Wynnum Manly Seagulls young gun sets an example to her peers
Harvey Norman U17 rugby league countdown: Wynnum Manly squad revealed, including how a rookie has been identified by two NRLW clubs.
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Emily Whittaker is the latest Wynnum Manly junior to be recognised by NRL systems after she was identified by not one, but two clubs.
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The Canterbury Bulldogs, which will have a side in the NRLW for the first time this season, recognised Whittaker who had a booming 2024 Harvey Norman U17s season with the Seagulls - but so did Dolphins talent scouts as that club prepares for entry into an expanded NRLW later this decade.
Those performances were no doubt the catalyst in her being acknowledged by the clubs, including spending the summer off-season training at the Bulldogs.
Fortified by headgear and propelled along by boundless energy, Whittaker plays above her weight in both defence and when she carries the ball.
She has a huge motor and never stops around the ruck.
Whittaker will again lead Wynnum’s 2025 U17 campaign and her success is an example to her peers that with hard work and dedication, dreams can come true.
Wynnum have an array of talented players in the squad and around Whittaker, including prop Summer Thorne and dangerous runner Breanna Gault who will lead the way. Gault returns after gathering experience in this competition last season.
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Gault’s speed is her biggest threat from either fullback, or when she runs the ball as a half.
Thorne will be a tough workload prop, the type every club needs.
Don’t be surprised to see her make multiple try saving tackles at the defensive end, yet to have the energy to impact with her runs once possession changes hands.
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Leevi Williams showed plenty of flair from fullback last season and has the running game to challenge defences. From Stretton State College, she earned Queensland 15-16 years schoolgirls selection at the ASSRL championships
Wynnum Manly’s U17 Harvey Norman squad: Emily Whittaker, Paige Adams, Leevi Williams, Amaya Nygaard, Mia Collier, Khiara-Lee, Cyanna Ballinger, Ella Prackert, Sienna Close-Chilly, Jayla Andrews, Chantelle Kruska, Amber James, Breanna Gault, Summer Thorne, Tsubi Leota, Kyla Pollard, Jeccoa Branthwaite, Kaydence Marino King, Tasha Milton, Molony Bonney, Te Heihinapouri Mark, Ella Auguste, Kiana Sila-Crowe, Pascalle Tuvale, Tenika Rokocoko, Tarlia Little, Asia Petusa, Rheanna Glassie.
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