Lightning winger, fearless flankers in our GPS Team of the Week selections
GPS First XV Team of the Week latest includes a series of lionheart loose forwards and an explosive Year 11 winger who has scored five tries in two games.
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He has scored five tries in his first two games of GPS First XV rugby but according to Ipswich Grammar director of sport Nigel Greive, quicksilver winger Amaziah Murgha is only getting better.
Murgha was again a headline grabber as round 2 featured another crackerjack series of games also highlighted by fearless flankers such as Joe Stoddart (Churchie), TSS pair Billy Wellard and Will Carter, TGS’ Joe Gray and BSHS’s Mattias Agent.
Our coverage of GPS First XV will continue on Friday when elite youth coach and long serving Terrace rugby mentor Michael Broad reflects on his magic moments, and favourite players, in Nudgee v Terrace clashes.
Year 11 IGS winger Murgha dazzled with a first half double – and was one of the first players chosen in our Players of the Week.
Murgha, who started at Ipswich Grammar in Year 9, is a proud indigenous boy who hails from the sporting rich Yarrabah region in Cairns.
He is a rugby player through and through, and after the Queensland Reds under 15s Academy gave the emerging winger a taste, Murgha had the desire to come to a GPS school which provided more rugby pathways.
After an injury-wridden 16As season last year, the passionate Murgha cracked Firsts this year and has started with a bang – featuring a hat-trick against TSS and a double against Nudgee.
The start he has had certainly proves his natural talent.
But Greive said the thing that stood out about Murgha beside the fact he was quick was his strength.
“Standout in the fact he’s quick and has a good stepping game at pace and from a standing start. He’s an exceptionally agile athlete.
“His power to weight ratio is what surprises me. That’s unique.
“His core strength and leg drive and the speed at which he does things. He’s explosive in contact,” Greive said about the 16-year-old.
“I know he’s driven to do as well as he can … His training ethic and demena, which we are impressed with.
“He’s thankful for any opportunity he gets and he has a good attitude.
“I’ve seen a lot of improvements in the last 6 months post-injuries.
“He’s developing the ability to turn up at the right places. He involves himself in the game a lot more than he did last year.
“For me, the strength of the young man is his attitude and willingness to buy in to the program and being involved in something special,” Greive said about the ever-improving Murgha.
So who joined Murgha in our Round 2 Team of the Week? See below
RELATED LINKS
ROUND 2 TEAMS INCLUDE 18 DEBUT PLAYERS – and the son of a Test cricketer
ROUND 1 REPORT – WHAT A START TO THE SEASON
TSS’ BEN TWEEDY HEADLINES OUR GPS BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
TEAM OF THE WEEK
1. Diamond Fifita (Churchie)
Fifita was a rock at scrum time while being very hard to stop in attack with his carries and footwork. He could also unload and cause some turnovers.
2. Blaze Moana (TSS)
Moana was at the sharp end of TSS’s lethal rolling maul and pick and drive assaults which ultimately delivered TSS enough points to pip Terrace in a cliffhanger. But he was more than that, strong at scrum time and effective with catch and pass or tackles.
RELATED LINKS
ROUND 1 TEAMS, FEARLESS FORECAST FOR THE PREMIERSHIP
GPS RUGBY TEAM OF THE DECADE SO FAR
3. Macarius Pereira (Nudgee College)
Pereira left no questions as to his hunger and ability. Starting with hunger, Pereira was energetic, aggressive, vocal and an imposing figure. As for ability, he was at his brilliant best despite one blemish when he knocked the ball on over the line. Outside of that, he was perfect with a capital P.
4. Tom Robinson (Terrace)
Robinson is the forward leader every side in the competition would make room for. Sets such an inspiring example with his carries and puts his shoulder to the wheel in the defensive line.
5. Joe Stoddart (Churchie)
The Churchie flanker just had to be in our top XV – but so did Billy Wellard (TSS) and Mattias Agent (BSHS). So they all go in. Stoddart put on a clinic at breakaway and was one of the players of the weekend with his high work rate, sneaky turnovers and link play for three tries.
6. Mattias Agent (Brisbane State High)
Agent played with his heart on his sleeve and left everything out there.
A strong desire and a high work rate saw Agent gain parity for BSHS in the closest of encounters.
7. Billy Wellard (The Southport School)
We loved both TSS flankers, Wellard and Will Carter who were tireless in defence. Ultimately we went for Wellard whose energy carrying the ball gave TSS the impact of a third centre, but Carter was our first reserve chosen. See below.
8. Nixon Pasese (Nudgee College)
Signed by the Redcliffe Dolphins, man-mountain Pasese provided Nudgee with oomph at the back of the scrum, strong ball-carrying through the middle and assertive defence.
With muscular arms the size of tree trunks, the powerful Pasese gave his teammates confidence just by being on the field.
9. Samuel Watson (Nudgee College)
As was the case last year, the GPS competition is stacked with elite scrumhalves. Tom Goldie of TSS and Jamie Alexander of BBC are impressive but no less impressive is Watson.
A Queensland Reds Under 15s select last year, Watson looked stronger, faster and more manly on Saturday.
His passing was crisp and accurate and his decision making flawless.
10. Spencer Alcock (TSS)
Although TSS always had its nose in front, Terrace were always lurking in the shadows and Alcock’s calm tactical kicking and ace goal kicking proved the difference. He was as Cool as a Cucumber.
11. Amaziah Murgha (Ipswich Grammar)
12. Frankie Goldsbrough (Churchie)
Goldsborough was Goldsbrough, a hulking presence in the midfield with his ball running, defence and creation for his outside backs.
He played outside centre last Saturday, but we named him at inside centre to squeeze everyone into our squad.
13. Joshua Takai (Brisbane State High)
With Tauave Leofa’s finger on the trigger, there were plenty of linebreak opportunities.
Making those was this well-built outside centre who on more than one occasion, cracked open the Toowoomba defence and surged through the midfield.
14. Richard Dean (Toowoomba Grammar School)
We moved Dean from fullback, where he shone against BSHS, to the wing just to get him into our top First XV. He has been a grand contributor to TGS’s campaign in the absence of Chace Oates who is due back this weekend.
15. Tyson Walker (Ipswich Grammar)
The Year 10 student delivered two deft grubber kicks which saw IGS take a 12-7 lead into halftime against Nudgee. It was split-second thinking from Walker to recognise the space in behind, and cash in on the one-man advantage when Prestyn Laine-Sietu was in the sin bin.
Reserves:
16. Will Carter (The Southport School)
A relentless Carter deserved to be in our top XV with his inspired tackling, cutting Terrace’s runners down in their tracks.
17. Fergus Gillan (The Southport School)
Gillan was the steadying influence needed in a high pressure match against quality opposition. He carried the ball strongly, won his line out ball and organised his side’s attack off lineouts against rivals who refused to go away.
18. Jean-Paul Sia (Ipswich Grammar)
Sia defended astutely and was a force in the Ipswich Grammar rolling maul.
The breakdown is where he did his best work though.
19. Jye Crothers (Churchie)
Crothers was moved into the second row to cover injury where he displayed a high work rate and contributed some big involvements which created several turnovers.
20. Charlie Griffiths (Toowoomba Grammar School)
The light weight tight forward was again a ball winning leader of the pack who found energy to carry the ball against physical rivals.
21. Joe Gray (TGS)
Gray was a gutsy performer in a match which descended into a pitchforked battle where every metre gain was a victory.
His defensive efforts, which included eight turnovers (six pilfers), was crucial for TGS as they escaped defeat.
22. Angus Kelly (Terrace)
Kelly was a midfield battering ram who must have been exhausted by game’s end. He didn’t make our side to his penetration, but he made it for effort as he tried to bust a TSS defensive line lead by dynamite flanker Will Carter.
23. Harry Newnham (TGS)
Newnham has done a stoic job being the midfield focal point in the absence of centre ace Chace Oates who returns from a break this weekend.
24. Oscar Harris (Churchie)
Harris was a lethal finisher on the wing, running onto balls with a head full of steam and lurking with great depth.
He scored twice because of his wonderful positioning on the edge.
25. Princeton Ioane (Nudgee College)
Ioane had a wonderful return after missing representative footy with injury. The powerfully built prop was a wrecking-ball close to the Ipswich Grammar try line, and his pick-and-drives wore them down brilliantly so that Pereira and Oliver Barrett could strike.
Special mentions
Fletcher Austin (Churchie)
Austin was a young gun fullback who was edged out of our top squad by two other high performing fullbacks, Tyson Walker (IGS) and Richard Dean (TGS). He was calm under pressure, covered the backfield well and was dependable with his kicks. He was as safe as a bank.
Tom Goldie (TSS)
We’d have loved to have slid this fellow into our squad, but he deservedly receives high praise here. Big for a halfback, his kicking game and his delivery to No. 10 Spencer Alcock was spot on under some pressure from a bustling Terrace. He seemed to be a man for a crisis, a calm footballer.
Tauave Leofa (Brisbane State High)
Fleet-a-foot Leofa will be on every coaches’ tip sheet this season with his footwork, pace and brazen efforts to take the line on. It is red alert time when he gets the ball – no matter the circumstances.
Kingsley Uys (TSS)
We like the big bloke and understand what all the fuss was about after his debut performance in round 1. He is a hulking figure who is a handful carrying the ball, but he can also catch and pass. He’d also be a great asset to any rolling maul.
Will Pascoe (Brisbane Grammar)
Lock Pascoe was again hard to bring down.
A forward leader for a spirited Brisbane Grammar team who quickly found themselves on the back foot against Churchie.
Round 3
Brisbane Boys College v Churchie
Nudgee v Gregory Terrace
Toowoomba Grammar School v BGS
BSHS v The Southport School
IGS v Bye
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