GCDRU Transfer Centre: Prodigal son returns to Hogs after 10 years

Welcome to the Gold Coast Bulletin’s Coast District Rugby Transfer Centre. Tune in every day between now and season kick-off on July 25 to learn which players are headed where.

Welcome to the Gold Coast Bulletin’s Coast District Rugby Transfer Centre.

Tune in every day between now and season kick-off on July 25 to learn which players are headed where.

Today: Helensvale Hogs

Yesterday: Bond Pirates, Gold Coast Eagles

Thursday: Surfers Paradise Dolphins

Tuesday: Griffith Uni Knights

Monday: Palm Beach Currumbin Alleygators

Sunday: Coomera Crushers

Scroll down for earlier stories.

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JULY 25

The Helensvale Hogs’ prodigal son has returned to rugby union after 10 years in the rugby league wilderness.

Jackson Burton is the son of the club’s inaugural captain Greg, who led Helensvale through their first season in 1987.

After growing up in the blue of the Hogs juniors, Jackson left rugby to play with the Helensvale Hornets in the Gold Coast reserve grade competition.

After 10 years Burton has returned to the sport he was born to play.

On Saturday he will play his first senior match for his dad’s old club, with Greg watching on proudly from the sidelines.

Former Helensvale skipper Greg Burton with sons Jackson and Matthew (L-R) in 2004.

“Dad still loves the club, that was one of the driving forces of me going back there,” the 26-year-old said.

“I pretty much wanted to go back and give union a shot to go to where Dad started.

“I haven’t played rugby since Under-16s but I don’t think it’s really changed much, just more fast-paced being first grade.

“I playing centre in League but I’m on the wing, which is comfortable for me.

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“Dad’s just said to have fun and enjoy it.”

Gold Coast District Rugby Union Round 5 match between Griffith University Colleges Knights and Helensvale Hogs (blue shirts) at Ashmore TAFE field. Photo of Samson Mariner. Gold Coast, 11th May, 2019 AAP Image/Richard Gosling

Burton is one of four new recruits to join the reigning champions ahead of Saturday’s Grand Final rematch with Griffith University Knights.

Philippines rugby international David Paz Robinson-Polkey has moved from Surfers Paradise to start for the Hogs in the front row.

Powerhouse No.8 Samson Mariner has returned from a FIFO stint working in the mines to partner stalwart Steven Finigan in the backrow.

Burton will play on one wing with Victorian import Shevell Samia replacing departed captain Hayden McCaa at fullback.

Coach Willie Todd said Samia would be one of the competition’s most exciting attacking threats.

Todd is another starter from last year’s Grand Final team to have called time on his playing career, with flanker Tazzy Jones following suit.

Centre Jack Finigan has hopped codes to the Burleigh Bears, leaving brothers Sean and Steven to fly the family flag.

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JULY 24

Bond Pirates’ battle to climb off the GCDRU cellar floor has hit a COVID-19 snag in the road.

The club will field just one team in 2020, with two new recruits holding down the fort as eight overseas players were forced to depart before their respective lockdowns set in.

Former Hurricanes Under-20s No.8 Xavier Pereka is the team’s latest recruit, moving from Wellington to follow the voice of God telling him his place was on the Gold Coast.

A chance meeting at Church delivered the 110kg impact backrower into the Pirates hands.

Hurricanes U20s captain Xavier Pereka has walked away from New Zealand because he heard the voice of God telling him his place was on the Gold Coast. The Bond Pirates rugby club are set to benefit because their president bumped into him at Church and recruited him. Picture Glenn Hampson

Alongside prop recruit Manasseh Alaga, a 158kg goliath from Sydney’s Warringah Rats, Pereka will lead a physical Pirates pack hoping to punch above their weight.

Bradley Plant will captain the side full-time from the backrow after donning the skipper’s ‘armband’ on occasion last year.

Lincoln Matehaere, of the famous Pirates clan, has stuck by the club and figures to start in the centres though he is most comfortable in the halves.

Coach Darrell Burchnall said he hoped the addition of 2015 Grand Final scrumhalf Eddie Henry would help bring some of that side’s magic into the new decade.

“It’s going to be a struggle for us but I’m sure others are in the same boat,” he said.

“We’re struggling hugely with players.

“We had a really good player drive with 12 new players and we’ve lost a heap of them through COVID.

“We had a really good trial win over Casuarina and things were looking up, then we had our player losses.”

At Gold Coast Eagles, fivenew recruits have added depth to their club as they search for their own resurgence in 2020.

Flanker Shem Bush has joined the club from Bond University, while Port Macquarie prop Matiu Farrance has linked with the club after moving.

Japanese hooker Keitta Niihara will add starch the front row while Tim Smith returns after two years at Knights.

Outside back Phil Paschalidis is the final new recruit, after moving to the Gold Coast from his Australian Defence Force posting in Townsville.

Members of 3rd Brigade Rugby League team and Palm Island Skipjacks LR Fredrick Bulsey, Private Phillip Paschalidis and Kelvin Castors will be playing for the Bill Coolburra Shield this weekend. Picture: Zak Simmonds

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JULY 23

Former England Rugby Sevens superstar Ben Gollings and 17-year-old son Woody are planning to play side-by-side for the first time for the Surfers Paradise Dolphins.

Teenager Woody Gollings is one of a host of current and former Kings’ Christian College students aiming at a First Grade debut for the Dolphins this season.

If the young flyhalf does, his Dad promises he won’t be far behind.

“My son is 17 so I said I’d try and hold out to the point where we might be able to play a game of senior rugby together,” Rugby Sevens’ all-time leading pointscorer said.

LAS VEGAS - FEBRUARY 13: Ben Gollings #10 of England gets away from Hiraku Tomoigawa #6 of Japan during the IRB Sevens World Series at Sam Boyd Stadium February 13, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. England won the match 24-5. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

“My two oldest sons were fortunate to watch (me play) but the opportunity to have a run around with Woody would be good fun.

“He’s certainly got the skill and capability and athleticism – often that’s got to be added to with the mental side of thing.

“It’s fantastic for him, and nice that Rangi (Joseph, King’s College First XV coach) is in charge because he knows Woody quite well.

“If Woody can get into the First team that’s fantastic but there’s no rush.”

Gollings Senior played 344 matches for England between 2000 and 2011, scoring 220 tries and 773 conversions.

His experience would pair well with the youth of his son and his old schoolmates Clayton Terita, Koji Goulding and Sabian Pihema.

Until the Gollings are ready, former New Zealand Maori Under-18s fullback Nikau McGregor will vie for the No.10 jersey with returning Dolphin Josh Lapthorne.

Three fringe NRL talents are expected to appear for the Dolphins from Round Two but their identities cannot be revealed until their contracts allow, sometime next week.

Former Western Force squad member Geoff Williams’ colourful rugby journey will take its next pit stop in the Dolphins front row.

The changes will ring out in the coaching box too, with former Reds development officer Bobby Crawford signing as team attack coach.

Rugby coach Bobby Crawford (centre) takes a coaching course. Picture: Supplied

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JULY 21

The Griffith University Knights will enter the 2020 Gold Coast District Rugby Union competition as near-unbackable favourites after importing an all-new backline.

The 2019 finalists will return even stronger with six new faces in the backline, most with experience in Queensland’s Premier Rugby competition.

On paper they are the strongest backline in the competition.

Duelling for the flyhalf jersey will be Tony Bartley, a veteran of the Souths Magpies club in Brisbane, and ex-Bond Pirates pivot Cayden Matehaere, a former Melbourne Rebels squad member.

Action from the Gold Coast Rugby Union match between Gold Coast Eagles and Griffith University- Colleges Knights, held at Brighton Parade Oval, Southport. Photo of Tony Bartley.

Queensland Rugby Sevens star Larry Hermens has joined the club from Sunnybank, where he will look to form a deadly centre combination with Austin Campion, the son of former State of Origin enforcer Kevin Campion.

Rounding out the new recruits are two x-factors looking to make a name for themselves in Gold Coast Rugby.

Argentinian scrumhalf Nacho Foyater will start at the scrumbase while Caleb Barker has come from nowhere to lock down a wing position.

So where will the 2019 Grand Final backline play?

According to coach Johnny Ngauamo, it looks like they’ll have to earn their places back via the bench.

“I’m yet to get a team (for this weekend) out to the boys but whatever we do we’re going to have strong Firsts and Seconds,” Ngauamo said.

“We’ve probably got a lot more choice in terms of depth this year than last year.

“Last year guys were getting tired because they had to play every game. We have a lot more depth this year.

“That said, we’re yet to see them all play together. It’s all good on paper but we’ve got to see them on the field.”

The Knights closer resemble the Star Wars Death Star than a local rugby team but the challenge they face will be in melding together their arsenal of stars into a cohesive unit.

They will lack nothing for motivation with a round one Grand Final rematch swiftly approaching.

Rubin Fuimaono will return for Knights in 2020. Picture Glenn Hampson.

The Knights were stunned in 2019’s decider against plucky underdogs Helensvale but coach Ngauamo said the team’s focus was purely internal.

“There’s no real need for (extra) motivation,” he said.

“Guys know what happened last year but we’re not focused on that.

“Our focus is on us and improving on last year.”

Ex-Wallaby tourist Richie Kingi has committed to playing on in 2020 despite contemplating retirement earlier this year.

The former scrumhalf has been credited for the star recruitment haul at the club.

KNIGHTS MOVEMENT

IN: Jarrod Nyssen, Blayne Commons, Cayden Matehaere, Keegan Ross, Tony Bartley, Larry Hermens, Austin Campion, Nacho Foyater, Caleb Barker

OUT: None

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JULY 20

The Palm Beach Currumbin Alleygators will field a starting side practically unrecognisable from the squad that languished in Second Grade in 2019.

Club Rugby Manager Michael Bell has recruited heavily and widely to ensure the club are ready to compete again for the title upon their 2020 return to First Grade.

At the heart of the Gators’ revival is an all-new front row, supported by two former Under-18 internationals in the back five.

PBC Alleygators new recruits ( L-R ) Andrew Vatuvei , Rodney Pita , Sau Leaaetoa , Mitch Currie and Lachlan Currie. Photograph : Jason O'Brien

Former Surfers Paradise and Gold Coast Cyclones prop Lachlan Currie has returned from an injury-effected stint with Yorkshire-Carnegie in England’s second division to link up with the Gators.

Cyclones skipper Sau Leeaotoa has also made the move from Surfers to Palm Beach, where he will likely start at hooker.

Rounding out the front row recruits is Michael Ali’ifaalogo, a 26-year-old prop who moved to the Coast after playing in Sydney and Newcastle.

Ali’ifaalogo is a graduate of Auckland’s famous Wesley College, which produced All Blacks winger Jonah Lomu and Wallabies prop Sekope Kepu – who wore the school’s No.3 jersey five years before Ali’ifaalogo.

How those jigsaw pieces fit into a front row rotation puzzle with returning Cyclones loosehead Frank Watson is a coaching headache Jed Hogan will relish with kick-off just days away.

New recruits Andrew Vatuvei, the 2014 Australian Schoolboys lock-flanker hybrid, and 2010 New Zealand Schoolboys representative Logo Fotofili, will add firepower to the loose forwards.

Action pictures from Gold Coast Eagles v PBC Alleygators Rugby Union Trial Match. Photograph : Jason O'Brien

In the backline, Canadian-eligible flyhalf Mitch Currie has joined the club from Bond University to reunite with brother Lachlan.

The recruitment of Souths Magpies scrumhalf Rodney Pita from Brisbane’s Premier Grade competition could develop into a masterstroke for the Gators if a connection with Currie forms early.

Electric outside backs, including Rugby League Gold Coast team of the decade fullback Corey Morris and right wing recruit Jordan Appi, could be league-winners with a quality supply of ball to the field’s extreme.

PBC Alleygators new recruit Rodney Pita. Photograph : Jason O'Brien

Five of the eight Palm Beach recruits enjoyed their first taste of Gators football in a trial match against Gold Coast Eagles over the weekend.

The sides played five 20-minute stanzas with scores finishing roughly six tries apiece.

Across town, Griffith Uni Knights hosted Noosa Dolphins for a cross-Coast trial match under a similar format.

The Knights used the match to experiment with combinations and test match fitness but won the First Grade portion of the match.

Helensvale Hogs played their own inter-squad trial match, their final warm-up before Saturday’s grand final rematch against the Knights.

ALLEYGATORS MOVEMENT

IN: Lachlan Currie (Yorkshire-Carnegie, UK), Mitch Currie (Bond University), Sau Leeaotoa (Surfers Paradise), Michael Ali’ifaalogo (Hamilton Hawks, NSW), Andrew Vatuvei (Western Sydney Two Blues, NSW), Jordan Appi, Logo Fotofili

OUT: Darcy Hilton (Bangalow), James Hansen (Townsville), Mafu Moevao (Mackay)

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JULY 19

A trio of players from the rugby capital of the world, Auckland, New Zealand, will catapult Gold Coast rugby’s new kids on the block from also-rans to a competition dark horse.

Coomera coach James Askew’s links to the famous North Harbour province have helped attract a raft of former representative players from the region to don the club’s colours for the First Grade return.

Prop Tamati Tupaea will add starch across all three front row positions while Andrew Gentles and Jay Esgrove will form one of the toughest back-rows in the competition.

Blindside flanker Gentles has joined the club from Norths in Brisbane, where he moved in 2011/12 on a Queensland Reds scholarship.

Andrew Gentles, Jay Isgrove, Tamati Tupaea and James Askew at the Coomera Crushers club. Picture: Tertius Pickard

Inconvenient injuries let out air from the tyres of his professional rugby dream and at 29 he will enter his rugby prime for Coomera instead.

Such is the regard Gentles is held in that he has been appointed the club’s First Grade captain for their long-awaited return to the top flight.

Openside Jay Esgrove has been a recruitment target for coach Askew for more than 10 years.

“I was coaching Under-21s at East Coast Bays (in North Harbour) while Jay was playing in the under-19s,” Askew said.

“I spent the whole year trying to convince him to come play for me until I moved to the Gold Coast.

“I was coaching Crushers when he turned up to our information night in December – I’ve finally got him after 10 years.

“He’s probably going to be the fittest guy in the competition and the rest of our team will be able to feed off his energy.

“He’s a workhorse, like Matt Todd was for the Crusaders.”

The three additions to the club’s First Grade roster have reinforced that 2020 doesn’t have to be a wasted year in the top flight, Askew said.

Their new guiding lights can make them competitive instantly.

Andrew Gentles, Jay Isgrove, Tamati Tupaea and James Askew at the Coomera Crushers club. Picture: Tertius Pickard

“Finals would absolutely be the goal for our first year (back) in the comp,” Askew said.

“We’re trying to get our systems in place and we’ll definitely have a crack at making the finals.”

No.8 Dylan Maloney has made the move to Coomera from the Nerang Bulls and will likely complete the new-look backrow Askew has assembled.

His experience and leadership have been recognised by his appointment as the club’s vice-captain, Gentles’ deputy.

Coomera open their season away against Nerang on July 25.