Focus on the Dolphins and exactly what Queensland juniors they have coming
Here’s 38 reasons the Dolphins can be playing NRL finals in the second half of this decade. It’s the names of 38 elite youth players, many locals, and the junior clubs they came from.
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Here’s 37 reasons the Dolphins can be playing NRL finals in the second half of this decade.
It is the names of 37 players, many local juniors, who were currently in the club’s academy system.
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Long after Dolphins foundation players like Jesse and Kenny Bromwich, Mark Nicholls, Jarrod Wallace and Felise Kaufusi have gone, the future will be in good hands as local juniors and teenagers from outside the catchment were enticed to the club.
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WHERE THE CONNELL, MENINGA CUP BOYS WERE SIGNED IN THE NRL
Gone are the days when local juniors like Raiders Corey Horsburgh (Caboolture Lions), Roosters pair Rob and Aholoka Toia (North Lakes Kangaroos), Roosters signing Sangstar Figota (Moreton Bay Raiders), Newcastle’s Zac Herdegen (Moreton Bay Raiders), Roosters prop Ben Uini (Moreton Bay Raiders), Bulldogs’ half Karl Oloapu (Redcliffe), Manly’s Oliver Jones (Moreton Bay Raiders) and Parramatta’s Beau Lucien (Moreton Bay Raiders) had to leave the Peninsula to look elsewhere for an NRL pot of gold.
Now Moreton Bay region juniors have a pathway to play with their local NRL side.
Every player we name who has been recruited by the club has that eyebrow raising ability, but some stand out like the Easter bunny dashing through the streets.
We highlight those players here, although it must be stressed it is still a long road leading to NRL selection and many won’t make it.
But others will and for Dolphins supporters, here’s a glimpse of what’s coming through the ranks and several will absolutely play NRL.
Connell Cup prospects
Brian Pouniu
Junior club: North Lakes Kangaroos
Pouniu is the ants pants, the top of the tree when it comes to Dolphins junior talent. A humble boy who attends school in Caboolture, Pouniu is a right edge back rower with that killer instinct that complements his skill. He is a natural leader.
Charlie Dickson
Junior club: Moreton Bay Raiders
Dickson hails from the mighty Moreton Bay Raiders, a small junior club which punches above its weight in the Moreton Bay Shire. Would you believe the Raiders produced the likes of Charlie Dickson, Mereki Warradoo, Nixon Pasese, Sangstar Figota, Ben Uini, Duquan Talaepa
Zac Herdegen and Prestyn Laine-Sietu who went through in the same side and won three premierships? The Wavell SHS student is exactly the type of kid who will work his way into the NRL system, a No.13 with a great tackle technique, good hands and a high work ethic.
Mereki Warradoo
Junior club: Moreton Bay Raiders
Warradoo is a wildcard full back talent with flair and pace. He played for the 2022 Queensland under 15 side and would have been one of the least debated signings among the Dolphins’s recruitment team. He was a member of that crack, three time premiership winning Moreton Bay Raiders side.
Jairus Halahala
Junior club: Redcliffe Dolphins
Halahala made a triumphant return to the Connell Cup last weekend, storming off the bench to give his side forward momentum. He is a former Queensland under 15 representative with great leg drive and mobility. A top prospect.
Prestyn Laine Sietu
Junior club: Moreton Bay Raiders
In 2021 Laine-Sietu was named under 15 player of the carnival from the state championships when he played lock from Wavell SHS. Now a Nudgee First XV premiership winning centre, Laine-Sietu is a low risk outside back who defensively swallows opponents. He’s a thorough professional in the Mick de Vere mould.
Nixon Pasese
Junior club: Moreton Bay Raiders
Injury has short-circuited the Pasese season for the moment, but this broad shouldered middle forward has plenty of time to make up for lost ground. A 2022 Queensland under 15 representative, watch for Pasese to impact the GPS First XV competition this season as a No.8 at Nudgee College.
Lincoln Dalton
Junior club: Norths Devils
Dalton was recruited from schoolboy rugby playing for Brisbane Grammar School and looks the real deal. The No.13 is young for the under 17s, so has plenty of time to build this game in the juniors. Watch this space.
Nate Berrigan
Junior club: Redcliffe Dolphins
The son of former Broncos and Bulldogs hooker Barry, and the nephew of ex-Queensland Origin representative Shaun, Berrigan is a get down and dirty back rower who also has nice passing skills. He has been curbed by injury this season, but is the type of kid who will make up for lost time. He attends Redcliffe SHS.
Duquan Talaepa
Junior club: Moreton Bay Raiders
Talaepa was the first Mabel Park SHS student signed by an NRL club when he originally penned a deal with Canterbury. But the 2022 Queensland schoolboys second rower is back where he belongs - playing for the Redcliffe Dolphins and training during the off-season in the Dolphins NRL academy squad.
Amare Wynyard
Junior club: Redcliffe Dolphins
A local junior to the core who is a top notch defender and dummy half threat when he touches the ball. He seems to be the type of kid getting better with age and we look forward to seeing his progress into the Meninga Cup ranks. He plays dummy half.
Josiah Fa’aoso
Junior club: Edmonton JRLC
Signed from the Tweed Seagulls, Fa’aoso is a rising young prop who, in his junior age groups in FNQ, was an out of the box talent. He is a shrewd addition to the Dolphins academy.
Cody Starr
Junior club: Redcliffe Dolphins
Southern Cross Catholic College student Starr is one of several Dolphins academy signings who comes from a well known rugby league family - the others were Noah Fien, Nate Berrigan, Adaquix-Jeremiah Watts-Luke. Like his father Adam, who played NSWRL for Balmain and the Roosters, Cody was also a prop.
Noah Fien
Junior club: Thirroul Butchers
The son of a gun - his dad Nathan was a Queensland Origin, Kiwi international and Dragons premiership player - Noah is earning his own reputation as a clever half. A veteran of 100 junior games with the Butchers before moving to Queensland, he is playing beautifully as a running No.6 outside the organising Carter Welfare whom we mentioned earlier.
James Grey
Junior club: Brothers Ipswich
The Ipswich Grammar School speedstar is Express with a capital E. A centre of winger, he has pace to burn. Do you get the impression that Grey is fast? We hope so.
Ethan Grimshaw
Junior club: Norths Devils
The good news for Dolphins’ fans is that Grimshaw is faster when Grey. Last year at the national 100m sprints Grimshaw pipped his sprint rival Grey to the finish. The Nudgee College student is another wet behind the eyes talent learning his craft.
Adaquix-Jeremiah Watts-Luke
Junior club: Papatoetoe Junior Rugby
The son of South Sydney champion and New Zealand Test great Issac Luke, Watts-Luke is a free wheeling fullback. After being disrupted by injury, Watts-Luke will be eager to continue to gather momentum playing for Marsden SHS in the Langer Trophy after playing for Souths Logan in the Connell.
Taoso Taoso
Junior club: Norths Devils
He is a raw talent from water polo and rugby who only started playing league two years ago where he immediately found himself at the centre of a tug of war between several NRL clubs. He is such a talented water polo player that this year he was named in the Australian under 16 team but turned it down due to football commitments.
Dyer Akauola
Junior club: Norths Juniors
Dyer is a prime moving front rower with leg drive, mobility and a big motor. He has been one of the best forwards across the competition this season and the Dolphins should be comfortable with their investment in him at this stage.
Kingston Seve
Junior club: Keebra Park SHS
Tall, powerfully built and athletic, Seve has that x-factor about him playing junior football in his age group. He is a fullback who had both the Broncos and Dolphins jockeying for his signature.
Carter Welfare
Junior club: Emu Park
Welfare is from the famous central Queensland region which is one of rugby league’s great breeding grounds. He is an organising halfback, strong built who plays the game like he has been playing all of his life - which is pretty much the case. He attends Nudgee College.
Meninga Cup
Michael Waqa
Junior club: Albany Creek Crushers
For seasons prop forward Waqa was the sleeping giant of junior rugby league in Brisbane’s northside. His name was whispered around five or six years ago, but it was not until he got match fit playing for Wavell SHS in the Langer Trophy that Dolphins made their move. We don’t think it is a move they will regret, either.
Jahrel Iselin-Jansen
Junior background: Northern suburbs of Brisbane
Iselin-Jansen is the type of kid you only have to see play for five minutes to work out if he has something. And he does. A halfback with flair, he is a natural player who also works hard in defence. We’d been waiting for an NRL club to sign him and news the Dolphins had scooped him up did not rock our world. He is a local junior, having played soccer at North Star FC and touch footy at Arana where he represented the Queensland under-12s.
Lewis Symonds
Junior club: Helensvale Hornets.
This young No.13 has his cards stamped as most likely to play NRL. A great kid, the former track and field state championship and national medal winner is a beautifully balanced lock with all attributes covered.
Zac Garton
Junior club: Kawana, Sunshine Coast,Noosa Pirates
Garton has NRL written all over him, and the type of kid who would have been all eyes and ears watching senior Dolphins players like the Bromich brothers, Nicholls, Wallace and Kaufusi go through their paces during the off-season. The former Falcons under-16 captain attended Caloundra SHS.
Elijah Rasmussen
Junior club: Pt Chevalier Pirates
Rasmussen has come from New Zealand where he was a member of the Warriors academy, but he has changed directions in pursuit of his NRL dreams. Boy oh boy, he looks like a likely type. Together with Michael Waqa who is featured below, prop forward Rasmussen drove Redcliffe forward on their way to winning the 2023 Meninga Cup. And the club had every chance to go back to back with both Rasmussen and Waqa doing what they do best again in 2024.
John Fineanganofo
Junior club: Unknown but from New Zealand
It would be fair to say Fineanganofo would be the most skilful player out of the SEQ teams in the Meninga Cup. A No.13 or five-eight, he is playing dummy half now and if he was to make it into the NRL, it would be as a No.14 dummy half utility. He is a delightful player to observe who had two years at Redcliffe SHS.
Seth Carpenter
Junior club: North Knights, Rockhampton
A fleet a foot fullback or half from Emmaus College who, along with Carter Welfare, Carter Ford and Braelan Marsh, were pioneer signings from the central Queensland region where the Dolphins want to lay claim as a part of its southern Queensland recruitment footprint.
Carter Ford
Junior club: Unknown, but attends St Brendan’s College and plays with Capras
The son of the late Carl Webb - the Queensland State of Origin legend - Ford has been doing his rugby league apprenticeship at the famous St Brendan’s Yeppoon nursery. Like his old man, Ford plays prop.
Braelan Marsh
Junior club: Rockhampton Brothers
Yet another son of a gun - his dad PJ was a Queensland State of Origin series winning hooker - Braelan was another from the CQ catchment when he played for the Capras. The Mt Archer State School past student He is a highly thought of junior dummy half.
LJ Nonu
Junior club: Werribee Bears
From Ipswich SHS, Nonu is a running threat, but we most love his defence. A centre, he curtailed PBC SHS’s centre ace Sam Stephenson’s in last year’s Langer Trophy grand final, and at the end created a chance which almost saw his side steal a late win. He is work in progress but seems to be getting better.
Jeremiah Havea
Junior club: Unknown, but attends Keebra Park SHS
A big bodied, athletic winger from Keebra Park SHS who is well worth the gamble. He can finish, but was also prepared to use his powerful legs to carry the ball out of the danger zone.
Siosifa Kava
Junior club: Unknown, but a Gold Coast boy
Another outstanding winger prospect with tons of ability. He was originally in the Cronulla junior rep program, and also dabbled in rugby union. It is no mystery why he has found himself penning an Dolphins academy deal.
Larry Siala
Junior background: St Edmund’s College, Norths Tigers Ipswich
Big Larry is a physically imposing middle forward, both mobile and talented. He was snapped up after joining the Redcliffe Dolphins last season after he finished school at St Edmund’s College in Ipswich.
Patrick Kailahi
Junior club: Fraser Tech Rugby Club, New Zealand
Another big body who is fast making an impression in the Meninga Cup as an edge forward. Put a watch on him for sure.
Lachlan Buchbach
Junior club: Ormeau Shearers and Logan Brothers
Buchbach is a self made footy player from Logan City who played himself into a deal after an outstanding Langer Trophy campaign last season playing for Mabel Park SHS. A five-eight, his form was too impressive to ignore.
Baylen Donald
Junior club: Currumbin Eagles
Like Buchbach, Donald was not rushed off his feet with NRL offers. But the Palm Beach Currumbin SHS edge forward impressed Dolphins’ talent scouts with his edge running, willing defence and effort areas.
John-Paul Donevski
Junior club: Penrith region, St Mary’s
A promising outside back who went to rugby league finishing school at Wavell SHS. He is a promising player with plenty of up side.
Jack Biles
Junior club: Rockhampton Brothers
Recruited from Cathedral College community and out of the famous Rockhampton Brothers catchment, Biles was a promising second row prospect ushered toward Norths’ Devils for his debut season in Brisbane.
Footnote: Of course there were other boys within the Dolphins academy, but these were kids we have come across during the course of our business.
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