GPS profile: The Southport School excited by big Wilson Blyth
He’s only 17-years-old, but The Southport School’s Wilson Blyth already stands eye-to-eye with Wallaby legend Nathan Sharpe, Check out the TSS profile before the season starts.
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Picture 116-cap Wallaby legend Nathan Sharpe, only more athletic.
Whatever you’re imagining probably isn’t The Southport School’s Wilson Blyth but good judges say it should be.
The second-year First XV lock is 17-years-old but already stands eye to eye with the 200cm former Wallaby skipper.
Their similarities go further than physical dimensions because long-time coaches at the school rate Blyth’s aerial abilities in the lineout up there with the best to emerge from the Gold Coast’s leading rugby nursery.
It’s high praise when the school’s alumni includes lineout technicians Sharpe (1995), Rob Simmons (2006) and Queensland Reds rookie Angus Blyth (2015), Wilson’s elder brother.
Much has changed since Sharpe ran the ovals of The Southport School, most obviously because the school grandstand now bears his name on its roof.
“That’s one thing you definitely don’t expect or even think about but when it occurs it’s quite a privileged moment and it’s one that I’m very grateful for,” Sharpe said.
“It was all a bit different in those days because we hadn’t won since the 30s, but the camaraderie of representing your mates and school, those all make up part of the quilt work of great rugby memories.”
Southport hadn’t raised the GPS trophy since 1938 during Sharpe’s reign but since breaking that drought in 2001 have added five more trophies.
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The winning culture that carried teams to success, according to Director of Rugby Adrian Blundell, is built on a commitment to skilful football.
“Our gameplan in 2019 is pretty similar to the last 20 years, where what we’ve been trying to shape is a never-say-die attitude.
“We want our boys to have great skills across the park, 1-15, so we’ve worked really hard on player skills so that the boys can go out there and express themselves and show off some of those skills they’ve been working on.”
Nearly a dozen players involved in last year’s heartbreaking 34-29 Grand Final defeat to Nudgee College will relish the chance to settle the scores when they face-off again on Saturday.
Starters Zane Nonggorr, Blyth and Luc Lyndon will return in the forward pack while Hamish Roberts, Dion Samuela and Jesse Gray will pick up where they left off in the backs.
A further five players who tasted First XV action in last year’s campaign will want to make the most of starting opportunities in 2019.
Among the new faces, three exciting backline talents are poised to continue the team’s high-flying attacking style.
Three-year starter Campbell Parata has left Australia to pursue his dream of playing for the Crusaders, passing the torch to Syrus Schmidt at flyhalf.
Ronan Kapi’s outside centre jersey has been passed to Queensland Reds signing Jojo Fifita, 16.
“Jojo’s been at the school since Year 8,” Blundell said.
“He’s one of our top academics, he’s extremely intelligent and he’s just a fantastic young man.
“He’s a sprinter who’s gone pretty well with that combination of speed and power.
“Over the last year he’s put on some size without losing that speed.”
Completing Southport’s back three will be Kaleb Ngamanu, the younger brother of Queensland Reds fullback Jaydn Ngamanu and former Australian Schoolboy Cullen.
The three youngsters will bring combinations from time spent in the Queensland U16s set-up last year to the First XV stage.
How quickly the rookies assimilate to competing against the battle-hardened 18-year-olds found in most squads will go some way to determining whether TSS can improve on last year’s second-place finish.
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GPS Premierships: 10
Most Recent: 2016 (shared)
The Courier-Mail’s TSS Team of the Decade
1. Egan Siggs (2017)
2. Campbell Wakely (2012)
3. Zane Nonggor (2019)
4. Tom van der Schyff (2018)
5. Angus Blyth (2015)
6. Tipene Mavoa (2016)
7. Angus Allen (2016)
8. Reno Gerrard (2018)
9. Issak Fines-Leleiwasa (2013)
10. Campbell Parata © (2012)
11. Lausii Taliauli (2010)
12 . Noah Lolesio (2017)
13. Dylan Riley (2015)
14. Joey Fittock (2014)
15 . Max Dowd (2017)
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