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  1. #61
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    Maiko Sivo. The Fijian born 23 year old winger has been a revelation in the three short years that he has been playing rugby league and New Titans coach Gareth Brennan has already gone on record about the untapped and unlimited potential this Fijian youngster has.

    In the three years that Maiko Sivo has been playing rugby league he has scored an incredible 98 tries and in 2017 was part of the Penrith New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership side that won the premiership and then the following week was in the side that defeated PNG on Grand Final day, both sides coached by Gareth Brennan of course.

    In total in the NSW Intrust Super Premiership in 2017, Maiko Sivo played in twelve matches scoring thirteen. Maiko Sivo ran for 1 405 metres, made 51 tackle breaks, had a try assist, twelve line breaks and made 51 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 74.2%. Maiko Sivo’s 2017 NSW Intrust Super Premiership per game averages included running for 117.1 metres and making 4.25 tackles.

    Maiko Sivo’s first season in Australian was for the Gundagai Tigers in the Group 9 competition in 2015 before me moved to the Mounties in the Sydney Cup for the 2016 season. Maiko Sivo started the 2017 season with St Mary’s in the Ron Massey Cup competition before breaking in the Penrith side for the NSW Intrust Super Premiership. He did not become a regular in the Penrith side until Round Fourteen.

    Prior to his arrival in Australia Maiko Sivo who only came to Australia after accepting an invitation from a local Gundagai couple who were on holiday in Fiji, represented Fiji in rugby at the U20 at the 2014 World Junior Rugby Championships.

    Maiko Sivo is a tall powerful young man with the length to cause matchup problems for a defensive line. The key for Maiko Sivo is to get the ball early and look to run through his opposite number if there is no room to move down the sideline. When there is room down the side line , Maiko Sivo has the above average to plus speed to break into open space and with his long lean limbs is able to hold his opposing winger away from his body with a strong fend enabling him to maintain his balance and running line even when under pressure.

    Maiko Sivo also has the size and speed to come in off his wing and give his forwards a breather through powerful runs through the centre of the ruck and on those occasions commits multiple defenders. With his length and leaping ability Maiko Sivo is also an asset in the kicking game and when he gets a decent shot at the ball will be rarely beaten in the air.

    Defensively Maiko Sivo is effective at maintaining his discipline staying with his opposite winger rather than looking to come in but in the occasions that he does come off his wing, he has the strength to finish off the attacking play there and then. With his speed, Maiko Sivo also has the recovery speed to react to opposition line breaks.

    Maiko Sivo is contracted to the Panthers for 2018 but with the Panthers young backline looking set and talented youngsters coming through they cannot keep everyone and no one is better placed to help Maika Sivo realise his potential than his former coach.

    It is incredible to think that Maika Sivo has only played three seasons of rugby league playing all three on the wing. With his relative lack of rugby league experience and outstanding speed and body control, no coach should even hypothesise about moving Maika Sivo from the wing.

    In the interests of fairness Maiko Sivo is very raw but similarly he has come a long way in a short period of time, which to the present time has come primarily on the back of his natural ability. It is intriguing to hypothesise however what he could be with full time coaching and development, very intriguing indeed.

    A current NRL player with similar skill attributes and playing style for me is Melbourne Storm sensation Suliasi Vunivalu. Like Vunivalu, Maika Sivo is a powerful runner who displays some breath taking skills on a field and has the innate ability that cannot be taught to score.

  2. #62
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    Nick Meaney. The 21 year old former Northern New South Wales junior is a case of the one that got away for the Titans. The former Ballina Seagulls was a player that the Titans were looking at a few years ago but the Newcastle Knights got under their guard and signed the young fullback.

    Nick Meaney was outstanding for the Knights NYC side for a number of seasons including being named the Knights NYC player of the year in 2016, before having an exceptional 2017 season in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership where he was again named as Newcastle’s best.

    In total in the NSW Intrust Super Premiership in 2017, Nick Meaney played in Twenty Four matches scoring five tries and kicking 24 goals at a conversion rate of 76.2% to finish the season with 68 points. Nick Meaney ran for 2 488 metres, made 102 tackle breaks, had thirteen try assists, thirteen line breaks and made 201 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 80.6%. In 2017 Nick Meaney received the ball on 552 occasions highlighting his importance to his team.

    Nick Meaney’s 2017 NSW Intrust Super Premiership per game averages included running for 103.7 metres and making 8.4 tackles.

    Nick Meaney is exceptionally quick and explosive, with exceptional speed, both off the mark and when he gets into open space, teams in the Brisbane Premier Colts Competition just could not handle him when he had the ball. He 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 he used his incredible footwork and speed to beat the opposing fullback by himself. There is nothing that he 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 he also played up in the line quite often.

    In addition Nick Meaney 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. He obviously was a key target for defences but Nick Meaney 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 his play making skills continue to evolve, the attacking possibilities are endless for the young custodian.

    In terms of running the ball back from kicks, his timing and anticipation means that he gets to a lot of balls on the full and makes a quick decision whether to run the ball flat out back into the oncoming defenders or look to create an opportunity by running across field. Regardless he is an absolute handful to tackle with his speed and evasion skills.

    Defensively Nick Meaney makes the tackles that need to be made. If an attacker runs directly at him, he will come forward to cut down the time the attacker has to make a decision and he will hit very hard and does not fall for a dummy in those situations.

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

    Nick Meaney is contracted to the Knights for the 2018 season where he will once again surely be a standout in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership side as a 22 year old.

    With Kayln Ponga heading to the Newcastle Knights in 2018 on a long term and expensive deal it seems that barring injury Nick Meaney’s chances at playing in the NRL in his favoured fullback position may be limited. With a hole at fullback for the Titans post 2018/19 when Michael Gordon retires, the Titans could do far worse than bring another “local” junior home, especially when Nick Meaney fills a definite positional need and is an outstanding player as well.

    In his junior rugby league career in Northern New South Wales, Nick Meaney played a variety of positions including fullback, centre and wing, but since he has moved to Newcastle he has been outstanding at fullback across both the NYC and NSW Intrust Super Premiership competitions. It should also be pointed out that fullback is definitely Nick Meaney’s positional preference.

    Nick Meaney just looks like he is playing at a pace far quicker than the players around him and dare I say it I can see similar attributes to that of the player that may block Nick Meaney from playing in the NRL for Newcastle being Kayln Ponga.

    Nick Meaney does not have the same explosiveness off the mark as Ponga but his sense of timing, anticipation and plus top end speed present as similar to the rugby league sensation, he is just as natural on a rugby league field.

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    Julian Christian. The young former Kirwan State High School rugby league star moved down to Brisbane at the end of 2016 to be part of the Brisbane Bronco’s NYC squad. The young five eight had only limited opportunities in eth NYC with the Bronco’s but got his opportunity with the Ipswich Jets starting at five eight in two Queensland Cup matches towards the end of the 2017 season and to say that he was outstanding would be an understatement.

    Whilst 177cm, 77kg five eight only played in two matches, he scored four tries, made one line break, had one try assist, made 378 metres and made twelve tackles at a 100% tackling efficiency. Julian Christian’s 2017 Queensland Cup per game averages included running for 188 metres and making six tackles.

    For the Bronco’s in the 2017 NYC competition, Julian Christian played in nine matches, starting the first five matches that he played at five eight. In his final four matches in the NYC in 2017 Julian Christian started one at half back and the remaining three from the interchange. Julian Christin scored two 2017 NYC tries which came against the Cowboys in Round Two and against the Storm in Round Three.

    In total in the 2017 NYC competition, Julian Christian was on the field for 483 minutes ran for 325 metres on 28 hit-ups, made four line breaks, had two try assists and made 99 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 92.83%. Julian Christian’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing for 54 minutes, running for 36.1 metres from 3 carries and making eleven tackles.

    Julian Christian had an outstanding junior representative career including representing the Queensland U18’s in 2016 where in fact he started at hooker and also multiple school boy and junior age representative side in North Queensland. In 2016 Julian Christian played for the Townsville Blackhawks in the MM Cup competition including playing in eth MM Cup final where they were victorious.

    Julian Christian’s speed off the mark is the first attribute that you will notice when you see him play live. Julian Christian does not seem to have an extra gear once he is through the defensive line, but has the ability to maintain his speed over a long distance, thus the apparent lack of an extra gear in speed has no discernible impact that I have identified.

    To compliment an outstanding left foot step, Julian Christian’s speed enables him to make numerous line breaks. He can and will beat defenders in the inside with a step and if the defensive line is staggered a dummy and go, presents multiple headaches for the opposition’s defensive strategies.

    The continued key development area for Julian Christian is in relation to his play making skills, including putting his runners, whether they are backrowers or centres into holes. His enhanced plays making skills has made his speed with his show and go more effective as defensive lines start to focus in his runners and thus leave more space for him.

    Julian Christian has a good short kicking game but he does not have the strongest leg in terms of kicking deep.

    In defence, Julian Christian reads the play well enough to hold his own when defending much bigger players. Julian Christian will also track across field well looking when the ball is turned back inside. When confronted with forwards running directly at him on the edge of the ruck, he will get in front of them and use his shoulder in an effort to contain them until defensive help arrives from the inside forwards.

    It needs to be considered that even in relation to a small sample size Julian Christian did not miss a tackle in two Queensland Cup matches as an 18 year old and his tackling efficiency in the NYC was above 90% which is outstanding for that competition especially in relation to a 177cm, 77kg five eight. The young man can tackle period.

    Julian Christian will play the upcoming 2018 season with the Ipswich Jets and under the coaching of the Walker brothers should continue to flourish by being able to play what is in front of him rather than to a set pattern. The impressive aspect is that Julian Christian is still eligible to play in the Hastings Dearing’s U20 Colts competition in 2018 but is likely to skip that competition all together.

    Julian Christian has played just about everywhere in the back line, including fullback, five eight and halfback and at this stage I think that it is too early to call where his best position will be. He has exceptional speed, balance and hand eye co-ordination thus fullback is a clear option but he also runs with the ball out in front of his body in two hands and can hop a very good short pass thus half aback is also clearly not out of the question.

    Should he make the NRL I would think that Julian Christian initially breaks in at fullback but then after getting acclimatised moves to the halves on a more permanent basis.

    With his outstanding speed, elusiveness and ball playing ability Julian Christian is almost a carbon copy of the Titans very own AJ Brimson.

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    Liam Pakau. The former Titans contracted youngster and Keebra Park student is a nuggetty young centre from Ipswich, who normally plays on the left side of the field. Liam Pakea played in a Titans jersey in 2015 when he started on the wing for a Titans U18 Invitational side in a big win against Samoa at Pizzey Park. Post that match, Liam Pakea signed with the Wests Tigers and played in their colours in the 2017 NYC competition.

    For the West’s Tigers in the 2017 NYC competition, Liam Pakau played in twenty one matches, starting the first eleven matches last season in the centres and the remaining matches on the wing. In all twenty one matches Liam Pakea played the entire 80 minutes.

    Across his twenty one matches, Liam Pakea scored twelve tries including a double in Round Twenty Five against the Cowboys. Liam Pakau’s other tries came against the Rabbitohs, Storm, Dragons, Cowboys, Eels, Bulldogs, Titans (Titans won the game 28-14) Knights, Panthers and Warriors.

    In total in the 2017 NYC competition, Liam Pakau was on the field for 1 680 minutes ran for 2 236 metres on 197 hit-ups, made twenty line breaks, had two try assists and made 105 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 78.36%. Liam Pakau’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing for all 80 minutes, running for 106.5 metres from 9.4 carries and making five tackles.

    On eleven occasions Liam Pakea ran for in excess of 100 metres including a 168 metres effort from just twelve hit-ups in Round Seventeen against the Newcastle Knights.

    In the MM competition in 2016 Liam Pakau scored three tries and was awarded the Parcell Family Award, the Junior Jets program's highest honour, for his "commitment to the program" over a number of years. He played his school boy football for St Peter Clavier College in Ipswich as well as playing a handful of club games for the Goodna Eagles when he was not playing for the Ipswich Jets and in 2014 he made the U16 South East Queensland kookaburra’s side.

    Liam Pakau is 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, he can also draw defenders in to give players outside him room. Due to his strength and fend he 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, Liam Pakau 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 strength and balance to absorb the contact and still get the pass to his winger. If the opposing winger still out, he is definitely quick enough to break into open space although I would not say that he has plus speed, he is quick enough to gain separate from the cover defence.

    When you look at his build he may not look like he has a lot of speed, but he definitely does. He is not necessarily the quickest off the mark but Liam Pakau has very good acceleration once he is moving and can sustain his top pace over an extended period.

    I note that most of the attacking attributes that I have noted above are ‘better” from the left side. His passing to the right, his step and fend are good from the right side but he is currently clearly better playing in the left centre position. For Ipswich Colts he played on both sides of the field. I am not sure whether time and experience playing on his less comfortable side will develop those skills so that they are equivalent to his right side or whether left will always be the dominate side. Regardless he is a handful for defences from either side of the field.

    His 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.

    The positive for Liam Pakau is that he does not purely rely on strength and power to hit, timing is also a key attribute to ensure that he arrives at the attacker at around the same time that the ball does, this also reduces the likelihood of injury to himself or the defender getting on his outside setting up a two or one down the sideline.

    Liam Pakau is still eligible for Colts in 2018 but at this stage I am unaware where he will be playing.

    Whilst Liam Pakau played a fair big of his junior rugby league in the centres and I will admit that is where his future lay but his play last season in the NYC competition means that he now is seemingly set to stay on the wing permanently.

    An NRL player with a similar playing style for me is Manly winger Jorge Tafua as a big strong hard running outside back who will also come out of the line targeting the ball carrier as well as having the ability to take pressure off his forwards when coming out of their own territory through strong charges through the centre of the ruck.

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    Clayton Mack. (Updated) The former Toowoomba Grammar School First XV Rugby Captain and former Queensland U16 Rugby League representative was probably the best defensive centre in the First XV competition in the 2016 year just beating out BSHS star and captain Quinton Mahina, Brisbane Grammar School’s Tom Gilbert and Brisbane Boys College star Len Ikitau for that particular honour in my eyes.

    After his graduation from Toowoomba Grammar School in 2016, Clayton Mack moved Brisbane to play for the Brisbane Broncos in the NYC competition in 2017.

    For the Brisbane Bronco’s in the 2017 NYC competition, Clayton Mack played in nine matches, starting two in the centres ( where he played all 80 minutes in each match) and his remaining matches including Brisbane’s two 2017 NYC finals matches from the interchange .

    In total in the 2017 NYC competition, Clayton Mack was on the field for 340 minutes ran for 391 metres on 4.4 hit-ups and made 111 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 90.24%. Clayton Mack’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing for 38 minutes, running for 43.4 metres from 4.4 carries and making 12.3 tackles.

    In 2017 Clayton Mack also played eleven matches for the South’s Logan Magpies in the U20 Colts Challenge competition scoring four tries including a double in Round Sixteen against Tweed Heads and he also scored against the Ipswich Jets twice, being in Rounds Nine and Fifteen.

    Clayton Mack started his first three Colts Challenge matches in the centres and then transitioned to the second row in Round Eight against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls staying in that position for the remained of his time with the South’s Logan Magpies.

    Over the course of the 2016 season he formed a solid combination with Kye Oates, who is the cousin of Brisbane Bronco’s winger Corey Oates. Toowoomba Grammar School had a heart breaking GPS season losing a number of games by a couple of points including a tough one point loss to TSS in Round One but it was not through lack of effort from their inspirational captain.

    Earlier in the 2016 season, Clayton Mack was selected in the GPS3 side for the Queensland Schools Rugby trials. From those trials Clayton Mack was selected in the Queensland II Schools side for the Australians Schools trials. His best game in the Australian Schools trials came in a 22 – 10 victory over the ACT when he crossed for two tries. His first try came just after half time when he regathered an attacking kick to score and then later in the half he ran a very good line for Matt McCarthy to find him with a good long ball for him to score out wide to seal the win for Queensland II.

    In 2015, Clayton Mack originally from the South Suburbs Club in Toowoomba started in the centres for Queensland at the U16 level and came away with a victory 12 – 10. Titans linked Darius Farmer, Reihana Marsh, Lochlyn Sheldon and Ben Thomas were team mates that night.

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

    When engaged with the defensive line he also has a reasonable offload. When he breaks through the main defensive line Clayton Mack is also very effective at setting up his outside support, by drawing the fullback. He seems to mainly line up on the left hand side of the field.

    Defensively Clayton Mack can confidently defend against any size opponent, from small quick outside backs to big strong powerful backrowers running wide of the ruck. He seemingly has more strength that his size would indicate, and he uses this strength to move up and hit just under the ribcage, redirecting the momentum of the ball carrier and thus eliminating the attacking threat in the short term.

    Clayton Mack is still eligible for the Colts age group in 2018 and has moved to the Souths Logan magpies for this season, where he will likely start off in the Hastings Dearings Colts competition.

    Clayton Mack moved around a bit from a position perspective in 2017 playing in the centres and in the second row for the Bronco’s in the NYC competition and playing a lot of his Queensland Cup Colts matches for the magpies in the second row but I still would not rule out Clayton Mack from sticking in the centres.

    From a player comparison perspective, defensively I can see aspects of either of the Morris brothers in his defensive game, I do not necessary think that Clayton Mack’s attacking attributes correlate to those of either of the Morris twins but it is not too far removed to get at least an appreciation of Clayton Mack’s style of play in terms of playing rugby league where I have no doubt he will end up.

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    Lane Ferling. The former 2016 Queensland Colts player of the year with the North’s Devils had a horror year with injury in 2017 after heading down to Sydney to join the Cronulla Sharks NYC squad. Unfortunately Lane Ferling was not able to play any matches for the Sharks NYC but did get on the field for a match in the New South Intrust Super Premiership for the Newtown Jets. Lane Ferling is now back in South East Queensland looking to put his injury riddled 2017 season behind him.

    In his sole New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership match in 2017 Lane Ferling kicked for 202 metres, received the ball on 48 occasions, ran for 18 metres and made six tackles at a tackling efficiency of 60%.

    Lane Ferling has above average speed both off the mark which I would consider in the plus category and top end speed. Lane Ferling with his speed is able to exploit gaps in the defensive line with a very good step off either foot and incredible acceleration as well as outstanding body control.

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

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

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

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

    The former Darling Downs junior has signed to play for the South’s Logan Magpies in the Queensland Cup in 2018 where he will be pushing for early playing time behind what looks to be an imposing Souths Logan forward pack.

    Lane Ferling has spent his entire rugby league career at either five eight or half back and with his kicking and passing skills that is where he will surely stay for the duration.

    Lane Ferling definitely reminds me of Newcastle rookie five eight Brock Lamb when he was on the field in 2016. Like Lamb, Lane Ferling is composed under pressure, with an above average kicking game, both tactical and attacking and underrated running and passing skills.

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    Thane Kellermeyer. The young Logan Brothers junior and former Woodridge State High School student had a number of NRL clubs after him for the 2017 season but he ultimately signed with the Brisbane Bronco’s for whom he played the 2017 season with in the NYC competition.

    For the Bronco’s in the 2017 NYC competition, Thane Kellermeyer played in thirteen matches, starting all on the wing and playing all 80 minutes in twelve of them playing 72 minutes in the other match.

    Across his thirteen NYC matches in 2017, Thane Kellermeyer scored three tries which included a Round Five double against the Bulldogs and a try in Round Twenty Two against the Titans, a match that the Titans won at Lang Park.

    In total in the 2017 NYC competition, Thane Kellermeyer was on the field for 1 032 minutes ran for 893 metres on 97 hit-ups, made six line breaks and made 33 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 62.67%. Thane Kellermeyer’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing for 79 minutes, running for 68.7 metres from 7.5 carries and making 2.5 tackles. Thane Kellermeyer had an outstanding match against the Titans in Round Twenty Two when he ran for 133 metres.

    In 2017 the 2015 Queensland U16 fullback also played a match for the South’s Logan Magpies in the U20 Colts Challenge competition starting on the wing in a Round Twelve clash against the Burleigh Bears. In 2017 Thane Kellermeyer was also part of the Queensland Academy of Sport U18 squad.

    Early in the 2017 season Thane Kellermeyer also started four matches at fullback for the Souths Logan Magpies in the MM Cup competition and scored doubles in Round One and two against Wynnum Manly and Sunshine Coast respectively.

    The reason Thane Kellermeyer has so successful on a football field is his exceptional speed and elusiveness by any objective measurement Thane Kellermeyer with his speed and elusiveness to make it difficult for opposing defences.

    In relation to his elusiveness the thing that makes it play even better is his ability to change direction with no loss of speed, this enables Thane Kellermeyer to use the sideline exceptionally well with an in and away. When the opposing defender’s momentum slows just for a split second, Thane Kellermeyer is away down the sideline and will not get easily caught.

    Defensively the methodology that Thane Kellermeyer employs is to use his speed to get up quickly on his opposite number to prevent then building their momentum in their run and even though he was nowhere near the biggest winger running around will put his body in front of opposing attackers.

    Thane Kellermeyer will play for the South’s Logan Magpies in 2018 starting in the U20 Colts competition where he has two years of eligibility remaining.

    Playing for Logan Brothers in the Brisbane Junior Rugby League competition, Thane Kellermeyer spent the majority of time at fullback but made a solid contribution for the Broncos on the wing in 2017 and with the plethora of fullbacks running around it is likely that Thane Kellermeyer will continue to play on the wing in the short term at least.

    Thane Kellermeyer has a touch of Parramatta Eels utility Clint Gutherson in his game from the perspective of his ability to slice through a defensive line, always supporting through the centre of the ruck and a fearless approach to fielding kicks and running the ball back into the defensive line.
    Last edited by mdrew; 20-01-18 at 07:26 AM.

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    Herbie Farnsworth. The English born and raised youngster spent a number of seasons playing for the Burleigh Bears in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League competition before playing the 2017 season with the Brisbane Bronco’s NYC side. The final season that Herbie Farnsworth played on the Gold Coast was in 2016 when he played for Burleigh in the GCJRL U16 Division One competition.

    For the Bronco’s in the 2017 NYC competition, Herbie Farnsworth played in seventeen matches, stating all on the wing including the Bronco’s two finals appearances. In all seventeen matches Herbie Farnsworth played the entire 80 minutes. Across his seventeen matches, Herbie Farnsworth scored eight tries including doubles against the Melbourne Storm in Round Seventeen and against the Cowboys in Round Twenty Six.

    In total in the 2017 NYC competition, Herbie Farnsworth was on the field for 1 360 minutes ran for 1 694 metres on 183 hit-ups, four line breaks and made 90 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 87.37%. Herbie Farnsworth’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing for all 80 minutes, running for 99.7 metres from 10.8 carries and making 5.3 tackles.

    On eight occasions Herbie Farnsworth ran for in excess of 100 metres including running for an impressive 176 metres in Brisbane’s 30 – 26 NYC elimination final’s victory over the Newcastle Knights. His 176 metres came from fifteen hit-ups.

    Prior to his NYC debit for the Bronco’s Herbie Farnsworth played in four 2017 MM Cup matches for the North’s Devils, starting Rounds One, Two and Five in the centres and Round Six at five eight. In the match that he started at five eight against the Central Crows, Herbie Farnsworth had a day out scoring a hat trick and kicking five goals in a big North’s victory.

    In 2016 prior to heading over to the Gold Coast to play for Burleigh once again, Herbie Farnsworth represented the England U16 rugby league side in a two test series against France. Herbie Farnsworth started the first test at fullback and the second on the wing. In the second test Herbie Farnsworth scored a double and was named Man of the Match.

    Herbie Farnsworth stood out as a 17 year old in the NYC in 2017 as a result of ability to beat the first defender on the majority of occasions. He can beat defenders in the inside with a step and if the defensive line is staggered a dummy and go, presents multiple headaches for the opposition’s defensive strategies. Herbie Farnsworth also backs up any line breaks and was seemingly in the right place at the right time on the majority of occasions. Herbie Farnsworth’s ability to change direction decisively and immediately at full speed was also a key attribute in his attacking game on the wing for the Bronco’s.

    On the wing Herbie Farnsworth has the innate ability to know when to stay on the wing or to cut back inside, his side step is late and quick with little loss of forward momentum and his swerve is big and fast with no loss of forward momentum. Throw into this exciting mix of attacking moves, above average to plus top end speed and speed off the mark you have a talented attacking weapon.

    Defensively Herbie Farnsworth is not going to stand out, he does not have the size or strength to be a big hitter but certainly has the catch up speed balance and body control to be a good cover defender and is able to hold his own in the front line when called upon.

    Herbie Farnsworth is still eligible for the MM Cup competition in 2018 thus it is scary to consider that he played in seventeen NYC matches in 2017 as a 17 year old. Even though Herbie Farnsworth is still eligible to play in the MM Cup competition in 2018 he is likely to bypass that competition all together and start in the U20 Hastings Dearings Colts competition.

    Herbie Farnsworth had some outstanding matches for the Bronco’s in the NYC competition on the wing and was outstanding in the two MM Cup matches that I saw for North’s in 2017 when he played at five eight and in the centres, but from reports from England he is even better in his favoured fullback position. That being said I think that Herbie Farnsworth has the ability to carve out a very good rugby league career for himself in the centres even though playing ion the wing and by the sound of it, fullback cannot be ruled out just yet.

    From a player comparison perspective, consider the game of Cronulla Sharks fullback and Australian International winger Valentine Holmes in relation to Herbie Farnsworth as a player who attacks the game full on and has the speed, timing and anticipation to make things happen on the field.

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    Kotoni Staggs. The former Wellington Cowboys junior was an impressive performer over the course of the 2017 NYC season for the Brisbane Broncos where he finished as both one of the leading try scorers and points scorers and in fact was on the field for longer than any other Bronco’s NYC player by a reasonable margin.

    For the Bronco’s in the 2017 NYC competition, Kotoni Staggs played in twenty five matches, starting fourteen in the centres, one in the wing, one at five eight and his final nine matches in the season in the second row. In all twenty five matches Kotoni Staggs played the entire 80 minutes which is an impressive feat of endurance especially when you take into account that in nine of those matches Kotoni Staggs played in the second row.

    Across his twenty five matches, Kotoni Staggs scored twelve tries and kicked twenty three goals to finish with 94 points on the season. Kotoni Staggs scored a hat trick in Round Six against the Sydney Roosters (Kotoni Staggs scored all three of his tries in a fifteen minute span) and a double in Round Fourteen against the Rabbitohs.

    In total in the 2017 NYC competition, the 183cm, 92kg Kotoni Staggs was on the field for 2 000 minutes ran for 2 544 metres on 252 hit-ups, made sixteen line breaks, had two try assists, twelve offloads and made 491 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 88.63%. Kotoni Staggs’ 2017 NYC per game averages included playing for all 80 minutes, running for 101.8 metres from 10.1 carries and making 19.6 tackles.

    On seventeen occasions Kotoni Staggs ran in excess of 100 metres in 2017 including running for 148 metres in Round Two against the Cowboy and in the Elimination Final against the Newcastle Knights Kotoni Staggs made 38 tackles with only one missed tackle credited to him.

    In his final season in the Group XI competition in 2016 prior to moving to the Bronco’s Kotoni Staggs scored 28 tries from sixteen matches in the Dubbo U18 competition and as a 17 year old, played four Tooheys Group XI First Grade competition scoring five tries. In the U18 Grand Final in 2016 Kotoni Staggs provided the difference scoring two tries and kicking five goals in the Cowboys Grand Final victory over Nyngan.

    On the 2016 season Kotoni Staggs in addition to his 28 tries kicked 71 goals to finish as the Group XI U18 leading try scorer, goal kicker and points scorer in 2016 with 254 points. From a try scoring perspective Kotoni Staggs did even better in the Group XI U18 competition in 2015 scoring 33 tries from just fourteen matches and also kicking a number of goals.

    Kotoni Staggs 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, he 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, he usually is able to maintain his balance and keeps an arm free, looking to offload.

    Kotoni Staggs has more tools though than just an in and away, he will also use his size and 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 Kotoni Staggs 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 on the outside.

    Due to his size and strength, Kotoni Staggs 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 centre and wrapping him up ball and all. He 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.

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

    Kotoni Staggs is also a very good goal kicker with both good range and accuracy, I am not sure whether he has the consistency at this point in time to be a team’s primary goal kicker, if not he will be a very useful back-up.

    Kotoni Staggs has signed to play for Wynnum Manly in the 2018 season where he will likely start in the Colts competition before looking to get an opportunity in the Queensland Cup late in 2018.

    Even though he played the second half of the 2017 NYC season in the second row I believe that any potential requirement to move Kotoni Staggs away from the centres is still a number of years away if ever. For me with his ability to make a break out of nothing and then finish it off himself, makes Kotoni Staggs too valuable in the centres to move him closer in.

    I have a feeling though that throughout his rugby league career wherever that takes him Kotoni Staggs will have the issue of where his best position is come up, is it in the centres, in the second row or will a coach consider him as an instant impact interchange player, I guess similar to the constant discussion about the best position for Tyrone Peachey.

    From a player comparison perspective, Kotoni Staggs reminders me a lot of the afore mentioned Penrith Panther Tyrone Peachey as a player who just seems to know when and how to break tackles and find his way to the try line even when that task looks near to impossible.

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    Rory Ferguson. The outstanding Otago youngster was a standout school boy rugby and rugby league player in South Island of New Zealand before moving over to play for the Brisbane Bronco’s in the 2017 NYC competition.

    For the Bronco’s in the 2017 NYC competition Rory Ferguson made his debut in Round Ten against Manly starting from the interchange. In total in 2017 Rory Ferguson played in thirteen NYC matches for the Bronco’s starting two matches at lock being Round Eleven against the Wests Tigers and Round Twenty Six against the Cowboys. Rory Ferguson crossed for his sole try in Round Sixteen against the Canberra Raiders.

    In total in the 2017 NYC competition Rory Ferguson was on the field for 422 minutes, including playing all 80 minutes in Round Eleven, his first start in the NYC, took 65 hit-ups making 568 metres and made 248 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 91.85%. Rory Ferguson’s 2017 NYC per match averages included playing for 32.46 minutes, taking five hit-ups for 43.7 metres and making 19.1 tackles. In 2017 Rory Ferguson was also credited with only making only two errors in 422 minutes of football, not bad at all.

    Rory Ferguson had an outstanding Round Eleven match against the Wests Tigers making 132 metres from fourteen hit-ups and also making 45 tackles whilst playing the entire 80 minutes. In Round Twelve against the Warriors Rory Ferguson went even better from a tackling perspective making 50 tackles in 75 minutes on the field, he also made 81 metres from nine hit-ups against his countrymen.

    Rory Ferguson also played a number of Colts matches for the South’s Logan Magpies across both the FOGS Colts Challenge and the U20 Colts Cup. In the early season U20 State-wide Cup competition Rory Ferguson played in five matches for Souths Logan starting all at lock and scoring in Round Six against the North’s Devils. In the subsequent U20 Colts challenge competition Rory Ferguson started both matches that he was involved in at lock as well.

    In New Zealand prior to his move to Brisbane Rory Ferguson was the captain of his School’s First XV rugby side being John McGlashan High School in Dunedin where he was a boarder for five years and also represented New Zealand in rugby league at the U16 and U18 levels. Rory Ferguson captained the New Zealand U16 side in a match against Samoa in 2014 leading from the front scoring a double.

    Rory Ferguson was so highly thought of in New Zealand Rugby circles that he was invited to be part of the Otago Highlanders Super 15 Development squad but chose rugby league instead. In school boy rugby Rory Ferguson was primarily an open side flanker (No. 7) although I believe he also played some No. 8 and in younger grades at John McGlashan High School spent some time in the centres, specifically outside centre ( No. 13).

    Rarely can you find a young player who is equally at home running on both sides of the ruck but that is what a team has with Rory Ferguson, he runs a superb outside shoulder line and his excellent footwork enables him to step off either foot to enable him to cut back against the movement of the defensive line to take advantage of gaps back on the inside of his direct opponent if an inside defender is slow to come across in defence.

    For a big strong young man, Rory Ferguson also has above average speed, not just off the mark but also when he is in clear space, when he makes a break Rory Ferguson is more than capable of going the distance and normally out paces the cover defence on the way to the try line.

    Rory Ferguson is not just a strong runner of the ball he as noted above has excellent footwork prior to the line and also some very good short passing both before the line and when in contact with a defender. Rory Ferguson in schoolboy rugby in New Zealand was a magnet for defenders and is adept at identifying when multiple defenders are vectoring towards him and identifying the appropriate force to be applied to his passing.

    On a lot of his runs Rory Ferguson rather than trying to step his opposite number will really look to initiate the contact and then use his strength to hold the defender off his body to either push through the tackle or draw in the next defender to create space for his support players.

    Defensively Rory Ferguson has a hard edge to his play and his initial contact is more than sufficient to redirect the momentum of the ball carrier. Rory Ferguson sets a very good base which he uses to explode into the ball carrier looking to use their own momentum against them. His 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.

    Rory Ferguson 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.

    Rory Ferguson may not necessarily had the season he was looking for in 2017 especially from an attacking perspective, but this young man can really play, his performances for South’s Logan were very good and I would anticipate that now he is more settled in Australia people will see just how good he is when he lines up for South’s Logan in the U20 Hastings Deerings Colts competition this coming season.

    At around 186cm and 98kg with outstanding athletic ability and aerobic fitness Rory Ferguson is the ideal size to play in the second row in the NRL. To compliment his physical skills Rory Ferguson displays a skill and intensity level on the field that will rarely be matched by anyone.

    From a player comparison perspective in relation to Rory Ferguson, someone along the lines of Simon Mannering captain of the New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand Test side is a more than sound comparison from a style perspective as a talented back rower who plays the game hard and with toughness and a no compromise attitude that will demand team mates respond in kind through Rory Ferguson’s actions not necessarily his words.

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    Dray Ngatuere-Wroe. The former Titans Junior Development Squad member and Logan Brothers junior was part of the Bronco’s NYC squad in 2017 as well as representing Queensland at the U18 level starting at half back in the interstate clash where a team mates was Titan Reihana Marsh who started the match at lock and was outstanding.

    Dray Ngatuere-Wroe has worn a Titans jersey in a couple of Development Squad matches at Redlands at the U13 and U14 age groups and even back then he was a class apart from a ball playing, elusiveness, game management and leadership perspective.

    I was standing watching the U13 Titans Development Squad start to warm up before a match in 2013, the Titans coach was a touch behind still talking to the referee, but Dray Ngatuere-Wroe took it upon himself to organise the squad and get the warm up started rather than just standing around waiting for the coach. Small things like this say a lot about a person.

    For the Bronco’s in the 2017 NYC competition, Dray Ngatuere-Wroe played in twelve matches, starting three at half back, including the Bronco’s two finals matches and the remaining matches from the interchange. Across his twelve matches, Dray Ngatuere-Wroe scored a single try. Dray Ngatuere-Wroe made his NYC debut in Round Sixteen against the Canberra Raiders from the interchange bench.

    In total in the 2017 NYC competition, Dray Ngatuere-Wroe was on the field for 509 minutes ran for 207 metres on 31 runs, made one break, had a try assist and made 142 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 82.08%. Dray Ngatuere-Wroe’s 2017 NYC per game averages included playing for 42.5 minutes, running for 17.3 metres from 2.6 carries and making 11.8 tackles.

    Dray Ngatuere-Wroe’s best match from a running perspective came in Round Sixteen (his debut NYC match) when he ran for 58 metres against Canberra and in Round Seventeen against the Storm he made twenty five tackles missing only one.

    Prior to his debut for the Bronco’s NYC side Dray Ngatuere-Wroe played for South’s Logan in the MM Cup and the Colts Challenge competitions. Dray Ngatuere-Wroe played the opening six rounds of the Colts Challenge competition starting all six matches at half back, scoring 28 points from five tries and four goals. Dray Ngatuere-Wroe scored a hat trick in Round Four against the Burleigh Bears and also tries in Round One against Tweed Heads and in Round Five against the Western Mustangs, he obviously liked playing against Titans aligned clubs.

    In the 2017 MM Cup competition for South’s Logan Dray Ngatuere-Wroe started at five eight in all eight of South’s Logan matches including their Grand Final loss to the Western Mustangs which contained seven Titans Scholarship holders. In those eight matches Dray Ngatuere-Wroe scored seven tries including a try in the Grand Final and against Redcliffe in the semi-final. Dray Ngatuere-Wroe also scored a double in Round Six against the North’s Devils, a try in Round Five against Tweed Heads, in Round Three against the Central Crows and in Round Two against the Sunshine Coast Falcons.

    Dray Ngatuere-Wroe is a dynamic runner of the football who excels in taking on the defensive line with deft footwork around the ruck, looking to seek out bigger slower forwards when they are caught on the edge of the ruck, he also has a very good dummy which continues to be effective regardless of the frequency of its use as it is indistinguishable in process from when he is going to actually pass the ball.

    If Dray Ngatuere-Wroe sees an overlap or a another play developing he will get the ball out quickly and effectively, using his solid passing skills from both sides of his body, where he will put the football out in front of his runners. He is able to impart a good spin on the ball, thus can get good distance on his passes whilst maintaining accuracy from both sides of his body.

    In a U13 Titans Development squad match in 2013 at Redlands Dray Ngatuere-Wroe ran a great play down the short side from a Titans scrum resulting in what looked like a try starting about twenty metres out from the opposition try line, for some reason the referee called the play back and made Dray Ngatuere-Wroe feed the scrum again. Dray Ngatuere-Wroe ran the exact play again which this time was awarded a try. It was a great sleight of hand by Dray Ngatuere-Wroe that the older opposition could not stop even though they knew it was coming and had just seen the exact play a minute before.

    Dray Ngatuere-Wroe is not a giant on the field and in fact in the majority of the matches that he is involved with he is one of the smallest but defensively he is quite aggressive and tries to get up quickly when confronted with a wide running forward, looking to initiate contract prior to the forward gaining too much momentum.

    Dray Ngatuere-Wroe will not necessarily hit them hard but is effective at slowing the attack and then he gets back into the line quickly. Dray Ngatuere-Wroe probably currently not considered a “plus” defender but is more than effective as can be seen by his 2017 NYC tackling efficiency of 82%.

    Dray Ngatuere-Wroe will play for the South’s Logan Magpies in 2018 starting in the Colts competition where he has two years of eligibility remaining.

    Dray Ngatuere-Wroe played a lot of five eight as a youngster including for the Titans Junior Development Squad but transitioned to half back permanently when playing for the Logan Brothers U16 side including playing a leading hand in their GBJRL U16 Premier Division success in 2015 when Logan Brothers defeated North’s Aspley.

    I was on the side line at Bishop Park that afternoon and Dray Ngatuere-Wroe was simply outstanding in terms of how he controlled the game for Logan Brothers. The opposition coach was calling out for his side to stop Dray Ngatuere-Wroe “dancing” they couldn’t and Dray Ngatuere-Wroe cut them apart. Titan Reihana Marsh was outstanding in the centres for Logan Brothers in that Grand Final as well. PS that Logan Brothers U16 GBJRL Premier side is probably the best junior club side that I have ever seen, and by a fair margin as well.

    A player comparison for Dray Ngatuere-Wroe is difficult, with his speed, elusiveness and step he looks like a smaller version of Shaun Johnson but he also flashes the play making ability of a Cooper Cronk. More consistency from a play making perspective will no doubt propel Dray Ngatuere-Wroe to the next level.

    Simply put Dray Ngatuere-Wroe is one of the best young players that I have ever seen. The best I have ever seen are Ryan James as a 17 year old playing for the Titans SG Ball side especially in one match at Cudgen when he almost single handedly destroyed the Melbourne Storm and Titan Reihana Marsh who will play the 2018 season with Burleigh, Dray Ngatuere-Wroe is not far behind those two at all.

    From a trivia perspective Dray Ngatuere-Wroe’s older brother Aron is a former Titans scholarship holder as well and played a match or two for the Burleigh’s Colts side in 2017 at hooker.

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    Jed Cartwright. The former PBC student and Titans NYC player and cousin of latest Titans signing Bryce Cartwright had an outstanding season with the Penrith Panthers New South Wales Intrust Super Cup side in 2017 after being granted a release from the Titans with one year remaining on his contract to join the Panthers, his “spiritual home” as the Sydney media were calling it at the time.

    With the Panthers having some Salary cap pressures it would be very good seeing Jed Cartwright back in Titans colours sooner rather than later.

    For the Penrith Panthers in the 2017 New South Wales Intrust Super Cup competition, Jed Cartwright played in eighteen matches and scored eight tries in the process. In total in the NSW Intrust Super Cup, Jed Cartwright ran for 2 129 metres, made ten line breaks, had four line break assists, seventeen off-loads and made 340 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 84.1%.

    In 2016 for the Titans NYC side Jed Cartwright played in fifteen matches scoring three tries including a Round One double against Newcastle and a try in Round Seven against St George. In all fifteen of his 2016 NYC matches for the Titans Jed Cartwright started in the second row.

    Jed Cartwright made his NYC debut for the Titans in Round One of 2015 when he started in the centres against the Wests Tigers scoring on debut. Jed Cartwright went on to play eleven NYC matches in 2015, starting all in the centres, scoring 60 points from seven tries and sixteen goals.

    In addition to his try on debut, Jed Cartwright scored doubles in Round Two against the Penrith Panthers and in Round Seven also against the Panthers. Jed Cartwright’s other 2015 tries came against Newcastle in Round Three and in Round Thirteen against Wests, a match he got injured in and was unable to play again that season. From a goal kicking perspective, Jed Cartwright kicked six goals in a Round Six match against Parramatta.

    Jed Cartwright’s 2017 per game statistics included running for 118.3 metres and making 18.89 tackles in around 65 minutes on the field.

    At 193cm and 101kg the 21 year old Jed Cartwright certainly has some size about him, in fact he is the same size as his cousin Bryce Cartwright. Jed Cartwright’s ability to burst through defensive lines and then offload under extreme pressure is the most outstanding feature of his game. Jed Cartwright has impressive speed off the mark even against set defensive lines.

    Where he is almost unstoppable is when he running wider of the congestion off his half. Jed Cartwright is able to time his rights to receive the ball flat and not lose momentum. His offloading skills are exceptional, he regularly as able to get his right hand free and offload to support players.

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

    Even though Jed Cartwright still has two years to run on his Panthers contract, clearly contracts mean nothing anymore in the NRL and a move back up to the Gold Coast to help his cousin “settle in” would be welcomed by me at least.

    In his time at PBC on the Gold Coast Jed Cartwright was primarily a centre and even played some five eight including in a GIO Cup match against Keebra Park in 2014. In his two seasons with the Titans NYC squad Jed Cartwright split his time between the centres and second row, but it would be fair to say that in his second NYC season in 2016 Jed Cartwright started to see increasing game time in the second row and that has continued on since that time.

    In 2017 Jed Cartwright played in the second row in all of his eighteen matches and thus he is certain to remain in the second row into the future.

    Jed Cartwright is almost identical size wise to his cousin Bryce but does not necessarily have the same ball playing skills but his running and tackling styles are the same thus a player comparison to his more well-known cousin is definitely not unreasonable in the circumstances.

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    Blake Scott. The talented former Keebra Park hooker surprisingly did not pick up an NRL contract at the completion of the 2017 rugby league season, a season in which he starred for the GIO Cup winning Keebra Park, but is looking to rectify that in 2018 and he has started the season exceptionally well with a standout performance for the South’s Logan Magpies Colts in the trial victory against the Tweed Heads Seagulls Colts at Waterford a fortnight ago.

    In that match Blake Scott was a constant menace to the Tweed defensive line splitting the Tweed Heads line open on a couple of occasions when he ran from dummy half with the Tweed Heads Seagulls forward pack still trying to get back into position after the previous hit-up.

    In 2017 Blake Scot had an outstanding season including starting for Keebra Park in their GIO Cup victory over Westfield Sports High, representing South Coast in the U18 QSSRL Championships and playing for the South’s Logan Magpies in the MM Cup competition.

    Blake Scott’s outstanding performances for Keebra Park were recognised late in 2017 when at the Keebra Park Sports Specialisation Awards night when he was named in the Keebra Park 2017 team of the year. From a trivia perspective, Blake Scott is the younger brother of former Titans NYC hooker Jordan Scott who is also currently playing for South’s Logan at the Queensland Cup level.

    For South’s Logan in the MM Cup competition in 2017, Blake Scott played in all eight of South’s Logan’s matches including their two finals matches. Blake Scott started the first two rounds at hooker and then played his remaining six matches starting from the inter-change bench. Blake Scott’s only try came in the Grand Final in a 40 – 30 loss to the Western Mustangs which included seven Titans Academy players.

    Blake Scott is a solid all round hooker who distributes effectively to both sides of the ruck. He is efficient in his passing and there is very little wasted movement as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements where the dummy half first stands then passes. He passes well from both sides of his body.

    Blake Scott also does not take a couple of steps out of dummy half and then pass, he will either pass from the spot of the play the ball or he will run. Blake Scott’s speed off the mark is above average but he does not necessarily have above average top speed once he is in motion. In scrum situations he packs in at lock regularly and thus is also the primary distributor from those situations as well as when the ball is in play.

    Blake Scott defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and for his size is quite an aggressive defender. He is also very good at getting out of marker quickly to harass the opposition kickers. Defensively you will see an efficient and effective defender and a talker. He constantly seems to be talking and “encouraging” his fellow forwards.

    Blake Scott will play the 2018 season at the U20 Hastings Deerings Cup level with the South’s Logan Magpies who shape as a very good side if the their first two trials are any gauge at all.

    Blake Scott has primarily been a hooker throughout his rugby league career and with his ability to control his side from dummy half it is easy to see why that is also where his future lies on a rugby league field.

    From a player comparison perspective Blake Scott has a similar playing style for me of Brisbane Broncos hooker Andrew McCullough as a hooker whose main strength lies around his ability to manage his tem and assisting with directing them around the field.

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    Kye Oates. (Revised) The former Toowoomba Grammar School (TGS) First XV rugby centre is the cousin of Brisbane Broncos and Queensland State of Origin winger Cory Oates and actually has a similar playing style to his more well-known cousin.

    In 2018 Kye Oates has transitioned to rugby league and has been named to start Round One of the Hastings Deerings U20 Cup side for the South’s Logan Magpies in the centres this weekend. Two other former TGS First XV players are also in the South’s Logan side being Clayton Mack and Ashton Watson.

    Kye Oates, arrived at Toowoomba Grammar School in Grade eight, was selected on the reserve bench for the 2016 GPS 1 representative side for the Queensland Schools trials and performed well at outside centre for TGS in the GPS First XV competition in 2016 where he played outside talented centre Clayton Mack and inside powerhouse winger Ashton Watson, both of whom are current U20 South’s Logan Hastings Deerings Cup team mates.

    In 2017 Kye Oates played Queensland Colts Premier Grade rugby for University of Queensland at outside centre, captaining the side. In the Premier Colts competition, Kye Oates played in all eighteen regular season rounds of the Premier Colts competition as well as University of Queensland’s three finals, including starting at fullback in their 31 – 29 Grand Final victory over Brothers. In that Grand Final Kye Oates scored a try and kicked four conversions.

    On the season Key Oates scored ten tries (including his Grand Final try) and kicked 65 conversions to finish the 2017 Queensland Premier Rugby Colts competition with 170 points. Kye Oates scored doubles in UQ’s finals victory over Wests and also in their Preliminary Final victory over Wests. With the boot Kye Oates had some big matches in 2017 including kicking seven conversions in Round Fifteen against Souths and six conversions against Easts in Rounds Eight and Ten.

    Positionally in the 2017 Premier Colts competition, Kye Oates started the first ten rounds at left centre and then moved to fullback for Rounds Eleven to Sixteen inclusive before moving back to the left centre position for Rounds Seventeen and Eighteen. In UQ’s finals matches Kye Oates started their first final on the right wing before playing the Preliminary Final and Grand Final at fullback.

    Kye Oates previously had some junior rugby league representative experience, including playing for the South West Mustangs at the U13 level in 2012 and the U14 level in 2013. In 2016 Kye Oates also had the honour of being named captain of the U18 Indigenous Youth Boys rugby squad.

    For TGS, who had a tough season in 2016 Kye Oates scored a solid close range try against Brisbane Boys College in Round Three when he took advantage of the momentum built by the TGS forwards to scoot over to give TGS the half time lead. Kye Oates ended the GPS First XV season as the TGS leading points scorer and had some successful matches with the boot including kicking three from five conversions in Round Six in a tough one point loss against Ipswich Grammar School and also four from five in a 26 – 17 victory in Round Nine against Brisbane Grammar School in his last ever match in the GPS rugby competition. He also kicked two from three in Round One when TGS went down 28 – 24 to TSS.

    From an attacking perspective he is a straight hard runner when he has the ball in hand from the outside centre position in rugby. He has 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 stop him, his quick recycling of the ball was also a key feature of his rugby play for Toowoomba Grammar School. When he impacts the defensive line he drops his shoulder into the defenders and regularly bumped off multiple defenders in a single run. He seemingly understood that his style of play in the GPS First XV competition meant that he attracted multiple defenders and he became adept getting a quick recycle of the ball when tackled.

    He really is an impressive runner of the ball and has very good timing and anticipation when running the ball and formed a great partnership with TGS inside centre Clayton Mack and as a consequence he made a number of breaks over the course of the 2016 GPS season by running hard and straight and trusting his inside play makers to make the right decision, in short he made then look good.

    He is also a very good goal kicker with both good range and accuracy, and has a smooth and effortless style. I would suggest that he is a real chance to be his side’s primary goal kicker regardless of the level progressing into the future.

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

    In the opening Round of the 2016 GPS rugby season against TSS, Kye Oates pulled two outstanding cover defending tackles to stop tries the first was against former Titans contract TSS fullback Max Dowd who he cut down using his speed and timing, the second great tackle was against TSS front rower Declan Day where he need all of his strength to bring down the rampaging front rower with the try line beckoning.

    Regardless of where he defends he sets a good base and uses his leg strength to direct his strength through the core of his body into his opponent. Purely from a skill and physical attribute perspective he seems more suited to a sliding defensive methodology rather than an up and in style, but this is more conjecture from me rather than a fact based argument.

    As noted Kye Oates is part of the 2018 Souths Logan U20 Hastings Deerings Cup side, starting Round One in the centres.

    Extrapolating his skill set to rugby league and you have a player who would seem best suited to the wing in rugby league even though he was played almost entirely in the centres in rugby. He runs a very good line and his straight line speed is in the above average category and whilst he does have a solid in and away I think that he is best suited to playing on the wing where he can also come into the centre of the ruck and either take pressure off the forwards with a hit up, which he has the size to be effective or to back up half breaks.

    Kye Oates made some great metres for TGS backing up the likes of his centre partner Clayton Mack. Kye Oates can certainly make a break on his own which was evidenced on a number of occasions in the 2016 GPS competition so my thoughts on whether he was be a better winger or centre are purely based on a gut feel.

    His cousin Corey Oates is actually a solid comparison from a playing perspective as a hard straight running player who will light up a match with his ability to crash through tackles and score some very good long range tries.

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    Ashton Watson. (Revised) The powerhouse young left winger and former Toowoomba Grammar School First XV rugby side had a big year in the 2016 GPS rugby competition culminating in him being considered the best left winger in the competition by a number of pundits.

    After a season with University of Queensland in the Queensland Rugby Premier Colts competition, Ashton Watson has made the move to rugby league being part of the South’s Logan U20 Hastings Deerings Cup side in 2018. Ashton Watson has in fact been named in the starting side on the wing for their Round One clash. Also in the South’s Logan side is fellow former TGS and University of Queensland Premier Colts player Kye Oates. A third former TGS player Clayton Mack is also in the South’s Logan side.

    In 2017 for the University of Queensland Premier Colts side, Ashton Watson only played a handful of matches coming into the side in Round Sixteen against Wests starting at right centre and scoring to cap off a solid day. Ashton Watson played the remaining five matches that he played in for UQ, including their three finals matches on the left wing including UQ’s 31 – 29 Grand Final victory over Brothers.

    Ashton Watson also played in one Colts II match in 2017 playing at left centre and scoring a try against Souths in Round Fifteen before his elevation to the UQ Premier Colts side.

    Over the course of his six 2017 Premier Colts matches, Ashton Watson contributed seven tries including a hat trick in Round Eighteen against Bond University and a Preliminary Final double against Wests. Ashton Watsons other 2017 Premier Colts try come in Round Seventeen against GPS.

    The 2016 season saw Ashton Watson named on the left wing for the GPS 1 representative side for the Queensland Schools trials which held at Ballymore in June, unfortunately he did not make either of the two Queensland Schools teams for the Australian Schools Championships. He was a dominate force however to the TGS First XV where he carried the ball into the defensive line 68 times, making eight line breaks, scoring four tries and of his runs 54% of the time he made over five metres. Defensively he made 26 tackles and missed eight, meaning his tackling efficiency was 76% over eight games. (Statistics from Greenandgoldrugby.com<http://Greenandgoldrugby.com>)

    I would describe Ashton Watson’s attacking style as one of a powerful young man who has very good balance and body control with above average straight line speed who prefers to initiate contact with defenders and run over them rather than looking to beat them with subtlety or guile. As noted I would consider his speed above average once he is motion but it is from my opinion at least only in the average category off the mark, thus the quicker his play makers get him the ball the more effective he will be.

    This was on display in Round Two of the 2016 GPS First XV competition when he burst down the side line after receiving the ball early but unfortunately was brought down about a metre from the try line by the Nudgee College cover defence with the game on the line. This was also the game where Ashton Watson was sin binned in the first half.

    In Round Seven against Gregory Terrace, Ashton Watson was for me the best TGS player from an attacking perspective when his kick returns and mid-field running continually put TGS on the front foot. Off a lineout on halfway, Kye Oates put in a chip kick to Ashton Watson’s wing which he was able to regather and give a one hand offload to fullback Josh Fanning, who ran away to score to give TGS a 14-7 lead.

    Defensively he looks to intimidate opposing attackers by coming off the line and putting on the big hit but on occasion during the 2016 GPS rugby season got his timing wrong and was beaten on the outside by quicker opposing wingers. Like all young players it comes down to maintaining a balance between coming out of the defensive line looking for the big hit against saying on the opposing winger and trusting the inside defenders. It must be noted however that the 2016 season was the first that he had played on the wing so he still has some positioning aspects to develop which will come with more experience in that position.

    As noted Ashton Watson is part of the 2018 Souths Logan U20 Hastings Deerings Cup side, starting Round One on the wing this weekend.

    Prior to the 2016 GPS season Ashton Watson played outside centre in rugby prior but moved to the left wing for the 2016 season and with his powerful straight line running, keeping him in that position in rugby league would seem to be the best utilisation of his skill set moving forward.

    In relation to a rugby league player perspective the game of former Titans player Daniel Vidot is a good comparison for Ashton Watson. He is a big strong powerful young man who also has decent speed to go along with his size, strength and power.

    The Titans have had great success with youngsters from South’s Logan coming into the fold, none more so than Moeaki Fotuaika who has recently signed a four year deal and star Burleigh Bears U20 backrower Rehiena Marsh and on that basis you never know who could be the next South’s Logan youngster in Titans colours.


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