JTS to NRL; the Titans juniors transition lounge

[Titanic]

It's not rocket science ... if you don't have or not eligible for an Australian passport then you're not Australian ... visas don't count. If you are eligible and have an islander heritage then you can apply the Tier 2 rule.

Anyone like to hypothesise on which, if any, of the Burleigh or Tweed squads should be given a go at the NRL ... I know some are not contractually able to step up but is there any potential in there who could patch-up the NRL squad once the deadwood is removed?

[Hail Sezer]

It's not rocket science ... if you don't have or not eligible for an Australian passport then you're not Australian ... visas don't count. If you are eligible and have an islander heritage then you can apply the Tier 2 rule.

Anyone like to hypothesise on which, if any, of the Burleigh or Tweed squads should be given a go at the NRL ... I know some are not contractually able to step up but is there any potential in there who could patch-up the NRL squad once the deadwood is removed?

IMO (and this excludes any current or future Titans contracted players e.g. Alick, Fa'asumaleaui, Haas) the ones worth a look:

Burleigh
Tristan Powell (middle)
Taine Tuapiki (fullback, formerly a half in his younger days)
Josh Rogers (5/8)

Tweed
Josh Patston (edge)
Brent Woolf deserves to be in that conversation but he can't seem to stay healthy. Their other hooker Craig Garvey is a very good runner of the ball (you might recognise the name - he's played some NRL)
Charlie Murray (middle/edge) another but he's a young bloke that is fresh to Qcup and probably needs more time
Would say JJ Collins (middle) but he has signed with Dolphins for '23

Have excluded Tweed players Ben Liyou (middle) and Kaleb Ngamanu (centre/wing) who are both JTS contracted.

FWIW, these are the players playing Qcup eligible to play NRL for the Titans this year as of right now who have not featured this season:
Burleigh - Francis (centre/wing), Khan-Pereira (wing), Alick (edge/potentially middle), Booth (hooker)
Tweed - Fifita (centre/wing)

Then there's another group that will be parachuted in to the full-time NRL squad from '23 - e.g. Haas and Fa'asuamaleaui V2.

[Titanic]

Thanks HS, now the big question, who if any of them should be selected this coming week?

[Hail Sezer]

Thanks HS, now the big question, who if any of them should be selected this coming week?

Booth at 9 and probably Jojo on the right wing, slightly edging out Tony Francis. I will say i think these two can eventually be our centre pairing.

Alick is probably closer to getting a shot with how we're going but where he plays is another question. Outside Sexton he's going to join a dysfunctional defensive edge and outside Turner he's got a 5/8 who doesn't get his body in front and should really just be running the ball. A middle off the bench could be an option but with Booth at 9 our Clark conundrum (bench 9 or lock) also needs to be considered.

With the other ones who aren't Titans contracted, we're limited by the fact that any short term fix becomes a full-time roster spot taken for the rest of the season, so it needs to be calculated in that respect. Tristan Powell as a high-effort, big engine, tough middle fills a need and he's the one I'd be most inclined to promote if it were up to me. Taine Tuapiki would bring something at fullback but I'm not sure that is the best use of the roster spot, same goes but to a lesser extent Rogers who is playing some very good football at 5/8.

Then again, does a full-time roster spot being occupied really matter when the opportunity cost for the remainder of the season is likely nil? Perhaps not. Sign them all

[The Birdman]

Booth at 9 and probably Jojo on the right wing, slightly edging out Tony Francis. I will say i think these two can eventually be our centre pairing.

Alick is probably closer to getting a shot with how we're going but where he plays is another question. Outside Sexton he's going to join a dysfunctional defensive edge and outside Turner he's got a 5/8 who doesn't get his body in front and should really just be running the ball. A middle off the bench could be an option but with Booth at 9 our Clark conundrum (bench 9 or lock) also needs to be considered.

With the other ones who aren't Titans contracted, we're limited by the fact that any short term fix becomes a full-time roster spot taken for the rest of the season, so it needs to be calculated in that respect. Tristan Powell as a high-effort, big engine, tough middle fills a need and he's the one I'd be most inclined to promote if it were up to me. Taine Tuapiki would bring something at fullback but I'm not sure that is the best use of the roster spot, same goes but to a lesser extent Rogers who is playing some very good football at 5/8.

Then again, does a full-time roster spot being occupied really matter when the opportunity cost for the remainder of the season is likely nil? Perhaps not. Sign them all

Agreed HS. The season is a total write off so if there is anyone with any chance of blowing up we should give them a shot and roster spot.

[Hail Sezer]

Congratulations to the QSSRL U18's who today beat NSW CHS 18'S to win the National Schoolboys carnival. Junior Titans Squad members Keano Kini, Josiah Pahulu, Seth Nikotemo and Josh Lynn all featured for the QLD side.

[Hail Sezer]

A further congratulations to Keano Kini, Josiah Pahulu and Arama Hau who have been named in the 2022 Australian Schoolboys side. Well done

All three of these players will be with the NRL squad for pre-season training.

[Titanic]

Those three in particular looked sharp.

[mdrew]

Tom Weaver making his QCup debut this evening for Tweed Heads against Redcliffe.

[Croc]

Tom Weaver making his QCup debut this evening for Tweed Heads against Redcliffe.

Hopefully he goes well.. wish it was on Kayo

[Bayside Titan]

Tom Weaver making his QCup debut this evening for Tweed Heads against Redcliffe.

How did he go mate ? I saw the Dolphins beat Tweed in the end after being tied 4 all at half time ?

[mdrew]

How did he go mate ? I saw the Dolphins beat Tweed in the end after being tied 4 all at half time ?

Did not get too many opportunities as Tweed were well beaten but showed that he can direct a team around the field well.

[Firetruck]

The pleasing point from the Tweed game from my perspective was the form of Kleese Haas. I only watched the first half but he played with plenty of energy on both sides of the ball.

[Hail Sezer]

PBC’s green and gold guns back in Langer Trophy action

Ever since he made the bold move across the ditch, Keano Kini has been tipped to take Gold Coast rugby league by storm.

But his high school coach, Tim Maccan, has issued a warning against rushing the teenage star into the elite levels, even with higher honours firmly on his radar.

Kini, along with his Palm Beach Currumbin teammate Michael Roberts, have been selected in the national under-18s schoolboys side on the back of brilliant showings at the Australian Secondary Schools rugby league championships.

The pair will be back in action for Palm Beach Currumbin as the Langer Trophy powerhouse takes on Ipswich State High. Action from three grades, including the Langer Reserves, will be live streamed by KommunityTV from 1.30pm.

The PBC duo were joined by fellow Glitter Strip talents Arama Hau (Keebra Park) and Josiah Pahulu (Burleigh) in the Australian Schoolboys side.

Since he and his family relocated from New Zealand at the start of last year, having been signed by the Gold Coast Titans, Kini has showcased his speed and game awareness each time he has pulled on the PBC red.

Training and playing as both a fullback and five-eighth, the youngster is expected to begin his first full pre-season with the NRL squad this year upon graduating.

But Maccan said while Kini had all the makings of a first-grade player, he and his fellow rookies needed to be given time to rise through the ranks.

Maccan said the burden of expectation — both internally and externally — was too often thrust onto young players and they needed to be treated as the early product, not the end.

“I think he’s got a couple of years (before the NRL), the really hard thing is the pressure they put on kids when they leave school to go straight into an NRL system — not just by the club but themselves, and that is big,” Maccan said.

“They have to realise they’re playing against men, they’ve been against kids their own age and they have to play against men and get the feel of the game and intensity of it.

“There’s always people wanting to get them into the (NRL) system because they believe it’s going to get them in the best mindset to go into an NRL pathway.

“But I think it’s all about patience with the kids. You can’t put them straight out of school and expect them in to an NRL system competing against guys who have been there for four or five years.

“It’s really unfair to compare them to those guys, they should be comparing them to other guys who have only done one pre-season. And then it’s just staying patient with them, letting them play in the under-21s as a 19-year-old consistently and then move forward.”

What impressed Maccan the most about Kini’s standout performances in Queensland’s national championships victory was the way he adjusted in the throes of the contest.

Typically a dynamic ball runner who causes chaos through the middle of the field, wet conditions and dozens of games being played on the same field took the sting out of the turf.

It meant Kini needed to change his style of play, and he did so in the thick of the moment.

“I think it wasn’t until, from what I could see, midway through that second game against CIS

(Combined independent Schools) where he had to change his game to suit the conditions,” Maccan said.

“It was quite wet and boggy through the middle of the field, so I like how he changed his approach from being more of an attacking threat with his stepping and weaving and became more a support runner.

“I thought he was one of the better players in the team. He’s a pretty mature kid … and that (his game change) obviously did wonders for him.”

The clash between Palm Beach Currumbin and Ipswich State High is expected to be a mouthwatering showdown with both sides undefeated over the opening rounds of the Langer Trophy.

https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au...47eb03bc4244bb

[lonegull]

I just hope Kini stays in titans colours for a long time, I can see him turning into a 5/8th in the future and has NRL written all over him a very special talent.