Langer Trophy live stream: Meet the Super Eight players of the competition
The 2023 Langer Trophy launches with a bang on May 30, with four big games scheduled. Meet eight players tipped to have an impact on this season’s elite schoolboys competition right away.
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The elite Brisbane Broncos-sponsored Langer Trophy competition kicks off on May 30 and will again be a launching pad for some of the state’s best youth talent.
News Corp’s exclusive coverage includes the regional finals, Phil Hall Cup final and National Schoolboys Cup final at Allianz Stadium in September.
Here we name a Super Eight players who will be front and centre when KommunityTV streams every match from the opens division this season.
Here is the round 1 live stream draw.
SUPER EIGHT
John Fineanganofo (Redcliffe SHS)
Possibly the Meninga Cup player of the year, Fineanganofo was sensational in helping Redcliffe to this season’s under 18 premiership.
A five-eight or back rower, Fineanganofo has ball skills rarely seen these days.
Watching him play is like a trip down memory lane to the old English ball-playing forwards like Lee Crooks and Brian Lockwood, or Cronulla great Gavin Miller.
“He will get the side on the front foot and has an ability to find the tryline from any situation,’’ said Redcliffe SHS coach Jay Wilkinson.
Zac Garton (Caloundra SHS)
Playing for Redcliffe, Garton was the outstanding left edge second rower in the Meninga Cup this season.
At times he looks like a man playing among the boys, with his thickly set frame continually challenging the defence.
A Kawana junior and Maroons under 18 squad member, Garton can punch half holes in the line, and then unload, making him a double threat. He is signed by the Dolphins.
Oliva Iaulualo (Ipswich SHS)
Iaulualo is a super edge forward with an ability to unload in tackles.
A Goodna Eagles junior, Iaulualo will enter the Langer season fortified by recently playing for Canterbury in its Harold Matthews under 17 title winning side.
“That was a good experience. I remember calling my dad after the match and sharing a few tears. It meant a lot to my family,’’ Iaulualo said.
Iaulualo has long arms and giant hands, making it difficult for opposition players to kill the ball when he is involved.
Alex Leapai (Mabel Park SHS)
The 193cm tall, 114kg prop Leapai will become a three-season Langer Trophy player this season after making his debut in 2021 as a Year 10 student.
Leapai said the 2023 version of himself was a wiser, more knowledgeable footballer than when he started. “In the first year I gained a lot of knowledge,’’ he said.
“I took that into last season’s Langer and was able to inform the boys about what to expect. I learned a lot through that season as well.
“I have been training really hard and I want to make this Langer season my best yet.’’
Wailer Whaiapu (Keebra Park SHS)
From the Keebra Park schoolboy system which helped produce NRL forwards Payne Haas, David Fifita, Moeaki Fotuaika and Kless Haas comes this skilled back rower.
Whaiapu broke into the Langer system as a Year 10 tackling machine in 2021, but the 2023 version is a seasoned campaigner who has added effective ball carrying to his tool kit.
So much progress did he make last season, his school coach Peter Norman rated him his most improved forward.
Wavell SHS
Lauloto Salei
A back rower signed by the Raiders, Salei arrived at Wavell SHS in Year 9 via Cairns, Alice Springs and Christchurch, where he was born.
“He is our captain and our main leader. The boys really look up to him,’’ said Wavell coach Paul Stanley.
“He carries all the values you want to see in our football team - his work ethic, the story where he has come from. He just works his butt off.
“When he speaks, everyone listens. And football wise, he is a skilled player who plays tough in the middle.’’
Sam Stephenson (PBC SHS)
Stephenson hails from the rugby league rich Palm Beach Currumbin SHS system where he will be a left centre threat.
A big bodied Burleigh junior, Stephenson tasted Langer football last season as a year 10 student and is coming off a powerful campaign with the Bears in the Meninga Cup.
Signed by the Titans, the rangy Stephenson continues to enhance his reputation the more he steps up in class
Coby Black (Marsden SHS)
The Broncos signed Marsden SHS ace enters the season the competition’s premier halfback after taking his game up a gear playing for Wynnum Manly in the Meninga Cup this year.
While the Helensvale Hornets junior was a member of the national title winning Queensland schoolboys last season, he said it was also a year when he learned a lot about leadership.
“Last year I probably overplayed my hand a bit,’’ Black said.
He said training with the Broncos NRL squad in the off-season was also a confidence booster entering 2022. “It showed me pretty much where I stand,’’ he said.
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