Queensland’s top sport star prodigies revealed for 2023
From breaking records and earning selection in national teams to playing well above their age group, here are well over 100 Queensland sports prodigies who made a mark in 2023. SEE THE LIST
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Queensland is rife with sporting talent.
From both codes of rugby, to basketball, hockey, football and water sports, the state is in the safest of hands.
Leading the charge are schoolboy and schoolgirl prodigies, 100 of which we canvas below to recap a fantastic year.
This is merely a snapshot of the exciting players we glimpsed in South East Queensland.
If you know of some we are missing, comment below.
Jump to your sport: Rugby, rugby league, Australian rules football, basketball, soccer, water polo, swimming, hockey, athletics, netball and more.
SCHOOLBOY, SCHOOLGIRL SPORTING PRODIGIES OF 2023
RUGBY
Damon Humphrys
A Padua College Year 10 student, Damon Humphrys played First XV rugby and First XIII rugby league for his school.
Humphrys also broke an AIC record as part of Padua’s 6x400m relay team which ran a blistering 5:38.37 at the AIC track and field championships.
Humphrys also represented the Queensland Reds Under 16s team in the Super Rugby Under 16s competition and will be full of confidence entering Year 11.
Watch for his schoolmate Will Ross, an Australia Under 16s select, to impact the AIC rugby competition next year at lock.
Finn Mackay
Finn Mackay had a year to remember. A St Laurence’s College student, Mackay spearheaded his school to their third consecutive outright AIC First XV rugby premiership.
Following that season Mackay represented the Reds Under 16s and then the Australian Under 16s which was the icing on the cake for the Year 11 fly half.
He is a special talent with a brilliant kicking game.
Treyvon Pritchard
While we are on the topic of special, there aren’t many that fit the bill as well as this kid.
Treyvon Pritchard, remember the name.
An outside back born in New Zealand and attending Churchie, Pritchard also made the Australian Under 16s after a dazzling showing in the Super Rugby Under 16s competition.
He is a part of the Queensland Reds future.
Kingsley Uys
Uys, a Year 10 student from The Southport School, is also a Queensland Reds futures talent having inked a rugby contract with the club this year.
Following a strong GPS First XV season where Uys at times looked like a man among boys, he was selected in the Reds Under 16s and Australia Under 16s.
There was little wonder why Queensland signed this powerful loosehead prop and under the coaching of Mike Wallace, the sky is the limit.
Max Blanch
Churchie student Max Blanch didn’t make the Australian U16s but he was Mr Consistent for the Reds Under 16s, after a solid GPS rugby season.
Before playing for Churchie’s First XV Blanch was taking names in the Cyril Connell Challenge for the Brisbane Tigers.
Blanch, who plays centre in rugby and second row in league, packs a mean punch.
Ed Kasprowicz
The son of Australian Test champion Michael was making a name for himself this year at Nudgee College.
He played First XI cricket and First XV rugby as a lock where he helped Nudgee clinch back-to-back premierships.
Samson Tuqiri
While on the subject of sons of guns, Samson Tuqiri is just that.
The son of dual international Lote, Samson is a BBC school leaver who like Blanch, excels in both codes.
He is a Mal Meninga Cup selection and a Queensland Reds U18 player who donned the green and gold this year playing for the Australian Under 18s Sevens team at the Global Youth Sevens.
Samson, a winger, has Potential with a capital P.
Tafito Ah-Ki
Ah-Ki is a player you wish the Reds had a spot for.
With Tate McDermott, Kalani Thomas and Louis Werchon signed and Nudgee old boy Willem Johnstone on his way in, there is so much competition.
Even in his age group there is competition in James Martens and Luke Aiken among other so many other exciting young halfbacks.
But Ah-Ki is as good as them all.
A St Edmund’s College graduate, Ah-Ki was the lifeblood of his school’s rugby team and was an Australian Under 18s Sevens selection because of it.
He will play Colts 1 club rugby next season and will make noise around the competition for his energy, hustle plays and running ability out of scrumhalf.
Wallace Charlie
The St Peters Lutheran College student is a natural outside back talent who took a leap this year.
He was selected in the Australian Under 18s Sevens team and has flare and instincts.
Grubber kicks, side stepping, elusive ball running and a strong pass on both sides are trademarks of his game.
Xavier Rubens
Rubens played outside centre for BBC’s First XV and was a part of the school’s elite rowing team that made it into the top eight, out of a field of 43, in the prestigious Henley on Thames Royal Regatta in England.
Rubens represented the Reds Under 18s and starred with his tryscoring prowess.
He truly was a sporting prodigy.
Amahli Hala
The pocket dynamo from King’s Christian College.
Hala, a Youth Commonwealth Games champion and Australian Under 18 Sevens selection, wears headgear and scores tries in her sleep.
She is fast, has great rugby IQ and is being groomed to be the next Maddi Levi - but much smaller.
Ava Wereta
Wereta, a Coomera Crushers junior and King’s Christian College student like Hala, is another rugby sevens prospect brimming with potential.
She was an Australian Under 18s Sevens selection and has been learning her trade under champion coach Lawrence Faifua at Bond University.
Fleur Ginn
The ants pants of this group is this superstar from Stretton State College.
Ginn has the world at her feet such is her ability to break tackles and score tries.
She could make it to the NRLW, be a Wallaroo, or play alongside The Levi sisters in the Australian Sevens team.
She will be a Queensland Schoolgirls rugby league selection next year in her final year of schooling and has benefited majorly from the wealth of representative experience she has already at such a young age.
Lucinda Bourke
Bourke is a sporting all-rounder who attends St Margaret’s Anglican Girls’ School.
She has the potential to be professional cricketer or rugby player, having made the Queensland Under 19 cricket side and the Australian Under 18 Sevens side.
Watch this space.
Shalom Sauaso
If you search prodigy in the dictionary a photo of Ipswich State High School student Shalom Sauaso will appear.
She is the best rugby league and rugby union player in her age group.
A Year 10 student, wrecking ball Sauaso bumps off defenders, creates for her teammates, crunches ribs for fun, and is one of those special talents you will keep hearing about for years to come.
A list of her representative achievements to date would be longer than most shopping lists or Christmas wishlists.
Kiama Jione
The Brisbane Boys’ College student from the Sunshine Coast had an impressive year going from 10As rugby to selection in the Australian Under 16s side.
A No. 8 with strength, size and speed, Jione made a name for himself playing for the Queensland Country team at this year’s Emerging Reds Cup at Ballymore.
Nicholas Conway
The Reds wasted no time signing this Nudgee College flyer to a contract.
Conway, a winger, made his GPS First XV rugby debut this year in fashion with four tries against Brisbane Grammar.
That game alone would have been enough for Reds Talent ID Paul Carozza to include him in the Queensland Reds Under 16s side.
However, Conway suffered a season-ending knee injury which prevented him from playing in the Super Rugby Under 16s.
Keep an eye on the quick, brown-haired fullback or wing next year as Nudgee College look to make it three GPS rugby premierships in a row.
Helping him get it done will be Australian Under 16 selections Bennett Armistead, a lock and Liam Robinson, a hooker.
Frankie Goldsbrough
Goldsbrough is enjoying a Super Rugby pre-season in the pristine Ballymore facilities at the moment.
A Churchie graduate, Goldsbrough was a rugby league young gun who had represented the Broncos Under 17 team.
The Reds signed him earlier this year and Goldsbrough has not stopped playing rugby ever since.
From Churchie First XV action to Queensland Under 18 and 19s selection, the defensively sound outside centre has been busy.
Hopa Leota
The Reds made a move for centre Goldsbrough, and a move for Iona College prop Hopa Leota may be close.
The Year 11 front rower played for Brothers in Colts 1 this season and then for the Reds Under 18s and 19s sides before being named in the Australian Schools and U18s side.
The Iona College 2024 school captain is in the Taniela Tupou mould and started the year a good player. He finished it a star in the making.
Luke Aiken
The Sunshine Coast Grammar product is the best halfback in his age group.
He has a bullet pass and has been making the Reds Academy teams for some years now.
Colts 1 club rugby will be great for Aiken, who was an Australian Schools and U18s selection.
Jude Knapp
Marist College Ashgrove’s Sportsman of the Year played First XV rugby, First XIII rugby league and was a whiz on the Volleyball court, captaining the team.
He will play Colts 1 rugby for GPS next year under coach Chris Kuridrani.
Manaaki Bateman
Bateman was arguably the best hooker in the AIC First XV rugby competition and was selected in the Australian Schoolboys team.
The Year 11 student can scrum, tackle, score and lead very well.
Moses Manu
Brisbane State High School graduate Moses Manu captained the Australian Schoolboys side this year after spearheading his school’s First XV during the GPS season.
Manu was the competition’s leading try scorer (nine tries) and is also a Meninga Cup premiership with the Souths-Logan Magpies (2022).
Jack Henry
Henry is just the second student from Canterbury College to ever be selected in an Australian schoolboys rugby side. The first was Andrew Muirhead, who spent most of his schoolboys career at Brisbane State High School after leaving the college. Henry, who plays number 8, is a leader through and through and was Canterbury’s everywhere man in TAS first XV rugby.
He was a prodigy because he was school captain, rugby captain and of course one of the competition’s finest forwards - if not the finest.
Tom Robinson
The Gregory Terrace school captain is a terrific leader and elite lock in rugby.
He leads from the front with his actions but has a unique way of bringing a playing group together with his words.
He is the type of bloke who could play Super Rugby.
James Martens and James Alexander
Brisbane Boys’ College graduates Martens and Alexander are First XI cricket and First XV rugby guns who are very similar.
They are both athletic and tallish with great IQ and speed.
Alexander, the BBC school captain, has been a Queensland Under 17s Cricket and Queensland Reds Under 18s select while Martens has also represented the Reds Under 18s.
Both are elite scrumhalves in rugby and top-notch all-rounders in cricket.
Liam Payne
Payne is a Mr Natural, a good all around sportsman who on the rugby field has that x-factor about him. He can effortlessly find the try line from 40m out, either by engineering space himself, or finishing a chance created by a teammate.
The St Paul’s School Year 11 student is only getting started.
DJ Gray
The prince of fullbacks with blinding acceleration and power for days.
A Year 10 student at John Paul College, Gray attacks strongly, has great hands and can make seemingly impossible cover tackles with his speed.
An exciting player who could set the TAS First XV rugby competition alight next year.
Jacob Johnson
Johnson was a point of difference with his pace which was dangerous in counter attack for Nudgee College.
The Year 11 student was Nudgee’’s post potent back and at fullback he was ultra-consistent.
Johnson also had an ability to find touch from acute angles and was special.
Amaziah Murgha
Murgha arrived on the GPS rugby scene with rare attacking skills. He is lightning quick, an excitement machine who can score tries with his elusive running, or save them with his cover defence.
Murgha is in the Ipswich Jets Meninga Cup squad and scored nine tries in the GPS rugby season for Ipswich Grammar alongside young guns Tyson Walker and Finn Kendall.
Jack Corby
The versatile Corby is a mobile big man. He started the AIC rugby season as a back rower, but his move to lock allowed Padua to play three fierce loose men – all the while having a lock with great hands, mobility and a willingness to tackle close to the ruck or on the edge. He was a discovery player who excels in both codes.
Fergus Gillan
Was there a more worthy Australian schoolboys selection than TSS lock Fergus Gillan? He was not only the best lock in the GPS First XV, it could be argued he was the best back five forward. He was consistent, aggressive and a great leader who was the backbone of TSS’s remarkable season which started with little expectations.
Gillan was a tall, blue collar worker who got better and better.
Macarius Pereira
He we are again, talking up this marvellous veteran of three Nudgee First XV campaigns.
The 2023 Australian Schools and U18s select was the complete package. Aggressive, physical, powerful, and a great leader.
He is a Brisbane Tigers Meninga Cup player but he may play for the Sunnybank Dragons in club rugby after that season is finished.
Will Tozer
Tozer played First XV rugby for Padua, and First XI cricket where he was a terrific all-rounder.
This summer he spearheaded the Valleys Taverners Under 17 cricket team with his bit-hitting ability and fast bowling.
Larry Clark
Clark graduated from Villanova this year after playing Firsts for Aussie rules, rugby and rugby league.
He was a First XV playmaker as a Year 10 student and helped Villa stay competitive in a variety of sports.
Ben Addley
The Villanova College sporting all-rounder played Firsts Aussie rules football, Firsts rugby and Firsts rugby league.
Addley made our AIC rugby Team of the Season and was awarded his school’s Best and Fairest and Players’ Player award after winning three Doubles Daley medals throughout the season.
The flanker was also impressive in the 13-man-game at this year’s Confraternity Carnival, and in helping Villanova win the AIC rugby league premiership.
He will play Meninga Cup for East Brisbane in 2024 where his go-forward will march the Tigers up the field.
Jackson Moloney
Addley’s schoolmate Jackson Moloney was an Australian Schoolboy selection in 2023.
He played First XI cricket, First XV rugby and First V basketball and we didn’t go a week without mentioning him in our Team of the Week stories.
Ben Davis
Like Clark, Davis was a sporting all-rounder for St Laurence’s College.
The tall and mobile Davis played Firsts Aussie rules, rugby and rugby league as a Year 11 student.
RUGBY LEAGUE
Malaela Su’a
Su’a has been making waves in both rugby sevens, league and union for a few years now. Having now played for Queensland in both league and sevens - Su’a is certainly an exciting prospect to watch.
Gold Coast Titans signed, she is well balanced on the field and is known for her powerful runs and dominant defensive style, often causing attackers to think twice before running through her channel twice.
The Mabel Park State High School graduate will feature for the Titans in the NRLW next year. There is no doubt about it.
Jack Chandler
St Edmund’s College student Jack Chandler did it all. He was a terrific flanker in their First XV rugby team then led the charge as a hooker in their rugby league side.
He made our rugby and rugby league team’s of the season.
Mitch Rogers
Contracted by the Canterbury Bulldogs, Rogers was Man of the Match for his club Redcliffe in the Meninga Cup premiership win, made the Confraternity Shield Team of the Carnival and helped Padua College to a joint premiership in the AIC First XIII rugby league competition after helping them to an unnoffical rugby grand final against St Laurence’s the term earlier.
He should have played for the Queensland schoolboys as well.
Prestyn Laine-Sietu
Laine-Sietu was a winner. He was a Meninga Cup premiership winner for the Redcliffe Dolphins, a Queensland schoolboys league selection and a Nudgee College First XV premiership winner. He was a centre in both codes, but it was impressive watching him master the nuances of rugby.
He turned out to be one of Nudgee’s best at the breakdown, often pinching ball from his opposition.
Will Lane
One of the AIC competition’s hardest workers, Lane was rewarded with a contract offer from the Manly club. A back rower, he started the season in the successful Wynnum Manly Seagulls system and carried that form over into playing First XV rugby – often as a centre – and then AIC league in his preferred No. 13 jersey.
Cameron Bukowski
Bukowski was elite this year, culminating in captaining Villa to a shared AIC First XIII rugby league premiership. The Broncos contracted hooker was everything to Villa – a tackling machine, ballplayer and running ace who played for the Queensland schoolboys league side. He was also the Villa First XV captain (centre) and a century maker in First XI cricket who garnished his sporting season by helping Villanova claim victory in the open 4x100m AIC track and field relay.
Alton Naiyep
It was no surprise to hear Manly signed this brave, hard running winger who accelerates into the defence during death defying return runs from kicks.
Naiyep is an ace finisher who was influential in helping Ipswich State High School become one of the nation’s finest rugby league programs over the past two years.
Sam Stephenson
Stephenson started the season as the most promising outside back in the Langer Trophy competition and he did not disappoint. Tall, long striding, Stephenson was a left centre strike weapon who the Titans have enjoying an NRL pre-season despite being a Year 11 student at rugby league nursery Palm Beach Currumbin SHS.
Zane Harrison
Harrison was at the steering wheel of PBC SHS’s remarkable surge through the schoolboy league season, culminating with an appearance in the NRL Schoolboys Cup grand final. Titans’ signed, Harrison’s halfback play, control and kicking game was outstanding this season and he and Stephenson are mixing it with the best at Parkwood this NRL off-season.
Alex Leapai
Leapai was the best prop in the Langer Trophy, a driving force behind Mabel Park’s fairytale run across the home-and-away season. More mobile than the previous season, he was a power forward with an ability to unload in contact while scoring more tries than any other tight forward.
Imagine Leapai, David Fifita and Tino Fa’asuamaleaui running out together Titans fans - three forwards from the land of the giants.
Taylan Toa (Marsden SHS)
Taylan Toa is an edge back rower from Marsden SHS who has been signed by the Gold Coast Titans. The Year 10 student tasted senior football this season in the Langer Trophy.
Lewis Symonds
Symonds was the best forward in the Langer Trophy not to make the Queensland schoolboys side. A No. 13, the national track and field medal winning athlete took his game to another level and is exactly the type of kid who will bob in up in an NRL top 30 squad in the years ahead.
Signed by the Dolphins, Symonds runs hard, makes offloads and links with his playmakers very well.
John Fineanganofo
Fineanganofo is a terrific ballplayer, the best at his craft in his age group. He earned Queensland and Australian schoolboy selection, and has already played first grade at Redcliffe. Fineanganofo can play No. 13 or five-eight, but also impact off the bench as a No. 14.
He is skilful, can kick goals, create with his pass and is well built.
Coby Black
Black was the most talented half across schoolboy league this season, winning Queensland schoolboys selection and taking Marsden SHS to the top of the table during the Langer Trophy home-and-away season. The Broncos signed Black has been learning off the best at Red Hill this off-season as part of the Broncos full-time training squad.
Watch for him in years to come.
Tyler Peckham-Harris
Jack-in-the-box Peckham-Harris was a regular on our high achievers list for two seasons now. An elite fullback in 2022 – including when he helped Ipswich SHS through its unbeaten 2022 season – Peckham-Harris was swung to hooker this season where he was possibly more effective with his running game and courage in defence.
He will play SG ball for the Dragons and with his mindset, bravery and raw ability, he can make it to the NRL.
David Bryenton
Bryenton was a new boy on the block from New Zealand and he starred for Burleigh in the Connell Cup season, but then for Keebra Park SHS in the Walters Cup.
With more than a smattering of x-factor, Bryenton went from an unknown to the best fullback in his age group in 2023.
Reece Walsh protege.
Majah-Jose Peachey
Mabel Park SHS Year 10 student Majah-Jose Peachey was signed by the Titans after impressing as a left edge rugby league runaway in this season’s Connell Challenge under-16s for Wynnum-Manly.
Peachey continued to impress in the Walters cup Year 10 competition and was rewarded with selection in the Queensland Schoolboys side.
Tawa-Dean Simpkins
Whenever we mentioned Jose-Peachey this year Simpkins was mentioned as well.
A dangerous fullback or centre, Simpkins played for the Seagulls and for Mabel Park with Jose-Peachey and caught the eye immediately with his quick feet and vision.
Simpkins is fast. He glides from sideline to sideline. He is also a great playmaker, strong defender and has a mean step.
The Queensland Schoolboys selection is signed by the Bulldogs.
Lui Lee
Signed by the Sydney Roosters, Lee played the full season in Langer Trophy despite being a Walters Cup Year 10 age group player. He played wing or centre and is tall, naturally athletic and not afraid of contact.
He played for the Queensland under 15s last year and is coming off playing in the Roosters junior system earlier in the year.
Tyson Walker
Walker, brother of Roosters half Sam, played for the Ipswich Jets Connell Challenge team to start the year, then for Ipswich Grammar’s First XV rugby team as a Year 10 where his kicking game was brilliant from fullback.
He finished the season playing that position for the Queensland Reds Under 16s.
Finn Kendall
The Roosters signed centre played First XV rugby for Ipswich Grammar alongside Walker as a Year 10 student after being an excellent defender and tryscorer for the Jets Connell Challenge team.
Kendall and Walker’s schoolmate Brock Coombes was also fantastic on the wing for Ipswich Grammar and for the Reds Under 16s.
Finn Lawson
Lawson, a dual sporting prodigy, pulled on the green and gold jersey for the second year running despite his limited experience playing rugby union. The current Sunshine Coast Falcons rugby league player travelled to Japan in 2022 before earning back-to-back Australian schoolboy selections. The explosive outside back played left wing in union but can cover a wide range of spots on the rugby league field. He was awarded the Sunshine Coast Falcons Mal Meninga Cup players’ player and player of the year at the 2023 end of season awards and also picked up players’ player award for his Queensland One team.
Nelson Makaafi (Palm Beach Currumbin SHS)
A second row rower, he was a key member for Burleigh’s Cyril Connell team this year. Nelson is a damaging ball runner who possesses a great athletic profile.
Charlie and Ruben Webb
Charlie, a Year Nine, and Ruben, a Year 10, are young playmakers from Wavell SHS.
Both possess a deadly sidestep, speed and a knack for scoring.
They led the charge for their respective Hancock Cup and Walters cup sides in 2023.
Innocent Baruani
A barnstorming second rower who is a men among boys in his age group.
A under 15s player from Ipswich State High, Baruani’s older brothers Kulu and Munga were elite Langer Trophy wingers who attended Ipswich and Keebra Park respectively.
Ezekial Jones
Jones is a true blue Wynnum-Manly Seagulls junior who took his game to another level playing No. 9 this season.
He was signed by the Broncos during the Connell Challenge season.
Jordan Hotere
A New Zealand product, Met North and Queensland Schoolboys select, Hotere is the full package five-eighth who will not be unsigned for long.
Jared Horne
Who could forget this exciting Wavell State High School lock prospect.
Broncos signed Horne was a consistent performer for his school’s Langer Trophy side as a Year 10 student after having a stellar season in captaining the Norths Devils Connell Challenge team.
Watch for him to be one of the Langer Trophy’s best forwards in 2024 after being match-hardened alongside lock Lauloto Salei, the ballplaying Wavell captain.
Dean Tauaa
The Mabel State High School Year 10 student was a revelation at centre this year.
He had a stunning Walters Cup campaign which culminated in a Broncos junior contract.
Zac Garton
Garton, a Caloundra SHS and Sunshine Coast Falcons product, guided the Redcliffe Dolphins to their 2023 Meninga Cup premiership. The Queensland schoolboys edge forward is built low to the ground but is a powerful force on both sides of the ball. He’s set to train with the Dolphins NRL squad in the pre-season and look for him to be a piercing force in the coming years.
Ellyjah Birve
After shining for the Queensland White under 15 rep team at the nationals last season, Birve took his game to another level in 2023. The flair-filled playmaker led his inaugural Caloundra SHS side in the Walters Cup and was also called up into the senior Langer Trophy side. Birve is already on the radar for the Melbourne Storm and should be another standout performer for the Falcons next season.
Ebony Raftstrand-Smith (Keebra Park SHS)
The Auckland born Raftstrand-Smith was an Australian Schoolgirls wonder this season who attended Keebra Park SHS.
Raftstrand-Smith has good pace and a sense to run into a hole, but what we loved most about her was her hard hitting defence. She has a great tackle technique and hit like a Mac Truck, especially at the Nationals staged at Redcliffe this year.
Signed by the Cowboys, Raftstrand-Smith and sister Tiana, a powerful forward, are rising stars of the game.
Mercedez Taulelei-Siala (Marsden SHS)
The Marsden SHS outside back was an Australian Schoolgirls rep whose power off the mark, speed and stepping has long been a standout of her game.
Signed by the Broncos, Taulelei-Siala could have pursued a career in rugby but like Sauaso, has a future in the Broncos NRLW set-up.
Tavarna Papalii (Keebra Park State High School)
Ebony Raftstrand-Smith’s partner in crime is this elite Keebra Park lock who is dynamic, capable of an offload an terrific leader.
The Sydney Roosters signee has great IQ and has the talent to go all the way.
Alice Shannon (Mabel Park SHS)
We are looking at the discovery player of the year.
Bulldozing prop Shannon played in the countries best schoolgirls rugby league team this year (Mabel Park) and made the Australian Schoolgirls team after being called up into the Queensland team as a late inclusion.
She lifts the momentum with her dominance on both sides of the ball.
Reegan Hicks (Australian Christian College Moreton)
Like Shannon, Hicks is an exciting Year 11 prospect who earned Queensland Schoolgirls selection after a strong club season where she did everything for the Dolohins in the Under 19s competition.
Tall and hard to bring down, Stanley River Wolves junior Hicks has tremendous upside and was a bolter in the Australian Schoolgirls team which toured Papua New Guinea.
Relna Wuruki-Hosea (Ipswich Girls’ Grammar)
From Badu Island in the Torres Straits, Ipswich Girls’ Grammar School winger Hosea has been one of the top players in her age group for years now.
Quick with strength and skill, Hosea played exceptionally for the Ipswich Jets earlier in the year and has a future in the NRLW.
She is not dissimilar to Anton Naiyep who we mentioned earlier in that she is one of the best at returning the ball out of the danger zone.
Jaida Faleono (Keebra Park SHS)
A sporting all-rounder from Keebra Park SHS who is destructive in both rugby league and rugby, where she played a big part in Bond University’s back-to-back club premierships.
Watch for her to impact club rugby and rugby league in 2024.
Kate Ellem (Chancellor State College)
Kate Ellem is one of Australia’s brightest touch football prospects having represented both the Queensland Secondary Schools (Fire) and the Australian 18 Girls team at the Atlantic Cup.
From Chinchilla, Ellem is a future Emus player who could excel in rugby league as well such is her natural ability.
She is a Sunshine Falcons representative player.
Lila Parr
Parr exploded onto the rugby league scene in 2023 as the year 11 Chancellor State College student first honed her skills in touch football. Parr was lured into league this year after being “impressed by the pathways for girls’’ in the code and was a standout performer at the under 18 Queensland schoolgirls competition. In her first year of rugby league she’s definitely stamped her feet as a player to keep a close eye on.
RELATED LINKS
TOP 100 SCHOOLGIRL, SCHOOLBOY CRICKETERS IN QUEENSLAND
FOUR CODES, 100 SCHOOLGIRL STARS GLIMPSED THIS YEAR
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AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL
Luca Laverde (PBC SHS)
A Year 12 student at PBC SHS, he was a terrific leader in the Palm Beach Currumbin club side which lost narrowly in the QAFL grand final. He joined an All-Star PBC SHS side in the Schools Cup.
Nelson Beikoff-Smart (PBC SHS)
Beikoff-Smart is a versatile type who tends to play wing in club footy for Palm Beach Currumbin where he is dangerous and creative with his run, footy smarts and clever ball use. But he also rolls into the midfield, while at the Gold Coast Suns’ under 18s he is used as a half back flanker. He also represented the Queensland under 17s.
Charlie Elliott (PBC SHS)
The Year 12 student from northern New South Wales on the Palm Beach Currumbin Best and Fairest after shining as a midfielder in the QAFL colts competition. This was his second year in Colts for PBC, having played in their 2022 premiership winning team.
He is a lightning-fast, livewire midfielder with a deadly left foot kick and very potent when rotating onto the forward line where he kicked 25 goals this season.
Havana Harris (Bond Uni)
The 17-year-old Burleigh junior was again the best age group player we saw this season. She won All Australian under 18 selection after snaring the AFL National Championships Best of Fairest award. She averaged 18.3 disposals (9.3 contested), three marks and 17 hit-outs.
A key forward or ruck, the imposing Harris also produced a BoG effort for the premiership winning Bond University QAFLW side.
Kiara Bischa (PBC SHS)
Bischa was magnificent for PBC SHS throughout the school season, including during the Schools Cup triumph. The All Australian under 18 representative and Suns Academy player has shut down some of the best in the league this season.
Allanah Welsh (Burleigh)
Centre half forward Welsh was excellent this season playing for Burleigh in the under 17s and for Queensland at the under 18 nationals. It was no surprise to see her bob up on QSchools Cup grand final day with a BoG performance for Palm Beach Currumbin SHS.
Ava Usher (Bond Uni)
The baby of the all-Australian team, 16-year-old Usher continued to climb mountains in the footy world where her explosive speed impacts matches.
The rover is a Gold Coast Suns academy player.
Sunny Lappin (Hillcrest Christian College)
Lappin was again a dynamo, starring for the Suns Academy under 16s and for Queensland under 18s at the AFL nationals.
Dekota Baron (Broadbeach Cats)
Gold Coast Suns contracted from sporting rich Logan City, this All Australian player has a dynamic vertical leap and clearly has a big future. The Park Ridge SHS was one of the very, very best we glimpsed this season.
BASKETBALL
Rocco Zikarsky
The 220cm giant has been a solid role-player for the Brisbane Bullets in a resurgent season for the club.
Still just 17-years-old, the future could not be brighter for Zikarksy, a block specialist who is playing just as good as Aron Baynes right now.
Ben Tweedy
The GPS competition hasn’t seen many like Ben Tweedy.
This year he was a lock to drop 30 points a game and he did it with ease.
At least it looked easy.
He knows his game and plays to his strengths, getting to his spots and making defenders pay with his soft touch and smooth handles.
Jaylen Pitman
The Cairns hooper is lightning fast, unselfish and a defensive juggernaut who can has springs under him.
A TSS premiership winner (2022,2023) who has improved under the guidance of champion coach Anthony Petrie, Pitman can put opponents on a poster, pick their pocket, or finish through contact.
What is most impressive about Pitman is that he is more than happy to play second or third fiddle. What matters to Pitman is winning and he wants everyone around him to succeed.
Roman Siulepa
A Brisbane State High Year 11 student, Siulepa has got every trick in the book, and most definitely a competitive edge.
If he isn’t dropping 30, he can be seen on a rugby field storming down the sideline on his way to score.
He is an athlete, and uses his strength, size and speed to dominate on the court.
Cooper Rowlings
A towering figure who went from strength to strength this year playing for St Peters Lutheran College’s First V basketball team.
Rowlings helped lead the Brisbane Capitals to both the SQJBC and state championship titles this past season, and St Peters to one of their best seasons in recent history.
Rowlings, an Australian Under 17s player, is a dynamic athlete for his size and has upside about him.
Indy Cotton
From Adelaide now honing his skills at TSS on the Gold Coast, Cotton has been earmarked as one of Australia’s rising stars in basketball and is under the guidance of TSS coaching doyen Anthony Petrie which will be great for his development.
Watch for Cotton to drop 25 points a game in next year’s GPS competition.
Olivia Olechnowicz
Southern Districts Spartans talent Olivia Olechnowicz, now at the Logan Thunder, is not only regarded as one of Queensland’s best lockdown on-ball defenders but also around Australia.
A freight-train in transition, two-way-weapon Olechnowicz is someone who can attack the paint to create a bucket for herself and teammates.
She went from good to great in 2023.
Trae Dombroski (Logan Thunder)
An exciting Logan Thunder junior who has x-factor.
A scorer, Dombroski averaged over 30 points a game at the South, Central and North Queensland Junior Basketball Competition (SQJBC) this year to lead all scorers.
A forward who stands tall at 185cm, Dombroski has the, athleticism, finishing touch, the mid-range game and is a willing passer.
He scores points for fun.
Teyahna Bond (Cairns)
She is athletic. She can play at full throttle for the full forty. She can knock down threes while being efficient inside the arc. She can lock down on defence.
What can’t Teyahna Bond do? We are yet to find out.
Emma and Jessica Petrie
Of great basketball pedigree, Emma and her older sister Jessica are junior prodigies who use their athleticism and height to deal damage in the paint.
18-year-old Jessica is playing for the Nebraska women’s basketball team this season while Emma continues to make Queensland’s state teams.
Hunter and Phoenix Trego
The Gregory Terrace twins played First V basketball for three years and were elite in every game.
If their shot wasn’t falling, you bet they found another way to impact the game whether it be through their defensive energy or playmaking.
Sharp from behind the arc and clinical around the rim, the Trego twins were entertainment-plus and Terrace will sorely miss their incredible ability to sink threes and drop opponents to their knees.
SOCCER
Lucas Herrington
Brisbane Roar centre back Lucas Herrington is an intelligent footballer, who reads the game well and has a huge presence on and off the pitch.
He led his team in the 2022 Bill Turner Cup with his organisational skills and passing ability and looked at home in GPS First XI football this year as a Year 10 student.
Quinn MacNicol (Churchie)
Midfielder MacNicol is a young veteran who has already achieved so much, including becoming the Brisbane Roar FC’s youngest player to make his senior debut at age 15.
He is from the renowned Rochedale Rovers FC system and is a Roar A-League scholarship holder.
Edward Ince (St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace)
Ince was the only Queenslander who made the final under 17 Joey’s side, evidence of this elite attacking player’s ability. He has been with the Brisbane Roar since being invited into its under 13 academy in 2019.
Nudgee College’s Rylan Brownlie is also a Brisbane Roar contracted player who is making a name for himself at the club despite being a Year 11 student.
Tully Heatley (Kelvin Grove State College)
A Future Matildas selection, Heatley was the best schoolgirl midfielder we saw, someone who had an influence on Kelvin Grove’s Schools Premier League premiership.
Jonti Fisher (Kelvin Grove State College)
An outstanding winger, this Future Matildas squad member is also a lethal attacking weapon. She has made the Australian U18s team.
Rosie McMahon
The young star has already donned the green and gold jersey for the junior U17 Matildas after top string performances for the QAS under 15 girls team in the NPL Women’s U23 competition. McMahon, who is a Matthew Flinders Anglican College student, has also played cricket at a state level. She’s a star on the rise and certainly one to keep an eye on for years to come.
Amber Faherty
Faherty also continued to rise in 2023, gaining selection in the junior Matildas training squads and Queensland schoolgirls sides. The Kawana Waters State College student is a strong and demanding player in the centre midfield and has starred for Queensland at the Youth Nationals and in the futsal arena. She is a technically gifted player and can escape high pressure situations using her sublime ball skills – and her Queensland Maroon Under 14s selection is proof of her talent.
Isaac Roach
The Marist College ashgrove sporting all-rounder played Firsts Aussie rules in term one, First XI football in term two, First XIII rugby league in term three and was a valuable member of their triumphant track and field side which won the AIC for the ninth year in a row.
WATER POLO
Max Culleton (Warriors)
An Australian under 19s selection, Churchie old boy Culleton is a gun goalie with a knack of big match saves.
Willow Spero
Spero, 15, was moved up an age group to make her Australian representative debut and play in the U17s side. Her team toured America in June to face off against teams in the USA Club National Events.
Claire McCulloch
Matthew Flinders Anglican College student Claire McCulloch is an inspiring star. When she was seven-years-old she was 160cm tall and diagnosed with a gigantism-linked brain tumour. The now 17-year-old has not let her diagnoses get the better of her as she earned her second Australian cap in 2023.
Smith Connors
Good Shepherd Lutheran College student Smith Connors also earned his second Australian cap in 2023 and has been a key performer on the Sunshine Coast. Connors was also the 2022 recipient of the Sunshine Coast’s ‘Next Gen Athlete of the Year’.
Will Valentine (UQ Water Polo)
Valentine was a natural selection in the national 19s, having come through the junior representative system. A Marist College Ashgrove product, he continues to enhance his reputation as the stakes get higher.
Taoso Taoso (UQ Water Polo)
Contracted by the Dolphins NRL academy, the tall, athletic Taoso has shown an ability to perform under pressure. He is a natural in this environment and has made the Australian under 19 squad.
Taafili Taoso (Mermaids)
The BSHS student who has broken into the Australian Women’s 20 & U and debuted as a schoolgirl for the Queensland Thunder after starting as a novice.
Molly Nasser (Mermaids, QLD)
from the famous Nasser family. A Stuartholme old girl, she is a left handed goal scoring machine. Her uncle played rugby at the highest level, and her cousin is a Queensland Reds representative and now she is a razor sharp water polo talent.
Eve Gath (North Brisbane Polo Bears)
An All Hallows’ School prodigy, the long-limbed Gath has learned plenty watching Olympic goalie Gabi Palm do her thing playing for the Thunder. She is an outstanding athlete in her own right.
Kate Blew (Mermaids)
A tenacious player who can blitz teams with her own scoring skills, but also an acute ability to set up teammates.
Dylan Jennison (UQ Water Polo)
The snowy-haired Jennison is a dynamic player who was named in one of four Water Polo Australia development under 16 teams bound for Europe.
Mitchell Lazarus (North Brisbane Polo Bears)
Lazarus has risen through the rich rivers which run through the booming Polo Bears club. He is another Australian development team selection for under 16s in the Eurpeaon touring squad.
Oliver Moncur (UQ Water Polo)
A UQ Barras strike weapon who continues to tick every box as the seasons click by. It was no surprise to see him in the Australian under 16 development squad headed to Europe.
Chelsea Johnson and co.
Queensland is blessed to have these four young women from Mermaids, Chelsea Johnson, Mia Freeman, Meg Hofstee and Phoebe McGuire, driving through the system. The schoolgirls were all named as the Maroons representatives in the Australian Women’s Junior Development team which toured the United States.
In addition to these terrific water polo aces, the following boys made Australian under 16 development sides headed to either New Zealand or USA - Ryan Allan (Mantas), Tom Elliott (Mantas), Ernest Gawthorn (Sunshine Coast), Charley Hegarty (Mantas), Zac Hutton (Sunshine Coast), Sam Kettle (UQ Water Polo), Fynnian Norris (Sunshine Coast), Wade Wildin-Powell (Mantas), Tom Sloman (North Brisbane Polo Bears), Sean Bright (UQ), Joseph Cervetto (UQ), Harry Colley (Noosa), Patrick Duggan (UQ Water Polo), Sam Eyles (UQ), Kairo Lynch (North Brisbane Polo Bears), Angus Cope (UQ Water Polo) and Joseph Gallagher (UQ).
SWIMMING
Jaclyn Barclay (St Peters), Tiana Kritzinger (Rackley) and co
Queensland was such a swimming rich region, that 18 of the 30 athletes selected for this year’s world junior championship hailed from Queensland.
One was a country kid, Rocky City’s Taryn Roberts, who continues to turn potential into performance.
Sprint ace Milla Jansen (Bond), towering freestyler Hannah Casey (MCA), Hayley Mackinder (Griffith), Sunshine Coast prodigy Jamie Perkins (now St Peters), Saints club mate Amelia Weber (St Peters) and Miami flyers Olympia Pope and Georgie Roper all earned selection in the female events.
The versatile Jaclyn Barclay (St Peters) was there, and so was big hearted long distance swimmer Tiana Kritzinger (Rackley).
Ike Martinez, Thomas Pattison and mates.
We just read about Miami’s Olympia Pope making the girls contingent bound for the world juniors, but Miami were also represented by Karl Albertyn on the male side of the fence. Three other coast teens joined him, Bond pair Flynn Southam, Gideon Burnes (Bond) and Enoch Robb (All Saints). Terrace’s dynamic Ike Martinez (Rackley), Anders McAlpine (Chandler), Thomas Pattison (Churchie) and Edward Sommerville (Brisbane Grammar).
Note these names. You are sure to see some at the 2024 or 2028 Olympics.
Hannah Allen, Mikayla Bird and co
This dynamic duo spearheaded Australia’s gold rush at the junior Commonwealth Games earlier in the year.
Bird (Bond) snared seven medals, including three golds. Among her first placings was butterfly victories in the 100m and 200m. Allen (Iona) claimed a gold medal in the 800m and a silver medal in the 400m.
CHAC student Zoe Ammundsen, Jye Bennion and Poppy Stephen were also all a part of the Australian swimming team at the Games.
Sophie Martin
The St Margaret’s Anglican Girls’ School student who trains at Summerville House Swimming Club.
During a junior career full of highs, Martin overcame not one but two dislocated knees to return to first class swimming and be one of the QGSSSA’s most exciting prospects.
Indeed the QGSSSA competition has a rish history in producing international swimmers.
HOCKEY
Georgia Harris
Talk about a schoolgirl prodigy. The Arana Ascot junior has come through the representative system and now finds herself in the National Futures squad (under 18s) alongside fellow Queenslanders Meka Crick (Fraser Coast) and Lily Richardson (Brisbane)
Cody Hale (Easts)
Hale is punching above his weight, with the 15-year-old representing the Queensland under 18s at the nationals this year. He has always been a high achiever, who two years ago was Queensland player of the tournament at the under 13 nationals.
Meka Crick
A Granville Hockey Club junior from Maryborough State High School, Crick is a former Australian schoolgirls representative who this year was a shadow player for the Queensland under 21s. She is in the National Futures Squad for under 18s.
Lily Richardson
The Easts junior and Moreton Bay College student is another Queenslanders identified in the, she stamped herself as a serious player of the future when named Hockey Player of the under 18 National Futures Squad.
Mihaylia Howell (Brisbane)
Narangba product Mihaylia Howell continues to kick goals above her pay grade, with the 17-year-old being named in the Australian Jillaroos under 21 squad.
Tammin Andrews
A Keebra Park SHS student, Andrews has been identified as a leading prospect to represent Australia at the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.
Chloe Daly
A Sunshine Coast product now in the bosom of the proud Kedron Wavell club, daly is a goalkeeping ace who earlier this year was in the extended Australian Women’s Futures under 18 squad.
Karissa Van Der Wath
A current Brisbane State High School student, Van Der Wath is an elite rookie who last month represented Australia at the under 21 Junior World Cup with the Jillaroos.
Tayla Bartholomeusz (Brisbane)
Bartholomeusz is another rising star play out of her age group. A Brisbane State High School student from the St Andrews Ladies Hockey Club, Bartholomeusz has been making representative teams since she was a child. Aged only 16, this year she was in the Queensland under 18 No. 2 side.
Lara Pyle
A school mate of Tayla Bartholomeusz at Brisbane State High School, the Arana Ascot junior has been a regular face in Queensland under age teams this decade.
Lily Punch (Brisbane)
From a high achieving sporting family, Punch was Player of the Tournament at under 15 national championships. She plays locally with the Kedron Wavell club.
Joel Hubbard and co.
From a famous hockey sporting family, Joel Hubbard (Easts) joined Nicholas Keir (Norths), Cooper Punch (Kedron Wavell) and Rhys Stenzel (Ipswich) in helping Queensland into the under 18 national grand final earlier this year.
Elke Cooper (Brisbane)
Cooper, 15, was a teammate of Punch’s at the nationals, helping Queensland win the under 15 championships.
Kara Bradley and co.
Bradley (Ascot Arana), Jade Bartholomeusz (St Andrews), BSHS graduate Montana Carr (Commercial) were all member of the Queensland under 18 side which finished first at this year’s nationals.
Dominic Anderson and co.
Queensland’s future is in good hands with these hockey prodigies at the helm. Anderson (Redcliffe Leagues), Oliver Bryans (Easts), George Evans (Valley) and Max Mackley (Commercial) were all leading members of the Queensland under 18 No. 2 side
Add the likes of Tom Campbell (Centenary Heights State High School), Oliver Harding (Toowoomba Grammar School), Australian Futures under 18 member William Powell, Warwick’s William Ready, Daykin Stanger (Ballina Hockey), Quintyn Laskey-Vella and Matthew Hawthorne into the argument, among others, and the state’s hockey ranks were swelling with sporting prodigys making good.
Nina Murphy
She comes from just over the NSW-Qld border, but Casuarina Hockey Club’s Murphy deserves a mention as a sporting prodigy.
Jamie-Lee Surha and Demi Walker
A couple of country kids, both have been junior sporting high achievers in hockey.
ATHLETICS
Gout Gout
Incredibly humble but a showstopping talent, IGS student Gout Gout is the next best thing coming out of Queensland. From Ipswich Grammar School, the 16-year-old ran 21.09, pipping the previous GPS record set in 1981 by S Glover (TSS) in the 200m event.
Amaya Mearns
An Under 16s prodigy, Mearns has long been dominant in her age group.
100m, 200m, long jump, triple jump, you name it, she will come first in it.
Mearns’ world class PB’s are 11.77s in the 100m and 24.04s in the 200m. How impressive is that for a 15-year-old?
The Mayne Harriers amateur athletics club member is coached by Andrew Iselin (sprints) and Anna and Clint Harvey (jumps) and is destined for the brightest lights and biggest stages.
Rhani Hagan
A St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School student, Rhani is a dashing sprinter who also represented the Australian team at the Youth Commonwealth Games.
More recently Hagan was a part of the Australian Under 18 Sevens team which won the Global Youth Sevens.
Zara Hagan
Rhani’s older sister is a lighting quick 100m and 200m national medallist.
Seth Kennedy
15-year-old Seth Kennedy was a record breaker at the Queensland Combined Evet Championships, six days after claiming gold at the Australian All Schools Championships.
He ran a blistering 47.94 in the 16 Years 400m event.
Ashley Blackman
The St Margaret’s Anglican Girls’ School jumps athlete is a 14 Years state and national high jump medallist, but who also competes in hurdles and javelin.
Ebony Okonkwo
Another from St Margaret’s Anglican Girls’ School, Okonkwo is a state and national medallist in 100m and 200m.
Aurelia and Amelie Boyd
The twin sisters from St Aidan’s Anglican Girls’ School were sprinting young guns. Aurelia is slightly faster than Amelie, but it depends on the day.
Alyssia Gordon
From bayside Moreton Bay College, she is Flash Gordon when it comes to sprints in the 12 years age group. Also at MBC is Chloe Munro who is an ace hurdler while Ruby Hazell, Taylah Hazell and Chloe Bowen were other top notch MBC athletes.
Tate Van Camp
From Brisbane State High, Camp is the under 14 800m (2:05.63) and 1500m (4:24.19) state titles champion.
The Year 8 student dominated competition at the 2023 All Schools Australian Championships in Perth, claiming first place in the 13 Years 400m, 800m and 1500m.
Camp, who now holds the 400m, 800m, 1500m titles of the GPS, Regional, State and National championships, set a new record in the 1500m, clocking a time of 4:10.94.
Charlize Goody
Charlize Goody has long been an exceptional discus and javelin thrower, while also displaying superb sprinting prowess – these attributes helping her to a high ranking as a Heptathlete.
Fresh from some international success this year, she will be one to watch in years to come and will be a force in Hurdles, Javelin, Discus and on the track.
The Ipswich Girls’ Grammar graduate is a prodigy. There is no doubt about it.
Seth Mahoney
Brisbane Boys’ College student Mahoney’s victory in the Open 1500m event at the GPS track and field championships was a masterclass.
He shattered the oldest GPS record in the books, one that stood since 1979, lowering the record by over four seconds.
But wait there is more.
Mahoney, who graduated this year, doubled back to claim the Open 3000m title, also breaking the GPS record.
Lee Martin
May we present the 2023 National Silver medallist (16.67m in the U18 shot put), the powerfully built Lee Martin.
An ace in the field, Martin was a shot put hero at this year’s Australian All Schools Championships in Perth, and last year in Adelaide.
An all-rounder in throws who works hard in training every day focusing on technical aspects with his coach and father, Martin has been making representative sides for a long while.
Joel Drew
Drew played Firsts rugby for Ashgrove and was a finisher on the wing.
He is also a weapon the track, having claimed Gold with an impressive time of 14.07s in the U18 110m hurdles event at the Australian All Schools Athletics Championships.
Sean Putra-Susilo
The under 15 state hurdles champion, Nudgee College student Putra-Susilo is also long jump and triple jump young gun.
Jonathan Kasiano
A sprint and jumps athlete from Ipswich Grammar School, Kasiano broke the GPS 15 year 100m record in a sizzling 10.69 seconds last month.
Jonte Tukuafu
This Ipswich Grammar School is a thrilling throws talent who, in 11 Years, won the GPS shot put with a throw of 15.45m and then also the discus with a whopping 42.m record breaking effort.
Harry Chrzescijanski
Ipswich Grammar School’s Harry Chrzescijanski is another high class throws athletes from the south west.
Alex Wain
Alex Wain is the 1500m state champion in his age group.
Leonardo Seremet
From Sheldon College, he is the runs the 100m in around 11.69 seconds and the 200m in around 23.79 seconds. He can also leap into long jump (6.23m) and triple jump (12.13m).
Archer Crowley
Second at the Australia track and field championships earlier this year, the 13 years athlete from Ipswich Grammar is also an elite javelin exponent who is one of many elite athletes at IGS.
Simeon Anstey
Sporting rich IGS has another national medallist, Anstey, who can really motor in the 400m 14 years competition.
Ethan Grimshaw
Signed by the Dolphins NRL academy, the Nudgee College student is the national champion in both the under 15 100m and 200m events.
Roman Jones
A national bronze medallist, Nudgee student Jones is a fine athlete in the under 14 shot put and javelin.
James Grey
Up against Grimshaw, he once did the 100m in 11.65 seconds in the 12 years age group in 2020. He is still a flyer and places at the state and nationals.
The Ipswich Grammar School flyer is signed by the Dolphins.
Name: Elijah Sa’U
A remarkable field athlete, Sa’U is an open state medallist in discus and shot put, while his mate Kyle Mienart is a state medallist in high jump.
Ezra Loli
Loli is a state 100m hurdles (16 years) medallist.
Dakota Stewart
Ipswich Grammar School ace Dakota Stewart who won the state 1500m under 16s and the 2000m steeplechase.
Luka Templeman
A Moreton Bay College product, Templeman was a bronze medallist at the 2023 Queensland Athletics State Championships.
Erin Cotchin
From sporting rich Moreton Bay College, Cotchin is a gold medallist from the 2023 Queensland titles (under 14 high jump).
Lara Crisafi
The UQ athlete is the best 200m sprinter in the under 14s in the Queensland.
Archie Watt
Year 8 student Watt travelled to Tasmania for the 2023 National Track and Field Championships and made a personal best jump of 3.60m in pole vault, his favourite event. The PB earned him a gold medal at the championships.
Cash Glavish
Year 7 student Glavish competed at the 2023 National Track and Field Championships in Tasmania, where he threw a massive 52.95m personal best in his favourite event: discus. He was gold in the event and went on to also place seventh in shot put.
NETBALL
Simone Botha
Botha was one of just two Toowoomba athletes named in the U17 and U19 Queensland squads in 2023, and the only one successful in making the final cut of 16. She is a newbie to the state scene, but is quickly making herself known as a sharpshooting star of the future.
Amelia Nemcansky
A Brisbane star in the making, Nemcansky, 16, is another outdoor-indoor star on the Queensland netball scene. She made the final cut of 16 for the U17 Queensland squad in 2023 and was part of the runners up QLD indoor U16 team which recently competed at the Indoor Nationals.
Ava Guthrie
The daughter of ex-Firebird Leanne Guthrie (née Matthews), Ava is one of three talented sisters shining on the netball court for the Sunny Coast region. An athletic and tenacious centre-court player, she was recently named in the U17s Queensland squad of 16 which will compete at the National Netball Championships in early 2024.
Jeremy Kriletich
18-year-old Kriletich is a top tier volleyball player in The Associated Schools inter-school competition. He has represented the South Coast region and State teams on numerous occasions and has a bright future in the sport.
Nicholas Humphries
17-year-old Humphries made the Junior Australian Volleyball Squad and travelled to Bangkok for the National Development Tour in April 2023. He is a valuable asset to the Brisbane State High School volleyball program and was a member of their open GPS and AVSC squads this year as a year 11 student.
Connor McEvoy (tennis)
A 14-year-old from the Sunshine Coast, he’s got big tennis dreams and it’s clear to see why after he was crowned the Australian Junior Tour Masters boys’ singles champion for 2023. It was the Queensland talent’s first national title and he has already represented his state, competed on the Tennis Europe Junior Tour and was invited to the inaugural Tennis Australia Talent Combine. McEvoy said he hopes to one day compete on the Grand Slam stage and at this rate, it’s clear to see why.
Tiana Rew (boxing)
Kawana Waters State College student Tiana Rew is currently in the gym six days a week and secured a hat-trick of gold medals in 2023. The 13-year-old, who has only been involved in the sport for four years, has made her mark on the state and national stage and has received high praise from her coach who compared her to undefeated star Skye Nicolson.
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Originally published as Queensland’s top sport star prodigies revealed for 2023
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