NRL supporter special: Meet Qld’s top teens at your club set for takeoff this decade
NRL fan special: Here’s the top Qld teens set for takeoff at your NRL club in 2025 - and beyond. The story includes a deep dive into Broncos, Dolphins, Titans and Cowboys youth players.
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Every season a new wave of players sweep into the NRL having spent their formative years playing schoolboy rugby league in Queensland.
Keano Kini (PBC SHS, Gold Coast), Karl Oloapu (Wavell SHS, Canterbury), Jye Gray (The Southport School, South Sydney) and Josiah Pahulu (Ipswich SHS, Titans) were all 2022 Queensland schoolboy teammates who have blazed into the NRL, while Mackay’s Jaxon Purdue (St Patrick’s, Cowboys) was a revelation this season after schoolboys in 2023, as was the Storm’s Jack Howarth (BBC, 2020).
So who will be the next Queensland schoolboy to crack the top level at your club?
In this story we present potential new faces from Queensland schools who were set to help your team’s campaign in 2025 and beyond.
NRL ROOKIE HANDBOOK
BRISBANE BRONCOS
CLOSE TO TAKE OFF
Coby Black (Marsden SHS, Burleigh Bears)
Halfback Black was underwhelming during the 2024 Meninga Cup season (February-May), but boom, by mid-season he was shining in the Hostplus Cup for South Logan. In his first Q-Cup game for the Magpies he was Man of the Match and never looked back. We rate him very highly.
Who is just around the corner
Cameron Bukowksi (Villanova College, Wynnum Manly Seagulls)
We can see the day when the Broncos’ one-two hooker interchange tag-team will be former Keebra Park SHS school captain Blake Mozer and this bloke, Cameron Bukowski.
A Queensland Under-19 State of Origin representative and 2023 schoolboy representative, Bukowski engages markers with his pass, can be explosive with his own run while also being a middle field tackling machine. He suits the good person, good player requirement at the Broncos.
Jared Horne (Wavell SHS, Wynnum Manly Seagulls)
Horne is exactly the type of kid who will work his way through the system and play in the NRL. He is a player with that extra effort in his game, a great competitor who has a high skill level and nice athletic touches for a No. 13. He is of good character and is a strong NRL prospect.
Bailey Trew (BSHS, Souths Logan Magpies)
Trew has now moved up their pecking order in a hurry to become a wing contender. He played in a senior Broncos’ trial earlier this year at Wynnum-Manly, and his big body and will in carries from the defensive end has brought him into the picture. He has been a long-term investment for the Broncos who have had him since the under-16s.
Later this decade
Tupou Francis (Marsden SHS)
This kid is a cracking prospect who we can’t wait to see play Langer Trophy football again in 2024. Francis displayed maturity beyond his years this season where he became a forward leader of the Marsden pack. A Year 11 student, his aggressive running and aggressive defence set him apart from his peers. The brother of Tony Francis who has made his NRL debut for the Titans, Tupou is a player who is a bit special who also has a pleasant demeanour.
Braithen Scott (St Mary’s College)
A crafty halfback, Scott has been an elite schoolboy through the different age groups this decade. He is an outstanding player who just gets footy. He is a clever game manager with a dangerous short kicking game, but has a quality running game. Scott also has that Darling Downs toughness about him.
Fa’apale Feaunati (Keebra Park SHS)
Expect to see Feaunati as a forward leader for Keebra Park SHS in the Langer Trophy next season.
Tall and athletic, Feaunati has a huge motor for a middle forward. Without meaning to put pressure on him, Feaunati has a little bit of Petero Civoniceva (club champion) about him.
Marley Igasan (Palm Beach Currumbin SHS)
The big bodied Reds middle forward signed with the Broncos in 2022 and playing both school football for PBC SHS and club football for Burleigh he has shown just why.
Now signed to the club until 2026, Igasan was a key piece of PBC’s premiership puzzle this season when they built nicely in the Langer Trophy season before winning the national title.
There’s no doubt he has learnt a thing or two in the Broncos Academy.
Blackbook talents
Jett Bryce (Keebra Park SHS)
Like Coby Black who we mentioned earlier, this lightweight tearaway second rower of enormous potential was modest playing in his age group (Meninga Cup) at the start of the year. But also like Black, Bryce took his game up two or three notches playing against the men in the local Gold Coast competition. We are backing him in. He is a white hot prospect.
David Bryenton (Keebra Park SHS)
Speaking of white hot prospects, meet this quick-stepping fullback with blinding pace over a short distance. He is New Zealander Bryenton, an x-factor talent who arrived at Burleigh Heads two years ago and who went to school at Keebra Park SHS. Some of the things he does reminds us just a tiny bit of a young Reece Walsh (Keebra Park SHS, 2019).
Joseph Tupuse (Keebra Park SHS)
Another red hot talent is this explosive centre, Tupuse, from the Gold Coast. Tupuse has that fearsome running game which can blow a match apart. He is a real wildcard talent.
Down the track
Sam Martin (Ipswich SHS)
When he transformed himself from half to hooker, Martin adopted the old adage that practice makes perfect.
He spent hours practising the basics and working on his pass off the ground in a local Ipswich park and the results are showing.
He was a very impressive leader for Ipswich SHS this season, who went 8-0 in the Langer Trophy before falling in the semi-final to Marsden.
Philip Coates (Marymount College)
A man mountain in the centre or on the edge, Coates was one of the Meninga Cup’s most improved players this season.
Because of his size and physical presence, he’s a chance of making it as an NRL player just as his brother did (Xavier, Melbourne Storm).
Adam McSherry (St Patrick’s College)
Adorned in headgear, fullback McSherry was outstanding for the Cutters and made the News Corp Connell Cup Team of the season. It is little wonder the Broncos’ had identified him and we can’t wait to see him go around again in 2025.
He became the youngest player to win the Michael Morgan Medal as North Queensland’s top schoolboy of the year after starring for St Patrick’s in their run to the Aaron Payne Cup grand final.
Saxon Innes (Marsden SHS)
Gold Coast boy Innes, a lightning fast fullback or wing, remains an exciting project player because of his speed.
Across 40m, the slightly built Innes moves like a shot out of a gun and for that reason he is worth persisting with.
Beni Allen (John Paul College)
From a rugby league melting pot of talent, Logan City, big Ben impressed in the Meninga Cup earlier this season playing prop before progressing to make his debut in the Hostplus Cup.
He finished the year playing for Beenleigh in the BRL which was an important part of his development. Allen is progressing, that’s for sure.
Disharne Tonihi (Marsden SHS)
A tall, rangy centre or winger, he has a frame you can build an NRL footballer around.
Whether playing with Marsden SHS or the Burleigh Bears, the smart Tonihi was always scoring tries this year. He is a good project player.
Kylem Vunipola (Marsden SHS)
The Broncos’ have a coaches’ dream here. If there was a more consistent outside back in the Meninga Cup competition other than Vunipola, we did not see him.
After being among the top 25 Meninga Cup players this season, the was named 18th man a few times with Wynnum-Manly’s Hostplus Cup side before playing against men in the BRL for Beenleigh where he frequently crossed the stripe. We liken him to another Broncos’ champion of the past, Mick DeVere.
Special mention: Preston Cassidy (Marsden SHS product), is a steady halfback, safe and dependable who is respected by teammates. He is also a good defender.
Gold Coast Titans
Ready for take off
Arama Hau (Keebra Park SHS)
A 2022 Australian schoolboy representative, Hau is an elite No. 13 with the agility and skills of an edge forward. He is an aggressive runner and defender and from our vantage point is a better than even money chance of making his NRL debut.
Oskar Bryant (PBC SHS)
Standing alongside his halfback Tom Weaver at PBC SHS, Oskar Bryant formed the best hooker-halfback combination in the Langer Trophy this decade. They played alongside each other as under 6 players at Cudgen after meeting in the birthing sweet as newborns, and then played alongside each other again at PBC SHS. Will they now play NRL together?
Who is just around the corner
Zane Harrison (PBC SHS)
Right now, at this moment, Harrison has exactly the type of game the Gold Coast Titans need in the NRL. The best game manager in Queensland schoolboy league this decade, Harrison was also a winner, someone who has played in more grand finals than most footballers have had roast dinners. He never overplays his hand, is a strong defender and when needed, Harrison can turn to his running game.
Sam Stephenson (PBC SHS)
Tall, long striding Stephenson was one of many players who benefited from playing alongside Zane Harrison, who we mentioned above. Because of his size, Stephenson was a target for Harrison both through the hands, but also in the air with cross field kicks. Stephenson, who made the Australian schoolboys this year, is a damaging runner who also hits and sticks in defence.
Javon Andrews (Marsden SHS)
Now he is a kid Gold Coast Titans’ fans should sit up and take notice of. A tall, quick between the ears five-eighth, Andrews can turn a match with a pass or a run. Also a goal kicker, Andrews produced arguably the best individual performance of the Langer Trophy season when Marsden SHS upset Wavell SHS in a semi-final.
Blackbook talents this decade
Ryder Williams (Keebra Park SHS)
Williams was a top flight running halfback or five-eight who was simply a must for the Titans to sign.
Zac Kumbamong (Keebra Park SHS).
A big body, Kumbamong was elite for Tweed in the team’s push to the 2024 Meninga Cup premiership, and backed up that form by representing the Queensland schoolboys this year as a prop.
Isaac Harrison (PBC SHS).
A blue collar, Harrison is a low mistake middle forward who glues a side together. The twin brother of champion halfback Zane who was mentioned earlier, Isaac rose with the tide this season to help Tweed win the Meninga Cup premiership, and then help PBC SHS win the Langer, Phil Hall Cup state final and national final. The No. 13 got better and better the more the season progressed.
Harrison Hill (Wavell SHS, hooker).
Harrison was a mid-season gift from the Storm to the Titans. After winning the Melbourne Storm SG Ball best forward award earlier this year, he went on the open market.
A Queensland emerging under-18 squad member from Wavell SHS, Hill loses little in comparison with his peers in the same position.
Cooper Bai (Marymount SHS).
Bai is a tough as teak No. 13 with an exhaustive work ethic whether he has the ball, or whether he is defending. Bai, whose dad is former Storm grand final hero Marcus, graduated from Marymount College and has moved into the Titans’ senior system.
Ray Puru (PBC SHS)
Don’t take your eyes off this bloke. The Titans have an oversupply of elite young fullback and here’s another one. He can be a Mr Magic, and twice this year in the Meninga Cup (Burleigh) he created tries with remarkable passes after being tackled.
Later this decade:
Viliami Fifita (TSS) is one for the future. Aged just 16, he is a thumping mobile forward from The Southport School whose contract at the Titans has been extended by four years to 2029.
Taylan To’A (Marsden SHS) is an athletic left edge second rower with natural ability. A year 11 student at Marsden SHS, he has tasted the rigours of Langer Trophy league last season as a Year 10 student. In 2025, To’A will look to be a forward leader add to his game.
Torino Jackson (PBC SHS) is one to keep an eye on in 2025.
Having moved across the Tasman late last year, Jackson has fit two seasons into one this year where he was a key forward in the Reds’ pursuit of the national championship.
Signed by the Titans, Jackson is new to the code but has been brought up to speed by champion PBC coach Tim Maccan.
Special mentions
Sunny Kama (PBC SHS) does not have the whippet-like speed, but he great in the air, a professional finisher and someone who knows how to win after dizzy success with PBC SHS. He is ripping into pre-season training like there is no tomorrow.
REDCLIFFE DOLPHINS
Ready for take off in 2025
LJ Nonu (Ipswich SHS)
A centre who can cover wing or fullback, Nonu was originally signed on speculation, but has gone from strength to strength playing for Redcliffe. He zoomed past 2022 Australian schoolboy Michael Roberts in the pecking order and will be extremely close to an NRL debut season in 2025.
Elijah Rasmussen (Redcliffe Dolphins)
The No. 1 prop in the Meninga Cup for two successive seasons, the Point Chevalier Pirates junior from New Zealand is just made for the big league. Playing NRL this season could be one too early for Rasmussen, but Dolphins’ supporters should lock his name in.
Ryan Jackson (St Laurence’s College)
Middle forward Jackson has done his apprenticeship around the Bromich brothers, Wallace, Gilbert and co, and now it is his time.
He has got the miles in his legs and after finishing the season playing for Capras against the men in the Q-Cup, he is ready for business.
Just around the corner
Zac Garton (Caloundra SHS)
Garton was a man playing among the boys in the Langer Trophy this season after another bumper Meninga Cup campaign for Redcliffe. A left second rower who challenges defences from start to go, Garton made the 2024 Australian schoolboys. Originally from the Bambour and Gympie regions, Garton will play NRL.
Lewis Symonds (Marsden SHS)
Symonds is an outstanding youth player with the temperament and game to make it in the NRL. A No. 13, Symonds knows how to win, having been a regular medallist at either the Queensland or Australian track and field championships as a thrower. Also a success powerlifter, the athletic Symonds has the agility of an edge forward. He is a fine personality and as a package, has what it takes to play in the NRL.
Michael Waqa (Wavell SHS)
From the Albany Creek Crushers, Waqa is still a work in progress but the young prop remains a middle forward of considerable potential. Athletic and tough, he is powerful with his post contact energy. He plays the toughest position and has plenty of time to blossom.
Later this decade
Brian Pouniu (Australian Christian College).
A Dolphins junior, Pounia is arguably the class forward of his age group in the country. A right edge forward, he has boundless energy both in defence and with the ball, and has an ability to unload the ball the in traffic. He is agile and fast and can also play centre at a pinch.
Charlie Dickson (Wavell SHS).
A Moreton Raiders junior, No. 13 Dickson would be No. 2 to Brian Pounia (mentioned above) as the best young forward in the Dolphins’ pathway system. Dickson jointly won the Justin Hodges Medal (alongside Titans’ Zane Harrison) for best Langer Trophy player this year.
The Queensland schoolboys No. 13 was also elite in the Connell Cup and was named Player of the Match in Redcliffe’s under-17 grand final win.
Sangstar Figota (Wavell SHS)
Another boom boy youth player at the Dolphins, fullback Figota has that natural flow to his game that you can’t coach. Having experienced the rigours of Langer Trophy this season, will be wiser in 2025. He will also enjoy basing himself around the Peninsula after having to travel too and from Sydney to meet Roosters commitments in 2024.
Kilarney Lavender (The Southport School)
The Dolphins have half a dozen special youth talents, and this bloke is among the very, very best prospects. An athletic second rower or centre, the big fella was elite for both Burleigh in the Meninga Cup and then for The Southport School in the GPS First XV competition. He is a very exciting prospect.
Jairus Halahala (Redcliffe SHS)
For a middle forward, Halahala’s footwork and explosive leg drive is something to behold in junior and school football. He is one of these x-factor talents Dolphins’ supporters need to know is on the club’s books.
Cody Starr (Redcliffe SHS).
We have only seen prop forward Starr in fits and starts due to injury, but when he plays you can see why the Dolphins hurried to sign him. For a big, tall bloke he is a dream play for a hooker or half because he plays the ball so quickly.
Dyer Akauola (Brisbane Grammar School)
Akauola is a middle forward prime mover in rugby league who also developed his running game playing at No. 8 for BGS in First XV GPS rugby this season. He is a high class young talent.
Lincoln Dalton (Brisbane Grammar School)
Like Akauola, Dalton is a Norths Devils junior from BGS who plays No. 13 in league. He has a high work rate and is a player who gets better as each season passes.
Adaquix-Jeramiah Watts-Luke (Marsden SHS)
Watts-Luke is a free wheeling fullback with explosive pace who has uncanny timing when joining attacking forays. He is great under the high ball, quick on his feet and you sense he is on the up.
Nixon Pasese (Wavell SHS)
A Moreton Bay Raiders junior, Pasese is a broad shouldered middle forward, a really big boy who was disrupted by injury last year, but who made up for lost time in 2024.
Duquan Talaepa (Mabel Park SHS)
Another junior from Moreton Bay Raiders, Talaepa had an outstanding school season as captain and second rower for Mabel Park SHS, he also helped Redcliffe’s Connell Cup side win the under-17 club premiership.
Elijah McKay (The Cathedral College)
McKay, Jay Marsh, Carter Ford and Seth Carpenter, whom we all mention below, have just moved from Rockhampton to house share at Redcliffe so they are closer to Dolphins training. A 2024 Queensland schoolboy, McKay was a tough defending, raw-boned centre who, when he carries the ball, can bump his way clear. With that country toughness he has, McKay is the type of kid who will get an NRL start one day.
Jay Marsh (St Brendan’s)
Central Queensland has been a happy hunting ground for Dolphins scouts, and another good player picked up in their sweep of the area was this hooker, Marsh. The son of former Origin series winner PJ Marsh, Jay has natural footy smarts with the ball but was also a very strong defender.
Carter Ford (St Brendan’s)
The son of the late Carl Webb, Ford is a boom middle forward prospect who will lap up being in the big smoke and training full-time in the Dolphins academy after finishing school at the famous St Brendan’s College.
Seth Carpenter (Emmaus College)
Carpenter was one of the Dolphins’ original CQ signings as the club looked to stretch its footprint north of Bribie Island into beef capital country. Carpenter is a tremendous running fullback or scheming five-eight who is in the Queensland under-18 emerging squad.
Nate Berrigan (Redcliffe SHS)
A quick moving No. 13 who can handle hooker, there is a smattering of Reuben Cotter (Cowboys) about his quick legs around the ruck and ability to play the ball quickly. He is also a strong defender.
Josiah Fa’aoso (Tweed Seagulls)
Originally from the Junior club: Edmonton JRLC, Fa’aoso is a rising young prop who, in his junior age groups in FNQ, was an out of the box talent. He is a shrewd addition to the Dolphins academy.
Later this decade
Taoso Taoso (BSHS), an Australian youth water polo representative who will be looking for a big club season in the Connell Cup next season. He only started playing league three years ago and is a raw talent.
Timahna Tandy (Wavell SHS).
Originally from the Darling Downs, Tandy is an exciting, goal kicking five-eight talent who you sense has a running game just waiting to be unlocked. He will be even better in 2025 having played Langer Trophy as a Year 11 student this season.
Kingston Seve (The Southport School)
Tall, powerfully built and athletic, Kingston has a long way to go to turn potential into performance, but he has that x-factor about him.
Amare Wynyard (Redcliffe SHS)
Red and white to the core, Wynyard’s effort play gives him a chance of making it all the way. He is a tremendous competitor who goes that extra yard. Importantly he has a passion for the jersey, having been raised around Dolphin Oval.
Black book talents
John Fineanganofo (Redcliffe SHS)
Carter Welfare (Nudgee College, Redcliffe Dolphins)
Noah Fien (Redcliffe Dolphins)
James Grey (Ipswich Grammar School)
Jahrel Iselin-Jansen (Wavell SHS, halfback)
Lachlan Buchbach (Mabel Park SHS, five-eight)
NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS
Getting close to take off
Mason Kira (Mountain Creek SHS). A Queensland under-19 State of Origin representative, Kira was an aggressive forward who can play both middle and edge. He played Queensland Cup after his Meninga Cup commitments in 2024 and earned promotion into the full-time squad this off-season
Jeremiah Mata’utia (Kirwan State High School). A sky-scraping middle forward who stands at almost 2m, Mata’utia has been a schoolboy prodigy this decade. He has been building on his portfolio by getting some Queensland Cup experience and will now spend the summer in a full-time training capacity at the club.
Kaiden Lahrs (Kirwan SHS).
The 2023 Queensland schoolboys captain, Lahrs has NRL written all over him. He is a big, mobile man with powerful leg drive in contact who will be close to getting an NRL start this season.
Tom Duffy (Ignatius Park College)
It is a case of ready, set, take-off for this halves young gun who Cowboys supporters can expect to get on the field in an NRL match this season. A 2021 Australian schoolboy, he was the Northern Pride Player of the Year in 2024. He has done a long apprenticeship but his time is near.
Henry Teutau (Ignatius Park College).
They build them big in the north and this powerful middle forward with Queensland Cup experience is as imposing as they get. The 2024 Cowboys Way Award winner, Teutau earned promotion into the full-time squad this off-season.
Mutua Brown (Cathedral College)
The Cowboys social media is abuzz with chatter about this fleet-of-foot 2023 Queensland schoolboys fullback who spent much of 2024 plying his trade for the Cutters in the Mal Meninga Cup before securing a Queensland Cup debut late in the season.
Wil Sullivan (Ipswich Grammar School).
A country boy from South East Queensland’s food bowl of the Lockyer Valley, Sullivan is an athletic No. 13 or second rower training with the NRL squad full-time over the 2024-25 off season. Importantly he gained Queensland Cup experience this season.
Just around the corner
Xavier Kerrisk (St Patrick’s Mackay). He grew up playing alongside Jaxon Purdue and may one day join his old mate in the NRL. A hooker, the 2023 Queensland schoolboys representative moved from Meninga Cup to importantly finish the season playing against the men in the Queensland Cup. He also earned promotion into the Cowboys’ full-time squad this off-season.
Mason Barber (Keebra Park SHS)
Now this is a real wildcard talent. One of only three Queenslanders to make the 2024 Australian schoolboys, Barber has that Brett Mullins-like stride, someone who can break a game open. He scored a remarkable try at the national championships.
Zac Herdegen (Wavell SHS). The 2024 Queensland schoolboys halfback has lived and breathed the code. He is an astute organiser who uses his blindside runners well and while being great cover for No. 7 at the club, Herdegen could also be used as a hooker.
Blackbook talents
Assariah Lenoy (Columba Catholic College)
A crafty talent from Charters Towers, Lenoy is doing a train and trial training with the Cowboys NRL squad and will play Q Cup for the Mackay Cutters this season where he will benefit from the intensity of playing against the men.
Luka Russell (Mackay).
We get why the Cowboys like this bloke. He is both a battering ram from the defensive end and a player who can pluck a try, literally, out of thin air as emphasised during his remarkable four-pointer in the Meninga Cup semi-final this year.
Taakoi Benioni (Kirwan SHS)
Another bruising forward well known to Cowboys academy observers, Benioni is a devastating edge runner who gives his side drive and momentum, while also being able to tip on to support players.
Eneliko Savelio (Blackhawks)
Another big, mobile unit, the 2023 Queensland schoolboys second rower can be a devastating right edge runner. He is a project player who should get better with the more experience under his belt.
Sitiveni Afu (Blackhawks)
The towering Afu would have been the “must stop’’ player at the top of every Meninga Cup coaches’ tip sheet and remains a player of high potential.
Maddox Goodwin (Wavell SHS)
Goodwin comes from that famous Brisbane breeding ground of Wavell SHS where he captained the school’s Langer Trophy side after playing his way into the Queensland schoolboys outfit. He is more a reliable second rower than a bash the door down type.
Later this decade:
Lincoln Baker (Ignatius Park)
Lincoln Baker finished the school season Ignatius Park’s most dangerous back at fullback, but take note - he can also play halfback, having represented the 2023 14-15 years schoolboys as a No.7.
Zac Bateman (Cathedral College).
Another fine schoolboy talent from Central Queensland, Bateman does the work of one and a half players while also being an elite goal kicker.
Riley Carbone (Kirwan SHS)
Carbone had a breakthrough season when he became Kirwan’s first-choice halfback this year. He’s another promising prospect, set to graduate in 2025
Special mentions: Jonah Raidaveta, a brute of an edge forward, middle forward hardmen Matthew Watts, John Radel and Tavita Penaia Te’o, along with explosive prop Mafiou Sherif (Ipswich SHS) and cunning Queensland 18s emerging squad hooker Braith Dowson (Kirwan SHS). They were all young gun forward talents. In the backs Ratu Kikau was a special outside back talent who can find the line, while Marley Helion was a clever half.
Wildcard: Emarly Bitungane, a St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace old boy who was named on the NRL extended bench a few times, but who never made his debut.
SOUTH SYDNEY RABBITOHS
Who is just around the corner.
Haizyn Mellars Marsden SHS
Mellars is a 2023 Queensland schoolboy winger, an express winger who has a sensational vertical leap which was developing during a decorated basketball career (Queensland under-18s). He had an injury in 2024 but will be on the front foot in 2025.
Liam Le Blanc (Nudgee College)
Le Blanc was a rock solid, middle forward who played Maroons schoolboys in 2023. Despite being a two-time Nudgee College premiership winner in rugby union where he played No. 8, Le Blanc is a rugby league prop to the core. He has a high work ethic and new coach Wayne Bennett will like him.
He has made six NRL appearances already.
Later this decade
Elijah Keung (Mabel Park SHS)
Watch for his kid in 2026. A Queensland schoolboys prop this year, Keung took age group football (Meninga Cup under-19s) and school football (Langer Trophy) by storm this year. The Originally from St James Catholic College in Brisbane’s CBS, Keung was the biggest find of either club or school competition.
Seth Gundry (Miami SHS)
Gundry was a stunning Miami SHS fullback talent from Burleigh Bears. Injury cut short his club football season where he would have been a certain selection as the No. 1 in the News Corp Team of the Season. He is a tremendous signing by the Rabbitohs and worth the investment.
Mace Andrew (Marsden SHS)
Another clever junior signing by the South Sydney talent scouts. Andrew is more than a rugged, mobile prop. He has a big motor and gets through a mountain of work without seemingly allowing his fatigue to detract from the quality of his work. We really like this kid as a talent.
Jason Hallie (Tully SHS)
From the famous Far North Queensland rugby league town of Tully, the wettest place in Australia, comes this elite prop who held his own against grizzly front row opponents in the Meninga and Connell Cups. A Innisfail Leprechauns’ junior, he was elevated into the Black Rabbits Elite Player Development for the 2023-24 off-season.
Wildcard watch: Nazareth Taua (Wavell SHS)
SYDNEY ROOSTERS
Who is just around the corner
Xavier Va’a (St Mary’s College, Toowoomba)
A young prop odds on to make his debut in 2024, Va’a is an elite middle forward talent whose leadership saw him captain the 2023 Queensland under-19 State of Origin side.
2024-25). A talented boxer from Dalby, he went to school in St Mary’s before relocating to Roosters heartland where he was joined by his brother, De La Salle, at Marcellin College, Randwick.
De La Salle Va’a (St Mary’s College, Toowoomba)
The younger brother of Xavier who we mention above, Va’a won SG Ball Best Forward Award before playing up in his age group and making the leap to the NSW Cup where he held his own and then breaking into the NRL making his debut off the interchange bench in round 27 this year. As mentioned above, he moved from St Mary’s to be with his brother in Sydney.
Rob Toia (Nudgee College)
An elite, quick stepping centre, Toia’s progress since school has been curtailed by two serious knee injuries. But if he is 90 per cent the player many saw as a schoolboy, he’s a big chance to play NRL with the glamour club.
Later this decade
Kanaan Magele, Xzavier Timoteo, Aholoka Toia, Peter Benjamin Uini
The Roosters love affair with chasing Queensland props continues at pace. Joining Padua College old boy Lindsay Collins as engine room contenders during off-season training will be 2024 Queensland schoolboy Magele (Ipswich SHS), 2023 Queensland schoolboy Toia (Redcliffe SHS), Ben Uini (Wavell SHS) and Xzavier Timoteo.
Timoteo was the 2024 Ipswich SHS captain whom the Roosters picked up from the Bulldogs, Magele played his way into a Queensland schoolboys’ jersey, Uini has been a long-term investment while Toia, a 2023 Maroons’ schoolboy, is the brother of ace centre Rob Toia. All of those boys have NRL potential.
Amaziah Murgha (Ipswich Grammar School) was a stunning outside back talent with blinding pace. Roosters supporters, you need to watch this space. The kid can run and is a footballer.
Lui Lee (Marsden SHS)
A knee injury ruined Lee’s school season after he had played his way into the 2024 Queensland schoolboys. A left centre, Lee was an outstanding prospect on track for the NRL.
Wildcard watch
Tyreece Tait (Wavell SHS)
A 2022 Queensland schoolboy winger who arrived at the club via the Broncos. Tait has a fly start on other players simply because of his speed.
Cohen Dittmann (Kirwan SHS)
The big bodied centre from the north can make his presence felt with his brutish running and strong defence. He and Ignatius Park College talent Reece Foley, who came off the bench or played halves in this season’s SG Ball side, were Roosters’ signing from North Queensland.
WESTS TIGERS
Ready for take off
Chris Faagatu (Marsden SHS)
Faagatu is the type of person and player every club would welcome into its system. The Logan Brother junior graduated from Marsden SHS after playing three seasons of Langer Trophy. He made the 2022 Australian schoolboys as a mobile No. 13 and is the perfect squad member to be involved in the Wests Tigers’ resurgence.
Later this decade:
Logan Brookes (Kirwan SHS)
A natural runner, he is a threat taking on the line when he plays five-eight outside an organising halfback, while having the skills and vision to slip into the No. 1 jersey.
ST GEORGE DRAGONS
Who is just around the corner
Lyhkan King-Togia (Dalby SHS)
A terrific talent with agility and great hands, King-Togia was named the 2024 winner of the prestigious Geoff Selby Memorial Trophy for NRL Emerging Talent. He can play hooker or five-eight.
Loko Jnr Pasifiki Tonga:
An adopted Queenslander because he played in Ipswich SHS’s 2022 national championship winning, Tonga is a towering forward who casts a shadow as long as a goalpost upright.
Black book talent
Tyler Peckham-Harris was the best little man in the code who was awarded the St George Dragons SG Ball Players player of the year - a huge honour given the side won the premiership. Our readers know him well because he made back to back Langer Trophy Teams of the Season as well as the 2022 and 2023 Meninga Cup Teams of the Season.
Later this decade
Marley McLaren (PBC SHS)
McLaren has been snapped up by the Dragons after his debut season in the Langer Trophy. A year 12 student in 2024, McLaren will play Langer Trophy again next season before relocating to South Coast - ironically the region where he did some of his primary schooling before moving to the Gold Coast.
Velonte Baruani (Ipswich SHS).
There is a lot of water to go under the bridge but Baruani was one of the most improved players in the Langer Trophy Year 12 competition this season..
Also keep an eye on dynamic running winger Saifiti Junior Saifiti (Ipswich SHS), utility back Xavier Kirk (Ipswich SHS), outstanding junior hooker Max Blanch (Churchie, 2024 GPS First XV rugby team of the season reserve as an inside centre) and proven halfback Brandon Tikinau (Ipswich SHS).
CANTERBURY BULLDOGS
Who is just around the corner
Bud Smith (Toowoomba Grammar School)
An emerging under-19 Queensland Origin squad member, Smith is a chip off the old block having signed with Canterbury as a lock - just like his father, former Origin and international Jason Smith.
David Leota (Ipswich SHS)
A member of Canterbury’s 2023 premiership winning Harold Matthews Cup side and also the Bulldogs 2024 SG Ball grand final outfit, Leota is a dynamic prop with explosive leg drive.
Oliva Iaulualo (Ipswich SHS)
A young forward with massive hands and arms which can extend like cranes, Oliva Iaulualo joined David Leota (mentioned above) in helping Canterbury win the 2023 Harold Matthews Cup grand final, and then play in this year’s SG Ball decider.
Mitch Rogers (Padua College)
From a famous league breeding ground of Padua College comes this elite hooker who is the real deal. He was man of the match in the 2023 Meninga Cup grand final and played in Canterbury’s 2024 SG Ball grand final outfit.
Blackbook talents for the future
Mason Phillips (Wavell SHS). A Queensland 14-15 years hooker earlier this decade, Phillips was the Bulldogs hooker in its 2023 Harold Matthews Cup premiership winning side and played again in that age group this season.
Tawa Simpkins (Mabel Park SHS) was a teammate of Mason Phillips in the 2024 Harold Matthews Cup side, playing fullback.
Damon Humphrys (Padua College) is a five-eight whose tactical kicking had no peer at school level.
MELBOURNE STORM
Set for take off in 2025
Garbiel Satrick (Ipswich SHS)
Originally from Far North Queensland, Storm fans should not fall off their seats in shock if this explosive young hooker plays minutes off the interchange bench this season around State of Origin time when Harry Grant is absent.
From Yarrabah near Cairns, Satrick moved to Ipswich SHS to further his rugby league development and it worked - in a big way. He was sensational at the national carnival and played his way into a 2022 Australian schoolboy representative jersey. Melbourne won the lotto when they won the race to his signature, so many clubs were bidding for him.
Who is just around the corner
Chase Paterson (Caloundra SHS)
A No. 13 or edge forward, there is a certain toughness to Paterson the Melbourne Storm must be admiring. A player with a low mistake rate given how physical he is, Paterson won the Greg Brentnall under-19s Player of the Year this season. Paterson is a lad on the up.
Later this decade
Stanley Huen (Ipswich Grammar School)
Huen had the honour of being named Jersey Flegg captain this season where this tough tackling half led from the front. Carrying the ball, he is prepared to go to the line and thoroughly deserved selection in the Queensland under-19 State of Origin side.
Amare Milford (The Southport School).
Another Queensland under-19 State of Origin representative, Milford formed one third of the most potent left edge threat in the Meninga Cup playing for Burleigh earlier in the season when he teamed with Philip Coates (Broncos) and Disharne Tonihi (Broncos).
Jai Bowden (Mountain Creek SHS)
Bowden was named in both the 2024 Queensland schoolboys side and this year’s Queensland under-19 emerging squad. We think the world of this elite hooker who has all the bases covered.
Cooper Clarke (Caloundra SHS).
Injury ruined his school season, but the mobile big man with an ability to unload played enough to be named in the 2024 Queensland schoolboys side before having to withdraw. He is a special talent who originally came to the Coast from western Sydney.
Hayden Watson (Marsden SHS)
Watson was outstanding in club (Burleigh Bears) and school football (Langer Cup), making the News Corp Langer Trophy Team of the Season as a halve - despite also playing hooker. A boy with an elite touch football background, he has that snap, crackle and pop about him.
Later this decade
Will Semu (Marsden SHS) is a centre or edge forward who played for the 2023 Queensland schoolboys and progressed to play Flegg this season as an 18-year-old. Storm fans need to mark him down as a top notch prospect.
Ellyjah Birve (Caloundra SHS) was a long term prospect. He is a jack-in-the-box half talent with natural flair you cannot coach.
Blackbook talents
Jett Elich (Mountain Creek SHS) was an outstanding back row forward for the Falcons and Kawana clubs who was one of the youngest members of the Melbourne under-21 Flegg side.
Tulloch McLellan (Caloundra SHS) is a Gympie halfback who has been in the Storm’s Sunshine Coast academy all decade - and it is little wonder. He had a priceless education this season playing in the under-21 Flegg side as a 18-year-old.
Brad Higgins (Caloundra SHS) is a no frills, tall, raw-boned who knows no fear. He is slightly unfashionable but boy is he tough. The Melbourne Storm should be congratulated for snapping him up because he could come up trumps.
Special mentions:
Dylan Gallagher (Marsden SHS) a fullback or centre, Gallagher has had talent scouts musing him over him for years in junior league.
K-CI Whare was another big man in the Storm Flegg system this season recruited from Coombabah SHS.
MANLY SEA EAGLES
Who is just around the corner
Will Lane (Iona College): An unsung hero no more. The Iona College old boy was named the Sea Eagles’ SG Ball Players’ Player of the Year. He is a blood and guts No. 13, the first person you select to wait in the trenches with you.
Later this decade
Alton Naiyep (Ipswich SHS)
He was as a bash and crash winger, a tough as teak kid who accelerates into the defensive line. He played 2022 Queensland schoolboys and was a member of the national championship winning Ipswich SHS.
Black book talent
Jett Jackson (PBC SHS) was a no frills front rower who was a quiet achiever in PBC SHS’s back-to-back Langer Trophy titles.
Simon Green will join Manly mid-November to join St Brenda’s old boy and Manly head coach Anthony Seibold.
Green caught the eye of Manly recruitment manager Peter Gentle after a cracking Dolphins Cup campaign.
Tyler Melrose will also get a taste of the top shelf when he trains closely with the NRL squad where Daly Cherry-Evans has been tasked with the job of showing Melrose the ropes.
PANTHERS
Who is just around the corner
Zack Lamont (Churchie)
An influential five-eight with a great kicking game when he played Meninga Cup for the Townsville Blackhawks, Lamont was drafted to the Panthers to play hooker in the club’s Jersey Flegg Cup and NSW Cup teams. He is a Queensland under-19 representative who was initially boarding at Churchie in Brisbane before moving to Townsville.
Later this decade:
Poutoa Hotere-Papalii (Wavell SHS): Poutoa Hotere-Papalii won the esteemed SG Ball Player of the Year - a huge achievement given the richness of the Panthers junior system. He plays centre, wing or even fullback and is a strong defender.
CRONULLA SHARKS
Who is just around the corner
Felix Faatili (Wavell SHS)
A wholehearted prop who throws his big body into the fray, Faatili claimed the time-honoured Jersey Flegg Greg Pierce Players’ Player award.
Black book talent
Will Saunders (PBC SHS) played hooker in SG Ball for the Sharks this year, and was elevated into the Jersey Flegg squad without actually playing. He played the remainder of 2024 with the Gymea Gorillas where he performed well, testing himself against men.
Adrian Sandy, the Redcliffe Dolphins 2023 Meninga Cup premiership winning fullback.
NEWCASTLE KNIGHTS
Who is just around the corner
Jeremy Trappett (Iona College) was a 2022 Queensland schoolboy representative with a nice turn of pace who can play fullback, centre or wing with ease.
He is dependable with a low mistake rate.
Black book talent
Wailer Whaiapu (Keebra Park SHS)
Whaiapu is a no frills edge or middle forward with a tremendous work rate and a high tackle efficiency. He has also been developing his running game with the Knights.
Jack Cullen (PBC SHS)
Built low to the ground but extremely powerful, Cullen was working his way through the Knights’ system, having played Jeresy Flegg in 2024. He was a 2021 Australian Schoolboys Merit Team selection.
PARRAMATTA EELS
Who is just around the corner
Josh Lynn (PBC SHS).
A notable halfback from the famous Palm Beach Currumbin SHS program, Lynn was a reliable game manager with an astute kicking game.
Special mentions: Damascus Neemia (Wavell SHS) was a middle forward glue player whose toughness and will were his biggest attributes. He played in the 2022 Queensland Schoolboys side.
Among other Queenslanders at the club include former Marsden SHS centre Devonte Vaivela, Wavell SHS hooker Jai Camilleri and prop Beau Lucien (Wavell SHS).
CANBERRA RAIDERS
Keahn Skipps (Burleigh)
Skipps is a Burleigh Bears junior, a Queensland under 18 emerging State of Origin squad member who this season captained the club’s NSW Cup side after coming through the pathways. He can also kick goals.
Jalen Afamasaga (Ipswich SHS)
Afamasaga was Ipswich State High’s playmaker in 2022 when the school’s opens team were crowned the top rugby league side in Australia.
Afamasaga has since been on a tear in the nation’s capital where, in the Jersey Flegg Cup, he was one of the best halves going around.
His short passing game and deft kicking was to the fore for Canberra in the under-21 competition this year.
Black book talents
Sam Hyne (Nudgee)
A GPS First XV premiership winner in 2023, he is a tireless middle forward who earlier this season played SG Ball.
Maika Poese (St Joseph’s Gregory Terrace)
Poese is an exciting wing or centre of considerable ability who played Meninga Cup under 18s this season. He made his GPS First XV rugby debut on the wing for Terrace last season and will be a key player for Terrace the Brave this year.
Keisaia Su’a (Ipswich SHS)
Su’a was signed by the Raiders from St Paul’s College in Auckland and played for Ipswich SHS in the Langer Trophy this season.
Adrian Trevilyan (Kirwan SHS), who is a promising hooker learning his craft in the Raiders’ pathway system.
Harvey Mahoney has already travelled south to begin pre-season in Canberra. He joins fellow St Brandan’s College old boy Owen Pattie at the club.
TOP UNSIGNED TALENT
Tom Parker (Ipswich SHS)
Parker was an elite fullback and five-eight for Souths Logan. He was named the QRL Des Morris Medallist for Cyril Connell Cup Player of the Year and five-eight in News Corp’s Connell Cup Team of the Season.
Keyarn Pene (Wavell SHS)
A starter in the News Corp Langer Trophy Team of the Season, the Wavell SHS centre remains unsigned - but there is plenty of interest in the humble utility back and school captain.
Originally published as NRL supporter special: Meet Qld’s top teens at your club set for takeoff this decade
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