ASSRL Championships: Bulldogs, Sharks circling NSW CHS star Kayden Garner
The Bulldogs and Sharks are set to battle it out to sign a promising NSW CHS backrower, who has been among the stars at the Secondary Schools Championships.
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Canterbury and Cronulla are set to go toe-to-toe for a rising NSW CHS star with both club’s attempting to lock down teenage backrower Kayden Garner.
News Corp can reveal the Bulldogs have expressed interest in signing the Cronulla junior after the Sharks failed to secure the young gun before the start of the Australian Secondary Schools Championship.
It is understood Garner had been offered a three-year deal to sign with his local NRL team but is now considering moving to Belmore after being sounded out by the Bulldogs.
Garner will get another chance to impress on Friday as the carnival comes to a conclusion in Redcliffe.
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A STAR IS BORN
Ethan Roberts is expected to go full-time at the Roosters at the end of the season after being signed on a new three-year deal.
A star backrower who has starred for the tricolours in the Harold Matthews, Roberts knocked back a top-30 deal with the Rabbitohs before recommitting with his club.
Roberts again showed why he is rated so highly with another strong game for CCC as the Catholics finished their tournament by flogging CIS in the Under 18s.
DOWN AND OUT
They were considered the favourites leading into the carnival – but CIS finished off a disappointing carnival with a flogging at the hands of CCC.
Featuring a star-studded side headlined by Isaiya Katoa, CIS lost both their matches against the ranked states after beginning by flogging CAS 74-0.
SG Ball player of the year and the CIS halfback, Katoa also failed to live up to the pre-tournament hype at what will become his home ground when he begins his three-year deal with the Dolphins.
TOP FOUR
Jack Talbott (Goannas, 15 years)
If there was a competition for tries of the carnival, then Talbott would feature twice — once for his 100m try, and the other when he created a try by Goannas’ Braith Sloane after a weaving break from Talbott.
Ellyjah Birve (Queensland White, 15 years)
The Caloundra SHS No.6 evoked memories of former NRL player Chris Sandow with a four star performance for Queensland’s 15 years side. Birve is affiliated with the Melbourne Storm.
Lamontae Banderson (Goannas, 15 years)
The dynamic Goannas dummy half from St Gregory’s College helped set his side’s attack on fire with slick service and running in a match which also saw Alfred Walker (NT centre) put his best foot forward.
Josah Papali (NSW CCC, Under 18s)
Behind a huge pack spearheaded by Myles Martin, No.6 Josah Papali had a ball as he darted and weaved and passed his way forward in NSW CCC’s win over NSW CIS.
PLAYS OF THE DAY
Kyson Freer (Goannas, 15 years)
We have seen just about everything at the championship now after Leeton High School’s Kyson Freer produced a goose step to help propel him to the try-line against the Northern Territory.
Jake Carsburg (Qld White, 15 years)
For the second time on day six, onlookers were treated to a 100m scored by Queensland centre Jake Carsburg after lead-up play by Tom Parker (Forest Lake SHS) and Ellyjah Birve (Caloundra SHS). Earlier in the day, Jack Talbott (Goannas) scored a length of the field try.
Dewron Aitken (Goannas, 15 years)
What a moment it was for Aitken, a young man all the way from Horn Island in the Straits who scored in the left-hand corner when he used his long reach to plant the ball on the line. He bounced to his feet, full of enthusiasm, and seemed to cherish the moment.
Cooper Johnston (ACT, 15 years)
Not for the first time this tournament, ACT fullback Johnston produced a try-saving tackle, as he did again on Thursday on Ellyjah Birve. Queensland still scored from the next play, but his effort did not go unnoticed.
Talented teens offer Wests Tigers hope for future
A young gun with a Benji Marshall-like step headlines the long line of next generation Wests Tigers that are on show at the Australian Secondary Schools Rugby League National Championships in Redcliffe this week.
Wests Tigers have battled for success for a decade but hope is now at hand as 13 teenagers from the club take part in the rugby league carnival at Moreton Daily Stadium.
And leading the list is a Marshall-like attacking whiz named Onitoni Large.
A 14-year-old from The Scots College, Large was again a standout as NSW CIS beat Queensland in semi-final thriller.
The Tigers are one of the best represented clubs at the under-15s and 18s titles, a mark of the headway they have made with their pathways programs in recent years.
Tigers talent scouts Troy Weeden and Shannon Gallant have been among the throng of club officials and agents who have descended on Redcliffe over the past week to monitor generation next.
No doubt, they liked what they saw from the club’s contingent of emerging stars, led by Large and under-18s prop Jordan Miller.
Miller was named man-of-the-match for NSW Combined Catholic Colleges in their semi-final loss to NSW Combined High Schools on Tuesday.
The powerful frontrower couldn’t get his side across the line as they lost to an outfit that included three of the Tigers’ best and brightest — Tallyn Da Silva, Solomon Saukuru and Kit Laulilii.
Large and his brother Ashton have been exceptional in the under-15 ranks.
Ashton, at 13, is yet to sign with an agent or a club because of his age. The Tigers are working overtime to ensure he commits to them when the time arrives.
KNIGHTS JOIN FIGHT FOR KIWI KID
A 2500km trip across the Tasman could land a new schoolboy sensation an NRL deal.
News Corp can reveal Auckland product Azariah Toki-Mautairi is in the sights of the Broncos, Knights and Titans after moving from New Zealand to Australia to play schoolboy rugby league.
Now a student at Greg Inglis famous’ Wavell State High, Toki-Mautairi has three clubs fighting for his signature after he impressed over the opening three days of the tournament at Moreton Daily Stadium.
The 15-year-old has good bloodlines. He is an Auckland junior whose father, Junior, is a strength and conditioning coach at the Warriors.
A half, he has impressed scouts with his natural skills and toughness.
A STAR IS BORN
Callum Grantham stole the show in the first Under-15s final with three incredible plays that won NSW CIS the match.
A flying fullback who recently signed a four-year deal with the Sharks, Grantham kicked a 40m penalty goal from the touchline to clinch the match in golden point extra time after making the break that put his side in range.
The Cronulla Caringbah junior also kicked the goal that levelled the match and sent it into overtime.
TOP FIVE
1. Callam Grantham (NSW CHS, 15 years)
Kicked two long-range penalty goals to get NSW CIS home in a thriller.
2. Lui Lee (Queensland Maroon, 15 years)
The brother of Brenko continued to impress with another standout performance for Queensland. Lui set up the try that put Queensland in front after making a tackle to stop CIS from scoring at the other end.
3. Onitoni Large (NSW CIS, 15 years)
An undisputed star in the making, Large was electric again for CIS. Only some desperate Queensland defence stopped him from scoring a stunning solo try. His big sidestep helped set up a first-half try.
4. Alex Joseph Isdale (NSW CHS, 15 years)
Helped by a five-star performance by his forwards, Isdale led the Blues to their win against CCC.
5. Lorima Rokosuka, (NSW CHS, 15 years)
The powerhouse winger scored a double as CHS proved too strong for CCC.
PLAYS OF THE DAY
Callum Grantham (NSW CIS, 15 years)
Kicked a 40m penalty goal at the death to send the CIS v Queensland semi-final into extra time and then made a break and kicked another goal in golden point to win the match.
Benson Tau and Lui Lee (Queensland Maroons, 15 years)
The pair combined to deny NSW CIS what would have been a match-levelling try. In a desperate tackle that ended a CIS charge, Tau and Lee held up Brooklyn Heath after CIS fullback Callum Grantham put him over the line with a double cut ouy.
Hemasi Makasini and Reilly Caswell (NSW CIS, 15 years)
Caswell ran almost 60m to put CIS in front after Makasini poked his way through the line and threw a miracle off-load. Caswell showed stunning speed once in the clear and held off Queensland’s fast charging fullback Mereki Warrado.
William McCallum (NT, 15 years)
It was one of the tackles of the tournament produced by Northern Territory winger William McCallum on runaway Western Australian under-15s edge forward Aaron Leafe. He was bundled over the sideline 1m from scoring.
Dolphins whizkid proves he’s worth cash splash
Teenage superstar Isaiya Katoa is set to earn more than $800,000 over the next three years as the face of generation next at NRL expansion club the Dolphins.
On the day that Wayne Bennett was in the crowd to watch Katoa as the Australian Secondary Schools Championship continued in Redcliffe, News Corp has learned the schoolboy sensation’s three-year deal at the Dolpins is worth in excess of $800,000.
Set to begin at the end of the year and running until the end 2025, the contract could end being a bargain for the Dolphins given the performances of Katoa this week.
The Barker College student, who was recruited by the Dolphins after being spotted playing SG Ball for the Panthers, showed why he was shotgunned into the Tongan training squad last month by once again starring for the NSW CIS team as they were edged out by Queensland.
Katoa will be forced to play park football at the conclusion of the tournament, after the Panthers dumped him from their pathways programs because of his looming defection to the Dolphins.
Instead of playing Jersey Flegg for Penrith, Katoa will spend the rest of the year playing A-grade for the Glenmore Park Brumbies.
A STAR IS BORN
A cross between Junior Paulo and Marty Taupau, Sam Tuivaiti came from nowhere to go to the top of the props with a storming semi-final.
Wearing No.18 and an unknown before the carnival, the Westfield’s prop was the most destructive player on the field as CHS booked a spot in the decider by beating old rivals CCC.
In a clash against their famous rivals NSW CCC, CHS stormed home to beat the Catholics 30-8 after 70 minutes of bruising semi-final football.
Led by Tuivaiti and future Canberra fullback Chevy Stewart, CHS scored four second half tries to give themselves a shot at schoolboy glory.
SON OF A GUN
His father was a tough as teak prop who played 196 NRL games in a two-club career – so it was a little surprising to see Jack White playing in the halves.
The son of former Storm hardman Brett, Jack might have inherited his kicking game from his mother given his father was better known for bashing bodies than kicking balls.
Jack is one of the ACT’s emerging stars and is firmly in the sights of his father’s other team the Raiders.
SCHUIE’S SHOUT OUT
Rooster’s great Ian Schubert is attempting to track down three former Australian Schoolboy’s teammates ahead of a 50-year reunion which will be held in August. A member of the 1972 team, Schubert has asked for some help in finding David Mooney, Barry Taylor and Michael Turner. Schubert can be emailed at 1972schoolboys@gmail.com.
TOP FIVE
1. Chevy Stewart (NSW CHS, 18 years)
Stewart showed why he is considered a future NRL fullback in a performance where he proved himself as tough as he is fast.
Best known as an attacking dynamo, Stewart got down in the trenches and helped CHS fight their way to the final.
2. Arama Hau (Queensland, 18 years)
The back-row giant was almost unstoppable in a two-try performance that paved the way for Queensland to book a spot against NSW CHS in the final.
3. Lui Lee (Queensland Maroon, 15 years)
A powerhouse centre with a physique almost as impressive as his big brother Edrick, Lui showed he can move as well as hit when he stepped past three defenders to score in Queensland’s match against NSW CCC.
A 90kg monster from Marsden State High, Lee has the size to play in the back-row and the speed to play in the centres.
4. Mason Phillips (Queensland White, 15 years)
The Wavell SHS rookie thanked his fast moving forward pack with two telling tries and several line breaks. His pack did the hard yakka, and Phillips was good enough to capitalise on chinks in the ACT armour.
5. Zildjian Tafili (ACT, 15 years)
The big fella with a big motor from Canberra High School has been identified by the Canberra Raiders as a talent and it is little wonder. He has only enhanced his reputation at this championship and his man of the match award was richly deserved.
PLAYS OF THE DAY
Sam Tuivaiti (NSW CHS, 18 years)
After drawing two defenders and putting his teammate away with a pre-line pass, front-row giant Tuivaiti backed up to lay on one of the tries of the tournament.
Luke Jones (Queensland White, 15 years)
From the powerhouse Palm Beach Currumbin SHS nursery, Jones’ unselfishly sent Tom Parker over for a try when he could have scored himself.
Byron Cahill (ACT, 15 years)
ACT’s spirit was summed up eight minutes from full-time when prop Zildjian Tafili and Byron Cahill chased down Queensland winger Isaac Cullen despite trailing 28-0.
Chevy Stewart (NSW CHS, 18 years)
He is only a lightweight compared to the men in the middle but Stewart proved his strength by breaking through three tackles to put NSW CHS back into their match against CCC.
Coby Black (Queensland, 18 years)
Beat three defenders to set-up a classic Queensland try.
Souths poach Broncos schoolboy
—James Phelps, Andrew Dawson
South Sydney have gotten one back on Brisbane by snatching their hottest young playmaker in an Australian Secondary Schools Championship signing coup.
In a move that comes just 12 months after the Broncos poached Adam Reynolds, the Rabbitohs have counterpunched by sneaking under Brisbane’s guard to sign boom No.6 Jye Gray.
News Corp Australia can reveal the Rabbitohs will bring the teenage sensation down from Brisbane to Sydney at the end of the year after locking down the under-18s Queensland star.
“We identified Jye as an outstanding running No.6,” said Rabbitohs Pathways manager Joe O’Callaghan.
“That was a position the club wanted to target. Jason wanted a running half/fullback coming through the system. We always look in our backyard first but we don’t have a massive catchment and Jye had a standout year in the Mal Meninga Cup. He was at the Broncos but they (Brisbane) can’t keep them all. We are very happy with the way he is coming on.”
Despite having one of the smallest rugby league nurseries in the NRL, the Rabbitohs have 20 future stars competing at this week’s All Schools Carnival in Redcliffe.
Headlined by Tyrone Munro – a NSW CHS excitement machine who is on a fast-track to the NRL, the Rabbitohs have secured some of the country’s hottest talents.
Munro, a born and bred South’s junior from Botany, is in line to become an Australian schoolboy after making a storming start to the All Schools Carnival.
“Tyrone will go full-time as a development player at the end of the year,” O’Callaghan said.
“We have seen enough to know he has a bright future.”
MATCH OF THE DAY
NSW CHS won the under-15s battle of the blues by holding on to beat NSW CCC in an All Schools carnival thriller.
Led by Westfield Sports playmaker Alex Joseph Isdale, CHS survived a CCC comeback to claim an 18-16 victory.
A penalty goal slotted just three minutes from full-time was all that separated the NSW’s rivals following their 50-minute fight.
Down 16-6 after prop Lochlin Moses stormed over to continue a CHS onslaught, CCC almost snatched the win in the final minute of the match but were denied by a match saving CHS gang tackle.
A STAR IS BORN
The Eels may be forced into a recruitment fight after a Parramatta junior announced himself as a future NRL playmaker by leading NSW CHS to victory in their grudge match against CCC.
In a man of the match performance that was delivered in front of every NRL scouts, Isdale emerged as a Mitchell Moses in the making by putting on an attacking masterclass.
Isdale, a Westfield’s Sport product, scored a stunning solo try in a performance that put his name up in lights.
THE TOP FIVE
1. Alex Joseph Isdale (NSW CHS 15 years)
In the best Under 15s playmaking performance of the championship, Isdale scored a scorching solo try before leading NSW CHS to a gritty win over NSW rivals CCC
2. Onitoni Large (NSW CIS, 15 years)
The Wests Tigers’ rookie makes a second appearance in our Players of the Day column after another outstanding performance - this time against ACT. A five-eight, he had the benefit of playing behind a winning pack.
3. Cooper Johnston (ACT, 15 years)
The long-striding Johnston shone like a beacon in a gallant ACT side that refused to throw in the towel. Along with his prop Zildjian Tafili, fullback Johnston (St Mary MacKillop, Canberra) is a member of the Canberra Raiders junior training Academy.
4. Lorima Rokosuka (NSW CHS, 15 years)
A gigantic winger in the mould of Ronaldo Mulitalo, Rokosuka was a constant threat out wide. The Westfield’s winger scored a try and bent bodies with every run.
5. Tainui Whakaari (Victoria Secondary Schools)
Melbourne Grammar School halfback Tainui Whakaari took on the line to showcase his running game in a man of the match performance.
PLAY OF THE DAY
Jack Turner (ACT, 15 years)
The ACT wingman from Melrose High School produced one of the tackles of the tournament to roundup runaway ACT winger Reilly Caswell. Caswell sprinted and wove his way upfield, only to be slung over the sideline by Turner just as he was about to pin his ears back for the final 10m dash to the tryline.
Reilly Caswell (NSW CIS)
Knox Grammar School student Caswell, who has run more miles in two matches than he would in a weeks of training, had yet another busy match for NSW CIS in the win over ACT. Built low to the ground, Caswell had a ball down the left flank when his side released the hand break.
Tainui Whakaari (Victoria Secondary Schools)
The Melbourne Grammar School prospect lit up Moreton Daily Stadium with the best individual try of the day, a blazing 50m burst down the Des Webb Stand sideline to score in the corner.
Finn Mackay (Victoria Secondary Schools)
Brighton Grammar School student Finn Mackay produced a 15m left side pass to send his winger Parish Hunt in for his second try.
Angus Durbidge (ACT, 15 years)
It only took a fleeting moment, but the move ACT centre Durbidge put on to shake the NSW CIS edge defence off him as a target prior to scoring his team’s second try was classic centre play, pure class.
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