28 SEQ junior stars going the other way – to Sydney NRL clubs like the Roosters, Bulldogs and Wests Tigers

NRL player signings 2022: While the rugby league world is ablaze with chatter who The Dolphins will recruit, we name 28 SEQ junior stars going the other way – to Sydney NRL clubs.

Andrew Dawson

4 min read

November 10, 2021 - 12:30AM

Quest Newspapers

Sport

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While the rugby league world is ablaze with chatter about who The Dolphins will recruit to Queensland, many south east Queensland junior stars continue to go the other way – to Sydney NRL clubs.

Canterbury, the Wests Tigers and Roosters have been most active in the south east despite the Dolphins, Broncos and Titans ramping up their recruitment of elite local juniors.

Seven young Queensland schoolboys – Mabel Park SHS forward Fahmy Jerusalem, Corey Nassif (Stretton State College), De la Cruz Ripley (Brisbane Boys College), Ogden George, Tayshon Foley and Oliva Smith (all from Ipswich SHS) have been signed by Canterbury.

Fahmy Jerusalem is a Mabel Park SHS student that has signed by the NRL club Canterbury Bulldogs. Thursday October 21, 2012. Picture, John Gass

One of those signings, Mabel Park SHS No. 13 Fahmy Jerusalem, said signing with Canterbury was appealing because “the Bulldogs are invested in their younger players’’. “And the club has a connection to the community,’’ he said.

Jerusalem’s story to snare an NRL contract reflects the sacrifices of many schoolboys.

From a family of 12, he arrived in Logan with a guardian, Anna Seu-Easthope, in January from New Zealand after deciding to leave his family behind and make a run for Queensland during a break in the COVID-19 border lock down.

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And why? In the hope of playing in the Langer Trophy and earning an NRL contract.

“I heard Mabel Park SHS had a strong rugby league development program,’’ Fahmy Jerusalem said.

Once at Mabel Park SHS, he became even more inspired when team mate Alex Leapai junior was signed by the Roosters.

Alex Leapai is a huge inspiration to Fahmy Jerusalem. (News Corp/Attila Csaszar)

“He is a huge inspiration. With a strong mindset, and fierce work ethic at training, Alex set the benchmark, showing what it takes to be a champion player and forge a career in rugby league.’’

Aside from signing prop forward talent Leapai junior, the astute Sydney Roosters talent scouts have also signed the Va’a brothers, Xavier and De La Salle, from St Mary’s College Toowoomba and Wavell SHS winger Jordan Tut-Chapman who just keeps improving.

They also have Ipswich SHS dummy half Thomas Luhrman on their books, along with St Joseph’s Nudgee College outside centre star Rob Toia.

Wavell State High School senior player Jordan Tut-Chapman. Picture: Renae Droop

The Wests Tigers have six of the best – Queensland schoolboys merit prop Herman Tofaeono (Keebra Park SHS), 2021 joint Justin Hodges medallist Chris Faatugu (Marsden SHS), outstanding Wavell No. 13 Junior Taungatua (Wavell SHS), middle forward Mou Taumaletila (Marsden SHS) and utility Kienan Tempest (Marsden SHS) who is a David Stagg clone.

Marsden SHS’s Chris Faatuhu is a Tigers’ signing.Picture: Liam Kidston.

Throw in brilliant Kirwan SHS outside back talent Dudley Dotoi from Far North Queensland and you have a bag full of good kids headed to the Wests Tigers.

The South Sydney Rabbitohs were also active in the SEQ.

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The club hosts a training camp in southern Queensland each year which is explains why they have signed Nick Torrens (Ipswich SHS), Queensland schoolboys merit team fullback Leon Te Hau (Marsden SHS) and edge backrower Braydon Teuila (Marsden SHS).

St Laurence player Mikael Ibrahim is a Dragons signing. Picture, John Gass

Even St George Illawarra Dragons, who used to regard Queensland as a happy recruitment hunting ground, have made a move signing impressive edge player or centre Mikael Ibrahim who was the Brisbane Tigers Connell Challenge Player of the Season as a star in AIC rugby for premiers St Laurence’s College.

The also have PBC SHS grand final prop Kade Sommerville arriving. Sommerville is a real tradesman who gets the job done without fuss.

The Dragon’s coach, Queenslander Anthony Griffin, has a huge job continuing to rebuild 10 years of dreadful on and off field decisions at St George Illawarra, but the recruitment of Ibrahim as a junior, the signing of NRL senior players Francis Molo (Cowboys, Wavell SHS old boys) and Jaydn Su’a (Broncos, Marsden SHS old boy), highlights he thinks highly of Queensland as the flourishing recruitment ground it once was for the Red V.

PBC SHS’s Jett Forbes is a Cronulla signing. Picture: Liam Kidston

Front rowers were also the flavour of the day for old Sydney foes, Manly and Parramatta.

Manly have signed arguably the rookie of the 2021 Langer Trophy season, Rene Bagon who came along in leaps and bounds in his first season of Langer Trophy playing for Ipswich SHS.

Xavier Va'a for Valleys. Picture: Nev Madsen.

And the Eels have signed Marsden SHS prop Lance Fualema who, like all good players, rose to the occasion on grand final day when he produced his finest match of the season for Marsden SHS in their narrow loss to state champion Palm Beach Currumbin SHS.

Corey Nassif of Stretton State College playing against St Mary's.

Seeking pace, Cronulla have signed the aptly named Jett Forbes (PBC SHS) while Penrith were impressed enough with Keebra Park SHS edge forward Del Wigmore.