Gold Coast Rugby Union 2020 Team of the Season

A survey of Gold Coast rugby coaches has produced the team of the season. Five clubs have been represented, with champions Colleges finishing with eight players selected.

The Gold Coast Bulletin surveyed seven of eight GCDRU first grade coaches to pick the 2020 team of the season.

Champions Colleges were well represented with eight players selected.

Semi-finallists PBC were the next best club, with four.

In total five of the eight GCDRU clubs had players honoured.

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1. CALEB ENOKA, NERANG

The young Nerang Bulls bookend secured three votes, the second-most popular prop in total among GCDRU First Grade coaches.

Nerang’s Caleb Enoka is a giant prop. Pic: Mike Batterham

At only 20 years of age Enoka figures to be a weapon around the field and at the scrum for years to come.

2. LACHIE CURRIE, PBC

The wide-running Palm Beach Currumbin Alleygators hooker cum flanker narrowly beat out Colleges’ Wayde Scott to start in the No.2 jersey.

Currie was the highest scoring front-rower in the competition with seven tries.

3. MIKE ALIIFAALOGO, PBC

Aliifaalogo scored the most coaches’ votes of any front rower in the competition. ‘Big Mike’ was the rock upon which the Alleygators built a ferocious scrum.

4. KERROD MARTORELLA, COLLEGES

The veteran Knights lock secured the second most votes of any player in the competition with 6/7 coaches endorsing him for this honour.

Griffith Uni Colleges Knights forward Kerrod Martorella runs at the Nerang Bulls defence during their GCDRU First Grade clash at Ashmore. Photograph : Jason O'Brien

Martorella is aging like a fine wine, with a wiley skillset that can catch defences off guard.

5. SEB GALLAGHER, COLLEGES

The second half of the Colleges engine room, Gallagher hung up the boots after the Knights incredible grand final triumph after losing a player to a red card early in the match.

His set piece expertise and presence around the locker room will be missed.

6. JAYE PATON, COLLEGES

Two stellar No.8s have forced their way into the team of the season.

The talismanic Colleges skipper was 2019’s Bob Sinclair medallist and was equally deserving of a nomination in 2020 as well.

7. HARRISON CUMMING, COLLEGES

Paton’s back-row partner, Cumming secured a perfect 7/7 of coach’s votes as the only unanimous selection.

Griffith University Knights Captain Harrison Cumming during the Gold Coast Rugby Union Captains media call for the 2020 Rugby launch at Burleigh Heads. Photo Scott Powick Newscorp

The flanker was a key cog in the competition’s strongest back-row unit, which was completed by blindside Tysen Urry.

8. XAVIER PEREKA, BOND

2020 rookie Xavier Pereka made a big impact in his first season on the Gold Coast. The former Hurricanes under-20s prospect was Bond’s captain and led from the front in a consistently well-beaten team. He is the piece Pirates must build their future around.

9. RODNEY PITA, PBC

A former AFL prospect in the Tongan national Aussie Rules team, Pita returned to his native code and has won plenty of admirers at Palm Beach Currumbin.

The diminutive scrumhalf was 2020’s Bob Sinclair medallist as the Gold Coast’s player of the year.

His spark and sleight of hand made him a dangerous opponent on the field.

10. JARROD NYSSEN, COLLEGES

Backline utilities seldom get the love they deserve, but Nyssen’s breakout performance in the 2020 Grand Final made a big impression on judges.

Knights flyhalf Jarrod Nyssen kicks in the 2020 Grand Final. Pic Mike Batterham

Nyssen played mostly in the centres and wing throughout the season but guided Colleges to the title with a man of the match performance in the decider.

11. BLAKE GRIFFIN, COLLEGES

The Gold Coast’s leading tryscorer in 2020. Griffin finished the regular season with 20 tries to his name. He proved a potent finisher on the end of Colleges’ ‘Death Star’ team, which will go down in GCDRU history as one of the classiest teams the competition has ever seen.

12. DELOUISE HOETER, SURFERS PARADISE

When the Queensland Cup season was abandoned, former Tongan rugby league international Del Hoeter swapped his Wynnum-Manly Seagulls for the Dolphins.

Francis Tualau and Delouise Hoeter. Picture: Nic Darveniza

He was a gamebreaking centre who was always a missed tackle away from taking the ball to the house, as multiple teams quickly learned.

13. LARRY HERMENS, COLLEGES

The former Queensland and New South Wales representative missed the bulk of the grand final through injury. It was a shame because the centre was arguably the Gold Coast’s best No.13 in 2020 after arriving at Colleges.

14. AUSTIN CAMPION, COLLEGES

The Bilambil Jets rugby league convert scored fewer tries than his wing opposite Blake Griffin but attracted the same number of votes from the Bulletin’s judging panel, with four nominations.

15. ETHAN LOLESIO, PBC

The elder brother of Wallabies flyhalf Noah Lolesio was picked twice at wing and twice at fullback, giving him the edge over Colleges fullback Connor Kennedy (two votes) and Will Bird (two votes).

Palm Beach Currumbin Alleygator Ethan Lolesio. Picture Glenn Hampson