Who were some of the excitement machines we think can make a difference in Colts 1 club rugby? Revealed here
Ahead of the Colts 1 club rugby season, we canvas over 50 young guns sure to make a difference for their respective teams. See the Players to Watch here. FULL LIST
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It’s here. The Colts 1 club rugby season is upon us.
Last year Brothers took out the premiership, defeating Souths in the grand final.
Will they be able to fend off competition and make it two in a row?
Souths have the likes of Will Nason, Ryley Bierton and Denzil Perkins returning, while newcomers Xavier Rubens and Maddox Maclean give them every chance to again be the top team to beat after claiming the minor premiership last year.
Brothers have lost a handful of players like Jack Harley (Brumbies), Kadin Pritchard (Brumbies) and Finn Prass (Force) who have been signed by Super Rugby clubs. Despite this, The Brethren, who have Australian under-18s squad member and centre Josh Takai embarking on his first season, cannot be discounted.
University, under new coach Josh Bray, look promising with forwards Patrick Sowerby, Xavier Grambower, Xavier Stiles and Tom Robinson at the club. In the backs there was x-factor in Jimmy Jackson, Tafito Ah-Ki, Chace Oates and Angus Kelly.
GPS head coach Kris Kuridrani and assistant coach Alex Mafi have brought in a ton of talent from across the state and even from Fiji. Yoku road looks to be a hostile environment to play away at this season.
Jack Richards has taken the reins at Tigerland with captain Joe Liddy ready to spearhead the likes of Frankie Goldsbrough, PJ Su’a, Nick Bloomfield and others back to the finals picture.
Meanwhile, Bond University have picked up two Australian Under-18s forwards, Fergus Gillan and Oliver Barrett and at Sylvan road, new head coach Phil Mooney has wasted no time bringing in elite talent which includes the likes of Jamie Alexander, James Martens, Will Pascoe and Samson Tuqiri.
Dark horses Norths, under new coach Bart Ritchie, and Sunnybank, under new head coach Rex Tapuai, were also primed to take the competition by storm with both clubs tapping into the riches of Padua and Ipswich Grammar respectively.
REDS 140 TOP PLAYERS FOR 140 YEARS IN QLD
So who were the Players to Watch in season 2024? Some of all nine club’s excitement machines are recognised below but it is merely a snapshot of some of the quality players set to light up clubland this season.
Highly touted fly half whiz Tauave Leofa (BSHS) has bypassed club rugby to take up an opportunity in France.
Leofa’s schoolmate last year Siale Mahina is another who has been picked up by an overseas club.
Mahina was set to be Sunnybank’s tighthead prop and captain, but is off to play in Japan.
“Once I found out he wasn’t playing and he was going overseas it was a huge loss for me,” said Sunnybank coach Rex Tapuai.
“I knew how important he was to the group, but at the end of the day he’s going onto bigger and better things so I can’t wish him anything but the best.
“It’s a testament to how hard he’s worked so I am happy for him.”
And two of the top players in their age groups in rugby and rugby league, Prestyn Laine Sietu (Dolphins signed) and Amare Milford (Storm signed), will not play Colts 1.
Both boys were elite in the 2022 Emerging Reds Cup at Bulimba’s Riverside Rugby Club.
COLTS 1 PLAYERS TO WATCH
EASTS TIGERS
Frankie Goldsbrough
The Queensland Reds contracted centre has been honing his craft at the pristine National Rugby Centre at Ballymore and will be well equipped against players of his own age.
Goldsbrough was a key cog in Churchie’s 2022 GPS rugby premiership winning effort (shared with Nudgee and TSS), and will benefit massively from a big season of club rugby under new head Jack Richards.
Joe Liddy
The mighty fine breakaway had his 2023 season interrupted with two shoulder injuries and then a broken ankle, and will be eager to make up for lost time in his third and final season of Colts 1.
Everywhere Man Liddy, who to his peers is a great captain and better bloke, will be pushing hard for selection in the Australian Under 20s.
Nick Bloomfield
Another player at Bottomley Park striving for an Australian Under 20s call up is Bloomfield, the much improved prop who has been on a steep upward trajectory since leaving Churchie in 2021.
Last year’s Australia Under 20s prop started at Easts in Colts 2 before moving into Colts 1 where under Tyrell Barker and Jack Richards he became one of the country’s best front rowers in his age group.
Luke Hatherall
The Brisbane State High old boy has done almost nothing wrong in clubland for two seasons and we expect much of the same again this year.
Hatherall is a no-nonsense centre, a player who rarely makes a mistake, goes about his business and does it well.
He is just who Easts want in the big games because you know what you're going to get.
Archie Xavier
There’s not much of him but the fast-thinking scrum half will use this to his advantage to weasel through gaps and burst away from defenders.
A Mr Natural, Xavier will be eager to fill the void left by classy No.9 Sam Farrar and use his running game to give Easts that x-factor near the breakdown.
Tom Twaddell
A solid lineout operator and target, trusty lock Twaddell is another Colts 1 veteran who was one of the best in his position last season.
Alongside big Tane Heteraka, Easts will be in safe hands come lineout time.
PJ Su’a
If you watch No.8 powerhouse PJ Su’a play you might see some similarities between him and Wallabies backrower and reigning John Eales medallist Rob Valetini.
Su’a is in a similar build, has a destructive running game and is a huge kid.
He is sure to ruffle some feathers this season and push for Reds under-19s selection.
SOUTHS MAGPIES
Xavier Rubens
A future Reds prospect, this hard-running outside centre has spent time away in the Australian Under-20s camp and had been training alongside Goldsbrough and the likes at Ballymore.
He was a prolific tryscorer at school level with BBC and with playmakers like Will Nason and Maddox Maclean on his inside, we expect to see his name on the scorers sheet quite regularly.
Maddox Maclean
The classy fly half or inside centre has hit the ground running at Chipsy Wood oval with a renewed vengeance about him.
A two-time premiership winner with Nudgee (2022,2023), Maclean brings an accurate and booming kicking game, a strong pass and an ability to break the line when he pins the ears back.
Will Nason
The emerging fullback turned fly half roared to life last year in the Queensland Reds under-19s and has been on a steady upward trajectory since, headed towards his second Colts 1 season under coach Cian O’Connor.
The Toowoomba Grammar old boy, who was also a terrific cricketer, can cover the fly half, inside centre and fullback positions and will be brimming with confidence following Souths’ resurgent season last year.
Trevor King
The Reds contracted prop or hooker has been put on ice for quite some time with injury but on any given day he can make a monster impact.
Once he gets some minutes into his legs and some time out on the paddock, scrum time and close quarter battle will be a daunting task for rival front-rowers.
An Australian Schools and U18s selection and a Hospital Cup debutant at 18-years-old.
Dominic Thygesen
The powerful No.8 whose size, physicality and running was a big reason why Souths were so successful last season.
When healthy, there aren’t many backrowers better than him.
Two shoulder reconstructions have hindered his off-season, but he should be back for the second round of games this season.
Slater Galloway (tight-head), Cooper Hoare (hooker), Jacob Jobs (loose-head)
Elite BBC front-rowers Galloway, Hoare and Jobs have flooded the Souths ranks at just the right time.
The squad lost Lington Leli who has found a home at the Brumbies, so Galloway, Hoare and Jobs make up a new look front row for the Magpies.
In the tight five Souths also have Harrison Angel, another fine BBC old boy.
Cadeel Rees and Tommy O’Callaghan
Two tireless, tough as teak backrowers who bring leadership, experience and size to the team.
Both boys were in the Reds under-19s organisation late last year and will compliment the youngsters in front of them nicely while the side waits for big boppers Thygesen and King to return from injury.
WESTS BULLDOGS
Will Pascoe
The lock mountain man out of Brisbane Grammar is sure to offer plenty of punch up the middle of the field and close to the line.
He is a big boy, and will be out to make some noise in an exciting Wests team coached by his school rugby coach last year Phil Mooney.
Alex Watkins
Watkins played Seconds rugby last year at Nudgee and has already made a strong impression at the Kennel with his work ethic and commitment to getting better.
An exciting back row prospect, Watkins is filling out while remaining at top fitness and made a quality first grade debut against the Tuggeranong Vikings last month.
Jamie Alexander
BBC’s school captain last year has found a home at Sylvan road where his quick thinking, high IQ, goal kicking and attacking game will set a strong foundation for his forwards and backs.
Also a fine cricketer who has represented Queensland’s under-17s, Alexander is a scrum half who opposition coaches should have a big circle around.
A red alert player.
Campbell King
Centre or wing Campbell King has an x-factor player. He is a damaging crash ball runner who will form a formidable Wests backline capable of producing a ton of tries this season.
Dominic Kallquist
King’s outside centre will be Kallquist, another powerful runner of the ball who is going to be a real handful for opposition centres to bring to ground.
Talk about firepower. This Rockhampton Grammar old boy has it.
Samson Tuqiri
Lote Tuqiri’s son will be under the great guidance of Wests coach Phil Mooney and we expect him to score plenty of tries and continue to improve.
A Reds Academy member, Tuqiri played two years of Firsts at BBC and has a turn of pace which won’t be hard to see.
James Martens
Wests coach Phil Mooney has Jamie Alexander and James Martens as halfback options this season.
Martens has been training with the first grade side but will likely drop back to Colts provided Louis Werchon and Moses Sorovi are healthy for the Bulldogs.
Martens is a well built young man who is of great rugby pedigree - his dad Hente Martens a capped Springbok.
UNIVERSITY RED HEAVIES
Xavier Stiles
Returning for his second year is this scrappy hooker out of Gregory Terrace who last year represented the Brumbies in the Super Rugby Pacific Under-19s tournament.
Stiles is a gritty player who can get under the skin of his rivals while being a very good leader and accurate lineout thrower.
Chace Oates
His older brothers BJ and Kye were mainstays in the club’s first grade team in the past, as was his cousin Corey at the Broncos.
But young veteran Oates was also carving out a name for himself as a promising utility back and ace cricketer from Toowoomba Grammar.
Watch for his kicking game under new head coach Josh Bray.
Angus Kelly
Earmarked by first grade coach Elton Berrange as a player of the future, Gregory Terrace old boy Angus Kelly is a destructive ball runner who could be a major benefactor of Jimmy Jackson, Tafito Ah-Ki, Oates and playmaker Siliva Leofa’s quick and precise passing.
Xavier Grambower
The rough-and-tumble backrower is quite fearless and has great attention to detail at set-piece.
He was consistently good last season under former coach Matt Ingram.
Patrick Sowerby
Another quality backrower ready to rumble is UQ scholar Patrick Sowerby, a Queensland Reds under-19s workhorse who is great over the ball.
He has continued to improve and will be a top notch forward leader for The Students.
Tafito Ah-Ki and Jimmy Jackson
New coach Josh Bray has the luxury of having two promising halfbacks in his ranks, Tafito Ah-Ki and Jimmy Jackson.
Jackson is a Sunshine Coast Grammar product who is continuing the school’s incredible tradition of churning out elite No.9s while Ah-Ki, a New Zealand born St Edmund’s College old boy, is a sporting scholarship holder at UQ.
Ah-Ki, who could play at fly half, made our AIC rugby Team of the Season in 2022 and 2023.
Jack Henry
The UQ scholarship holder may come into the competition as somewhat of an unknown but we have been covering this tremendous No.8 leader for some years now.
Henry, an Australian Schoolboy selection last year, was the inspiring Canterbury College school captain who made everything happen for his side in the TAS rugby competition.
Tom Robinson
Last but certainly not least is this tall, mobile backrower out of Gregory Terrace.
The College’s school captain and rugby captain last year is a leader, both with his words and actions.
SUNNYBANK DRAGONS
Dajuan Manase
Things were looking up at Sunnybank with the club gaining an influx of high quality Ipswich Grammar alumni (Nathan Fraser, DJ Manase, Tane Gregory, Declan Sullivan, Malachi Vaigalu).
Of this bunch, Manase was one to watch. He plays centre and while being a strong defender, his calling card was his ability to bust through tackles.
Netani Lesimaikimatuku
The versatile Netani Lesimaikimatuku adds a real attacking strike to an already potent Dragons backline.
The BSHS old boy, who can play positions 10 through 15, loves to express himself on the field and is afraid of nothing.
He and Nico Buckley are flexible which is a big plus for the ‘Bank.
Tane Gregory
Ipswich Grammar School’s starting flanker last year, Gregory is a huge coup for the Sunnybank side.
He is tough as nails, a work horse who goes about his business quietly at a very high level.
Daniel Mallum
Similar to Norths’ speedster Sam Dickie, the pacy Mallum brings lightning pace to the Dragons.
He is light on his feet, and had great coaching at BBC over the last two years.
Andre Loughlin and Fati Fala
Andre Loughlin (hooker) and Fati Fala (winger) have come over from across the ditch where they played First XV rugby in 2022 for Kelston Boys’ High School (Auckland).
The pair also played club rugby last season in New Zealand but have taken a leap of faith under new coach Rex Tapuai.
Mattias Agent
A Junior Colt at the club last year, Agent was a key retention for coach Rex Tapuai ahead of this season.
A BSHS boy, Agent is athletic with great rugby IQ and height.
He will be a key target in the lineout as well as someone who will run brilliant lines.
Isaac Nomani
A Queensland Reds under-19s lock who broke his hand late last year and is coming back ready to make some noise with the Dragons.
His physicality and leadership will be key leading the Dragons into the fray.
He’s a beast, a leader with his actions, and is match hardened with Colts and Reds Academy experience.
Nico Buckley
Australian Schoolboy fly half Nico Buckley is a quality King’s Christian College product who will be one step ahead, his dad the backs coach for Sunnybank’s Colts 1 team.
The 18-year-old is a great organiser and will likely feature for the club’s first grade side at some stage this season.
Brody McLaren
An on-the-rise outside centre out of St Laurence’s College.
McLaren can run hard and break tackles but also ball play for his teammates, and the club have had him training with the premier grade side for over a month.
If he isn’t playing first grade, he will be partnering wrecking ball midfielder DJ Manase in the centres.
Oscar McCarthy and Jack Parlane
Both scrum halves, McCarthy has come from Ireland and is doing everything right at the moment.
Parlane is also elite, meaning Sunnybank have the Colts 1 and premier grade halfback positions covered off with two big ticks.
NORTHS EAGLES
Macarius Pereira
The two-time Nudgee premiership winner has been one of the best in his age group for quite some time and has a chance to make a real big impact for his junior club.
Strong as an ox with a knack for scoring from close range.
Jovid Aveau
The Gregory Terrace old boy and Norths junior is a mobile ball runner who is hard to handle.
A prop, Aveau joins Rogers and Pereira in what is a very promising Eagles front row.
Tyrone Fanueti
Beware the Marsden SHS beast, a softly spoken No.8 whose physicality on both sides of the ball will stick out like a sore thumb.
The gentle giant was part of Marsden’s promising First XIII Langer Trophy team last year and has decided to give rugby a crack.
Watch for Cameron Ray, Ben Kluck and Zack Sinclair to wreak havoc in the back row as well.
Joe Woods
An outside centre, Woods has come across from Souths to Norths this year where he will be a starting centre.
He was behind some good ones at Chipsy Wood last year and it wouldn’t surprise seeing him spread his wings as a driving force for the Eagles.
Underrated.
Ryan Heaton
Norths junior and Nudgee premiership winner Heaton will have his eyes fixated on that Reds under-18s and Australian under-18s squad come September.
A deceptively fast centre, Heaton is a man on a mission and he has the skills to achieve his goals.
He’s a strong defender, a solid organiser and has a nice kick, run and pass package.
Sam Dickie
A quicksilver winger returning for year No.2.
He has speed, he is match-hardened by a full season and will be a try scoring threat out wide for the Eagles.
Will Rogers
The Reds under-19s hooker is coming off an injury and will be right at home in the front row with ex-Nudgee teammate Macarius Pereira.
Rogers and Pereira were the deadliest front row duo in the 2022 season so who says they can’t be that again?
Callum Reidy
The Reds under-19s scrum half will be one of if not the best halfback in the competition.
His work ethic, leadership, and commitment has been impressive in the off-season and we predict another big year for the St Laurence’s old boy.
GPS GALLOPERS
Ewald Kruger
The abrasive Reds Academy hooker was Queensland’s best player in the Under-16s Super Rugby Pacific National Championships in 2022, and was a standout in the Reds under-18s in 2023 and 2024.
The Toowoomba Grammar old boy, like fellow TGS product Matt Faessler, loves to spear off a rolling maul and score, but he offers much more than that.
Just wait and see.
Pat Gavin
The towering lock is nursing a knee niggle at the minute but when he returns GPS will feel his presence on the field.
A big boy, Gavin was a bolter in the Reds under-19s and Australian under-20s preliminary squad last year. He will be a forward leader and quality lineout technician for GPS, who will have plenty of height upfront in Gavin and Avery Thompson.
Avery Thompson
Reds academy lock Avery Thompson is one of the club’s top recruits.
He is a player with potential, upsize and is improving his physicality each and every day.
Teammates will be looking forward to him joining the line-up which will likely be in round three.
Nick Harper
It will be hard to miss flame-haired prop Harper, a tough customer who scrummages hard and runs harder.
Having already made his first grade debut, Harper will likely play Colts and later in the day come off the bench for Sio Kite in the top Premier team.
He is as good as any tight-head in the competition and it would not surprise seeing his name in GPS’ first grade starting team for round one.
George Griffiths and Jack Leo
How deep is the GPS forward pack? The club has Toowoomba Grammar captain George Griffiths (blindside flanker) and Iona open side flanker Jack Leo.
They also have mobile Rebels flanker Stuart Tualima and trojan worker Matthias Maugatai.
Tualima won’t return for some time because the Rebels want him in their backyard during the Super season, while Maugatai isn’t far off a return.
Chris Jansen
An outside centre from Western Australia, Jansen moved east last year and was somewhat of a bolter in the Reds under-18s team.
A Western Force Academy player, Jansen has a point to prove this season and with Tasman Barry by his side, GPS looked capable of making some noise.
Tasman Barry
Bringing the size, power and crash running will be this second year Colts 1 bulldozer out of Marist Ashgrove.
Barry played two years of Firsts at Ashgrove, before his first season last year where he was invited to trial for the Reds under-18s.
He missed out, but with a good season he will be right there in the Reds under-19s picture.
Patrick Tierney
Coming back for his second year is 18-year-old fullback Tierney, a two year Marist Ashgrove First XV player.
Tierney wasn’t at his best last year but now with more experience and a full season under his belt, the sky’s the limit.
He is another player on the fringes of that Reds under-19s squad, and with team success and a strong season personally, he should be right in those conversations.
Joe Doljanin
Third year Colt Joe Doljanin brings a mixed bag to this promising GPS outfit: Footwork, speed, experience and try scoring finesse.
A Queensland under-19s winger last year, Doljanin is a walk-in to this side but has reinforcements and internal competition with Lote Tuqiri’s nephew Taito, a winger, adding great depth to the squad.
Doljanin spent the pre-season with the club’s first grade side so watch that space.
Spencer Alcock
The Southport School’s fly half of the last two years has landed at Yoku road where his deft kicking game could help unlock GPS’ exciting outside backs.
The diminutive Alcock kicks goals and plays well above his weight.
Footnote: GPS also have electric Meninga Cup player Adam Khan on their books, as well as Fijian front-rowers Livai Tawake (hooker), Izzy Hesaie (tight-head) and Xalian Salakaia-Loto, the younger brother of Rebels lock Lukhan.
BROTHERS
Rory Beech
Beech returns for his second season of Colts where he is a proven winner. He has won premierships with Nudgee and Brothers, and continues to improve.
He was the starting loose-head in the Reds under-19s team last season.
Jeremiah and Jamaine Sialau
The powerful front row twins out of Toowoomba Grammar will be a handful no doubt.
Their older brother Sebastian plays with notable Wallabies Quade Cooper and Will Genia for the Kintetsu Liners in Osaka.
Rugby runs in their blood.
Griffin Schostakowski
The second year flanker is mobile, aggressive, quite fast and has size to him.
He has all the qualities to be a potent back row force for The Brethren.
Charles Stack
This will be young veteran Charlie Stack’s third and final season under Greg Beaver.
He is a tall, raw boned lock or even back rower who can make a world of difference as his team hunts their second successive Colts 1 trophy.
Joseph Wikaira
The Sunshine Coast Grammar old boy was a Reds under-18s winger in 2022 but had his 2023 interrupted with injuries.
He returns this season a year older and a year wiser. Watch for him to be a prominent force in the Brothers backline.
James Duggan
Manning the other wing will be this strongly built Nudgee premiership winner who has everything to play for this season.
Duggan is a try scorer and a quality cover defender who can really make a difference in this Brothers side.
Joshua Takai
A ferocious Brisbane State High School old boy centre who has made the Preliminary Australian under-18 squad.
In the space of six months Takai had beaten Nudgee in a thriller at Fursden, made the Reds under-18s, made the Australian under-18s squad and was now embarking on a quest for back-to-back Colts 1 premierships at the Brothers club.
BOND UNIVERSITY BULLSHARKS
Ieuan Cornelius
The fleet-footed Helensvale Hogs junior is a finisher on the wing and an accurate goal kicker who could do a bulk of the scoring for Bond University this season.
He’s another player who would have Reds under-19s at the front of his mind.
Blake Raymond
The TSS premiership winner (2022) is an elite outside back with sure handling, sharp footwork and power.
While he is a try scoring whiz, his defensive game is equally impressive.
He could be anything this season.
Callum Simpson
A big bodied centre who will bend the defensive line, score tries and hold up his end of the bargain on defence.
The Palm Beach Currumbin Alleygators junior has a season under his belt and will be better for it.
Rocco Gollings
An Australian 7s prospect, the fast paced Gollings is back for another season at the canal under head coach Rico Gear.
The son of Fiji Men’s National 7s coach Ben, Rocco has the ability to break open a game.
Fergus Gillan
Bond University have landed a huge coup in TSS old boy and lock Fergus Gillan.
Gillan was an Australian under-18s player last year, an elite lineout operator who took the GPS rugby competition by storm in 2023.
Oliver Barrett
Like Gillan, hooker Barrett was an Australian under-18s selection last year after helping Nudgee win the premiership with his clinical rolling maul play.
Barrett is a big, strong No.2 who has received the best coaching has to offer in Andrew Scotney and Sean Graham during his time at Nudgee.
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