QAFL colts Players to Watch this season
Who are some of the key Players to Watch in the colts QAFL competition this season? Here we name 50 teenagers who will lead the charge for their footy club – starting from Saturday.
Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Australian football is booming and as a result of more teenagers playing the code than ever before, the QAFL colts competition has never looked more healthy.
Off the back of record participation numbers in the Schools Cup, and progression into traditional rugby strongholds such as AIC and GPS schools, colts footy is brimming with talent in 2023.
So who will be some of the key Players to Watch?
Ahead of our coverage which starts on Saturday, we name 50 players to keep an eye on.
RELATED LINKS
QAFL: Every teams’ full season preview including list changes, players to watch
QAFL Coaches and captains have revealed who they think will make the grand final
PALM BEACH CURRUMBIN
Jett Rowe: Watch for Rowe to really take the game on for PBC. He is an onballer who is a left foot and has pace to burn.
Luca Laverde: PBC will be safe and sound with this key defender lurking down back. Laverde has a reputation for his defence and good overhead skills.
Jasper Williams: In Williams, PBC have one and a quarter players. He is a key forward, but also a ruckman who is great overhead and who reads the game well.
Lachie Ferguson: Another on-ball or halfback flank talent, Ferguson is a great runner with good skills. He just as this knack of finding the footy
NOOSA PIRATES
Zak Korybutiak: With a great pre-season behind him, Zak will be in a great position to use his speed across the wing and midfield. He is also a highly skilled footy player.
Billy Bowes: Bowes is an imposing figure who can play key positions, midfield or across the halfback flanker. Aside from his physical presence, he is also a great decision maker.
Paddy Monk: An elite ruckman or key position player, Monk also has a terrific attitude to go with his skills. He will be one to watch in 2023.
REDLAND VICTORIA POINT SHARKS
Stell Scriven: A fullback, Scriven is a tall, versatile player who has that fantastic ability to read the game. He also possesses a big clearing kick which can boot his team out of trouble, or trigger a rebound up the field.
Harrison Reilly: Another tall, highly skilled athlete, Reilly can play anywhere on the field. But watch for him to find a home down back in the Sharks outfit where he has a strong contested mark.
Harrison Sala: The Sharks have a powerful midfielder or forward in their ranks courtesy of Sala. He has an ability to break the game open with his explosive burst and to cap it all off he has a big, booming kick.
SURFERS PARADISE
After a solid pre-season the demons have had an influx of talent into their 2023 squad while only losing a handful of players from the 2022 side
Notable additions to the team
Ben Leeds: A youth age prodigy across the under 16 and under 18 competitions, the Suns Academy rookie is showing huge promise. He is a super fit wingman with polished skills and great speed at just 16 and standing 185cm, he will be a tough match up for any opposition.
Jaedon Schwab: A midfield gun with a famous footy surname, Schwab has had two interrupted seasons with injuries but is back firing on all cylinders. He is looking to make an instant impact in the Demons talent loaded midfield.
Ali Al-Nabahan: The Demons have only lost a handful of players from 2022, but leading the influx of new faces is a ruckman standing at 6’5” tall. “Al-Nabahan is showing great potential and will definitely be giving Surfers first use of the ball at stoppages,’’ said coach Alistair Mitchell.
Lachlan Morrisey: Another new recruit and bottom age academy talent, Morrisey is going to be a handful for the competition forwards. “Morrisey has a footy IQ well beyond his years and will be a great steadying influence down back for the Demons,’’ Mitchell said.
Coach Mitchell said the Demons were fortunate to keep the majority of their list together from 2022, and the club could have suggested “upwards of 10 players to watch this year’’. Look for Surfers to be an experienced and mature side.
ASPLEY
Jacob Nicholson: A new recruit from Tasmania who enjoys the contest, Nicholson is a ruckman who plays like an extra midfielder. He also has elite hands below his feet.
Caken Harrop: A midfield or half forward, Harrop loves the contest and loves to clutch marks despite his limited height. “He is exceptionally talented with great marking and tenacity. If he sets his mind to it, he can be anything,’’ coach Brett Atkins said.
Ben Dempsey: This young gun halfback intercepts all day and breaks lines looking to set up his forwards. He can potentially pinch-hit in the midfield if required.
Jacob Gordon: Gordon is a utility who is very elusive around contests. He can pinch-hit in any position and is a good overhead marker. According to coach Atkins, “if he sets his mind to it, he could be a damaging QAFL footballer in years too come’’.
MAROOCHYDORE
Racer Bellchambers: The Roos will be well served by this slick inside midfielder with lightning quick hands
Kobi Cook: Watch for Cook to stand tall as a strong, key backman with great overhead marking skills.
Hudson Vivan: Vivan will play an important role as a key midfielder. Where he gets his energy from, goodness knows, because he is an athlete with great endurance
MT GRAVATT
Sam Carmody: An explosive utility player that uses his huge tank to his advantage. Just goes and goes all day. He is not afraid to break the lines and play attacking footy.
Kyne McDonald: A midfielder, McDonald is a classy ball winner who is always putting his head over the footy to win the contested ball.
Jarrod Green: A noted midfielder or wingman, Green is a very consistent player that gives his all every game. He has great marking ability and provides the link between the backs and forwards.
Dylan Verhey: A big bodied midfielder or back, Verhey is always leading by example. He is an in and under type player providing quality ball to our outside players.
Ryan Ferris: The backman-midfielder uses his skill and speed to break the lines off the half back, while providing quality ball upfront.
Jack Kalan: A skilled half back flanker that reads the ball really well, Kalan has the ability to take control down back setting up our defence.
Andy Fennessy: This youngster is a great leading forward with a tenacious appetite for scoring. He also provides a great inside 50m option and converts most of his shots.
Can Cripps: Every side needs someone like Cripps, a solid defender who rarely gets his colours lowered. He is the driving force of the Vultures backline.
MORNINGSIDE
Ryley Egan: Wingman Egan has explosive speed and takes the game on. “He is great on the run,’’ said coach Ross Anderson.
Clayton Lewis: A hard at the contest midfielder, Lewis is also a creative outside type of player who has a high work rate.
Nelson Rae: New to footy, but a person who plays with confidence, McRae will play ruck or in the forwards. “The improvement of the season will be worth watching,’’ coach Anderson said.
Harry Taylor: The Panthers will be blessed to have his midfielder, a very smart and highly skilled athlete who is great in the contests. “He is great off both sides,’’ Anderson noted.
BROADBEACH
Harry Gwynne: Every side needs a Gwynne type and Broadbeach would not swap this strong, reliable defender for anyone.
Olivier Townley: The Cats have a real crafty mid fielder or forward on their hands here, someone with a good footy brain and a big engine.
Cameron Gillespie: He is a real Jack of All Trades, an old fashioned utility with enormous potential. What an asset he will be across the season with his ability to plug a hole here and there – and everywhere.
SHERWOOD
Will Draper: Draper is a big body down back, someone who has worked on his fitness to get some midfield minutes where he uses his size, experience and intensity around the ball.
Charlie Phillips: Phillips is a second-year player with the Magpies who has come a long way.
He is one of the best line breakers in the competition and has worked on his ball use and decision making. He has become a very dangerous winger as a result.
Ryleigh Ytting: A new recruit from the Redbacks, he has shown his experience by the way he goes about his game. “He reads the game well and is a dynamic line breaker,’’ said coach Ben Jaenke-Cain.
Owen Capling: Capling He is a dominant key forward that attacks the game. He should be full of confidence, and is coming off a great year last season when he locked down some of the best forwards in the competition. He has elite foot skills with a long, penetrating kick.
Zach Bidgood: Bidgood one of the most versatile players at Sherwood who can dominate at both ends. He is a great marker and provides plenty of highlight plays each game.
LABRADOR
Leo Truman: Truman is a great midfielder to have around the squad, someone who works hard and gets lots of footy due to his workrate.
Seth Catenese: A backman, Catenese is the team’s general down back. He is renowned for competing hard.
Jack Turner: Another high performing backman, Turner is a great marker and kicker who is very hard to beat.
Cody Davis and Tom Ray: Labrador will be well served by this midfield duo. Davis is very fast, works hard and has great skills, while Ray is a classy onballer who is also great overhead.
WILSTON GRANGE
Ashton Wilson: A halfback with a great kick and a terrific mark, Wilson also reads the play down back.
Austin Taylforth: Does his batteries ever wear out? A forward or midfielder, he never stops running and leads from the front. Taylforth has good skills and is a great mark.
Duncan McCabe: A midfielder or half-forward, McCabe has that touch of class about him. He is possessed with good skills.
Jack Thompson: The Gorillas have a classy half forward in their midst, a left footer who can find the footy.
ROUND 1
Sherwood v Mt Gravatt Powenyenna Oval, Sherwood
Morningside v Wilston Grange (Aspley Oval)
Redland Victoria Point v Noosa (Ern & Elma Dowling Sports Ground 1)
Labrador v Maroochydore (Cooke-Murphy Oval)
Aspley v Broadbeach (Zupps Aspley Oval / Graham Road)
Surfers Paradise v Palm Beach Currumbin (Sir Bruce Small Park)
Originally published as QAFL colts Players to Watch this season
REPLAYS: Big day for Stretton at Queensland Schools Grand Finals
Varsity College had the numbers but Stretton College matched them for titles as one of the state’s top schools tournaments came to an exciting climax. Catch up on all five REPLAYS.
Revealed: Gold Coast T20 team of the tournament
An Adelaide Striker with 41 Big Bash games under his belt headlines a star-studded Gold Coast T20 Cup team of the tournament. See who else made the cut.