Langer Trophy live stream: Fearless team summaries, dark horse players ahead of first round
Starting with four blockbusters on Tuesday, this year’s Langer Trophy is sure to be exciting. Here’s how we see each team’s chances and, as a bonus, we throw in some players set to surprise.
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The Langer Trophy Brisbane Broncos competition starts with four blockbusters on Tuesday and we will be there every step of the way.
Eight teams – Palm Beach Currumbin SHS, Keebra Park SHS, Marsden SHS, Mabel Park SHS, Ipswich SHS, Wavell SHS, Redcliffe SHS and new side Caloundra SHS – will feature, each brimming with talent.
Rest assured, this is a competition in which team No. 1 can be beaten by team No.8. The coaches know that, they are not merely uttering the words. They mean it when they tell their players that.
The Courier-Mail, along with News Corp affiliates, will stream every match from the opens division this season on the KommunityTV platform. Round 1 is Tuesday.
In this story we give you a fearless prediction on school squads, while revealing some dark horse players of a competition which has no clear cut favourite.
Marsden SHS:
Marsden seems in good shape. They have a good spine featuring fullback Saxon Innes, Javon Andrews, halfback Coby Black and hooker Jacob Tinsley, and two elite new players – centre Kylem Vunipola and Lewis Symonds. Throw into the mix a revitalised Will Semu who made the Queensland 16-18 schoolboys side this week.
Then into the forwards come some likely types and the mix is potent. A top four berth will be the minimum expectations for this squad.
Of course for the spine to function Marsden’s ball carriers will need to win the ruck and get the ball in Tinsley’s hands swiftly.
Dark horse players
Jacob Tinslay: Dummy half Tinsley is a glue player, a Andrew McCullough type No. 9 who is as honest as the day is long. Importantly he now has a full season of Langer behind him.
He has also been tutored by the best in the business over summer – Marsden SHS staff member and New Zealand No. 9 legend Isaac Luke.
His star halfback Coby Black will only be as good as the service Tinsley delivers.
Braden Teuila: Every team would like a Braden Teuila. He is a strong, dependable edge forward older and wiser from his 2022 experiences.
Ipswich SHS
In cricket it would be like batting after Steve Smith, or performing on the stage following on from Harry Styles or Taylor Swift.
After all, how do you follow in the footsteps of the historic 2022 Ipswich SHS army who won three premierships – Langer, Phil Hall (state) and National Schoolboys titles in an unbeaten season. It was simply the best season.
But this is a chance for these class of 2023 Ipswich kids to put their own stamp on history.
They can be no more than themselves, and with coach Joshua Bretherton at the helm, Oliva Iaulualo and Jack Laing as forward leaders, expect Ipswich to challenge strongly again this season.
We expect Iaulualo to raise his game a notch again alongside his mate David Leota after the pair spearheaded Canterbury to the under 17 premiership in May.
Ipswich will be in this competition up to their ears – don’t worry about that.
The 2023 season is the most open for a while and Ippy are shoulder to shoulder with the best of them. Every bit a chance of going back to back.
Dark horse: Kesaia Su’a
He is from Auckland famous St Paul’s breeding ground and comes to Ipswich with a union and league background. He is a fierce runner and it took him only one month in the Meninga Cup to earn a Canberra Raiders contract. Su’a has particularly good hands and will put a teammate into a gap with ease.
Tyler Peckham-Harris: He made our Meninga Cup team of the year squad two years running, so why is he a dark horse? Because last year he played fullback. This year he is the dummy half. Any tired marines around the ruck will be found out.
Mabel Park SHS
Mabel Park entered the competition in 2021, enjoyed a historic three matches last season and will be better again in 2023.
Like Redcliffe, the school had a rugged introduction to Langer in 2021 but have now gained a foothold and there should be no ghosts in the cupboard, particularly given they finished last year with a win over Keebra Park SHS. Put them down for four wins.
Dark horse players:Halves Jackson Howe and Lachlan Buchbach.
Both boys have a grounding from the first class Marsden SHS system and have sought opportunity across Logan City at Mabel.
They have a huge challenge handling both sides of the ruck, but should be excited and back their ability. This, the Langer, is where they want to be, after all.
Caloundra SHS
Caloundra SHS deservedly won their way into the Langer Trophy for the first time and will be no pushover.
They have an experienced core of Brooklenn Mundraby-Grogan, Jack Philp, Tulloch McLellan, Zac Garton and Chase Paterson who will not be intimidated.
Caloundra will not be a big side, but will challenge with skill and unloads. Caloundra will win a match for sure in their foundation season.
Dark horse player: Tyrell Hopkins
While eyes will be directed toward his edge partner on the other side of the field – Zac Garton, and a roving Chase Paterson in the middle, don’t discount bush boy Hopkins on the right edge.
Take him for granted at your peril.
Caloundra will be moving the ball around on both sides of the field which will bring the Nanango junior into play, a challenge he will relish.
He is coming off a Meninga Cup season with the Falcons and is locked and loaded in what is a historic season for Caloundra SHS.
Redcliffe
When Redcliffe hold their first match of the season, they should invite all members of last season’s Firsts back and have them form a guard of honour for the class of 2023.
That group did the hard yards in the school’s first ever season of Langer and it is because of them that Redcliffe SHS will be better again in 2023.
Redcliffe will win its first ever match this season. And they could win two or three others as well.
Dark horse player: Loka Toia, Henry Sologinkin and Jayden Evans
Middle forwards get better with age and experience and Toia is primed and ready to lead Redcliffe’s middle forward brigade.
He came through a school of hard knocks last season, but by the end of the season was one of the competition’s unsung heroes.
Toia has a wealth of experience behind him, including helping Redcliffe Dolphins win the Langer Trophy in April.
There is a touch of Corey Horsburgh about Sologinkin, an all effort kid who gets in the zone once he cross the touchline. He will be as fit as a fiddle after playing for the Redcliffe club pre-season.
Evans is new to the school, a halfback with explosive skills.
Wavell SHS
Wavell are the sleeping giants of the competition. They have a very, very good young side coming through, and the tip of the iceberg will be seen this season.
Get them on the same page, and providing they do the basics right and respect possession, we expect nature to take its course and Wavell to find their way into the top four.
Dark horse player: Jayden Butt
Wavell SHS will field an exciting, young team full of skill, vim and vigour. And the perfect player to have around this skilful, excitable group will be Butt.
The Redcliffe Dolphins junior is match hardened after a Meninga Cup season and is now an experienced middle forward campaigner who gathered priceless experience during last season’s Langer season.
He is the type of side every team needs – the style of forward coaches wish they could duplicate.
PBC SHS
With basically the backline that won the QRSS: state championship with South Coast, we expect Palm Beach Currumbin SHS will be very good because they are always very good. The Reds will field a fleet-a-foot outside back division featuring Puru, Donovan, Stephenson and Litidamu, a group fed by Zane Harrison and Bailey McConnell. Up front Jackson, Turner etc will be ironman. This is another very fine side. We predict when the dust settles they will be in the last four – and from there, anything can happen.
Dark horse player: Jett Jackson
Jackson has been an apprentice and now he is about to graduate.
He is a Wayne Bennett type of forward, a steady-eddy who has miles in his legs, a big raw-boned kid who packs a punch in defence.
Jackson has watched Scanlan, Cullan and co lead the PBC SHS pack over the last two seasons, and now he will be the No. 1 man and believe us, he is up to that challenge alongside Brady Turner and Jac Finegan.
Jackson deservedly worked his way into the 37 man Qld under 18 emerging squad.
Keebra Park SHS
Keebra will have a super forward pack. South Coast were driven to victory at this week’s QRSSSL state championships, and Keebra Park players dominated the pack. It is an exciting new era for Keebra Park SHS as well and like PBC SHS, you know Keebra Park will be good. It is just a matter of how good. We think it will be semi-final good and when the play-offs get down to the business end, they will be in the final four and pushing for the premiership.
Keebra will have a particularly imposing forward pack around Bryce, Folua and Wailer and two excellent props, Jack Schmidt and Zac Kumbermong, who we will highlight below.
But they have three x-factor players – inform fullback Mason Barber who shone in the Meninga Cup, half Ryder Williams and utility Lotaki.
Dark horse players: The production line of quality forwards just keeps rumbling on at Keebra Park SHS, a system which spat out Payne Haas and David Fifita and co.
And both Schmidt and Kumbermong will be proud to carry on that forward power tradition.
Both boys have been identified by the QRL as players of potential, and were chosen in a squad to train in game simulation, with Former Origin Greats working alongside the next generation of Queensland talent.
In their ears were FOGS Gavin Cooper, Darius Boyd, Michael Morgan, Brent Tate, Andrew McCullough, Matt Gillett, Matt Ballin, David Stagg, Antonio Kaufusi and Casey McGuire, so the pair have had the best tuition possible.
Mason Barber: It is hard to believe Barber played in the middle last season – and will play fullback in his Langer Trophy debut.
He played so well in the No. 1 jumper over the summer, the Cowboys talent scouts scooped him up.
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