TAS rugby: Team of the Week; Most improved players
Our TAS First XV rugby Team of the Week includes a St Paul’s fullback with the Midas touch, an inspiring Ormiston skipper and a jinking duo from St Columban’s. Revealed here along with the competition’s most improved players.
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St Paul’s rugby coach Andrew Thomas is lucky to have his star fullback after the 16-year-old with the Midas touch had yet another scintillating performance in the TAS competition.
According to Thomas, Saints Year 11 Liam Payne was “something special.”
A raw talent, he did not look out of place against the top shelf Ormiston College and St Columban’s teams in the first two rounds of the season, before coming into his own against WestMAC and CHAC, playing outstanding against JPC and in a losing effort on Saturday, he scored the best two tries of the day.
“To be honest I think the best thing about him is he just plays the game. There’s no I want to be this or I want to be that. He just gets the ball and wants to run with it,” Thomas said on Saturday.
“I just want to see a kid like that have every opportunity to be the best he can.
“If someone (NRL or super rugby scouts) sees him he will go. He’s just too good with the ball in hand, he runs to weak shoulders.
“Canterbury are a very good defensive side, they know how to tackle but he was just running to space and making guys miss (on Saturday). When he moves he doesn’t slow down. That’s a very rare thing to see in a schoolboy athlete … to have balance, poise and pace.”
“He’s a raw talent. You can’t teach speed or how to run off lines. That’s instinct. League scouts would love that because he loves those lines.
“He’s something special,” Thomas said about the athletic Payne, who made his First XV debut as a Year 10 student.
Thomas has seen 10 years of TAS rugby and said there had been only one other kid with a better all around game.
That would be Brothers Premier grade mainstay and St Columban’s old boy Jonte Connolly, the flanker also an Aussie Sevens player.
John Paul College alum Beni Allen who had recently made the Queensland under 18 squad and Ormiston’s Laif Williams (2022) and Jaden Gilbert (2021) were among the other TAS guns Thomas mentioned.
“I’d stack Liam up against every one of them,” Tomas said.
RELATED LINKS
MEGA GALLERY – TAS RUGBY PICTURE GALLERY
ROUND 4 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK; ROAD AHEAD
Round 6 was also a win for several other young guns of the competition including St Columban’s centre Sam Hoolihan and fullback Eli Ortiz who took it to Ormison with their ball running.
Other top notch performances came from No. 8 and skipper Angus Melville (Ormiston), winger Dylan Penniket (Ormiston), rib crunching flanker Renier Welgemoed (Ormiston), No. 8 Devlyn Nel (Columban’s) and flanker Bailey Atkins (Columban’s) making the flanker and No. 8 positions in the Team of the Week hotly contested.
Some other strong performances came again from Bailey Murphy, the Canterbury centre elite as stand-in captain, along with halfback Ollie Thompson (JPC), Dylan You (Canterbury), and Lachie Timms (CHAC), who would’ve been the starting No. 8 in any other round this year.
So, ahead of a do-or-die last round where Canterbury and St Columban’s will square off for a grand final spot, check out the Team of the Week and each team’s most improved players of 2023.
Footnote: Positions have been shuffled to squeeze the best back rowers into the team.
RELATED LINKS
TAS ROUND 3 REPORT – ST PAUL’S AMAZING WIN
TAS RUGBY ROUND 2 TEAM OF THE WEEK
TEAM OF THE WEEK
15. Liam Payne (St Paul’s)
14. Eli Ortiz (St Columban’s)
13. Sam Hoolihan (St Columban’s)
12. Daniel Body (Ormiston)
11. Dylan Penniket (Ormiston)
10. Bailey Murphy (Canterbury)
9. Ollie Thompson (JPC)
8. Angus Melville (Ormiston)
7. Renier Welgemoed (Ormiston)
6. Bailey Atkins (St Columban’s)
5. Devlyn Nel (St Columban’s)
4. Riley O’Brien (Ormiston)
3. Daniel Greenway (CHAC)
2. Dylan You (Canterbury)
1. Jack Florido (CHAC)
MOST IMPROVED PLAYERS
Lachie Timms (CHAC)
After returning to the game after many years off, Timms has been an inspiration out of the No. 8 position.
Issac Melish (CHAC)
Melish has been playing well above his weight for some time now, being one of the babies in the team he has just as much experience as the senior players.
Harrison Dhu (Ormiston)
A backup lock in 2022, Dhu increased his frame in the off-season and converted to tighthead prop.
He relishes the scrum battle but does his best work at the breakdown whether it’s locking in for a jackal or taking the space with a dominant counter ruck.
Dhu, who made his First XV debut as a Year 10, has improved his running game significantly and adds to Ormiston’s long list of dominant ball carriers in Angus Melville, Daniel Body and Renier Welgemoeed.
Luca Gardiner (Ormiston)
A backup flanker in 2022, Gardiner has thrived in the starting role at blindside flanker this year.
A key lineout target, he is flawless in the air, and has speed to get up and steal opposition throws as well.
Making improvements in his physicality, Gardiner’s clean-up work in defence is part of the reason Ormiston are going so well.
Jack Addley (Canterbury)
Addley has been dominant defensively and a trusted ball runner who gets Canterbury over the advantage line.
An easy pick for coach Josh Afu.
RELATED LINKS
TAS RUGBY ROUND 1 REPORT, TEAM OF THE WEEK
TAS RUGBY PLAYERS TO WATCH THIS SEASON
Bailey Atkins (Columban’s)
Atkins has long had the skills but in the off-season he put his head down, added some size to his frame and improved his fitness.
This year he has exceeded all expectations and he is now a crucial player for St Columban’s, a breakdown winner and powerful ball carrier who has not missed one minute of game time this season.
Joseph Brooks (JPC)
In only his second TAS rugby season Brooks ahs been one of the most dominant tighthead props in the competition.
He has improved in leaps and bounds.
Kingbenjamin Swirling (JPC)
Swirling has always had it but last year he missed the season with injury - the way he has come back is truly something special.
Callum Campbell (St Paul’s)
Undersized for a modern day flanker, Campbell makes up for it with his huge engine and tackling ability.
Ky Litzow (WestMAC)
He may be last on the list but he was first to come to mind when writing this, Litzow having made his return to rugby this year in fine fashion.
His best asset being his tackle.
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