Meninga Cup, Connell and Harvey 19s best players according to official season statistics

Who were the Stats Sheet kings and queens of the Meninga, Connell Cups, and Harvey girls 19s competitions? We reveal the top 50 in each category following a blockbuster season.

Alton Naiyep for the Ipswich Jets (right).

Manly signing Alton Naiyep was the Meninga Cup’s elite try scorer, while Pride’s Jason Hallie and Redcliffe pair Mitch Rogers and John Fineanganofo were among the highest of achievers according to official NRL statistics.

Ahead of Sunday’s Meninga Cup grand final between Redcliffe and the Blackhawks, we reveal the top 50 stats sheet kings and queens across the three competitions.

The review features eight key categories across attack and defence,

Clydesdales Braithen Scott playing for the Qld schoolboys last season. Picture: Tertius Pickard

Ipswich Jets Naiyep was a try scoring weapon with 12 and a line breaking gun who on 10 occasions burst through the line.

MENINGA CUP TEAM OF THE SEASON

Dolphins Fineanganofo was not far behind. The Redcliffe star, a five-eight, scored eight tries. He scored a hat-trick against Wynnum-Manly to punch the Dolphins their finals ticket.

Mitch Rogers of the Redcliffe Dolphins.

Fineanganofo’s teammate at the Dolphins, hooker Rogers also stuffed the stat sheet, leading the way with the most try assists (13) and the most line break assists (12).

Rogers, a Padua College old boy, was the most creative attacking forward - just in front of Villanova Year 12 No. 9 Cameron Bukowski who had nine try assists and 10 line break assists.

Villanova College student Cameron Bukowski. Thursday February 2, 2023. Picture, John Gass

Meanwhile, Devils rake Harrison Hill was making a competition best 187 tackles, 36 ahead of Souths’ Lewis Symonds at No.2.

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CONNELL, HARVEY 19S TEAM OF THE SEASON

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The biggest metre eater in the Meninga Cup under 18 competition was bustling Northern Pride prop Hallie was a metre eating workhorse in FNQ. He tallied a whopping 1085 metres.

Jason Hallie.

Statistics also reveal Redcliffe’s Carter Welfare, Tigers’ Elijah Breen, Clydesdales’ Braithen Scott and Wide Bay’s Harrison Braithwaite were setting up their team’s line breaks and tries while Burleigh fullback Seth Gundry found space when finding a Connell competition high 809 metres.

Not far behind Bears fullback Gundry was Brian Pounia who captained the Redcliffe under 16s through an unbeaten season. The edge forward was outstanding for all sorts of reasons.

Redcliffe player Brian Pounia celebrates a try with his team mates. Picture, John Gass

Welfare is a Dolphins signed rookie from Harry Grant country - Yeppoon - while Scott is a Broncos selection and Braithwaite is on board with the Dolphins Academy.

Brilliant fullback Gundry has signed by South Sydney.

Redcliffe Connell Challenge player Carter Welfare (middle).

And of course, it was no surprise seeing Tigers lock Max Blanch atop the tacklers table with 155 of the best.

Pride forward Arielle Hobbler tackled 123 girls in the Harvey 19s, with M Stephens on her trail with 122.

Arielle Hobbler (ball carrier).

Wynnum Harvey 19s and BMD Premiership playmaker Sienna Lofipo also shone in the halves with 11 line breaks, bested by exciting Burleigh fullback prospect Mattise Bettridge (14).

The work ethic of Mackenzie Zeller, Clydesdales’ inspiring skipper, was evident when

finishing the home-and-away season as the competition’s trustiest ball-carrier (732 metres).

All in - the Redcliffe Dolphin Harvey 19s made great progress this season and the group will be better again in 2024.

Other notable efforts across the board include:

+ CQ Capras tough tackling dummy half Alenna Whipp scored eight tries to lead the Harvey 19s competition.

CQ Capras' under-19 women's squad member Alenna Whipp.

+ Wynnum-Manly fullback Destiny Mino-Sinapati cemented her promotion into the BMD as the Harvey 19s’ No. 2 tryscorer (seven tries) behind Whipp.

Sunshine Coast Falcons Cyril Connell Challenge captain Jackson Koina. Picture: kyliesfootyphotos/Kylie McLellan

+ Blackhawks winger Lincoln Baker scored a competition best six tries in the Connell, piping Burleigh’s centre David Bryenton and outside back Freeman Raftstrand-Smith, Magpies’ Levi James-Bannan, Ipswich’s Leroy Charles and Xzavier Timoteo, Capras Phillip Yock and Jake Murphy, Falcons’ Jackson Koina and Nate Donald, Wide Bay’s Owen Hess, Cutters’ Toby Woodall and Clydesdales’ Oscar Vukovich who all scored five.

Phillip Yock of the Capras. Picture Emily Barker.

+Cutters winger Madison Westecott and Tweed winger Savannah Roberts-Hickling shared the spoils as the Harvey 19s competition’s best at breaking the line (nine each).

Madison Westecott.

+Dolphins second rower Reegan Hicks had a great year. In six games, she made 116 tackles at 90% efficiency, averaging just under 20 a game (note the Harvey 19s table is wrong with 58. It is 19.3).

+ Lauloto Salei, the Devils captain, was the top forward metre eater in the Meninga Cup, and not far behind him was unheralded Souths Logna prop Arthur Folau.

Norths captain Lauloto Salei was one of the best forwards.

+ Wide Bay Bull centre Owen Hess also led the Connell with eight line breaks.

+ Redcliffe Connell fullback Mereki Warradoo averaged 142 metres a game, highlighting his impact when returning to the action after an injury.

Mereki Warradoo for Dolphins. Picture: Nev Madsen.

So, enjoy 50 of the Meninga, Connell and Harvey 19s’ best in the categories: total running metres, meters per game, total tackles, tackles per game, line breaks, line break assists, try assists, and tries from round one to seven.

WM Seagulls Coby Black had a big season Picture: Liam Kidston.

This comes just three sleeps from the 2023 Meninga Cup grand final between the Redcliffe Dolphins and Townsville Blackhawks at Langlands Park.

Redcliffe, with forward momentum, has fired off 17 tries in the last two matches.

Israel Leota with Michael Waqa after the Meninga Cup.

But the Dolphins forwards will have to get past the Blackhawks defence, particularly middle men Kaiden Lahrs, Jamal Shibasaki and hooker Hoani Harris who Blackhawks coach Keb Kyle said defended their back sides off this season.

Blackhawks Under-18s Shibasaki. Picture: Evan Morgan

“They have been a good side all the way through,’’ said Redcliffe coach Scott Tronc, whose team has not yet played the Blackhawks.

“Obviously we are aware of some stuff (they do), but we only have control over ourselves.

“But we have great respect for them. They were on top and undefeated.”

Footnote: our coverage of the Meninga Cup will continue on Sunday for the grand final.

Mackenzie Zeller of the Clydesdales.

Meninga Cup stat kings

Cyril Connell stat kings

Harvey 19s stat queens