Walters Cup schoolboy league: 24 rookies to watch this season
Walters Cup schoolboy rugby league: Who are the key players to watch this season from all eight schools? 24 exciting Year 10 talents highlighted here.
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Meet 24 of the key players who will grace the Walters Cup schoolboy rugby league competition starting on Tuesday, June 3.
The next generation Allan Langer Trophy players will contest the Year 10, Brisbane-Broncos sponsored competition that is named after club great Kevin Walters.
The Walters Cup will be a part of a live stream bonanza by News Corp.
This season all eight rounds and finals from the Langer Trophy and the Year 10 Walters Cup will be LIVE STREAMED on KommunityTV.
Last season, Keebra Park State High won the competition after defeating Marsden State High 24-16 in the grand final at Langlands Park.
Ipswich State High’s current of Year 10 students took out last year’s Hancock Cup (Year 9) by defeating Wavell State High in the big dance. The year prior, that same cohort won the Renouf Shield (Year 8) premiership and the same group will be gunning for a three-peat of titles when they start the season against Wavell, at Wavell, on Tuesday.
Mountain Creek State High are new additions to the competition this year after trumping Stretton State College 28-14 in a tense qualifying final in March at Stafford Brothers.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
MJ Otunuku (Keebra Park SHS)
Keebra Park SHS coach Will Pei will be a lucky man having the likes of Otunuku in his ranks. The youngster looks the complete package forward who could play almost anywhere on the field.
A key player in Keebra Park’s gritty Year 9 side last year, the Melbourne talent was hard to handle at the recent state championships in Gladstone which led to him making the Queensland Schoolboys 14-15 years Maroons team.
Sonny Hewitt (Keebra Park SHS)
An excitement machine, Hewitt will play fullback for Keebra — the same position he played when pouring on highlights for Redcliffe in the recent Cyril Connell Cup club season.
A tough defender and great communicator, Hewitt gives the impression he would fit right in if he was needed in Keebra’s Langer Trophy team.
For now, his organisation from the back and toughness can give the Year 10s a leg up.
Alex Ruiz (Keebra Park SHS)
A South Coast representative, Ruiz is a mighty fine utility who is equally at home in the middle as a hooker or on the edge as a backrower.
Keebra’s No. 9 this season, Ruiz relishes the physical contest and can tackle much bigger bodies at a good clip.
Watch for his scheming running game around the ruck.
Blake Tikinau (Ipswich SHS)
You may remember the last name Tikinau.
Blake, a five-eighth, is the younger brother of Ipswich’s past Langer Trophy halfback Brandon ‘Dingo’ Tikinau, who was a class act in 2023.
The Tikinau clan also features former students Bailey and Bradley, as well as young Bentley, a halfback in Year 7. But it is Blake who will run Ipswich’s attack in this year’s Walters Cup.
The Springfield Panthers junior is quick between the ears with razor-sharp instincts.
Leo Hunt (Ipswich SHS)
Partnering Blake in the halves will be halfback Leo Hunt, a likely type when he runs the ball and an effective kicker.
The Ipswich pivot hails from the mighty Easts Tigers under-15s where his teammates Otunuku (Keebra) and Cruz Molo (Wavell) will soon be rivals.
Joey Salafia (Ipswich SHS)
Behind Tikinau and Hunt will be athletic fullback Salafia, another Tiger cub who is at his best returning the ball.
A dangerous runner with good habits away from the ball, Salafia was a part of last year’s team which won the Year 9 Hancock Cup.
Lenton Funaki (Wavell SHS)
A young enforcer, Funaki forged a great reputation for himself at the recent state championships in Gladstone where he scored three tries on day one.
Later named the player of the carnival, Funaki should feel bulletproof after such a wonderful middle forward’s knock up north.
Originally a New Zealand local, Funaki has improved tremendously over the past nine months.
Maihi Pene (Wavell SHS)
The younger brother of Wavell’s 2024 school captain Keyarn, Maihi is a footy-smart youngster who just gets it.
Possessing an astute kicking game and good tackle technique, Pene could prove very valuable on both sides of the ball.
In attack, the fearless 15-year-old loves to chance his hand which is what being a halfback is all about.
Lennox Lakatani (Wavell SHS)
The captain of Wavell’s Year 9 team last year, Lakatani is the type of kid his teammates would love playing with.
A team-first forward leader, Lakatani will set a high standard with his tough, uncompromising play on the edge.
He hails from the mighty Albany Creek Crushers club.
Ezekiel Filipi (Mabel Park SHS)
A regular heavy lifter in Souths Logan’s Connell Cup outfit this year, the explosive Filipi will play No. 13 for Mabel Park.
Also a great hooker, Filipi resembles a bit of Rabbitohs signing Brandon Smith with his explosive running style and unrelenting nature.
Tristan Ford-Walter (Mabel Park SHS)
Like Filipi, Ford-Walter is a South Auckland boy of Samoan heritage and both can make a thud with their running game.
Mabel Park’s hooker this season, Ford-Walter first came across the school staff when in town on a Samoa Under-16s tour last year.
A good mate of Filipi’s, the crafty Ford-Walter was eager to move across the ditch and gain exposure to the rigours of rugby league in Queensland.
Lennix Parfitt (Mabel Park SHS)
Watch for this young defensive henchman in the centres.
Lennix Parfitt is of great pedigree. His father Nick played six games for the Broncos in the early 2000s and Lennix recently made the hotly-contested Queensland White 14-15 years team.
A big improver from the Wynnum Manly Seagulls.
Nixon O’Connor (PBC SHS)
A beast off the back fence, O’Connor adds a bustling dimension to the PBC SHS pack with his power game, speed and strength.
A representative prop from the NSW Country Under-16s outfit, Tweed junior O’Connor also has subtle ball skills which complement his power game.
PBC SHS’s middle will be in good hands because O’Connors communication, leadership and organisation is always improving.
Jaylon Russell (PBC SHS)
The slick fullback will catch the eye pretty quick whether it be with his brave defence or instinctive support play.
The quick No. 1 seems to bob up at the right time when a teammate makes half a break and he, like O’Connor, was a staple in the Northern Rivers Titans representative under-16s team this year.
London Proctor-Sargent (PBC SHS)
It will be hard to miss PBC’s young giant London Proctor-Sargent. Just look for the towering middle standing at about 193cm.
A raw talent with size and skill, the offloading Proctor-Sargent is just hard to handle and has a big engine to complement his made-for-league physique.
Ike Bilish (PBC SHS)
If you recognise the last name that’s because you should.
Ike’s older brother Jai was one of the standouts in the Connell Cup competition for Tweed and Rocco, the eldest who finished school in 2024, was a middle forward enforcer in last year’s Langer Trophy.
Ike, 15, will play centre — unlike his brothers who play hooker and prop.
Keep an eye on the fast-footed athlete whose tough defence can help the Reds find success.
Jesse-James Schuster (Redcliffe SHS)
A fine halve or fullback, Schuster has long been a great playmaker but has recently made strides around his kicking game.
Now possessing a booming boot, Schuster is young but a full-package player who has the vision and maturity to, at times, seem ahead of the play.
Also a high achiever in the class room where he is an A student, the impressive young leader has a turn of speed which just adds to the excitement.
Ryan White (Redcliffe SHS)
A Redcliffe Dolphins young gun in the Storm Academy, White embodies the work ethic and dedication synonymous with the Melbourne system.
The versatile, ball playing No. 13 could also play five-eighth with ease where his passing game and appetite for defence were his strong suits.
Despite his smaller stature for a forward, White’s tenacity as an underaged player in the Connell Cup was evident because he fearlessly took on larger opponents.
His high work rate and love for running the ball will be clear.
Marius Aholelei (Redcliffe SHS)
A newer student from across the Tasman, Marius Aholelei brings a blend of Kiwi and Tongan heritage to the Redcliffe SHS Eagles.
The freakishly athletic centre or second-rower has previously caught the eye with his exceptional footwork and balance.
Aholelei’s powerful running style, combined with his imposing frame, makes him a formidable force on Redcliffe’s edge and his twitch reflexes and ability to break tackles will give the side strike out wide.
Siu Pulepule (Marsden SHS)
Looking at the young forward up close, you’d think he was a senior not a Year 10 student.
He is a powerful, agile forward marvel with great skill and finesse for a player of his position.
A lock capable of playing elsewhere, Pulepule is sure to be a driving force behind the Year 10 Marsden Makos.
Diezel Guillonta-McCarthy Brandt-Hamilton (Marsden SHS)
A second row forward or centre, the young man from Marsden has potential from head to toe and a splash of x-factor in his game.
Like Pulepule, Brandt-Hamilton was a member of the Queensland Schoolboys Under-15s side last year. This year he was plying his trade south of the border as part of South Sydney’s Harold Matthews Cup team (under-17s).
Toetu Misipati-Toetu (Marsden SHS)
Misipati-Toetu caught the eye last year at Wavell State High’s gala homecoming celebration when teams from Year 7 to 12 play at the school.
A classy fullback, he was a tireless defender who gave Marsden players confidence with his communication and reliability in behind.
In attack, the Easts Tiger can create for himself and others. When selected for the Tigers in the Connell Cup, as an underaged player, he always rose to the challenge.
Cash Bennett (Mountain Creek SHS)
Dummyhalf Cash Bennett is coming off a stellar Connell Cup campaign with the Sunshine Coast Falcons where, as an underaged player, he got better and better as the season progressed.
A trusty No. 9 also at home in the halves, Bennett was key in the qualifying final against Stretton with his attacking defence and off-the-whim creation.
Makani Madgwick (Mountain Creek SHS)
Coming through the ranks in Sunshine Coast club rugby league, Maroochydore’s Makani Madgwick went up against Kawana hooker Bennett.
This year, they have been side-by-side playing in the Falcons Connell Cup outfit.
The pacy, mobile forward possesses a big fend and quick feet at the line and will likely be stationed on the edge or even in the middle for newcomers Mountain Creek.
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