Players to watch: 30+ exciting GPS rugby rookies to keep an eye on this season
GPS First XV rugby: Who were the players to watch this season? 35 schoolboys earmarked as excitement machines here, including a fantastic five signed to the Reds and recent Cowboys and Raiders signings. FULL LIST
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The GPS First XV rugby season is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in years with a smattering of elite teen talent set to take the competition by storm when it springs to life on Saturday, July 19.
Some of the finest schoolboy rugby players in the state will battle it out across an exhilarating nine-week season with one goal in mind.
A premiership.
Nudgee College are gunning for their fourth straight premiership and 46th First XV title, while Toowoomba Grammar are looking to celebrate the school’s 150th year by winning the cherished title.
So who are the players to watch this season?
Two of them are fresh Queensland Reds signings, fullback Treyvron Pritchard (Churchie) and outside centre Taione Taka (Brisbane Boys’ College).
The pair are the latest from Queensland’s exciting crop of pathway talent to commit to two-year Elite Development Squad deals after the Reds recently signed Nudgee College duo Bennett Armistead (lock) and Levi Slater (prop), as well as Kingsley Uys (The Southport School) - all players whom are featured in this story.
Classy 17-year-old Taka and athletic 18-year-old Pritchard have been tipped as two of the competition’s most promising players, outside backs you just have to watch when matches kick off at 2.30pm on Saturday afternoons this winter.
Taka will be throwing offloads and shedding tackles in black and green this season while the Tricky Treyvon will be doing his best Kalyn Ponga impersonation in blue and grey.
But before coming to the surface in GPS rugby, Taka was a Sunshine Coast young gun and Pritchard a Springfield sensation from St Peters.
Taka’s Fijian flair will be hard to miss.
“He is on a different planet,” said BBC rugby director Welmar du Plessis.
Du Plessis and the entire BBC rugby community is eager to see their “special” No. 13 run amok after last year showing flashes of brilliance.
Since a breakout Reds Under-16s campaign last year, excitement has been building around the slick speedster.
When the down-to-earth border signed on with Queensland last month, he barely told anyone.
That said everything about his humble character.
“I haven’t seen a guy like that in quite a while,” du Plessis said of Taka, who plays a bit like All Blacks legend Conrad Smith.
“He is special. Unassuming but he can do everything very well.”
Churchie coach Andrew Brownhill also holds Pritchard in very high esteem. Read more on Pritchard here or here.
There are some noteworthy omissions from this story with five of the competition’s supreme players out for the season.
Gregory Terrace will be without inside centre Connor Clifford who has suffered his second ACL injury in as many years.
Brisbane State High will be without last year’s grand final centre Junior Latu (ACL). Nudgee College will miss quicksilver winger Ethan Grimshaw (Lisfranc, foot) and Brisbane Grammar are without flyhalf Elijah Breen (broken ankle), although he might make a return late in the season.
Brisbane Boys’ College scrumhalf Isaac Kefu (ACL) is also out for the season.
GPS RUGBY PLAYERS TO WATCH
TYSON WALKER (IPSWICH GRAMMAR)
Walker was a raw talent when he first graced the competition in 2023.
He is two years older and wiser now and has big-match experience with the Sydney Roosters SG Ball Cup side under his belt.
As a half, Walker conducted plenty on the Roosters’ route to the premiership and his game management, patience and maturity has levelled up as a result.
The newly-minted Cowboys signing still has the spark, but has a more measured aspect to his game that will help him manage moments well for the Ipswich school.
FINN KENDALL (IPSWICH GRAMMAR)
When it is all said and done, Finn Kendall might just finish the season as the competition’s best defensive No. 13.
A thoroughbred from head to toe, Kendall’s defence has been making a difference since he made his debut as a Year 10 in 2023.
Kendall enters the season in fine form.
About a month ago the powerful and pacy Kendall scored a 90m runaway try for the Broncos Under-20s in a match against the Cowboys.
BROCK COOMBES (IPSWICH GRAMMAR)
Coombes, Kendall and Walker are the terrific trio that first debuted as Year 10s and are now in their final season of school football.
Coombes, a winger in the past, will be installed at inside centre this season where he is tapping into a slightly different dimension to the fast-paced outside back his teammates have come to love.
A great leader with good communication, Coombes looks well suited to playing in the midfield.
MARLON FROST (IPSWICH GRAMMAR)
Fullback Marlon Frost is held in such esteem he will captain the Ipswich Grammar First XV despite having only arrived on the school grounds last year.
A hidden gem from the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Frost featured on the wing for the first half of last season before making a palpable impact at fullback for the second half.
An SCU Marlins rugby junior from Corindi Beach (northern end of the Coffs Coast), Frost is a composed head under pressure whose defensive effort and organisation is clear from the sideline.
TREYVON PRITCHARD (CHURCHIE)
This players to watch list wouldn’t be right if it didn’t include Churchie’s fullback whiz Pritchard.
A decade ago Maroons’ league ace Kayln Ponga was setting pitches alight with freakish footwork and Pritchard is sure to have his own highlight reels with the moves he puts on this season.
An excitement machine who can thrive in pressure situations, Pritchard rehabilitated a shoulder reconstruction over the summer but you wouldn’t think he was out of rugby for long.
The comeback kid is back bigger and stronger than before.
BAILEN NOY (CHURCHIE)
Noy arrived on the First XV scene as a Year 10 student last year, playing as a fullback or flyhalf.
He has improved, and grown, considerably and now the 193cm playmaker finds himself in the centres.
Noy’s defence, kicking game and long range of passing were strong suits of his and after putting all three to good use during the club league season for Wynnum Manly, the Raiders signed him.
SAM WILLIAMS (CHURCHIE)
Williams burst onto the scene last year as a second rower but will shift gears and play No. 8 this season where his power will play a part.
Big, dynamic and athletic, Williams is one of Churchie’s top rowers and on the rugby field he understands the game well and has matured into a leader.
His footwork and force can translate into key post-contact metres.
ALFIE BOWMAN (CHURCHIE)
If this highly skilled halfback was playing schoolboy rugby in the northern hemisphere, he’d be hot property.
Bowman’s strength is his range of box kicks and how accurate they are.
His service is just as good.
GRAY O’NEILL (BBC)
O’Neill will captain BBC and is in fine touch after a fantastic showing on the school’s recent tour to South Africa.
A flanker who kicks for goal very well, O’Neill is a ‘follow me’ type of leader not with his words but with his actions.
He is physical in contact and a great lineout target.
TAIONE TAKA (BBC)
Taka is a genuine No. 13 who is just as impressive off the field as he is on it.
A consensus danger man leading into the season, Taka has a cheeky offload in his arsenal and strength through the hips which was on show for the Reds Under-16s late last year.
He was later named Queensland’s player of the tournament.
KIAMA JIONE (BBC)
Like Taka, Jione is a Sunshine Coast kid ready to let rip for BBC.
A Stella Maris Catholic Primary School product from Maroochydore, Jione has been exercised as a flanker and inside centre during pre-season and has landed at No. 7 where he is awfully powerful, robust and in good touch.
A strong Meninga Cup campaign with the Sunshine Falcons and an even better school pre-season has him primed for battle.
TAVITA LOUGHLAND (BBC)
Loughland’s work rate as a lock is his point of difference. Just watch him work, and work some more, for the boys from Toowong.
A Gold Coast product, Loughland stands tall at about 195cm and is a supreme lineout operator.
He is also coming off an elite five-game tour of South Africa.
OLIVER NASSER (GREGORY TERRACE)
Nasser was so highly thought of within Gregory Terrace’s rugby program that he was captain as a Year 11 student last year.
He will lead the way again with his ball carrying a big strength, as well as his ability to organise the troops around him.
Nasser, now entering his third First XV season, can bend the line at will to create opportunities.
When he is on, the difference for Terrace The Brave is as clear as day.
GEORGE HALES (GREGORY TERRACE)
Like Nasser, Hales is entering year No. 3 in the First XV.
The smart scrumhalf has been named vice-captain and brings a handy kicking game comprising an effective box kick.
An expert organiser, who earlier this year took 6-28 in a First XI cricket match against Ipswich Grammar, Hales has a high IQ and can act quickly to exploit opposition weaknesses.
Give him an inch and he’ll take a mile.
CHARLIE HOLLYMAN (GREGORY TERRACE)
In his third season, first XV front rower Charlie Hollyman will be in charge of the scrum and he can bend the line too when taking the ball forward.
A Queensland Reds Under-16s and Under-18s select, hooker Hollyman is also a very good tighthead prop who controls the scrum effectively and is dominant in close-quarter confrontations.
He works hard and others follow.
CYRUS SUNIULA (BRISBANE STATE HIGH)
If you are at a Brisbane State High fixture it won’t take long to notice the work rate, aggression and toughness of their hooker Cyrus Suniula.
He plays with a chip on his shoulder and lets rip when taking to the field.
Off the oval, he is a baby-faced assassin. On it, the three-time Queensland Schoolboys selection leads with his actions and he leaves nothing in the tank.
JESSE MAUGATAI (BRISBANE STATE HIGH)
Maugatai is following in the footsteps of his older brother Matthias who played for Brisbane State High’s First XV earlier this decade and is now playing at GPS Rugby Club.
Jesse, a backrower, is sure to be a focal point when his team attacks.
He runs hard and fast and has the mobility and engine to do it effectively and often.
DARNEL TAKI (BRISBANE STATE HIGH)
Taki is a glimpse into the next generation at Brisbane State High.
A Year 11 student, Taki has good skills and soft hands for a prop and reminds coach Steve Kefu of emerging Brumbies prop Lington Ieli who last week started in a historic match against the Lions.
Kefu coached Ieli, 21, during his time at BBC and said Taki was similar but perhaps even more skilful.
ANGUS TAGICAKIBAU (BRISBANE STATE HIGH)
A born and bred Aussie, Tagicakibau has that Fijian flair that those from the rugby-mad Fijian village of Namatakula seem to possess.
Think Lote and Samson Tuqiri, Nemani Nadolo and dual-code star Noa Nadruku (Fiji and Canberra Raiders).
Tagicakibau’s father George was a 1996 Queensland schoolboys weapon from Nudgee College and he has been instructing Angus on how best to make his mark in the code.
Slightly undersized but extremely slippery, fullback Tagicakibau prides himself on working hard and since an MCL injury put a line through the 2023 school and representative season, he has been making up for lost time.
LEVI SLATER (NUDGEE COLLEGE)
He will captain Nudgee College in its pursuit of the school’s 46th First XV title.
A mobile prop from Adelaide, Slater could go to another level in 2025 with a year under his belt.
Slater’s strength is his match fitness. He plays the full 70 minutes and his effort remains the same in the back end of each half.
He is a special front rower.
BENNETT ARMISTEAD (NUDGEE COLLEGE)
Armistead will embark on his final rugby season at Nudgee College after starting at the school in Year 5. His progression has been the stuff of legends.
The towering, 203cm lineout weapon was in the 13Ds, 15Bs and is now entering his second year in the First XV with a Reds Academy contract secured for three years.
Nudgee College’s set-piece precision has been a major strength in recent years and there’s a good chance Armistead keeps it that way with his key presence at lineout time.
OLI PATTERSON (NUDGEE COLLEGE)
Patterson, another Nudgee College ace who has been at the school since Year 5, will play wing and can cause stress to other teams out wide.
A tall, athletic type who has really come on in the past 18 months, Patterson is a great finisher but also a good distributor of the ball given he played flyhalf earlier in his career.
Patterson’s performances for the Norths Devils during the 2024 Connell Cup season led to the Broncos signing him.
He has promise.
ARCHIE MESRITZ (NUDGEE COLLEGE)
Mesritz will play flyhalf for the reigning premiers after featuring a handful of times last year when Charlie O’Connell was out injured.
He is a different beast in 2025.
The measured Mesritz, a player who seems to have time, has all the skills and can organise a side well.
DYER AKAUOLA (BRISBANE GRAMMAR)
Akauola will play No. 8 for Brisbane Grammar where he will be one of the competition’s most menacing in his position.
Abrasive, mobile and about 10 kgs heavier than this time last season, Akauola is a big unit who featured in the Meninga Cup (under-19) competition this season despite being an under-17s player.
The Dolphins have him under lock and key.
HARPER ENASIO (BRISBANE GRAMMAR)
Enasio is chomping at the bit to make up for lost time after a tibia fracture put his 2024 season on hold after round 1.
An inside centre who will play flyhalf in Breen’s absence, Enasio is just a silky player who sees things others don’t and makes good decisions.
Strong through the hips and hungry to make an impact, the competitive Enasio can square up the Brisbane Grammar attack and get them going forward.
LINCOLN DALTON (BRISBANE GRAMMAR)
There aren’t enough words in the dictionary that can justly describe young phenom Lincoln Dalton.
A Year 11 prodigy in the Cameron Murray build, Dalton is good enough to play No. 6, No. 7, No. 8, and both centre positions and will lead Brisbane Grammar with smart decisions and a high work ethic from the first whistle to the last.
Diligent and dialled in, Dalton has laser focus in the classroom and on he field.
KEVAHNISSI VEVESI (BRISBANE GRAMMAR)
Brisbane Grammar will be as good as they’ve been this decade and a big reason why is this young giant from across the ditch.
A Year 11 student who will play blindside flanker, Vevesi was signed by the Dolphins while attending De La Salle College in Auckland.
Why? He is a beast with bucket loads of potential.
MYLES ROSEMOND (TOOWOOMBA GRAMMAR)
A fleet-footed fullback with electric speed and skill.
Rosemond was an eye-catching customer for Toowoomba Grammar last year, his first season in the blue and gold after moving from rugby league stronghold Ignatius Park in Townsville.
The Brothers junior can jink with the best of them.
ADAM DAVIS (TOOWOOMBA GRAMMAR)
Davis will move one closer to the ruck this year, shifting from the wing to outside centre to be more involved.
He has speed, toughness and a knack for milking post-contact metres.
Another electric outside back who, provided the conditions are in his favour (dry), could be an electric customer this winter.
RHYMEN TUSI (TOOWOOMBA GRAMMAR)
After a season in the centres last year, Tusi returns to No. 8 where as a Year 10 student in 2023 he was incredible for the South East Queensland Under-15s at the Emerging Reds Cup.
Now in Year 12, the Melbourne-raised forward marvel of New Zealand descent is looking to go out with a bang in the school’s 150th year.
His jam is to run it hard and fast, but he also has the instincts of a back.
Ironically, he will kick the goals for Toowoomba Grammar.
RUPENI BARAVILALA AND LUKE BURROW (TOOWOOMBA GRAMMAR)
The Toowoomba co-captains are a packaged deal.
Baravilala, a lock from Hervey Bay, is eager to let rip in his return after an MCL injury ruled him out of representing the Reds Under-16s past round 1 in last year’s Super Rugby tournament.
Burrow, also a border who hails from Toobeah near Goondiwindi, is much smaller but equally game in the collision.
The tough No. 12 punches far above his weight and has a high work rate and skilfulness that is typical of Toowoomba Grammar’s top performing rugby players this decade.
KINGSLEY UYS (TSS)
A returning Australian Schoolboys representative whose future with the Queensland Reds will begin as soon as he graduates.
Uys, pronounced Ace, has not missed a game through his first two seasons in the First XV and is a wrecking ball prop.
Uys will captain the First XV and his leadership will be just as valuable as his devastating carries and offloads.
VILIAMI FIFITA (TSS)
The Gold Coast Titans-contracted backrower is the younger brother of current NRL winger Jojo (TSS 2021) and is held in such esteem he was signed to a five-year contract through the 2029 season.
What Des Hasler sees is an athletic 17-year-old with a work ethic and an ability to shred would-be tacklers without losing his head of steam.
Fifita played every match of last season as a 16-year-old blindside flanker and is coming off a strong club league season as the Tweed Seagulls’ Cyril Connell Cup prop.
DALLAS INGRAM (TSS)
Returning for his second year as the first-choice No. 10, Dallas Ingram will bring a new bag of tricks after leading the Burleigh Bears to the Meninga Cup premiership from five-eighth.
His left-edge connection with Burleigh clubmate Kilarney Lavender was a key reason why the Bears swept aside all in 2025 and reprising that connection on the First XV stage is a recipe for box office rugby.
Ingram’s ability to size up an opposition defence — helped by a background in youth boxing — and deliver the perfect strike to centres Sioeli Vea and Lavender is sure to cause no shortage of trouble.
KILARNEY LAVENDER (TSS)
Every few years the GPS First XV competition throws up a generational talent that reminds it is simply a treat to watch them play for free.
Third year First XV rep and Queensland under-19 State of Origin backrower Kilarney Lavender is one of them.
The Kiwi product is one of the most explosive junior talents in Queensland and a player the entire competition will have circled on the tip sheet.
Dolphins NRL coach Kristian Woolf was so taken with Lavender that he named him for a senior pre-season trial during the first week of his senior year.
He later showed why as man of the match for Burleigh in the under-19 grand final victory. Spectators should enjoy watching the last eight games of this wonderful First XV career.
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