his size and speed. When he runs Riley Buchanan is all arms, legs, knees and elbows and with his long stride and strong fend is a difficult proposition for defenders to handle in the context of getting him to the ground prior to Riley Buchanan being in a position to off load the ball effectively. Riley Buchanan has solid ball playing skills for a big forward including being able to pass prior to contact with the defensive line as well as when in contact.

Riley Buchanan’s leg drive and determination also enables him to be equally effective in relation to operating in traffic where as long as he gets his body height low he can shrug off would be tacklers by dropping his shoulder into the defender just as he starts to commit to the tackle, Riley Buchanan can then redirect his momentum and proceed down the field on a different vector to the one he was on prior to contact. For a player his size Riley Buchanan can quickly get to his feet both in the context of getting a quick play the ball.

The other key feature of Riley Buchanan’s attacking play is his ability to off load the ball, he can pop a very good short ball from either side of his body but is very effective at keeping his right arm free when in contact with the defensive line and off load a well-timed and appropriately weighted pass to his support runners who have the confidence in him to be hitting the gaps at full speed.

In terms of overall speed, whilst above average for his position, Riley Buchanan when in space will be caught by cover defenders but he is quick enough to maintain separation until he has progressively worked through his options and invariably makes the right decision with the ball.

Defensively Riley Buchanan is adept at wrapping up the ball carrier and his initial contact is underrated as his primary function and goal is to wrap up the ball to prevent off loads. As previously noted after making a tackle Riley Buchanan is quick to his feet to either look for a turnover or get to the next breakdown. His stamina is such that you will see Riley Buchanan make multiple tackles in a short space of time and then immediately make himself available to take another hit up.

Riley Buchanan will play for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Group 18 junior rugby league competition, in 2021 in the U15 age group, where once again that side will be the team to beat after their outstanding 2020 season.

2021 should also see Zane Harrison represent the Group 18 U15 representative side at the 2021 New South Wales Country Age Championships.

From a rugby league position perspective Riley Buchanan presents as an ideal rugby league second rower with the ability to run wide of the ruck and able to offload both before (a developing skill) and when he is contact with the defensive line.

From an NRL rugby league player comparison perspective for Riley Buchanan, a player that springs to mind as a similar player is the Penrith Panthers lock or second rower Isaiah Yeo. They are both big, tall, strong and powerful athletes with considerable untapped potential in their game especially from an attacking perspective.

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Cooper Wolfe. In early October 2020 Cooper Wolfe was part of a Titans Group 18 U16 Invitational side that played a trial match against a Titans squad with the match being played at Cbus Stadium, giving the young players a great experience with an added bonus that the players wore Titans jerseys in the match.

The young front rower played the 2020 season for the Murwillumbah Colts in the Group 18 U16 competition, including starting the 2020 Grand Final in the front row with the Colts going down in the Grand Final 20 – 16 to South Tweed.

In the 2020 Group 18 U16 regular season Murwillumbah won five matches and lost four, along the way scoring 154 points and conceding 112 to finish with a +42 points differential.

In 2019 Cooper Wolfe was a stand by player for the Group 18 U15 representative side for the New South Wales Country Age Championships and in 2018 Cooper Wolfe was part of the Group 18 U14 representative side for the New South Wales Country Age Championships, starting the majority of Group 18’s matches in the front row.

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

Cooper Wolfe seems to have a high work rate and I would suggest that he would normally be at or near the top of his team’s statistics in terms of the number of hit ups he makes and on occasion runs a very good inside shoulder route to supplement his other attacking attributes. Cooper Wolfe does not off-load the ball much however and probably never be one based on how he asked to play the game.

Defensively Cooper Wolfe aims hits very hard and usually hits around the top of the ball region and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls by using wrestling techniques well. Over the last year Cooper Wolfe’s speed and mobility seemed to have increased and as a consequence he was better able to mirror the opposition attackers more effectively.

Cooper Wolfe will play the 2021 season with the Murwillumbah Mustangs in the NRRRL U18 competition as the Mustangs look to avenge their 2020 NRRRL U18 Grand Final loss to the Cudgen Hornets. Cooper Wolfe will also be U18 eligible in 2022. Cooper Wolfe is also a member of the 2021 Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup Squad.

From a position perspective, from my understanding Cooper Wolfe has played his entire junior rugby league career in the front row and wit hhis build and skill set, I would anticipate that Cooper Wolfe will continue to play in the front row for the duration of his rugby league career.

From a player comparison perspective for Cooper Wolfe, consider someone along the same lines of the Brisbane Bronco’s Matt Lodge as no a nonsense types of front rower with size, strength and power and a hard tough uncompromising attitude to go along with his other attributes.

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Tyreece Bowman. In early October 2020 Tyreece Bowman was part of the Titans Group 18 U14/15 side that played a trial match against a Titans Gold Coast U14 squad with the match being played at Cbus Stadium, giving the young players a great experience with an added bonus that the players wore Titans jerseys.

In the 2020 Group 18 U15 competition Tyrese Bowman played for the Bilambil Jets who went through the regular season winning all ten of their matches, scoring 242 points and conceding 72 to finish the season with a +242 points differential.

In 2019 Tyreece Bowman played for the Group 18 U14 representative side at the New South Wales Country Age Championships, playing primarily at fullback.

The Bilambil Jets Titans linked youngster was part of the Titans U14 squad that played a Western Mustangs selection in February at Mudgeeraba and also in 2019 was part of the Group 18 U14 representative side being named at fullback for the 2019 New South Wales Country Age Championships late in the year.

In the 2019 New South Wales Country Age Championships Tyreece Bowman started both of Group 18’s U14 matches at fullback with both of those matches played on Day One of the Championships being against Central Coast and Group Four.

In 2019 Tyreece Bowman played for the Bilambil Jets in the Group 18 Junior Rugby League U14 competition.

In 2018 Tyrese Bowman was part of the Banora Point High School U13 rugby league side that made the North Coast Finals of the U13 Country Cup School Boy Rugby League compeition. In the Finals Banora Point defeated St John’s College Woodlawn 12 – 4, McLean High School 20 – 8 and won as a result of a forfeit against Tweed Rivers High School. Banora Point High School’s only defeat was an 8 – 0 loss to Mt St Patricks College.

Tyrese Bowman also represented Banora Point High School in Athletes including being part of their 4 x 100 metre U13 relay at the 2018 North Coast Combined High Schools Track and Field Championships finishing fourth in a time of 54.50 seconds.

Also at those Championships Tyrese Bowman finished fifth in the U13 100 metres sprint in a time of 13.23 seconds.

For a rangy type of player Tyreece Bowman is very quick off the mark and when the ball is being brought out of his teams half he is always around the forwards looking for off loads but as evidenced by one of his tries he also can play the way a lot of the current fullbacks play when they receive the football “out the back” from the half or five eight.

In those circumstances, currently Tyreece Bowman runs more than he passes, but he is playing at the U14 level and I have no doubt that his passing skills will improve as he maturing and gets more experience in older age groups and possible representative games.

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

In terms of his defence, one thing that stood out to me is when the opposition makes a break Tyreece Bowman moves forward looking to cut down the time of the attacking player, which is quite impressive for such a young player. Due to his height, he is good also at defending the high ball.

Tyreece Bowman will play the 2021 season with the Bilambil Jets in the Group 18 U16 competition and Tyreece Bowman is also a member of the 2021 Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup Squad.

Tyreece Bowman is a talented player whether he is playing at fullback or in the centres but with his size and speed combination potentially his best position will ultimately be at fullback but that is definitely not set in stone.

I initially thought Tyreece Bowman would be a very good centre, and I am sure with his natural ability he would/will be, but with the skills he possesses and the way the modern game of rugby league is played, fullback seems to be Tyrecce Bowman’s best position into the future but as noted above that is not a given by any means.

Tyreece Bowman obviously has a long way to go, but I am looking forward to seeing him play over the coming years and seeing how Tyreece Bowman progresses as he possesses all of the skills and physical attributes to be a very good rugby league player both now and down the track.

From a player comparison perspective, I will once again qualify my comments that when I am making a player comparison I am talking about a playing style rather than potential career path. For me Tyreece Bowman has a little bit of recently retired South Sydney Rabbitoh, Queensland State of Origin and Australian Test centre/fullback Greg Inglis in his game.

Like Inglis Tyreece Bowman has speed and power when running the ball (and defensively for that matter) as well has just having the uncanny knack of making the initial defender miss the first up tackle on a regular basis.

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Brady Turner. In early October 2020 Brady Turner was part of the Titans Group 18 U14/15 side that played a trial match against a Titans Gold Coast U14 squad with the match being played at Cbus Stadium, giving the young players a great experience with an added bonus that the players wore Titans jerseys.

In the 2020 Group 18 U15 competition Brady Turner played for Murwillumbah Colts who won two matches and lost eight, scoring 122 points and conceding 298 to finish with a points differential of -176.

The Murwillumbah youngster was also part of the Titans 2018/19 Group 18 U14 Development Squad after playing the 2018 season in the Group 18 U13 competition and the 2019 season in the Group 18 U14 competition.

In September 2019 Brady Turner was named the Group 18 U14 Player of the year after an outstanding campaign in the Group 18 U14 competition and in early in October was part of a Titans U14/15 NRRRL side that played the Titans U14 Gold Coast/Brisbane Academy side in a development match at Tweed Heads Piggabeen ground starting in the second row as his Invitational team went down 32 – 10 in an entertaining and high quality match.

Brady Turner played the 2019 season with Murwillumbah in the Group 18 U14 competition and was selected in the Group 18 for the U14 age group at the 2019 New South Wales Country Age Championships held in Port Macquarie starting in the second row for the Group 18 U14 side with Brady Turner scoring in Group 18’s second match of Day One of the Championships as Group 18 went down 26 – 20 to Group Four.

Brady Turner is more than just a rugby league player, finishing as the 2019 Boys 14 Years Age Athleics Champion, amongst other things winning the discus event at the Murwillumbah Athletics Carnival. Brady Turner went on to win the U14 Discus event at the Far North Coast Athletics Championships with a throw of 34.49 metres.

Brady Turner was also the Murwillumbah Year 13 Athletics Championin 2018 also winning the Discus event in that year.

Seeming running more to the left side of the field, Brady Turner runs a very good outside shoulder route and rather than trying to step his opposite number will really look to initiate the contact and then use his strength to hold the defender off his body to either push through the tackle or draw in the next defender to create space for his outside support players.

Brady Turner also 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. His speed could probably be considered above average for a centre but when he plays in the back row.

Defensively Brady Turner has a hard edge to his play and his initial contact is more than sufficient to redirect the momentum of the ball carrier either in the centres or when defending in the forwards. Brady Turner sets a very good base which he uses to explode into the ball carrier looking to use their own momentum against them.

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

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

Brady Turner will play for Murwillumbah in the 2020 Group 18 U16 competition and Brady Turner is also a member of the 2021 Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup Squad.

With his size and speed combination to is hard to envisage Brady Turner playing anywhere but the second row as his rugby league career progresses towards its ultimate destination.

In relation to identifying an NRL player that compares favourably from a playing comparison perspective for Brady Turner you need to look no further than Sydney Roosters and New South Wales State of Origin second rower Angus Creighton as a player who will look to run into gaps in the defensive line with speed and timing and who can defend either in the centre of the ruck or a little wider out as a foil for his half and five eight, a defensive minder if you will.

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Bo Peisley. In early October 2020 Bo Peisley was part of the Titans Group 18 U14/15 side that played a trial match against a Titans Gold Coast U14 squad with the match being played at Cbus Stadium, giving the young players a great experience with an added bonus that the players wore Titans jerseys.

In the 2020 Group 18 U15 competition Bo Peisley played for the South Tweed Bears with the Bears finishing the regular season winning three and losing seven matches. Along the way, the Bears scored 158 points and conceded 222 to finish with a points differential of -64.

The South Tweed youngster was part of the Titans U14 squad that played a Western Mustangs selection in February at Mudgeeraba and also in 2019 was part of the Group 18 U14 representative side being named at half back for the 2019 New South Wales Country Age Championships with Bo Peisley kicking two conversions in Group 18’s second match of Day One as they went down 26 – 20 to Group Four.

Late in the 2019 season Bo Peisley was named the 2019 Group 18 U14 representative season’s best back at the Group 18 Presentation Night.

In attack Bo Peisley’s calling card is his organisational and passing skills more so than his running game. His speed would probably considered average to a tick above for a half/five eight but he will throw a dummy and run when opposing defences are focussed on his support runners and provide him with opportunities.

Bo Peisley also does necessarily not have quick twitch feet, thus his step is more average but is effective as he is selective about when he uses it. Bo Peisley maintains his composure on the field at all times and does not yell or scream but obviously gets his message across to his team mates with a calm assured presence.

Bo Peisley also has a good long passing game thus enabling the ball to get out to his back line quickly when they are set deep. Bo Peisley develops a good spiral on the ball and is able to lead his outside backs onto the ball through putting the ball out in front of them.

Bo Peisley will also take the ball to the line and delay the pass as long as possible to his support runners when necessary. Bo Peisley looks to dictate what the defensive line needs to do to combat his sides attack rather than waiting to see how the opposition is looking to defend at a particular time in a game.

Defensively whilst not being the biggest player running around, Bo Peisley is effective as a result of his sound low tackling technique where he can quickly bring down attackers due to the fact that he will go in low, he is also adept at tracking the ball across field to be in the right place if outside attackers cut back inside.

Bo Peisley will play the 2021 season with the South Tweed Bears in the Group 18 U16 competition and Thomas King is also a member of the 2021 Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup Squad.

From a position perspective, Bo Peisley has spent his entire career in the halves and will surely continue there for the foreseeable future although he could also potentially fill in at hooker if the need arises.

For me a current NRL player with a similar playing style to that of Bo Peisley is current English Super League and former Penrith Panther, New South Wales State of Origin and Australian International five eight James Maloney, being that of a solid talented organising five eight or half who will surprise a defensive line with some very good short balls when it looks for all money like he is going to run himself.

I would definitely argue however that Bo Peisley is a better defender and less agitating version of James Maloney though.

[mdrew]

Patrick Gray. The aggressive young second rower is another Titans linked young man from northern New South Wales who currently attends Mt St Patrick High School in that region.

Patrick Gray was due to start in the second row for the Northern Rivers Titans in Round One of the 2020 U16 Andrew Johns Cup against the Parramatta Eels at Cudgen however the match was cancelled due to the wet conditions in the region on that weekend.

Patrick Gray started Round Two of the U16 Andrew Johns Cup in the second row against the Newcastle Knights in Ballina and produced an outstanding display in both attack and defence including scoring a first half try.

Whilst his try was scored from just six metres out, Patrick Gray still had a lot of work to do to get to the line. After receiving a wide pass off the dummy half, Patrick Gray immediately cut back towards the play the ball to defeat the initial contact before changing direction once again to straighten up to get low and burrow over next to the right upright.

Patrick Gray also started in the right second row position in Round Three against the Central Coast Roosters and in Round Four against the Greater Northern Tigers as well as in the Round Five local derby against the North Coast Bulldogs.

When the NRRRL competition restarted in late July 2020 Patrick Gray played for Murwillumbah in the U18 NRRRL competition coming off the bench in Round One as the Mustangs defeated the Tweed Coast Raiders 22 – 16. In Round Two Patrick Gray made his first start of the season at right centre as Murwillumbabah defeated the Bilambil Jets 24 – 18, scoring his first try of the season in the match.

In early October 2020 Patrick Gray was part of the Group 18 U14/15 side that played a trial match against a Titans Gold Coast U14 squad with the match being played at Cbus Stadium, giving the young players a great experience with an added bonus that the players wore Titans jerseys.

Patrick Gray was part of the Titans 2019 U15 development squad and was involved in their matches against each other and a Western Mustangs U15 side at Mudgeeraba in February 2019 in shockingly hot conditions at Mudgeeraba.

The Mount St Patrick College Murwillumbah student was selected in the New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges (CCC) Lismore Diocese Northern Country U15 side for their for the NSW CCC selection trials that were held in Sydney in May 2019. The end result of those selection trials was that Patrick Gray was selected in the 2019 New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges U15 Country side.

2019 also saw Patrick Gray represent the Group 18 representative side in the U15 age group at the 2019 New South Wales Country Age Championships held late in the year at Port Macquarie when he started in the second row. Late in the 2019 season Patrick Gray was named the 2019 Group 18 U15 representative season’s best forward.

In 2019 Patrick Gray also represented Mt St Patrick High School in the News South Wales School Boy Rugby League Regional Country Cup competition being named Man of the Match in one of their early round matches against McLean High School.

The Murwillumbah second rower represented the Group 18 U14 representative side in 2018 in the New South Wales Country Age Championships and post those Championships was selected as part of the Titans 2018/19 Group 18 U15 Development Squad.

In the U14 2018 New South Wales Country Age Championships for Group 18 Patrick Gray played in all three of Group 18’s matches which were against Group’s Twenty One, Four and Two starting all three in the second row.

Patrick Gray is a hard running all effort player who runs not just with speed into the defensive line but with intelligence as well. Once he has gained speed, Patrick Gray will look to target the gaps between forwards rather than looking to initiate contact, what Patrick Gray will do is look to isolate a particular forward in the defensive line and at the last minute change the axis of his run with a slight step off either foot to look to throw off the timing of the defender this is why Patrick Gray makes so many half breaks and post contact metres.

Defenders either side of the one that he has targeted incorrectly anticipate that he will be tackled by the defender immediately in from of him only to find Patrick Gray actually running into the gap which they should have been covering. From an overall speed perspective Patrick Gray’s speed can be considered in the above average to plus category for a second rower and plays faster as a result of the effort and intensity that he puts into every run.

In relation to the defensive aspects of his game Patrick Gray is an exceptional cover defender. With his above average to plus speed for his position he is able to track the ball across the field and be in a position to make the cover defending tackle if breaks are made.

From a front on tackling perspective for a player that plays with so much intensity and enthusiasm he actually has a solid repeatable technique which he can use against attackers of any size. The keys to his technique are his timing and anticipation as well as correct head placement.

So many defenders in either rugby or rugby league have no idea about head placement but Patrick Gray is not one of them. Another impressive aspect from a defensive stand point for Patrick Gray is the fact that he came make multiple tackles one after another and then still be in position to track the ball across the field, he has exceptional stamina from an aerobic capacity stand point including the ability to consistently sprint short distances time and again in a short time span whilst maintaining his positioning on the field.

Patrick Gray will play the 2021 season with Murwillumbah in the NRRRL U18 competition and Patrick Gray is also a member of the 2021 Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup Squad.

With his speed and skill combination it is hard to envisage Patrick Gray playing anywhere but second row as his rugby league career progresses even though he will not be the biggest second rower running around no matter which team he is playing for.

From a player comparison perspective for Patrick Gray one current NRL player really does stand out as being an ideal comparison from a playing style perspective and that is Mitch Aubusson of the Sydney Roosters as a hard working player with a touch of speed and class about him that you may not appreciate until you see him play on a number of occasions.

Like Aubusson, Patrick Gray is just an all action type of player who just pops up anywhere and everywhere that he is needed regardless of what the task is. The only real difference between the two is that Patrick Gray will likely end up being a touch bigger than the Roosters forward.

[mdrew]

Daniel Shannon. (Revised) He is a local former Titan’s linked young 183cm, 105kg front rower who in 2020 continued to develop his game for the with Southport in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition after an outstanding 2019 season as part of the Burleigh Bears U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts squad..

Daniel Shannon was set to will line up for the second season in a row in 2020 for the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts squad before the competitions demise after Round One.

From a trivia perspective Daniel Shannon’s brothers Samuel and Joseph are contracted to the Titans and are also both front rowers/locks. All three brothers are big strong hard tough young men who clearly love the physical aspects of rugby league. I love watching them play, all three are aggressive and throw their weight around on the field in all aspects of the game.

With the cancellation of all competitions run by the Queensland Rugby League, Daniel Shannon played the 2020 Gold Coast Rugby League competition with the Southport Tigers, starting Round One of the GCRL First Grade competition from the bench as the Tigers took on the Bureigh Bears.

Daniel Shannon also started from the bench in Round Three against the Mudgeeraba Redbacks, Round Four against Runaway Bay and Round Five against the Currumbin Eagles.

Daniel Shannon moved into the Southport starting side in the front row for the Tigers Round Six match against the Tugun Seahawks and maintained his starting front row position for Round Seven against Ormeau.

Daniel Shannon also started in the front row in Round Eight against Burleigh scoring a first half try when he charged onto a pass from the dummy half to the right of the play the ball, crashing over with two defenders engaged with him from five metres out.

Daniel Shanoon followed up his Round Eight try scoring feats, starting Round Nine agaisnt the Mudgeeraba Redbacks. In the final regular season round of the 2020 Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition being Round Ten, Daniel Shannon started in the front row as the Tigers took on the Tugun Seahawks.

In Southport’s 2020 GCRL Preliminary Final loss against Burleigh, Daniel Shannon started in the front row.

At the the 2020 end of season awards, Daniel Shannon was named the Southport GCRL First Grade Rooke of the Year and 2020 BEst Forward.

In the 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition, Daniel Shannon played in fifteen matches for Burleigh including finals and scored his first Colts try of the season in Round Twenty against the Western Mustangs.

Daniel Shannon came into the 2019 Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts side in Round Nine against Redcliffe starting from the bench and also started from the bench in his other fourteen matches for the Bears.

In relation to his try against the Western Mustangs in Round Twenty Daniel Shannon received the ball from dummy half Zac McCormack close to the line with heavy defence in front of him, but he used his footwork to cut back towards the play the ball where the defence had not moved off the line and Daniel Shannon used his size and power to crash over.

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

Daniel Shannon played the last rounds of the 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition alongside younger brother Samuel in the Burleigh side.

In the 2019 Gold Coast Rugby League U20 competition Daniel Shannon played in eight matches including starting in the front row in Round Eleven against Burleigh when he scored a double which were his first tries of the 2019 season.

Daniel Shannon’s first try was a short range effort when he took the ball about three metres out from the line on the right side of the ruck to crash over. His second try came from around ten metres out this time on the left side of the ruck when he ran a good outside shoulder route and was put through a big gap.

Daniel Shannon also had a try assist in the match when he split the Burleigh line thirty metres out from his own line on the left side of the field, charging forty metres before drawing the fullback to send his support over untouched.

One thing that I did notice in the match was that Daniel Shannon ball played a lot before the line, on every occasion on the right side of the ruck.

Daniel Shannon’s other 2019 Gold Coast Rugby League U20 try came later in the season against Mudgeeraba.

In 2019 Daniel Shannon also made his Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade debut when he started in the front row against Bilambil in Round Two.

Daniel Shannon also played in two QTOP Doug Lipp Cup matches in 2019 for Southport with those matches being against Burleigh in June and Mudgeeraba in late August.

In 2019 Daniel Shannon was also selected in the Gold Coast Vikings U20 side for the South East Queensland U20 Challenge.

For Burleigh in the 2018 MM Cup competition, Daniel Shannon played in all six matches starting five in the front row and coming off the bench in Round Three in the local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls.

Daniel Shannon scored just the one try in the MM Cup this season which was against Redcliffe in Round Two in an impressive Burleigh win at Pizzey Park.

Post the 2018 MM Cup competition, Daniel Shannon played for Southport and played in nine matches in the U19 competition and three in the Doug Lipp Cup competition.

Daniel Shannon came into the Southport U19 side in Round Three starting in the front row in a 22 all draw against Bilambil and also started in the front row in seven other matches before his Colts promotion. In Round 16 with the Burleigh Colts side having a bye Daniel Shannon lined up in the front row against Currumbin in a tough 26 – 16 loss.

Daniel Shannon scored two U19 GCRL regular season tries, the first came in early July against Currumbin and then Daniel Shannon scored his second try in the following round against Mudgeeraba.

In Week One of the 2018 GCRL U19 Finals series, Daniel Shannon started in the front row for Southport as they defeated Bilambil 34 – 8.

In Week two of the GCRL U19 Finals series, Daniel Shannon once again started in the front row for Southport against Currumbin with the Tigers winning 20 - 14.

In the 2018 U19 Grand Final Daniel Shannon started once again in the front row for Southport against Currumbin but unfortunately Southport went down 34 – 20, Daniel Shannon however was very good for the Tigers that Sunday afternoon.

Daniel Shannon made his Doug Lipp Cup debut in Round Three of the 2018 season he started in the second row for Southport against Bilambil. Daniel Shannon also started in Round Five in fact starting in the centres on that occasion against the Helensvale Hornets and also played against Mudgeeraba in June.

It was an impressive effort from Daniel Shannon to start in the front row in the U19 match in Rounds Three and Five and them back up to start in the Doug Lipp Cup matches immediately after.

Daniel Shannon was deservedly promoted to the Burleigh Hastings Deering’s Colts side for their 2018 Round 17 match against Norths starting the match from the bench on a tough day for Burleigh that afternoon.

In total in the 2018 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition, Daniel Shannon played in four matches, starting all from the bench.

Daniel Shannon was also selected in the 2018 Queensland Indigenous U18 side for the QPIIC Championships in October at Beenleigh.

In 2017 Daniel Shannon played for the Southport Tigers in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition specifically at the U17 and U19 levels. Daniel Shannon also represented the Queensland Indigenous side in 2017 at the QPICC carnival at Beenleigh in October.

Daniel Shannon has alternated between the U17 Division Two and U19 levels for Southport in 2017, playing six matches in each competition and had a very busy weekend. On Saturday Daniel Shannon lined up for the Southport U19 side coming off the interchange bench in their semi-final loss 21 – 14 to Currumbin and on Sunday started in the front row for Southport in their 21 – 14 Grand Final loss to Burleigh.

In the 2017 U17 Division Two competition, Daniel Shannon crossed for two tries on the season, the first coming against Coomera in July and the second in early August against Helensvale.

In 2016 Daniel Shannon was part of the Gold Coast White CC side for this season, starting the last two matches off the bench. He played the 2015 season with the Mudgeeraba Redbacks where he scored three tries across the ten matches that he played at the U15 Division One level and he also played seven matches up at the U16 Division Two level, where Daniel Shannon mainly came off the bench.

Daniel Shannon also represented Murri United in the Queensland Murri tournament in late 2015 and was in fact selected in the Queensland U15 Murri side which toured Fiji and won all three of their matches on that tour alongside Jesse Brasslin.

Running with the football, Daniel Shannon 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. He 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.

Daniel Shannon has a decent off load when he has impacted the defensive line as well although to date in U20 Colts competition he has not shown it much, concentrating more on making ground in the centre of the ruck.

The key to Daniel Shannon’s running is his ability to drop his shoulder into the defenders at the right moment, to go along with his late foot work. These attributes make Daniel Shannon very difficult to tackle and he can rarely be stopped one on one. Throw in a decent turn of pace off the mark and you have a player who is difficult for a defensive line to combat.

Defensively Daniel Shannon hits very hard and usually aims for just under the ribcage and is certainly someone opposing forwards look for when running the ball up and is adept at making sure the opposition do not get quick play the balls, read that Daniel Shannon is very good at winning the wrestling battle in the ruck.

Daniel Shannon defends in the centre of the ruck and seems best suited in the long run defending there and adds a degree of intimidation to any forward pack he plays for.

Daniel Shannon really does know how to tackle effectively, as he sets a strong base to create the necessary leverage to defend against larger forwards and then explodes through his core. Throw in a touch of aggression and you have someone who can dominate a game defensively and is able to seal off one side of the ruck on his own.

For a front rower his lateral movement is more than reasonable. Daniel Shannon is also quite effective when defending at marker, and does not use it as a chance to have a break and will chase hard from the position.

In 2021 Daniel Shannon is likely to continue playing for the Southport Tigers in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition as he looks to break into the Burleigh Bears Queensland Cup squad in 2021 or subsequent seasons.

Due to his size and strength he I believe that Daniel Shannon will continue to play his football in the front row in the long term although he could likely play in the second row for the next couple of years adequately.

From a player comparison perspective, think of someone along the lines of former New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand International second rower/front rower Adam Blair as a solid hard working forward who has a more than decent off load in him as well as having extremely aggressive tackling and running styles.

[mdrew]

Jaylan To’o. The local junior signed a contract with the Titans a number of seasons ago and has continued to impress ever since.

Jaylan To’o’s first official hit out of the 2020 season came when he started from the bench for the Tweed Heads Seagulls in their Queensland Cup trial win over the Souths Logan Magpies at Tugun in mid-February in wet conditions just south of the New South Wales border.

Jaylan To’O also started from the bench for the Tweed Heads A Grade side in their late February 2020 trial against the Burleigh Bears.

Jaylan To’O started Round One of the 2020 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition for the Tweed Heads Seagulls at fullback against the Northern Pride with the Seagulls recording a big 50 – 20 win in what ended up being the only Round of the competition before its cancellation.

When rugby league restarted on the Gold Coast Jaylan To’O started Round One of the Gold Coast Rugby League competition at five eight for Runaway Bay against the Mudgeeraba Redbacks before moving to left centre in Round Two against the Ormeau Shearers, a match that saw him score his first try since the resumption of play as Runaway Bay and Ormeau played out a hard fought twenty all draw.

Jaylan To’O maintained his starting spot at right centre in Round Four against the Southport Tigers as well as in Round Five against the Tugun Seahawks before moving to the left wing in Round Six against the Currumbin Eagles, scoring the opening try of the match when Jaylan To’O was on the end of a back line movement which saw him dive over in the left corner from close range being around two metres or so out from the line.

Jaylan To’O, after being originally named in the centres for Runaway Bay in their Round Eight GCRL First Grade match against the Ormeau Shearers actually started on the left wing scoring four tries as the Seagulls recorded a 22 – 12 victory with all four of his tries coming in the second half of the match and all four were scored in (or near) the left corner.

Jaylan To’O’s first try of the match came when he received a long cut out pass around fifteen metres out from the Shearers line, Jaylan To’O charged towards the line but pulled up a metre or so short when it was clear that the cover defence would take him into touch. Jaylan To’O waited until the last possible second then stepped off his left foot that sent the first cover defender flying past and then a second left foot step sent the second defender flying past as well for Jaylan To’O to be able to bring the ball around a few metres from the corner post.

Jaylan To’O scored again not long later when once again he received a long cut out pass and produced a left foot step to beat his opposite winger before diving over in the tackle of an Ormeau cover defender. In what was clearly the theme of his four tries, for his third try Jaylan To’O once again received a long cut out pass around ten metres out. Jaylan To’O flew onto the pass and beat the disparing dive of his opposing down the left touchline to score in the left corner.

In relation to his third and final try of the match, Runaway threw the ball out to Jaylan To’O’s side of the wing and the Seagulls left centre dragged in the Ormeau winger giving Jaylan To’O space down the touchline, just prior to the corner post, Jaylan To’O stepped off his left foot sending two defenders flying past him and then Jaylan To’O to put the ball down five metres in from the left corner post.

After his Round Eight four try haul Jaylan To’0 also started on the left wing in Round Nine against Tugun and scored once again when he was on the end of a Seagulls back line to score from close range in the left corner.

In Runaway Bay’s 2020 Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade Semi-Final against the Mudgeeraba Redbacks, Jaylan To’O started on the left wing.

In the 2020 Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade Grand Final Jaylan To’O started on the left wing for Runaway Bay against Burleigh as the Seagulls came away from Cbus stadium as 2020 Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade Premiers.

Jaylan To’O missed the opening two rounds of the 2019 U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition, but started Round Three for Tweed Heads against the Burleigh Bears at fullback and maintained his place in the starting line-up at fullback for Round Four against the Central Queensland Capra’s.

Jaylan To’O had a particularly impressive match in Round Eleven from fullback against the Northern Pride recording two try assists. Mid-way through the first half, Jaylan To’O got to dummy half around a metre out from the Northern Pride line, he took two quick steps to his right a popped a great short ball to fellow Titan Blake Campbell to crash over.

Jaylan To’O’s second try assist of the match came right on full time when he threw a great long cut out ball this time to his left right onto the chest of Callum Boomer who burst through the gap to score in the last minute of the match.

Jaylan To’O also scored in Round Nineteen against the Mackay Cutters from the fullback position. After a strong run from fellow Titans Blake Campbell, Jaylan To’O got into dummy half around nine metres out in from of the goal posts.

Taking advantage of a quick play the ball, Jaylan To’O took off out of dummy half to his left running at an approximate 45 degree running with the ball in two hands (I know that carry on about that but it really does put the defence in two minds) he took advantage of a disorganised and back peddling defensive lien to charge over to score mid-way between the left goal post and the touch line.

Jaylan To’O added a further try in Round Twenty Two against Souths Logan from the fullback position and also scored from fullback in Round Twenty Three against the Northern Pride in a big Tweed Heads win.

In relation to his try against the Northern Pride Jaylan To’O received the ball and ran to the right of the play the ball dummying to his right around seven metres out from the line. After contact with the defence, Jaylan To’O spun around 360 degrees clockwise maintaining his balance whilst doing so putting the ball down about seven metres from the left corner post.

Jaylan To’O also had a try assist in the same match, once again on the left side of the field Jaylan To’O drew in the defence before putting a pass to his left on the chest of debutant Caleb Hodges who crashed over around five metres from the left corner post.

Jaylan To’O moved to right centre for Tweed Heads 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts Week One Elimination Final loss to the Mackay Cutters 23 – 10 but was one of two Tweed Heads try scorers in the match. Five eight Toby Sexton took the ball down a short blind side and popped a short ball to Jaylan To’O who cruised through a gap and scored from forty metres out untouched.

In total in the 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts competition Jaylan To’O played in nineteen matches, including Tweed Heads Elimination Final scoring six tries. Jaylan To’O started all bar one of his 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts matches at fullback bar Round Ten against the Easts Tigers when he started at five eight.

In the 2019 Hastings Deering’s Colts Player of the Year Award tally Jaylan To’O finished with a solid nine votes.

Jaylan To’O made his Gold Coast rugby League first grade debut in Round Thirteen of the 2019 season when he started at half for Runaway Bay against Bilambil and also started at half in Round Fifteen against the Ormeau Shearers.

Jaylan To’O moved to the wing for his second GCRL First Grade match in Round Sixteen against the Burleigh Bears where he was up against fellow Titan Will Evans who started on the opposite wing for Burleigh.

Jaylan To’O also spent some time in the GCRL U20 competition for Runaway Bay in 2019 including starting at left centre and scoring in Round Seventeen against Helensvale. Jaylan To’O had backed up a break down the left touchline line and was on hand to receive the ball inside to run thirty five metres to score untouched.

Jaylan To’O was one of three Titans U18 try scorers as they overcame a determined New South Wales Country U18 side 14 – 12 in Cudgen in wet conditions in early October 2018. In the match Jaylan To’O also converted one of the Titans tries to account for six of the Titans fourteen potal oints.

Starting in the centres (left centre) for the Titans U18 side Jaylan To’O had a solid match with his try coming in the second half from a powerful run out of dummy half. With the Titans attacking the line, Jaylan To’O moved into dummy half with the Titans on the attack about two metres from the New South Wales Country line, picking up the ball up and ran to his left barging over taking two NSW Country defenders with him.

Jaylan To’O started the 2018 season as part of the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad playing in all seven of Tweed Heads matches including their Week One Final loss against the South’s Logan Magpies.

Jaylan To’O started all seven matches from the interchange bench including Round Seven when he was interestingly named to start at hooker against Easts but reverted to the bench for the start of the match.

Post the 2018 MM Cup competition, Jaylan To’O played for Runaway Bay in the Gold Coast Rugby League U19 competition playing a variety of positions once again including fullback, five eight and in the centres.

In the U19 GCRL competition in 2018 Jaylan To’O played in twelve matches finishing with a 50% strike rate. Jaylan To’O scored an early season double against Ormeau and scored a double later in the season against Currumbin. Jaylan To’O’s other 2018 U19 tries came in matches against Ormeau and Burleigh.

In 2018 Jaylan To’O also played in four GCRL Doug Lipp Cup matches, making his debut in June against Tugun. In just his second Doug Lipp Cup match Jaylan To’O scored against Ormeau (he clearly enjoyed playing against Ormeau).

For Runaway Bay in the 2017 U17 Division One competition Jaylan To’O scored a total of 74 points from six tries and twenty-five goals. Jaylan To’O scored a double in Round One against Ormeau and finished the season scoring in each of the last three rounds which were against Ormeau, Mudgeeraba and Helensvale.

With the boot on four occasions did Jaylan To’O kick four goals in a match which were against Bilambil, Ormeau twice and Mudgeeraba. Jaylan To’O made his U19 debut in July against Mudgeeraba and went on to play five matches in total in the Gold Coast U19 competition.

Jaylan To’O also played five matches in the U19 GCRL competition in 2017 an impressive feat for a seventeen year old.

For a centre, Jaylan To’O is a strong young man who does not rely just on his size and speed and using his natural running balance to either engage the opposing defenders and off load, run either an inside or outside shoulder route or an in and away to slow the forward momentum of the defender and accelerate on the outside.

For a player of his size, Jaylan To’O also has a very good passing game especially to his right side. When the ball is passed out to the back line, Jaylan To’O is very good at straitening up the attack and pass to his outside supports if they have room to move further out wide.

From a speed perspective Jaylan To’O has above average speed for both his size and position and when he breaks into open space, he will rarely be caught from behind other than from only the fastest of opponents and he is also very good at positioning his support players when he gets to the fullback. The only possible question about Jaylan To’O’s speed is whether it will stay at or near the above average category as he matures and inevitably fills out.

Defensively Jaylan To’O uses his physical characteristics to good effect, he drives with his shoulder into his opponent and has very good timing in terms of when to come out of the line and certainly has the speed to readjust and chase if his timing is slightly off and his opposing centre gets on his outside.

For me when I saw him play for either school boy rugby league or Burleigh Jaylan To’O was the defensive leader of the three quarter line and other defenders keyed off him in terms of whether to use an up and in methodology and slide to the outside.

Jaylan To’O on an individual level has the body control to redirect quickly and mirror the movement of the opposing attackers and anticipate what vector the attack comes from and innately understands when to allow the attacking play to develop in from of him and when to come out of the line to disrupt the attacking play prior to its formation.

His timing and anticipation in defence are one of the reasons that I think that he could also handle playing in the centres as he progresses to the upper echelons of junior rugby league and into senior football.

Jaylan To’O was set to continue to play the 2020 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls in their U20 Hastings Deering’s Colts squad for the second season in a row but instead was a stand out performer for the Preiership winning Runaway Bay Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade side, finishing as their leading try scorer.

In 2021 Jaylan To’O will likely start the season playing for Runaway Bay in the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition as he pushes to secure a spot in the Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup side.

Over the last few seasons Jaylan To’O played a variety of positions including fullback, centre and five eight and even spent some time in the dummy half role in 2019 but bar a handful of games has featured primarily at fullback. In 2020 however in the GCRL First Grade competition Jaylan To’O played primarily on the left wing, making a great fist of that position.

Ultimately I think that potentially Jaylan To’O’s best position is on the wing although I am definitely not 100% certain of that as centre is still a more than viable option.

Jaylan To’O’s match for the Titans U18’s last in 2018 against New South Wales Country in the centres helped solidify my belief that that centre is certainly a viable option and potentially the best option for Jaylan To’O going forward.

What I am certain of however is that regardless of position Jaylan To’O is a very good rugby league player with a bright future.

Jaylan To’O has a similar playing style to former Bronco and Queensland Reds and New South Wales Waratah’s player Karmichael Hunt, as a strong fullback with all of the running and ball playing skills to play the game at a high level who is fearless both in terms of charging into the defensive line and defensively as well as using his skills to the benefit of his team’s ultimate success.

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Harvey Moase. The Northern New South Wales junior has been part of the Titans JTS program for a number of seasons and has already worn a Titans jersey in a number of junior development matches over the last season or two.

Harvey Moase was part of the Titans U16 side that defeated the Newcastle Knights U16 Harold Matthews side in Coffs Harbour in January 2020, 18 - 14 in wet and slippery conditions coming off the bench in that fixture.

Harvey Moase kicked his 2020 representative season off starting at half back for the Northern Rivers Titans U16 side in their first trial of the season when they defeated the North Coast Bulldogs in an outstanding first up hit out in northern New South Wales.

Harvey Moase was set to start at half back for the Northern Rivers Titans in Round One of the 2020 U16 Andrew Johns Cup against the Eels at Cudgen however the match was cancelled due to the wet conditions prevailing that weekend.

Harvey Moase started Round Two of the U16 Andrew Johns Cup at halfback against the Newcastle Knights in Ballina kicking a conversion in their 28 – 22 victory and added a try assist early in the match when he threw the last pass to right winger Jamal Laurie after a scrum based move down a short right blind side.

Harvey Moase also started at half in Round Three against the Central Coast Roosters and recorded a try assist when he ran across field to his right to put centre Michael Roberts into a hole with a great weighted pass.

Harvey Moase also started at halfback in Round Four against the Greater Northern Tigers and added another try assist to his 2020 playing resume. In just the second minute of the match, Harvey Moase put in a pin point bomb to the right corner for winger Jamal Laurie to leap up and take on the full to score a spectacular try.

Harvey Moase was once again at half in the Round Five local derby against North Coast leading his side around the field well in their 20 – 18 victory.

Harvey Moase played the 2020 community rugby league season with the Cudgen Hornets in the Group 18 U16 competition primarily at half back including an outstanding effort in Round Four against South Tweed and a similiarly impressive performance in Round Five against the Murwillumbah Colts.

The 2020 U16 Group 18 Cudgen Hornets finished the regular season winning two games and losing eight, along the way scoring 138 points and conceding 244 to finish with a -106 points differential. Post the season Harvey Moase was named the Cudgen Hornets Group 18 U16 Best Back and was also named as the joint Cudgen Hornets Junior Representative Player of the 2020 season.

Harvey Moase made his NRRRL U18 debut for Cudgen in Round Four of that competition off the bench as the Hornets defeated Murwilumbah 18 – 14. Harvey Moase played for the Cudgen U16 side the previous day.

Harvey Moase continued his run in the NRRRL U18 competition in Round Five, starting the match against the Bilambil Jets at half back as well as Round Six against the Tweed Coast Raiders when he teamed up in the halves with Tanu Nona and also started at half back in Round Seven against the Murwillumbah Mustangs.

In Round Seven against the Bilambil Jets, Harvery Moase once again started at half back as he did in Round Eight against the Tweed Coast Raiders.

In Cudgen’s 2020 NRRRL U18 Major semi-final loss against Murwllumbah Harvey Moase started at half back. Harvey Moase was also on the bench in the 2020 NRRRL GRen U18 Grand Final playing right second row as the Hornets defeated Murwillumbah 28 – 16 in a bad tempered Grand Final.

In early October 2020 Harvey Moase was part of the Titans Group 18 U16 Invitational side that played a trial match against a Titans squad with the match being played at Cbus Stadium, giving the young players a great experience with an added bonus that the players wore Titans jerseys.

In February 2019 Harvey Moase started at half back for one of the Titans two U15 sides in their round robin matches against each other and the Western Mustangs with the youngster leading his Titans side around well in very hot conditions.

Harvey Moase also started at half back for the Titans U15 side that defeated a Balmain U15 side 34 – 16 in early October producing an outstanding performance in Titans colours leading the Titans side around the field well and also produced an outstanding tactical kicking display, including a first half 40/20 with the Titans scoring off the subsequent scrum feed,

In September 2019 Harvey Moase was named the Group 18 U15 Player of the year after an outstanding season with the Cudgen Hornets U15 side and was also named the Group 18 Representative Player of the Year.

Late in the 2019 season Harvey Moase represented Group 18 at the U15 New South Wales Country Age Championships in Port Macquarie starting at half.

Late in the 2019 season at the Group 18 Presentation night Havery Moase was deservedly named as the Group 18 U15 Representative Player of the Year.

In 2019 Harvey Moase also represented the Northern region NSW CCC U15 rugby league side at their trials held in May in Sydney after the Kingscliff High School student stood out for the Far North Coast side in the Northern Trials.

The young Cudgen Hornets half represented the Group 18 U14 side in 2018 in the New South Wales Country Age Championships and post those Championships was selected as part of the Titans 2018/19 Group 18 U15 Development Squad.

In the 2018 U14 New South Wales Country Age Championships for Group 18 Harvey Moase started at half in all three of Group 18’s matches which were against Group’s 21, Four and Two kicking conversion against Group Two.

Harvey Moase has above average speed both off the mark which I would consider in the plus category and top end speed which can probably be classified in the above average range.

Harvey Moase with his speed is able to exploit gaps in the defensive line with a very good step off either foot and incredible acceleration as well as outstanding body control.

Harvey Moase has very good timing on his passes and is able to weight them perfectly as well and can do so from either side of his body. Harvey Moase also runs with the ball in both hands which is another reason why the defensive line is unable to determine exactly what Harvey Moase is going to do.

Harvey Moase has a very good kick on him and also has good accuracy to go with the power that he generates. His kicking game suggests he will be a real 40/20 threat as he matures and progresses. Harvey Moase also gets his kicks away quickly thus not allowing the defenders to put an undue amount of pressure on him.

Harvey Moase does have some subtly though in his kicking, he is adept at grubber kicking into the opposition in goal line as well as putting appropriate weight on his chip kicks, in an effort to get a repeat set of tackles. In short Harvey Moase is a very good tactical kicker, who is above average in all aspects and flashes plus ability in a few attributes such as range, weighting of the kicks and of course direction.

It is more that conceivable that Harvey Moase is going to be a 40/20 threat in the coming seasons, the fact that he gets his kicks away quickly with such depth and accuracy also adds to this more than reasonable hypothesis.

Defensively Harvey Moase is a very strong young man for his size with solid functional strength to go along with an innate understanding of the attacking strategies of rugby league thus he is able to anticipate what an attacking side is looking to do with the ball and then be in the best position to negate it. Harvey Moase also has a very good low tackling technique which is simple, repeatable and effective against all size opponents.

Harvey Moase will play the 2021 season with the Cudgen Hornets in the NRRRL U18 competition and will also represent the 2021 Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup squad.

With his ability to see the entire field as if he has a bird eye view of it and his ability to guide and direct his side around the field, adhering precisely to the game plan, Harvey Moase is ideally suited to controlling a side from the half back position.

Harvey Moase definitely reminds me of former Sydney Roosters and Newcastle Knights five eight Brock Lamb. Like Lamb, Harvey Moase is composed under pressure, with an above average kicking game, both tactical and attacking and underrated running and passing skills.