RAW TALENT: Who are the flair-filled Langer Trophy young guns? Read here ahead of the finals
Meet the raw talent, natural flair players of the Langer Trophy set to shine in next week’s quarterfinals, including a recent Newcastle Knights signing.
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He has played every game of the season for Marsden State High School’s Langer Trophy team and while teammates have been falling like flies around him, he has remained a staple of consistency.
Logan local Antonio Okusitino, a right centre with raw talent, has been there every step of the way for the Makos.
All season coach Krys Freeman has been impressed with the output of Okusitino - and he is not the only one. Recently the Newcastle Knights swooped to sign Okusitino, who has a knack for wriggling his way out of tackles and finding the stripe.
With first choice players like Patrick Kailahi, Lui Lee, Javon Andrews, Taysharn Tonga, Emmanuel Asomua, Quentin Teuila, Mace Andrew and others burdened with injury, it has left room for blokes like Okusitino to relish more responsibility.
He has done just that.
Okusitino, who earlier this year played on the edge in a stacked Wynnum Manly Seagulls Under-17s side, impressively cemented his No. 3 jersey and has overcome a hit to his knee to be available in every game.
The 16-year-old was rewarded for his hard work when he recently signed a two year deal with the Newcastle Knights.
He is just one of the raw talents contesting the Langer Trophy competition, which reaches a flashpoint on Wednesday when the quarterfinals unfold.
RAW TALENT PLAYERS OF THE LANGER TROPHY
Sangstar Figota (Wavell SHS)
A New Zealand talent originally from Westlake Boys High School and the Marist Saints club, Figota is a wonderful athletic fullback. With hard work complementing his natural flair, Figota is a player of high potential who played in the summer for the Roosters Harold Matthews Central Coast team.
Ruben Webb (Wavell SHS)
A winger with great ball skills, Webb last year shone as a halfback in the school’s Walters Cup team.
The fact he has made a home on the wing and excelled just how versatile he is, and of course naturally talented due to his defensive instincts and aerial skills.
Ray Puru (PBC SHS)
Puru is a fantastic flair player with instinctive attacking skills you don’t teach. He can sense a half chance down the middle, chip and chase or enter the backline out wide. But what really impressed earlier in the year was his creation of two tries under defensive pressure while playing Meninga Cup club football for Burleigh.
Marley McLaren (PBC SHS)
Promising young five-eighth McLaren has had a ripping season playing alongside halfback Zane Harrison.
McLaren came into the season in fine form after warming his engines for the Burleigh Bears during the club season and has showed his class with that tricky grubber kick of his, while also fronting up in defence.
Tawa Simpkins (Mabel Park SHS)
Simpkins is a natural talent, someone who extremely works hard and regularly to improve his skills and get bigger.
A sleek moving Year 11 student, Simpkins runs like a streamlined swimmer when he catches the ball from fullback and for someone with great vision, footwork and speed, he shows maturity to play within himself when needed.
Jackson Howe (Mabel Park SHS)
Howe is naturally gifted with one of the best boots in the competition.
For the past two seasons he has slotted sideline conversions for Mabel Park and also getting his outside backs Ryan McCann, Alize Clarke and Harlem Tata-Paki more involved with his deft short kicking game.
Mason Barber (Keebra Park SHS)
The long striding Barber scored the try of the carnival at the recent ASSRL championship where his raw speed and ability to rebound off tackles saw him run 70m to the tryline. It was an extraordinary performance, a trip down memory lane for those who remember watching Canberra Raiders champion Brett Mullins.
Joey Tupuse (Keebra Park SHS)
Sometimes schoolboy prodigies regress as they get older - Tupuse is certainly one progressing. The Keebra Park centre is a handful with his power and speed when he runs the ball, and he uses those traits in defence as well.
Adaquix-Jeramiah Watts-Luke (Marsden SHS)
Watts-Luke is a brilliant footy talent with street smarts, skill and pace. He has shone for Marsden at fullback, but don’t forget he was used as a dummy half to try and spark Redcliffe in its Meninga Cup semi-final - after playing the Connell Cup competition as a fullback for Souths Logan. The kid is a raw talent, for sure.
Antonio Okusitino (Marsden SHS)
A strike centre, Okusitino has adjusted to the rigours of the Langer Trophy competition impressively after playing in the Walters Cup competition last season.
The best is yet to come from this passionate centre or edge forward with untapped potential.
Tom Parker (Ipswich SHS)
Parker is a natural flair player whose running game is best suited to fullback, yet he has enough footy smarts to play five-eight as well. He is a complete player with his pace, support play, step - and he can kick goals.
Mafiou Cherif (Ipswich SHS)
You would expect being out of action for over a month would mean it would take some time to get some form back.
But it was the opposite for fast moving Ipswich SHS middle forward Mafiou Cherif who, after being sidelined with quad tears to start the season, has made a telling impact off the interchange bench.
The Ipswich local, signed by the Cowboys, has the raw ability to shed tackles, make post contact metres and get away an unlikely offload.
Amare Wynyard (Redcliffe SHS)
Wynyard is a tough little rooster, and also a natural raw talent. You can see he has played plenty of footy in the backyard growing up as a kid. A Redcliffe junior, Wynyard has been a part of the Dolphins all-conquering Connell Cup side for the last two seasons. While he can skirt out of dummy half as good as anyone - his line speed and contact in defence surely inspires teammates.
Ellyjah Birve (Caloundra SHS)
A player tailor-made for a raw talent story, Birve is an x-factor talent who has opposition teams sounding the alarm bells when he comes onto the ball in broken play or off the back of a quick ruck. He can play five-eight or fullback. Anytime he touches the footy he creates opportunities for himself or the players around him. Whether it’s a chip and chase, a crafty dummy or just pure speed, Birve is definitely a name to remember for years to come.
Wouldn’t Birve have been a sensation playing beach footy every Christmas holidays.
Malakye Blow (Caloundra SHS)
Blow started the season as captain while Australian schoolboy and second row partner Zac Garton was out with injury, and that leadership role quickly elevated Blow’s role in the team.
After missing out on the competition last season, Blow has made the most of his opportunities in 2024.
He’s a powerful runner of the ball and loves shooting out of the line to lay big hits on his opposition.
Zac Garton (Caloundra SHS)
Last but certainly not least is the Gympie grown Garton who guaranteed his spot in the Australian Schoolboys team with a stirring ASSRL championships campaign at Coffs Harbour.
The Seahawks left edge battleship, Garton earlier this year flexed his muscles in the Redcliffe Dolphins Meninga Cup Under-19s team and has maintained the rage to bolster a Caloundra SHS outfit that is so much better than their record suggests.
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