As the Burleigh Bears prepare to launch a back-to-back premiership coup, an emerging talent has established herself as an NRLW star of the future.

Rilee Jorgensen at just 16 has epitomised the ‘age is no barrier’ mantra, playing six games in her debut QRLW campaign.

A try on debut during her full-game stint in the second row announced her to the rugby league world, before become a valuable utility option off the bench as the Bears’ marquee women returned from the national competition.

Burleigh coach Scott Cooke said it was Jorgensen’s efforts in the under-19s season which caught his eye, and he became compelled to introduce her to the next level.

Ahead of the side’s semi-final clash with North Queensland on Sunday, the first-year mentor backed his youngster to make an impression in the pressure cooker of do-or-die football.

“She’s a great little player; she defends well, she adds a little bit of spark in attack and she’s just playing footy and loving it,” Cooke said.

“She kicks goals as well, so she’s happy to take the footy and have a shot. She’s been playing with confidence to start and that’s filtered into the QRLW season.

“Her first game she was (player) of the match (after she) scored a try and kicked five goals. “She was filing the gaps early, but I think Rilee is best suited to the middle. It’s come down to form and the fact she’s been given an opportunity and taken it.”

The Bears will take to Pizzey Park against a Gold Stars outfit brimming with NRLW class — including several familiar Gold Coast faces.

Titans stars Jasmine Peters, Shaniah Power and Destiny Brill will all take their place for the North Queensland unit, as will Newcastle Knights guns Romy Teitzel, Emma Manzelmann, Katie Green and Tahlulah Tillett.

However it could be a sibling duo which combats North Queensland’s threats, and redeems their 40-26 loss to the Gold Stars when they last faced this year.

Halfback Ashlee Quinlan has been pulling the strings for the Bears throughout the campaign, and in recent weeks her sister Felice has been emphatic in the centres.

In the past three games, Felice has scored six tries — including four against Souths Logan — while also contributing four try assists and seven linebreaks.

The pair were missing from the Gold Coast club’s defeat to North Queensland, as was star fullback Karina Brown, and Cooke said his side were largely beaten out wide.

But he backed his sister pairing to help rectify those misgivings, well aware they will have a mighty task ahead of them to do so.

“Our left edge has been very strong over the last few weeks. She (Felice) runs a nice line and she’s been rewarded with a few tries,” Cooke said.

“They’ve obviously got a connection straight off outside of footy so it seems to be they can get that connection on the field quickly and it’s working for them.

“Of course there’s plenty of focus on their strong players, but we still need to do our job really well and focus on ourselves.

“They’ve been one of the leading teams for the year. When we played them in Townsville they were extremely strong, so it was a really fast game with plenty of skill on show.

“It’s going to be a tough one.”

KARINA BROWN VS JASMINE PETERS

While both typically line up out wider, Karina Brown and Jasmine Peters will now go head to head in a thrilling battle of the fullbacks.

The Gold Coast Titans duo will face off in their return to semi-finals action, having been a part of the NRLW side’s loss to the Dragons at the same hurdle.

For North Queensland, Peters has cemented a reputation as one of the brightest up and coming talents in women’s rugby league, having represented the Indigenous All Stars, featured in Queensland camps and found a niche for scoring brilliant individual tries at the top level.

It is not just her speed that makes her a compelling player to watch, backed with a history in athletics and high level sprinting, but her defence which has her tipped for State of Origin honours in the future.

But to get the Gold Stars over the line, she will have to overcome her Titans teammate who has become a true pioneer of the game.

Karina Brown has seen and achieved plenty in her career, scoring eight tries in 11 appearances for Australia, representing the Maroons on nine occasions and plying her trade across three NRLW clubs.

While typically a winger, Cooke moved the 33-year-old to the number one jumper in a bid to add a new dynamic to his attack.

The move worked wonders in her last outing against the Capras, scoring two tries, setting up another and running for 139m with seven tackle busts.

From just three games for the Bears this season, she has crossed for a double in each.

“She’s probably not a genuine fullback, but Karina adds more spark for us and is something where she can link in and use her football brain to get around the park,” Cooke said.

“It was just for a change in dynamics, we needed a bit of extra engagement at fullback, especially in attack.

“She’s been scoring a few points, and it’s a credit to her to be in the right place at the right time.”

FELICE QUINLAN VS SHANIAH POWER

As said above, Felice Quinlan has been playing like a woman possessed in recent weeks.

The stats do not lie — six tries, seven linebreaks and four try assists at centre as the Bears launched themselves into the finals once again.

However there is every chance she will come face to face with another Gold Coast star who has been a dominant force for the Gold Stars.

Shaniah Power, while typically an edge forward, has been named in the centres on the back of her strong season with the Titans.

The 25-year-old Maroon has proven to be a handy weapon out wider, scoring in the position against the Panthers and setting up a try against the Tigers.

Quinlan may be one of the rising stars in the Burleigh line up, however if she is to take on Power Cooke said she would need to be on guard.

“If she does (mark up on Power) she’s got her work cut out, she’s a great player,” he said.

“We need to be careful on both edges, that’s where they got us last time so we definitely have to be connected and make sure we’re communicating well.”

TAZMIN GRAY VS ROMY TEITZEL

An NRLW premiership winner, a State of Origin sensation and a journeywoman of women’s rugby league.

There is very little Tazmin Gray has not achieved on the field, and she still is just 26 and entering the prime of her career.

The backrower comes into the contest blessed with a plethora of experience — playing for four NRLW clubs, including the triumphant Brisbane Broncos of 2019, while boasting Queensland and Jillaroos caps as well.

Yet this could perhaps be one of her biggest tests, with a fellow NRLW heavyweight making a fist of her new position.

Newcastle Knights captain Romy Teitzel has risen through the ranks as a fullback, with the 23-year-old only just missing out on a Maroons debut last year.

However she has been moved into the second row for the Gold Stars this season to great effect, scoring four tries in her five 2022 appearances for the club.

In her past three games, the North Queensland skipper has also run for more than 100m, however Cooke said it was her skills as a fullback which made her such a dangerous through the forwards.

“She’s been difficult to handle Romy, she played against us in Round Four on the right edge and is quite a strong backrower,” Cooke said.

“She’s got a bit of an offload and is someone we have to be careful of. She’s just tough to handle because she’s such a wiry character she gets the offload and looks for it quite a bit. “That’s something we need to control, plus she knows how to chime into the edge in attack which comes from being a fullback.”

’It’s a surreal feeling’: How Langer Trophy inspired Gold Coast’s future

Jaylan De Groot “could not have imagined” his first start in the Langer Trophy would have led to where he is today.

But the combinations he forged within the Palm Beach Currumbin State High School spine have thrust him to the cusp of the NRL alongside the same teammates he suffered a gut-wrenching grand final loss alongside.

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De Groot lined up at fullback in the 2020 side who won the Southeast Queensland schoolboys competition, only to narrowly be defeated by a Kirwan State High outfit featuring current North Queensland Cowboy star Jeremiah Nanai.

It was in that team he played alongside fellow Tweed Colts playmakers Tom Weaver and Oskar Bryant, with the trio all training within the Titans system this year and set to line up this Sunday against Norths Devils at Tugun.

Nanai on that day in Townsville would go on to score a breathtaking double in the Bears 24-20 Phil Hall Cup win, with De Groot graduating at the end of the year and watching the likes of Weaver and Bryant lift the Queensland trophy the following season.

But ahead of the Langer Trophy 2022 tournament beginning next Wednesday, he said it was while at PBC he got a taste of what it took to succeed in elite rugby league, lessons which inevitably led to an NRL trial appearance with the Gold Coast in February.

“It’s a crazy experience, to think that when we were 10 we were all playing together, and now in a Tweed representative side and with an NRL squad it’s a surreal feeling,” De Groot said.

“You go onto the field with all those boys you’ve played footy with for that long and you know what everyone’s doing. You know when Oskar is going from dummy half or when Tom is backing himself.

“The Langer Trophy is a very good pathway for schoolboys footy, to have that big attention with clubs watching them if you play your game and play to win you get known.

“Nanai killed it against us in the final, and he’s killing it in the NRL. There’s players you can tell are going to be good and it makes it good competition and learning for people coming out of school and could be going on.”

TITANS TASTE

Towards the back end of an intensive 20-week pre-season with the Titans, De Groot took perhaps his grandest steps towards an NRL berth against the Brisbane Broncos.

Lining up for a trial game, the young custodian caught the eye of commenter Andrew Voss for an attempted kick that came off his shin to set up a try.

De Groot would go on to score himself after that, making the most of the extra 8kg of muscle he put on and earning the mantle “the shin kicker” from the popular Fox League figure.

It is a nickname the Seagull has embraced, a proud moniker reminding him of how far he had come in his rugby league journey.

Now he is using that experience to fuel his next pursuit — ideally a Queensland Cup debut by the time 2022 comes to an end.

“The nerves, there were so many nerves, being surrounded by all the older NRL players and just the experience of seeing what they go through on game day,” De Groot said.

“Going out there it wasn’t too big a crowd, but you could feel the energy. Early on I was a bit shy and not too sure what to do … so I stepped back and watched and learnt off a few of the boys.

“It was a big eye opener, you get a bit nervous because you don’t want to drop the ball on first touch. But I caught it off a Broncos dropped ball, went into a tackle and got hit and thought ‘this is the contact level’.

“Now I’m getting more comfortable in and around it all, and my footy has definitely taken a step forward. You go to work and put your all in, it’s a dream job and you can’t take advantage of it.

“I’m definitely eyeing off a Cup debut, I thing that would be a really big achievement.”

BECOMING A LEADER

De Groot had never considered himself much of an on-field leader prior to a conversation with Tweed Colts coach Aaron Zimmerle this season.

With Weaver sidelined, De Groot was named as captain in the Seagulls clash with Townsville, a decision the youngster admitted “shocked” him at first.

But as he plots a grand final appearance in the under-21s competition he said it was a progression he was eager to take further.

Given his hopes of ascending into an NRL squad full-time from 2023 and beyond, he said it was a crucial phase of his development towards realising that goal.

“I was a bit shocked to be honest, I didn’t think I would be captaining the side. Coach said ‘you see everything from the back, I need you to spread your energy to everyone’,” De Groot said.

“Captaining Tweed was a big honour for me. I haven’t captained a side, it’s never been a role of mine, but I’m transitioning into leader.

“I’m trying to do more of that. I haven’t really put myself forward to be a leader, but especially after the NRL experience I felt like I had stuff to show and put out.

“It’s been a shame all this rain has been for so long, but when we step on the field we’ll be ready to play the footy we know we can play.”

THE NEXT GEN

Those who De Groot played alongside in PBC colours have since left the esteemed school, all except one who he dubbed a “freakish” talent.

Michael Roberts was only in grade 10 when he took his place on the wing alongside the 2020 fullback in the Phil Hall Cup decider, and now looms as the most experienced member of the red army’s top side.

In PBC’s emphatic triumph in last year’s tournament, he starred at five-eighth, while he is also capable of playing in the centres and at fullback.

With their Langer Trophy campaign to begin on June 1 against Marsden State High School — with the match to be livestreamed on the Gold Coast Bulletin website — De Groot identified the youngster as a player to watch when the action kicks off.

“If you give him the ball he’ll get you points, he’s got game knowledge and awareness and to come in in year 10 to an older system it shows the quality he has,” De Groot said.

“I only got a couple of games with him, and it was more his grind game. He’s a special kid, he’s very talented (and) he’s a freakish kid.”

LANGER TROPHY ROUND ONE SCHEDULE, WEDNESDAY JUNE 1

2.00pm Walters; Forest Lake v Wavell @ Brandon Park

3.30pm Langer; Coombabah v Wavell @ Runaway Bay

3.30pm Langer Res; Ipswich v Keebra @ Nth Ipswich Res

4.30pm Walters Ipswich; v Keebra @ Nth Ipswich Res

5.30pm Langer Ipswich; v Keebra @ Nth Ipswich Res

4.00pm Langer Res; Marsden v PBC @ Marsden SHS

5.00pm Walters; Marsden v PBC @ Marsden SHS

6.00pm Langer; Marsden v PBC @ Marsden SHS

3.00pm Langer Res; Mabel Pk v Redcliffe @ Slacks Creek

4.00pm Walters; Mabel Pk v Caloundra @ Slacks creek

5.00pm Langer; Mabel Pk v Redcliffe @ Slacks Creek

nick.wright@news.com.au