Meninga, Connell Cup and Harvey U17 and U19 unsung heroes of every team
Special report: Meet the 80 unsung heroes of the Meninga Cup, Connell and Harvey Norman U17 and U19 girls making a difference to your club.
Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Meet the unsung heroes of the Meninga Cup, Connell and Harvey Norman competitions helping your side find its best performance this season.
SPEED DEMONS OF THE MENINGA, CONNELL AND HARVEY GIRLS
The foundation of every team are the 80 players we name below, footballers who get the job done each week while not always being in the 3-2-1 best player votes.
They are players their teammates love playing beside.
Meet the unsung heroes of the QRL’s flagship junior representative competitions.
MENINGA CUP UNSUNG HEROES
Hayde Munro (Blackhawks)
Munro has been a Mr versatile shifting between the halfback and lock positions for Townsville and he has consistently been a top notch performer.
He does the little stuff well such as straightening the attack and leading the side around the field with communication. His sharp ball play and late feet at the line were also great assets.
He has caused considerable trouble in and around the ruck against much bigger bodies.
Harrison Hill (Capras)
Capras forward Harrison Hill is an all-effort player whose hard work does not go unnoticed to his coach Peter Rogers or his teammates.
“He is very consistent and gets through the work,’’ coach Rogers praised.
Hill, a lock who runs hard and straight like a prop, made the 2024 Confraternity Carnival male merit side and he has been a standout in the Capras under-19s through four games.
He is a workaholic with deceptive speed.
Koby Brown (Falcons)
Known as “The General’’ within the Falcons playing group, halfback Brown has been a big improver over the past 12 months.
His decision making has developed tremendously according to Falcons coach Wade Hadley.
“He has a strong knowledge and understanding of the game and his decision making has really developed,’’ he said.
“It’s all the little things he does with and without the ball to get us around the paddock which we admire most.
“He is very valuable to the success of the team.’’
Ryan John (Cutters)
If Cutters hooker Ryan John was a truckie, he would be one of the first chosen for a trip across the Nullarbor Plains because the unsung hero is a workhorse with a big motor.
Along with being picked as Mackay’s first choice No. 9, the reliable John has also been caught in the spotlight and will play for the Capricornia opens representative side along with teammates Mark Morrow, Declan Gray and Flynn Battaia.
Sunny Kama (Tweed)
Gold Coast Titans signed winger Sunny Kama is someone his mates would just love playing with. He is a good team man whose positive energy at training and on game day enhances the environment. His finesse on the wing is also a big positive.
Abrasive in the tackle and elite in the air, the unsung Kama loves getting through a lot of carries out of the danger zone.
Callum Bowles (Redcliffe)
Bowles, a Mr Fix-it out of the Palm Beach Currumbin SHS title winning machine, has found a home at fullback in a Redcliffe squad laden with Dolphins NRL academy players.
He was signed by the ‘Phins at the conclusion of a whirlwind 2024 school season where Bowles and the Reds won the national title.
His support play, big build and timing in both attack and defence would have been among the first things his new teammates on the Peninsula noticed.
Cohen Jackson (Wynnum Manly)
Jackson has come a long way from his days at Souths Junior Sharkies in Mackay. A Queensland Country Under-17s selection, Jackson has kept his tough and physical trademarks to be the best he can for the Seagulls this season.
Cooper Day (Wynnum Manly)
Alongside Jackson who sets a high standard, big Cooper Day certainly knows a thing or two about putting his heart on his sleeve.
The Mabel Park product carries the ball strongly, always puts his hand up for the hard run and does plenty of tough stuff around the ruck. He is unsung to the core.
Marley Igasan (Bears)
The statistics would show just how much work big Marley Igasan gets through tying down the middle for his Bears.
A Palm Beach Currumbin SHS senior, Igasan is the type of workhorse every team needs. At prop, he controls the ruck and carries the ball effectively to give Burleigh his best.
Anton Whaiapu (Bears)
The last name Whaiapu has been uttered in rugby league circles down the coast for years. Anton’s older brother was Keebra Park State High’s Langer Trophy skipper in 2023 before the baton was passed down to Anton for last year.
Year 11 student Lennox, the youngest of the three, is also an emerging forward leader who the Titans have in their academy.
Anton, Burleigh’s trusty lock, gets the job done week-in week out with hard carries, effective defence and exhaustive reps in the middle.
Keyarn Pene (Devils)
The Devils’ backline blend features Wavell State High’s 2024 school captain, centre Keyarn Pene.
The dynamic utility is a valuable player in such a long, gruelling campaign like the Meninga Cup because he can play in multiple positions, including No. 13.
He is reliable on defence and can create tries himself with his speed and footwork.
Fynn Dalton (Devils)
Dalton, a proud Padua College product, has maintained momentum from his school’s AIC First XIII campaign where they finished runners up to be a key cog in the Devils outfit.
A gritty dummy half, Dalton seemingly squeezes every ounce of ability from his body and directs into doing what is best for Norths.
The energetic hooker, who played lock last year for Padua, has offered an effective one-two punch combination with former school footy rival Lachlan McCall.
Jack Tuite (Tigers)
Tuite has been a loyal servant to the Tigers for the past two Meninga Cup seasons and he’d be among the first picked when coach Ben Weston makes his match day selections.
Tuite is a hard-nosed St Laurence’s College old boy who plays through pain and fatigue to give his all on the edge.
Jackson Howe (Souths Logan)
There aren’t many players that fit the unsung hero mould more than Souths Logan captain and halfback Jackson Howe.
He has been a fixture for two seasons, someone who has not missed a game and only on the odd occasion will he miss a session.
Howe is supreme communicator, both with his teammates and with the referees if need be, and his short and long kicking game is a big asset to the Magpies.
He is a young veteran who honed his craft at Mabel Park State High and at Logan Brothers.
Jack Rix (Pride)
As prop and captain, Jack Rix leads by example on the training paddock and during matches. He has been a steady improver across the last two seasons, and his effective football defies his smaller build. He and his fellow prop Mafiou Cherif are unsung.
Bill Fraser and Henry Kallquist (Jets)
A big bodied prop, Ipswich-raised Fraser is Jets to the core. He is one of five players returning from the Jets squad from last year, and brings a winning attitude with him from Ipswich SHS. He does his role to perfection.
Henry Kallquist has been a big coup for the engine room after moving from the Capras country. The former Rocky Grammar enforcer comes from a high-achieving sports family and Kallquist is making his own mark in the league arena.
Henry’s sister Alice and older brother Dom are fine rugby league talents.
Jack Forrester (Clydesdales)
Forrester is a no-frills front rower whose dependability in the middle has been evident in all three games so far this season.
He is holding the fort against the biggest and most powerful teenage props in the sunshine state and that’s an achievement to be proud of.
CONNELL CUP UNSUNG HEROES
Jake Armstrong (Capras)
The Capras squad is chock full of hard-edge forwards and leading the way was second rower Jake Armstrong.
He is your typical tough-as-nails country kid. But the toughness of Norths Rockhampton young gun Armstrong is at times unnatural, according to coach Todd Hansen, who is often left dumbfounded at his determination. If there was a statistic on effort, Armstrong’s numbers would be through the roof.
Will Hamblin (Cutters)
Hamblin has the ability to play a full game in the FNQ heat, a big effort from a bottom age player. He had a big off-season, and was third fastest in the Broncos 1.2km time trial held at Red Hill over the summer, running 4:29.00 minutes. That shows his heart and desire to never give up.
Harry Bate (Devils)
Interchange forward Harry Bate has been another quiet achiever who regularly deserves plaudits.
An under-16 Norths Devils division 1 junior player last season, Bate has relished the step up and has proved highly efficient on both sides of the ball.
He is yet another Devils rookie from the prolific breeding ground of Nudgee College, where he has made a thud in the 15-a-side game.
Bate has come through the Emerging Reds Cup system in the under-15s ranks and represented the Queensland Under-15 rugby side as a flanker.
Max Murphy, Tom Beresford and Tom McDonald (Clydesdales)
Unsung heroes Max Murphy, Tom Beresford and Tom McDonald have been moving mountains for the Darling Downs side.
Murphy’s output at hooker has become somewhat of a guarantee, so reliable was he. Meanwhile, interchange forward Beresford has kept the pressure on with forward leader Tom McDonald.
Levi Handyside (Tweed)
What is it with Palm Beach Currumbin SHS and reliable wing options? Sunny Kama held the torch for his school peers last year and this year senior Levi Handyside has made his case for that Langer Trophy wing position.
He will come into the school season firing if his first three games for Tweed are anything to go by. He has been strong in contact, safe under the high ball and heavily involved.
Koby McGarrity (Wynnum Manly)
Tying the star power of an exciting Seagulls outfit together was glue man Kobe McGarrity, a big bodied middle forward.
A Redlands junior, McGarrity was a part of Wynnum’s under-16s division 1 premiership winning side and has done his job to perfection in the middle.
Lachie Hooker (Wynnum Manly)
Tough, uncompromising and accurate.
These three words best describe the tenacity and courage of the Seagulls halfback and goal kicker.
The Redlands junior is a defensive menace who makes the most of his touches. His radar has been working off the kicking tee as well.
Hudson Bishop (Tigers)
Villanova College product Bishop has been delivering the goods from hooker for Easts this season. With Tai Kapaith also offering energy when he comes on, Bishop has been producing and punching above his weight on defence. Bishop honed his craft at Easts Rugby Union where he was an impressive junior player.
Seth Coe (Tweed)
Tweed fullback Seth Coe has travelled 700kms from Scone to the Gold Coast to further his rugby league horizons.
A student at The Southport School, Coe has fit in to school and club footy with ease because of his fierce competitive edge.
His decision making at fullback and, at times, as a secondary playmaker, has been sharp.
Israel Faialaga (Dolphins)
Bottom-aged prop Israel Faialaga has fit right in against older opposition this season for a new look Dolphins squad.
Faialaga, a Met North and Queensland schoolboys representative in the under-15 age group, finds a way through with his quick feet and power. If he can’t he is quick to look for an offload.
His mobility is a point of difference at prop and the Bulldogs have taken note, scooping him up into their academy.
Will Joyner (Falcons)
The crafty hooker and five-eight is one of the key backbones of his team’s structure and momentum. Joyner’s pinpoint passing and decision making allows him to command the tempo of the game with ease. He is a disciplined defender and seamlessly acts as the glue guy between the forwards and the backs.
Angus Lanagan (Falcons)
A talented winger that consistently does his job week in week out. Lanagan is one of the most reliable players for the Falcons on both sides of the ball and has an added bonus through his high accuracy goalkicking.
Murphy Phillips (Bears)
A Burleigh junior, Phillips has been kicking goals left, right and centre over the past 12 months and has brought his A-game to the Bears as halfback.
A South Coast schools representative, Phillips was last year signed to the Titans Academy and he has shown his ability pulling the strings alongside Harvey Smith.
The Miami State High School tactical kicking ace is just a stones throw from the Burleigh club and is always working on his craft.
Semuela Naleba (Magpies)
Naleba has been game in defeat for Souths Logan, organising attacking raids from lock and defending strongly in the middle channel.
A product of Souths Juniors, Naleba plays both hooker and No. 13 and his teammates would surely appreciate his crisp and consistent service.
HARVEY 19s UNSUNG HEROES
Zali Bettridge (Bears)
A fine halfback, Bettridge has really developed this season understanding her role, improving her game management and being patient.
She has all the skills and her Burleigh teammates must appreciate her crisp passing and short kicking game.
Nivea Te Hokowhitu-Wynne (Bears)
A tough, hard working hooker and lock, Nivea never stops trying and always gives 100 percent effort.
Maia Ngauamo (Bears)
A second rower, Maia has been adjusting to life in the back row from being an outside back. She is getting through a load of work and continues to improve weekly.
Isabella Lowe (Bears)
Lowe has converted from AFL and in her season of league, her fitness as a middle forward has been a great help to the side. “She is always asking questions and wants to be a better player,’’ said coach Kenny Hargreaves.
Lisa Waireg (Northern Pride)
The unsung Lisa Waireg has been a dominant performer in the first month of the competition. She is proving to be a handful for opponents with her strength and skill out wide.
Grace Maxwell (Tweed Seagulls)
A first class trainer, the Coomera product continues to improve each week during her first season in the Harvey Norman junior representative competition.
Silena Cowleys (Cutters)
A Mackay SHS product, each week Cowley comes off the interchange bench to alter the complexion of a match. Her footwork and ability to change direction at speed at top speed were her points of difference. Cowley’s development was fast tracked last year – she finished the season in the U19s after a strong U17 campaign – and the benefits of that experience have now doubt helped her development.
Lorianna Eseli and Hollie Parkes (Blackhawks)
Eseli is originally from Yeppoon but plays club in Townsville for the Western Lions while Parkes is a St Patrick’s College centre ace. “Both girls have played well above expectations.’’ praised Blackhawks coach Gavin Lloyd. “They are not Townsville locals, but they have made arrangements to be at training and displayed their willingness to learn and both have been valuable members of our team each week.’’
Sarah McGuire and Kahurangi Hetaraka (Falcons)
Both McGuire and Hetaraka are as tough as a woodpecker’s lips as they go about their business extremely well. McGuire, a bottom age player, is the Falcons captain and loves the gritty side of the game, while Hetaraka is a no nonsense forward that gets her side rolling down the field.
Lorren Leli (Tigers)
A hard working forward, Leli does a lot of work on and off the ball. She is a tremendous defender, and with the ball she is a player with good footwork.
Barbara Sakaio (Norths)
The 2024 U17 player of the year, Sakaio has made a position switch from the centres to back row where her physical appearance in both attack and defence benefits the side. “She is always looking for work and she can definitely pack some punch in those tackles,’’ said coach Tasha Davie. Coach Davie knows this first hand after taking the pads during tackle training across the off-season. “She is also a genuine good person and a great teammate.’’
Summer Hoet (Ipswich)
Ipswich State High product Hoet had a blinder against the Clydesdales in round 3 where she used her power to break down the opposition defence. Putting in maximum effort is a regular occurrence for the Redbank Plains local who puts her body on the line enough to give her parents reason to cover their eyes.
Libby Dunn (Clydesdales)
Tall and athletic, Dunn is a traditional engine room worker.
The Clydesdales always have a surplus of skilled, mobile back rowers, but they need the props to march forward and Dunn is as good as any in the middle.
She is tough as nails and her passion is easy to see.
Saskia Croyston (Tweed Seagulls)
A fit and athletic middle forward, Croyston burst onto the scene last year as a discovery player in the U17s and she has continued to progress this season. Croyston is a tremendous trainer and has a big work ethic which shows on the field through her high work rate.
Stevie-Lee Dixson (Capras)
From the Emmaus College hub, Dixson is a trusted teammate, a reliable front rower of some standing who last year made the competitive Confraternity Carnival women’s merit side.
Deleni Paitai (Redcliffe)
Paitai is always asking questions with the timing and angles of her edge runs. She is a sight to see in full flight and adds an extra dimension to Redcliffe’s squad in both attack and defence.
HARVEY NORMAN U17s
Jorgie Mitchell (Capras)
An agile back rower, Mitchell always makes those extra metres with her hit ups. She does everything with a big smile on her face and is a tremendous teammate to have around the group.
Rachael Oakley (Capras)
Oakley is an established, hard working prop who has the ability to change the game at any moment because of her aggressive tackling ability. No forward or back can enter the ruck half hearted, or Oakley will deal with them.
Kayla Vella (Capras)
A Brothers junior, Vella is fast and agile and eager to learn in her new role as fullback.
Amaya Nygaard (Wynnum Manly)
Wynnum Manly’s utility player who wears No. 14, turns up to training without complaint and always gives out a positive vibe. She does a solid job wherever she is put in the field.
Sienna Close Chilly (Wynnum Manly)
Close Chilly doesn’t say much, and just floats around the group without a care in the world. But this girl is a football player, and each week continues to surprise the coaching staff with her ability playing in the centres
Laiva Mara (Wynnum Manly)
One of the squad’s junior players, Mara is aged 14 turning 15 who trains with the Harvey 17s as part of the Seagulls development squad for next season. So impressive was she at training, the club applied for a QRL exemption which was denied because of her age. Mara comes from good league stock – her dad Ali Mara is a former Wynnum Queensland Cup player.
Trinity White (Mackay Cutters)
What is in the water in Moranbah? The tiny mining town is a prolific breeding ground of rugby league talent, and the latest young gun from the district is edge forward Trinity White.
Pearl Lloyd (Falcons)
The Falcons lock just simply doesn’t stop running from the first to the last whistle. She tackles herself to a standstill and take plenty of tough carriers
Alyssa Ale (Northern Pride)
The Northern Pride have a young champion here. Ale may be small, but she can handle herself in both attack and defence. She plays both centre and second row, and is also light on her feet.
Tayla Fiu and Biarnka Joyce (Souths Logan)
What a dynamic duo this pair makes at the Magpies. Both girls are tough, team orientated footballers who beautifully complement the players around them like Lili Lewis, Bella and centres Afeena Faamafu and Peytton Wentholt. The presence of Fiu and Joyce help that foursome do their thing.
Lily Sumner (Tigers)
Sumner is a tough, uncompromising centre whose reliability and positioning would be appreciated in any team.
Bolstered by headgear, Sumner never shies away from the contact and has the skills to be a viable option at fullback, wing and centre.
Chloe Thompson (Clydesdales)
The Clydesdales captain, hard working second rower Thompson is known for her endeavour with or without the ball. Most of her work goes unnoticed because she is not a huge hitter or a destructive runner.
But she takes hard runs, generally gets good play the ball speed away – and then gets up and does it all over again.
Defensively she is tidying up or leading the team’s line speed in defence.
Isabella Elsley (Clydesdales)
As rugby convert, the Clydesdales right winger has been safe under the high ball and happy to come off her wing and do tough carries when required. She is a good finisher on the end of the backline. Elsley has improved immensely over her five league matches and coach Russell Jones expects her to continue to improve.
Jayda Collins (Burleigh Bears)
From the fertile football plains around the Ormeau Shearers club, Collins is a little beauty in the middle of the ruck for Burleigh.
Collins impresses with her team-first mentally. Her constant communication and leadership skills have also made a difference.
“She is also very coachable and is resilient,’’ praised Bears coach Dave Izzard.
Nylani Namai (Blackhawks)
Namai has asserted herself as a forward leader in Cowboys country.
Kirwan State High’s school captain, Namai also has the job of captaining the Blackhawks girls from prop. She is setting a high standard with her training efforts and damaging ways on game day.
Tah’ Lucy Querro (Blackhawks)
A Western Lionesses try scoring maestro in Townsville, Querro has kept her foot on the gas to be a key player for the Blackhawks.
The versatile fullback has been very reliable at the back.
Alanieta Nauqe (Blackhawks)
Nauqe has had her hands full running the Blackhawks attack and she has done a stellar job.
Burdekin Roosters’ under-16s player of the year in 2024, Nauqe travels from Burdekin multiple times a week to attend training before Saturday’s game.
The enthusiastic pivot does it all again the next week.
Diamond Graham (Tweed)
The Keebra Park student has been unsung, perfecting the little things and making key plays that have become a regularity. The young dummy half has been key in Tweed’s unbeaten start.
Mya Tronc, Luisa Olomalii (Dolphins)
Middle forwards Tronc and Olomalii don’t do all the scoring or stepping but their gutsy efforts running the ball warrants plenty of praise.
Returning players from last year’s outfit, Tronc and Olomalii seem to know their role back to front and they are effective.
Lenore Georgetown and Jazmin Askew (Dolphins)
Georgetown, a five-eight, hails from the Pine Central Holy Spirit club which has become a breeding ground for elite female rugby league players. From a well known family associated with the Dolphins, Lenmore has been crafty and careful in three games to date. Askew, a halfback, has shown glimpses of magic alongside Georgetown with her quick thinking and fast feet.
Originally published as Meninga, Connell Cup and Harvey U17 and U19 unsung heroes of every team
From St Mary’s boy to Madge’s man: Local hero Paix locks up Broncos spot
Cory Paix is on track to become Toowoomba’s next NRL mainstay after he was again named to start at hooker for the Brisbane Broncos in Round Two.
Racing mourns death of legendary trainer and passionate family man
Switching dairy cows for thoroughbreds Paul Nolan Snr never knew he would start a ‘racing dynasty’. Now following his death at the weekend the passionate family man is being remembered as one of Queensland’s greatest trainers.
The 2032 Olympic venues from your dreams
As debate continues to swirl around the 2032 Olympic venues, we commissioned AI to have a crack at what our the spectacle could look like. SEE THE IMAGES
$50k time bomb: Rugby club face anxious wait as floodwater rises
A Queensland rugby club is facing a possible $50,000-plus recovery bill as floodwaters from ex-tropical cyclone Alfred threaten its ground with water up to the crossbar of the goalposts. See the video here.
Mercy flight for stranded Dolphins after contentious game
Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport has once again been the Qld touch down point for rugby league stars stuck in NSW while their families bunkered down for the now ex-tropical cyclone Alfred.
Revealed: Toowoomba’s huge role in getting Broncos back to Qld
Just hours after dismantling the Roosters in Sydney, the Brisbane Broncos were back in Queensland before TC Alfred arrived — and Toowoomba had a big hand in making that happen.