Welcome to League of Titans

My take on our top juniors

Mason Broadhurst. The young fullback/centre currently attends the Titans partnered Rockhampton Grammar School.

In late 2023 Mason Broadhurst was named in the 2024 Central Queensland Capra’s U17 Cyril Connell Cup Squad.

Round Four of the U17 CC Cup competition saw Mason Broadhurst start on the left wing for the Central Queensland Capra’s against the Mackay Cutters with Mason Broadhurst scoring in the 56th minute when after the ball was spun from a Capra’s scrum win on the opposite side of the field Mason Broadhurst received the ball eighteen metres out from his own try line with Mason Broadhurst then getting on the outside of his opposite winger to race away down the left touchline to score untouched ten metres in from the left corner post.

Mason Broadhurst’s speed plays very well on a rugby league field and he is quite quick down the sidelines with a good in and away to beat defenders on the outside and will not get caught from behind if he gets into open space.

In addition to his speed Mason Broadhurst seems to have the ability to “freeze” his direct opponent with his ability to step off both feet before accelerating around them usually on the touchline side although his situational awareness and innate understanding of where the touch line is means that he understands when he should cut back inside thus not to risk being forced into touch.

I really like the way that Mason Broadhurst runs at full speed regardless of the situation. When he has made a break Mason Broadhurst runs at the full back at full pace and does not look to be too cute by trying to out think the opposing fullback. By running at speed directly at the fullback, Mason Broadhurst, not only stops the lateral momentum of the fullback but also reduces the time that the fullback has to make a decision on how to defend against Mason Broadhurst.

Like most of the modern day wingers Mason Broadhurst also has the ability to find the try line in some unlikely situations where it appears that there is no way he could possibly get the ball down without going into touch. His straight line speed would be considered plus plus, Mason Broadhurst is just incredibly quick both off the mark and when he is in motion.

Mason Broadhurst has very good hands low to the ground on grubber kicks or when defenders drop bombs and uses his reach to get to the ball quickly before defenders. Mason Broadhurst will also chase general play kicks with vigour trying to improve the effectiveness of his teams kicking game as well as gaining better field position for his team as the opposition are forced to use up tackles to get out of their own territory.

Mason Broadhurst just seems to have the uncanny ability to take advantage of even the most remote opportunity to score, which ultimately is a trait that is naturally occurring rather than a process or mindset that can be taught or developed in any significant way.

In addition Mason Broadhurst is also deceptively effective running out of dummy half trying to gain field position when bringing the ball out of their own territory. Normally running to the right of the play the ball (Mason Broadhurst is a left winger to be fair), Mason Broadhurst just seems to almost always make the initial defender miss.

In terms of running the ball back from kicks, similarly Mason Broadhurst just seems to make the initial defender miss often. What I also like in terms of kick returns is that Mason Broadhurst does not jog after the ball, thus allowing the defence to converge, Mason Broadhurst sprints after the ball to collect it and then makes an immediate decision whether to look to run around the defensive line if it is a short line or is staggered or just run the ball directly into the defensive line to make as much ground as possible.

Defensively one area that Mason Broadhurst has impressed me is his ability to defend against any size opponent, from small quick opposing outside backs to big strong powerful centres or backrowers running wider of the ruck in his direction.

Mason Broadhurst seemingly has more strength that his size and body shape would dictate, 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.

When he is outnumbered from a defensive perspective, Mason Broadhurst has the ability to mirror the movement of the attacker with the ball and hold off committing to the tackle, thus forcing the attacker to commit to a course of action (either run the ball themselves or draw Mason Broadhurst and pass.

This attribute of Mason Broadhurst’s puts the pressure back onto the attacker and puts Mason Broadhurst in a far better position to negate the paly himself or at the very least buys Mason Broadhurst’s team mates time to come across in cover defence. Mason Broadhurst is just a smart defender in all types of situations and that holds him in very good stead into the future.

Regardless of where and how he defends Mason Broadhurst sets a good base and uses his leg strength to direct his strength through the core of his body into his opponent. Mason Broadhurst just intuitively knows how to defend from a timing and technique perspective and rarely loses contact with the attacker once he has engaged them defensively.

Mason Broadhurst uses this contact to redirect the momentum of the attacker towards the touch line. Mason Broadhurst also gets low and this is able to get underneath any fend that is looking to hold Mason Broadhurst off from him initiating contact with the body of his opponent and thus further disrupt his momentum.

Mason Broadhurst will continue to play rugby league for Rockhampton Grammar School in 2024.

Thus with his tall frame, good positioning and ability to pick the correct time to chime into the backline I believe that Mason Broadhurst’s best position is at fullback, although his skill set suggests that Mason Broadhurst could also play either centre or on the wing more than comfortably.

Mason Broadhurst is not a giant of a centre/fullback or winger from an overall size perspective, relying more on guile and outright speed and elusiveness to be a try scoring threat and to that extent an NRL player comparison to South Sydney Rabbitohs and New South Wales State of Origin centre Campbell Graham is more than a reasonable and appropriate one.

Both Graham and Mason Broadhurst are not the giant centre/winger or fullback that the modern game seems to currently (or certainly did) crave but they are smart as well as cunning and ultimately very very successful at finding their way to the try line even when on first glance their chances appeared unlikely when they initially received the ball.
 
Tyson MacDonald. Tyson MacDonald signed a multi-year contract with the Gold Coast Titans in early 2024.

Round One of the 2024 U17 Cyril Connell (CC) Cup competition saw Tyson MacDonald named on the Souths Logan Magpies extended bench for their home match against the Burleigh Bears.

Tyson MacDonald was then named on the left wing for the Magpies in Round Three against the Brisbane Tigers with Tyson MacDonald running the ball to the right of the play the ball in the 16th minute from ten metres from his own try line before cutting off his right foot to target the area behind the marker and carry the ball to the twenty five metre mark as a result.

Tyson MacDonald did well in the 33rd minute when after running back inside his own ten metres area to collect a Tigers kick seven metres from his own try line near the left touchline Tyson MacDonald ran the ball towards the centre of the field to get the ball out to the twenty two metre mark.

Tyson MacDonald produced a smart piece of play in the 39th minute when a cut out pass was thrown in his wing and with the ball arriving very low Tyson MacDonald instead of taking the risk of trying to catch the low ball kicked the ball in mid-air with his left foot from ten metres from the try line and on the left touchline with the Tigers fullback knocking the ball on a metre from his own try lien trying to collect Tyson MacDonald’s left foot kick.

Tyson MacDonald did well defensively in the 12th minute when after initially holding up the Brisbane Tigers right centre over the try line, Tyson MacDonald then forced the centre back into the field of play and subsequently over the left touchline.

Whilst defending in his left wing in the 43rd minute with a great take of a high Tigers kick to his wing with Tyson MacDonald leaping above his opposing winger who also contested the ball to take the ball on the full less than a metre from his own try line and five metres in from the left touchline.

Tyson MacDonald also made a good take of a Tigers kick-off on the full with Tyson MacDonald moving forward to take the kick-off low down on the full under pressure twenty three metres from his try line and ten metres in from the left touchline.

Tyson MacDonald then came off the bench to operate on the left wing in Round Five against the Wynnum Manly Seagulls with Tyson MacDonald scoring in the 47th minute when after the Magpies spun the ball to the left, Tyson MacDonald was confronted by his opposing winger looking to engage him as he received the ball but Tyson MacDonald deftly spun clockwise as he took possession of the ball to beat the opposing winger with Tyson MacDonald then having a two metre run to put the ball down in the left corner.

Tyson MacDonald also made a line break in the 49th minute when after receiving an off-load from his inside on the halfway mark Tyson MacDonald made a line break down the left touchline and got to within twenty eight metres from the try line with Tyson MacDonald doing well to stay in the field of play as he was tackled by the Seagull cover defence.

Tyson MacDonald then started from the bench in Round Five against the Redcliffe Dolphins with Tyson MacDonald coming onto the field in the 39th minute to operate on the left wing.

Tyson MacDonald then moved back into the Magpies starting line-up on the left wing for Round Six against the Tweed Heads Seagulls with Tyson MacDonald making a good kick return in the 20th minute when after taking the ball on the full thirty four metres from his try line Tyson MacDonald was able to return the kick to within four metres of the halfway mark.

Tyson MacDonald also did well in the 32nd minute when after jumping high to take a cut-out pass above his head in both hands sixteen metres out and on the left touchline Tyson MacDonald did well to stay inside the field of play and even get the ball to within five metres of the try line.

In 2023 Tyson MacDonald in addition to playing for Ipswich Grammar School in the School Boy Rugby GPS U15A competition Tyson MacDonald was selected in the U15 Emerging Reds South East Queensland Representative side on the right wing (No. 14) with Tyson MacDonald scoring against Brisbane White at the Queensland U15 State Rugby Championships.

Tyson MacDonald was also part of the Met West U15 School Boy Representative Rugby side that won the 2023 Queensland School Boy Rugby U15 Championships with Tyson MacDonald scoring from the right wing (No. 14) for Met West against Met North.
One of the reasons Tyson MacDonald is so successful on a football field is his exceptional speed and elusiveness, he is the fastest player I have ever seen on a field and when you add in his elusiveness, he is a nightmare 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 him to use the sideline exceptionally well with an in and away, all three of his first half tries against Ipswich in Round Thirteen last weekend are a testament to this skill.
When the opposing defender’s momentum slows just for a split second, Tyson MacDonald is away down the sideline and will not get caught and also regularly also beats the fullback who no matter how fast they are cannot recover the ground.
Tyson MacDonald is also adept at making ground out of dummy half. Once he has picked the ball up he simply explodes out of there and targets a gap between opposing forwards and looks to accelerate through it. If the defenders look to jersey grab or make an arm tackle, Tyson MacDonald simply bursts through it and into the space behind the ruck.
Tyson MacDonald is not a big player at all and the obvious question is whether he is strong enough to handle the defensive side of rugby league at the higher levels, I would argue that the answer is absolutely yes. In defence against the bigger outside backs running around, Tyson MacDonald looks to cut down the time that they have to gain momentum thus eliminating the size differential as a defensive aspect to take into consideration.
At the opposite end of the spectrum when opposing a quick winger, Tyson MacDonald will show them the side line and use his speed advantage to force the opponent towards the touch line, with their only real option to slow and try to come back inside towards Tyson MacDonald and the cover defence.
From a courage stand point Tyson MacDonald also passes any objective measurement that can be considered when evaluating this criterion. He will stand his ground under the high ball and is one of the first players to take a run out of dummy half when the ball needs to be brought out of his side’s own end.
Tyson MacDonald also has the speed to show his opponent the sideline and cut him down and has the recovery speed to turn and chase if a break is made either on his side of the field or for that matter the other side.

In addition to playing in the 2024 U17 Cyril Connell Cup competition (Tyson MacDonald is also CC Cup eligible in 2025) with the Souths Logan Magpies, Tyson MacDonald will return to Ipswich Grammar School in 2024 and whilst Tyson MacDonald will likely start the 2024 GPS School Boy Rugby season in the Ipswich Grammar School U16A side but do not be surprised if Tyson MacDonald makes his GPS School Boy Rugby First XV debut for Ipswich Grammar School in 2024, such is Tyson MacDonald’s level of maturity, physical attributes and overall skill level.

Tyson MacDonald has played on the wing (primarily right wing) in rugby and ultimately I believe that Tyson MacDonald will also line up on the wing (likely left wing) as his rugby league career progresses in the coming years. In addition to likely being a try scoring winger with the capacity to score freakish tries in the corner regardless of competition level, Tyson MacDonald also has the size, speed, strength and power to be very effective at taking yardage carries from deep inside his own territory to help out his forward pack when they are under duress as they attempt to come off their own try line.

North Queensland Cowboys and Queensland State of Origin winger Murray Taulagi is for me an accurate playing style comparison for Tyson MacDonald as both Tyson MacDonald and Taulagi run the ball hard from an attacking perspective and hit just as hard defensively.
 
Kaea Cribb. In 2024 Kaea Cribb will line up for the Currumbin Eagles in the Gold Coast Rugby League U18 Division One competition with Kaea Cribb also U18 eligible in 2025. The 2024 Trials saw Kaea Cribb line up at fullback for the Eagles.

Kaea Cribb will also attend PBC SHS in 2024 and will push for immediate playing time in the PBC SHS School Boy Rugby League Langer Cup Open A side.

Kaea Cribb arrived on the Gold Coast from the Waikato region of New Zealand in 2023 Kaea Cribb started at fullback for the Aotearoa Whannui U16 Representative side against an Auckland U16 Invitational Selection. 2023 also saw Kaea Cribb play for Waikato U16’s in the New Zealand U16 National Rugby League Championships including scoring a try and kicking a conversion from fullback against the Auckland Vulcans in a 20 – 10 Waikato victory.

In late 2023 as a 16 year old Kaea Cribb was part of the Waikato Chiefs U18 Development Camp with Kaea Cribb starting from the bench in a trial at that camp against the Auckland Blues. In 2023 Kaea Cribb played his School Boy First XV Rugby for St Johns College Hamilton.

From a running perspective, Kaea Cribb just seems to glide across the field and it appears effortless, no matter who is chasing him, they will not catch Kaea Cribb , I am talking James Roberts type of pace but he has a much more effortless running style to that of the current Brisbane Bronco.

Kaea Cribb does not necessarily have a side step per say, it is more of a swerve and he has a number of variations, with the scary part being that there is absolutely no loss of speed at all, making him incredibly difficult to stop when he is in open space. It is no surprise at all that he was in and around the Australian Men’s Rugby Sevens squad.

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

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

Kaea Cribb’s defence is normally over shadowed by his running game but make no mistake, Kaea Cribb is an outstanding defender both in terms of cover defence and front on defence when a forward makes a break through the centre of the field.

2024 will see Kaea Cribb line up in the Gold Coast Rugby League U18 Division One competition with the Currumbin and Kaea Cribb is also U18 eligible in 2025. 2025 should see Kaea Cribb push for MM Cup selection with either the Burleigh Bears or the Tweed Heads Seagulls with Kaea Cribb also MM Cup eligible in 2026.

With his speed which has been clocked at a touch over 11 seconds for the 100 metre sprint Kaea Cribb shapes as a player who could play multiple positions but looks destined to be an electric fullback on rugby league.

Kaea Cribb 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 of Queensland State of Origin and Newcastle Knights star fullback Kalyn Ponga.

Kaea Cribb has the same explosiveness off the mark as Ponga as well as a similar sense of timing, anticipation and plus top end speed present, like Ponga, Kaea Cribb is just as natural on a field.
 
Cooper Humphries. In late September 2023 Cooper Humphries was named in the 2024 Burleigh Bears U17 Cyril Connell Cup squad.

Round One of the 2024 CC Cup competition saw Cooper Humphries named on the Burleigh extended bench against the Souths Logan Magpies.

Cooper Humphries started at hooker for the Burleigh Bears in the Round Seven local derby against the Tweed Heads Seagulls and in just the 4th minute Cooper Humphries proved to be a threat running out of dummy half with a run to his left from six metres inside his own territory to eight metres into Seagulls territory.

Cooper Humphries also ran out of dummy half to his left in the 8th minute and as a result was able to run the ball from thirty six metres to within twenty five metres of the try line. Cooper Humphries also ran out of dummy half in the 44th minute when after running to his right Cooper Humphries was able to get the ball from thirty three metres from his try line to within the three metres of the halfway mark.

From three passes to the right of the play the ball in the 54th minute and right metres inside his own territory Cooper Humphries ran the ball through the centre of the field to get ten metres inside Tweed Heads territory and a tackle later from the left of the play the ball Cooper Humphries made an additional ten metres to carry the ball to within twenty metres of the try line. Cooper Humphries rounded out a strong match in the 56th minute with a run to the left of the play the ball to get the ball from thirty seven metres from the try line to twenty four metres out.

Cooper Humphries also was defensive presence for Burleigh including in the 6th minute with a heavy ball and all tackle on one of the Seagulls front rowers twenty metres from the try line and in the centre of the field. Cooper Humphries also did well defensively in the 11th minute when he was involved in grabbing the Tweed Heads left winger three metres from the try line and in front of the post and then dragging him back into the in-goal to force a Seagulls goal line drop-out.

In late September 2022 Cooper Humphries was named in the 2023 Burleigh Bears U16 Cyril Connell Cup representative squad with Cooper Humphries being part of the Bears first 2023 CC Cup trial against the Souths Logan Magpies at Burleigh Juniors at the Annual Titans Super Saturday series of matches.

In early October 2023 Cooper Humphries was named in the 2023 U16 Queensland Murri Representative side.

Cooper Humphries is a former member of the Parramatta Eels Junior Development Program.

Cooper Humphries is an extremely talented all round hooker, who excels at all three critical aspects of the modern day hooker, those being his distribution out of dummy half, selective running out of dummy half and defending in the centre of the ruck.

In terms of his distribution out of dummy half, Cooper Humphries 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.

Cooper Humphries’s passes are crisp and flat and also he can pass a reasonable distance off the ground when the first receiver is standing a little wider of the play the ball.

Where Cooper Humphries is also extremely effective is leading his forwards onto the ball, he passes in front of the forward ensuring no loss of momentum to the run. In short Cooper Humphries is a very good game manager from the hooking position.

Where Cooper Humphries really stands out in terms of attacking play, is his speed out of dummy half, he is extremely quick and has exceptional footwork to take advantage of tiring forwards, using a step off both feet.

Cooper Humphries wins a lot of penalties by running at forwards who are offside, if the offside forward is called out of the play he has the speed to break into open space and has the pace to make it difficult for the cover defence to get to him.

Around the try line Cooper Humphries is also very good at making the right decision whether the go himself for the try line or pass, where Cooper Humphries gets down low and drives with his legs.

Due to the pace that Cooper Humphries plays the game at and his speed Cooper Humphries is always available in terms of backing up in the centre of the ruck when forwards get their arms free. When he gets an off load in the centre of the ruck Cooper Humphries just takes off and is through any gaps before the opposition get itself back in any semblance of order.

Cooper Humphries’s defence for a hooker is quite outstanding, for a smaller forward he is a hard hitter and can defend effectively one on one against far larger forwards, Cooper Humphries sets a good base with his lower body and explodes upwards with his shoulders to drive opposing forwards backwards and is also very good at slowing the play the ball down.

Cooper Humphries’s intensity means that he will track the play across and thus is in a good position when the ball is passed back inside or an opposition second rower runs back inside on an inside shoulder route. Cooper Humphries literally tackles everything that moves in the centre of the ruck, match after match with each tackle coming with solid initial contact.

Cooper Humphry’s started the 2024 season with the Burleigh Bears in the U17 Cyril Connell Cup competition before transitioning to the GCRL U18 Division One competition for the Bears as well as playing school boy rugby league.

Cooper Humphries projects as a modern day hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange at the higher competition levels, including senior levels and be effective both in attack and defence throughout the entire match.

With his ability to run out of dummy half at the right time and also be a strong defender in the centre of the ruck, the way Cooper Humphries plays in the dummy half role is not dis-similar to how Titans NRL hooker Sam Verrills plays.

Both Verrills and Cooper Humphries are exceptionally quick out of dummy half but their ability to make ground from dummy half is a complimentary skills compared to their elite distribution to either side of their body from the play the ball and their strong defence in the centre of the field all whilst playing extended minutes in the dummy half position.
 
Karter Iva. Karter Iva started in the front row for a Future Titans U14 Invitational side that played a touring New Zealand U14 side at Tweed Heads in July 2023 with the Titans prevailing in a high quality, hard fought match.

Karter Iva’s initial strong hit-up of the match came in just the 3rd minute of the Grand Final when from the left of the play the ball Karter Iva from thirty metres out from his own try line was able to get the ball to within six metres of the halfway mark.

Then in the 14th minute of the match from the left of the play the ball and eight metres inside New Zealand territory Karter Iva crashed and barged his way to within eighteen metres of the try line, breaking three tackles along the journey.

The 24th minute then saw Karter Iva make a strong kick-off return to get the ball out to the twenty two metre mark against heavy opposition from the New Zealand forward pack.

In September 2023 Karter Iva played for a Titans U14 Invitational side that played against another Titans U14 Invitational side in a match in Ipswich (North Ipswich Reserve) which saw the two sides both wear Titans jersey to give the players a great game day experience for all of the players (and families) involved.

Karter Iva started the trial in the front row for Titans Blue against Titans White with Karter Iva scoring an outstanding long range solo try in the 8th minute when with the play the ball forty five metres from the try line Karter Iva charged onto the ball to the right of the dummy half and as he approached the defensive line Karter Iva stepped off his right foot to burst through the Titans White defensive line through the area behind the play the ball. Karter Iva then at top speed stepped off his right foot to beat the Titans White fullback to put the ball down six metres to the left of the goal posts.

Karter Iva put Titans Blue in a position to win the trial (which they did) when with a minute remaining in the match in the 59th minute with Titans White attacking inside Titans Blue territory Karter Iva raced out of the defensive line and took an intercept thirty metres from his own try line with Karter Iva then charging downfield to within twenty eight metres of the try line before being brought to ground twenty eight metres out. Cornelius Kelsall scored for Titans Blue later in the same set of six tackles in the dying seconds to break a 16 all draw to enable Titans Blue to “win” the Invitational trial 20 – 16.

In the 12th minute of the trial after charging onto the ball to the left of the play the ball Karter Iva carried the ball from the halfway mark to thirty eight metres from the try line before getting a right arm off-load away. Then in the 14th minute and from the right of the play the ball Karter Iva carried the ball through the centre of the field from thirty metres from the try line to nineteen metres out.

Karter Iva continued his strong match in the 47th minute with two good runs. Initially Karter Iva carried the ball from thirty eight metres from the try line to twenty four metres out after running onto the ball to the right of the play the ball then a tackle later Karter Iva carried the ball to within two metres of the try line after receiving a pass twelve metres out.

Karter Iva followed up in the 50th minute with a yardage carry to the right of the play the ball that saw Karter Iva get the ball from six metres out from his own try line to twenty metres out. Karter Iva made a further strong carry of the ball from inside his own territory in the 55th minute with Karter Iva able to run the ball from thirty metres from his own try line to forty three metres out after taking possession of the ball thirty metres out.

Karter Iva played for the Coomera Cutters in 2023 in the GCRL U14 Division One competition including starting in the front row in the Grand Final with Karter Iva scoring in a tough 19 – 18 extra time loss against the Runaway Bay Seagulls.

Karter Iva scored in the 30th minute with a long range barnstorming effort. After receiving the ball from his left still seven metres inside his own territory, Karter Iva charged forward with the ball in his right hand lifting his hand (and the ball) above his head to beat the Runaway Bay left winger near the halfway mark, with Karter Iva charging towards the try line and then Karter Iva beat the fullback with a powerful left arm fend twenty metres out and charged away to put the ball down for one of the better solo tries that I have ever seen twelve metres in from the right corner post.

Karter Iva was also heavily involved in Cornelius Kelsall’s 33rd minute try with Karter Iva charging onto the ball to the left of the dummy half to get the ball to within nineteen metres of the try line after making fifteen with Karter Iva then getting away a great right arm off-load away to his left to Cornelius Kelsall who raced to his left to score in the left corner after beating a number of Seagulls defenders.

Karter Iva made his presence felt in the Grand Final in the 6th minute with a carry from twenty metres from his try line to thirty four metres out after running onto the ball to the left of the dummy half. Then in the 17th minute from the left of the play the ball Karter Iva produced a strong run that saw him propel the ball from twenty four metres out to within nine metres of the try line.
Karter Iva followed up with a run to the right of the play the ball in the 19th minute to get the ball from thirty three metres from his own try line to within two metres of the hallway mark. The 23rd minute saw Karter Iva charge onto the ball to the left of the play the ball from thirty metres out from his own try line and after spinning counter clockwise after engaging the Seagulls defensive line Karter Iva was able to gain separation to propel the ball six metres inside Runaway Bay territory. Then a tackle later from the right of the dummy half Karter Iva promoted the ball from forty four metres out from the opposition try line to twenty seven metres out after running straight through the centre of the field.

Also in the 28th minute from the left of the play the ball Karter Iva produced an outstanding yardage carry to promote the ball from twenty two metres out from his own try line to within five metres of the halfway mark. The 36th minute then saw Karter Iva make a strong kick-off return to get the ball out to the twenty eight metre mark.

Karter Iva continue his outstanding Grand Final in the 53rd minute with an effort from the right of the dummy half to get the ball from five metres inside his own territory to ten metres into Runaway Bay territory. Karter Iva rounded out a very strong match in the 3rd minute of extra time as Karter Iva carried the ball to four metres into Seagulls territory after taking possession of the ball to the right of the play the ball and ten metres inside his own territory.

2023 also saw Karter Iva selected in the Queensland Samoa U14 representative side for the QPICC Annual Cultural Carnival with Karter Iva named in the front row in Round One against PEGA U14 Invitational with Karter Iva scoring in a solid Qld Samoa 26 – 6 first up victory.

Karter Iva also started in the front row in Round Two against the Cooks Islands with Karter Iva scoring once again in a Queensland Samoa 18 – 10 victory.

Karter Iva made it three tries from as many matches after starting in the front row and scoring once again in Round Three against Queensland PNG. Karter Ivan continued in the front row in Round Four against Queensland Māori.

Karter Iva finished the 2023 QPICC Carnival as the U14 Division’s equal third leading try scorer with three tries.

In early November 2023 Karter Iva was named in the 2023 U14 Southside Bangers squad for a match against a Velocity All Stars U14 side.

As well as playing rugby league Karter Iva is also a representative level basketball player in the Logan region.

Karter Iva is a big strong hard running young forward who really punishes defensive lines with his strength and power when running with the ball. For a big young man Karter Iva also has the ability to run wider of the ruck targeting the smaller defenders.

I would argue that Karter Iva speed for a front rower/lock is above average bordering on plus and with that Karter Iva runs with exceptional pace, strength and power and regularly drops his shoulder into the initial defender in the opposition defensive line looking to make the tackle on him.

Karter Iva also has a powerful fend with either arm and Karter Iva does not look to just hold off his opponent but actually look to push them physically away from his body. The final piece of the puzzle for Karter Iva is developing his off-loading skills and whilst he has shown flashes of this skill attribute with continued experience and selectivity the ability to off load both prior to the line and once engaged will certainly come with time and experience.

Karter Iva is an aggressive defender 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.

Karter Iva speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half. I have noted that Karter Iva is aggressive and seems to want to win every one on one battle and to be fair Karter Iva invariably does.

2024 will see Karter Iva move up to the U15 age group in the GCRL U15 Division One competition with U15 School Boy rugby league representative honours definitely not out of the question for Karter Iva in 2024.

Karter Iva is a big strong front rower who seems destined to stay in the front row for the duration of his rugby league career but in saying that Karter Iva has more than decent speed, mobility and footwork and thus is more than just a one dimensional front rower who just runs straight.

In many respects Karter Iva has a similar playing style to that of Titans NRL, Queensland State of Origin and Tongan International front rower Moeaki Fotuaika. Both Fotuaika and Karter Iva are solidly built young men with deceptive speed, late subtle and deceptive footwork and vastly under rated ball skills as well as defensively they are both very good.
 
Toby Britton. In September 2023 Toby Britton played for a Titans U14 Invitational side that played against another Titans U14 Invitational side in a match in Ipswich which saw the two sides both wear Titans jersey to give the players a great experience.

In 2023 Toby Britton played for the Souths Magpies in the 2023 GBJRL U14 Division One competition and after missing Round One Toby Britton started at hooker in the remainder of the Magpies matches including the Grand Final against Logan Brothers. Toby Britton scored in Round Fourteen against the Waterford Demons for his only try of the season.

Toby Britton also played for the Magpies in 2022 GBJRL U13 Division One competition playing at hooker and scoring a double in Round Nine against Redlands.

Toby Britton is an extremely talented all round hooker, who excels at all three critical aspects of the modern day hooker, those being his distribution out of dummy half, selective running out of dummy half and defending in the centre of the ruck.

In terms of his distribution out of dummy half, Toby Britton 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.

Toby Britton’s passes are crisp and flat and also he can pass a reasonable distance off the ground when the first receiver is standing a little wider of the play the ball.

Where Toby Britton is also extremely effective is leading his forwards onto the ball, he passes in front of the forward ensuring no loss of momentum to the run. In short Toby Britton is a very good game manager from the hooking position.

Where Toby Britton really stands out in terms of attacking play, is his speed out of dummy half, he is extremely quick and has exceptional footwork to take advantage of tiring forwards, using a step off both feet.

Toby Britton wins a lot of penalties by running at forwards who are offside, if the offside forward is called out of the play he has the speed to break into open space and has the pace to make it difficult for the cover defence to get to him.

Around the try line Toby Britton is also very good at making the right decision whether the go himself for the try line or pass, where Toby Britton gets down low and drives with his legs.

Due to the pace that Toby Britton plays the game at and his speed Toby Britton is always available in terms of backing up in the centre of the ruck when forwards get their arms free. When he gets an off load in the centre of the ruck Toby Britton just takes off and is through any gaps before the opposition get itself back in any semblance of order.

Toby Britton’s defence for a hooker is quite outstanding, for a smaller forward he is a hard hitter and can defend effectively one on one against far larger forwards, Toby Britton sets a good base with his lower body and explodes upwards with his shoulders to drive opposing forwards backwards and is also very good at slowing the play the ball down.

Toby Britton’s intensity means that he will track the play across and thus is in a good position when the ball is passed back inside or an opposition second rower runs back inside on an inside shoulder route. Toby Britton literally tackles everything that moves in the centre of the ruck, match after match with each tackle coming with solid initial contact.

2024 will see Toby Britton play for the Souths Acacia Ridge Magpies in the GBJRL U15 Division One competition with QSSRL U15 School Boy Rugby League Representative Honour also possible for Toby Britton in 2024.

Toby Britton projects as a modern day hooker who will be able to play 80 minutes without interchange at the higher competition levels, including senior levels and be effective both in attack and defence throughout the entire match.

With his ability to run out of dummy half at the right time and also be a strong defender in the centre of the ruck, the way Toby Britton plays in the dummy half role is not dis-similar to how Titans NRL hooker Sam Verrills plays.

Both Verrills and Toby Britton are exceptionally quick out of dummy half but their ability to make ground from dummy half is a complimentary skills compared to their elite distribution to either side of their body from the play the ball and their strong defence in the centre of the field all whilst playing extended minutes in the dummy half position.
 
Darnel Stagg. In September 2023 Darnel Stagg played for a Titans U14 Invitational side that played against another Titans U14 Invitational side in a match in Ipswich which saw the two sides both wear Titans jersey to give the players a great experience.

Darnel Stagg started the trial at five eight for Titans Blue against Titans White with Darnell Stagg recording a try assist in the 48th minute as a result of a long cut-out pass to his left from twelve metres out to put Chris Viamili over to score in the left corner.

Darnel Stagg made a line break in just the 2nd minute of the trial when from the left of a Titans Blue scrum feed with the scrum in centre field Darnell Stagg received the ball from the back of the scrum six metres out from his own try line and after running to his left and throwing a dummy in the same direction, Darnell Stagg slicing between two defenders and carried the ball to within fourteen metres of the halfway mark before being brought to ground.

Darnell Stagg also recorded a line break assist in the 3rd minute when after receiving the ball on the halfway mark and to the left of the play the ball Darnell Stagg threw a hard flat cut-out pass to his left to put his winger away down the left touchline.

Darnell Stagg recorded a second line break assist in the 26th minute when after receiving the ball to the left of the dummy half, Darnell Stagg ran the ball right to the defensive line and when thirty six metres from the try line Darnell Stagg popped a good short ball to his left to Judah Marsden who burst through a gap to get within twelve metres of the try line.

In 2023 Darnel Stagg played for the Souths Magpies in the 2023 GBJRL U14 Division One competition with Darnell Stagg finishing the season as the competition’s leading points scorer with 138 points from eight tries and fifty three goals from just twelve matches to average 11.5 points per match.

Starting all of his matches for the Magpies at halfback, including the Grand Final against Logan Brothers Darnel Stagg scored doubles against the Waterford Demons in Rounds Seven and Fourteen and also scored in Round Four against Tigers, Round Twelve against Norths and against Logan Brothers in Round Six and the Grand Final.

Darnel Stagg had some huge matches with the boot including kicking twelve from thirteen conversions in Round One against Carina. Darnel Stagg also kicked ten conversions in Round Fourteen against Waterford, eight conversions in Round Two against Aspley and five conversions in Round Four against Easts.

On an individual level Darnel Stagg scored twenty eight points in Round Fourteen against Waterford from two tries and ten conversions and twenty four points in Round One against Carina from twelve conversions.

In 2022 Darnel Stagg played for Innisfail in the Far North Queensland U13 Nate Myles Cup competition with Darnel Stagg splitting time between five eight and fullback with Darnel Stagg finishing the season as the competition’s leading points scorer with 162 points from seventeen tries and forty seven conversions.

Darnel Stagg scored four tries in Round Ten against Redlynch and hat tricks in Round Six against Ivanhoe and Round Seven against Mareeba. Darnel Stagg also scored doubles in Round Five against the Tully Tigers and Round Thirteen against Redlynch.

From a goal kicking perspective Darnel Stagg kicked eight conversions in Round Six against Ivanhoe, six conversions in Round Seven against Mareeba and five conversions in Round Ten against Redlynch.

On an individual level Darnel Stagg scored twenty eight points from three tries and eight conversions in Round Six Ivanhoe, twenty six points from four tries and five conversions in Round Ten against Redlynch and Twenty four points from three tries and six conversions in Round Seven against Mareeba.

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

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

Darnel Stagg 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. Darnel Stagg also runs with the ball in both hands which is another reason why the defensive line is unable to determine exactly what Darnel Stagg is going to do.

Darnel Stagg 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. Darnel Stagg also gets his kicks away quickly thus not allowing the defenders to put an undue amount of pressure on him.

Darnel Stagg 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 Darnel Stagg is a very good tactical kicker, who is above average in all aspects and flashes plus ability in a few attributes such as range, weighting of the kicks and of course direction.

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

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

2024 will see Darnel Stagg play for the Souths Acacia Ridge Magpies in the GBJRL U15 Division One competition with QSSRL U15 School Boy Rugby League Representative Honours also more than possible for Darnel Stagg in 2024.

With his ability to see the entire field as if he has a bird eye view of it and his ability to guide and direct his side around the field, adhering precisely to the game plan, Darnel Stagg is ideally suited to controlling a side from the half back position. I must admit however that Darnel Stagg would also do well at hooker with his speed, passing and also the ability to kick out of dummy half.

Adam Reynolds of the Brisbane Bronco’s has for me a playing style that people can use as a comparison for Darnel Stagg. Like Reynolds, Darnel Stagg is only reasonably slight of build but has a more then decent step and enough speed, especially off the mark to gain separation from the defensive line and also like Reynolds, Darnel Stagg is also a very good kicker of the ball in all aspects, including goal kicking.
 
Harrison McDowell. 2024 saw Harrison McDowell return to play for Gatton in the Toowoomba Junior Rugby League U15 competition.

In September 2023 Harrison McDowell played for a Titans U14 side that played against another Titans U14 side in a match in Ipswich which saw the two sides both wear Titans jersey to give the players a great experience.

Harrison McDowell started the trial at fullback for Titans White against Titans Blue with Harrison McDowell making a line break in the 54th minute when with the play the ball in the centre of the field and thirty eight metres out from his own try line Harrison McDowell ran to his right out of dummy half and ran straight through the heart of the defensive line to run the ball to within twenty mine metres of the try line.

Earlier in the trial in the 15th minute Harrison McDowell ran to his right out of dummy half to bring the ball ten metres out of his own territory to twenty two metres out from his own try line.

In 2023 Harrison McDowell played for the Laidley Lions in the Ipswich Rugby League U14 competition with Harrison McDowell finishing as the competition’s equal second leading try scorer with thirteen tries.

Harrison McDowell scored an impressive four tries in Round Nine against Redback Blue and scored doubles in Round Two against Norths Tigers Gold, Round Four against the Springfield Panthers and Round Five against Redback Red. Harrison McDowell also scored in Round One against Brothers White, Round Seven against Norths Tigers Blue and Round Thirteen against the Springfield Panthers.

The Faith Lutheran College student started Round One at lock against Brothers White and Round Two from the bench against Norths Tigers Gold before starting the remainder of his matches for Laidley at fullback.

Harrison McDowell is a 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. When returning kicks, he 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.

The one thing Harrison McDowell 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, Harrison McDowell has a very good step back inside especially off his right foot when running to the left 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, Harrison McDowell’s quick twitch feet means that he can step off either foot quickly to negate the attempt to cut down his time. In short, Harrison McDowell is a very talented attacking player who looks to beat his opponent with speed and guile rather than purely by brute strength.

In addition Harrison McDowell 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 Harrison McDowell 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.

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.

In defence Harrison McDowell has good strength, and certainly looks to come forward to stop the attack before it has time to fully develop once a break has been made. Harrison McDowell also has the ability to show the attacker the sideline and is confident that his speed will enable him to get across to make the tackle which he invariably does.

Defensively if an attacker runs directly at him, Harrison McDowell will come forward to cut down the time the attacker has to make a decision and he will hit very hard. An impressive attribute that he does have he is ability to force attackers in the clear to try to beat him down the side line.

2024 will see Harrison McDowell play for the Laidley Lions in the Ipswich Rugby League U15 competition with U15 School Boy Rugby League Representative Honours also possible for Harrison McDowell for Met West in 2024 at the QSSRL U15 School Boy Rugby League Championships.

Even though Harrison McDowell played one match at lock for Laidley in 2023 Harrison McDowell projects as a hard running, ball playing and defensively safe fullback who also has very good hands when fielding any type of kick that comes his way.

Thus with his tall frame, good positioning and ability to pick the correct time to chime into the backline I believe that Harrison McDowell’s best position is at fullback, although his skill set suggests that Harrison McDowell could also play either centre or on the wing more than comfortably.

Nick Meaney of the Melbourne Storm is similar to Harrison McDowell in relation to his playing style and traits, both Meaney and Harrison McDowell move well across the ground being gifted ball runners with above average speed and evasive traits as well as being solid defensively even though they certainly are not the biggest players running around in any given match. Both Harrison McDowell and Meaney can also play a variety of positions in the back line and play them all at a very high level comfortably.
 
Hunter Brown. In September 2023 Hunter Brown played for a Titans U14 Invitational side that played against another Titans U14 Invitational side in a match in Ipswich which saw the two sides both wear Titans jersey to give the players a great experience.

Hunter Brown started the trial from the bench for Titans White against Titans Blue with Hunter Brown coming onto the field in the 15th minute.

Hunter Brown scored for Titans White in the 39th minute when he ran to his right out of dummy half from less than a metre from the try line to burrow his way over to score under the posts.

In 2023 Hunter Brown played for the Souths Magpies in the 2023 GBJRL U14 Division One competition starting all of the Magpies matches at lock including the Grand Final against Logan Brothers.

Over the course of the 2023 GBRJL U14 Division One season Hunter Brown scored three tries with Hunter Brown scoring his first try in Round Two against Aspley, Hunter Brown also scored in Rounds Seven and Fourteen against the Waterford Demons.

Hunter Brown also played for the Magpies in 2022 GBJRL U13 Division One competition playing primarily in the second row.

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

Where Hunter Brown’s game has really developed over the last couple of seasons his ability to play wider of the ruck, which is where he is primarily playing for the Magpies this season. With his size and strength wider of the ruck Hunter Brown attracts defenders and thus is in a position to use his ball skills to set up his outside supports early in a match. When defences start to try to anticipate that Hunter Brown is going to pass then he can use his size and power to crash through the defensive line as no defender is going to be able to handle him one on one by themselves.

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

2024 will see Hunter Brown play for the Souths Acacia Ridge Magpies in the GBJRL U15 Division One competition with U15 QSSRL School Boy Rugby League Representative Honours also more than possible for Hunter Brown in 2024.

Hunter Brown has spent his entire junior career to date in the forwards and Hunter Brown will no doubt continue to play there, it is only a question of whether Hunter Brown operates as a lock or front rower or as a second rower wider of the ruck, it will very early in his career but for me playing as a hybrid lock or front rower seems to be the most feasible situation moving forward for Hunter Brown.

With a solid frame and low centre of gravity a player comparison to Penrith Panthers Premiership front rower Moses Leota is not an unreasonable comparison in relation to Hunter Brown’s playing style. Hunter Brown has the same fearless hard charging, take no prisoners running style and attitude as the Panthers and Samoan International front rower.
 
Henry Willis. In September 2023 Henry Willis played for a Titans U14 side that played against another Titans U14 side in a match in Ipswich which saw the two sides both wear Titans jersey to give the players a great experience.

Henry Willis started the trial at right second row for Titans Blue against Titans White with Henry Willis making perhaps his best run of the match in the 50th minute from the right of the play the ball to carry the ball from thirty metres from his own try line to within seven metres of the halfway mark with Henry Willis then executing a lightening quick play the ball.

2023 also saw Henry Willis play in the GBJRL U14 Division One competition for Logan Brothers with Henry Willis starting in the second row for all of his matches including the Grand Final against the Souths Acacia Ridge Magpies.

Henry Willis’s sole try of the 2023 season came in Round One against Norths.

The long striding Henry Willis is at his best when he is operating in the fringes of the ruck where he can exploit gaps in the defensive line with his size and speed. When he runs Henry Willis is all arms, legs, knees and elbows and with his long stride and strong fend Henry Willis is a difficult proposition for defenders to handle in the context of getting him to the ground.

Henry Willis’s leg drive and determination also enables him to be equally effective in relation to operating in traffic where he gets his body height low he can shrug off would be tacklers by dropping his shoulder into the defender just as he starts to commit to the tackle, Henry Willis can then redirect his momentum and proceed down the field post contact.

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

Defensively Henry Willis is adept at wrapping up the ball carrier and his initial contact is underrated as his primary function and goal is to wrap up the ball to prevent off loads. His stamina is such that you will see Henry Willis make multiple tackles in a short space of time and then immediately make himself available to take a hit up.

2024 will see Henry Willis continue to play for Logan Brothers in the GBJRL U15 Division One competition.

With his size and speed combination it would appear a certainty that Henry Willis will line up in the second row every time that he runs onto a rugby league field.

With his mobility and hardworking mentality Henry Willis’s playing style reminds me of new Zealand Warriors and former Queensland State of Origin, Brisbane Bronco’s and Penrith Panthers second rower Kurt Capewell.

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

Neither Capewell or Henry Willis will necessarily stand out from the perspective of making a spectacular line break or scoring a try but both will do a lot of the little things which sometimes can be over looked but are key to the success of the team that they are playing for.
 
Calvin Harris-Tavita. In September 2023 Calvin Harris-Tavita played for a Titans U14 side that played against another Titans U14 side in a match in Ipswich which saw the two sides both wear Titans jersey to give the players a great experience.

Calvin Harris-Tavita started the trial at halfback for Titans White against Titans Blue with Calvin Harris-Tevita recording a try assist in the 18th minute when after running onto a good right arm off-load from his right from Baxter Best five metres inside Titans Blue territory Calvin Harris-Tavita continued to run to his left and when twenty metres out from the try line and near the left touchline Calvin Harris-Tavita passed to his right to left winger Elijah Kadima who had cut inside with the left winger running to the try line untouched.

Calvin Harris-Tavita recorded a second try assist in the 57th minute with a long cut out pass to his right to put his winger over to score in the right corner after Calvin Harris-Tavita had received the ball “out the back” when twelve metres from the try line and to the right of the play the ball.

Calvin Harris-Tavita also recorded a line break assist in the 42nd minute when from the left of the play the ball and thirty two metres from his own try line Calvin Harris-Tavita threw a cut-out pass to his left to put Baxter Best away down the left touchline.

Calvin Harris-Tavita made his first run of the match in the 13th minute when from the left of the play the ball and forty metres from the try line Calvin Harris-Tavita stepped his way to within twenty one metres from the try line before receiving a penalty after being hit in a high tackle near the left touchline.

Then in the 15th minute after running out of dummy half to his right from twenty one metres from his own try line, Calvin Harris-Tavita stepped off his right foot to get the ball out to the thirty seven metre mark.

The 38th minute saw Calvin Harris-Tavita run the ball down a short left blindside from thirty two metres from the try line to twenty metres out with Calvin Harris-Tavita then putting in a left foot grubber kick which was knocked on by one of the Titans Blue defenders with Titans White getting the ball back ten metres from the try line as a result.

A minute later in the 39th minute from the right of the play the ball Calvin Harris-Tavita, from sixteen metres out stepped off his right foot and after getting to within three metres of the try line Calvin Harris-Tavita was able to get an off-load away to his right.

2023 saw Calvin Harris-Tavita attend Kings College with Calvin Harris-Tavita starting at halfback in the Kings College U15A School Boy Rugby side even though Calvin Harris-Tavita was still U14 eligible.

Calvin Harris-Tavita in 2023 played for the Katahitanga U14 Representative side including scoring two tries and kicking four conversions in a 32 – 16 victory against a Future Warriors U14 side that was played as a curtain-raiser to a Warriors NRL match.

Calvin Harris-Tavita is just a superb mover seemingly gliding across the field effortlessly with outstanding balance, body control and exquisite hand eye co-ordination which has been aided by playing hockey at a very high level. Seriously Calvin Harris-Tavita’s running style looks just effortless and perfectly balanced and is undertaken at speed.

It is hard to put in words just how talented Calvin Harris-Tavita is in terms of running the ball, he has outstanding speed both off the mark which I would consider in the plus plus category and top end speed which must be considered plus regardless of position.

Calvin Harris-Tavita with his pace is able to exploit even the smallest of gaps in the defensive line with an exceptional step off either foot and incredible acceleration as well as outstanding balance and body control. When Calvin Harris-Tavita steps, regardless of the size of the step or in which direction there is absolutely no loss of speed or momentum as Calvin Harris-Tavita moves to his new vector and continues on.

It is that speed trait which opens up his incredible ball playing skills as well. Teams start to focus heavily on Calvin Harris-Tavita when he has the ball with outside defenders looking to come in to assist that they open up holes wider out in the defensive line that Calvin Harris-Tavita can exploit.

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

Calvin Harris-Tavita also runs with the ball in both hands out in front of his body which is another reason why the defensive line is unable to determine exactly what Calvin Harris-Tavita is going to do with the ball at any given time. By the time that they have figured it out it is usually too late to stop Calvin Harris-Tavita.

Calvin Harris-Tavita just seems to have all of the time in the world to do what he wants on a rugby league field and is just so calm and composed and seemingly always two or three plays ahead of the opposition and his own team mates on occasion to be honest.

Defensively Calvin Harris-Tavita is a very strong young man with exceptional 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.

Calvin Harris-Tavita has a very good low tackling technique which is simple and repeatable and effective against all size opponents and thus there is no need for a defensive minder on Calvin Harris-Tavita’s side of the field.

In 2024 Calvin Harris-Tavita will be U15 eligible.

Lining up at five eight or halfback does not really matter in relation to Calvin Harris-Tavita, what matters is that the ball is in Calvin Harris-Tavita’s hands as often as possible as good things happen, very good things if the ball is in Calvin Harris-Tavita’s hands.

The Titans own Thomas Weaver is a very good player comparison for Calvin Harris-Tavita. Both Weaver and Calvin Harris-Tavita are calm and composed as they steer there side around the field and both are also on field leaders of their team.
 
Chase Harris. In September 2023 Henry Willis played for a Titans U14 side that played against another Titans U14 side in a match in Ipswich which saw the two sides both wear Titans jersey to give the players a great experience.

Chase Harris started the trial at lock for Titans White against Titans Blue and in just the 2nd minute of the trial Chase Harris made his presence felt with a huge front on hit on the Titans Blue front rower (No. 8) on the halfway mark.

In the 7th minute after running onto the ball to the right of the play the ball Chase Harris carried the ball to the halfway mark after taking possession of the ball thirty six metres out from his own ty line.

In 2023 Chase Harris lined up for the Burleigh Bears in the Gold Coast Junior Rugby League U14 Division One competition.

Running with the football, Chase Harris 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 although you can see that when he gets fired up all subtlety and thoughts of self-preservation goes out the window and he becomes a giant wrecking ball.

Chase Harris 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. Chase Harris actually does have a decent off load usually with his right hand when he has impacted the defensive line as well and regularly showcases this in game situations.

In game situations Chase Harris is also showcasing his ability to offload prior to the defensive line, a skill that he has developed and incorporated is recent seasons.

As you would expect, due to his size and strength, Chase Harris is a very good defender, for his size he will not necessarily hit hard (he certainly can however when the opportunity presents), but he is very good at mirroring the movement of the opposing centre and wrapping him up ball and all.

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

His long reach is also a positive attribute in those situations and also when moving up into the defensive line as Chase Harris can disrupt passing lanes on the fringes of the ruck.

Chase Harris is the defensive leader of the Nerang U16 Division One BBC three quarter line and other defenders keyed off him in terms of whether to use an up and in methodology and slide to the outside.

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

2024 will see Chase Harris continue to play for the Burleigh Bears in the GCRL U15 Division One competition.

Chase Harris at this stage is probably on the lighter side for a lock but has the frame to add weight and additional muscle mass without compromising his overall speed and athleticism.

Impressively Chase Harris also has shown an amount of ball playing ability prior to engaging the defensive line that would suggest that Chase Harris can be a link between his fellow forwards and his team’s backline along the lines of an Isaiah Yeo type of player.
 
Ranel Filipine. In September 2023 Ranel Filipine played for a Titans U14 side that played against another Titans U14 side in a match in Ipswich which saw the two sides both wear Titans jersey to give the players a great experience.

Ranel Filipine started the trial from the bench for Titans White against Titans Blue with Ranel Filipine coming onto the field to play right second row in the 24th minute and just two minutes later in the 26th minute Ranel Filipine charged onto the ball to the right of the play the ball and as a result was able to carry the ball from twelve metres inside his own territory to three metres inside Titans Blue territory.

Then in the 32nd minute from the left of the play the ball and thirty metres from his own try line Ranel Filipine was able to make eleven metres to get within nine metres of the halfway mark.

In February 2024 Ranel Filipine was selected in a Samoa U14 (2023 U14) side to play a Queensland Murri U14 side with Ranel Filipine starting the match in the front row.

2023 also saw Ranel Filipine play for the Souths Acacia Ridge Magpies in the GBJRL U14 Division One competition with Ranel Filipine alternating between starting in the second row and off the bench including starting from the bench in the Grand Final against Logan Brothers.

Ranel Filipine also played a number of matches for the Magpies “up” in the GBJRL U15 Division One competition in 2023 including starting on the wing in Round Nine against the Redcliffe Dolphins.

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

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

Defensively the most impressive aspect of Ranel Filipine’s play is his ability to make effective tackle after effective tackle. For the Souths Acacia Ridge Magpies in the 2023 in the GBJRL U14 Division One competition Ranel Filipine continually made up to three and four tackles in a row on multiple occasions. Whilst his stamina is impressive, so is Ranel Filipine’s initial contact, he uses his strength and leverage to hit the ball carrier hard forcing critical momentum changes to the ball carriers running line.

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

2024 will see Ranel Filipine continue to play for the Souths Acacia Ridge Magpies in the GBJRL U15 Division One competition.

Ranel Filipine is a big strong powerful young man with the requisite speed and mobility to continue in the second row for the duration of his rugby league career no matter how far it takes him.

Powerhouse former New Zealand Warriors and current Melbourne Storm signing Eliesa Katoa is a strong NRL player comparison for Ranel Filipine, both are powerhouse ball runners with the requisite speed to be very damaging on the fringes of the ruck.
 
Elijah Kadima. In September 2023 Elijah Kadima played for a Titans U14 side that played against another Titans U14 side in a match in Ipswich which saw the two sides both wear Titans jersey to give the players a great experience.

Elijah Kadima started the trial from the bench for Titans White against Titans Blue with Elijah Kadima coming onto the field to operate on the left wing in the 15th minute with Elijah Kadima in the action almost immediately after coming onto the field Elijah Kadima was involved in the action when he was awarded a penalty for being tackled in the air as Elijah Kadima was chasing through a Titans White attacking kick to receive the penalty twenty two metres out near the left touchline.

Elijah Kadima scored in the 18th minute with Elijah Kadima backing up a line break from half Calvin Harris-Tavita to receive an inside pass to run twenty metres untouched to score ten metres in from the left corner post.

In the 38th minute after receiving a high cut-out pass to his wing when just four metres from his own try line Elijah Kadima was able to carry the ball to within twelve metres of the halfway mark.

2023 also saw Elijah Kadima attend Ipswich SHS will Elijah Kadima starting on the right for in the School Boy Rugby League Renouf Shield Grand Final against Redcliffe SHS with Elijah Kadima scoring a hat trick in the Ipswich SHS victory including Ipswich SHS’s go head try with twelve minutes remaining in the Grand Final.

As a result of his performances in the Renouf Shield Elijah Kadima was named on the wing in the 2023 Ipswich SHS School Boy Rugby League Team of the Season.

Also in 2023 Elijah Kadima played for Goodna in the Ipswich Rugby League U14 competition with Elijah Kadima finishing as the competitions leading try scorer with fourteen tries.

In addition to his fourteen tries Elijah Kadima also kicked three conversions to finish the season with a total of sixty two points to finish as the competitions equal fifth leading points scorer.

Elijah Kadima scored hat tricks in Round Five against Redback Plains Blue, Round Eight against Laidley and in Week One of the Finals against Redbank Plains Red. Elijah Kadima also scored a double in Round Seven against Norths Gold and scored in Round Six against Brothers White and Round Ten against Redbank Plains Red.

For Goonda, Elijah Kadima split time between starting on the wing and in the centres as well as coming off the bench in Round Five against Redbank Plains Blue.
One of the reasons Elijah Kadmia is so successful on a football field is his exceptional speed and elusiveness, he is one of the fastest player I have ever seen on a field and when you add in his elusiveness, he is a nightmare 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 him to use the sideline exceptionally well with an in and away, all three of his first half tries against Ipswich in Round Thirteen last weekend are a testament to this skill.
When the opposing defender’s momentum slows just for a split second, Elijah Kadmia is away down the sideline and will not get caught and also regularly also beats the fullback who no matter how fast they are cannot recover the ground.
Elijah Kadmia is also adept at making ground out of dummy half. Once he has picked the ball up he simply explodes out of there and targets a gap between opposing forwards and looks to accelerate through it. If the defenders look to jersey grab or make an arm tackle, Elijah Kadmia simply bursts through it and into the space behind the ruck.
Elijah Kadmia is not a big player at all and the obvious question is whether he is strong enough to handle the defensive side of rugby league at the higher levels, I would argue that the answer is absolutely yes. In defence against the bigger outside backs running around, Elijah Kadmia looks to cut down the time that they have to gain momentum thus eliminating the size differential as a defensive aspect to take into consideration.
At the opposite end of the spectrum when opposing a quick winger, Elijah Kadmia will show them the side line and use his speed advantage to force the opponent towards the touch line, with their only real option to slow and try to come back inside towards Elijah Kadmia and the cover defence.
Elijah Kadmia also has the speed to show his opponent the sideline and cut him down and has the recovery speed to turn and chase if a break is made either on his side of the field or for that matter the other side.

2024 will see Elijah Kadima continue at Ipswich SHS with Elijah Kadima moving up to the School Boy Rugby League Hancock Cup competition. Elijah Kadima will also continue to play for Goodna in the Ipswich Rugby league U15 competition.

With his straight line express speed being on the wing appears to be the best utilisation of Elijah Kadima’s skill set both now and into the future. Playing in the centres for the next couple of years however would be positive from a development perspective for Elijah Kadima but make no mistake Elijah Kadima is a rugby league winger when all is said and done, pure and simple.

The Titans own speedster Lofi Khan-Pereira with his outstanding straight line speed is a more than solid playing style comparison for Elijah Kadima. Both Khan-Pereira and Elijah Kadima have explosive speed both off the mark as well as when in motion and for both it is more about understanding the most appropriate way to utilise that speed to the advantage of themselves and their team.
 
Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi. The rescheduled Round One GCRL U18 Division match saw Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi start at five eight operating on the right side of the field for the Currumbin Eagles against the Southport Tigers and in the 52nd minute after receiving an off-load from his right twenty metres from the try line Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi’s stepping run saw him break two tackles to get within four metres of the try line in front of the right goal post.

In New Zealand Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi attended Christchurch Boys High School and was part of the South Island Scorpions side that won the 2023 New Zealand Rugby League U16 Championships with Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi starting the match at halfback.

Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi is only slight of build but do not take his lack of size in any way as a lack of ability or courage, he has a lot of both, which is on display each time he runs onto the field. With the ball Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi is a very good distributor and will take the ball to the line in an effort to set up his supports. Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi is adept at drawing an opposing defender out of the defensive line and then putting his support runner through the resulting gap.

In terms of his speed, I would suggest that an appropriate definition of Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi’s speed would be that he is quick off the mark but does not have an extra gear when he breaks into open space.

Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi will back his judgement and take the game on especially when the game is on the line. Assisting his play is the fact that Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi makes the decision what to do with the ball quickly thus enabling the ball to get out wide quickly.

Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi has a good short kicking game but he does not have the strongest leg in terms of kicking deep but is accurate and regularly finds the ground to enable the chasers to get down field to enhance his team’s field position.

Defensively I like the way that he takes the line on, Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi is aggressive and attacks the ball carrier rather than waiting for the attackers to come to him. Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi clearly looks to limit the time opposition players have to generate momentum before they get to him.

Against players similar in size or reasonably close to it, Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi is very aggressive and makes sure that he finishes off every tackle in an effort to win every one on one individual battle against his opponent.

In 2025 Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi will push for a position in the MM Cup with either the Burleigh Bears or the Tweed Heads Seagulls and Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi is also MM Cup eligible in 2026.

With his ability to move his side around the field either with his passing and kicking games, Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi is set to make a name for himself as an organising type of halfback.

For me an NRL player with a similar playing style to that in Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi is Sydney Roosters and former New South Wales State of Origin five eight Luke Keary being that of a solid talented all round half who will surprise a defensive line with some very good short balls when it looks for all money like he is going to run himself.

Also like Keary, Felahoia Te Pakeke-Kakoi has more speed that defensive lines give him credit for and that is a recipe for disaster for them.
 
Mairangiatea Walker. 2024 saw Mairangiatea Walker move over to Queensland from the Waitako region of New Zealand to attend Marsden SHS with the move proving fruitful for Mairangiatea Walker after signing multi-year contract with the Titans.

For Marsden SHS Mairangiatea Walker played in the School Boy Rugby League Walters Cup, staring at left centre including in the Walters Cup Grand Final against Keebra Park SHS with Mairangiatea Walker scoring in the left corner in the 13th minute with a twelve metre run after getting on the outside of his opposing defender.

At the conclusion of the 2024 School Boy Rugby League season Mairangiatea Walker was named on the wing in the 2024 Courier Mail Walters Cup School Boy Rugby League Team of the Year.

Mairangiatea Walker started the 2024 season as part of the Ipswich Jets U17 Cyril Connell Cup squad with Mairangiatea Walker starting from the bench in Rounds Two and Three against the Sunshine Coast Falcons and the Toowoomba Clydesdales.

In Round Two against the Sunshine Coast Falcons Mairangiatea Walker scored in the 47th minute when he dived to his left out of dummy half to score under the posts.

Mairangiatea Walker also scored in Round Three against the Toowoomba Clydesdales in the 42nd minute when after running onto the ball to the right of the dummy half twenty eight metres from the try line Mairangiatea Walker stepped off his right foot to beat two defenders with Mairangiatea Walker shrugging off an additional defender and then carried two more over the try line including the fullback to score under the posts.

Also in 2024 Mairangiatea Walker played for the Easts Tigers in the GBJRL U16 Division One competition with Mairangiatea Walker starting in the centres in Rounds One and Three and scoring in both matches against Aspley and Souths respectively.

In late August 2024 Mairangiatea Walker was named in the 2024 South Queensland Māori U16 Pango Representative squad.

In 2023 Mairangiatea Walker represented Waitako at the 2023 New Zealand U165 Championships including starting from the bench in the Championship Final against the South Island Scorpions.

Mairangiatea Walker contributes speed, elusiveness and a spark to his team’s attacking methodology with Mairangiatea Walker’s ability not to just run the ball himself but play as a second receiver and ball play for his team mates on the fringes of the ruck, with impressively for a junior player Mairangiatea Walker having the skill set to ball play on either side of the field.

Mairangiatea Walker can literally do it all in terms of attacking defenders, Mairangiatea Walker can slice through a gap or draw a create an overlap and pass to his support on his outside. When his team are bringing the ball out of their own territory Mairangiatea Walker hunts around behind the play the ball looking to exploit the situation when an opposition defender does not close any gaps quick enough.

From a defensive perspective Mairangiatea Walker moves forward quickly when a line break is made in front of him with Mairangiatea Walker’s intention being to reduce the time for his opponent to make a decision what to do and in those circumstances Mairangiatea Walker does not take any dummy and focusses solely on the player with the ball. When Mairangiatea Walker is required to move across in cover defence Mairangiatea Walker will show his opponent the sideline before accelerating across field looking to take his opponent into touch, which he does on a regular basis.

2025 will see Mairangiatea Walker CC Cup eligible once again with Mairangiatea Walker likely to line up for the Jets in that competition for the second season in a row. Mairangiatea Walker will also continue to play for the Easts Tigers in the GBJRL U17 Division One Nev Blair Shield competition. Mairangiatea Walker will also return to Marsden SHS in 2025 with Mairangiatea Walker set to break into the Marsden SHS Langer Cup side immediately.

Whilst Mairangiatea Walker operated at left centre for Marsden SHS and Easts in the 2024, no doubt Mairangiatea Walker could also play multiple other positions and to be honest I think that potentially Mairangiatea Walker’s best position may well be at fullback. Just to throw a spanner in the works I think that Mairangiatea Walker could also conceivably play in the dummy half role.

With his speed of the mark and his exceptional footwork, Mairangiatea Walker has a playing style that is not dis-similar to the Titans own and Queensland State of Origin fullback AJ Brimson. Both Brimson and Mairangiatea Walker have outstanding footwork and the speed, especially off the mark to exploit the smallest of gaps in a defensive line.

Mairangiatea Walker is an outstanding young player and is a great addition to the Titans JTS ranks.
 
Lennox Whaiapu. Lennox Whaiapu’s outstanding 2024 season saw him sign with the Titans until the end of the 2026 season.

Lennox Whaiapu is the young brother of fellow Keebra Park SHS student’s Wailer and Anton Whaiapu.

Round One of the 2024 School Boy Rugby League Walters Cup competition saw Lennox Whaiapu start in the front row for Keebra Park SHS against Wavell SHS and in the 11th minute after running onto the ball to the right of the paly the ball Lennox Whaiapu was able to carry the ball from thirty metres to forty three metres from his try line.

A Lennox Whaiapu penalty restart in the 14th minute saw Lennxo Whaiapu get he ball within ten metres of the try line after commencing his run twenty one metres out. Also in the 47th minute from the right of the play the ball and thirty three metres from his try line Lennox Whaiapu was able to get the ball to within four metres of the halfway mark.

Lennox Whaiapu ran the ball through the centre of the field in the 48th minute from the left of the dummy half from eighteen metres to thirty metres from his try line and in the 51st minute from the right of the play the ball and eighteen metres from his try line Lennox Whaiapu got the ball out to the thirty one metre mark.

Lennox Whaiapu also started in the front row in Round Two against Stretton State College and in the 11th minute after running onto the ball to the left of the dummy half Lennox Whaiapu ran the ball from thirty five metres to within ten metres of the try line and breaking two tackles throughout his journey. Then in the 16th minute from the left of the play the ball Lennox Whaiapu ran the ball through the centre of the field from twenty metres to forty metres from the try line.

Lennox Whaiapu continued in the front row in Round Three against Redcliffe SHS with Lennox Whaiapu scoring from three metres out next to the left upright off a Jack Hamilton off-load in the 12th minute.

After taking the fourth hit-up of the match from the left of the play the ball to get the ball from the thirty seven metre mark to the halfway, Lennxo Whaiapu, in the 2nd minute carried the ball through the centre of the from the left of the dummy half from ten metres inside his own territory to three metres into Redcliffe SHS’s half. Then in the 7th minute from the left of the play the ball Lennox Whaiapu charged downfield from seventeen metres to thirty metres from the try line.

Also from the left of the dummy half in the 45th minute Lennox Whaiapu was able to make ten metres from his own twenty eight metre mark and also in the 55th minute a Lennox Whaiapu penalty restart saw the ball move from forty seven metres to thirty seven metres from the try line.

Lennox Whaiapu also started in the front row in Round Four against Marsden SHS with Lennox Whaiapu scoring in the 56th minute when from the right of the play the ball close to the try line Lennox Whaiapu cut underneath dummy half Qubin Anderson who had run out of dummy half to his right with Lennix Whaiapu crashing over to score six metres to the left of the goal posts.

After taking the third hit-up of the match from the left of the play the ball through the centre of the field Lennox Whaiapu ran the ball from thirty four metres from his try line to within three metres of the halfway mark, Lennox Whaiapu 20th minute carried the ball to the left of the play the ball from eighteen metres to thirty metres from the try line. Then two tackles later from the left of the play the ball Lennox Whaiapu was able to get the ball from two metres inside his half to eight metres into Marsden SHS territory.

From two passes to the left of the play the ball in the 34th minute and eighteen metres from his try line Lennox Whaiapu ran the ball put to the thirty two metres mark. Then in the 39th minute Lennox Whaiapu carried the ball down a right blindside from thirty three metres to twenty metres from the try line. Also in the 47th minute from the left of the dummy half Lennox Whaiapu got the ball from forty seven metres to thirty six metres from the try line.

Lennox Whaiapu continued in the front row in Round Five against Ipswich SHS and in the 2nd minute of the match Lennox Whaiapu carried the ball through the centre of the field from the left of the dummy half from twenty six metres to ten metres from the try line. Also in the 41st minute after cutting underneath his halfback to the right of the play the ball Lennox Whaiapu surged forward from forty to thirty metres from the try line but Lennox Whaiapu was back to his feet after not being held to make an additional ten metres to within twenty metres of the try line.

Lennox Whaiapu also started in the front row in Round Six against Mabel Park SHS with Lennox Whaiapu running the ball through the centre of the field from the left of the play the ball from twenty nine metres to forty metres from his try line.

A Lennox Whaiapu run from a Keebra Park SHS penalty restart in the 11th minute saw Lennox Whaiapiu get to within eight metres of the try line in front of the posts after receiving the ball twenty metres out. Also in the 15th minute a Lennox Whaiapu yardage carry from the right of the play the ball saw him get the ball from ten to twenty metres from his try line.

Lennox Whaiapu continued in the front row in the Round Seven local derby against PBC SHS with Lennox Whaiapu scoring in the 12th minute when he broke two tackles and crashed over to get the ball down next to the left goal post after a fourteen metre surge.

In just the 2nd minute of the match from the right of the play the ball and forty two metres from the try line Lennox Whaiapu carried the ball to within thirty metres and in the 11th minute from two passes to the right of the play the ball Lennox Whaiapu broke a tackle as he ran the ball from thirty eight to within twenty two metres of the try line. Also in the 21st minute from the left of the play the ball and twenty eight metres from his try line Lennox Whaiapu carried the ball fourteen metres downfield.

Lennox Whaiapu broke a further tackle in the 44th minute with a carry from the left of the play the ball that saw him move the ball from twenty five to forty metres from his try line with more than 70% of the metres being post contact. Lennox Whaiapu carried the ball through the centre of the field from the left of the play the ball in the 51st minute to run the ball from eight metres inside his territory to ten metres into PBC SHS’s half.

Lennox Whaiapu ran an underneath route to the right of the play the ball in the 54th minute to carry the ball through the centre of the field from forty seven to thirty three metres from the try line and in the 59th minute after returning a kick-off to the thirty metre mark a tackle later from the right of the dummy half Lennox Whaiapu ran the ball from thirty eighty metres out to the halfway mark.

Lennox Whaiapu also started in the front row in the Walters Cup semi-final against Ipswich SHS with Lennox Whaiapu carrying the ball in the 16th minute from the left of the play the ball from thirty five metres from his try line to the halfway mark.

In the 23rd minute from the left of the play the ball Lennox Whaiapu carried the ball through the centre of the field from twenty seven to thirty nine metres from his try line and then in the 37th minute Lennox Whaiapu ran the ball through the centre of the field from the right of the play the ball and broke two tackles as he promoted the ball from ten metres inside Keebra Park SHS territory to four metres into Ipswich SHS’s half.

Lennox Whaiapu started in the front row for Keebra Park SHS in the 2024 School Boy Rugby League Walters Cup Grand Final against Marsden SHS with Lennox Whaiapu charging onto the ball from a Keebra Park SHS penalty restart in the 6th minute to get the ball from forty four to thirty metres from the try line.

From the left of the play the ball in the 8th minute and twenty metres from his try line Lennox Whaiapu got the ball to the thirty metre mark and then a tackle later from the right of the play the ball Lennon Whaiapu carried the ball through the centre of the field from thirty to forty metres from the try line.

Also from the left of the play the ball in the 19th minute Lennox Whaiapu carried the ball from eighteen to thirty metres from the try line and also a tackle later from the right of the dummy half Lennox Whaiapu carried the ball through the centre of the field from thirty three metres from his try line to within four metres of the halfway mark.

Lennox Whaiapu ran the ball through the centre of the field once again the 55th minute from forty two to thirty metres from the try line and then in the 59th minute once again Lennox Whaiapu carried the ball through the centre of the field from thirty to forty metres from the try line.

Lennox Whaiapu’s performance saw him deservedly named Player of the Match.

At the conclusion of the 2024 School Boy Rugby League season Lennox Whaiapu in the front row in the 2024 Courier Mail Walters Cup School Boy Rugby League Team of the Year.

In late August 2024 Lennox Whaiapu was named in the 2024 South Queensland Māori U16 Pango Representative squad.

In August 2023 Lennox Whaiapu was named in the South Queensland Māori U16 Teina Representative side.

The talented young man played the 2022 rugby league season with the Burleigh Bears with Lennox Whaiapu starting the 2022 GCRL U14 Division One Grand Final at lock for the Bears in their tough 18 – 14 loss to the Southport Tigers.

After Lennox Whaiapu took the second hit-up of the Grand Final after Southport had kicked off, it was his defence that stood out in the early going. Southport put the Burleigh line under siege inside their attacking twenty metre area in the opening ten minutes but time and again Lennox Whaiapu just kept showing up to defend his try line with his best moment coming in the 6th minute when after the Tigers left centre had cut back inside and set sail for the try line, Lennox Whaiapu raced to his right in cover defence, getting to the Tigers left centre just two metres out and then with the assistance of Burleigh fullback Kingston Seve, Lennox Whaiapu rag dolled him and forced him back around four metres to take all of the momentum away from Southport in an instant.

Lennox Whaiapu also made a strong run in the 24th minute when from the right of the play the ball thirty three metres out from the try line, Lennox Whaiapu initially shaped to his to his right before engaging the defensive line and making ten metres.

Then in the 32nd minute Lennox Whaiapu when just eight metres out from his own try line, cut back underneath his halfback and after receiving the ball Lennox Whaiapu was able to get the ball out of his twenty metre defensive mark.

Lennox Whaiapu continued his strong Grand Final performance in the 39th minute when Lennox Whaiapu ran onto the ball to the left of the play the ball, once again cutting underneath the halfback forty two metres out from his own try line with Lennox Whaiapu cutting across field to his right twice before Lennox Whaiapu stepped off his right foot to get the ball three metres inside Southport territory.

Then in the 42nd minute Lennox Whaiapu ran onto the ball from a Burleigh penalty tap re-start forty two metres out from the try line with Lennox Whaiapu able to promote the ball against a set Tigers defensive line with Lennox Whaiapu able to make fifteen metres to get the ball within twenty seven metres of the try line.

To wrap a strong 2022 GCRL U14 Division One Grand Final for Lennox Whaiapu in the 59th minute when from thirteen metres out from the try line and to the left of the play the ball Lennox Whaiapu charged onto the ball before cutting back to his to get the ball within four metres of the try line. Burleigh then scored from Lennox Whaiapu’s subsequent lightning quick play the ball to give themselves the chance of an amazing comeback.

2022 also saw Lennox Whaiapu attend Keebra Park SHS with Lennox Whaiapu playing multiple matches off the bench for Keebra Park SHS in the School Boy Hancock Cup competition.

Lennox Whaiapu is a powerful runner of the ball who runs with a slight jink, usually off his right foot, in his step prior to impacting the defensive line and from when Lennox Whaiapu receives the ball until he hits the defensive line Lennox Whaiapu is able to build up significant momentum.

Lennox Whaiapu shows some more than reasonable pace when in the clear for a player his size and certainly in terms of his speed off the mark Lennox Whaiapu has some decent speed for a front rower. Also when he has impacted the defensive line Lennox Whaiapu continues to pump his legs and gain extra metres after contact.

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

Lennox Whaiapu speed and lateral movement means that he will not be beaten by light stepping halves trying to take advantage of tiring forwards or the opposition running out of dummy half. I have noted that he is aggressive, but not to the extent that he will give away penalties, he just wants to win every one on one contest. Lennox Whaiapu is also a very good cover defender as a result of his speed and tenacity.

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

2025 will see Lennox Whaiapu line up in the U17 Cyril Connell Cup competition for either the Tweed Heads Seagulls or the Burleigh Bears. Lennox Whaiapu will also line up for the Burleigh Bears in the 2025 Gold Coast Rugby League U18 Division One competition and Lennox Whaiapu will also be U18 eligible in the 2026.

Lennox Whaiapu will return to Keebra Park SHS in 2025 with Lennox Whaiapu in the mix for a School Boy Rugby League debut in 2025.

As a solidly built player with some strong ball skills to go along with hard running and strong defence, Lennox Whaiapu seems destined to stay in the front row for the duration of his rugby league career which should be a long and prosperous one.

Joe Ofahenguae of the Parramatta Eels and former Wests Tigers and Brisbane Broncos and Queensland State of Origin front rower is a solid NRL player comparison for Lennox Whaiapu in my opinion, at this stage of his career, both are hard running forwards and both are more athletic and skilful than they are given credit for by casual watchers of rugby league. For me Lennox Whaiapu has more developed ball playing skills already than Ofahenguae but outside of that, for me the playing style comparison between the two holds up well.
 
Joshua Siulepa. After playing for the Burleigh Bears U16 Cyril Connell Cup squad in the 2022 Joshua Siuleapa spent two seasons in the St George Dragons Pathways before moving back to the Gold Coast and in Round Fourteen of the Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade competition Joshua Siulepa making his First Grade debut when he came off the bench for the Southport Tigers against the Helensvale Hornets.

Prior to his Gold Coast Rugby League First Grade debut Joshua Siulepa was a stand out for the Southport Tigers GCRL U18 Division One side in the front row.

In late August 2024 Joshua Siulepa was named in the 2024 South Queensland Māori U18 Tane representative squad.

flies at the line at full speed (which is significant) and drops his shoulder into the first defender who looks to engage him and then Joshua Siulepa keeps pumping his legs, which enables him to break through the initial tackle or at worst gain significant ground post contact.

These traits and the fact that Joshua Siulepa can absorb significant punishment and maintain his running line and balance I think is one of the reasons (plus his speed of course) that coaches want the ball in Joshua Siulepa’s hands as much as possible.

For me however Joshua Siulepa is far more than a player who just runs straight and hard, he has good late footwork prior to the defensive line, which is why Joshua Siulepa is so damaging on the fringes of the ruck and also is developing his off-loading skills on an exponential curve.

For his size Joshua Siulepa has above average to plus speed and when he breaks through the defensive line Joshua Siulepa has the speed to convert his own breaks into tries on a regular basis as was evidenced this season.

Defensively Joshua Siulepa has a very good front on tackling technique with his shoulder and rarely gets caught front on in relation to the initial contact and Joshua Siulepa definitely has the strength and power to finish off the tackle with authority.

In those instances Joshua Siulepa maintains his balance and does not rush forward but waits until the attacker commits to a course of action and then mirrors the action to affect the tackle.

2025 will see Joshua Siulepa eligible for the U19 Mal Meninga (MM) Cup competition with Joshua Siulepa more than good enough to play for either the Tweed Heads Seagulls or Burleigh Bears in that competition in 2025.

Joshua Siulepa is a front rower pure and simple, always has been, always will be.

With his size and deft subtle late footwork whilst running the ball, I can see some similarities from a playing perspective between Joshua Siulepa and soon to be Cronulla Sharks and New Zealand International front rower Addin Fonua-Blake. Both Joshua Siulepa and Fonua-Blake are front rowers who play with intensity and their hearts on their sleeves as well as being hard running giant young front rowers with a degree of nastiness and aggression in their game.

 
Aiden Gersh. In late September 2023 Aiden Gersh was named in the 2024 Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup squad with Aiden Gersh part of the Northern Rivers Titans U16 squad that defeated the Greater Northern Tigers in their first 2024 trial.

Round One of the 2024 U16 Andrew Johns Cup competition saw Aiden Gersh named in the front row for the Northern Rivers Titans against the Newcastle Knights with Aiden Gersh running onto the ball to the left of the dummy half in the 2nd minute to get the ball from forty metres from the try line to within twenty eight metres.

Aiden Gersh also started in the front row in Round Two against the Central Coast Roosters with Aiden Gersh scoring in the 56th minute when after running onto a great short ball from his right from Billy Mulheron, Aiden Gersh charged twelve metres and carried the Central Coast fullback over the try line with him to get the ball down three metres to the left of the goal posts.

A minute earlier in the 55th minute Aiden Gersh charged onto the ball to the left of the dummy half to carry the ball from his own twenty three metre mark out to the thirty seven metre mark.

Aiden Gersh also started in the front row in Round Four against the Northern Tigers with Aiden Gersh making the fourth hit-up of the match from the left of the play the ball to carry the ball from ten metres inside his own territory to two metres into Tigers territory.



The 15th minute saw Aiden Gersh make a strong kick-off return to get the ball out to the thirty two metre mark and a tackle later from the right of the play the ball Aiden Gersh was able to make a further fourteen metres to within three metres of the halfway mark, breaking a tackle along the way.

In the 52nd minute after receiving an off-load fourteen metres from the try line charged towards the try line only to be tripped up just two metres short and just to the right of the goal posts. Then in the 56th minute Aiden Gersh made a good Tigers goal line drop-out return back to the twenty seven metre mark with Aiden Gersh running straight over the top of one defender in his journey.

Defensively Aiden Gersh made a big driving right shoulder tackle on his opposing front rower in the centre of the field and thirty two metres from the try line.

Aiden Gersh continued in the front row in the Round Five local derby against the North Coast Bulldogs with Aiden Gersh coming close to scoring in the 59th minute but unfortunately Aiden Gersh lost the ball over the try line when directly under the posts after a hard straight run from the right of the play the ball from six metres from the try line.

Aiden Gersh made his initial run of the match inside the opening minute when from the left of the play the ball Aiden Gersh bustled his way from twenty metres from the try line to within five metres before being brought to ground in front of the posts with at least 70% of Aiden Gersh’s metres being post his contact with the North Coast Bulldogs defensive line.

The 4th minute saw Aiden Gersh make a strong kick-off return to get the ball to the nineteen metres mark with Aiden Gersh making another good kick-off return in the 16th minute to get the ball to the twenty three metres mark. Then in the 13th minute from the left of the play the ball Aiden Gersh ran the ball from twenty two metres to within eleven metres of the try line.

Aiden Gersh also started in the front row in the rescheduled Round Three match against the St George Dragons with Aiden Gersh scoring in the 15th minute with a hit and clockwise spin after running onto the ball from six metres out to score for metres to the left of the goal posts.

After taking the opening hit-u[p of the match to get the ball to the eighteen metres mark, Aiden Gersh made a second kick-off return in the 4th minute to get the ball to the twenty two metre mark. Then in the 39th minute from the right of the play the ball Aiden Gersh carried the ball from forty seven metres from the try line to thirty four metres out.

2024 also saw Aiden Gersh continue to play for the Mullumbimby Giants in the Group 18 U16 competition including starting in the front row in the Grand Final victory against Murwillumbah.

At the 2024 Mullumbimby Giants presentation event Aiden Gersh received the Mullumbimby Leagues Club Player of the Year perpetual trophy. Aiden Gersh was also named the Mullumbimby Leagues Club 2024 Player of the Year.

The Mullumbimby youngster commenced training with the Titans JTS Program and was part of the Titans 2022 U14 JTS High Performance Academy Group 18 squad that commenced training in November 2022.



In early December 2022 Aiden Gersh played for the Titans U14 Group 18 Academy against the Titans U14 Group One Academy in a trial match at Ballina with both teams wearing Titans jerseys in a great initiative for the players from both Titans squads.

In late September 2023 Aiden Gersh was named in the 2024 Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup squad.

In 2023 Aiden Gersh continued to play for the Mullumbimby Colts in the Group 18 U15 competition with Aiden Gersh named the 2023 Colts U15 Best Back and Aiden Gersh also received the Players Player Award.

In 2022 Aiden Gersh played for the Mullumbimby Giants in the Group 18 U14 competition with Ryder Nelson being named the 2022 Mullumbimby Giants U14 Best Defensive Player. Impressively 2022 was Aiden Gersh’s first year of playing rugby league.

Aiden Gersh also played rugby league for Mullumbimby High School and in the U14 Buckley Shield School Boy Rugby League Competition Aiden Gersh put in several Player of the match performances, including against Newcastle’s Kurri Kurri High School and Erskine Park High School neat Penrith in Sydney’s West. Aiden Gersh’s first match for Mullumbimby High School came in Round One of the 2022 U14 Buckley Shield School Boy Competition came in a victory against Ballina Coast High School.

Aiden Gersh also represented Mullumbimby High School and with fellow 2022 Titans JTS U14 Group 18 Elite Academy squad member Ryder Nelson was a member of the winning 4 x 100 relay team at the North Coast Athletics Carnival. Aiden Gersh along with Ryder Nelson then went on to run the 4 x 100 metre relay event at the New South Wales Schools Age Athletic Championships.

Aiden Gersh is a powerful runner of the ball who runs with a slight jink, usually off his right foot, in his step prior to impacting the defensive line and from when he receives the ball until he hits the defensive line Aiden Gersh is able to build up significant momentum.

Aiden Gersh displays outstanding speed both off the mark and over an extended distance when in the clear for a player his size. Also when Aiden Gersh has impacted the defensive line he continues to pump his legs and gain extra metres after contact.

As noted Aiden Gersh is a solidly built young front rower with a low centre of gravity, which makes him quite difficult to tackle. Like his footwork Aiden Gersh will show flashes of the ability to off load the ball and with experience this attribute will continue to develop both in terms of when he has impacted the defensive line and prior to contact.

Aiden Gersh’s lateral movement is outstanding for a front rower and he is powerful enough to combat the largest of opponents looking to run through the centre of the ruck. Aiden Gersh also has the functional strength to combat attackers on a one on one basis. His initial contact is outstanding as is his ability to put any size attacker quickly and effectively on the ground and effectively slow down the speed of the play the ball.

2025 will see Aiden Gersh move up to the NRRRL U18 competition for the Murwillumbah Mustangs. Aiden Gersh will also continue to play rugby league for Mullumbimby High School in a stacked school boy rugby league team. Aiden Gersh will also push for a spot in the 2025 Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup squad with Aiden Gersh also U18 eligible in 2026.

Aiden Gersh has played the majority of the last couple of seasons either at lock or in the front row as a solidly built powerful young man, and thus Lincoln Mitchell is likely to stay in the front row for the duration of his rugby league career.

From a player comparison perspective for Aiden Gersh, think of someone along the lines of New Zealand International and Redcliffe Dolphin Kenny Bromwich as a hard working forward who is more than a solid player but will also on occasion flash some plus skills and speed.

Like Kenny Bromwich, Aiden Gersh has very underrated late and quick footwork just prior to engaging the defensive line which enables Aiden Gersh to push through gaps in the defensive line and making a solid amount of post contact metres regardless of the size of the opposition forward pack.
 
Billy Mulheron. The young man from the Bilambil Jets Junior Rugby League Club in Northern New South Wales was part of the Titans JTS Elite Academy Program training with the Titans Group 18 U14 Development Academy for the second season after also training with the Titans JTS U14 Academy in 2021.

In late September 2023 Billy Mulheron was named in the 2024 Northern Rivers Titans U16 Andrew Johns Cup squad with Billy Mulheron part of the Northern Rivers Titans U16 squad that defeated the Greater Northern Tigers in their first 2024 trial.

Round One of the 2024 U16 Andrew Johns Cup competition saw Billy Mulheron named in the front row and co-captain for the Northern Rivers Titans against the Newcastle Knights with Billy Mulheron making the first of a number of telling runs in just the 2nd minute with an effort from the left of the play the ball that saw Billy Mulheron carry the ball from the halfway mark twelve metres inside Newcastle territory.

Then in the 17th minute after running onto the ball to the right of the play the ball Billy Mulheron was able to promote the ball four metres inside Newcastle territory after commencing his run eight metres inside his own territory. Then in the 37th minute from the left of the play the ball Billy Mulheron carried the ball from twenty nine metres from his own try line to within ten metres of the halfway mark.

Billy Mulheron also started in the front row in Round Two against the Central Coast Roosters with Billy Mulheron scoring in the 45th minute from a Northern Rivers Titans penalty in the centre of the field and ten metres out. Billy Mulheron took the responsibility of taking the tap himself and after taking the tap, Billy Mulheron ran to his right and after dummying to his left before steeping off his right foot and bursting through four attempted tackles to crash over to score seven metres to the right of the goal posts.

Billy Mulheron also recorded a try assist in the 56th minute when after running onto the ball to the left of the dummy half, Billy Mulheron ran from eighteen metres from the try line to twelve metres out before popping a smart short ball to his left to his front row partner Aiden Gersh who burst through a gap to crash over to score three metres to the left of the goal posts.

Billy Mulheron had earlier recorded a line break assist in the 33rd minute when from thirty metres from the try line and to the right of the play the ball Billy Mulheron ran the ball to the defensive line before throwing a good short ball to his right to Klay Jones. Billy Mulheron continued to back up and got a pass back from his lock around ten metres out and it appeared that Billy Mulheron had done more than enough to get the ball down under the posts but the final pass was strangely ruled forward and the try was disallowed.

The first of Billy Mulheron’s strong charges in the match came in the 19th minute from two passes to the right of a Northern Rivers penalty restart, Billy Mulheron was able to promote the ball from thirty two metres out from his own try line to within five metres of the halfway mark.

In the 40th minute Billy Mulheron produced a strong kick-off return to get the ball out to the twenty three metre mark. Then in the 48th minute from the right of the play the ball Billy Mulheron produced a yardage carry that saw him run the ball from thirty one metres out from the try line to within six metres of the halfway mark.

Billy Mulheron made his presence felt in the 45th minute with a big tackle from a Titans kick off on one of the replacement Central Coast front rowers to force a knock on and put Northern Rivers immediately onto the attack.

Billy Mulheron continued in the front row in the Round Five local derby against the North Coast Bulldogs with Billy Mulheron recording the first of his two line break assists in the 19th minute when after running onto the ball to the left of the play the ball from his own thirty five metre mark Billy Mulheron carried the ball to the halfway mark before getting a right arm off-load away to his left to Chase Penna who broke into open space.

Chase Penna was also the beneficiary of Billy Mulheron’s second line break assist in the 45th minute with Billy Mulhern taking the ball to the right of the play the ball just inside hi own half with Billy Mulheron double pumping a short ball to his right for Chase Penna to once again break through the Bulldogs defensive line.

In the 16th minute from the left of the play the ball Billy Mulheron was able to carry the ball from thirty metres from his own try line to with three metres of the halfway mark. Then in the 37th minute from the right of the dummy half dummied to his right before running through the centre of the field from thirty four metres from the try line to twenty metres out.

Billy Mulheron also started in the front row in the rescheduled Round Three match against the St George Dragons with Billy Mulheron taking the second hit-up of the match from the left of the pla the ball to get the ball from fifteen metres from his own try line to twenty eight metres out, Billy Mulheron also made the fourth hit-up from the right of the dummy half to get eh ball within five metres of the halfway mark.

From the right of the play the ball in the 5th minute Billy Mulheron was able to get the ball from his thirty metre mark to forty one metres out after dummying to his right. Then in the 7th minute also to the right of the play the ball Billy Mulheron ran the ball through the centre of the field from forty metres from the try line to within thirty metres.

In the 9th minute from two passes to the right of the play the ball Billy Mulheron dummied to his right once again before running the ball through the centre of the field from thirty five metres to twenty two metres from the try line. Then in the 13th minute from the left of the dummy half Billy Mulheron carried the ball to within thirteen metres of the try line after taking possession thirty metres out.

From twenty five metres out from his own try line and to the right of the play the ball Billy Mulheron produced a yardage carry which saw him make twelve metres to win a penalty for the Titans for St George being offside. In the 44th minute Billy Mulheron ran out of dummy half to his right to make thirteen metres from forty metres from the try line.

At the conclusion of the regular season rounds of the 2024 Andrew Johns Cup Billy Mulheron was named as one of the Top 40 2024 Andrew Johns/Laurie Daley Cup players.

2024 saw Billy Mulheron continue at PBC SHS with Billy Mulheron playing in the School Boy Rugby league Watters Cup including starting in the front row in Round Four against Stretton State College.

After making the opening run of the match from the kick-off to get the ball out to the twenty one metre mark Billy Mulheron ran onto the ball two passes to the left of a PBC SHS penalty restart in the 3rd minute to promote the ball from thirty six metres to nineteen metres from the try line. In addition in the 8th minute from two passes to the left of a PBC SHS penalty restart again, Billy Mulheron carried the ball from thirty seven metres from his try line to four metres into Stretton State College’s half.

Billy Mulheron ran the ball through the centre of the field from the left of the play the ball in the 27th minute with Billy Mulheron breaking three tackles to get the ball from six metres inside his own half to thirty two metres from the try line. Also in the 44th minute from the right of the play the ball a Billy Mulheron ran saw him get the ball from eight metres inside PBC SHS territory to eight metres into Stretton State College’s half.

Billy Mulheron ran onto the ball to the left of the play the ball in the 51st minute to run the ball from seventeen metres from his try line to thirty metres out and then in the 55th minute from the left of the play the ball Billy Mulheron carried the ball through the centre of the field from thirty two metres to forty eight metres from his try line. A Billy Mulheron kick-off return in the 58th minute saw him break a tackle to get the ball out to the thirty seven metre mark.

Billy Mulheron also started in the front row in Round Five against Marsden SHS with Billy Mulheron scoring one try and setting up two more in a tough last minute PBC SHS two point loss.

Billy Mulheron scored in the 5th minute with a charge from the right of the play the ball and fourteen metres from the try line with Billy Mulheron breaking two tackles with a right foot step with Billy Mulheron then running over the top of the Marsden SHS fullback to ground the ball seven metres to the left of the goal posts.

Billy Mulheron recorded his first try assist in the 14th minute when after running onto the ball to the left of the dummy half Billy Mulheron ran to within six metres of the try line before dummying right and passing left to put the ball onto the chest of Max Wood who had run into a gap to score ten metres to the left of the goal posts.

Billy Mulheron recorded a second try assist in the 51st minute when from the left of the play the ball and ten metres out Billy Mulheron straightened up his run to isolate the Marsden SHS fullback on his left and once again Billy Mulheron got a pass away to his left to Max Wood who scored ten metres in from the left corner post.

Billy Mulheron continued in the front row in the Round Seven local derby against Keebra Park SHS with Billy Mulheron making the second hit-up of the match from the left of the dummy half through the centre of the field out to the fifteen metre mark. Then in the 38th minute also from the left of the play the ball and thirty metres from the try line Billy Mulheron was able to run the ball to within eight metres.

At the conclusion of the 2024 School Boy Rugby League season Billy Mulheron in the front row in the 2024 Courier Mail Walters Cup School Boy Rugby League Team of the Year.

Early May saw Billy Mulheron named in the 2024 New South Wales Country U16 side for their annual matches against NSW City U16’s.

2024 also saw Billly Mulheron line up for the Murwillumbah Colts in the Group 18 U16 competition with Billy Mulheron named the 2024 Colts U16 Best and Fairest Player.

In mid- December 2023 Billy Mulheron was named in the 2024 New South Wales Kurri U17 Representative side in play in their annual match against Queensland Murri U17’s with Billy Mulheron starting the match at lock.

2023 saw Billy Mulheron continue to play for the Bilambil Jets in the Group 18 U15 competition.

In early December 2022 Billy Mulheron was part of the Titans U14 Group 18 Academy side that played against a Titans U14 Group One Academy side in Ballina in a trial match with both team’s wearing Titans jersey’s which must have been a great experience for the young Titans JTS Academy players from both teams.

In 2022 Billy Mulheron continued playing for the Bilambil Jets in the Group 18 U14 competition with Billy Mulheron starting in the front row in the Grand Final against the South Tweed Bears with Billy Mulheron a standout in the Jets strong Grand Final victory with his strong running and defence in the centre of the ruck throughout the entire match.

2022 saw Billy Mulheron attend PBC SHS, playing in the Renouf Shield School Boy competition and at the end of year 2022 PBC SHS Sports Awards night, Billy Mulheron was named the recipient of the Reds Year Eight Award.

In 2021 Billy Mulheron was part of the successful Bilambil Jets U13 side that played in the Group 18 U13 competition. In the 2021 Group 18 U13 competition the Jets won seven matches, drew two and lost four, along the way scoring 238 points and conceding 158 to have a points differential of +80.

In 2019 Billy Mulheron was selected in the North Coast Primary U11 school boy representative side after representing Far North Coast in the trials from Banora Point Primary being Billy Mulheron’s first taste of representative rugby league.

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

Defensively Billy Mulheron is able to engage and defeat opposing attacker one on one regardless of size. Billy Mulheron does not just charge up trying to hit attacker’s chest on but Billy Mulheron 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 Billy Mulheron is a difference marker with his defence. With his strength and technique Billy Mulheron should likely always be considered a plus defender regardless of the quality of opponent that he is up against.

Even though Billy Mulheron does not necessarily have plus straight speed overall, Billy Mulheron’s lateral movement is very good and on the majority of occasions Billy Mulheron is able to mirror the movement of smaller attackers looking to exploit a perceived speed and/or mobility difference between them and Billy Mulheron.

2024 will see Billy Mulheron move up to the NRRRL U18 competition for the Murwillumbah Mustangs. Billy Mulheron will also continue to attend PBC SHS with Billy Mulheron moving up to play in the Langer Cup School Boy Rugby League competition with school boy rugby league representative honours for South Coast certainly not out of the question for Billy Mulheron in 2025 either.

Billy Mulheron will start the 2025 season off as part of the Northern Rivers Titans U18 Laurie Daley Cup squad.

Billy Mulheron is certainly one heck of an athlete with everything that you would want to see if you were building a modern day rugby league front rower from scratch in a laboratory. Billy Mulheron has size, speed, strength, mobility and power and the ability to continue to develop all of those already impressive characteristics in the future.

Billy Mulheron is not just an outstanding athlete however, Billy Mulheron is also one heck of a young front rower with exceptional rugby league skills around when and how to engage defenders and Billy Mulheron is also rapidly developing an elite one arm (right arm on the majority of occasions) off-load. Couple those rugby league attributes with a good front on hard hitting tackling technique and you have one heck of a front row prospect in Billy Mulheron.

New Zealand International Joseph Tapine from the Canberra Raiders, being one of the best current front rowers in the world is a great player comparison for Billy Mulheron. Like Tapine, the opposition repeatedly struggles to get Billy Mulheron down to the ground, with his quick play-the-balls resulting in plenty of momentum for his team’s play makers to scheme off. Like Tapine, not only does Billy Mulheron get through a mountain of work with his metre gaining ability and hunger and intensity in defence, but Billy Mulheron also offers plenty in attack with his ability to offload and break tackles.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom