The Southport School 2025 First XV Squad Analysis: Lineup tips, player profiles
Southport will launch its First XV campaign at Churchie’s on July 19, with a new cast of players ready to etch their names into the school’s rugby history. Meet the 37-strong squad and see our projections for who starts where.
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The unexpected departure of two First XV stars has not dulled The Southport School’s premiership ambitions as the school embraces a next-man-up mentality one month out from kick-off.
Queensland Reds under-16s representative No.8 Agapetos Lote-Felo did not return for his senior year while Queensland under-18 rugby league champion centre Kingston Seve has suddenly departed the school, having last played in a trial match two weeks ago.
They leave big shoes to fill in a roster contending for its 13th GPS First XV trophy but where one door closes, opportunity beckons for another.
The school will launch its First XV season at Churchie’s Oaklands Parade home field on July 19, with a new cast of players ready to etch their names into the school’s rugby history.
Meet the 2025 First XV squad hoping to win glory for themselves, their mates and their school.
PROPS (4)
Kingsley Uys
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 preparing to establish himself as the finest schoolboy forward in the country this season. Coaches have set out a demanding fitness regimen for Uys that has slashed 33 seconds off his 1.2km ‘Bronco’ shuttle run time trial already. Uys will captain the First XV and his leadership will be just as valuable as his devastating carries and offloads.
Hunter Pyke
Year 11 prop Hunter Pyke will likely start opposite Uys at tighthead prop after packing on nine kilograms since debuting off the bench last season as a Year 10. Pyke brings high character and is described as a great kid, conscientious and a hard worker with a mindset to get better. He will be one of a number of big-hitting forwards roaming the middle of the field, with a suitably seismic carry to match. Perfecting his developing offloading skills will just about complete the package, which is why national selectors already have one eye on the young tighthead.
Will Krynen
Popular senior prop Will Krynen will have to abdicate his throne as the king of Southport’s Sharkie Army supporters’ club during the First XV season. Krynen is living a schoolboy rugby fairytale because he’ll go from leading chants on the sidelines to being the one cheered on instead. Krynen’s passion for his school translates into cutting low tackles before leaping off the ground to get back involved in the action. Few props can count their line-running as a signature trait but that is Krynen’s point-of-difference in the TSS engine room. Capable of packing down both sides of the scrum.
Fergus Woolley
A successful off-season with TSS’ renowned rowing program has come at a personal cost for Fergus Woolley because his rowing success has stripped him of the bulk needed to thrive at scrumtime. Woolley’s fitness is superb for a prop but he faces a race against the clock to replace the meat on his bones to match it with the heavyweights at Nudgee College, State High and beyond. He’s not there yet but Woolley is working hard to get his weight back up to take his place in the school’s push for its 13th First XV championship.
HOOKERS (4)
Ryder Tee
The frontrunner to don graduated First XV captain Blaze Moana’s No.2 jersey has attended TSS since reception (preschool) and has played in most year group A teams along that journey. Now a senior, Tee’s excellent lineout throwing skills and ability to get around the field has seen him leapfrog the younger Peter Sa through pre-season. Tee plays like a second openside flanker and after a Second XV season in 2024 appears ready to embrace the pressure of hooking for a premiership contender. With a shorter lock department than is typical for TSS, Tee’s pinpoint accurate throws will count for even more in 2025.
Peter Sa
Sa, 16, is not locked in to be Tee’s understudy yet but possesses the skills to flourish as an impact player if he does end up serving a First XV apprenticeship off the bench. The Year 11 rake has also been with the school since primary and like Tee was a flanker of note before switching to the front row. Blessed with a low centre of gravity, Sa is an aggressive defender who can tackle and carry well - there are no concerns for his ability in the open field. The technical demands of the position mean his fitness and set piece work must be as good or better, and Sa is coming along in leaps and bounds in an encouraging sign for his development.
Harrison Brooker
The son of former Queensland Country representative prop Cameron Brooker is a talented lineout thrower and versatile scrummager who can also cover loosehead prop. Brooker can fill in wherever needed for the First XV and will be a strong contributor to the Second XV while still in Year 11 and benching for the Firsts.
Taj Kelly
Senior hooker Kelly has suffered an injury double-whammy by breaking his arm in an early First XV trial and then breaking his leg not long after returning from his first injury. Kelly’s prospects of playing for the First XV in his final year at the school appear dashed as he continues the rehabilitation process. It is a bitter blow because coaches saw Kelly as a player with potential to make an impact this season.
LOCKS (7)
Lachie Crain
The school’s grandstand is named for Wallaby Old Boy Nathan Sharpe (1995) and 30 years later, Sharpe’s old role as First XV lineout-caller will fall to the appropriately-named Lachie Crain. The 187cm Year 11 lock will never be the tallest lineout general he duels this First XV campaign but his athleticism and quick wits will keep TSS competitive in a critical facet of the game. Crain is an excellent set piece operator and a wide-running forward who can slip an offload to pacier players around him, following in the footsteps of elder brother Xavier (2022).
Harry Howard
First VIII Head of the River champion crewmates and national rowing championship silver-medallists Harry Howard and Kyne Baird are locked in a head-to-head battle to partner Crain in the First XV second row. Both have sensational work rates and are abrasive, hard-hitting tacklers so very little separates the pair - including their height, between 181 and 184cm each. Captain of Boats and prefect Howard, in Year 12, is the older player and debuted off the bench for the First XV in Round 8 last season.
Kyne Baird
Year 11 Baird’s positional versatility to cover both flanker positions - and even No.8 at a pinch - may be his trump card to winning his First XV debut as a starter opposite Crain. The school will be well-served with all three prospects somewhere in the 23-man squad for Round 1’s road trip to Churchie. All three are currently injured but coach McIsaac is confident each will have mended in time for July 19.
Oscar Dunn
A no-nonsense senior lock who has happily embraced an enforcer’s role even amid a hard-hitting engine room. Dunn is old school to the core and loves nothing more than making opposition players feel his sting, get up off the floor and hit the next person. That’s the sort of player halfbacks’ dream of playing behind because it only takes a few Dunn cleanouts for opponents to get the message: hands off our ball.
Patrick Frost
Second XV captain Patrick Frost shaped as a key contributor in the squad but has joined hooker Taj Kelly in the medium-to-long term injury ward after breaking his leg. The best case scenario is Frost returns for the mid-season and finds fitness in time to help TSS in the critical final rounds.
Hamish Woods
McKinley House captain Woods is making the most of his opportunities in the First XV squad as injuries deplete the lock department for regular training. The school prefect is a tough-as-nails country lad with a work ethic and ability in the lineout, courtesy of a lighter weight than his positional peers. Woods gets up even when hurt and played a full game in the most recent trial, calling the lineouts in Crain’s absence.
Jimmy Ryan
The 16-year-old Year 10 student has had an extended run this pre-season and with a 6’4 (193cm) frame shapes as a player with potential to rule the roost above the Village Green in coming years. Ryan has experience calling lineouts and possesses solid handling skills for a taller player. A season of collision work will be the ideal final preparation for a step into the First XV furnace. His chance may come even earlier if TSS requires a height boost in the second row.
LOOSE FORWARDS (5)
Viliami Fifita
The Gold Coast Titans-contracted backrower is the younger brother of current NRL star 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 expected to reprise that role in his senior year despite the poaching of No.8 Agapetos Lote-Felo to Sydney.
Ky Morris
Senior openside flanker Ky Morris started last season off the First XV bench but by Round 5 had forced his way into the starting line-up. Morris is TSS’ 2025 defensive captain for bringing a rare quality in schoolboy footy: a bit of ‘mongrel’ about his style of play. Morris is rough and abrasive as a tackler and an unsettling presence for playmakers who never want to hold the ball too long with the No.7 bearing down upon them.
Elijah Galloway
The shock departure of incumbent No.8 and Reds under-16s representative Lote-Felo to play his senior season at NSW GPS powerhouse Scots College has opened the door for powerful Lennox Heads product Elijah Galloway to stamp his authority as the tip of the school’s forward pack spear. Galloway has the frame (190cm, 120kg) to be considered at prop but his hard ball-running will be a weapon off the back of the scrum in his debut First XV season instead. Galloway was a NSW Country under-16 representative in both league and union last year.
Ayden Holmes
Versatile Year 11 forward Holmes hails from Alstonville, NSW and can cover lock but is primarily a blindside flanker or No.8. Holmes is just now returning from a year off recovering from a knee injury but has lost none of the work ethic or clean hands he showed before last year’s season-ender. Holmes can clean out at ruck-time, can tackle, but coaches are showing patience given his extended time on the sidelines. Holmes will be in the mix for his First XV Debut in Round 1.
Wilbur Wood
A Year 10 mega-athlete, 190cm Wood has caught the attention of coaches with his performances throughout pre-season. Wood played in the centres for much of his junior career but has been converted to blindside flanker where his athletic prowess truly shines - earning internal comparisons to former All Blacks prospect Lachlan Boshier. Wood is firmly in consideration for a First XV position once he has a handle on his new position, most likely for 2026 but possibly earlier if injury or form dictate.
SCRUMHALVES (2)
Max Kahler
Southport’s first-choice No.9 has waited 12 months for this opportunity after sitting behind Australia U18 development squad halfback Tom Goldie but Max Kahler is ready. The senior halfback was used sparingly in 2024 but spent that time working on the fundamentals of his craft. Now he holds the keys to the TSS backline, expect to see precision passing, a finely-honed box kick and - though not a renowned runner - enough athleticism to take what the defence offers him. Rounding out Kahler’s equation is the communication of a player who was spent years learning this system. Can chop down a bigger runner, too.
Jason Campese
The son of one of World Rugby’s greatest showmen, Jason Campese is forging his own name out of the shadow of his goosestepping old man David. That Campese confidence is one thing Jason isn’t shying away from, though. A noted batsman, Jason’s ability to play through pressure on the cricket field got TSS out of trouble on several occasions en route to the First XI premiership. That unflappable nature translates to the football field too, able to slot in to every backline position from 9-15 - making the senior a perfect utility behind the metronomic Kahler. Expect TSS to harness Campese’s versatility by naming the odd six-forward bench with Campese covering the rest of the backline.
FLYHALVES (3)
Dallas Ingram
Returning for his second year as first-choice No.10, Titans-contracted Dallas Ingram will bring a new bag of tricks after leading the Burleigh Bears to the Queensland under-19 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 will trouble every First XV Southport comes up against.
James Smith
Gold Coast Titans signing James Smith is in the mix to start at fullback in the First XV while still in Year 10. Coach Tai McIsaac sees Smith as a No.10 predominantly but could ease the young gun in to the elite GPS competition with a bird’s eye view of the action from the back. The Canberra product played five-eighth for Tweed’s run to the state under-17 rugby league semi-finals, where his ability to kick accurately off both feet raised plenty of eyebrows. Smith is rated an unbelievable defender who cuts big blokes in half and has the added advantage of growing up a rugby union player first.
Seth Coe
The Tweed Seagulls Cyril Connell five-eigth / fullback has worked hard on his ability to control the First XV around the paddock and get the ball in and out of his hands quickly. Coe is an intelligent kicker of the football and is a classic country lad who doesn’t mind getting in and getting the tough stuff done. As a Year 11 this year presents as his opportunity to watch and learn from a talented cross-code starter, and provide some impact via the bench. The Scone, NSW product has already impressed the coaching staff by consistently finishing up the front in fitness training.
CENTRES (3)
Sioeli Vea
No First XV player ran for more metres in 2024 than battering ram centre Sio Vea. The powerful No.12 kept defenders honest to create space for talented outside men to thrive. Vea was denied the chance to play a similarly destructive role for the Tweed Seagulls in the under-17 Cyril Connell Challenge with a knee injury but has healed up and is ready to reunite with Tweed teammates James Smith, Seth Coe, Viliami Fifita, Lewis and Ashton McDermid in the First XV.
Kilarney Lavender
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.
Ashton McDermid
One of two nephews of Queensland State of Origin and Brisbane Broncos flyer Selwyn Cobbo in the mix for the First XV, Proserpine product Ashton McDermid shapes as an outside centre prospect whose path to a major role is presently blocked. That might not be the worst thing for his development as the Year 11 can continue to learn the game from some of the best cross-code role models around in Vea and Lavender. The 16As will reap the benefits as McDermid finds his feet in the new code.
OUTSIDE BACKS (4)
Lewis McDermid
Lewis McDermid, Ashton’s twin brother, has just about sewn up his First XV debut on the wing for Round 1. Like his twin, McDermid brings heavyweight power that belies his cruiserweight size. High balls do not phase the wiry wing talent and spectators will get plenty of chances to watch him climb through the gears of acceleration on the tip of a potent backline inside him. If Ashton finds his way into the team via injury watch out for the McDermid brothers’ connection.
Dylan Terblanche
Last year’s First XV fullback will get the chance to use those special counterattacking skills in space in 2025 with South African-born Terblanche shifted to the wing. That may come as a surprise given Terblanche was rated the best under-16 fullback in Queensland by representative selectors last season but coach Tai McIsaac does not expect his influence to wane with more opportunities to find the tryline. The mission to squeeze as many gamebreakers onto the field at once means Terblanche will make way for a new custodian in Round 1. Terblanche’s aerial abilities will also present a fine target for cross field kicks or chasing attacking bombs.
Craig Russell
A nuts and bolts backline utility who nails the one-percenters and can cover both centre positions in addition to his primary wing spot. Too many x-factors can throw out the harmony of a backline and it takes a dependable straight-man to let the improvisers shine brightest. Russell carries well, cleans out well, communicates well and provides the structured play that brings out the best in those around him. Every team needs a Russell.
Will Box
First VIII rowing champion Will Box is a winger whose game is built on a very generous serving of top-line speed.
FUTURE FIRSTS DEVELOPMENT SQUAD (5)
Kaiya Tafea
At just 15 years of age lock prospect Tafea stands around 203cm tall and tips the scales at 115kg, having worked hard to trim 25 kilograms off his frame since arriving at The Southport School in Year 8. Off the field Tafea is regarded a gentle giant who is rapidly advancing his lineout skills and general play work in preparation for a First XV debut next season.
Noah Mariner
Phenomenally athletically Titans signing Mariner, 15, could play any position he wanted to on the rugby field and would get the job done. The Southport School view him as a potentially outstanding First XV openside flanker in the coming years. Mariner can run, pass, catch, kick and is the type of leader that whispers have already begun proclaiming him future school captain material. Mariner is as exciting as it gets in the talent pipeline.
Taimo Fatai
A generation of youngsters have now grown up watching Kalyn Ponga highlights and Taimo Fatai, 15, has clearly spent more hours watching than anyone. Squint too closely at Fatai on a touch football field and you might think it was Ponga himself, such is the degree Fatai can recreate the Queensland Origin star’s jinking sidesteps. Students in PE class simply cannot touch him. At 184cm and 85kg Fatai has the size to mix and match at First XV level already but his time at fullback for TSS’ flagship team is still at least 12 months away.
Will Jessiman
A strapping 15-year-old centre whose father David played lock at Premier Grade level for Easts in Brisbane. Jessiman boasts plenty of size for his age and is a well-balanced runner and strong defender with a crisp pass.
Kingston Mua
Playing centre at the moment but a future at blindside flanker. The 187cm prospect has signed with the Roosters because he can run, pass and catch with the best of them. Mua has trained at centre and sometimes on the wing as a 15-year-old in the First XV squad but as he grows he presents as a strong No.6 or lock, if he grows even taller.
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