Talented junior players not linked to the Titans but maybe should be

[mdrew]

Brayden McGrady. The former Gold Coast Titans NYC player is in the midst of an outstanding season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls in the Queensland Cup where he is currently the leading try scorer with ten tries through the first eight rounds even though he has played in only five matches to have a 200% strike rate.

In his short but productive Queensland Cup career, Braydon McGrady has a 112% strike rate scoring 19 tries from 17 appearances. This season Braydon McGrady has scored at least one try in every match that he has been involved in. Braydon has scored hat tricks in Round Six against Wynnum manly and against Mackay in Round Eight, a double in Round Two against South’s Logan and single tries in Rounds One and Seven against Norths and Easts respectively.

To date in the Queensland Cup in 2018, Brayden McGrady has played in five matches at right centre and being on the field for the entire 80 minutes on four occasions. In Round Seven against Easts Braydon McGrady played 64 minutes.

In the Queensland Cup in 2018, Braydon McGrady has been on the field for 384 minutes, run of 440 metre, 114 post contact (25.91%) and made 48 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 77.1%. Braydon McGrady’s 2018 per game averages include playing for 75 minutes, running for 88 metres and making 9.6 tackles. In addition to the statistics noted above, Braydon McGrady has also been credited with a try assist, 18 tackle breaks and seven line breaks.

On two occasions Braydon McGrady has run for in excess of 100 metres being against the Mackay Cutters in Round Eight when he ran for 135 metres and in Rounds Six against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls when he ran for 113 metres. Defensively Braydon McGrady made 13 tackles in Round One against Norths.

Brayden McGrady has above average to plus top end speed and acceleration off the mark, and is more than quick enough to take advantage of any space that he is given down the touchline by opposing wingers. One good think about his play in attack is that he stays on his wing and is regularly outside his opposite number allowing his inside players to be able to find him in attack and in the games that I have seen he stays back and does not over run the players that are inside of him.

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

Brayden McGrady will also come in and take his fair share of hit ups to give his forwards a rest, when the ball needs to be brought out of his end of the field even though he is not the biggest or strongest player. In the situations previously described he runs at the defensive line from dummy half with vigour and is definitely not intimidated by the size of any defender in front of him. He will continue to pump his legs after he has engaged the defensive line and then will fight to get a quick play the ball.

Defensively Brayden McGrady is definitely not a monster but will get his body in front of bigger attackers and hold the line until help arrives. In the main he does not allow his opposite number on the outside but will show them the sideline and then use the limited space against the attacker. Brayden McGrady will probably never be considered a plus defender but continued strength work will allow him to better combat the giant centres that look to run directly over him.

Brayden McGrady will play out the 2018 Queensland Cup season with the Tweed Heads Seagulls in front of Titans officials who could do far worse than give this elusive runner of the ball an opportunity to trial for an NRL or Development contract.

With his speed and elusiveness in a relatively slight frame I believe that Brayden McGrady’s best position moving forward is on the wing and a try scoring one at that.

With his sneaky quick speed and elusiveness Braydon McGrady reminds me of former Melbourne Storm and current Auckland Blues Super Rugby winger Matt Duffy. Like Duffy if you under estimate Braydon McGrady and give him an inch of room down the sideline he will be past you well before you realise your mistake.

[mdrew]

Max Elliott. (Revised) Sorry all, I could not help myself, Max Elliott has been one of my favourite players ever since I saw him play at the age of thirteen in Northern New South Wales for the Titans Development Squads, progressing all the way through to being outstanding for the Titans NYC squad in 2015 before heading to the Bronco’s with his brother Sam for the 2016 season. Max Elliott played the 2016 season with the Brisbane Broncos NYC side before spending the 2017 season with the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in the Queensland Cup.

This season Max Elliott is once again lining up for the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in the Queensland Cup and to date has been involved in seven of Wynnum Manly’s matches, starting the first six rounds in the front row before coming off the interchange bench in Round Eight.

In total in 2018 Max Elliott has been on the field for 305 minutes, making 536 metres, 188 of those post contact (35.07%) and has made 140 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 86.9%. Max Elliott has also broken 16 tackles and had an offload. Max Elliott’s 2018 per game Queensland Cup averages included playing 43.6 minutes per game, running for 76.6 metres and making 20 tackles.

His 2018 per game averages are very similar to his 2017 ones through the first third of the 2018 season. In Round Three against the Redcliffe Dolphins Max Elliott made 114 metres and in Round One against the Northern Pride he made 25 tackles.

For the Wynnum Manly Seagulls in 2017 Max Elliott played in thirteen contests in the Queensland Cup including starting on the inter change bench in Round One and moving into the starting line-up in Round Nine against the Townsville Blackhawks in the front row. Max Elliott started one match in the front row, two in the second row, two from the interchange bench and his remaining matches at lock and scored his sole 2017 try in Round Twelve.

In total Max Elliott was on the field for 516 minutes, making 947 metres and also making 289 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 90.6% in the Queensland Cup in 2017. Max Elliott also broke 20 tackles and had four offloads on the season.

Max Elliott’s 2017 per game Queensland Cup averages included playing 40 minutes per game, running for 73 metres and making 22 tackles. On three occasions Max Elliott ran for in excess of 100 metres in a match including running for 137 in a Round Fifteen match against the North’s Devils and in Round Nineteen Max Elliott made 45 tackles in just 63 minutes on the field.

Of the 947 metres that he made in 2017, Max Elliott made 378 of those post contact thus 40% of all his running metres were made after he had impacted the defensive line, including running for 54 post contact metres in Round Thirteen and 51 post contact metres in Rounds Fourteen and Sixteen.

Over the course of the 2017 Max Elliott also played in the In Safe Hands Cup which is the Brisbane A Grade competition, playing four games and scoring a solitary try.

In 2016 the 21 year old former Lismore Marist Brothers junior represented New South Wales U20 and 2013 he was part of the Australian Institute of Sport School Boy side that toured New Zealand after making the side from St John’s College Woodlawn in Northern New South Wales. Former Titans NYC star Sam Swift was also part of the AIS touring party that year.

In total in the NYC competition for the Broncos in 2016, Max Elliott played 1 051 minutes across twenty four matches, running for 1 873 metres from 195 carries and made 526 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 93%. Max Elliott’s 2016 NYC per game averages included playing 38 minutes, taking 8 runs for 78 metres and making 22 tackles.

In total in the NYC competition in 2015 for the Titans, Max Elliott played 921 minutes, running for 1 653 metres from 169 carries and made 473 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 89%. Max Elliott’s 2015 NYC per game averages included playing 42 minutes, taking 7.7 hit-ups for 75 metres and making 21.5 tackles.

Max Elliott is a big strong powerful aggressive young man and uses these attributes when he runs with the ball, he will take the line on and look to drop his shoulder into the defender who is looking initiate contact. Max Elliott can also off load the football both before the line and when he is being tackled, he seems to be one of those players with the innate ability to get his hands free, or more accurately his right hand free.

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

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

Max Elliott will play the remainder of the 2018 Queensland Cup season for Wynnum Manly again. I will admit I would love to see Max Elliott playing for either Burleigh or Tweed Heads but regardless he is great to watch with his tough aggressive attitude on display. If he were to come to the Coast to play I would get him to bring his brother and fellow former Titan Sam Elliott who is currently playing with Souths Logan with him.

For me Max Elliott has been used incorrectly the last couple of seasons at Wynnum Manly where he has spent a lot of time playing in the front row. Whilst he is certainly tough enough to play there, Max Elliott is a little under sized there at 186cm and 103g and also cannot use his footwork as well as he can if he played wider of the ruck in the second row or at least had the licence to do so.

The Brisbane Broncos, Queensland State of Origin and Australian International lock Josh Maguire is a solid player comparison for Max Elliott. Like Maguire, Max Elliott works all day both in attack and defence and when you least except in, he will produce a great offload or massive hit to ignite his team. Also like Josh Maguire, Max Elliott is more effective when he has the freedom to use his footwork wider of the ruck rather than just taking the ball forward into a set defensive line.

[mdrew]

Brett Greinke. The former Brisbane Broncos NYC U20 captain has had an injury interrupted couple of seasons including a year or two in Sydney with Souths Sydney but is back in Queensland and having an outstanding season with the Easts Tigers in the Queensland Cup competition. In February of this year Brett Greinke started from the bench for the Melbourne Storm in an NRL trial in Rotorua against het Warriors as a result of Easts feeder club arrangement with the Storm.

Brett Greinke has started in all nine of Easts matches, seven in the second row and Rounds Eight and Nine in the front row scoring two tries to date. Brett Greinke scored in Round One against Central Queensland and Round Four against the Sunshine Coast Falcons. In his Queensland Cup career which started with the Norths Devils in 2015 Brett Greinke has played in 35 matches, scoring nine tries.

This season with Easts Brett Greinke has been on the field for 518 minutes, including playing all 80 minutes in a match on three occasions being Rounds One, Five and Nine, has made 1 076 metres and has made 205 tackles at a solid tackling efficiency of 89.6%. Brett Greinke has also made 16 tackle breaks, two line breaks and a solitary offload.

Brett Greinke’s 2018 Queensland Cup per game averages including playing for 57.6 minutes, running for 119.6 metres and making 22.89 tackles. In Round Three against the Ipswich Jets, Brett Greinke ran for 160 metres and in Round Nine against the Norths Devils he ran for 119. In Round Nine against Souths Logan Brett Greinke made 37 tackles and in Round One against Central Queensland he made 30.

At 190cm and 103 kg with above average speed for a second rower or a front rower Brett Greinke has a handful for defensively when he runs the ball and has solid initial contact when tackling.

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

Brett Greinke is aggressive in defence whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can and will stop even the biggest opposing forwards in their tracks and targets the area around where the attackers carry the football.

His speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half, he also does a very good job of keeping his hands down in situations where he is tracking smaller, quicker players. He also has a quite a good defensive technique and thus does not use purely brute strength but timing and technique as well to be effective in defence.

Brett Greinke will play out the 2018 season with the Easts Tigers in the Queensland Cup and will also be in line for selection in the Queensland Residents side against New South Wales Residents later in the year. NRL clubs could do worse than keep an eye on his form over the duration of the 2018 season.

Even though he has played a couple of matches in the front row this season with the Easts Tigers, his size, speed and skill level his best suited at this point of his career at least in the second row.

From a style perspective, the one that stands out for me is Queensland State of Origin second rower Gavin Cooper, formally of the Titans and now a key member of the Cowboys forward pack, as a rangy, mobile, wide running backrower with some toughness and skill to his game.

[mdrew]

Brent Woolf. (Revised) The young former Gold Coast junior is currently playing for the Townsville Blackhawks in the Queensland Cup even though he is still eligible for the Colts competition. The former Brisbane Broncos NYC player moved north after playing for the Broncos NYC side in 2017 and also one Queensland Cup match for the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.

Brent Woolf came into the Townsville Blackhawks Queensland Cup side in Round Three and has gone on to play in seven matches starting all from the interchange bench and scoring against his father’s team in Round Five.

Brent Woolf has been on the field for a total of 256 minutes, running for 282 metres, 75 of those post contact and made 124 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 89.86%. Brent Woolf has also been an effective kicker out of dummy half making 126 metres and forcing two line drop outs.

Brent Woolf’s 2018 Queensland Cup per game averages include playing 36.6 minutes, running for 40.4 minutes and making 18 tackles. Brent Woolf has also been credited with two try assists, five off loads, a line break and three tackle breaks. In Round Five against Tweed Heads Brent Woolf ran for 72 metres and also made 17 tackles to have his “best” statistic match of the season.

In 2017 in the Holden Cup with the Brisbane Broncos Brent Woolf played in nine matches before injury struck. In those nine matches the 172cm and 80kg Brent Woolf scoring two tries with his first try coming in Round Four against the Canberra Raiders and his second against the Sydney Roosters in Round Thirteen. Of his nine matches Brent Woolf started three at hooker and the other six from the inter change bench and in his first start in Round Four against the Raiders Brent Woolf played the entire 80 minutes.

In total across his nine NYC matches for the Broncos in 2017, Brent Woolf ran the ball on 44 occasions making 324 metres including three line breaks, had four try assists and made 199 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 88%. Brent Woolf’s 2017 NYC per game averages included being on the field for 45 minutes, taking 5 runs for 36 metres and making 22 tackles.

In Round Six against the Sydney Roosters Brent Woolf ran for 74 metres from just seven carries and in seven of his nine matches Brent Woof made in excess of twenty tackles in a match including making 32 tackles with just two missed tackles in a Round Twelve match against the New Zealand Warriors, those 32 tackles came in just 53 minutes.

Brent Woolf prior to his NYC debut in 2017 had a distinguished junior rugby league career with some of his achievements being starting at hooker for Queensland U16’s in 2014 and Queensland U18’s in 2016. Brent Woolf was also named in the Australian U15 Order of Merit side after the 2013 ASSRL Championships where be represented Queensland U15 School Boys. Prior to moving up to Brisbane to play for the Brisbane Broncos Brent Woolf was a standout performer for the Mudgeeraba Red Backs in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League competition.

Brent Woolf is very good at making the right decision whether the go himself or pass, where he gets down low and drives with his legs. He may not necessarily run that often from dummy half but when he does it is invariably the correct decision that Brent Woolf has made. When in open space he is very quick and can finish off his own breaks all be it over reasonably short distances.
Brent Woolf is efficient in his passing and there is little wasted movement as he passes in one motion off the ground rather than two distinct movements like many hookers where they first stand then pass.

Brent Woolf passes well from both sides of his body. His passing to the left is still a little better than to the right, but over the last couple of seasons he made positive strides in that regard, thus there is no reason to expect anything other than continued progression as Brent Woolf continues to gain experience in the hooking position.

One thing that Brent Woolf does well in dummy half is not taking his eye off ball until it is in his hands. I know that that sounds like common sense, but even in first grade the number of fumbles that occur from the dummy half is far too high and change the course of a game.

Another skill that he continued to develop over the last couple of season is kicking out of dummy half. He is not a long kick, but is effective at finding the ground with his kicks. Brent Woolf was an effective kicker in terms of game management, what I mean by that is that late in games when his team were up or needed a breather he kicked for touch in those instances, which showed a high level of maturity and game management skills.

Brent Woolf defends in the middle of the ruck and is an effective low tackler and is adept at wrapping the ball up. He is also very good defending at marker in terms of harassing the opposition kickers. He is not going to wow you with his defence because you will not see big hits, but you will see an efficient and effective defender. He has very good endurance and projects as a hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange.

Brent Woolf will play the remainder of the 2018 season with the Townsville Blackhawks in the Queensland Cup and really does seem an ideal candidate for an NRL Development contract especially as he can play in the halves as well as hooker.

When he was playing for Mudgeeraba on the Gold Coast Brent Woolf did spend some time playing at half back but certainly over the last couple of seasons for the Broncos NYC side and Townsville Brent Woolf has played exclusively at hooker including in the Queensland U18 side. That does not mean however that he has lost the ability to play in the halves, he shapes as the ideal interchange player at the NRL level initially but certainly has the ability to have a long and successful career in the NRL as a starting calibre player.

Some people may consider him a defence first type of player but from my perspective that is only because he is such a selective runner out of dummy half. Rarely do you see him get caught by one of the markers when he runs, he is just too smart for that to occur with any regularity.

In terms of NRL players with a similar playing style for comparison purposes for Brent Woolf, think of someone along the lines of how now Leeds English Super league player Matt Parcell formerly of the Broncos Sea Eagles and Ipswich Jets plays in terms of his running out of dummy half and also his solid passing skills.

[mdrew]

Briton Nikora. The former Keebra Park student and Gold Coast youngster headed down to Sydney looking for an opportunity, playing in the NYC competition for the Cronulla Sharks. Post the NYC era the young second rower has been a solid contributor for the Newtown Jets in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership.

To date this season the nuggetty Mt Maunganui New Zealand born Briton Nikora has played in eight matches for Newtown coming into the side Round two. In his eight matches Briton Nikora has started in the second row in six matches and from the interchange bench in his other two. Briton Nikora has scored two tries with the first coming in Round Seven against the Bulldogs and the second in Round Nine against North Sydney.

Briton Nikora has been on the field for a total of 502 minutes, three times playing all 80 minutes being Rounds Seven to Nine, running for 556 metres, 224 of those post contact (40.29%) and made 188 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 92.4%. Briton Nikora’s 2018 per game averages include playing 65 minutes, running for 69.6 metres and making 27 tackles. Briton Nikora has also been credited with 17 tackle breaks, including eight in Round Seven against the Bulldogs, two line breaks, two line break assists and seven offloads.

In Round Seven against the Canterbury Bulldogs the 185cm, 94kg ball of muscle had an outstanding game running for 140 metres and making 32 tackles. Round Nine saw Briton Nikora make 35 tackles against North Sydney.

Earlier this season Briton Nikora played for the Sharks in an NRL trial against Manly and understandably after the 2017 season that he had. In 2017 Briton Nikora was named in the NYC team of the year and also represented the New Zealand Junior Kiwi’s against Australia.

Briton Nikora’s style of play is that of a wide running back rower with what I would consider slightly above average speed for the position he plays and also taking into account his solid build. He is quick off the mark and can maintain his speed over a reasonable distance and also has a good fend and can step off both feet both in space and in tight situations.

From what I have seen though his left foot step seems slightly quick and with more deception. The side step he has is not a big step but is quick and effective enough to keep defenders off balance when he is running the ball. Once his momentum is stopped, Briton Nikora will fight for a quick play the ball to maintain his team’s momentum, although on occasion he will rush the play the ball, but that will all come with experience and maturity.

Briton Nikora is a naturally aggressive defender whether he is defending in the centre of the ruck or on the fringes, and due to his inherent natural strength is more than capable of defending one on one and can stop the momentum of opposing forwards on initial contact and targets the area around the chest after setting a solid base to project his momentum through his tackles. Briton Nikora also has reasonable lateral mobility and thus will not necessarily be over matched against smaller agile opponents.

Briton Nikora will finish the 2018 season with the Newtown Jets in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership competition and it would be great if he was to head back to the Gold Coast to continue his rugby league career with either Tweed Heads or Burleigh in the Queensland Cup in 2019 and beyond.

Briton Nikora has certainly done enough over the last couple of seasons to earn an NRL development contract at the very least and if he were to head back to the Gold Coast it could certainly be argued that this would be another example of the Titans buying back the farm so to speak.

From a position perspective, I think that Briton Nikora’s hard working attitude and determination suites his current position in the back row perfectly. It is certainly evident that the longer Briton Nikora is on the field the more effective that he is.

From a player comparison perspective for Briton Nikora, someone with a similar playing style that could be used for a comparison perspective would be the Brisbane Broncos backrower Alex Glenn as a strong hard running, hard tackling aggressive and effective backrower who can play for 80 minutes without the need for a break on the interchange bench.

[mdrew]

Cheyne Whitelaw. In 2017 Cheyne Whitelaw was named in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership team of the year and the New South Wales Residents side but the 23 year old former Australian School Boy representative North Sydney Intrust Super Premiership front rower and South Sydney Rabbitohs contracted player moved up in the off season as a key recruit for a youthful Tweed Heads Seagulls Queensland Cup squad in 2018 under the tutelage of former Titans NYC coach Ben Woolf.

To date in the Queensland Cup this season, Chayne Whitelaw has played in five matches, starting three at lock, being Rounds Three to Five and two in the front row being Rounds Seven and Eight. In total in the 2018 Queensland Cup competition, Cheyne Whitelaw has been on the field for 288 minutes, including playing 75 minutes in Round Seven against the Easts Tigers, run for 675 metres and made 138 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 91.3%.

Cheyne Whitelaw’s 2018 per game averages include playing 57.6 minutes, running for 135.1 metres from 12.6 hit-ups and making 27.6 tackles. Cheyne Whitelaw has also had 12 tackle breaks this season through five games.

In four of his five matches, Cheyne Whitelaw has run for more than 100 metres including running for an impressive 210 metres in Round Seven against the Easts Tigers and 150 metres in Round Eight against the Mackay Cutters. Defensively Cheyne Whitelaw made 34 tackles in Round Seven and 32 in Round Six against the Townsville Blackhawks.

The 182cm, 100kg 23 year old front rower had an outstanding season for the Bears in 2017, starting in the front row in twenty one matches scoring two tries. In total in the NSW Intrust Super Premiership in 2017, Cheyne Whitelaw ran for 2 184 metres with 685 of those metres post contact being 31.36%, made sixteen tackle breaks and made 810 tackles at an exceptional tackling efficiency of 92.2%. Cheyne Whitelaw’s 2017 NSW Intrust Super Premiership per game averages included running for 104 metres on 11.6 hit-ups and making an impressive 37 tackles.

Cheyne Whitelaw was contracted to the South Sydney NRL squad in 2015 and 2016 and in fact played in the Charity Shield for the Rabbitohs in both of those years, prior to that Cheyne Whitelaw spent three season in the NYC competition with South Sydney. Cheyne Whitelaw played for the Australian School Boys in 2013 and also represented New South Wales U18’s in the same year.

Running with the football, Cheyne Whitelaw has good footwork prior to the line and does not often just put his head down and run straight, but uses his solid footwork to try to work the gaps between defenders rather than trying to simply run over them. Cheyne Whitelaw does not have great speed off the mark or necessary great high end speed, but he will work hard and make the most of his ability. Cheyne Whitelaw actually does have a decent off load when he has impacted the defensive line as well.

Defensively Cheyne Whitelaw is a solid hitter, usually aiming for just under the ribs and first intention is to lock up the ball to prevent offloads. One area where is quite effective whether he is defending on the fringes of the ruck or in the centre of the ruck including when he is defending at marker, is against smaller attackers who look to use their foot work. Cheyne Whitelaw has quite reasonable lateral mobility for a forward and due to the fact that he also is not that tall, usually is able to wrap up the smaller attackers without his tackles slipping up to around the head or neck too often.

His ability to successfully defend against these types of attackers as well as having the technique to defend against larger forwards is one of a number of reasons that I consider that a future in the NRL feasible in the near future. I would anticipate that the Titans will look very closely at this young front rower in coming seasons if he can stay injury free.

Cheyne Whitelaw has immediately found his feet in the Queensland Cup this season and when he has been in the side has been one of the Tweed Heads Seagulls best as well as being a captain who leads from the front.

At 23 years old Cheyne Whitelaw is just starting to come into his own and whilst he may not have ideal size for the front row position in modern day rugby league, in the NRL at least, he is certainly tough and hard working enough to eliminate size as an obstacle to his NRL dream.

From a player comparison perspective, one player with a similar playing style from my perspective is Parramatta Eels front rower Nathan Brown, as a solid forward who will probably never be a star but will be a solid contributor to a team’s forward pack

[mdrew]

Watson Heleta. The young former Keebra Park student is currently playing in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership with the Western Suburbs Magpies and is having a solid season. It is interesting that Watson Heleta has played the majority of his matches this season at fullback but spent the majority of his NYC career with the Wests Tigers in the centres or on occasion on the wing. In addition to being a stand out for Keebra Park in multiple GIO Cup campaigns Watson Heleta has also represented the U20 Junior Kiwis in both 2014 and 2015.

To date in 2018 for the Western Suburbs Magpies in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership Watson Heleta has played in all nine of eth Magpies matches, playing the entire 80 minutes on each occasion. Watson Heleta has started seven matches on the wing and two being Rounds Six and Seven on the wing.

Watson Heleta has a career Intrust Super Cup strike rate of 43.4% and a 2018 strike rate of 44.44% with his tries coming in Round One against the Bulldogs, Round two against Newcastle, Round Four against Wentworthville and against North Sydney in Round Six.

In addition to playing all 80 minutes in each match, Watson Heleta has run for 1 253 metres, 380 post contact (30.33%) and 425 in relation to kick returns. Watson Heleta has also made 30 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 62.3%. The 22 year old has also been credited with three line breaks and 43 tackle breaks. Watson Heleta’s 2018 per game averages include playing 80 minutes, running for 139.3 metres and making 3.45 tackles.

Incredibly in each of his nine matches, Watson Heleta has run for in excess of 100 metres including running for 190 metres in a Round One match against the Canterbury Bulldogs and 160 metres in Round two against the Newcastle Knights.

Watson Heleta at 172cm and 91 kg is just a silky smooth runner of the ball who seems to glide across the field effortlessly and certainly has an extra gear in relation to the speed he possesses as well as plus speed off the mark and plus lateral movement as well. He also has the ability to stand up his direct opposite and then beat him with pace on the outside, something that is becoming increasingly rare in the modern game.

When he gets the ball early from his inside play makers, Watson Heleta is incredibly difficult to deal with one on one, as whilst his speed has already been noted, he is also a powerful runner who has the power to also break tackles through sheer power and not just rely on his speed to beat his opponent, in short he has a myriad of moves to break through the defensive line regardless of the defensive methodology that they are incorporating.

The one thing he also seems to be able to do well, is to step back inside without the loss of his speed or forward momentum, opposing defenders seem to push out quickly when he has the ball expecting him to look to beat them on their outside, if they come across to far, he has a very good step back side and if the inside defenders are not quick enough to cover across he has the speed to make a clean break in those circumstances.

Similarly when an opposing defender looks to come out of the line quickly to put pressure on him, Watson Heleta’s his quick twitch feet means that he can step off either foot quickly to negate the attempt to cut down his time. In short Watson Heleta is a very talented attacking player who looks to beat his opponent with speed and guile rather than purely by brute strength.

In defence Watson Heleta has good strength, but will certainly look to come out of the line to stop the attack before it has time to fully develop. He will show his opposite centre the sideline and is confident that his speed will enable him to get across to make the tackle.

As he fills out and gains more experience Watson Heleta will become more effective defensively, not that there is all that much wrong with how he defends at present certainly in relation to the standard he is playing at both at fullback and in the three quarter line.

Watson Heleta will play out the 2018 season with the Western Suburbs Magpies in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership and then I would be more than content to see him back on the Gold Coast chasing his NRL dream with either the Tweed Heads Seagulls or Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup come 2019.

Watson Heleta has spent the majority of this season at fullback but with his elusiveness and ability to run a solid line I would lean (just) towards a future in the centres. I acknowledge however that his play at fullback this season for the Western Suburbs Magpies in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership has given me reason to pause and may necessitate a position reconsideration from me in the not too distant future.

From a player comparison perspective for Watson Heleta, think of someone along the lines of the South Sydney and Queensland State of Origin centre Dane Gagai as a smooth moving centre who is elusive and difficult to defend against as a result.

[mdrew]

Brent Naden. The former Penrith Panthers junior star moved to the Newcastle Knights this season on a one year contract and to date has performed well in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership splitting time between centre and fullback for the Knights.

To date this season in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership Brent Naden has played in six matches coming into the side in Round two against the Western Suburbs magpies starting in the centres, he also started in the centres in Round Three. Post that round Brent Naden has started his remaining four matches at fullback and has played the entire 80 minutes in all six matches.

Brent Naden has a career strike rate in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership of 34.88%, scoring 15 tries from 43 appearances with both Newcastle and Penrith. This season his strike rate is 50% with tries in Round two against Western Suburbs, Round Three against Wentworthville and Round Nine against Wyong.

In his 480 minutes on the field this season Brent Naden has run for 696 metres, 217 of those post contact (31.78%) and made 23 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 77.4%. His per game averages include playing 80 minutes, running for 116.2 metres and making 5.2 tackles. Brent Naden has also has 23 tackle breaks and a line break through his six matches to date.

In four of his six 2018 New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership matches Brent Naden has run for in excess of 100 metres including 154 metres in Round Eight against North Sydney, 152 metres in Round Nine against Wyong, 136 metres in Round Three against Wentworthville and 108 metres on debut in Round two against Western Suburbs.

In 2015, the Wellington born (New South Wales) Brent Naden captained the Penrith Panthers NYC side in their Grand Final against Manly. Mid-way through 2016 Brent Naden moved to the Canberra Raiders, playing for the Mounties before signing a one year deal with the Newcastle Knights late last year.

Brent Naden is a big strong super quick centre with an effortless 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, something that is rare in the modern game. Brent Naden has used this skill set on multiple occasions on the right side of the field. He has a very strong fend which prevents opposing centres getting in on him and forcing him towards the sideline.

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

When the defence is sliding Brent Naden will cut inside and when the defence is playing an up and up style he has the plus speed and agile footwork to get on the outside of his direct opponent and beat him for speed to exploit the gap created.

In terms of his speed, in all aspects it would be considered at the above average in terms of speed off the mark, top end speed and sustainability. Another aspect where he is also very good is his ability to run out of dummy half. His size strength speed and power coupled with his plus footwork enables Brent Naden to make a significant amount of ground out of dummy half and also gives his forward a breather.

Defensively Brent Naden is constantly is in a position to disrupt the attacking movement of the opposition in either code. Brent Naden is more than capable of defending in either an up and in or sliding methodology. The other point I will make is that he certainly does not shirk contact, both in attack or defence

The 22 year old will finish the 2018 season with the Newcastle Knights in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership and with his contract up will potentially be looking for a new home with a club that is short attacking outside backs with the Titans seemingly being a club that may fit that bill depending on what happens between now and June 30 when at least two more players need to be added to the Titans 30 man NRL squad.

Brent Naden came through the ranks at Penrith as a centre and even though he is currently playing at fullback for Newcastle, with his size, being 184cm and 96kg coupled with his hole running ability he shapes as a relatively low cost option for a team looking for a hard running centre with the potential to continue to develop.

Brent Naden was considered the “next big” thing at Penrith a couple of seasons ago, which is a lot of pressure for a young player but he is slowly but surely developing into a very good young player with a potential NRL future in front of him if he continues on his current trajectory.

For me with his ability to break arm tackles pushing through the defensive line especially close to the line and a solid repeatable and effective defensive technique, Brent Naden has a playing style similar to that of Titans centre Dale Copley as a solid reliable centre who find is way to the try line on a regular basis

[mdrew]

Caleb Aikens. The young fullback from the Northlands region of New Zealand is setting the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership alight this season with the Penrith Panthers returning the ball with vigour and consistently giving the Panthers good field position when starting their set of six tackles.

The 183cm, 91 kg Caleb Aikens started at fullback in the first eight rounds this season and has played all 80 minutes in each match that he has been involved in. In his 640 minutes on the field, Caleb Aikens has run for 1 424 metres, 384 of those post contact (26.97%) and made 35 tackles at a solid tackling efficiency of 82.1%.

Caleb Aikens has also been credited with 2 try assists, three line breaks and 47 tackle breaks. His per game averages this season include playing all 80 minutes, running for a stunning 178.1 metres and making 4.25 tackles.

Incredibly Caleb Aikens has run for in excess of 100 metres in each of his eight matches this season and twice run for more than 200 metres. Caleb Aikens ran for 214 metres in Round Six against the Bulldogs and 203 metres in Round Eight against St George. In addition to those two matches, he ran for 197 metres in Round One against Wentworthville and in Round Eight ran for 193 metres to cap an outstanding run of form.

Prior to his move to the Penrith Panthers, Caleb Aikens was a regular member of the Northlands junior rugby league sides, representing the Northern Swords with distinction at both the U15 and U17 levels at the New Zealand National Age Championships. Caleb Aikens was also a stand out for Whangarei Boys High in the Adam Blair Shield, being the preeminent school boy rugby league competition in the Northlands region for a number of years now.

Caleb Aikens presents as a silky smooth player, who looks like he glides across the field picking and choosing his time to get involved and wants to have the ball in his hands when the game is on the line. In attack Caleb Aikens does not just stand at the back waiting for the “block” plays to occur. When his forwards are bringing the ball out of their own territory, Caleb Aikens is always in and around the ball looking for an offload and the opportunity to explode downfield as a result of outstanding speed off the mark and a wicked step off either foot.

I initially thought he would be a very good centre in rugby league, and I am sure with his natural ability he would be, but with the skills he has and the way the modern game is played, fullback seems to be his best position into the future especially taking into account his well-developed passing skills which are on display on a regular basis.

Caleb Aikens has above average speed off the mark and has outstanding balance and body control which enables him to break a lot of tackles through the centre of the ruck. Opposing defenders to key line him up when he is either running from dummy half or taking an offload and his explosiveness means that defenders are regularly reduced to grasping at him with an arm which Caleb Aikens regularly is able to explode through and continue his run.

In terms of his defence, one thing that stood out to me, when the opposition makes a break Caleb Aikens moves forward looking to cut down the time of the attacking player, which is quite impressive for such a young player.

The 20 year old will finish the 2018 season with Penrith in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership but is seemingly blocked in relation to the NRL fullback position at the Panthers and thus may just favour a move to a club where the custodian role is up for grabs.

Depending on where Gareth Brennan wants to play AJ Brimson, the Titans may just be a club that Caleb Aitkens would consider. Gareth Brennan also of course would be familiar with the New Zealand born youngster from his time in Sydney’s western suburbs.

Over the course of his junior rugby league career in New Zealand and for the Panthers NYC side in 2017 Caleb Aitkens played a number of positions including fullback, centre and five eight but this season at fullback Caleb Aitkens has been simply outstanding and seems destined to stay there as he pushes for a deserved NRL spot in the comings seasons.

From a player comparison perspective in relation to Caleb Aitkens, think along the lines of Cowboys fullback Lachlan Coote as a fullback with exceptional pace, balance, body control and footwork who is also courageous when it comes to his defensive duties and retrieving and returning kicks no matter how much pressure is on him.

[mdrew]

Gehamat Shibasaki. The young Brisbane Broncos contracted left centre is in the final year of his contract with them and is quickly finding his feet in the Queensland Cup competition with the Norths Devils.

The 184cm, 96kg youngster is still U20 Colts eligible this season but came into the Norths Devils Queensland Cup side in Round Three and has been an ever present ever since, starting all seven of his matches to date at left centre and on five occasions including the last four rounds straight has played all 80 minutes.

To date in the Queensland Cup in 2018 Gehamat Shibasaki has been on the field for 503 minutes, running for 960 metres, 296 of those post contract (30.83%) and has made 80 tackles at a decent tackling efficiency of 80.7%. It should be noted that over the last couple of rounds his tackling efficiency percentage is increasing. Gehamat Shibasaki’s sole try to date this season came against the Townsville Blackhawks in Round Seven.

Gehamat Shibasaki’s 2018 Queensland Cup per game averages include playing for 72 minutes, running for 137.2 metres and making 11.4 tackles. Gehamat Shibasaki has also been credited with 33 tackle breaks, four line breaks and two off loads.

In four of his seven matches in the Queensland Cup this season, Gehamat Shibasaki has run for in excess of 100 metres, including an exceptional effort in Round Nine when he ran for 264 metres against the Mackay Cutters and in the round prior being Round Eight against the Easts Tigers ran for 161 metres. Defensively in Round Seven against the Townsville Blackhawks Gehamat Shibasaki made seventeen tackles.

Gehamat Shibasaki who has both Torres Strait and Japanese heritage was a leading try scorer for the Brisbane Broncos over the course of the 2016 and 2017 NYC seasons and in 2016 had a rare achievement when he represented Queensland at both the U18 and U20 levels the same year.

Gehamat Shibasaki started his rugby league journey with Townsville Brothers in the U11 age group and has never looked back since.

Gehamat Shibasaki has very good speed off the mark, which I would consider above average for a centre 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, Gehamat Shibasaki usually is able to maintain his balance and keeps an arm free, looking to offload to either his inside or outside support.
Gehamat Shibasaki 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.
Gehamat Shibasaki also has a powerful fend which served him well in the NYC competition and in fact has been the reason for at least two of his line breaks this season when his opposing centre has gone high and he has just palmed him off with seemingly little effort. His natural strength is just an impressive attribute.
A real positive for me is that Gehamat Shibasaki can also run a good inside shoulder line due to the fact that he maintains his spacing in the back line and will quickly identify where his direct opponent is ling up to determine whether it is appropriate to run an inside or outside shoulder line or a “crash” line for that matter, he certainly has the courage to run that line regularly which not everybody has.
As you would expect, due to his size and strength, Gehamat Shibasaki is a very good defender regardless of position. He will not necessarily hit hard but is definitely aggressive and 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, Gehamat Shibasaki seems to be very comfortable in a sliding defensive scheme where he can use his speed and body control to their best advantage in though he can be an intimidating presence when he chooses to come out of the line to interrupt the attacking movement immediately prior to its development.

Gehamat Shibasaki will finish off the season with the Norths Devils in the Queensland Cup and with the likelihood of the Broncos keeping Jack Bird in the centres and Corey Oates resigning then Gehamat Shibasaki does not necessarily have a clear path to the NRL there.

The Townsville born youngster comes off contract with the Brisbane Broncos at the end of this season and with the Titans likely to be looking to strengthen their three quarter line they could do far worse than looking to bring in this talented young 20 year old strike centre who still possesses an almost unlimited amount of potential.

The centre position in the NRL has become a strange one over recent seasons, they seem to rarely take on their opposite number one on one and in some teams seem to be just another second rower just running straight into the opposing defensive line. At least Gareth Brennan seems looking to change that by getting both of his halves on the same side of the field on occasion to give them more room and options.

At 184cm and 96kg with above average speed and balance Gehamat Shibasaki if given the ball early can definitely fit the bill of a strike centre in the NRL who with his in and away can draw in the opposing defence giving his winger room to move down the touch line.

From an NRL player comparison perspective, Gehamat Shibasaki has similar traits to Sydney Roosters star young centre Latrell Mitchell. Like Mitchell, Gehamat Shibasaki is a big strong powerful young left centre who will not be beaten in a one on one contest in attack or defence. Gehamat Shibasaki is just a powerful young man now just learning how to translate and direct that natural strength and power consistently on a rugby league field.

[mdrew]

JJ Felise. The giant 22 year old former Keebra Park front rower made his NRL debut with the Wests Tigers in 2016, playing in eight matches. He played an additional five NRL matches in 2017 but to date in 2018 has been part of the Western Suburbs Magpies side in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership being unable to break into the Wests Tigers NRL side.

To date in 2018 for the Western Suburbs Magpies in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership JJ Felise has played in all nine matches starting six in the front row, one at lock being Round nine and two from the interchange bench.

In total in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership this season JJ Felise has been on the field for 398 minutes, run for 969 metres, 265 of those post contact (27.35%) and made 201 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 93.06%. JJ Felise’s 2018 per game averages include playing 44.2 minutes, running for 107.52 metres and making 23.44 tackles.

In four of his nine matches this season JJ Felise has run for in excess of 100 metres including a standout match in Round One against the Canterbury Bulldogs when he ran for 200 metres in just 42 minutes on the field. JJ Felise also ran for 135 minutes in Round two against the Newcastle Knights. JJ Felise also has seven off loads and six tackle breaks this season through his nine matches.

Defensively JJ Felise has made more than 20 tackles in a match in seven of his nine matches, including making 37 tackles in 60 minutes on the field in Round Eight against Wentworthville and in Round Eight made 26 tackles.

As previously noted JJ Felise has played in 13 NRL matches, making his debut in Round Seven of the 2016 season against the Melbourne Storm. JJ Felise played in eight NRL matches in 2016 and five in 2017 all from the interchange bench.

In 2017 in his five NRL matches JJ Felise ran for 253 metres, 95 of those post contact (37.55%) and made 55 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 90.16% thus JJ Felise’s 2017 NRL per game averages included playing for 34 minutes, making 50.66 metres and 11 tackles.

In 2016 in his eight NRL matches JJ Felise ran for 499 metres, 179 post contact (35.87%) and made 100 tackles at an exceptional tackling efficiency of 97.09%. JJ Felise’s 2016 NRL per game averages included playing 38 minutes, running for 62.49 metres and making 12.5 tackles.

Prior to his NRL debut in 2016, JJ Felise played the 2015 and start of the 2016 season with the Wests Tigers NYC side and in 2013 and 2014 whilst at Keebra Park represented the Queensland Open School Boys rugby league side and in 2016 was part of the Queensland U20 Emerging Origin squad.

At around 184cm and 108kg the pace and power in terms of how he runs the ball is the outstanding feature of JJ Felise’s 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 JJ Felise will target the smaller defenders on the edge of the ruck and burst through and for a big young bloke he has very good speed over the medium term and has the strength to drag defenders with him.

The defensive side of his game is similarly impressive, JJ Felise does not just charge wildly up looking for a huge hit, but is calculating in where and when to hit. Quite a few of his tackles result in a knock on by the opposition as the ball came loose as a result of the impact of the tackle, he just hits so hard. He drives hard with his legs and always uses his shoulder and core body strength to drive into his opponent.

JJ Felise will finish the 2018 season with the Western Suburbs Magpies in the New South Intrust Super Cup competition and it will be interesting to see then where he chooses to continue his career especially if he is unable to expand on his 13 NRL matches to date with the Wests Tigers.

JJ Felise would look very good in a Tweed Heads or Burleigh Bears jersey in 2019 in the Queensland Cup and with his physical characteristics and rugby league ability there is no way that he should give up on having a long and solid NRL career.

At 184cm and 108kg JJ Felise has the ideal size to develop into an above average NRL front rower and at 22 years old is still a couple of years away from maturing both physically and skill wise in the front row.

Albert Vete is an accurate comparison from a playing style perspective for JJ Felise. JJ Felise is a big strong powerful hard running, hard tackling player who leads by example and looks to dominate his opponents in all aspects of the game.

[mdrew]

Thomas Mikaele. The giant Ipswich born former Australian Schoolboy, Keebra Park student and Queensland U18 representative is currently on an NRL Development Contract with the Wests Tigers but has shown in limited playing time this season with the Western Suburbs Magpies in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership that a Top 30 NRL contract is not far away.

To date in 2018 for the Western Suburbs Magpies in the New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership Thomas Mikaele has played in just two matches but plenty more will follow this season. In his two matches being Rounds Eight and Nine against Wentworthville and St George respectively. Thomas Mikaele started Round Eight from the interchange but was in the starting line-up in the front row for Round Nine.

In those matches Thomas Mikaele has played 53 minutes, run for 81 metres from eight hit-ups and made 31 tackles at a tackling efficiency of 86.1%, thus his 2018 per game averages include playing 26.5 minutes, running for 40.5 metres and making 15.5 tackles. Thomas Mikaele has also broken two tackles so far in 2018.

In Round Eight Thomas Mikaele ran for 47 metres and made 16 tackles. Round Nine saw him run for 33 metres and make 15 tackles in his starting debut for the Western Suburbs Magpies.

Prior to his call up to the Western Suburbs Magpies New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership side Thomas Mikaele has been playing in the U20 Jersey Flegg competition for Western Suburbs.

To say that Thomas Mikaele had an outstanding junior rugby league career would be an understatement. He has represented Australian Schoolboys in 2016, the same year representing South Coast(scoring against Wide Bay) and Queensland Schoolboys.

Thomas Mikaele has also represented Queensland at the U18 level twice (a rare feat indeed) and also twice named in the U20 Queensland Emerging Origin Squad including for this current season. Also in 2016 Thomas Mikaele was the Keebra Park Open Rugby League captain taking the side to the National GIO Cup Final. Outstanding Titans rookie Moeaki Fotuaika was also part of that Keebra Park GIO Cup side. Thomas Mikaele’s NYC career included playing 17 games for the Wests Tigers in the 2017 season.

Thomas Mikaele is in summary a big strong powerful young man who runs with pace and power into the defensive with no thoughts of preservation. When purely metres need to be made, Thomas Mikaele will not sue footwork and just power into the defensive line, but he also certainly can use subtle footwork to aim at the gaps between the opposing forwards.

With the power that he has in his legs when opposing defenders try to tackle him around the legs, it is almost impossible for them to bring Thomas Mikaele down quickly which enables him to either break the tackle completely or to off load to his support runners. When they look to tackle him around the chest his upper body strength enables him to absorb the initial contact and also to maintain his balance and momentum.

Defensively Thomas Mikaele is able to engage and defeat opposing attacker one on one regardless of size. He does not just charge up trying to hit attacker’s chest on but Thomas Mikaele is clinical about how and where he hits the opponent and sets a solid base with his legs and drives directly into their body. In short he is a difference marker with his defence. With his strength and technique he should likely always be considered a plus defender regardless of the quality of opponent that he is up against.

Even though he does not necessary have great straight speed, his lateral movement is very good and on the majority of occasions is able to mirror the movement of smaller attacker looking to exploit a perceived speed and/or mobility difference.

Thomas Mikaele made his New South Wales Intrust Super Premiership debut in Round Eight and whilst he may not play in every round will no doubt continue to gain valuable experience playing against men for the remainder of this year and in 2019 is still U20 Colts eligible.

At an imposing 194cm and 110kg Thomas Mikaele is a powerhouse of a player and the scary part is that he has the body type to add additional muscle mass without having to compromise on his speed or mobility what so ever. It is these physical traits and of course his skill set that means that he shapes as a ten year NRL and representative level front rower sooner rather than later.

Thomas Mikaele and Payne Haas were front row partners for Keebra Park in their 2016 GIO Cup campaign and the Australian School Boys side the same year and in many respects that are quite similar type of players and thus when you look at how Payne Haas plays you will have an appreciation of the style of Thomas Mikaele. Both are exceptionally big strong mobile young men with outstanding athleticism, call it elite for their size.

Thomas Mikaele however is far more than just an athlete he is an exceptionally talented young rugby league front rower who will only get better in the next couple of years. If the Titans want a young front rower to partner teen sensation and recent NRL debutant Moeaki Fotuaika for the next ten years or so then bringing this young man back to South East Queensland is an absolute must. The two were team mates in the Keebra Park GIO Sup side in 2016 that made the National final so the two of them playing in the side team would be a back to the future moment.

[mdrew]

Izi Sword. The outstanding young centre has moved to Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie) on a rugby scholarship and was a standout for Churchie in the recent GPS representative rugby trials held on the Gold Coast in the No. 13 jersey, being outside centre.

In the first round of the trials where Izi Sword was one of two the stand out No. 13’s on the day with the other being the TSS No. 13 as his Churchie side played round robin matches against TSSand Ipswich Grammar School (IGS).

Also this season Izi Sword played three matches in the Brisbane Premier Rugby Colts II competition, but a bad effort for a 17 year old to play against 20 year olds. Izi Sword’s first Colts II match of the season came in Round One against Logan Central where he started at No. 8 in a 34 – 22 win for Souths.

Izi Sword played inside centre in a Round Two 33 – 12 victory against Easts and in Round Three once again started at inside centre in a 31 – 24 victory against North’s Rugby Club. Post those matches, Izi Sword moved from Corinda State High School in Brisbane’s West to Churchie in East Brisbane.

Throughout his junior career the former Corinda State High School student has played both rugby and rugby league, representing South’s Sunnybank in the later and South Rugby Club in the former. In 2017 Izi Sword played in the GBJRL U16 Division One competition dominating the competition. In 2017 Izi Sword represented City U16’s in their annual rugby match against Country.

Izi Sword is a strong powerfully built young man who runs with pace, speed 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, Izi Sword 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 whilst maintaining his running line.

If the opposing winger still out, Izi Sword 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 however. When you look at his build he may not look like he has a lot of speed, but Izi Sword definitely does.

Izi Sword is not necessarily the quickest off the mark but has very good acceleration and speed once he is moving and can sustain his top speed over an extended period which is very impressive for a player of his size and strong build.

Izi Sword’s defensive technique is one styled 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 Izi Sword 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 his opponent getting on his outside and setting up a two or one down the sideline.

With his performance in the first round of the GPS school boy representative trials it seems more than likely that Izi Sword will be selected in one of the GPS School boy representative sides for the Queensland Schools Championships which will be held at Ballymore in late June.

Post those representative commitments, Izi Sword will line up at outside centre for the Churchie First XV in the GPS Competition in Term Three of the school calendar.

Izi Sword has been a centre in both rugby (except for a couple of matches at No. 8 last year and one match this year) and rugby league and there is no reason that that will change any time soon.

New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand International Solomon Kata is the closest NRL player that I can envisage that Izi Sword has a similar playing style too, that being of a hard running aggressive type of player who relishes the contact, the harder the better both in attack and defence and is absolutely fearless in both aspects. This young man is certainly one player to keep an eye on in coming years.

[mdrew]

Playing at fullback Blaise Barnes scored a double as Randwick defeated Parramatta 58-10 in Sydney Colts I this afternoon

Blaise Barnes. The outstanding youngster, after a stellar school boy rugby career with St Joseph’s College in Sydney, signed a two year deal with the Parramatta Eels for the 2017 NYC season and beyond but with the demise of the NYC competition has moved back to rugby where he has been in outstanding form for the Randwick Rugby Club in the Sydney Premier Rugby Colts II competition coming back from an ACL injury which forced him to miss all of last season.

I am not sure the specifics of Blaise Barnes return to rugby but it may relate to the fact that he missed the 2017 season with an ACL injury and with the demise of the NYC the writing was on the wall. I am not sure if Parramatta released him or he requested a release but considering that Blaise Barnes had only played rugby prior to 2017 I thought that his transition to rugby league all things considered would take a couple of seasons. It is interesting that Blaise Barnes was involved in the Parramatta Eels U20 Jersey Flegg side (with a young powerful centre who will be Titans colours in 2019) in the off season including playing the first trial after being named on the interchange bench.

Through the opening rounds of the Sydney Premier Rugby Colts competition for Randwick, Blaise Barnes has started at No. 10 (roughly similar to five eight in rugby league). Blaise Barnes started Round One at fly half in the Colts III competition scoring a try and kicking a conversion in a 31 – 10 win over Gordon.

In Round two Blaise Barnes was promoted to the Randwick Colts II side , starting at fly half, scoring a hat trick and kicking a conversion in a 63 – 5 win over Warringah. Round Three saw Blaise Barnes maintain his place at fly half in the Colts II Randwick side and he repaid the coaches faith kicking seven conversions from as many attempts as Randwick defeated Easts 49 – 14. Thus through two matches in the Sydney Premier Colts II competition, Tristian Reilly has already amassed 31 points.

Round Four against West Harbour last weekend saw Blaise Barnes move up to the Randwick Colts I side where he played inside centre and scored a double with Randwick winning the match 109 – 0.

Prior to signing with the Parramatta Eels Blaise Barnes had an outstanding school boy rugby career with St Joseph’s College in their 2017 XV side and in Year 11 was selected in the New South Wales II School boy side for the Australian Schools Championships.

Blaise Barnes is just a smooth mover, he can create for himself or others and if a defensive line does not chase a kick in one straight line the young flyer will simply cut them apart. Blaise Barnes’s speed off the mark is in the plus plus category and when accompanied with exceptional body control and balance he is a handful for defensives especially when the defensive line is not set or when a turnover occurs.

Just like his explosive speed off the mark, Blaise Barnes’s body and body control are in the plus plus category as is his ability to step off both feet and can, just like Benji Marshall in his heyday, step multiple times in a small time frame and area to change both his direction and momentum as well as defenders.

Blaise Barnes also has exceptional hands when defending against kicks especially when low short attacking kicks are put in, Blaise Barnes attacks the ball at full speed aiming to get there prior to the arrival of the attacks and look to make ground while the opposition are still in an attacking mode.

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

Defensively Blaise Barnes is more than strong enough to confront any attacker who has broken through the initial defensive line and if he is caught out of position has dynamic closing speed to address this situation. When a break has been made, Blaise Barnes’s primary objective is to more forward to reduce the time available for the attacker to work through is options.

Blaise Barnes is also effective at maintaining his composure and taking the player with the ball and not falling for any dummies, he makes an opposing team earn the ground that they make with his exceptional closing speed.

Blaise Barnes will play out the 2018 season with Randwick and should also get a number of matches in Randwick’s Colts I side and potentially also with their 2nd grade side where Randwick traditionally promote their youngsters to once they have started to master the Colts I competition. As he gets back to full fitness after his ACL injury last season there is no doubt his class will shine through and Blaise Barnes will excel for Randwick regardless of grade, age group or for that matter position on the field.

The movement is talented young players is without doubt a big negative of the demise of the NYC competition. With the reduction in the prestige of U20 rugby league it is more than understandable that Blaise Barnes has chosen to head back to rugby instead of continuing in rugby league especially taking into account his injury marred 2017 season. It is still disappointing however that rugby league is now more NRL focussed than ever before.

My player comparison for Blaise Barnes is a little out of left field, primarily because I have seen Blaise Barnes play more rugby than rugby league (a lot more) but he has outstanding elusiveness and body control even though he does not necessarily have elite top end speed. Blaise Barnes’s speed off the mark however can be considered at the elite level. Couple those attributes with an outstanding kicking game, both tactical and goal kicking and developing game management skills and you have a young player who plays like New Zealand All Black and Wellington Hurricanes Super 15 Rugby No. 10 Brayden Barrett.

Injuries have curtailed the career of Blaise Barnes over the last 12 months but now that he has returned to the field the sky is the limit for this outstanding young ball runner and playmaker.

Blaise Barnes is certainly a loss to rugby league for the present time but he has family ties to rugby league so fingers crossed one day he is back in the rugby league ranks and making an impact in the NRL.

[mdrew]

Flying West/s rugby left winger Shea Lalagavesi scored another double this afternoon in Round Eleven of the Brisbane Premier Rugby Colts I 53 - 21 win over Sunnybank