Langer Trophy, Reserves, Walters Cup’s best players – along with the Broncos Old Boys, Renouf Shield and Hancock Cup stars
Here are 30 on-the-rise young guns who shone in Langer Trophy, Langer Reserves, Walters Cup, Hancock Cup, Renouf Shield and Broncos Old Boys action between Mabel Park and Wavell.
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Mabel Park claimed a historic victory in a Langer Trophy classic yesterday at Wavell SHS, 16-6 over Wavell.
It was a boilover at Wavell’s homecoming where every Mabel player had their moment.
Some, like centre Lehi Thomas and halfback Jackson Howe, shone more than others.
Here we present the Players of the Day from across the six games witnessed at yesterday’s homecoming – the Langer Trophy, Langer Reserves, Walters Cup, Renouf Shield, Hancock Cup and Broncos Old Boys Cup.
And for a bonus, here is a 200+ picture gallery from the day.
WATCH THE LANGER TROPHY, WALTERS CUP REPLAYS
Brisbane Broncos Old Boys
Mabel Park 38 beat Wavell 4
Kalani Ford-Stevens (Wavell)
Stevens ran himself to a stand still, the young lock earning himself a KFC box with all the running metres he chewed up.
He already has the ability to offload with defenders smothered all over him.
Alec Joyce (Mabel Park)
Mabel’s attack started from the back through Joyce – who did a bit of everything to help Mabel win.
Returning the ball from fullback, Joyce jinked his way past the first defender on almost every occasion.
Jahkylan Tangatakere and Juan Mafulu (Mabel Park)
While Joyce was doing his thing these two were probing on each wing.
Whichever edge Mabel wanted to attack they were always in safe hands with their fantastic finishers eager and able.
Isaac Matthews (Mabel Park)
The best on ground for either side, Matthews was Mabel’s magic man.
With his yellow headgear on he proved an absolute handful for the Wavell boys to reel in, three tries and half a dozen like breaks building momentum and points for his team.
Jonah Bell (Wavell)
Not unlike Ford-Stevens, the barnstorming Bell wore out the Mabel Park defence as much as he could with tireless crash ball running.
Leison Malu and Elias Setema (Mabel Park)
Like two peas in a pod these blokes were, engineering the Mabel attack from the halves.
With a sprinkle of flare, a sense of direction and effortless playmaking, the Mabel duo delivered a display of composure extra impressive for Year 7 students.
Renouf Shield
Wavell 24 beat Mabel Park 0
Maihi Pene (Wavell)
Pene is pretty to watch.
A quick halfback with a deadly step, good hands and a superb running game, Pene had his paws all over Wavell’s 24-point victory.
Noah Tetevano (Wavell)
Tetevano offered crisp service but he also picked his time to run.
And when he did, he scored. It was a great blind side raid out of dummy-half.
Harlem O’Bren-Aumaalii (Mabel Park)
In a losing effort the Mabel hooker was just outstanding.
Full of energy and effort, the V8 engined O’Bren Aumaalii had his hand in everything. His body-on-the-line defence, the strongpoint of his game.
Knight Tanielu (Wavell)
This guy made a living off post contact metres.
The battering ram prop was one of the best forwards with his straight line running and powerful bump which on two occasions left defenders on their back.
Hancock Cup
Wavell 40 beat Mabel Park 12
Amon Tuafe (Mabel Park)
He just had to be on here. The rapid centre scored the try of the game in the 19th minute after getting the ball on the 30 metre line, getting around his defender with a step off the mark and striking away downfield.
Once he pinned the ears back it was game over.
Charlie Webb (Wavell)
Webb looked the full package from the opening whistle, with a sidestep followed by no loss of pace undoing the Mable defence not once but twice.
With a first half double, he looked a very likely prospect for Wavell SHS moving forward.
He went on to score three.
Seni Uini (Wavell)
The younger brother of Rooster signee Ben, second rower Seni combined well with forwards Romarion Tuitama and Hanipale Sosene to deliver telling defensive blows and strong running.
Roy Sio (Mabel)
He led by example and although Mabel went down, he should hold his head high after a courageous performance at prop.
A Gold Coast Titans signing, Sio is a tireless worker who inspires his teammates with 110 per cent effort.
Jordan Hotere (Wavell)
Here’s one that NRL clubs have to take a closer look at.
A New Zealand product and Met North representative, Hotere is everything you could want out of a No.6.
He will not be unsigned for long.
Langer Reserves
Mabel Park 12 beat Wavell 8
Jahrel Iselin Jansen (Wavell)
A red hot talent, Jansen is a silky mover who you stop on the sidelines and gawk at.
He has that stepping ability to leave defenders in their tracks and for Wavell’s second try of the game it was his fancy footwork which set up Tyreece Tait.
Charlie Dickson (Wavell)
The Wavell lock was tireless with his defensive efforts – busy as a bee from start to finish. He’s not the biggest bloke but boy does he have some power under the hood.
Keoki Koraba (Wavell)
It wasn’t the result he would’ve been after but jeez was he strong on defence.
He held down his edge like his life depended on it. But, so did the whole Mabel team.
Ronnic Starkey (Mabel Park)
What a start to the season this bloke is having. Last week he was instrumental against Redcliffe and again yesterday he came up big.
Everything and more, Starkey applied pressure at second row, was tireless on defence and just as brutal when charging it up the middle.
Jedidiah Mulitalo (Mabel Park)
Off the bench the Wynnum-Manly representative centre added all the energy in the world. And in the end, it was his impact off the bench which proved the difference in a game which Wavell were ever so close to stealing at the death.
Sonny Peters (Mabel Park)
Against Dickson, Peters stood tall in a hit man performance. He left his Wavell prey stunned and struggling to advance up field before coming off with an injury in the second half.
Walters Cup
Wavell 26 beat Mabel Park 14
Stangstar Figota (Wavell)
Figota was a real handful for Mabel. No – he was nearly impossible to tame with the full-back’s fingerprints on both of his sides’ first half tries.
A livewire No. 1, Figota has only one speed and that is flat out.
What a player.
Dominic Ierome (Mabel Park)
Glimpsed in round one where he roved around and now we cannot wait to see more of him after an encore performance at Wavell.
He left defenders bruised with his tackling and bruised with his ball running. Playing in the second row, he was everywhere and with Majah Jose-Peachey joined by the hip, Mabel looked daunting.
Majah Jose-Peachey (Mabel)
Jose-Peachey didn’t stop fighting till the end, nor did his teammates who were going just as hard in the 50th minute as they were in the first.
His Wynnum-Manly teammate Tawa-Dean Simpkins was damaging in the first half but didn’t see much action in the second. High praise to work horse prop Coen Clancy.
Ruben Webb (Wavell)
The Webb brothers were a revelation and a pair of discovery players on the day.
Mabel defended him well but after his brother Charlie ran riot in the Hancock Cup, Ruben blossomed in the Walters with two first half tries.
Ironically that’s exactly how Charlie kicked things off two games prior.
You would not believe it but he went on to score a hat trick just like Charlie.
It was a team effort from Wavell but Karl Oloapu’s nephew Zius had an impact from hooker that can’t be overlooked. He would be the first to say he had his forwards to thank, namely Hayden Polson.
Langer Trophy
Mabel Park 16 beat Wavell 6
MATCH IN 300 WORDS
Mabel Park are quickly asserting themselves as the giant killers this season, after defying a raucous home crowd to pull off a 16-6 Langer Trophy boilover at Wavell.
Mabel Park withstood a pressure-cooker second half where the trailing Wavell, cheered on by a gala homecoming crowd, were throwing everything at them.
It was Mabel’s defence that earned the win, the visitors limiting a heavyweight Wavell team to just one try.
That is a feat in itself and centre Lehi Thomas was one of many tackling heroes.
When it mattered most, Thomas made back-to-back bone rattling hits to repel Wavell who had just over six minutes to conjure two tries.
Earlier, Will Nati of Wavell and Tyreece Tovao of Mabel exchanged try-saving tackles on their wing in what was an enthralling first half of footy.
Nati, clobbering his rival into touch and Tovao, holding up his opponent over the line in a display of sheer strength.
Centre Jaycob Kingston-Francis was quick to clean up a loose grubber to score Mabel Park’s opening try, before fullback Ryan McCann and five-eighth Lachlan Buchbach combined to make it a 12-point advantage for the visitors soon after.
In the second half, Wavell finally got some ascendancy, forward movers Maddox Goodwin, Lauloto Salei and fullback John Paul Doveski building momentum which laid the platform for hooker Harrison Hill to pounce.
All the Norths Devils dummy-half needed was a split second near the line and with that, he found man mountain Kobi Floro on a switch play who drove his way across the line.
That try was immediately erased when Mabel’s Xyon Purcell struck, creating a 10 point buffer which remained the same until the final whistle blew.
Jackson Howe (Mabel Park)
Howe had it on a string, the halfback orchestrating both of Mabel’s first half tries with his kicking.
Coming up against Jai Camilleri and Zac Herdegan is no easy task but Howe took the challenge with both hands and steered his team to victory.
Harrison Hill (Wavell)
Hill relished a start in his favourite position of hooker, defending his backside off on defence and having some scoots of his own.
Maddox Goodwin (Wavell)
The bleached blonde hair of Goodwin could be spotted here, there and everywhere on Tuesday such was his work rate across the paddock.
A big boy, Goodwin bumped off defenders with his relentless hit-ups.
Lehi Thomas (Mabel Park)
Everyone played their role to perfection for Mabel and for Thomas that meant holding down the left edge in the No. 3 jersey.
In a passage where Wavell had their best attacking chances of the game, Thomas made two huge defensive plays to halt momentum and deflate his rivals.
Jaycob-Kingston Francis, Lachlan Buchbach among others were also excellent defenders on the day.
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