My take on our top juniors

[mdrew]

Antioch Faitala-Mariner. The Brisbane based Titans contracted winger signed a multi-year contract at the start of the 2019 year after some impressive displays for the Titans Logan based junior development squads. Antioch Faitala-Mariner has recently resigned with the Titans for another couple of seasons.

In November 2020 Antioch Faitala-Mariner was named in the Easts Tigers 2021 MM Cup squad and he will also be MM Cup eligible in 2022.

The explosive winger was part of a Titans U15 side that played against another Titans U15 side and a Western Mustangs U15 selection at Mudgeeraba in February 2019 in a round robin set of matches and subsequent to those matches signed a contract linking the winger to the Titans until the end of the 2021 season.

In January 2020 Antioch Faitala-Mariner was part of the Titans U16 side that played and defeated a Newcastle Knights U16 Harold Matthews side in Coffs Harbour 18 – 14 in an outstanding display by the Titans.

In early 2020 Antioch Faitala-Mariner was selected in the Brisbane Stingers U16 trial squad for the U16 South East Queensland pre-season Challenge after some impressive early season performances unfortunately however the competition was cancelled as a result of the Conavirus pandemic in the week leading up to the commencement of the competition.

Also in 2020 Antioch Faitala-Mariner was part of the Brisbane State High School GPS school boy First XV side starting round One at outside centre (No. 13) against TSS, starting there as well in round Two against Gregory Terrace and for that matter for the remainder of the season.

In 2020 Antioch Faitala-Mariner was also a member of the Brisbane State High School’s Ahletics squad that participated the 2020 GPS Athletics Carnival. At the carnival Antioch Faitala-Mariner represented Brisbane State High School in three track events.

Antioch Faitala-Mariner ran 12.07 seconds in the 100 metre U16 sprint, ran the second leg in the U16 4 x 100 metre relay with Brisbane State High School recording a time of 45.31 seconds and ran the final leg of the Brisbane State High School 4 x 400 metres relay team that finished 4th in a time of 3 minutes 59.01 seconds.

In early October 2019 Antioch Faitala-Mariner was part of the Titans U15 side that played a Balmain Tigers U15 side at Piggabeen in Northern New South Wales with the Titans winning 34 – 16 in impressive fashion with Antioch Faitala-Mariner starting on the right wing for the Titans and coring an impressive individual try. From a Titans scrum win around thirty metres out, Antioch Faitala-Mariner received the ball to the left of the scrum win, stepping off his left foot to beat the initial defender before beating the Balmain fullback with a effortlessly quick swerve to his left to score essentially untouched.

The powerful young winger hails from the Easts Tigers club in Brisbane’s East and played one match for the GBJRL U15 Division One Tigers side in 2019 before moving up to play the remainder of the 2019 season with the Tigers in the GBJRL U16 Division One side scoring two tries in his thirteen matches in that competition.

To be selected to move up to the U16 Division One side is a real feather in Antioch Faitala-Mariner’s cap as the U15 Division One side went all the way to the Grand Final but the Easts Tigers hierarchy identified that he could handle the step up in age and they were proved correct with their assessment over the course of the 2019 season.

Antioch Faitala-Mariner also played rugby in 2019, playing for Brisbane State High School in the GPS U15A competition and was also selected in the Queensland Maroon side for the 2019 Queensland Junior U15 Gold Cup competition.

Antioch Faitala-Mariner played for the Easts Tigers in the 2018 GBJRL U14 Premier Division competition in 2018 including starting in the Grand Final that Easts won 26 – 20 against a Norths Devils side that included fellow Titan contracted U15 player, centre Shannon Subritzky-Stewart.

In 2018 Antioch Faitala-Mariner was also part of the South East Queensland Green U14 side that took part of the Queensland U14 Age Championships and started on the wing in the final that ended in a 16 all draw against South East Queensland White. In total for the 2018 South East Queensland U14 Green side, Antioch Faitala-Mariner played in all four of their matches starting all of them on the wing.

In rugby Antioch Faitala-Mariner represented Met East in the Queensland U12 Rugby Championships in 2016 and was named as their player of the match against Sunshine Coast on Day Two of those Championships.

Plus plus straight line speed with outstanding balance and body control are the primary attributes that Antioch Faitala-Mariner possesses on a football field. It would be extremely unfair to purely put Antioch Faitala-Mariner’s success down to purely his speed, he is also has a very good in and away with a solid right fend.

One thing that Antioch Faitala-Mariner also does well is change the axis of the attack just prior to receiving the ball, when at full speed Antioch Faitala-Mariner would adjust the angle of his run immediately prior to receiving the ball and target the gap between his opposition winger and the outside centre and with his speed Antioch Faitala-Mariner was regularly able to explode through the resultant gap. When returning kicks Antioch Faitala-Mariner hunt’s across field before cutting back and looking to exploit a fractured defensive line with speed and power.

Regardless of where he receives the ball Antioch Faitala-Mariner is an exceptional attacking player. If he gets an off load from a forward through the middle he is through the gap before the defence can react, if he gets the ball in space out wide he is make it very difficult for the opposing defender to get a clean shot at him and if Antioch Faitala-Mariner gets the ball from a kick, if the defensive line is not straight in the chase he can make significant ground both before and after contact.

Seemingly like all modern day outside backs Antioch Faitala-Mariner has exceptional balance, spacial awareness and body control enabling him to score some amazing tries along the touchline with for all intent sand purposes the only part of his body in the field up play is the hand that he uses to put the ball down.

With his speed off the mark and elusiveness Antioch Faitala-Mariner should also be very productive running out of dummy half where he can gain immediate separation from the marks with his speed and then gain momentum with his power and make ground as a result through the centre of the ruck, especially when brining the ball out of his own territory.

Defensively Antioch Faitala-Mariner uses his size 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. Other defenders keyed off him in terms of whether to use an up and in methodology and slide to the outside.

Antioch Faitala-Mariner 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.

2021 will see Antioch Faitala-Mariner play for the Easts Tigers in the GBJRL U18 Nev Blair Division One competition after he is part of the 2021 Easts Tiges MM Cup squad.

In relation to rugby in 2021 Antioch Faitala-Mariner will line-up for the Brisbane State High School U16A side in the GPS school boy rugby competition in the school’s First XV side for the second season in a row.

I am a real fan of the GPS school boy rugby competition and Antioch Faitala-Mariner’s rugby league development can only be enhanced with his involvement in that outstanding competition.

With his speed and try scoring ability Antioch Faitala-Mariner seems destined to be an outstanding rugby league winger who has the potential to be an NRL regular reasonably quickly and potentially a representative one as well if things break his way.

In many respects potentially the best NRL player comparison for Antioch Faitala-Mariner is the Titans own Phillip Sami. Like Sami, Antioch Faitala-Mariner is an exciting ball runner who should also be a prolific try scorer at the NRL level including multiple exciting spectacular and long range ones as well as being an outstanding kick returner and under rated defender on the wing.

[mdrew]

Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy. The Brisbane Based Easts Tigers (GBJRL) youngster early in 2020 signed a contract with the Titans for the next couple of seasons after his outstanding 2019 performances for the Tigers, school boy (Alexandra Hills State High School) and in Brisbane junior age representative sides.

Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy was also involved in the Titans U15 Academy matches at Burleigh in early 2020 and post those round robin matches signed a contract with the Titans which will see him part of the Titans JTS program for the next couple of seasons.

Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy’s natural talent and outstanding potential can not be understated and thus the Titans should be congratulated for signing such a talented young player.

In early 2020, prior to the Covid 19 enforced close down Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy was selected in the Bayside District U15 school boy representative rugby league representative side.

In 2020 Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy and his Alexandra Hills State High School team mates also completed in the Devere Cup school boy competition defeating Coombabah State High School in the semi-final to make the final against Forest Lake State High School.

Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy started the 2020 Devere Cup Grand Final at fullback as Alexandra SHS defeated Forest Lake SHS 7 – 6.

Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy also played for Alexandra Hills State High School in 2019 including one outstanding long range try which opitimised this skill set. Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy received the ball down a short left blidn side seventy five metres out from the line, Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy used his speed to get on the outside of the defensive line, exploding down the left touch line. As he was being corralled by the defense, Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy put in a grubber kick past the fullback and he burst past the fullback taking the ball on the fly and bringing the ball around to put it down under the goal posts.

In 2019 Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy played for the Easts Tigers in the GBJRL U14 Division One competition alongside fellow Titans contracted player Gary Whare- Herlihy. Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy played fifteen matches for the Tigers scoring fifty six points from twelve tries and kicking four conversions, playing primarily played in the centres.

Only a very few others in the high standard GBJRL U14 Division One competition could match Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy from a speed, ulusiveness or try scoring perspective.

In 2019 Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy was also a stand out for his Alexandra Hills State High School Boy’s side starting all of their matches. For Alexandra Hills Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy operated primarily in the centres and was probably the stand out player in their Year Ten school boy side.

2019 also saw Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy selected on the wing in the Brisbane Blue side for the U14 South East Queensland Hill Stumer Championships that were held in Ipswich. Post those Championships Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy was selected in the South East Queensland U14 White side for the Queensland Age Championships.

Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy is a powerfully built young man who runs with pace and power. It would be unfair to categorise that his game is only built on pace and power though as he has a very good right foot step and right hand fend, Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy can also draw defenders in to give players outside him room.

Due to his strength and fend Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy regularly gets on the outside of his opposite defender forcing the winger to make a decision as to whether to come in on him or stay with his winger. If he comes in, Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy has the quick hands to get the pass away prior to contact, but also is big and strong enough as well as having very good core body strength and balance to absorb the contact and still get the pass to his winger.

In those situations Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihyis adept at timing (and weighting) his pass to the outside to enable his outside support to run onto the ball with no loss of momentum. Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy then has the speed to back up on the inside to potentially get the ball back up his winger is in a position to draw the fullback.

I personally think that Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy’s closing speed when running at defenders puts them in significant doubt and thus they become prone to defensive errors and incorrect reads as their decision making processes are rushed.

If the opposing winger or centre stays out, Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy is definitely quick enough to break into open space, I would say that he has plus speed, and he is quick enough to gain separate from the cover defence. When you look at his build Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy may not look like he has a lot of speed, but he definitely does and more importantly Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy knows how to use it.

Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy is not necessarily the quickest off the mark (although he is definitely NOT slow off the mark by any measurement) but has very good acceleration once Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy is moving and can sustain his top pace over an extended period of time and thus distance.

Put simply Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy is just smooth mover on a rugby league field and is one of those athletes that look effortless when he is running, even at top pace.

Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy’s speed is definitely in the plus category if not even higher. I am talking Josh Addo-Carr type speed when referring to Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy, he is literally that quick and as Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy develops muscle mass he has the capacity to get even quicker still.

Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy’s defensive game is one built on intimidation he will come out of the line when the opportunity presents itself and hit very hard around the chest and drive through is lower body and continue until the tackle is well and truly finished.

For Carina in their match against Logan Brothers in the 2019 GBJRL U14 Division One competition opposing attackers seemed to be looking for him in the defensive line when they were running the ball towards Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy’s side of the field.

A particular positive for Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy is that he does not purely rely on speed, strength and power to hit in defence, timing is also a key attribute to ensure that he arrives at the attacker at around the same time that the ball does, and this also reduces the likelihood of injury to Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy or the defender getting on his outside and exploiting the resultant space that was created.

In saying all of that Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy certainly has the speed and agility to rotate his hips quickly to turn and chase (and definitely catch the attacker) if the situation plays out like that. To be fair to Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy, that situation does not occur too often, regardless of the level of competition he has been involved in.

Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy was set to play the 2020 season with the Easts Tigers in the GBJRL U15 Division One competition, Alexandra Hills in their various school boy competitions and seemed to be a better than good bet to make the Met East U15 QSSRL school boy representative side before the rugby league environment radically changed.

Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy will play the 2021 season with the Easts Tigers in the GBJRL U16 Division One competition and will once again line up for Alexandra Hills State High School in their various 2021 school boy rugby league competitions.

Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy played on the wing for the Brisbane Blue U14 representative side in 2019 but with his size, speed and tackle breaking ability, not to mention that fact that he knows where the try line is, I think that Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy will get every opportunity to stay in the centres or at fullback long term. Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy can certainly move to the wing if necessary in the future and be an outstanding one as well.

I acknowledge that Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy had a number of outstanding matches for Alexandra Hills State High School at fullback in 2020 and I must admit, that prior to those matches, I had pegged Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy as a long term left centre, now I am not so sure.

Fullback is definitely a long term option for the talented Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy where he can float around behind the play the ball and wait for a gap or an off load to exploit with his explosive speed, whether that be out wide or through the centre of the ruck.

With his size, speed and tackle breaking ability Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy has a playing style reminiscent to New Zealand Warriors centre (and winger) David Fusitu’a. Like Fusitu’a, Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy is an exceptionally quick, hard running, explosive outside back who just has the innate, natural ability to make the right decision in terms of of timing, positioning and decision making when a try is in the offing and will put it all on the line to get the ball across the strip every time he has the opportunity to do so.

All of the evidence you need to verify this was on display from Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy in 2019 for Carina in the GBJRL U14 Division One competition when he scored twelve tries from just fifteen matches in the high quality competition as well as for his Alexandra Hills school boy rugby league side and in representative sides in South East Queensland.

Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy has an incredibly high ceiling and also an incredibly high floor. I will certainly be watching Zyroam Taurawa-Herlihy’s career develop over the coming seasons with a great deal of interest, that’s for sure.

[mdrew]

Troy Duckett. After an outstanding 2020 season with PBC in the Langer Cup, Troy Duckett deservedly signed a contract with the Titans in November 2020.

The flying former Titans contracted youngster moved up to the Gold Coast from Coffs Harbour midway through the 2018 season and made an immediate impact in the GCRL U16 Division One competition for Currumbin and as a result was selected in the Tweed Seagulls MM Cup squad for the 2019 season.

Troy Duckett started Round One of the 2020 MM Cup competition for the Tweed Heads Seagulls on the left wing against the Northern Pride as they started what they hoped at the time would be their title defence with a resounding 50 – 20 victory.

Also in 2020 Troy Duckett was part of the PBC Langer Cup Open A squad, where he operated primarily on the left wing. Troy Duckett started on the left wing for the PBC A side that played against the PBC B side in PBC’s first trial after the Covid 19 pandemic.

Troy Duckett started Round One of the Langer Cup on the right wing as PBC took on Ipswich State High School and also started on the right wing in Round Two against Wavell State High School and Round Three against St Mary’s Toowoomba where he scored a try and also recorded a try assist.

Tory Duckett’s try was a highlight reel effort when he rose above the Toowoomba defence to take a Ryan Rivett bomb on the full and crash over early in the second half of PBC’s 16 – 6 win. Troy Duckett’s try assist also came in the second half. Once again he rose above the St Mary’s defence to take a Thomas Weaver bomb on the full. The St Mary’s defence held him up and started pushing him back, but Troy Duckett was able to pop a short pass to Reef Somerville who dived over in the left corner to extend PBC’s lead.

The Round Four local derby against Keebra Park saw Troy Duckett move to fullback starting the match there before moving to the left wing for the second half. It was in that second half that Troy Duckett came into his own scoring two tries in a short space of time to put PBC in front for the first time in the match.

Both of Troy Duckett’s tries came when he stayed on his wing, outside his direct opponent, receiving long cut out passes on both occasions and then he used his speed to fly down the left touch line to score. For his first try Troy Duckett ran ten metres to score from a pass from Thomas Weaver and ran twenty five metres for his second after receiving a cut out pass from Xavier Savage.

Troy Duckett also started Round Five against Marsden State High School at fullback and like in Round Four moved to the left wing for the start of the second half but Troy Duckett moved back to fullback early in the second half when Xavier Savage was injured.

Troy Duckett also started on the left wing for PBC as they qualified for the 2020 Langer Cup final on the back of an impressive 34 – 6 victory over Ipswich State High School scoring theopening try of the match when he stayed on his touch line line to dive over from close range to score in the left corner after receiving a cut out pass from Thomas Weaver.

Troy Duckett started the 2020 Langer Cup Grand Final on the left wing for PBC as they defeated Keebra Park 16 – 8 in a high quality match and scoring in the left corner after taking a great cut out pass from Thomas Weaver around five metres out from the line.

In the Queensland School Boys Final against Kirwan State High School Troy Duckett started on the left wing as PBC travelled to take on their North Queensland based opponents but unfortunately went down 24 - 20.

In Round One of the 2019 MM Cup season Troy Duckett started on the left wing for the Tweed Heads Seagulls as they defeated the Western Mustangs 18 – 14.

In total in the 2019 MM Cup competition, Troy Duckett played in all nine of Tweed Heads matches starting all on the right wing bar one including their semi-final victory over Souths Logan. In Round Five against Wynnum Manly Troy Duckett made his sole start away from the right wing when he started at fullback.

Troy Duckett also started both the 2019 Queensland MM Cup Grand Final against Wynnum Manly and the National U18 Grand Final against the Illawarra Steelers on the right wing coming out on the winning side in both matches.

In the National Final (Tweed Heads won 48 – 14 to be crowned National U18 Champions) Troy Duckett played the entire seventy minutes running for sixty five metres (eighteen post contact), played the ball at an average speed of 3.78 seconds and made four tackles at an 80% tackling efficiency.

Troy Duckett made his 2019 club rugby league debut in Round Eight of the GCRL U18 Division One competition starting at fullback and scoring as his Currumbin side defeated Helensvale 16 – 10. Troy Duckett moved to the wing for the next two rounds adding his second try of the season in Round Ten against Bilambil later in the season.

In total in the 2019 GCRL U18 Division One regular season competition Troy Duckett played in five matches scoring the a fore mentioned two tries to finish with a 40% strike rate.

Troy Duckett was also part of the PBC Open A rugby league side in 2019 including starting on the left wing in the Langer Cup derby against Keebra Park in June.

Troy Duckett also started on the right wing for PBC in their heart breaking Gold Point GIO Cup Queensland semi-final 23 – 22 loss to Marsden State High School and came close to scoring the first try of the match but he was unable to ground the ball after suffering a horror bounce in the right corner after a Toby Sexton kick.

In late September Troy Duckett was named in the Tweed Heads Seagulls 2020 MM Cup squad for the second season in a row.

2019 also saw Troy Duckett take part in the 2019 Koori Knockout Rugby League Championships held in Tuggerah on the Central Coast of NSW, playing in the U17 Division for the Kempsey Sharks team.

Playing at fullback Troy Duckett had a successful first day with Kempsey who defeated both Koori Brothers United 28 - 0 and 2829 CAB Next Gen Coonamble 24 - 0 and progress to the semi-finals. In the semi-final Kempsey were up against previously undefeated Wijadjuri United, but were successful once again winning 20 - 12 to progress the Grand Final.

In the Grand Final Kempsey upset the Western Koori Eels side 12-10 to become 2019 Under 17s Koori Knockout Champions.
In late 2018 Troy Duckett started in the centres for the Titans U16 side and scored a hat trick as the Titans defeated PNG 60 – 10 with the youngster running rampant is slippery conditions at Pizzey Park.

Troy Duckett started the 2018 season as part of the North Coast U16 Andrew Johns Cup side, playing in three matches in that competition, starting each at fullback with those matches coming against Central Coast, Northern Rivers and the Newcastle Knights Development Squad.

In the 2018 GCRL U16 Division One competition with Currumbin playing a total of twelve matches including finals matches and scoring nine tries to finish with a 75% strike rate. Troy Duckett scored doubles against Southport on two separate occasions and also against Burleigh. Troy Duckett’s other three tries came against Mudgeeraba in two separate matches and Runaway Bay.

Earlier in 2018 Troy Duckett started on the bench for the New South Wales U16 Kurri side in their annual match against Queensland Murri with Queensland prevailing on that occasion.

In 2017 Troy Duckett represented Group Two at the U15 level playing three matches and scoring against Group 21.

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

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

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

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

Similar to the attributes that make Troy Duckett such an effective defender, Troy Duckett is as you would expect a great returner of the ball. His sense of timing, speed and anticipation means that he gets to a lot of kicks on the full and then accelerates looking to exploit any gaps on the kick chase or takes as many metres as possible that are on offer.

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

Troy Duckett will play the 2021 season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls Hastings Deereing’s Colts squad and is also Colts eligible in 2021.

Prior to moving to the Gold Coast Troy Duckett spent a lot of time at fullback but played some matches for Currumbin on the wing post his arrival as well as one game in the MM Cup with Tweed Heads. I will admit that with his speed and guile I think that Troy Duckett has an opportunity to play at fullback in the long term even though there is no doubt he would make a more than solid try scoring winger.

The play of Troy Duckett reminds me of how former Titan Kevin Gordon played when he first came into first grade and was able to exploit his speed advantage over the opposition before injuries cruelled his career and forced his early retirement. Troy Duckett however is a bigger bodied player than Kevin Gordon and in 2020 started using his increased size to run over players especially when bringing the ball out of his own territory.

[mdrew]

Anthony (AJ) Hickling. The young man from the Clarence Coast Magpies was over the course of the 2019/20 offseason part of the Titans Group One Junior Academy Squad that was training on a weekly basis at Ballina every Tuesday afternoon.

In November 2020 Anthony Hickling started once again training with the Titans development squad from the Group One region under the direction of former Titans NRL player Matt Srama.

In late June 2020 AJ Hickling started training with his Claence Coast Magpies club side in preparation for the late start of the Group One U14 junior rugby league competition. Round One saw AJ Hickling start for the Magpies at left second row and score as Clarence Coast defeated the South Grafton Rebels 24 – 10.

After Clarence Coast’s Round Two match was postponed, AJ Hickling was back in the second row for Round Three against Ballina and made it two tries from as many matches, scoring as Clarence Coast defeated Ballina 24 – 8.

In Round Four against Grafton Anthony Hickling continued his run of scoring in every match in 2020 when he added a double as the Magpies went down 22 – 16 with Anthony Hickling once again starting in the second row. AJ Hickling also started in the second row in Round Five against Ballina as the Magpies recorded a 26 – 0 victory.

In Round Six AJ Hickling scored a hat trick after starting the 28 – 0 win over Casino RSM from the bench for the Magpies. AJ Hickling started Round Ten in the front row and scored twice as Clarence Coast defeated Ballina 52 – 6.

In total in the 2020 Group One U14 regular season AJ Hickling scored nine tries from six matches for a 150% strike rate.

AJ Hickling started the 2020 Group One U14 Grand Final in the front row as the Magpies took on the Grafton Ghosts and was named the Player of the Match in the Magpies 30 – 16 victory afer they came from behind at half time to win the premiership decider with AJ Hickling in devastating form recording two tries in the victory.

With the Clarence Coast U14 side recording a forfeit victory in Round Seven against Casino RSM, Anthony Hickling instead moved up to the Clarence Coast U15 side, coming off the bench for his U15 debut in the Magpies Round Seven 22 – 14 loss to the Kyogle Turkeys.

In 2019 AJ Hickling played in the Group One U13 competition with the Magpies, including scoring in their Grand Final Qualifying Final against Lismore Marist Brothers when he split the Rams defence on the right side of the field and utilising his speed was able to bring the ball around to score under the posts with a number of defenders trailinga long way in his wake.

AJ Hickling was also part of the Clarence Coast Magpies Group One U13 Grand Final side that went down 24 – 16 to the Grafton Ghosts in the decider. AJ Hickling also scored in the Grand Final getting Clarence Coast back in the match before Grafton pulled away again after scoring their third try of the match.

AJ Hickling on his day is a powerful and determined runner who will crash through tackles with sheer force of will alone. AJ Hickling runs with power and even though he does run straight on he will drop his lead shoulder into the first defender and will bump off the first tackler regularly with limited loss of forward speed and momentum.

In terms of speed, AJ Hickling has what I would consider above average to plus speed for his position and whilst he may not necessarily have an extra gear when he breaks into open space, AJ Hickling has the ability to sustain his speed for the duration of his runs. AJ Hickling is just quick, it is as simple as that.

In terms of beating a defender other than with power, AJ Hickling has a good in and away and can hold defenders off his body with a strong fend with either hand meaning that his running line and balance is not disrupted.

Defensively AJ Hickling has a hard edge to his play and his initial contact is more than sufficient to redirect the momentum of the ball carrier away from their original axis of attack. AJ Hickling sets a very good base which he uses to explode into the ball carrier looking to use their own momentum and lack of leverage against them. Make no mistake however, AJ Hickling also has a very good, simple and repeatable tackling technique.

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

AJ Hickling is also able to change direction quickly to adjust to the directional changes of the attacking play especially when he 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.

Impressively for a young player AJ Hickling is rarely drawn out of the line thus assisting to maintain his team defensive lines integrity.

AJ Hickling will play the 2021 season with the Clarence Coast Magpies in the Group One U15 competition and will also represent McLean High School in the 2021 DEX Shield School Boy Rugby League competition and will also be in line to represent the Group One U15 Taipan’s representative side at the 2021 New South Wales Country Age Championships to be held late next year if those Championships actually end up going ahead.

AJ Hickling is a tallish lanky young man for his age group who has the type of frame that over time can add muscle mass without him losing any of his speed or mobility both of which are key attributes that AJ Hickling uses to great effect on the field. As a result I would anticipate that AJ Hickling has the potential and skill set to be an outstanding performer either in the centres or second row in future years.

From a player comparison perspective for AJ Hickling, think of someone along the lines of former South Sydney centre or second rower Kyle Turner as a solid all round type of centre or backrower who whilst not necessarily the biggest player, he runs at the defensive line with speed and a hard approach and regularly makes good ground post contact, if he does not break through the defensive line entirely.

AJ Hickling also has an uncanny knack of getting across the try line with a significant portion seemingly coming from long range after splitting the opposition defensive line as a result of speed, power and guile and once AJ Hickling breaks through the line he will not be caught.

[mdrew]

David Torrens. The exceptional, lightning quick will of the wisp utility back from the Clarence Coast Magpies in Northern New South Wales is currently part of the Titans Group One Junior Academy Squad that was training on a weekly basis at Ballina on Tuesday afternoons. In late October 2020 David Torrens was once again selected in the Titans Group One Elite Academy.

In November 2020 David Torrens started once again training with the Titans development squad from the Group One region under the direction of former Titans NRL players Matt Srama and Kane Elgey.

In late June 2020 David Torrens started training with his Claence Coast Magpies club side in preparation for the late start of the Group One U14 junior rugby league competition. Round One saw David Torrens interestingly start for the Magpies at lock as Clarence Coast defeated the South Grafton Rebels 24 – 10.

After Clarence Coast’s Round Two match was postponed, Titans linked David Torrens was back at lock for Round Three of the Group One U13 competition scoring his first try of the 2020 season against Ballina as Clarence Coast defeated Ballina 24 – 8. David Torrens made it two tries from as many matches when he once again started at lock and scored in Round Five against Ballina.

Round Six against Casino RSM saw David Torrens move to half back as the Magpies defeated Casino RSM 28 – 0. In Round Ten David Torrens moved back to lock and scored as Clarence Coast defeated Ballina 52 – 6.

In total in the 2020 Group One U14 regular season David Torrens scored three tries from five matches in fiish the regular season with a 60% strike rate.

David Torrens started the 2020 Group One U14 Grand Final at lock as the Magpies took on the Grafton Ghosts, scoring as the Magpies became 2020 Premiers on the back of a 30 – 16 come back victory.

After an outstanding 2019 season for the Magpies in the Group One U13 competition David Torrens was deservedly named the competitions Best and Fairest Player in a competition where there was multiple stand out players.

For Clarence Coast in the Group One U13 competition in 2019 David Torrens was part of the Magpies Grand Final side that went down 24 – 16 to the Grafton Ghosts and amongst his try scoring feats over the course of the 2019 season was a Round Twelve Double against Casino RSM in late August.

2019 also saw David Torrens represent McLean High School in the annual DEX Shield school boy rugby league competition.

In 2018 the McLean High School student represented the U12 North Coast Rugby League side at the New South Wales State Trials that were held in Mudgee.

When David Torrens runs the ball, he is exceptionally quick and explosive, with outstanding plus speed, both off the mark and when he gets into open space, teams in his age group in the Group One junior competition teams just could not handleDavid Torrens when he runs the ball. David Torrens can apbtly be described as a speed machine.

David Torrens also can step off both feet exceptionally well and also has a great swerve whilst maintaining top speed. On many occasions when he made a break, his support could not keep up and thus David Torrens used his incredible footwork and speed to beat the opposing fullback by himself.

There is nothing that David Torrens cannot do running the ball and it is only now about developing his ball playing skills to make his footwork and running ability even more lethal. In attack David Torrens also played at the line quite often and was his team’s primary attacking option but impressively is cognisent of getting his team mates involved in his teams attacking game plan and structure.

In addition David Torrens also has the ball playing skills to set up his support runners and get them lines to run into when defenders came out of the line to negate his time with the ball in hand. David Torrens obviously was a key target for defences but he understands that he cannot do it all himself and thus became adept at drawing defenders out of the line and putting his support runners into the subsequent hole. As David Torrens play making skills continue to evolve, the attacking possibilities for him are limitless.

Defensively David Torrens is stronger than he looks and when you couple that with a naturally aggressive defensive mentality you have a very good defender on your hands. David Torrens has a very good low tackling technique, including head placement when defending against big forwards running on the fringes of the ruck and has good initial contact.

Against opposing halves David Torrens will quickly get up into their face when they run the ball and physically and mentally dominate them making them experience the full effects of every tackle that he makes. David Torrens also works very hard out of the marker position in defence and does not take that fact that he is at marker as an opportunity to have a rest.

David Torrens is also very quick at putting pressure on opposing kickers whether that be sprinting out of the marker position at the kicker or flying out of the defensive line when it is evident that a kick is in the offing.

David Torrens will play the 2021 season with the Clarence Coast Magpies in the Group One U15 competition and will also represent McLean High School in the 2021 DEX Shield School Boy Rugby League competition and was also be in line to represent the Group One U15 representative side at the 2021 New South Wales Country Age Championships if those championships had occurred.

David Torrens has played primarily at half back in his fledgling rugby league career and where whilst that is likely where he will end I think that David Torrens would make an outstanding fullback where from his vantage point at the back David Torrens can see the entire field and be able to pick and choose where and when to inject himself into the game.

I do note however that David Torrens spent the majority of his playing time at lock in 2020 for the Clarence Coast Magpies in the Group One U14 competition, I would anticipate in an effort to take advantage of the new rules that came in over the course of the 2020 season.

From a player comparison perspective, the one player that does spring to mind is from a player comparison perspective for David Torrens is newly resigned South Sydney Rabbitohs and New South Wales State of Origin five eight Cody Walker.

Both Walker and David Torrens are exceptional attacking talents who can do almost anything on a football field from an attacking perspective, make it look east and are exciting to watch, when they gets the ball the level of anticipation rises as you cannot wait to see what they is going to do with the ball.

When playing at lock, a more than reasonable comparison for David Torrens would be how the Titans own Tyronne Peachy plays when he is in the forwards. Like Pechy, David Torrens, floats across field looking for opportunities to exploit his speed advantage and also is outstanding when he gets into dummy half and explodes from there when the defence is still back peddling, David Torrens gets to them and goes past them before they can react.

David Torrens, simply put is just a natural when it comes to playing rugby league and his potential is just about unlimited and he has as much chance of any junior I have ever seen at achieving his dream of playing in the NRL in years to come.

[mdrew]

Reece Warburton. The young flyer from the Clarence Coast Magpies in northern New South Wales is a Titans linked youngster that was part of the 2019 Titans Group One Academy Squad that was training on a weekly basis at Ballina on Tuesday afternoons.

In late June 2020 Reece Warburton started training with his Claence Coast Magpies club side in preparation for the late start of the Group One U15 junior rugby league competition. Round One of the 2020 Group One U15 competition saw Reece Warburton start at half back and scored ten of his Clarence Coast’s twenty four points from a try and three goals as the Magpies defeated South Grafton 24 – 8.

Reece Warburton also started at half back in Round Three and kicked a conversion as the Mgpies went down 18 – 12 to Ballina. Starting at half back once again in Round Four Reece Warburton scored and kicked a conversion as the Magpies defeated Grafton 10 – 8 in a hard fought match played in wet conditions.

Round Six of the 2020 Group One U15 competition saw Reece Warburton come off the bench as the Magpies went down 20 – 10 to Casino RSM. Reece Warburton was back in the Clarence Coast starting line up at half back for Clarence Coast in Round Seven against Kyogle and scored as the Magpies went down 22 – 14.

Reece Warburton added a further try from the fullback position in Round Ten as Clarence Coast went down 32 – 10 to Ballina.

In total in the 2020 Group One U16.5 competition Reece Warburton scored four tries and kicked five goals for a total individual regular season points haul of twenty six points from six matches.

Reece Warburton played in ten matches in the 2019 Group One U14 competition and scored in all of them to finish with eighteen tries on the season for an exceptional 180% try scoring strike rate. Reece Warburton also kicked fifteen goals to break through the 100 point mark for the season, finishing with 102 points to average a fraction over ten points per match.

Reece Warburton’s 2019 season started with a bang scoring five tries and kicking two goals in Round One against Lismore Marist Brothers and went from strength from strength from there. Reece Warburton added a late season hat trick against the South Grafton Rebels as well as a double against the Ballina Seagulls.

Reece Warburton’s remaining tries came in separate matches against Kyogle, South Grafton, Casino RSM twice and Grafton twice.

In 2019 Reece Warburton was also part of the McLean High School U14 side that defeated Grafton High School 38 – 12 in the U14 DEX Shield Final which is an annual school boy rugby league competition for schools in the Grafton/Lismore area. Reece Warburton was one of McLean High School’s try scorers in the final when he scored after a hard straight run through Grafton High School defence.

Reece Warburton also scored in the 2019 U14 DEX Shield Final semi-final against McAuley Catholic College.

Reece Warburton also played touch for McLean High School in 2019 and was part of their U15 side that went through the Northern Rivers Zone competition undefeated and as a consequence made the Northern Rivers Zone team.

In 2019 you can add the title of Mclean High School Athletics U14 Age Champion to Reece Warburton’s resume.

The MacLean High School student’s 2019 season was no fluke as was evidenced by his 2018 season. In eleven Group One U13 matches in 2018 he averaged two tries per game (200% strike rate) and also kicked 14 goals to finish the season with 116 points to average over ten points per game once again.

Reece Warburton scored five tries in a June 2018 match against Kyogle and added four in Round One against Casino RSM. In addition Reece Warburton scored hat tricks against Lismore Marist Brothers and South Grafton, going on to score in ten of his eleven matches.

In 2018 Reece Warburton also played in eight Group One U14 matches for the Clarence Coast Magpies scoring in four of them being against Lismore Marist Brothers, Kyogle and Grafton in two matches. Reece Warburton also kicked four goals including three in June 2018 against the Kyogle Turkeys.

In terms of his attacking play Reece Warburton is a smooth beautifully balanced natural runner of the ball who has above average to plus top end speed and good evasiveness to get on the outside of his opposing defender with a decent fend that enables him to keep opposing defenders at a distance and away from his body.

Reece Warburton is also adept at straitening up the axis of attack one he has received the ball when he chimes into the back line to ensure his outside supports have room to move and exploit any advantages identified.

Reece Warburton has quite a good step, predominately off the left foot, so he certainly has the skills to adjust his running line as required.

Reece Warburton does not have the size or strength to run over the top of opposing defenders thus he needs to use his speed and guile to make an impact and the earlier he gets the ball the better but as noted just needs to straighten up the attack on occasion.

Defensively Reece Warburton has a very good low tackling technique, he is by no means a big player but his defensive low tackling technique is very good, he can defend opposing centres one on one, and is one of the better low tacklers I have seen in junior rugby league. Tackling around the legs seems to have become a lost art, but when done right it is in my opinion it is still the most effective way of defending.

Reece Warburton will play the 2021 season with the Clarence Coast Magpies in the Group One U16.5 competition and will also represent McLean High School in the 2021 DEX Shield School Boy Rugby League competition.

Reece Warburton has blazing speed as well as outstanding balance and body control and whilst he is only slightly built can absorb a lot of punishment and keep pushing through. With his speed and elusiveness Reece Warburton has the ability to play multiple position sat very high level including fullback, wing, centre and in 2020 half back.

Ultimately I believe that Reece Warburton likely ends up on the wing but that is absolutely no sure thing and a future at either centre or fullback certainly cannot be ruled out.

From a player comparison perspective for Reece Warburton, think of someone along the lines of the South Sydney Rabbitohs and Queensland State of Origin centre Dane Gagai as a smooth moving try scoring outside back who is elusive and difficult to defend against as a result.

Like Gagai, Reece Warburton is also a solid defender without necessarily standing out per say in that aspect of rugby league.

Reece Warburton is a flyer, pure and simple and one thing is for certain speed is something that you cannot teach, you either have it or you don’t and Reece Warburton has it in spades and more importantly knows how to use it on the field.

Similarly Reece Warburton just seems to have a knack of knowing when a try scoring opportunity is about to eventuate and be in the right place at the right time to take advantage of it. His statistics from this season’s (and 2018) Group One U14 competition and previous seasons for that matter certainly bear that out.

[mdrew]

Tyrelle Waters. One of the most impressive young players in the 2019 Group One U13 competition was Clarence Coast Magpie Tyrelle Waters who finished the season as the competitions equal leading try scorer with fifteen tries from just thirteen matches (115% strike rate) equal with fellow Titan Joshua Donovan-Skinner. Joshua Donovan-Skinner also kicked two goals (against South Grafton and Casino RSM) to finish the 2019 season with a total points haul of 64.

Tyrelle Waters was part of the Titans 2020 Group One Academy squad that was training on a weekly basis in Ballina in Northern New South Wales and in November 2020 Tyrelle Waters will start once again training with the Titans development squad from the Group One region under the direction of former Titans NRL player Matt Srama.

In late June 2020 Tyrelle Waters started training with his Claence Coast Magpies club side in preparation for the late start of the Group One U14 junior rugby league competition. Round One saw Tyrelle Waters start for the Magpies at half back and score as Clarence Coast defeated the South Grafton Rebels 24 – 10.

After Clarence Coast’s Round Two match was postponed, Tyrelle Waters was back at half back for Round Three against Ballina and made it two tries from as many matches, scoring as Clarence Coast defeated Ballina 24 – 8. Tyrelle Waters also started at half back as Clarence Coast defeated Ballina 26 – 0 in Round Five.

Round Six against Tyrelle Waters saw move to five eight against Casino RSM and the talented young man scored as the Magpies recorded a 28 – 0 victory. Round Ten saw Tyrelle Waters start at half back and score as well as kick a conversion as the Magpies defeated Ballina 52 – 6.

In total in the Group One U14 regular season Tyrelle Waters scored four tries and kicked a conversion for an eighteen point haul from five matches.

Tyrelle Waters started the 2020 Group One U14 Grand Final at half back as the Magpies took on the Grafton Ghosts scoring as the Magpies became 2020 Premiers on the back of a 30 – 16 come back victory.

Tyrelle Waters scored a 2019 mid-season hat trick against Kyogle and added doubles against Lismore Marist Brothers and Kyogle in Rounds One and Two and scored a further double against Casino RSM later in the season. Tyrelle Waters also scored in matches against South Grafton and Grafton twice, Ballina and Casino RSM.

In 2018 Tyrelle Waters played in fourteen matches in the Group One U12 competition finishing with a 100% strike rate with fifteen tries. He also kicked three goals in finish the 2018 U12 Group One season with sixty six points. Included in his try scoring tally in 2018 were hat tricks against South Grafton and Ballina and two doubles against Lismore Marist Brothers.

Tyrelle Waters was also one of Clarence Coast’s try scorers in the 2018 Group One U12 Grand Final as the Magpies defeated Lismore Marist Brothers in a 20 -18 thriller with Tyrelle Waters starting the match in the second row.

In 2018 Tyrelle Waters also played in one U13 match which came against Lismore Marist Brothers in late May. Tyrelle Waters had played in the U12 match earlier in the day.

Tyrelle Waters style of play is that of a 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, and I am talking the speed of an outside back not a backrower.

Tyrelle Waters is exceptionally 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, making it almost impossible for the cover defence to catch him once he is open space.

Defences had all sorts of trouble trying to contain him in his club football over the last couple of seasons, both in terms of him taking the ball up into the centre of the ruck, but he was almost untouchable when he ran on the fringes of the ruck and uses his foot work to beat defenders with a variety of moves, including a 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 young player in Tyrelle Waters who causes nightmares for a defensive line.

Tyrelle Waters runs with pace, strength and power every time he touches the ball during a game. I have not seen a great deal of him off loading the football to date, but the ball skills that he possess would suggest this particular will develop into a plus skill over time, although at this stage of his career it is not a necessity. Tyrelle Waters attention to detail would also strongly suggest that he will continue to develop his off-loading and ball skills across the board.

Tyrelle Waters is aggressive in defence whether defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes or even wider out 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.

Tyrelle Waters 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. I have noted that he is aggressive, but not to the extent that he will give away penalties, he just wants to win every one on one contest. Tyrelle Waters is also a very good cover defender as a result of his speed and tenacity.

Due to his speed and athleticism and for that matter hard work and determination Tyrelle Waters covers across the field well, thus putting him in a good position to make the tackle when the ball is turned back inside from the halves as is the case so often in the modern game.

Tyrelle Waters will play the 2021 season in the Group One U15 competition with the Clarence Coast Magpies and would surely have also been part of the Group One U15 representative side for the 2021 New South Wales Country Age Championships if they had been held.

An ultimate position is an interesting one when you are talking about Tyrelle Waters. Prior to the 2020 season Tyrelle Waters played primarily in the back row but in the 2020 Group One U14 competition interesting Tyrelle Waters spent time playing at half back for the Clarence Coast Magpies.

From an NRL player comparison perspective, with his touch above average speed, developing ball skills and quick late footwork that Tyrelle Waters has displayed over recent seasons I think that an appropriate player comparison is Sydney Roosters lock Victor Radley with the potential to be a lot more on top of that as well. You could also throw in Cameron Murray of the Souths Sydney Rabbitohs when you are looking for an NRL player to compare Tyrelle Waters to.

Like Victor Radley and Cameron Murray, Tyrelle Waters plays rugby league with almost reckless abandon is certainly is an all effort type of player with deceptive speed and a big motor to complement his other attributes.

[mdrew]

Zac Johnson. He is a Titans contracted local who plays for Helensvale in the Gold Coast Rugby League competition and also attends Coombabah State High School as pat of their rugby league excellence program.

In early November Zac Johnson trialled for a spot in the 2021 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad.

In February 2020 Zac Johnson was named in the Gold Coast Vikings U16 Training Squad but unfortunately the U16 South East Queensland pre-season challenge that the Gold Coast Vikings were set to field two teams in was cancelled just days prior to Round One due to the outbreak of Covid 19.

Also in 2020 Zac Johnson was part of the Coombabah State High School Langer Cup Open A school boy rugby league squad for the Term Three school boy rugby league competition playing against fellow Gold Coast schools PBC and Keebra Park.

In July 2020 Zac Johnson started in the second row for the Coombabah Open A Langer Cup side in their Langer Cup qualifying match against St Mary’s in Toowoomba.

After being knocked out of the Langer Cup, Zac Johnson and his Coombabah State High School team mates took part of the Gee Cup school boy competition, going through the competition as the undefeated Southern Division Champions and taking on Mabel Park State High School in the 2020 Gee Cup Grand Final that was held at Langlands Park.

In the 2020 Gee Cup Grand Final that Coombabah won 50 – 8 Zac Johnson started in the second row.

The young Helensvale Hornets five eight or second rower (and occasional front rower) backed up his outstanding 2018 campaign with further assured performances in 2019 in green and yellow.

For Helensvale in the 2019 Gold Coast Rugby League U15 Division One regular season competition, Zac Johnson played in five matches spending time both in the second row and in the front row as well as five eight late in the season, scoring two tries and also kicking two field goals including one against Ormeau and also kicking one against Runaway Bay.

Zac Johnson also kicked a field goal in 2018, three field goals over two seasons is an impressive achievement in any grade or age group and also for a player who does not play regularly in the halves.

In Week One of the U15 Division One Finals series Zac Johnson started at five eight and scored as the Hornets defeated Ormeau 20 – 14 and added three conversions from as many attempts as Helensvale went down 22 – 18 to Nerang in the Preliminary Final in their season finale.

For the Helensvale Hornets U14 Division One side in 2018, Zac Johnson played primarily in the second row including in their 29 – 12 Grand Final victory over Coomera. Team mates in the 2018 Grand Final winning side were fellow Titans contracted players, fullback/centre Kobie Mackey-Taylor and fullback/centre Te Haeta Takamore just like they were in the U15 Division One Preliminary Final this season.

In total for the Helensvale Division One U14 side in 2018, Zac Johnson played in thirteen matches finishing with thirty one points from three tries, nine goals and the field goal, one of three mentioned previously which was kicked late in the 2018 season against the Ormeau Shearers.

In 2018 Zac Johnson also played in one U15 Division Two match which was against Currumbin in late June and two U15 Division One matches the first being against the Jimboomba Thunder in late July.

Zac Johnson was also part of the Helensvale U14 side that won the Tassell Trophy in 2018 scoring a try and kicking a conversion in the Hornets 40 – 6 Tournament final victory over the Western Lions. In fact Zac Johnson was named Player of the Final after a dominant display for the Hornets.

On the basis that ultimately I believe that Zac Johnson will end up in the second row, that is where my analysis is focussed.

Zac Johnson is a wide hard running backrower who runs a good line on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into thus making the play makers on his team look good. Where Zac Johnson really excels though is his footwork, obviously playing in the backline has assisted greatly.

Zac Johnson 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.

Even when he is taking a hit up in the centre of the ruck, Zac Johnson’s feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight corrections to his running direction and he is also able to maintain his speed regardless of the multiple directional changes.

As you would expect, due to his size and strength, Zac Johnson is a very good defender regardless of position. He will not necessarily hit hard, but he is very good at mirroring the movement of the opposing attacker and wrapping him up ball and all. Zac Johnson is also quick enough to recover and chase if the opposing players gets on the outside.

From a team defensive methodology stand point, Zac Johnson seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage.

Zac Johnson will play the 2021 Gold Coast Rugby League season in the U18 Division One competition for Helensvale.

Zac Johnson has played a number of positions in 2019 and 2020 for Helensvale, including five eight and even in the front row but for me Zac Johnson will ultimately settle in the second row (where he palyed for Coombabah State High School in 2020) but the experience that he is gaining at five eight is invaluable in terms of his future progression no matter in which position Zac Johnson ultimately establishes himself.

From a player comparison perspective for Zac Johnson, think along the lines of someone like Cronulla Sharks, New South Wales State of Origin and Australian International second rower Wade Graham as a player who played some junior rugby league at five eight before settling in the second row and developing into a solid ball playing forward who can pop a short pass to his supports both prior to the line or when engaged with the defensive line a sell as a solid defender on the fringes of the ruck.

[mdrew]

Kobie Mackey-Taylor. The local young utility back signed a muli-year contract with the Titans in 2019 after multiple solid seasons with the Helensvale Hornets and for Coombabah State High School from a school boy rugby league perspective.

In early November 2020 Kobie Mackay-Taylor trialled for a position in the 2021 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad, starting the trial on the left wing.

In January 2020 Kobie Mackey-Taylor was part of the Titans U16 side that played the Newcastle Knights U16 Harold Matthews side in Coffs Harbour in their annual match.

Kobie Mackay-Taylor started the match against Newcastle on the left wing and scored the Titans first try of the match in the first half when he was on the back of a Titans backline movement and a cut out pass from Titans fullback Blake Forder and Kobie Mackay-Taylor was able to dive over from close range in the left corner under pressure from the Newcastle defence.

Prior to crossing the try line Kobie Mackay-Taylor was able to fend off a would be Knights defender being the Knights right winger in that instance on the way to the line. The Knights defender had come in to try to tackle Kobie Mackay-Taylor just as he was to receive the ball but Kobie Mackay-Taylor was too strong and was able to break the attempted tackle.

In February 2020 Kobie Mackey-Taylor was named in the Gold Coast Vikings U16 Training Squad for the 2020 U16 South East Queensland Challenge but unfortunately the Championships fell victim to the Covid 19 pandemic just days before that Challenge was due to kick off in Ipswich.

Also in 2020 Kobie Mackay-Taylor was part of the Coombabah State High School Langer Cup Open A school boy rugby league squad for the Term Three school boy rugby league competition including their 2020 Langer Cup main draw qualifying match in Toowoomba against St Mary’s when he started the match at left centre.

After being knocked out of the Langer Cup, Kobie Mackay-Taylor and his Coombabah State High School team mates took part of the Gee Cup school boy competition, going through the competition as the undefeated Southern Division Champions and taking on Mabel Park State High School in the 2020 Gee Cup Grand Final that was held at Langlands Park.

In the 2020 Gee Cup Grand Final that Coombabah won 50 – 8 Kobie Mackay-Taylor started at left centre and had an impressive match especially in the first half and was unlucky not to have scored early in the match but the referee ruled that he lost the ball over the line in the left corner.

Kobie Mackay-Taylor also made a long break down the left touch line early in the match showcasing his ability to get on the outside of his opponent and also highlighting his deceptive speed.

Kobie Mackay-Taylor was however named in the South East Queensland Sharks U18 touch side for the National Youth Championships that were held in October 2020, with the Sharks losing their semi-final 8 – 6.

The young Helensvale Hornets fullback, winger or centre signed a multi-year contract with the Titans early in 2019 after a stellar campaign with the Hornets in 2018 in the GCRL U14 Division One competition as well as for the Gold Coast Vikings U14 representative side at the 2019 Hill Stumer Championships.

Kobie Mackay-Taylor played the 2019 season with Helensvale in the GCRL U15 Division One competition playing in six regular season matches for the Hornets scoring three tries including a double against Ormeau in May and also scoring in a match against Runaway Bay mid-season to finish with a 50% strike rate.

In Week One of the 2019 GCRL U15 Division One Finals series Kobie Mackay-Taylor started in the centres and scored as the Hornets defeated the Ormeau Shearers 20 – 14 to progress to the Preliminary Final against the Nerang Roosters.

Week Three of the 2019 U15 Division One Finals saw Kobie Mackay-Taylor start in the centres but unfortunately his Helensvale Hornets side were defeated in the Preliminary Final 22 – 18 by Nerang to end their season one win short of a Grand Final berth.

2019 also saw Kobie Mackay-Taylor represent the South Coast U15 QSSRL side that went through the Championships undefeated and as a result was selected in the Queensland White side for the ASSRL U15 Championships.

At the ASSRL U15 Championships Kobie Mackay-Taylor played primarily on the left wing for the Queensland White side including scoring on Day One in a good win against ACT 20 – 4. Kobie Mackay-Taylor’s try was as a result of him backing up a long break from the Queensland White left centre.

Kobie Mackay-Taylor stayed out on his left wing and correctly positioned himself to take the pass four metres out from the try line when his centre was caught by the ACT cover defence. Kobie Mackay-Taylor was then able to bring the ball around a touch once he had gotten into the in-goal area.

Kobie Mackay-Taylor also played for Coombabah State High School in their various school boy rugby league competitions in 2019.

In late 2019 Kobie Mackay-Taylor started on the left wing for the Titans U15 side defeated a touring Balmain Tigers side 34 – 16 with Kobie Mackay-Taylor scoring an impressive long range try. Kobie Mackay-Taylor received the ball from the Titans fullback fifty five metres out from the line, beating the Balmain right winger down the touch line before producing an outstanding right arm fend to beat the initial cover defence before producing an outstanding in and away to beat the Balmain fullback and score in the left corner.

In 2018 Kobie Mackay-Taylor represented South East Queensland White U14’s in the Queensland Age Championships finishing as the competitions leading point scorer with thirty points from his four matches including three tries and nine goals playing on the wing.

In Round One Kobie Mackay-Taylor kicked a goal against SEQ Green, Round Two saw him score a try and kick three goals against Central and in Round Three Kobie Mackay-Taylor scored a double and kicked three goals against Northern. Kobie Mackay-Taylor then started on the wing in the final kicking two conversions in a 16 all draw against SEQ Green.

For the Helensvale Hornets U14 Division One side in 2018, Kobie Mackay-Taylor played primarily at fullback including in their 29 – 12 Grand Final victory over Coomera, playing in ten matches overall. Team mates in the Grand Final winning side were fellow Titans contracted players, second rower Zac Johnson and centre Te Haeta Takamore.

Kobie Mackay-Taylor was also part of the Helensvale U14 side that won the Tassell Trophy in 2018 scoring in the Hornets 40 – 6 Tournament final victory over the Western Lions.

Even though he does not have great top end speed Kobie Mackay-Taylor is quick enough to take advantage of any space that he is given down the touchline by opposing outside backs. Kobie Mackay-Taylor’s bread and butter play in the centres is a good in an away to hold the defender and beat him on the outside, Kobie Mackay-Taylor then has the ability to draw and pass to his support if the opposing winger looks to come in, thus creating an overlap either on the outside or the inside to his team mates to exploit.

When playing on the wing Kobie Mackay-Taylor always seems to stick to the sideline which means his inside attackers will know where he is at all times, thus allowing them to confidently off load the ball if an overlap is created. I have not seen him score any highlight reel tries that seem to be the norm for modern day wingers but Kobie Mackay-Taylor will score the tries that he needs to and the team needs him to.

In terms of defence, Kobie Mackay-Taylor is solid from a technique and initial contact perspective 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 or against larger wingers who look to try to run straight over him.

His time at fullback has clearly helped Kobie Mackay-Taylor in situations where positioning in defence is critical in terms of when to tackle low compared to looking to when to wrap up the attacking player with a ball and all tackle. Kobie Mackay-Taylor has the size to handle both tackling low as well as defending in a ball and all fashion depending on the circumstances that confronts him at a particular time.

Kobie Mackay-Taylor is already an outstanding goal kicker and there is little doubt that he has the ability to be any team’s first choice goal kicker regardless of the level of the competition that he is playing in. Kobie Mackay-Taylor has an effortless clean kicking action which is simple and repeatable and generates distance as well as accuracy. Kobie Mackay-Taylor will regularly kick conversions from right on the sidelines.

Kobie Mackay-Taylor will play the 2021 Gold Coast Rugby League season in the U18 Division One competition for Helensvale and will also be U18 eligible in 2022.

Kobie Mackay-Taylor will also be a key member of the Coombabah State High School Rugby League side in their school boy rugby league competitions in 2021, likely including their Langer Cup Open A and GIO Cup school boy rugby league teams.

Kobie Mackay-Taylor has played on the wing or in the centres almost exclusively in club and representative sides and whilst he has played a couple of matches at fullback in recent seasons in representative rugby league sides I believe that Kobie Mackay-Taylors future likely lies on the wing, specifically the left wing.

When playing on the wing Kobie Mackay-Taylor can use his size to maintain his running line and balance under pressure and also use it to come in off his wing and take hit-ups either running from dummy half or taking the ball off the dummy half when his side is bringing the ball out from their own territory.

Kobie Mackay-Taylor is also very safe under the high ball utilising a controlled jumping technique not dis-similar to that of Titan Anthony Don in terms of the timing and height that Kobie Mackay-Taylor gets on his leap. Like Don, Kobie Mackay-Taylor is very safe under the high ball.

From a player comparison perspective in relation to Kobie Mackay-Taylor of someone along the lines of North Queensland Cowboy, Australian Nine’s representative s and former Queensland State of Origin right winger Kyle Feldt as a solid winger who will score his fair share of tries by being in the right place at the right time rather than individual heroics or spectacular plays per say and not make simple unforced errors to place his side under undue pressure.

Like Feldt, Kobie Mackay-Taylor also has the size to run the ball effectively out of dummy half and make ground especially when his team is bringing the ball out of their own territory. Similiarly Kobie Mackay-Taylor like Feldt will get across the line on a regular basis.

[mdrew]

Reef Sommerville. He is a Titans contracted centre or second rower from northern New South Wales who has already worn a Titans jersey in a number of matches.

In November 2020 Reef Somerville was named in the powerful Tweed Heads Seagulls 2021 MM Cup squad.

To kick up his 2020 season Reef Somerville was named to start in the second row, specifically right second row for the Northern Rivers Titans in Round One of the 2020 U18 Laurie Daley Cup against the Parramatta Eels at Cudgen however the match was cancelled due to the wet conditions prevailing in the region that weekend.

Reef Sommerville started Round Two of the 2020 U18 Laurie Daley Cup at right second row against the Newcastle Knights in Ballina scoring a long range try when he loomed up in support to the right of a rampaging Noah Johannsen to run forty metres to score.

Reef Sommerville also started in the right second row position n Round Three against the Central Coast Roosters and in Round Four against the Greater Northern Tigers but moved back to start from the bench for the Round Five local derby against North Coast scoring in the first half when Reef Sommerville chased through a Thomas Weaver kick.

The ball rebounded off the left upright and Reef Somerville got down low to scope the ball up in both hands and dive over adjacent to the left upright highlighting Reef Sommerville’s safe hands and focus to get his body down low rather than just throwing his hands at the ball with little thought of his balance or body control.

Reef Sommerville started training with the Cudgen Hornets U18 NRRRL side in June 2020 and team mates in the side included fellow Titans Thomas Weaver, Jack Cullen and Bailey Martin amongst others.

Reef Sommerville started Round One of the 2020 NRRRL U18 competition at left centre as Cudgen travelled to Byron Bay to take on the Devils with Reef Sommervilel scoring in the Hornets 14 – 10 victory. Reef Sommerville also started in the centres in Round Three against the Bilambil Jets and scored his second try from as many NRRRL U18 matches as Cudgen defeated Bilambil 26 - 22.

Reef Sommerville also started in the centres in Round Four against the Murwillumbah Mustangs and in Round Five against the Bilambil Jets. After missing a number of rounds, Reef Somerville started Round Eight against the Tweed Coast Raiders in the centres.

In Cudgen’s 2020 NRRRL U18 Major semi-final loss against Murwllumbah Reef Somervilles started in the centres. Reef Somerville also started at right centre as Cudgen qualified for the 2020 NRRRL U18 Grand Final on the back of a 24 – 16 Preliminary Final victory over the Bilambil Jets.

In the 2020 NRRRL U18 Grand Final, Reef Somerville also started at right centre and had some very good long runs, including a long run down the right touch line in the last minute of the match as Cudgen defeated Murwillumbah to become the Premiers 28 – 16.

Also in 2020 Reef Sommerville was part of the PBC Langer Cup Open school boy rugby league Open A squad for the Term Three school boy rugby league competition. In PBC’s first trial after the Covid 19 pandemic, Reef Somerville started at left centre for the PBC Open A side that played against the PBC B side.

Reef Sommerville started Round One of the Langer Cup at right centre as PBC took on and defeated Ipswich State High School 22 – 10 at Pizzey Park also starting there in Round two against Wavell State High School in an 18 all draw and Round Three against St Mary’s Toowoomba.

In PBC’s 16 – 6 win over St Mary’s Reef Somerville scored his first try in PBC colours when he was on hand to take on off load from Troy Duckett after looping around Troy Duckett who had taken a bomb on the full. Reef Somerville was held by the leg by a St Mary’s defender but he was able to reach out to put the ball down with his right arm.

Reef Somerville also started at right centre in the Round Four local derby against Keebar Park as well as in Round Five against Marsden State High School.

Reef Somerville also started at right centre for PBC as they qualified for the 2020 Langer Cup final on the back of an impressive 34 – 6 victory over Ipswich State High School scoring the final try of the match when he stayed on his touch line line to run ten metres to score in the right corner after receiving a cut out pass from Ryan Rivett.

Reef Somerville started the 2020 Langer Cup Grand Final at right centre for PBC as they defeated Keebra Park 16 – 8 in a high quality match scoring the try that sealed PBC’s victory when he charged from around thirty five metres out to score fifteen metres in from the right corner post.

In the Queensland School Boys Final against Kirwan State High School Reef Somerville started at right centre as PBC travelled to take on their North Queensland based opponents.

The young second rower or centre made his debut in a Titans jersey in late February 2019 when he started from the bench for the Titans U16 side in their match against the Newcastle Knights Harold Matthews U16 squad in Coffs Harbour.

Reef Sommerville came onto the field in the February 2019 match towards the end of the first half, playing in the second row and also at times during the match spent time in the centres when starting right centre Ezra Ubaldino was having a spell on the bench.

Reef Sommerville was also part of the Titans U18 side in their annual match against the Newcastle Knights SG Ball (U18) side in Coffs Harbour in early 2020, starting the match from the bench and spending time in both the centres and second row once again on the right side of the field when he came into the match for the first time in the first half.

Reef Sommerville also started in the second row for the Titans U16 squad in their early October 2019 match against PNG at Pizzey Park with the Titans running out 44 – 12 victors on the Friday night with Reef Somerville playing a big part in the Titans victory.

Late in 2018 Reef Sommerville was selected in the talented Northern Rivers Titans U16 side for the 2019 Andrew Johns Cup competition. Fellow Titans linked players in the Northern Rivers Titans U16 side were Jack Cullen, Ryan Foran, Keegan Pace, Riley Lack, Thomas Weaver, Noah Johnnssen and Rowan Mansfield.

In Round One of that competition in 2019 Reef Sommerville started from the bench for the Northern Rivers Titans in their match against the Newcastle Knights Development Squad. When he came on Reef Sommerville operated on the right side of the field both in the centre and in the second row and scored an impressive try when he took a flat pass from the dummy half, Jordan Gallagher and caught the Newcastle defence back peddling and was able to break a number of tackles in a thirty metre run to the try line.

Round Two of the 2019 Andrew Johns Cup competition saw Reef Sommerville once again start from the interchange bench in the Northern Rivers Titans match against Parramatta and once again he was a handful for the opponent’s defensive line on the right side of the field.

Reef Sommerville deservedly broke into the Northern Rivers starting line-up in Round Three against the North Coast Bulldogs starting the match at right centre and went very close to score the Titans first try when he was dragged down just short of the try line in the opening minutes.

Reef Sommerville made amends however in the second half scoring a powerful try when he smashed through the North Coast defence in a typically powerful try on the right of the ruck.

In Round Four even though he was not named in seventeen, Reef Sommerville started from the bench and made a big impact when he came on in jumper 23.

In Round Five against the Greater Northern Tigers Reef Sommerville started at right centre for the Northern Rivers Titans and as usual proved to be a handful for the opposition defence.

Reef Sommerville was named to start at right centre in the Northern Rivers Titans semi-final against Penrith but in fact started from the bench in the Titans 26 – 14 victory. When he came on, Reef Sommerville, playing on the right made a difference including pouncing on a grubber kick late in the first half from five eight Riley lack and late in the match when Penrith were pressing Reef Sommerville took an outstanding hit up making around twenty metres most of that was in relation to post contact metres to get the Titans well out of their own territory and put Penrith on the back foot.

In the 2019 U16 Andrew Johns Cup Grand Final against the Western Rams Reef Sommerville started at right centre in the Northern Rivers Titans outstanding 18 – 6 victory.

In the match Reef Sommerville had some big moments including two big runs down the right one of which was a seventy metre run which almost lead to an outstanding long range try.

Post the victory Reef Sommerville was named in the centres for the New South Wales Country U16 side for their November 2019 three match tour of the United Kingdom flying out in mid-November from Sydney.

Reef Sommerville started at right centre in Game One of the tour scoring New South Wales Country U16’s second try of the match (and tour) in their big 62 – 0 win over the U17 Community Lions. The ball went through hands to the right for NSW Country before Reef Sommerville ran a straight hard line to break the initial defensive line around ten metres out from the line and power over from there.

Reef Sommerville also started in the centres and scored his second try from as many matches in Game Two as New South Wales Country U16’s defeated the Leeds Rhino’s 32 – 10, Reef Sommerville scored when Leeds failed to take a bomb cleanly early in the second half with Reef Sommerville retrieving the ball and powering his way over with two defenders hanging off him as he surged to the try line to extend the NSW Country lead to 24 – 6.

Reef Sommerville also started at right centre in Game Three of the New South Wales Country U16’s tour of the UK as they finished undefeated on the back of a 62 – 6 victory over a British Community Lions squad consisting of players from the Lancashire and Cumbria region of England.

The New South Wales Country U16 side played a New South Wales U16 Harold Matthews squad as a curtain raiser to the Penrith/Warriors NRL match on a Friday night at Penrith Park in May 2019. Reef Sommerville started the match at right centre.

After that match, Reef Sommerville was selected in the New South Wales U16 side that played a U16 Pasifika team at Belmore Sports Ground on Sunday 9 June 2019. In the match that the New South Wales U16 side won 36 – 6, Reef Sommerville started on the right wing.

Reef Somerville was also part of the dominant Cudgen 2019 U16 Group 18 side that won their Grand Final 44 – 6 against Byron Bay/Lennox Head.

Reef Sommerville was also part of the St Joseph’s College Benora Point school boy rugby league side in 2019 including a member of the side that won the Grand Final of the New South Wales All Schools U16 competition.

The team travelled to Sydney for the 75th year of the competition. After not winning a game in 2018 the Banora Point U16 side defeated Bega 32-6 and then Red Bend Forbes who won it last year 18-0 in their opening two matches.

A forfeit from the Manly district, Banora Point Mulwaree 18-0 in the semi-fianl.The Grand Final against Wadalba from the Central Coast was a tough contest and after trailing 4-nil early Benora Point scored two tries for a 10-4 victory.

In 2018 the St Joseph’s College Tweed Heads student played for the Group 18 U15 side in the New South Wales Country U15 Championships, playing in matches against Groups Two, Four and Twenty One crossing against Group Twenty One.

2018 was the second season in a row that Reef Sommerville had represented Group 18 after playing three U14 matches in 2017 at the New South Wales Country Age Championships, scoring against Group One.

2018 also saw Reef Sommerville named in the centres for the Lismore Dioceses U15 Northern Country Representative side for the New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges (CCC) trials and post those trials was named in the NSW CCC U15 Country Tour side, being named in the second row.

After the completion of the 2018 season Reef Sommerville and fellow Group 18 U15 team mates headed overseas to play in the Battlefield Challenge to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the end of World War I, a competition that the side won including victories against Emory Moor 12 – 6 and Leigh East 18 – 12.

In a warm up match in England prior to the Tournament they defeated a Hemel Stags U16 side and post the Tournament defeated French side Aude Cathare. A number of other Titans players were also involved in the tour including Thomas Weaver, Keegan Pace, Jack Cullen, Ryan Foran, Riley Lack, Byron Jones and Bailey Cox.

Reef Sommerville is a wide hard running backrower who runs a good line on the fringes of the ruck and constantly picks the right holes to run into thus making the play makers on his team look good. Where he really excels though is his footwork, obviously playing in the backline has assisted greatly.

Reef Sommerville 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, just as he did for his try in Round One of the Andrew Johns Cup this season against Newcastle.

Even when he is taking a hit up in the centre of the ruck, Reef Sommerville’s feet are always moving and he is constantly making slight corrections to his running direction and he is also able to maintain his speed regardless of the multiple directional changes.

As you would expect, due to his size and strength, Reef Sommerville is a very good defender regardless of position. He will not necessarily hit hard, but he is very good at mirroring the movement of the opposing attacker and wrapping him up ball and all. Reef Sommerville is also quick enough to recover and chase if the opposing players gets on the outside.

From a team defensive methodology stand point, Reef Sommerville seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage.

Reef Somerville moved to PBC in 2020 and in 2021 will be a key piece in their GIO Cup and Langer Cup school boy rugby league campaigns and in 2021 will line up for the Tweed Heads Seagull MM Cup squad.

Post the MM Cup competition, Reef Somerville will line up once again for the Cudgen Hornets in the NRRRL competition and whislt he is likely to start the 2020 season in the NRRRL U18 competition, it is likely that Reef Somerville will also make his NRRRL First Grade debut over the course of next season for the Hornets.

With his build and speed I think that Reef Sommerville can continue to play in the second row and the centres over the next couple of seasons, but by the time that Reef Sommerville reaches the senior rugby league ranks I would anticipate that Reef Sommerville will have made the transition to the second row full time.

With his mobility and hardworking mentality Reef Sommerville’s playing style reminds me of recent Penrith Panthers signing, former Cronulla Sharks and 2020 Queensland State of Origin second rower and reasonably regular centre Luke Capewell.

Both are hardworking players who give everything they have every time that they step onto a rugby league field doing a lot of the little things well and will sometimes be unfairly overlooked by everyone but their team mates and coaching staff.

[mdrew]

Joseph Vuna. The 22 year old former New Zealand Warrior centre or second rower returns to rugby league with the Titans after taking the 2019 and 2020 seasons off to go on his two year Mormon Mission.

From a trivia perspective, the 182cm, 99kg centre or second rower was born in California USA and is the younger brother of former Wallaby and Tongan Rugby League International Cooper Vuna.

In 2018 Joseph Vuna, who was nineteen at the time, made his NRL debut for the Warriors becoming Warrior Number 228, going on to play in four NRL matches in 2018 and was also a stand out for the Warriors in their Canterbury Cup campaign.

Joseph Vuna made his NRL debut for the Warriors in Round Eight of the 2018 NRL season against the Melbourne Storm. Joseph Vuna came off the bench playing nineteen minutes and ran for twenty three metres (nine post contact), played the ball at an average speed of 3.57 seconds and made eleven tackles at a 100% tackling efficiency.

Joseph Vuna played his second career NRL match in Round Eighteen of the 2018 NRL season once gain coming off the bench for the Warriors. Joseph Vuna played sixteen minuntes, running for fifteen metres (eight post contact), played the ball at an average speed of 3.84 seconds and made seven tackles at a tackling efficiency of 87.5%.

Joseph Vuna also came off the bench in Round Nineteen of the 2018 NRL season against the Melbourne Storm, ultimately playing twenty minutes, running for thirty one metres (sixteen post contact), played the ball at an average speed of 3.53 seconds and made ten tackles at a tackling efficiency of 83.33%.

Joseph Vuna made his career first NRL start when he started in the second row against the Titans in Round Twenty of the 2018 NRL season and played the entire eighty minutes of the match. Joseph Vuna ran for ninety one metres (thirty post contact), broke two tackles, played the ball at an average speed of 3.58 seconds and made an impressive thirty seven tackles at a tackling efficiency of 94.87%.

In total in the 2018 NRL competition, Joseph Vuna played 135 minutes, ran for 160 metre and made sixty five tackles at a tackling efficiency of 92.86%.

Also in 2018, Joseph Vuna played for the New Zealand Warriors in the 2018 Canterbury Cup competition playing in fifteen matches, starting all at either centre or in the second row. Joseph Vuna started six matches in the centres and nine in the second row.

Joseph Vuna scored six tries in the 2018 Canterbury Cup competition, including scoring a double in the Warriors one point Elimination Final loss to the Mounties. Joseph Vuna also scored in Round Seven against St George, Round Twelve against the Sea Eagles, Round Thirteen against Wentworthville and Round Fifteen against the Newcastle Knights.

In Round Seven against St George, Joseph Vuna sliced through the Dragons defensive line from right centre to score five metres in from the right corner post. In Round Twelve against the Sea Eagles it was Joseph Vuna’s ability to back-up that resulted in his try and Round Thirteen against Wentworthville saw Joseph Vuna aonce again slice through the defensive line, this time on the left, running ten metres diagonally to score just in from the left corner.

In total in the 2018 Canterbury Cup competition, Joseph Vuna played 1 148 minutes (playing the entire eight minutes on twelve occasions). In those minutes, Joseph Vuna ran for 1 297 metres (449 post contact), broke twenty four tackles and made 320 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 88.15%.

Joseph Vuna’s 2018 Canterbury Cup per game averages included playing 76.53 minutes, running for 86.47 metres and making 21.33 tackles.

Joseph Vuna’s best 2018 Canterbury Cup match from a running metres perspective came in Round Ten against the Magpies when he ran for 136 metres and in Round Twenty Two against the Newcastle Knights Joseph Vuna made a more than impressive forty one tackles.

Joseph Vuna’s final match before he started his two year Mormon mission was for the Junior Kiwi’s against their Australian counterparts, with Joseph Vuna scoring in the Kiwi’s 40 – 24 loss to the Junior Kangaroo’s.

Joseph Vuna played the entire eighty minutes of the International match, running for 115 metres, a team leading fifty one metres of which were post contact. Joseph Vuna also had a line break, broke a team leading five tackles and made twenty five tackles of his own.

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

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

When Joseph Vuna 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 Joseph Vuna’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 Joseph Vuna 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.

Joseph Vuna will train with the Titans NRL squad over the off season with a view to first getting his feet back under him after two years out of rugby league before trying to impress the Titans in the Queensland Cup in 2021.

In 2018 Joseph Vuna split time in the Canterbury Cup between centre and second row, playing on both sides of the field, but Joseph Vuna was 182cm and 99kg and is now probably a touch heavier and thus I envisage that Joseph Vuna now is a pure second row candidate which is the position that he played in his four NRL matches for the Warriors in 2018.

With a solid frame, low centre of gravity and an aggressive nature, Joseph Vuna in 2018 very much reminded me of Brisbane Bronco and New Zealand Intenrational former centre and now second rower Alex Glenn. Both Joseph Vuna and Glenn are not the biggest second rowers running around but both are aggressive ball runners and defenders.

[mdrew]

Jack Cullen. He is a Northern New South Wales born Titans contracted front rower who has been with the Titans for a number of seasons now and signed a two year contract with the Titans in early 2018 and in 2020 moved to PBC as part of their School Boy Rugby League Excellence Program.

Jack Cullen signed with the Titans with a group of other northern New South Wales youngsters in 2018 and they continue to show why the Titans were so lucky as they progress through the age groups together including in 2020 with the Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup competition. The scary part is that these young men, including Jack Cullen are still U18 eligible in 2021.

In November 2020 Jack Cullen was named in the Tweed Heads Seagulls 2021 MM Cup squad.

Jack Cullen was named to start in the front row for the Northern Rivers Titans in Round One of the 2020 U18 Laurie Daley Cup against the Parramatta Eels at Cudgen however the match was cancelled due to the wet conditions.

Jack Cullen started Round Two of the 2020 U18 Laurie Daley Cup in the front row against the Newcastle Knights in Ballina scoring in the first half when he barged over from close range to score adjacent to the right upright. The try was as a result of the set play. Fellow front rower Noah Johannssen ran back towards the play the ball and Jack Cullen ran the opposite direction receiving the ball in a big gap to score.

Jack Cullen also started in the front row in Round Three against the Central Coast Roosters and scored his second try from as many matches late in the match when he ran onto a great pass from fellow front rower Noah Johannssen to score adjacent to the left upright untouched.

Jack Cullen also started in the front row in Round Four against the Greater Northern Tigers but moved at start at lock for the Round Five local derby against North Coast.

Jack Cullen started training with the Cudgen Hornets U18 NRRRL side in June 2020 and team mates in the side included fellow Titans contracted or linked players Thomas Weaver, Bailey Martin, Keegan Pace and Reef Sommerville amongst others.

Jack Cullen started Round One of the 2020 NRRRL U18 competition in the front row as Cudgen travelled to Byron Bay to take on the Devils with the Hornets recording a 14 – 10 victory in slippery conditions. Jack Cullen also started in Round Three against Bilambil in slippery conditions again as Cudgen remained undefeated. Jack Cullen also started in the front row in Round Four against Murwillumbah.

Jack Cullen was at his powerful best after starting in the front row as Cudgen qualified for the 2020 NRRRL U18 Grand Final on the back of a 24 – 16 Preliminary Final victory over the Bilambil Jets.

Jack Cullen also started in the front row in the 2020 NRRRL U18 Grand Final and produced some telling charges through the centre of the ruck as Cudgen became Premiers on the back of a 28 – 16 win over Murwillumbah in a bad tempered match.

Jack Cullen made his NRRRL First Grade debut in Round Eight when he started from the bench against the Tweed Coast Raiders.

In a sign of the faith that Cudgen have in him, Jack Cullen started at lock in the Hornets 2020 NRRRL First Grade Elimination Final loss to the Bilambil Jets.

Also in 2020 Jack Cullen was part of the PBC Langer Cup Open A school boy rugby league squad, where he operated primarily in the front row, coming off the number in the majority of his appearances in his first year at PBC. In PBC’s first trial after the Covid 19 pandemic, Jack Cullen started in the front row for the PBC A side that played against the PBC B side.

Jack Cullen started Round One of the Langer Cup in the front row as PBC took on Ipswich State High School and had an impressive outing playing extended minutes in PBC’s 22 – 10 victory due to multiple injuries, in fact for me Jack Cullen was clearly the best front rower on the field regardless of team over the duration of the match.

Jack Cullen also started in the front row in Round Two against Wavell State High School and in Round Three against St Mary’s Toowoomba and also scored when he burst through the centre of the St Mary’s ruck and was only stopped less than a metre out from the line right under the goal posts.

After missing a couple of roundsJack Cullen started in the front row for PBC as they qualified for the 2020 Langer Cup final on the back of an impressive 34 – 6 victory over Ipswich State High School producing some outstanding last ditch defence.

Jack Cullen started the 2020 Langer Cup Grand Final in the front row for PBC as they defeated Keebra Park 16 – 8 in a high quality match and more than held his own against a bigger Keebra Park forward pack.

In the Queensland School Boys Final against Kirwan State High School Jack Cullen started in the front row as PBC travelled to take on their North Queensland based opponents going down 24 - 20.

Jack Cullen also started in the front row for the Titans U16 side in their match against the Newcastle Knights U16 side in early 2019.

In the match, Jack Cullen was his usual busy and effective self, including along with Bailey Martin being one of the forward leaders from both an attacking and defensive perspective.

One aspect of Jack Cullen’s game against the Newcastle Knights that I had not seen a great deal of prior to the match was Jack Cullen ball playing before the line. One a couple of occasions in the match Jack Cullen looked like he was going to take a hit-up, once he received the ball he quickly pivoted on the spot and passed out to his backline, the times that Jack Cullen ball played like this was seemingly all to the left side of the field.

Jack Cullen also played for the Titans when he started in the front row for the Titans U16 squad in their early October 2019 match against PNG at Pizzey Park with the Titans coming away from the match with a big win 44 - 12.

Jack Cullen also started in the front row Titans U15 side as they defeated a U15 Balmain Tigers touring side 16 – 10 in late 2018 and for me was one of the best for the Titans that night at Cudgen in northern New South Wales.

After left second rower Ryan Foran fielded the kick off, Jack Cullen took the next hit up and set the scene for his match with a great first run into the teeth of the Balmain Tigers forward pack making significant metres post contact.

Jack Cullen was at it again after the Titans first try scored by left winger Kaleb Ngamanu, taking the first and third hit-ups. Jack Cullen was outstanding in both of his stints for the Titans U15’s but his first 20 minute stint was exceptional. Jack Cullen also scored in the match after he was brought down just short of the line after a strong run where he stepped back behind the ruck off his right foot.

Post the Balmain Tigers match, Jack Cullen and fellow Group 18 U15 team mates headed overseas to play in the Battlefield Challenge to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the end of World War I, a competition that the side won including victories against Emory Moor 12 – 6 and Leigh East 18 – 12. In a warm up match in England prior to the Tournament they defeated a Hemel Stags U16 side and post the Tournament defeated French side Aude Cathare.

In Round One of the 2019 U18 Andrew Johns Cup competition Jack Cullen started in the front row for the Northern Rivers Titans in their match against the Newcastle Knights Development Squad and had a great game including throwing two outstanding short balls prior to the defensive line.

His first pass was to lock Bailey Cox who as a result found himself in a big gap and was able to draw the fullback for fullback Jaylan DeGroot to score the first try of the match under the posts. Jack Cullen’s second impressive pass, also to his right set left centre Rowan Mansfield on a forty metre run down the left tough line.

Round Two of the 2019 Andrew Johns Cup competition saw Jack Cullen once again line up in the front row in their match against Parramatta and once again he had an outstanding match.

The match was the second in a row that Jack Cullen was heavily involved in setting up a try with a great ball prior to contacting the defensive line. In the second half, Jack Cullen took the ball off the dummy half and popped a great ball around the half way mark to interchange forward Byron Jones who charged to within a few metres of the Parramatta line before offloading to Thomas Weaver to score. Just like his two outstanding passes in Round One Jack Cullen’s great second round pass was to his left.

In Round Three against the North Coast Bulldogs Jack Cullen started in the front row for the third week in a row and once again provided an outstanding pre-contact pass to his left to set up a try, this time to Rowan Mansfield who sprinted sixty metres to score down the touch line.

I have mentioned his pre-contact offloading a few times but Jack Cullen in all of his Andrew Johns Cup matches in 2019 was outstanding in making ground through the centre of the ruck a lot of which was post contact.

After being rested in Round Four Jack Cullen started Round Five of the 2019 Andrew Johns Cup competition in his usual front row position against the Greater Northern Tigers and was rewarded for his outstanding match when he crashed over in the second half after a powerful surge.

Jack Cullen was also strong in the Northern River Titans 26 – 14 semi-final victory over Penrith and one run in particular stood out for me. Jack Cullen took the kick up after the Titans first try and charged head long into the Penrith defence, making a twenty run knocking defenders out of the way and then drawing a penalty when he tried to get a quick play the ball and was prevented from doing so by the Panthers defence.

In the 2019 U16 Andrew Johns Cup Grand Final against the Western Rams Jack Cullen started in the front row in their impressive 18 – 6 Grand Final victory.

Post the victory Jack Cullen was named in the front row for the New South Wales Country U16 side for their November 2019 three match tour of the United Kingdom flying out for the tour from Sydney in mid-November.

Jack Cullen started in the front row in Game one of the Tour scoring NSW Country’s first and last try in their 62 – 0 with over the Community Lions with his first try coming just three minutes into the match when Jack Cullen twisted 360 degrees clockwise to crash over from close range mid-way between the left corner post and upright.

Game Two saw the New South Wales Country U16’s defeat the Leeds Rhino’s 32 – 10 with Jack Cullen once again starting in the front row and producing a typical hard uncompromising performance.

Jack Cullen also started in the front row in Game Three of the New South Wales Country U16’s tour of the UK as they finished undefeated on the back of a 62 – 6 victory over a British Community Lions squad consisting of players from the Lancashire and Cumbria region of England.

The New South Wales Country U16 side played a New South Wales U16 Harold Matthews squad as a curtain raiser to the Penrith/Warriors NRL match on a Friday night at Penrith Park in May 2019. Jack Cullen started the match in the front row.

Jack Cullen made his NRRRL U18 debut in Round Nine for Cudgen starting from the bench in their 10 – 6 win over Lower Clarence at home with his first try coming in his 4th match being Round Fourteen against Byron Bay.

Jack Cullen made his first NRRRL U18 start in Round Sixteen when he started in the front row against Murwillumbah.

In total in the 2019 U18 NRRRL competition Jack Cullen played in nine matches and scored just the one try as mentioned above in Round Fourteen against Byron Bay.

Jack Cullen was also part of the Cudgen side that defeated Lismore Marist Brothers 24 – 10 in Week One of the 2019 NRRRL U18 Finals series and was also on the bench as Cudgen defeated Byron Bay 24 – 4 in the Preliminary Final.

Jack Cullen was also part of the dominant Cudgen 2019 U16 Group 18 side that won their Grand Final 44 – 6 against Byron Bay/Lennox Head.

Jack Cullen was also part of the St Joseph’s College Benora Point school boy rugby league side in 2019 including a member of the side that won the Grand Final of the New South Wales All Schools U16 competition.

The team travelled to Sydney for the 75th year of the particular competition. After not winning a game in 2018 the Banora Point U16 side defeated Bega 32 - 6 and then Red Bend Forbes who won it last year 18 - 0 in their opening two matches.

A forfeit from the Manly district, Banora Point Mulwaree 18 - 0 in the semi-final. The Grand Final against Wadalba from the Central Coast was a tough contest and after trailing 4 - 0 early Benora Point scored two tries for a 10 - 4 victory.

In 2018 Jack Cullen started in the front row for the Group 18 U15 representative side at the New South Wales Country U15’s Championships playing matches against Group 21, Group Two and Group Four.

Jack Cullen is a solidly built young front rower with a low centre of gravity, which makes him quite difficult to tackle as he is also adept at dropping his shoulder into defenders as he impacts the defensive line. There is not a great deal of subtlety to his game, he runs straight and hard, with the only concession to this being a slight step off his left foot in occasion prior to impacting the defensive line.

One thing that Jack Cullen does do will however is continuing to pump his legs once his initial momentum is halted by the defensive line, Jack Cullen makes more metres than he should as a result and also forces defending teams to commit multiple defensive assets to stopping his progress. Jack Cullen does not have a real off load to his attacking game, but that is not his role, Jack Cullen’s role is to take the ball into the heart of the opposition’s defensive line on every run and make as many metres as possible.

For a player of his size and position Jack Cullen actually has decent speed off the mark but obviously does not necessary have great top end speed. Jack Cullen shows flashes of the ability to off load the football when engaged with the defensive line but it is not a skill attribute that you see often not are you likely to into the future as that his not his primary role on a rugby league team.

When Jack Cullen hits you you stay hit, due to his height he is able to drive into the ribs of larger forwards and as his centre of gravity is usually lower than that of the person that he is defending against he is able to negatively impact on their momentum and balance and bring them to ground very quickly and is strong enough to win the wrestle and slow the play the ball down to allow his sides defensive line to re-establish itself before the opposition run their next play.

Jack Cullen moved to PBC in 2020 and in 2021 will be a key piece in their GIO Cup and Langer Cup school boy rugby league campaigns and in 2021 Jack Cullen is also a member of the Tweed Heads Seagulls 2021 MM Cup squad.

Post the 2020 MM Cup competition Jack Cullen will continue to play for the Cudgen Hornets in the NRRRL competition and even though he will still be U18 eligible, I have not doubt Jack Cullen will substantially add to his NRRRL First Grade total over the course of the 2021 season.

In addition to playing in the front row Jack Cullen has also spent some time at lock but currently in rugby league the lock plays as a third front rower so regardless of whether he is wearing jersey 8, 10 or 13, Jack Cullen will be lining up in the centre of the ruck on a rugby league field in both attack and defence for the foreseeable future.

From a player comparison perspective for Jack Cullen, I would consider that a player with a similar build and a similar playing style is North Queensland Cowboys, Queensland and Australian front rower Matt Scott as a big strong front rower who is not flashy but works hard to put his team on the front foot through gaining ground through the centre of the ruck, a lot of which are post contact metres.

The most impressive thing for me about Jack Cullen is the integration of a pre-line short passing game into his game, it just adds to both his individual effectiveness and that of his team.

[mdrew]

Lockie McLaughlin. The young Grafton Ghosts second rower is part of the Titans 2020 Group One Academy squad that is training on a weekly basis in Ballina in Northern New South Wales, Ghosts team mate Joshua Donovan-Skinner is also part of the Titans squad.

In November 2020 Lockie McLaughlin will start once again training with the Titans development squad from the Group One region of northern New South Wales under the direction of former Titans NRL player Matt Srama.

Lockie McLaughlin started Round One of the 2020 Group One U14 competition at lock and scored for the Grafton Ghosts as their season got off to a winning start on the back of a 46 – 0 victory over the Kyogle Turkeys. After a wash out in Round Two against Clarence Coast, Lockie McLaughlin also started at lock as Grafton maintained their unbeaten start to the season on the back of a 22 – 6 win against Casino RSM.

Lockie McLaughlin had a big Round Four against Clarence Coast scoring a double as the Ghosts defeated the Magpies 22 – 16 starting the match once again at lock. Lockie McLaughlin then backed up to make his Group One U15 debut from the bench.

Starting at lock once again in Round Five against cross city rivals the South Grafton Rebels, Lockie McLaughlin was one of the Ghosts try scorers in their 32 – 12 win and then backed up to be on the bench for the U15 side.

Lockie McLaughlin also started at lock in Round Six as Grafton went down 20 – 14 to the Ballina Seagulls and then Lockie McLaughlin was once again on the bench of the U15 contest between the same two sides.

Lockie McLaughlin had a try scoring double in Round Seven after once again starting at lock against the South Grafton Rebels in a Ghosts 22 – 0 victory and then backed up for the following U15 match, starting that match also against South Grafton from the bench.

In Round Eight with his U14 Grafton side winning by forfeit, Lockie McLaughlin made his U15 starting debut in the second row and also scored his first U15 try as Grafton went down 22 – 18 to the Kyogle Turkeys.

Lockie McLaughlin came off the bench in Round Nine of the Group One U14 competition scoring a double as the Ghosts defeated Casino RSM 38 – 8 and then came off the bench in the U15 match between the same two teams with Grafton going down in that fixture 26 – 14.

In total in the Group One U14 regular season competition Lockie McLaughlin scored eight tries from seven matches to finish with a 114% strike rate.

Lockie McLaughlin started at lock in the 2020 Group One U14 Grand Final against the Clarence Coast Magpies as the Ghosts went down 30 – 16.

The Grafton High School student played the 2019 Group One U13 season with the Grafton Ghosts and started in his sides 24 – 16 Grand Final victory over the Clarence Coast Magpies scoring in the Premiership victory when he burst down the left side of the field and outpaced the Magpies cover defence to score . As a result of his outstanding performance in the match Lockie McLaughlin was deservedly named Player of the Grand Final.

In the 2019 Group One U13 competition Lockie McLaughlin played in eleven matches including the finals series scoring twelve tries (109% strike rate) and kicked a conversion when he converted his own try against South Grafton in early June. His twelve tries meant that Lockie McLaughlin finished the 2019 Group One U13 season as the competitions fifth highest try scorer and second highest try scoring forward.

Lockie McLaughlin scored a Round One hat trick against Lismore Marist Brothers and added a further hat trick against Lismore Marist Brothers later in the season. Lockie McLaughlin also scored a double against South Grafton as well as scoring in matches against Ballina, Casino RSM and against South Grafton in the 2019 Preliminary Final.

In 2018 Lockie McLaughlin played in thirteen matches in the Group One U12 competition finishing the season with twenty four points comprising of four tries and the same number of goals with his four tries coming from doubles against Casino RSM and South Grafton.

The pace of Lockie McLaughlin when he runs the ball is the outstanding feature of his game, he takes the ball to the line with speed, but he does not just put his head down and rush forward, he uses quick and subtle footwork prior to the line and seems to targets the gaps between defenders and will actively seek out opposing forwards who are slow to move up.

When the opposition are on the back foot Lockie McLaughlin will target the smaller defenders on the edge of the ruck and burst through and for a young bloke he has very good speed over the medium term and has the strength to drag defenders with him.

I would consider that Lockie McLaughlin ’s speed would be considered above average for a backrower but plays faster as a result of him timing his runs so well that the dummy half can present a flat pass to him and also as a result of the power that he runs at.

The defensive side of Lockie McLaughlin ’s game is similarly impressive, He does not just charge wildly up looking for a huge hit, but is calculating in where and when to hit. Lockie McLaughlin drives hard with his legs and always uses his shoulder and core body strength to drive into his opponent.

Lockie McLaughlin sets a strong lower base by setting his legs and generating force by driving through the tackle with his lower body, gaining leverage and momentum to complete the tackle.

Lockie McLaughlin will play the 2021 season with the Grafton Ghosts U15 Group One side and from a representative perspective will be in the mix for a spot in the 2021 Group One U15 representative side for the New South Wales Country Age Championships. Lockie McLuaghlin will also play for Grafton High School in their various school boy competitions in 2021 including the DEX Shield.

Lockie McLaughlin has the frame to add additional muscle without compromising his speed and shapes as an impressive second row prospect as his junior rugby league career develops.

Lockie McLaughlin reminds me of Titans second rower Beau Fermor, both are similar from a body shape perspective as well as the way that they play the game and both still have room and time to add muscle and grow into their frame’s without losing any of their speed or mobility overall which is a hall mark in their game.

[mdrew]

Riley Lack. The young Murwillumbah five eight, centre or fullback has been a Titans contracted player for a number of season now and is part of an exceptional group of young men contracted to the Titans in the 16 to 18 year age group from northern New South Wales that all signed at the same time and continue to progress of the ranks together.

Others in the outstanding group of Titans NRL players of the future include Rowan Mansfield, Thomas Weaver, Ryan Foran, Jack Cullen, Reef Sommerville and Noah Johannssen amongst others.

In November 2020 Riley Lack was named in the 2021 Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad.

Riley Lack was named to start at five eight for the Northern Rivers Titans in Round One of the 2020 U18 Laurie Daley Cup against the Parramatta Eels at Cudgen however the match was cancelled due to the wet conditions.

Riley Lack started Round Two of the U18 Laurie Daley Cup at five eight against the Newcastle Knights in Ballina playing on the right side of the field as usual. Riley lack also scored late in the match after putting a bomb up to the right corner. Riley Lack immediately chased his own kick and after it was retrieved by Rowan Mansfield was on hand to take the pass from the fellow Titans contracted player to score.

Riley Lack moved to the right centre position for Round Three against the Central Coast Roosters scoring late in the second half. A kick was put up to the right wing, Rowan Mansfield leapt high to take the ball on the full and just as he was about to be pushed over the side line threw a one armed pass (like an NFL quarter back) back inside to Riley Lack who scored in the right corner from a metre out. Riley Lack will probably never score an easier one.

Riley Lack moved back to five eight for Round Four against the Greater Northern Tigers and for the Round Five local derby against North Coast.

When the 2020 NRRRL competition recommenced in late July Riley Lack was part of the Murwillumbah Mustangs U18 side, starting Round One at fullback and kicking three from four conversions as the Mustangs overcame the Tweed Coast Raiders 22 – 16. Round Two saw Riley Lack move to five eight and kick four conversions from as many attempts as Murwillumbah defeated the Bilambil Jets 24 – 18.

Riley Lack led the Murwillumbah U18 NRRRL side to the Green Grand Final, starting the decider at left centre and scored a late second half try as the Mustangs went down 28 – 16 to the Cudgen Hornets.

Riley Lack scored from a set play off the scrum. The scrum lacked in the left corner ten metres out from their own line, after winning the scrum the ball was kicked down field by the five eight. Riley Lack outpaced the Cudgen defence who had been caught off guard to score out wide on the left.

Riley Lack made his NRRRL First Grade debut in Round Eight when he came off the bench in Round Eight against the Bilambil Jets. In the 2020 NRRRL First Grade Preliminary Final, Riley Lack started on the right wing and scored the last minute try that sealed Murwillumbah’s 20 – 18 win when he chased through a Kade Hill chip kick to take the ball on the full and score wide out in the left corner.

Riley Lack started from the bench for the Titans U18 side in their annual match against the Newcastle Knights SG Ball (U18) side in Coffs Harbour in January 2020.

Riley Lack had an outstanding 2018 season including playing for the Titans U15 Invitational side in a match against the Western Mustangs in March 2018 when he started at fullback.

Riley Lack has played in additional matches for the Titans since then starting a number at five eight, the first being against the Balmain Tigers in late 2018 (Riley Lack spent some time at fullback in the second half of that match) and in January of 2019 when he started at five eight against the Newcastle Knights in Coffs Harbour.

Against the Knights Riley Lack primarily operated on the right side of the field with half Thomas Weaver playing on the left. Riley Lack had a solid match and even though he had the No. 6 on his back fed the ball into the scrum for most of the match but on occasion packed in at lock when the Titans had the scrum feed so that he could distribute the ball from the back of the scrum immediately.

Riley Lack also showed his rugby league intelligence in the match, in the second half a Knights second rower ran at him and was dragging Riley Lack with him, Riley Lack got his hands around the ball and stole it in a one on one strip around the half way mark to give the Titans good field position. Riley Lack also had a try assist when he threw the inside ball to Brody Smitka for the big front rowers second half try.

On the Thursday Night match at Cudgen in September 2018 against the Balmain Tigers Riley Lack recorded a try assist when late in the first half he threw a great long pass to Titans right winger Timothy Seilaff-Burns who was able to freeze the Balmain defender and then beat him on the outside to score in the right hand corner from close range.

One of Riley Lack’s most recent matches for the Titans was when he started at five eight for the Titans U16 squad in their early October 2019 match against PNG at Pizzey Park.

In Round One of the 2019 U16 Andrew Johns Cup competition Riley Lack started at five eight for the Northern Rivers Titans in their match against the Newcastle Knights Development Squad and just like for the Titans U16’s operated on the right with Thomas Weaver on the left and showcased his footwork on a number of occasions.

Round Two of the 2019 Andrew Johns Cup competition saw Riley Lack once again line up at five eight in their match against Parramatta having an outstanding game including throwing the last pass for two of the Titans tries. In the first half Riley Lack took the ball to his left inside his own half and sliced through the Parramatta defence before getting the ball away on his inside to fullback Jaylan DeGroot to score.

Late in the second half, Riley Lack had his second try assist of the match when once again operating on the right, he threw a great cut-out pass to winger Jake Coleman to score untouched in the right corner.

In the match Riley Lack also showed some good kicking skills including forcing a line drop out from a deft right foot kick.

For the third week in a row, Riley Lack started at five eight against the North Coast Bulldogs in Round Three, setting up two tries and kicking two from three conversions, with his only miss being from right on the left touch line.

Riley Lack’s first try assist came in the first half when he took the ball right to the defensive line before popping a good short ball to his left to send second rower Nicholas Troy over. In the second half with the Titans pressing Riley Lack took a pass high above his body with the North Coast defence converging, Riley Lack was able to bring the ball down and pop a good short pass almost instantaneously to his left, under extreme pressure to fullback Jaylan DeGroot who scored under the posts.

In Round Four against the Central Coast Roosters Riley Lack started in his customary five eight position scoring once again and split the Central Coast defence from about forty metres out on the left side of the field in the first half.

Riley Lack also started at five eight in Round Five against the Greater Northern Tigers scoring the first try of the match when he pounced on a deft kick from Thomas Weaver. Riley Lack also added a conversion from the left touch line after Ryan Foran had scored out wide.

Riley Lack really did display outstanding game management skills in the match. When Thomas Weaver was sent to the sin-bin, Riley Lack took over the running of the side and controlled play very well.

Riley Lack had another try assist in the Northern Rivers Titans 26 – 14 semi-final victory over Penrith which came from a first half attacking kick down the right side of the field with Reef Sommerville able to dive on the ball to ensure that the Titans went into half time with a two point lead.

In the 2019 U16 Andrew Johns Cup Grand Final against the Western Rams Riley Lack started at five eight in the Northern Rivers Titans outstanding 18 – 6 victory.

Riley Lack was a major contributor to the victory including one towering bomb which the Western Rams fullback could not handle in the first half, with Rowan Mansfield scoring from the resultant scrum.

Post the victory Riley Lack was named at five eight for the New South Wales Country U16 side for their November 2019 three match tour of the United Kingdom and was also named in the New South Wales U16 36 man train on squad and was one of only four New South Wales Country players in the squad, two others being fellow Titans Thomas Weaver and Ryan Foran.

Riley Lack started at five eight in Game One of the UK tour scoring New South Wales Country U16’s second try of the match in their big 62 – 0 win over the U17 Community Lions. Riley Lack also started at five eight in Game Two as NSW Country ran out 32 – 10 winners against the Leeds Rhino’s and operated primarily on the right of the field.

Riley Lack also started at five eight and scored a double in Game Three of the New South Wales Country U16’s tour of the UK as they finished undefeated on the back of a 62 – 6 victory over a British Community Lions squad consisting of players from the Lancashire and Cumbria region of England. Riley Lack’s first try came three minutes from half time when he darted over after a probing run from ten metres out to score near the right upright.

Riley lack’s second try came in the second half from a scrum move. Riley Lack fed the ball into the scrum and shaped to pick the ball up from the base of the scrum but instead backed away to his right on a wide blind side on that side of the field. The lock picked up the ball drawing the Lions half for Riley Lack to score wide out in the right corner.

The New South Wales Country U16 side played a New South Wales U16 Harold Matthews squad as a curtain raiser to the Penrith/Warriors NRL match on a Friday night at Penrith Park in May 2019. Riley Lack started the match at five eight and put in a couple of good kicks two of which resulted in line drop outs for his side.

Riley Lack made his NRRRL U18 debut in Round Ten of the 2019 competition for Murwillumbah in their 28 – 10 victory over the Tweed Coast Raiders and also played in Round Eighteen of the same season, being the last regular season round against Tweed Heads when he kicked three goals from as many attempts to score his first career NRRRL U18 points.

Riley Lack was selected in the 2018 New South Wales Combined High Schools U15 side for the U15 ASSRL National Championships. He was named to start from the bench but started a number of matches.

Titan’s team mates in the NSW CHS side were fullback Rowan Mansfield and second rower and fellow Murwillumbah High School student Ryan Foran and was one of nine Titans contracted U15 players that participated in the U15 ASSRL Championships.

On Day Three in a semi-final against NSW CCC, Riley Lack started the match and kicked two from two including converting a 9th minute try from fellow Titans contracted player Ryan Foran. Unfortunately after leading 8 – 0, NSW CHS went down 10 – 8.

On the final day of the Championships being Day Five, Riley Lack started against NSW CIS kicking two conversions in a 12 – 0 victory for his NSW CHS side.

After the completion of the 2018 season Riley Lack and fellow Group 18 U15 team mates headed overseas to play in the Battlefield Challenge to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the end of World War I, a competition that the side won including victories against Emory Moor 12 – 6 and Leigh East 18 – 12.

In a warm up match in England prior to the Tournament they defeated a Hemel Stags U16 side and post the Tournament defeated French side Aude Cathare. A number of other Titans players were involved in the tour including Tom Weaver, Keegan Pace, Jack Cullen, Ryan Foran, Byron Jones and Bailey Cox.

In 2017 Riley Lack represented Group 18 at the U14 level in the New South Wales Country Age Championships, playing three matches in the centres and scoring against Group One.

Riley Lack, in addition to being a very good rugby league player is also a very good overall athlete, being named the Year 16 Athletics Champion at the 2019 Murwillumbah High School Athletics Championships. At those Championships Riley Lack set a new 16 years 100 metres record when he ran 11.41 seconds. Riely Lack also won the “Champion of Champions” race to determine the fastest runner in the school - open 100 metre dash winning in a time of 11:41 seconds.

Riley Lack then went on to represent Murwillumbah High School at the 2019 Far North Coast Athletics Championships, winning the 200 metres sprint and coming second in the 100 metres sprint. Riley Lack was also part of the Murwillumbah High School 16 Years relay time that won the sprint relay.

In 2018 Riley Lack was named the the 15 Years cross country male age Champion after the three kilometres race was run.

In addition to athletics and rugby league Riley Lack has also represented Far North Coast in touch, specifically in the U15’s in 2018 when he was the North Coast captain.

When playing in the centres’s Riley Lack is a quick centre with a fluid running style with a classic centres build with the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside. In term of his play, the in and away is his bread and butter, Riley Lack has very good speed off the mark and can break to the outside quickly, couple that with long arms, which he uses to great effect with a powerful fend makes him difficult to tackle. When opposing centres are able to get hold of him, Riley Lack usually is able to maintain his balance and keeps an arm free, looking to offload.

Riley Lack has more tools though than just an in and away, he will also use his strength to run straight over smaller opposing centres as well as also having the skill to step back inside of the defender if he is pushing to the outside too early. What Riley Lack is also adept at doing is timing his pass to his outside supports if the outside defender looks to come in and help defend him allowing an overlap to develop.

At five eight, I really like the way that Riley Lack plays in attack, he will try different things and play what is in front of him rather than stick to the same tactics over and over again. In many respects Riley Lack is very unpredictable when he gets the ball, he is adept at running himself when presented with an appropriate opportunity and has a very good turn of speed off the mark and similarly can throw some superb passes to his support runners if they find themselves running into a gap.

Currently Riley Lack is probably a touch better runner of the ball then ball player and can step off both feet and is quite strong for his size and will shrug off larger defenders if they try to go high and try to wrap up the ball without committing to the tackle properly or with an incorrect tackling technique.

Riley Lack is able to drift across field and then just takes off through any gaps in a staggered defensive line. When he looks to take advantage of an overlap on the blind side and is adept at drawing in outside defenders to give his winger a clear path to the line by creating a two on one situation.

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

Riley Lack also runs with the ball out in front of his body in both hands which is another reason why the defensive line is unable to determine exactly what he is going to do before the play is executed or develops in front of them.

Riley Lack will not necessarily hit hard in defence, but he is very good at mirroring the movement of the opposing centre and wrapping him up ball and all. Riley Lack is also quick enough to recover and chase if the opposing centre gets on the outside and his long reach is also a positive attribute in those situations.

Riley Lack is a solid tactical kicker, and is able to generate good distance with his right foot. I am not sure whether Riley Lack will be a team’s primary tactical kicker but at worst he will be a more than able alternate.

From a kicking perspective Riley Lack is a very good attacking kicker, both in terms of bombs to the corners as well as grubber and chip kicks close to the opposition try line. Riley Lack has a deft touch in terms of being able to get the ball into the in goal line and will chase hard to make the kick even better.

In the context of chasing hard, that is what Riley Lack does no matter who is doing the kicking and where the kick lands on the field. In 2020 for the Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup side, Riely Lack regularly led his side down the field chasing long tactical kicks. What Riley Lack is also adept at in those circumstances to communicate with his team mates on the chase down the field and organise the defensive line in an attempt to corral the opposing fullback.

Riley Lack is also a solid right foot goal kicker but like his tactical kicking I believe Riley Lack’s ceiling is that of a solid back-up goal kicker rather than his team’s primary goal kicking option.

From a team defensive methodology stand point, Riley Lack seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage.

In 2021 Riley Lack will line up for the Tweed Heads Seagulls MM Cup squad and post that representative level U18 competition Riley Lack will continue to play for Murwillumbah in the NRRRL competition. Whilst RIely Lack will still be eligible in the 2021 NRRRL U18 competition, I doubt that Riley Lack will play too many U18 matches as I anticipate that he will significantly add his his NRRRL First Grade tally in 2021.

Riley Lack can play either five eight, centre or fullback and also spent time on the right wing in the NRRRL First Grade competition, but I am leaning more towards a permanent spot at five eight over centre or fullback for the Northern New South Wales youngster, but only just.

For me with his ability to slip through gaps in the defensive line especially close to the line and a solid repeatable defensive technique, Riley Lack has a playing style similar to that of Penrith Panthers rookie five eight Matt Burton as a solid reliable player who finds his way to the try line on a regular basis.

Like Burton, Riley Lack however will display tantalising flashes of exquisite skill whether that is in relation to a deft kick, scything run, beautiful pass or a determined kick chase at a time that is pivotal to his side’s ultimate success.

Riley Lack is never going to be a player that stands out but is an exceptional compliment to the players around him and has a game that makes the players around him better regardless of how good they already were.

Riley Lack is just a footballer’s footballer who just does all of the little things on a rugby league field well and probably is under appreciated by all but his team mates and coaching staff.

[mdrew]

Jeremaiah Tamepo. The young centre from Auckland New Zealand moved over to the Gold Coast to continue his schooling at Keebra Park as part of the school’s rugby league excellence program in 2020 but not long after arriving on the Gold Coast signed a contract with the Titans to be part of their outstanding JTS program going forward.

In October 2020 Jeremaiah Tamepo resigned with the Titans for a further two seasons which will take his time up until the end of the 2022 rugby league season.

In 2020 Jeremaiah Tamepo was part of the Keebra Park Open Rugby League program and will push for a spot in their Langer Cup Open A School Boy side when the 2020 season kicks off all be it a touch late in term Three of the school year.

In February 2020 Jeremaiah Tamepo was named in the Gold Coast Vikings U16 Training Squad in preparation for the two Vikings teams to be named but unfortunately the U16 South East Queensland Challenge was cancelled as a result of the Covid 19 lock down just couple of days prior to the Challenge was due to commence in Ipswich.

Jeremaiah Tamepo was set to start the 2020 season with the Ormeau Shearers in Round One of the Gold Coast Rugby League Division One U16 competition before the league suspension.

Jeremaiah Tamepo was able to make his debut for Kebra Park in February 2020 in what surely will be the first of many matches in their iconic school boy jersey. Also In 2020 Jeremaiah Tamepo was part of the Keebra Park Langer Cup Open A school boy squad.

Jeremaiah Tamepo started from the bench in Round One of the Langer Cup against Wavell State High School playing out wide on the left side of the field when he came on in the second half. Jeremaiah Tamepo was also named on the bench for Keebra Park’s Round Two match against Marsden State High School but was injured during the match where he spent some time in the second row.

Jeremaiah Tamepo also was named on the bench in the Round Four local derby against PBC but came into the starting side late, starting the match at right second row.

After missing Round Five due to injury Jeremaiaih Tamepo was on the bench for Keebra Park’s big semi-final win over Wavell State High school but did not get on the field.

Jeremaiah Tamepo was on the bench for Keebra Park in the 2020 Langer Cup Grand Final as they went down 16 – 8 to PBC in a high quality match, but he did not make it onto the field.

Jeremaiah Tamepo also played for Keebra Park in the Titans Cup Division One scool boy competition starting the Grand Final of the competition against Mrsden State High School.

Jeremaiah Tamepo scored Keebra Park’s first try in the 18 – 0 Grand Final win when he strolled four metres untouched to put the ball down three minutes in from the right corner post after a long Keebra Park back line movement down the right side of the field.

In late October 2020, Jeremaiah Tamepo was named in the 2021 Burleigh MM Cup squad.

In 2019 Jeremaiah Tamepo represented the Countries Manukau Stingrays representative side at the New Zealand National Youth U15 tournament starting in the centres in all four of the Stingrays matches which were against the Auckland Vulcans, one being the Tournament Final which Counties Manukau lost 18 – 6 with the other a pool match, the Wai-Coa Bay Stallions and the South Island Scorpions.

In the 2019 Auckland Rugby League U15 club competition Jeremaiah Tamepo played eight matches for the Manurewa Force scoring five tries over the course of the season to finish with a 62.5% strike rate.

Also in 2019 Jeremaiah Tamepo played for Counties Manukau Maori in the New Zealand Maori U15 tournament and at the completion of that tournament was named in the All-Tournament team in the centres. In the 2018 U14 version of the Tournament Jeremaiah Tamepo was named in the second row in the All-tournament team.

In 2019 Jeremaiah Tamepo was also a key performer for the Wesley College U15 side in their Auckland school boy rugby league competitions.

To round out 2019 the former New Zealand Warriors Development Squad player was part of the U15 Auckland Vulcans Development Trial representing the U15 Open South side and in 2018 represented the U14 Open South side at the 2018 U14 Auckland Vulcans Development Trial.

From an attacking perspective Jeremaiah Tamepo is a straight hard runner when he has the ball in hand, he runs a “crash” line if you will. Jeremaiah Tamepo has also shown the ability to run both an inside and outside shoulder route and he runs both with pace and power and attracts multiple defenders to try to bring him down, a quick play the ball is also a key feature of Jeremaiah Tamepo’s play.

When he impacts the defensive line Jeremaiah Tamepo drops his shoulder into the defenders and regularly bumped off multiple defenders in a single run. Another key attribute which was mentioned earlier is that he is also a talented all be it an underrated distributor when defenders look to come in on him to shut down the play.

Jeremaiah Tamepo understands that his style of play means that he attracts multiple defenders and he has become adept at delayed sleight of hand passes right at the defensive line which meant that the defensive line could not react to the aspect change in time to prevent ground being made by the support runner.

Due to his strength and fend Jeremaiah Tamepo regularly gets on the outside of his opposite defender forcing the winger to make a decision as to whether to come in on him or stay with his direct opponent. If defenders come in on him, Jeremaiah Tamepo has the quick hands to get the pass away prior to contact.

Jeremaiah Tamepo also is big and strong enough as well as having very good core strength and balance to absorb the contact and still get the pass to his winger whilst maintaining his running line so that he does not force his outside supports closer to the touch line than they need to be. This also forces defenders to make a quick decision in relation to how they address this situation that they are confronted with.

If the opposing winger stays out, Jeremaiah Tamepo is definitely quick enough to break into open space although I would not say that he has plus speed, but Jeremaiah Tamepo is more than quick enough to gain separate from the cover defence. When you look at Jeremaiah Tamepo’s build he may not look like he has a lot of speed, but he definitely does. Jeremaiah Tamepo may not necessarily be the quickest off the mark but has very good acceleration once he is moving and can sustain his top pace over an extended period.

Devastating would be the appropriate way to describe the defensive style of Jeremaiah Tamepo, he regularly comes out the line to literally smash the attacker coming at him. When an attacker is running directly at Jeremaiah Tamepo he will explode quickly out of his stance coming forward quickly thus preventing the opposing defender from either getting a pass wider out or for that matter bracing himself for the upcoming contact.

A lot of bigger outside backs attempt to come out of the line a few occasions a match when the opportunity presents itself but Jeremaiah Tamepo seemingly does it four or five times a match. As a result of his timing and anticipation it is not often that an attacking can either skip to the outside or get a pass away to a support runner. Jeremaiah Tamepo just seems to have that knack of arriving just as his opponent receives the ball.

In saying what I have above however when necessary Jeremaiah Tamepo is able to slide out and wait for the play to develop in front of him and is able to hold his momentum to the outside well in case his direct opponent looks to cut back inside as he is sliding out. Either way Jeremaiah Tamepo has a solid defensive technique in relation to side on tackles and can also turn and chase in cover defence if necessary.

As noted above in 2021 Jeremaiah Tamepo will be part of the Keebra Park Open rugby league squad (that is already training a couple of mornings per week) and will line up in the Langer Cup and GIO Cup Open A sides.

From a club rugby league perspective in 2021 Jeremaiah Tamepo will play for the Ormeau Shearers in the Gold Coast Rugby League U18 Division One side and in 2021 will also line up for Burleigh in the MM Cup competition.

Jeremaiah Tamepo is a powerful ball runner with speed and the ability to break tackles and thus can be an impact centre in coming seasons but if not shapes as a power running winger but I am sure that Jeremaiah Tamepo will be given every opportunity to stay in the centres for the duration of his rugby league career, top notch centres are just too difficult to find these days. I note however that Jeremaiah Tamepo did spend time in the second row for Keebra Park in the 2020 Langer Cup school boy competition.

Joseph Manu of the Sydney Roosters and New Zealand International is a very good NRL comparison in relation to the play of Jeremaiah Tamepo as a big strong powerful young man who will not be beaten in a one on one contest in attack or defence but fairly or not is noted almost exclusively noted for his attacking credentials even though the defensive aspects of his game are equally impressive when they are reviewed analytically.

The scary part is that if anything Jeremaiah Tamepo is even bigger, stronger and faster than Joseph Manu currently is.

Jeremaiah Tamepo is an absolutely outstanding talent and one that I am sure will pay big dividends for the Titans and Keebra Park in the coming seasons.