Marist College Ashgrove schoolboy rugby sensation Floyd Aubrey joins Queensland Reds academy

Queensland schoolboy rugby union sensation has turned his back on a mountain of NRL club offers to join the Queensland Reds academy.

Marist's Floyd Aubrey on the field. Picture: David Clark/AAP

Schoolboy rugby sensation Floyd Aubrey has rejected a mountain of interest from NRL clubs to stay with the Queensland Reds academy in season 2021.

From Steve Renouf country in the South Burnett region, the 17-year-old is a thrilling outside back talent with blinding acceleration and vision who has been courted by NRL clubs since the age of 15.

But the Marist College Ashgrove old boy will stay loyal and local - playing with the Ashgrove-based GPS club where he will pursue a plumbing apprenticeship while training and playing in the Reds academy system.

“He had a lot of offers,’’ said his mother Yvonne.

“Because he is still only 17 we preferred the option of keeping him close to friends and transitioning him that way rather than packing him up and sending him to New South Wales and places like that.’’

Asked did league clubs go hard at securing him, Yvonne said: “They have been for a few years. We held them off.

“He is only very young and even though he can play both (league and union) really well, he needs to grow up and have all the people who have his back stay around him longer.

“This (the Reds and local club GPS) will be a good transition from boarding school.

“He can play footie and still have friends and a life beyond footie.

“The Reds are really to good to him and he is pretty happy.’’

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Reds Talent Manager Paul Carozza described Aubrey as “elusive’’ with impressive all round rugby ability and good game sense.

Floyd Aubrey, second from left, with some of his Marist Ashgrove mates who graduated. Picture: Richard Walker

“He is a good kid who had plenty of league opportunities but it came down to what he enjoyed,’’ said Carozza, a Wallaby winger and veteran of 91 matches for the Reds

“He is really enjoying his rugby and refreshingly enjoying playing with his mates.’’

Floyd Aubrey with Queensland Reds indigenous jersey ahead of the indigenous round in the Rugby Union. Brisbane 28th May 2019 AAP Image/Richard Gosling

Aubrey, a fullback, has been the hottest talent in the AIC private schoolboy rugby system since moving from his home town of Murgon to board at Marist College Ashgrove, a school which has Wallabies like Des Connor, John Eales, Brendan Moon, the Honan and Herbert brothers, Pat Howard and dozens of Queensland players as old boys.

John Eales, College Peter McLoughlin, Matthew Hayden and Floyd Aubrey.

Before he graduated from school last month, he was named Marist Sportsman of the Year.

Aubrey’s home region of Murgon is also rich with sporting culture, having produced a galaxy of sporting stars like Brisbane Broncos legend Steve Renouf, Test cricket great Matthew Hayden, Bulls legends Carl Rackemann and Martin Love and retired Cowboys champion Gavin Cooper, just to name a few.

“He will know boys at GPS and he knows all boys from the Reds 15s and 16s, so he should have a good year,’’ mum Yvonne said.