71 Gold Coast rugby union talents chosen in South Queensland sides for Queensland Country Championships
The Gold Coast have dominated factions of the South Queensland rugby squads to contest the Queensland Country Championships. CHECK OUT THE FULL BREAKDOWN HERE >>
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He entered the Cyclones ranks as a shadow, selected to simply gain experience in an elite environment.
However Bailey Danielson has since completed a stunning transformation from fringe prospect to Queensland Country Championships representative, as a twist of fate forced him to become a focal point of the Gold Coast’s attack.
Such was the calibre of performances he put in, Danielson was named as one of 13 guns from the region to be selected in a unit made up of the best talent from the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Darling Downs.
Cyclones colts coach Shaun Cole lauded Danielson as “the find of the tournament”, particularly given his efforts followed an honest and vulnerable conversation about his own abilities.
“I said to Bailey we would take him up there and he would come off the bench in both games. The plan was to take him up, get him around the boys and get some experience for next year to take over and get more game time in the 10 jersey,” Cole said.
“The way things worked out … Bailey got more of an opportunity than we thought, and for a young fella he went out and absolutely killed it.
“For the first game he said to me prior that he didn’t really back his running game, so I remember telling him when he gets the opportunity run the ball, don’t worry about passing.
“The first time he touched the ball he went straight through and scored a try, and his confidence went through the roof.
“It’s good to see someone that probably wasn’t going to be coming with us, then we made that decision to take him and you could see the smile on his face after the first game. I know his family were absolutely stoked for him.”
In addition to the 13 young men chosen in the under-19s South Queensland side, 45 juniors between the under-13, under-14 and under-16 boys Gold Coast competitions will feature at the Queensland Country Championships to begin in Toowoomba on July 1.
Meanwhile two stars of the Nerang Bulls top team — Will Bird and Josh Edmond — will take their place in the Open Men’s squad, Zara Colless and Ana Drotini will battle for starting berths in the women’s side, and nine girls from the under-15s will make the step up.
Cole told The Gold Coast Bulletin after the SQ Championships that the time had come for the region to take on a local Colts competition once again, in a bid to ensure the strong group of young talent was kept engaged with the 15-man code long term.
He said the brimming collective of players chosen for these representative honours was indicative that the demand was there, they now needed an avenue to develop each week, rather than being thrown into a first-grade against fully grown men before they have physically matured.
“I was pretty confident we were going to get a good representation and everyone that got picked deserved it. I even thought there were a couple of unlucky ones (to miss out) as well,” Cole said.
“A lot of the colts have played through those lower age groups, so if we can keep them interested and keep the flow going to a colts competition I can’t see us having those struggles in the colts and senior ranks.
“I said to most of the boys before we even started if the team played well it would bode well for our selections as far as how many were picked. It’s a credit to all the boys who played well across both games and that resulted in a large selection.”
However there were even more who earned selection, and the Gold Coast rugby veteran broke down what put each in the frame of those higher honours.
Baxter Brown (Helensvale) — Second Row
Last year Hogs forward Baxter Brown was one of the surprise packets of the Cyclones squad, a young man who “came out of nowhere” to impress the coaching staff.
Now he has emerged as a leader of the Gold Coast pack, and that tenacity is what Cole believes earned him selection in the South Queensland line up.
“He was one of the boys who surprised us out of nowhere with his game last year and he’s taken it to another level. He’s put on some really good size and worked hard in the off-season to get physically in shape,” Cole said.
“Last year he was mixing it with the big boys and had a really good game against Sunshine Coast. (This year) in both games he was really strong in attack and ‘D’, and that got him across the line.
“It would have been his versatility as well; he can play second row, hooker, back row … it’s been really nice to see him stick with the program again.”
Benjamin Tauerihi (Helensvale) — Hooker
Cole knew little about what Benjamin Tauerihi would bring to his forward pack prior to the Cyclones trials, however it did not take like for him to impress the coach.
What stood out about the teenage hooker’s efforts last weekend were not just his niche for precision at set pieces, but the aggression he brought both on and off the ball that had the ability to change the momentum of a contest.
‘The first time I saw him was at our last trial where we put the forwards together and made them scrum, line out and get an idea on who was suitable to go up for the tournament. That was the first time I saw him, and he excelled from there,” Cole said.
“He was enormous on the weekend coming off the line and putting on big shots, and at set pieces he was really solid with his throws.”
Jacob Meyer (Palm Beach Currumbin) — Inside centre
Jacob Meyer is a very different centre to the other youngster who lined up alongside him for the Cyclones, but the way in which he and Richard Fatafehi complemented each other’s games could make them the first-choice South Queensland pairing.
Where Fatafehi was the aggressor in the number 13, running damaging lines and striving to put on a tirade of damaging hits, Meyer uses his taller frame to evade would-be defenders.
Cole said the number 12’s desire to improve with each outing put him in strong stead last weekend, and that attitude would continue to keep him in the selection frame for future representative squads.
“He was solid in both games and I think it (South Queensland selection) is only going to improve his game all around,” he said.
‘It was a really good selection; he’s a really nice kid who was always one of those kid's who wants to learn. He was playing inside centre most of the weekend, with Richie at outside, and based on what I saw they were the more solid centre pairing.
“They looked like they were the biggest kids for that age group, and I’d be surprised if they didn’t start together.”
Noah Fielding (Helensvale) — Wing
Rock solid out wide and a brilliant finisher, Noah Fielding has been a young man on the selection radar for some time.
A former Queensland under-16s representative, Fielding featured on the try scorers sheet on the weekend, and Cole said he was one who he and the coaching staff expected to be called up to the next level.
“He’s solid every time he gets the ball; he made several good breaks in the first game, scored a try in the second and would’ve been a clear standout (for selectors),” he said.
“He was one we figured would be picked on the back of two strong games. “
Topi Apatu (Coomera) — Prop
A Coomera product who has already been plying his trade in senior rugby, elite honours was an inevitable step for Topi Apatu.
The towering prop led the way for the Gold Coast when it came to scrums, and Cole said it was that attention to detail which ultimately won him a jersey.
“We dominated most of the weekend at set pieces and I’d say that’s where he got picked up,” he said.
“He’s a little bit taller, a little bit leaner than most to your front rowers, so he gets around the park really well.”
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