Which NRL clubs have signed the Langer Trophy top guns?
NRL clubs have snapped up some of the Langer Trophy’s top guns over the years. Find out which of the current crop of players are already on the books of some of the nation’s biggest clubs.
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The Langer Trophy is a white hot schoolboy rugby league competition awash with future NRL stars.
The eight-team, Brisbane Broncos competition has produced the best of the best, including Alan Langer (Ipswich SHS) whom the competition is name after, Marsden SHS marvel Cameron Smith right through to current Origin players like David Fifita and Moeaki Fotuaika (both Keebra Park).
But where are the stars of the class of 2021 headed when they close their school books?
NEWS CORP’S LIVESTREAMING OF LANGER TROPHY SEMI-FINALS WILL RESUME ON AUGUST 25 WITH THE SEMI-FINAL SERIES.
WAVELL SHS
Wavell SHS once schooled the great Greg Inglis while it has rich rugby league traditions stretching back decades to when another past student, David Wright, was a Queensland mainstay and Australian representative of the 1970s.
It has an array of rookies signed to NRL, including winger Jordan Tut-Chapman (Roosters), centre Prinston Esera (Raiders), big, mobile forward Felix Fa’atili (Brisbane Broncos), rangy backrower Ben Te Kura Brisbane Broncos and playmaker Karl Oloapu (Broncos).
Pick of the crop: Ben Te Kura. The tall, edge backrower who will get better and better once he grows into his frame.
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IPSWICH SHS
Ipswich SHS is a rugby league heartland education facility which hit the headlines earlier this year after one of his past students, Cronulla Sharks winger Ronaldo Mulitalo, was ruled ineligible to represent Queensland in Origin despite first attending the school aged 13 years and 10 months.
It is also Allan Langer’s old stomping ground and even back in the 1970s was producing outstanding BRL talent like raw-boned Valleys Diehards prop Al McInness.
Every year talent scouts scour the Ipswich region for talent and this season they have scooped up Kulikefu Finefeuiaki and Jake Self (North Queensland Cowboys), Thomas Luhrman and Xavier Sofeni (Sydney Roosters), Josiah Pahulu, Shannon Stewart (Gold Coast Titans), Rene Bagon (Manly Sea Eagles) and Nick Torrens (Souths Sydney Rabbitohs).
Pick of the crop: Kulikefu Finefeuiaki. The North Queensland Cowboys have done well here, signing the edge backrower to the three year deal. Not only is he a fine player, he has the right attitude to make it in the big league.
MABEL PARK SHS
The son of a gun, Alex Leapai junior, was the target of an astute raid by Sydney Roosters talent scouts.
They signed the hulking 15-year-prop knowing he was not only big, but athletic after being trained on the pads and in the gym by his boxing father Alex senior.
Despite his youth, Leapai led the minnows of the Langer Trophy and will be a player to watch in 2022.
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The recent benchmark of the Langer Trophy, PBC SHS is one of the first ports of call for NRL talent scouts.
Indeed most of the squad has been secured NRL clubs, including great mates Tom Weaver and Osker Bryant (both Gold Coast Titans), powerhouse forwards Jack Cullen and Ryan Foran (Gold Coast Titans), Reef Somerville (Brisbane Broncos) and class centre Deine Mariner (Broncos).
Others include Keano Kini (Titans), Michael Roberts (Titans), Travis May (Knights), Tom Weaver (c), Brock Priestley (Titans), Jayden Wright (Titans), Tanu Nona (Titans), Bailey Martin (Titans), Jett Forbes (Sharks).
Pick of the crop. It is a four way tie between halfback young gun Tom Weaver who is a footballer from the tip of his toe to the top of his head, gun forwards Cullen and Foran and centre Mariner who was the player of the schoolboys state carnival earlier in the year.
Maybe Cullen gets the nod, but all are outstanding players.
COOMBABAH SHS
Coombabah SHS returned to the Langer Trophy after a five year absence and its campaign was spearheaded by several NRL contracted players.
Unfortunately captain and fullback Tim Sielaff-Burns, who is contracted to the Broncos, was injured for the first half of the season but when he made it onto the field, his class was obvious.
But Coombabah still had year 12 students Joseph Shannon (Titans) and halfback gun Caleb Gould-Waiariki (Titans) leading the way.
The school also has year 11 boys in development squads, Kyen Murphy (Cowboys) and K-ci Whare (Storm).
Pick of the crop: Caleb Gould-Waiariki (Titans) but it was a line ball with Tim Sielaff-Burns (Broncos) who didn't play as much football.
KEEBRA PARK SHS
Two of the best Langer Trophy players this season come from Keebra Park SHS, a renowned hunting ground of NRL talent scouts.
Prop Herman Tofaeono (Wests Tigers) and hooker Blake Mozer (Broncos) were young guns who both made the Queenslanfd 16-18 years schoolboys merit team earlier in the season.
Other NRL contracted players with the Keebra squad were Immanial Kalekale (Titans) who is Tofaeono’s starting prop partner, edge backrower Seth Nikotemo (Titans) and middle forwards Del Wigmore (Panthers) and Arama Hau (Titans).
Pick of the crop: Dummy Blake Mozer is a gun.
MARSDEN SHS
Marsden SHS’s players will be spread across seven different NRL clubs, with South Sydney, the Storm, Titans, West Tigers, Canberra, Parramatta and the Brisbane Broncos sharing the talent.
The Rabbitohs has astute Queensland schoolboys merit fullback Leon Te Hau signed along with Braydon Teuila, while the Canberra Raiders snapped up pacy outside back Teapo Stoltman and the Storm signed quick silver winger Tea-Rani Woodman-Tuhoro.
But the Tigers have also swooped on captain Chris Faagutu, one of the players of the competition, and the reliable Kiernan Tempest who is a David Stagg-type player.
Parramatta have prop Lance Fualema and the Broncos edge backrower Nathaniel Tangimataiti, another Queensland schoolboy merit player.
But the Gold Coast Titans have been most active, securing Dominique Sandow,
Sione Foutika, Xavier Stowers, Will Semu and Taelon Te-Shiu Hopa.
Pick of the crop: Year 10 students Will Semu and Taelon Te-Shiu Hopa were exciting talents, but big prop Xavier Stowers has probably made the biggest impression.
ST MARY’S COLLEGE
St Mary’s College were always on the recruitment radar of NRL clubs, with the best of the young boys up there the Va’a brothers, Xavier and De La Salle (Brisbane Broncos).
Both props, the boys make regular trips to Brisbane to train with other youth players.
Frustratingly Xavier was robbed of a farewell season playing with his brother after sustaining an early injury.
LANGER TROPHY
LIVESTREAM SCHEDULE
August 25:
Semi-finals: Langlands Park
Marsden SHS v Ipswich SHS
PBC SHS v Keebra SHS
September 1: (Wynnum)
Southern QLD Schoolboy Cup final
September 8: COVID Contingency Week
September 15: Phil Hall Cup (Redcliffe)
Northern Conference Final, Southern QLD winner v Northern QLD winner.
Originally published as Which NRL clubs have signed the Langer Trophy top guns?
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