Where in the past the Tweed Seagulls have deployed a host of individual stars to steer the club to Mal Meninga Cup glory, incoming coach Sam Meskell believes his group could be the one which comes together more unified than ever before.

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Just two years ago the under-18s of Piggabeen went on to claim the Cup by taking down the Townsville Blackhawks, blessed with a team that included Titans contracted spine members Jaylan de Groot, Tom Weaver and Oskar Bryant, as well as Brisbane Broncos up and comers Blake Mozer and Deine Mariner.

Last year, however, the side fell short of their lofty title defence goals, and Meskell said the selection approach became about loyalty and identifying who would fight for every jersey.

“They’ve done everything we’ve asked of them over the pre-season and in the past there’s been some real individual talents in some of the teams that we’ve had in the 18s, but it’s probably more of an even hard working bunch and they've been really impressive,” he said.

“In terms of criteria I guess there’s a bit of loyalty shown to the guys who have come through the Tweed system in Cyril Connell or Mal Meninga last year.

“There’s quite a few which is good who have been part of the club, but then also there some surprise packets that trialled and went well.”

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Meskell will get a chance to see his young men in action once again on Saturday when they face off against cross-town rivals Burleigh in a pre-season contest.

Thus far his side have showcased enough to suggest a big season could be ahead, having won both trial challenges they have taken on — a 12-0 win over Northern Rivers Titans last week and a 16-8 triumph over Souths Logan the week prior.

For Bears coach Chris McCormack, the clash looms as his greatest assessment of who will form his starting 13 when Round One begins on February 17.

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Many of his members have been absent from his pre-season as they have plied their trade for the Future Titans; who took part in matches against Newcastle and Brisbane in recent weeks.

While his side went down narrowly in their opening trial against Souths Logan 18-14 last week, McCormack said this weekend would prove a stronger indicator of how his team would take shape.

“There’s a lot (of players) that have the potential to cross over from the edge to the middle or could play halves or outside backs,” he said.

“Having not seen all of them in a Burleigh jersey yet it’s still a little bit up in the air as to where they’ll land.

“On the trial on the weekend, they went pretty well. Obviously it was our first hit out and not having a full squad made it difficult.

“We had some injuries and boys playing out of position, but a few really took the opportunity.”

BURLEIGH BEARS

Outside Backs — Ray Puru, Xavier Tauaifaiga, Billy Wellard, Izayah Petricevich, Jayviah Panui, Phil Hakaraia-Ngamotu, Sam Stephenson, Sunny Kama, Zyroam Herlihy, Jett Grimmond, Matari Donovan, Eddie Piarka

While the likes of fullback Ray Puru and winger Izayah Petricevich donned the Future Titans colours, and Jaybiah Panui donned the Maori Under-18s jersey, Xavier Tauaifaiga was given a chance to showcase his wears for Burleigh.

And he was quick to catch McCormack’s eye.

The Helensvale junior was praised for his continued willingness to go hunting for work, all the more impressive given the intense heat Saturday’s clash was played under.

Now he has given himself every chance to feature come Round One.

“He was able to find space and was able to generate space and run into a hole. He worked really well on that side, he made the most metres of the outside backs think – just with continued repeated efforts,” McCormack said.

“It was hot, it’s not an excuse because both teams played in it, but holy it was hot. No shade, it was cooking, so particularly in that context his work rate was amazing.

“He was hard to stop every time he got the ball, went looking for work and had some really good runs.

“He adjusted his defence which was nice and knew when to shoot and when to hold and kept our right edge in tact. He’s physically very strong, he’s very fast and he’s got a good motor. “It’s the repeat efforts and willingness to contest everything which has put in a good spot.”

However despite Tauaifaiga’s efforts, he will face stern competition for a role in the centres.

Titans duo Sam Stephenson and Sunny Kama will both return to the Burleigh fold with plenty of wraps, with the former lauded as one of the finest players in a one-on-one situation of his age group.

“He was probably one of my favourites from what I saw at the Titans. He troubles defences every time he gets the ball,” McCormack said of Stephenson.

“He’s very hard to stop. Just more the good carries, I think Izayah played outside him and got a try out of it. Catch and pass is good but if he get’s to go one-on-one he’ll either go through or get a quick play the ball from a one-on-one tackle.”

The likes of Billy Wellard and Phil Hakaraia-Ngamotu could also push for spots in the backrow.

Halves — Bailey McConnell, Austin Marsters, Jimi Pedlow, Mokena Marsh, Ryder Williams

He has been praised as the next big thing to come out of the Keebra Park system, but now Ryder Williams will get the chance to test himself against the best of his age group.

The Future Titans prospect was a shining light for the Future Titans under-17s side, blessed with a complete package of a game.

McCormack said the young half troubled defences regularly with his ability to identify as weakness in numbers, and had been earmarked as “the next big thing” to come out of the Glitter Strip’s pathways.

“We don’t want to put that pressure on him, but he’s got tones of natural ability. His passing is exceptional, with the 30m bullet onto the chest of the winger to put him over the line,” he said.

“He’s got a great long kicking game, he’s got a big motor who wants to be in everything.”

While Williams shone for the Titans, Bailey McConnell caught McCormack’s eye in the Bears clash.

The halfback, playing his second year in the Meninga Cup set up, scored two tries against the Magpies — one with a piece of individual brilliance, the other through strong support play following a break.

McConnell’s development was accelerated due to a lack of depth in Burleigh’s halves last year, playing all six matches and scored a maiden try in a tight loss to Redcliffe.

“He really took control and steered the team around quite well (against Souths Logan), as a good halfback should do. He’s grown in confidence and ability since last year,” McCormack said.

“From the way he’s come back in and trained this pre-season he’s grown in confidence, he’s become a leader at training and on the field he demonstrated he can do that there as well.”

McCormack is also hopeful of seeing new Keebra Park recruit Austin Marsters in action, after he moved from Auckland and earned a training opportunity with the Cronulla Sharks this pre-season.

He is capable of playing in the halves and at hooker, while his defence also enables him to make an impact at lock.

Mokena Marsh also thrust himself into the mix courtesy of his ability to read the tempo of the contest, while Jimi Pedlow’s “natural ability” and desire to be the man leading the team will likely earn him an opportunity at some stage.

Middle Forwards — Cooper Bai, Oscar Laffranchi, Sam McAllister, Talas Abell, Jack Schmidt, Jury Taewa, Jye Watton, Khoda Young, Waaka Hepi, Zac Kumbamong, Sitani Loamanu

McCormack described the competition for spots in his middle forwards as “hot”, with a host of talented youngsters expected to vie for jerseys.

Among them include the likes of Brisbane Broncos triallist Jye Watton, “no nonsense” Future Titan Jack Schmidt and Marymount College workhorses Sam McAllister and Talas Abell.

McCormack described Watton as “a natural leader” and the type of player the rest of the squad would look up to.

However with a pair of famous surnames also coming out of the Titans system, it is clear the front row battle will cause a mighty selection headache.

Oscar Laffranchi — son of Gold Coast legend Anthony — and Cooper Bai — son of former Melbourne Storm flyer Marcus — will return to the Bears fold with plenty to prove.

Where Laffranchi has developed a reputation in his fledgling career for epitomising everything his father brought to the field — the run hard, tackle hard mantra always strong — it is Bai who has perhaps caught the eye the most.

Blessed with plenty of size, Bai was originally confused by McCormack as a senior player of the Bears when the coach first took the Mal Meninga Cup reigns.

Now the coach said the next assignment for the blossoming middle, who could also factor on the edge, was to add a late step at the defensive line to his game, rather than be purely intent on barrelling whoever dared stand before him.

“Obviously we’re waiting with whether the Titans say he must play somewhere, but our competition for our middles is pretty hot and he’d be well and truly into the mix,” McCormack said.

“He’s pretty unstoppable if you put him on an edge. When I first saw him I thought he was a QCup player.

“He’s just a very hard man to tackle, good hands and involves himself a lot. He’s a threat every time he gets the ball.”

Edge Forwards — Wailer Whaiapu, Jac Finigan, Julius Anderson-Hiroti, Kanititeti-He-Lotu Sikahele

Plenty of players within the Burleigh ranks are capable of filling the backrow spots, however McCormack has identified four who stand as the out and out edge options.

The likes of Jac Finigan will come back from Future Titans commitments eager to continue building momentum throughout the year, having impressed in otherwise scrappy affairs in the under-17s.

Julius Anderson-Hiroti is also on the cusp of returning from off-season finger surgery, while the versatile Kanititeti-He-Lotu Sikahele was lauded for his desire to “run at people and have people run at him”.

However it is Keebra Park youngster Wailer Whaiapu who could loom as the x-factor out wide needed to break a game wide open.

Now the class of 2023’s school captain, Whaiapu has been in the Langer Trophy system since he was in Year 10, and has been praised by Keebra coach Peter Norman for his ability to fold any rival in half with his text book and brutal defence.

Now he has the chance to do so at the next level and impress himself towards higher honours.

“I think he’s well respected for the coaching staff and the players, they all rather him be on their team than against him,” McCormack said.

“He’s not an overly big kid, but if you look up run hard tackle hard in the dictionary there’s picture of Wailer.

“He’s an extremely hard working athlete … if he’s fit he’ll be in our 13.”

Hookers — Gary Herlihy, Isaiah Fagalilo, Nayte Saaga

Already backed with plenty of leadership, premiership and representative experience, Nayte Saaga is shaping up for a breakout campaign.

The Future Titan turned in a strong second half performance for the under-17s against Newcastle two weeks ago, while he also captained Burleigh to last year’s Rugby League Gold Coast under-16s grand final.

Where his long term position in the Bears line up is remains unclear, having finished the 2022 Cyril Connell Challenge at halfback.

However McCormack said ultimately there would likely be a place for Saaga in his team, it was just a matter of what suited his future best in addition to squad balance.

“I think he turned the game around of the Titans in the second hald with his ability to jump out of dummy half and get on the front foot,” he said.

“He had a decent kicking game from dummy half and just a work rate too; he’s a very solid hooker for the Titans.

“I think he played in the halves for Burleigh in the final so his spot will potential be nine, six or seven, it’s about seeing what’s best of the team and Nayte.”

Saaga’s spot is far from secured, however, with Gary Herlihy and Isaiah Fagalilo both coming into the mix with innate abilities to read the ruck and when to strike out of dummy half.

Herlihy’s rise could be put on the back burner as he fights to overcome a series of surgeries on his arm and finger, and McCormack did not expect him to make a comeback until the back end of the Meninga Cup campaign.

But Fagalilo, fresh off strong performances for the Future Titans, could form a deadly one-two punch with Saaga when the season gets underway.

Entering his second year in the under-18s competition, Fagalilo was a late call up to the Titans program at the back end of last year and McCormack said he had established himself as one of the elite fitness gurus of the squad.

“He’s one of the leaders in terms of his conditioning and he goes looking for work,” he said.

“He understands how we want to play, we only got him back last week after he played for the Titans 19s against the Knights. He’s certainly in the mix for the nine.

“He is more of a I guess game manger and being able to read the ruck and identifying which side of the ruck we should be playing.”

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TWEED SEAGULLS

Outside Backs — Bailey Simpson, Mason Barber, Barney Litidamu, Tyson Ploegsma, Brock Lennox, Teddy Foster, Thor Barnes, Matthew Barrow, Disharne Tonihi

The battle for the fullback jersey is set to be a two horse race between Bailey Simpson and Mason Barber.

Meskell sees plenty in the young duo to suggest a selection dilemma could be on his hands, however it is Barber who has perhaps grown most accustomed to fighting for his right to don the jersey.

The Keebra Park product has been stuck behind a wealth of talent in his Langer Trophy pursuits, and has understandably been training the house down to make his presence felt.

While Meskell said the 16-year-old would play anywhere asked of him, ultimately his ambition was to follow in the footsteps of many esteemed Seagulls Meninga custodians before him such as Jaylan de Groot and Keano Kini.

“I think he’s one to look out for. I know he wants to play fullback and from what he’s done at training you can see he moves really well,” he said.

“He’s quite skilful and has a bit of speed about him. Hopefully you see some nice thing. “They’re both quality players and they’re good trainers so the competition at training is always good.”

Meskell believes there is enough raw speed across his outside backs to suggest a plethora of tries out wide could await his young outfit.

The likes of Gold Coast Titans contracted rookie Matthew Barrow will be entering his second season in the Meninga Cup, while Tyson Ploegsma has already showcased a knack for finishing the seemingly unfinishable.

“As a whole I’d say there’s a fair bit of speed there actually,” Meskell said.

“They’re probably more speed than size, but you know it’s always hard to come by and we’ve got quite a few of them.”

Halves — Jake Lateo, Jack Hudson, Titus Marsden, Harry Chadburn

He may have played on the wing coming through the Cyril Connell Challenge last year, but Meskell has challenged Titus Marsden to stake a claim for the number six jumper.

The young gun will have plenty of competition in front of him, with Jake Lateo the likely front runner for the halfback job on the back of an under-18s division one premiership with Currumbin.

However the coach believes each of his halves will bring something to different to the table when called upon, and Marsden’s ability to do the unthinkable has caught the eye early.

“He’s just got that natural ability to do things a bit differently. He does have the no look pass and those things not everyone can do naturally,” Meskell said.

“He’s got that natural ability to do things a bit differently and I guess fool the opposition, but we’ve been working really hard on finding the right time to use those things.

“He’s got a bit of flare there that if used at the right times can be really effective.”

Jack Hudson will be out to heap pressure on Marsden for the spot having been shifted from hooker to a five-eighth option on the back of a brilliant trial.

Meanwhile, Harry Chadburn’s speed in taking the line on has him primed to factor heavily at the selection table.

Middle Forwards — Boston Riggs-Albert, Tom Summer, Jaylen Taewa, Jett Jackson, Ethan Schultz, Isaiah Scanlan, Jason Williams Neziah Patuua, Taelon Te Whiu-Hopa, Kees Cassidy, Hiwe King

Meskell has called on Jett Jackson and Isaiah Scanlan to set the standard of his squad.

The pair appear two sides of the same coin: in Jackson there is the ever consistent middle man who Meskell says has commanded the respect of his teammates through actions.

Meanwhile he said there was a real ‘fear factor’ about Scanlan, one which could have rival defences back peddling with every carry.

Scanlan has impressed in the Future Titans squad throughout the pre-season, lining up in a tight loss to the Newcastle Knights.

Jackson has also demonstrated his fighting ability, having only come into last year’s squad fresh from an impressive trial period to emerge as a “diamond in the rough”.

“I think they’re very respected players by their peers, I think they’ll lead with their actions,” Meskell said.

“Isaiah, he’s another Titans contracted player so he’s been doing a pre-season with their program. But I know he brings a bit of aggression and fear factor I guess I the forwards.

“He’ll be that guy for us and Jett is just solid. I know he won’t let us down each week and I’d say the boys will be following his lead.

“I think if we’re looking at our squad as a whole our forwards are our strength just in terms of the depth there and there’s going to be some good players miss out each week in the forwards based on that depth.

“Jason Williams and Ethan Schultz were outstanding in the trial and have been really good throughout the pre-season.

“You could see they were competitors and they didn’t really stop and it was impressive, it was a hot day at the trial and they stood out in terms of front rowers who had a bit of fitness about them.”

Edge Forwards — Toran O’Donnell, Max Murphy, Zachary Frazer, Junior Filimaua, Baylen Donald, Jacob Morteon

A pair of Dolphins development players are tipped to spearhead the edge forwards at Piggabeen.

Toran O’Donnell and Jacob Morteon have been identified by the NRL’s newest club as players of the future, and will be eager to continue on from their respective Cyril Connell Challenge campaigns to make a statement.

The pair started as the under-16s backrow combination in every hit out bar one last year; Round One where O’Donnell came off the bench.

While Meskell said no spot was guaranteed and the likes of talented youngsters Junior Filimaua, Max Murphy, Baylen Donald and Zachary Frazer were right in the mix for round one selection, ultimately O'Donnell and Morteon’s experience at this level could make them key players to watch.

“They’re two younger guys to look out for. Jacob is super fit, I think when we do our testing he’s one of the fittest guys we’ve got,” he said.

“ (Toran) has got a great work ethic so I think they (the Dolphins) have got a good one in terms of his character, but on the field he’s tough, he’s a worker and he defends well.

“But again there’s some good competition there and there’s going to be tough decisions for the coaching staff who gets the starting spot.”

Hookers — Will Saunders, Braydan Wong, Tomasi Vakauta

Will Saunders is set to assume a far greater leadership role in his second crack at the Meninga Cup title, fresh off man of the match honours in the under-18s grand final last year.

The Currumbin product had a brilliant battle all season with Nerang hooker Dorian Lotaki, who which culminated in a thrilling, last second decider.

Saunders was at the heart of everything, showcasing the same resilience and toughness of his cousin, North Queensland Cowboys star Tom Dearden.

The son of Tweed legend Don Saunders already has four games of Mal Meninga Cup experience under his belt, having come off the bench three times before earning a maiden start in the final round.

Now with a pre-season hit out at the Cronulla Sharks under his belt, Meskell is tipping Saunders to take his game up a notch in 2023.

“He’s going to be great, Will played last year in the Mal Meninga Cup squad for Seagulls so he’s had a bit of a head start in terms of his experience,” Meskell said.

“He’s probably taken on a bit of leadership role himself amongst the squad so far. I’ve been really impressed with Will, he got an opportunity to go down to Sydney over the pre-season to do some stuff with the Sharks and trial.

“I think he’s got really good vision, he’s quite clever in terms of where the ball needs to get to and when he should run or pass or kick.

“I think he’s so far ahead with his vision and his dedication to his craft around the ruck is really good. I know he’s keen to work on his defence and it’s pretty tough in the middle there. “If he can have a big year in terms of his performances for us he might get an opportunity — whether it’s at the Sharks or somewhere else because I think he’s one of those players who could go on to high levels.”

While Saunders looms as the likely owner of the number nine jumper, with Tomasi Vakauta capable of playing anywhere the coach asks him to, 16-year-old Braydan Wong will have the chance to announce himself as Saunders’ heir apparent.

Meskell coached the Helensvale junior through Coombabah State High School’s Langer Trophy campaign, where he played every match and displayed unrivalled levels of toughness and work ethic amongst his peers.

Backed with clean service out of dummy-half passing both ways, Meskell said the next step in the RLGC under-16 grand final MVP’s development would be unleashing a more confident rake moving forward.

“He was playing some boys who were potentially two years older than him (in the Langer Trophy) and they were big boys. He never shirked the task, he’s very tough as well,” he said.

“We’ve been looking at a few things in terms of backing himself, sometimes he’s one of those guys who’s very polite and will do the right thing by others but he could probably be a bit more selfish in a way and back himself.”

nick.wright@news.com.au