Gold Coast Titans star David Fifita’s high praise of Klese Haas, brother of Payne Haas
David Fifita has established a reputation as the NRL’s most damaging edge forward. But he has now sent an ominous warning to the rugby league world about a youngster who may one day unseat him.
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David Fifita has established a reputation as arguably the NRL’s most damaging edge forward. But the Gold Coast star has sent an ominous warning out to rugby league pundits around the country about an emerging prospect who may one day unseat him:
“Another Haas is on the way.”
Klese Haas, the younger brother of New South Wales and Brisbane Broncos sensation Payne Haas, made an emphatic start to his Tweed Seagulls season with the colts side.
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In a 40-16 triumph over crosstown rivals, the Burleigh Bears, Haas scored a brilliant hat-trick, with each try coming in “very Haas-like” fashion, according to his coach Aaron Zimmerle.
Essentially, the 19-year-old simply ran over anyone who dared stand in his path.
Fifita, who played alongside the older Haas during his time at the Broncos, also went to school with the rising star — two years his senior at Keebra Park State High.
And having kept a watchful eye over him while training with the Titans, he said the youngster had all the makings of a future NRL sensation.
“He’s one of the bright futures of the game. He’s still young, he’s two years younger than me and a backrower as well, and he’s in and around training … he’s a really good player,” Fifita said.
“He’s still young and learning, but watch out for him in the future — another Haas is on the way.”
Despite such a disrupted start to the Hasting Deerings Colts competition for the Seagulls, having had their first round postponed due to flooding in Piggabeen, Zimmerie was left in awe at the attacking prowess his side showcased in their season opener.
Down 16-10 at the halftime break, Tweed piled on the pain from the opening minute coming out of the sheds, with tries to fullback Jaylan De Groot (two) and winger Brent Barnes bookending Haas’ second and third four-pointers.
Zimmerle has witnessed Haas’ exploits for some time now, having first come across the dynamic forward in his high school years.
Already he has seen palpable signs from the young talent that his work with the Titans has paid huge dividends, but now he was determined to add as many dimensions to his game as possible.
“I’ve known him for a few years, he spent time at school with us, and athletically he has transformed … and is getting the rewards of that now,” Zimmerle said.
“He has great intent when he carries the ball, he’s not only looking for a break he’s looking to inflict pain on those in front of him. He’s tidied up the small errors in his game, I think maybe it’s just adding more tool to his kit.
“Obviously he’s blessed in terms of what he has in speed and size, but we want him to be multiskilled so he can ball play as well.
“Same if he plays in the middle, with the modern middle forward they are as good with their hands as a halfback.”
Tweed will next take on the Townsville Blackhawks on ANZAC Day, with the competition to go on break over Easter.
Demons revealed that drove star away from rugby league
Tweed star Will Brimson has declared the number six jersey is his to own, as he prepares to ensure his versatility does not cruel him of the chance to cement his place in the halves.
Fresh off his first full season back in rugby league, after undergoing a self-imposed hiatus from the game, the older brother of Titans star AJ believes he has at last found his feet.
As his constant battles with injuries began to take its toll after stints with the Brisbane Broncos and Wynumm Manly Seagulls, Brimson admits he reached his breaking point.
But three years after subjecting himself to the rugby league wilderness, it was not the games or adrenaline which he realised he craved.
It was the daily grind of semi-professional football.
“The funny thing is that we all work full time, and then the late night trainings and coming in and being tired before work the next day, I missed that sort of grind,” Brimson said.
“The games I didn’t really miss to be honest, and then when I came back and started playing I reignited my career.
“Now I have no plans on stopping.”
In what has been a disrupted return to the Queensland Cup, as Covid-19 lockdowns and a torn groin forced him to the sidelines, Brimson was able to enjoy arguably the finest moment of his career renaissance.
Tweed ended Burleigh's unbeaten start to the campaign, their 30-18 triumph bestowing them with the Rivalry Round Ray McCarron trophy.
The victory was only soured by a dislocated shoulder to hooker Brent Woolf, while centre Lee Turner was placed on report for a high tackle.
Having missed the Seagulls season opening defeat, Brimson returned to score a try in the win over the Sunshine Coast, only to then be rubbed out of the loss to Norths Devils with injury.
However his comeback once again inspired a bounce back to the winner’s circle, with a try assist and 50 running metres from five carries to his name at five-eighth.
Much like his brother, Brimson has proven to be adaptable across the backline; able to play at centre and fullback as well.
With the injured Tanah Boyd still to return, much of Brimson’s role could depend on where the Titans view Boyd within the NRL — whether that is in the halves, or as an option at hooker to support regular number nine Erin Clark.
But despite that, Brimson declared five-eighth was where his long-term future lay, particularly given his longstanding relationship with halfback Lindon McGrady.
He said since announcing his comeback from rugby league limbo he had no intentions of giving it away again, determined to cement himself as a leader of the Seagulls outfit and help deliver their first title since 2007.
“I am a six, I’ve played most of my footy there. I can fill in the centres which I have before, but I think what’s best for the team and definitely best for me is the six,” Brimson said.
“Me and Lindo in the halves, we’ve been playing together for a few years now and we do take that ownership, and I think you’ll see me in the six this year.”
“Going into that 2018 season, or even pre-season, I just wasn’t 100 per cent motivated.
“I would never venture into something like that if I’m not 100 per cent motivated.
“Last year was really my first full year back in a few years, and I’ve just come from a groin injury.
“But you feel like a somewhat older head, a bit more experienced, and the good thing about our squad is a lot of us have stuck together.
“My motivation was back. Now I’m all blazing.”
Generation next: Young fullbacks go head-to-head in battle to NRL
- APRIL 11 2022
A challenge put upon him by his Burleigh teammates ahead of the biggest opportunity of his career proved the catalyst for Taine Tuaupiki’s rise to the Queensland Cup.
Now the challenge for the young fullback will be finding consistency at the next level.
Having pushed for selection for the past two years through the Gold Coast’s local competition, the Kiwi product earnt a train and trial chance with the Titans.
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The 21-year-old still joins in with the NRL squad regularly, and with every session Burleigh captain Sami Sauiluma sees a prospering first-grade talent in the making.
And Sauiluma said the ultimatum put to the youngster by his Bears contingent garnered a telling response from the moment he set foot on to the Titans training paddock.
“He earnt himself a train and trial with the Titans, and we sort of challenged him a bit to go there and put on a bit of size and power. He’s come back 6kg heavier,” he said.
“He had a massive pre-season with the Titans and still does a few days with them and hopefully he doesn’t get too good and they take him from us like they did Jamal (Fogarty).
“He’s eating healthier, getting more sleep in, and looking after his body a lot better than he was in previous years.
“I think he had eight weeks with the Titans to build on his body and get ready for Cup footy week in, week out which is hard.
“They have so much energy these young kids, they seem so keen. I don’t even think they know what they’re keen on, they’re just buzzing.”
Tuaupiki’s first extended run in the state competition has been typical of a Queensland Cup rookie.
Having burst on to the scene the first two rounds of the season — running for a combined 269m while providing three try assists — his last two clashes have lacked the same impact.
Since his instant impact, he has averaged 65m a game with no further assists.
Fresh off his chance with the Gold Coast NRL squad, Tuaupiki went head to head with Titans contracted playmaker Paul Turner in Burleigh 30-18 defeat at the hands of Tweed on Sunday.
While the Bears custodian was forced from the field for a HIA assessment, Turner thrived for the Seagulls — running for 93m while being credited for two try assists, a line break and a line break assist prior to his sin binning in the 75th minute.
It highlighted that for the likes of Tuaupiki to force their way towards higher honours there would be an active fullback production line to battle through.
Despite the ability both Tuaupiki and Turner have showcased, Jayden Campbell has been earmarked as the Titans long-term prospect at the back.
Gold Coast coach Justin Holbrook said on Saturday night he was unsure whether the 22-year-old would return from a rib injury this week.
Should he make his comeback, he is expected to replace early-season recruit Jamayne Isaako, while Turner has also been a regular feature of the club’s extended bench each week.
“It’ll be another week for (Jayden),” Holbrook said.
“He’s back training which is good, but the ribs are still very sore so we’ll give him another week.”
Titans Next Gen: The imposing numbers from a ‘scary prospect’
“He’s going to be a scary prospect”.
With those seven words, wounded Burleigh forward Jeff Lynch has put rugby league pundits on alert for emerging Bears prop Tristan Powell.
Lynch, currently sidelined nursing his third major knee injury, admitted he was “stunned” that Powell had not remained within the Gold Coast Titans’ ranks.
But the 21-year-old’s introduction to the Queensland Cup has been prolific ever since, replacing Lynch in the Burleigh starting side for the past two weeks.
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With the premiership-winning stalwart currently sidelined with an ACL tear, Powell has averaged 177 running metres and 23 tackles a game in the run-on pack.
And while he no longer features in the Titans development group as he did last year, Lynch believed the youngster’s dominant displays in victories against Townsville (26-22) and Redcliffe (18-6) was just the start of his journey to greater recognition.
“We share a special bond. They call me Senior and him Junior, because they think I’m his father. To see his progress and the amount of work he puts in both at training and after training in gym, diet, it’s an inspiration,” Lynch said.
“He is one very special one that holds close to me, I’m really proud to have been a part of his journey coming through as well.
“This is just the beginning, he’s putting out some big numbers now but he’s only 21 his best years are still to come. He would go through a wall for the boys, he will leave no stone unturned out there.
“When you’re in the trenches you want Tristan Powell next to you. If you need a tough carry, he’ll have it. If you need someone to spark the boys up in defence, he’ll try shoot out of the line and make a difference.
“I was a little bit stunned when Titans didn’t re-sign him. I was also shocked he didn’t get a go last year, but he’s had his chance now and taken it with both hands.
“He’s going to be a scary prospect.”
Thus far what has perhaps been the biggest let down for Lynch in Powell’s push for the top has been he is yet to take the field with him following his yet another crucial surgery.
For six months in 2021, Lynch charged forward for Burleigh, blissfully unaware he was doing so with “not one strand of (my) ACL left”.
But upon learning he would undergo his third knee reconstruction, the embattled Bear stunned himself in a sense.
Despite the arduous road ahead of him, he was excited, as he plots a miraculous comeback.
“To be honest I’d always said if I had three (knee reconstructions) that I would call it a day — if anything was there to happen and I’d go under the knife,” Lynch said.
“The weird thing was as soon as I had that phone call I had a massive energy go through me and excitement about just a new challenge.
“I was so intrigued and excited and had never been more ready to prove, not only the people that you can come back from three ACLs, but myself and it’s been a really exciting time.”
Having already undergone two surgeries on his left knee, Lynch quickly grew used to the pain.
He managed 17 appearances for the Bears last year, believing the post-game agony was simply a by-product of a draining campaign in which he had subconsciously modified his playing style to compensate for the issue.
“I had some floating cartilage in the knee which gave me some grief and they (doctors) had to take out,” Lynch recalled.
“My knee started to swell up after games and I honestly just thought it was wear and tear. I’d had a big year, I’d played nearly every game.
“I ended up having a full five weeks off the legs (after the season) to give the knee a bit of a break and the swelling didn’t go down one bit. That was the red flag.
“The doctor called me and was in a bit of disbelief, she thought I knew. Her first words were ‘Lynchy how come you didn’t tell us you weren’t playing with an ACL?’.
“I laughed, I thought she was taking the piss. She said there was not one strand of (my) ACL left in there.”
Lynch has had very different mindsets to his trio of setbacks.
For the first, he was still contracted to the Canberra Raiders and had all the support an athlete could ask for — courtesy of both the NRL club and the Australian Institute of Sport.
The second, however, proved his greatest test.
Having just been released by the Titans at the time, the now 28-year-old was working in landscaping and had struggles securing an insurance pay out.
For eight weeks, Lynch had no income.
But having lived the experience of facing such adversity in the fight to salvage his rugby league career, the now youth worker at Keebra Park has taken on his recovery as an opportunity.
Now Lynch said he had the chance to impart some wisdom on the next generation of talent coming through the Gold Coast ranks, and ensure they know however grim their immediate future may seem there was always a way forward.
With that mentality came a bold declaration: he would be back better than ever.
“I’m here preaching to these kids they need to be resilient and they’re going to go through things in life so don’t give up and chase your dreams. I need to live by my words,” Lynch said.
“I want to be a person they can look to and go you know what, Lynchy came back even better. That’s what drives me.
“I know I’m just peaking right now, I know I’ve still got a couple of good years left in me.
“It’s not so much a bucket list, it’s more to prove to myself I still have a lot to give to the game.”
Lynch plans on being fit to return to the Bears line up on the eve of the QCup finals.
Titans Radar: Prop on comeback hunt, Origin star’s brother debuts
Tweed Seagulls coach Ben Woolf has lauded JJ Collins as “one of the top front rowers in the competition”. And the prop’s form could soon prove too difficult for NRL clubs to ignore.
Collins last stepped up into first-grade in 2019 for the Canberra Raiders, before returning home to the Gold Coast at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since then, the 26-year-old has been a consistent wrecking ball for the Seagulls, averaging 128 running metres a game and missing just 16 tackles from 20 appearances.
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From the get-go of his side’s 26-6 triumph over the Sunshine Coast on Sunday, Collins and fellow bookend Sam McIntyre set the tempo for the contest, with Woolf praising their ability to control the ruck speed and lay a strong platform for hooker Brent Woolf.
Collins went on to finish with 130m and 15 tackles for no misses, while McIntyre ran for 104m.
With NRL clubs able to call on their affiliated state-league sides to address injury and Covid-19 setbacks, the Keebra Park product’s form could be a valuable asset should the Titans need.
“I think he showed he was one of the top front rowers in the competition,” Woolf declared.
“I’m not sure how the Titans will manage that (Covid and injury cover), whether they’ll use their junior contracted lists to fill that in a crisis or if they look to our guys.
“But I think we showed at the back end of last year when we didn’t have a lot of Titans allocations, but still really took it to teams, that there’s a lot of guys that still have that high level in them.
“He’s obviously not aligned with the Titans, but I just think particularly the way he carries the ball he’s got great footwork and a very quick play the ball.
“He’s a handful every time he touches it (the ball). I don’t know if there’s other front rowers who carry as well as he does.
“I thought our whole starting middles with Brent Woolf and Braden Robson set the platform and got us on top.”
With Titans contracted halfback Tanah Boyd still out with a fractured cheek bone, and interchange dummy-half Craig Garvey picking up an abdominal injury, Woolf will be calling on his spine to link up with even greater effect this week against Norths Devils.
The Seagulls halves pairing of Will Brimson (94m, a try, a try assists and a line break assist) and Lindon McGrady complemented each other with aplomb against the Falcons, with Brimson’s running game wrecking havoc on the left edge.
However it was the blossoming form of fullback Paul Turner which could be what gives Tweed and Titans fans plenty to cheer about.
Despite playing much of his junior football in the halves, the 21-year-old has quickly found his feet in the number one jumper, running for 100m on Sunday while breaking seven tackles — the most of anyone from either side.
And could be the x-factor needed for the Seagulls to outclass the defending champions on Sunday.
“He probably needs to get used to the running that’s involved with playing fullback in defence and attack, it’s a bit of an extra load and a bit different to playing in the halves,” Woolf said.
“But he’s very dynamic on his feet, his kick returns are sharp and he’s nippy with good footwork. His ability to link in with the backline and play on that right side (is great), and with his skill the longer he plays there he can be really good.
“With the way the modern game is, I think you need a fullback that’s fast and good on their feet and has the ability to break a game open. He best suited that.”
Burleigh Bears: Titans captain’s brother makes debut statement, young fullback steps up
Carrying a name which comes with expectation can be a daunting way to start a rugby league career, by Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui showed he would not be weighed down by his brother’s reputation.
The brother of Gold Coast Titans captain, Tino, Fa’asuamaleaui made his Queensland Cup debut off the bench for the Bears, running for 93m from just nine carries and making 16 tackles for one miss.
He did so in a tense affair with the Townsville Blackhawks, where his side won in the dying stages of the clash 26-22.
With the running game of halves Josh Rogers and Guy Hamilton on show (87m and 158m respectively), Burleigh left it late through a Tony Francis try in the 79 minute to upset the home side.
In doing so, fullback Taine Tuaupiki showcased the skills that enabled him to unseat 2021 custodian Kurtis Rowe — the club’s all time leading try scorer.
Tuaupiki ran for 149m while creating two line breaks and a try for his teammates, and at just 22 and three games into his Queenland Cup career is only going to get better.
Originally published as Gold Coast Titans star David Fifita’s high praise of Klese Haas, brother of Payne Haas
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