GPS First XV rugby round 2 Team of the Week
GPS First XV rugby Team of the Week: See who joins the Nudgee, Terrace and BSHS captains in the side after a dramatic round 2.
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The latest GPS First XV schoolboy rugby Team of the Week features an Awesome Foursome of cousins from fast-starters Brisbane State High School who were two-from-two to begin the season.
Backrow cousins Trent Picot (openside flanker) and Roman Siulepa (No.8) and front row cousins Tyrece Herniman and Cyrus Suniala were to the fore in their school’s 19-12 second round win over Brisbane Boys’ College on Saturday.
Like two peas in a pod, Picot and Siulepa go everywhere together - both on and off the field.
On the hallowed Miskin Oval turf, Picot attacked the breakdown and Siulepa the wider channels as the BSHS pack conjured a recipe for success.
In the front row, Year 11 Australian Schoolboy Suniala and his cousin Tyrece Herniman were outstanding in their rolling maul efforts, alongside headgear wearing tighthead prop Elyjah Sa’u who made crucial post contact metres before being brought to ground.
Together, with Eli Langi the lineout specialist, the BSHS forwards turned brave goal line defence into offence.
BBC were game, rising to the challenge after losing their flanker Cartaar Westerberg (head knock) early before hooker Lucas Bakker also came off injured in the second half.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
15. Jacob Johnson (Nudgee)
Johnson was good last season, but seems to have taken his game to another level.
He is top tier stuff this winter, a stunning mover with pace, anticipation and quick feet.
On Saturday, his performance from fullback was the perfect starting point from which Nudgee began their attack.
14. Oli Patterson (Nudgee)
Patterson is another whose confidence must be sky high.
He had a stellar club season with the Norths Devils and he is playing like he is 10 foot tall and bulletproof to begin this season.
His pace is almost unmatched in this competition and on Saturday had plenty of positive involvements in attack.
13. Saia Poese (Terrace)
The deceptive left to right step of representative outside centre Saia Poese was on show for all at Tennyson on Saturday.
A livewire, Poese made those little half breaks teams need to win in this competition and he saved his best for last when cutting back on his inside to score a telling try midway through the second half.
The fleet-footed Poese glides from A to B, whooshing past defenders as he winds up and it is just mesmerising to watch.
12. James Grey (IGS)
The electric James Grey played outside centre, scoring two tries and defending strongly in a gritty victory by visitors Ipswich Grammar.
While Nudgee has three players who can scorch the surfaces - Johnson, Grimshaw and Patterson - Grey could have them all covered when it came to a foot race.
He is lightning quick and showed it on Saturday to finish a 19-nil second half ambush in style.
11. Sam Russell (Terrace)
For the second week in a row the diminutive Russell makes our Team of the Week on the wing.
Unlike last week when the pacy right wing shone in a beaten side, he had the joy of shining on a day when he scored the game-sealing try for Terrace in a cliffhanger at Tennyson.
Indeed he has a knack for being in the right places at the right time while having the finesse to execute on both sides of the ball.
10. Sam McGahan (Terrace)
The masterful McGahan was the conductor, the director and everything flowed splendidly around him in Terrace’s round two triumph.
He controlled play, the tempo of the Terrace performance and his attacking kicks kept play in Churchie’s half.
9. Joseph Post (IGS)
The Ipswich Grammar vice-captain was cool, calm and collected every time he had the ball and gave classy flyhalf Tyson Walker great service.
Post, outside of his great organisation of the forward pack, also scored the go-ahead try in the second half off the back of Murgha’s slicing run.
8. Roman Siulepa (BSHS)
Big time players make big time plays.
On Miskin Oval at BBC, No.8 phenom Roman Siulepa scored Brisbane State High’s first try of the game just shy of halftime to draw level at 5-all then set up an outstanding try scored by Jackson Hill nearing full-time which put a crevice between the two teams (19-5).
Outside of those two monumental moments, Siulepa was busy on defence, damaging in the wider channels and faultless in the set-piece.
7. Hugo Hart (Nudgee)
Hart was magnificent. Pure and simple. While the wheel of speed demons Paterson and Johnson rightly had tongues wagging, Hart provided a high class flanker performance against big rivals. He stayed the course and finished as an undisputed champion.
6. Tyler Maybery (BBC)
BBC’s captain and blindside flanker began his third and final year of First XV rugby at the College with a mistake-free performance where he was tireless from start to finish.
The abrasive forward leader was a force on both sides of the ball and increased his intensity after Cartaar Westerberg had left the game early with a head knock and hooker Lucas Bakker a bit later.
Maybery, like the versatile forward he is, then threw into the lineout.
5. Eli Langi (BSHS)
Watching Brisbane State High lock Eli Langi almost looks like you are watching a seasoned veteran in Wallaby gold. A Liam Wright type who does his job to perfection, wins lineouts and goes about his business at the highest level.
In Saturday’s blockbuster at BBC, Langi was faultless winning his lineouts and disrupted BBC’s, while powering over the advantage line before promptly laying it back for scrumhalf Marley Ngatai who found Seamus Boakes at flyhalf.
4. Caleb Godfrey (Churchie)
Godfrey was his team’s best forward, executing in the set pieces, getting around the park and crossing for a vital try.
He can build on that performance and be a real forward leader this season.
3.Cyrus Suniala (BSHS)
Australian Schoolboy front rower Suniala was a machine on Saturday.
In the rolling maul himself, Herniman and Elyjah Sau were outstanding and in a close quarter battle. Both hooker Suniala and Sau did not stop toiling.
2. John Grenfell (Nudgee)
If you saw a player wearing a TSS jersey peeled backwards last Saturday, chances are it was Grenfell special deliver in defence. He hits hard, he hits often and they stay hit. Hooker Grenfell runs just as hard, like a rampant No.8, except he is wearing the No.2 jersey. Grenfell is an inspiring leader and was one of the first players chosen in our Team of the Week.
1. Elyjah Sau (BSHS)
It was impossible not to notice imposing tighthead Sau, who wearing white headgear rumbled forward in an impressive first half performance.
Sau motored forward even with defenders draped all over him and his goal line defence prevented BBC early, before his carries swung momentum down the other end of the field later in the half.
RESERVES
Jack Callaja (IGS)
Calleja’s size and physical presence made him a perennial threat in the middle as he put in a tireless performance and did not give his opponents an inch.
Angus Tagicakibau (BSHS)
Two weeks in a row BSHS fullback Angus Tagicakibau was mistake free returning the ball from the back.
He was safe under the high ball, decisive on whether to kick back or go himself. Overall he was immense, keeping the ball in more than once when BBC cover defenders scrambled to tackle him into touch.
Gray O’Neill (BBC)
It would have come as a surprise to none seeing representative lock Gray O’Neill plant down BBC’s first try of the new season.
A prolific trys corer for the Queensland Reds Under-16s last Spring, O’Neill kept that same energy scoring a stunning try in the right corner with an acrobatic finish.
Around the ground, O’Neill won his lineouts and fronted up on defence.
Frank Howarth (BBC)
Surprisingly the most impressive aspect of big Howarth’s performance on Saturday was not his crash running, although it was strong, but rather his ball playing.
He acted as a modern day inside centre, despite being much bigger, and opened up BBC’s deadly right edge attack of Andres Ayache (outside centre), Ryder Koia (right wing) and Nate Barnett (fullback).
Amaziah Murgha (IGS)
Coming off the bench to start the second half, Murgha was the ultimate game-changer with his electric burst of speed and dynamic footwork.
He broke through several tackles and put his team into strong field position after every kick return. Murgha’s near unstoppable runs which left opposing defenders in his dust led to two of the three tries scored by Ipswich Grammar in the second.
Ezalle Matautia (IGS)
The IGS No.8 was a force to be reckoned with.
Every time he had the ball, he charged through Toowoomba’s defences with purpose and intent.
Between his impressive footwork and elite physicality, Matauta’s efforts were vital in Ipswich’s Grammar’s dominance in the battle for field position.
Myles Rosemond (TGS)
Rosemond was one of Toowoomba Grammar’s shining lights in defeat.
With a mighty crowd cheering him and his band of brothers on, the right wing was electric in attack and a workhorse with his defensive efforts rushing off the line.
His efforts were rewarded when he was in the right place at the right time to make an intercept and run 60m to score a try.
Joe Gray (TGS)
The TGS captain’s leadership shone through in good times and in bad as he was a persistent presence in the ruck.
One of the top performing forwards for the home side, Gray kept his side engaged down to the last whistle and he will be key for TGS moving forward after suffering two close early season losses.
Oli Nasser (Terrace)
Gregory Terrace prime mover Oli Nasser wore jersey No.8 with distinction.
Nasser backed up his quality round one showing with a rousing two try display on the International Oval on Saturday.
Nasser, a Year 11 student, has a way of getting over the gain line and it was his line running and power game close to the line on Saturday which gave Terrace the boost they needed to topple Churchie.
SPECIAL MENTIONS
Trent Picot (BSHS)
Elite on-ball flanker Picot snared a momentum shifting breakdown win in the first half which relieved pressure from his side after BBC went ever so close in the first 20 minutes of play.
After that, he continued to influence the match with his workrate on defence and carries in attack.
Max Blanch (Churchie)
Inside centre Blanch was again at the epicentre of Churchie’s attacking enterprise, the crash running and ball playing midfielder putting in another shift to lift his side.
In defence he maintained the rage and Churchie were at their most dangerous after Blanch had rucked the ball through the middle of the field or played out back to Will Bloxham, Oli Chancellor and Bailen Noy.
Brock Coombes (IGS)
Whenever Sunshine Coast pocket rocket Coombes had the ball, you knew something exciting was about to happen.
He was a key attacking outlet on the left wing and was involved in a thrilling first-half battle with Toowoomba Grammar winger Myles Rosemond, with both players putting in five star performances.
Kilarney Lavender (TSS)
Although he threw a pass which prompted an intercept try for Nudgee, Lavender’s defence was strong and he had plenty of endeavour.
He received limited chances, but his running game is dynamic.
Only an ankle tap prevented a stunning solo try.
Jonah Rangiwai (TSS)
If effort counts for anything, the big fella deserves to be in this company. He busted his boiler against the Nudgee pack and while he did not get the rewards, he enhanced his reputation against the benchmark side.
OTHER SPECIAL MENTIONS: Tyrece Herniman (BSHS)
Carter Welfare (Nudgee)
Sam Watson (Nudgee)
Jean-Paul Sia (IGS)
Round 3
BGS v Terrace
IGS v BBC
Churchie v Nudgee
TSS v TGS
Bye: BSHS
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