Sunshine Coast Falcons Cyril Connell and Mal Meninga 2025 squad previews

Sunshine Coast Falcons Cyril Connell and Mal Meninga head coaches have revealed their 2025 aims, pre-season takeaways and key players to watch. Read the full preview.

Sunshine Coast Falcons Cyril Connell and Mal Meninga Cup 2025 season previews. Pictures: Patrick Woods.

The Sunshine Coast Falcons junior representative season is quickly approaching with a number of standout local talents ready to make their mark.

Hundreds of players took part in their respective pre-season trials before coaches made the tough decisions to select their top squad for 2025.

All four Falcons teams will host the Western Clydesdales in round one with the games to be played at the Sunshine Coast Stadium on February 15.

Prior to kick off we caught up with the men’s under-17 Cyril Connell Cup and under-19 Mal Meninga Cup head coaches to see how they were tracking.

Stay tuned for the women’s under-17 and under-19 previews next week.

Cyril Connell Cup (U17)

Coach: Tim Baldwin

Captain: Unconfirmed

Last Season: 10th (two wins, four losses)

Baldwin will remain at the helm and after a tough season in 2024, with the loss of some key playmakers, he is eager to see what his side can produce in 2025.

The under-17s selected a pre-season squad of 45 before cutting to 28 and then 22 for their final trial match.

The squad features roughly 10 bottom age players and a further 10 that were in the squad last season.

Sunshine Coast Falcons under-17 head coach Tim Baldwin. Picture Patrick Woods.

Early takeaways: “We were lucky last year in the fact we had a lot of good young talent that have rejoined us this season, gaining that experience and becoming the leaders of the group. There’s a good 10 or 11 of those players and it’s similar again this year with about 10 bottom age guys.”

Competitive edge: “I feel like the boys are quite untapped. They’ve got good individual skills and talents but it’ll be exciting when they learn to play as a team. The growth in just the past 10 weeks has been evident so our main focus is the timing of things, seeing how much they can learn in a short amount of time.”

Rising rugby league talents Jett Ryan, Will Joyner, Oliver Kleijn and Kaio Moses. Pictures: Patrick Woods.

Players to watch: “Our key middles this season will be Jett Ryan, Will Joyner, Oliver Kleijn and Kaio Moses. We’ve got some great rotations in our forward pack this season so I think that will be our strong point. We’re never the biggest pack but they’ve got the strength and the agility which I think will be a key asset in our competition. To see how they match-up against the better players in the state and see where they stand is something to look forward to.”

Mal Meninga Cup (U19)

Coach: Wade Hadley

Captain: Koby Brown

Last Season: 8th (five wins, five losses)

Hadley steps into the head coaching role this season after 14 years with the Redcliffe Dolphins junior representative sides and the past two seasons as Colts and Mal Meninga assistant coach.

More than 100 players attended the Falcons trials with Hadley and his coaching staff cutting the squad to 46 and now to 34 to accommodate for injuries and training partners throughout the season.

He said the majority of his squad were local players with one from northern New South Wales, a handful from northern Brisbane and two from Wide Bay.

Sunshine Coast Falcons Mal Meninga head coach Wade Hadley. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Early takeaways: “I’m happy with how the boys have committed themselves and all have a point to prove. The application has been great, the focus now is to remain on that course and get everyone working as a unit.”

Competitive edge: “We’re full of young men that are ready to have a red hot crack. We’ve got some great talent and a great nucleus to work from, our focus is just on making sure we gel together. While we’re a smaller side they’re all quite gritty and want to work hard for each other. We’re trying to push that this is harder and a step above local footy given how competitive the competition and especially this age group is. Our foundations are where they need to be so we’ll work into the season well and continue to grow from there.”

Key Mal Meninga Cup players for the Falcons will include Tyson Knight, Nate Thompson, Charlie Coates and Myron Taupati-Campbell.

Players to watch: “The first one that sticks out is Tyson Knight who travels from Maryborough three days a week and is a bottom age player that’s still at school. He’s someone that’s looking for an opportunity so to see what he’s done in pre-season and in our trial matches has been exceptional. He’ll be a damaging middle that someone will want to pick up sooner rather than later. Nate Thompson is another exciting player that’s rolled over from rugby union. He’s starting to understand the game more and more, has electric speed, great ball skills and can create something out of nothing. Charlie Coates, he’s with the Storm and has been in the Falcons system for quite some time now which is good. He’s skyrocketed in recent months so there’s big wraps on him to take another step forward. Our captain Koby Brown has been in the system for a while too, he’s a very smart footballer that understands different moments of the game and how to get his side around the paddock. He’ll work well with our vice-captain Jesse Bender. He plays a brute style of footy but leads by example really well and would be one to keep an eye on. I could keep listing off guys but one more would be Myron Taupati-Campbell who is new to any representative system but he’s slotted in really well. Is aggressive on both sides of the ball and technically sound so he looks to be a good player in the making.”

Falcons Mal Meninga captain Koby Brown and vice-captain Jesse Bender. Pictures: Patrick Woods.

Captain’s chat: “All of the boys are coming together really well now, gaining a better understanding of how each other plays and what our strengths are going to be. There’s a few new faces but the energy and enthusiasm has been great which has been enjoyable. I think having a bigger squad than usual will be really beneficial which the boys have already started to notice. Everyone is getting a great idea of their role and there’s a number of players that can pull things off when needed which is always handy to have.”

Originally published as Sunshine Coast Falcons Cyril Connell and Mal Meninga 2025 squad previews