#37 - Cyril Connell Cup finals preview w/ Nick Tucker

HUGE episode

Im joined by Nick Tucker to preview the Cyril Connell Cup finals action

Which team in Jersey Flegg is a huge problem 

And all the NSWRL action we usually have covered.

IG - Theshortball_

Go follow Nick on IG as well @nicktuckersports

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello and gentlemen, welcome back to the ShortBall Podcast huge episode this week. We have got obviously all the uh New South Wales rugby league action um and a role to cover New South Wales Cup to cover all those sorts of things. I'm gonna be joined by a guest a little later in the show as well to discuss the Cyril Connell Cup uh semi-finals coming up this weekend. Obviously, four uh really dominant teams across that competition, you know, winner Manley Seagulls undefeated, uh 6-0 going into the finals. Um, you know, you've got Townsville Blackhawks up there. Um it's gonna be a good final series, and we're gonna have a guest on to help cover that. Um, because as you know, I sort of watch those Queensland comps one or two games a week. Um so we've got someone in who's going to have a lot more detail than I'll be able to provide. So um anyway, we'll get into it with our performances of the week. Starting off with the SG ball Lincoln Fletcher. He was the SG ball player of the week this week. Um he had a try, three line breaks, three line break assists, and four try assists against the Warriors and a really good bounce back game for the Panamatarios, and he was dominant in this one. Um, you know, there was a couple of really good performances in that game, but he was head and shoulders above um Samuela Soravi, he he went really well. Um Cameron Bamblett provided 270 run meters in that one as well. Um Chris Petras had a good game, but yeah, he was the orchestrator of it all. Lincoln Fletcher in that one. Um, and we'll talk about it a little bit later on. Um Ezekiel Stanley Lynn Ival, two try, 128 meter game-winning performance against the uh West Suburbs Magpies. Uh he was really good late in this game, two tries, obviously. His running game was electric, the whole uh 60 minutes in this one. Um, you know, he's got a good long boot boot on him as well. He's been really good for the Bulldogs this season in Howard Matthews. He's probably been one of, if not their best player um so far this season. And yeah, he he he won that game for the Bulldogs. They don't win without him there um on the weekend. So a top performance from Ezekiel Stanley Lenival there. Um the next one was our performance of the week in the pathways. This wasn't Cyril Connell for a team that just missed out on the final, so we're not gonna get to talk about it. Um talk about that game in as much depth. But Derek Rwang, the fullback there, he had four tries, 260 run meters uh in a dominant performance. He also had a try assist to Leo Briggs, who was very good, who was worth a shatter, and so was Asher Batty. Um both of those two guys were really good in this game. But um Derek R Wang was a clear standout, he he just electric the whole game. Um he was really good the week before as well. I was looking at that, I watched that game because I wanted to see how Baxter best went because he scored uh Bradman Best Bradman Best's younger brother, he scored two tries in that game. Um and I wanted to look at see how he went, but it was actually Derek R. Wang that really impressed me there. And then you know, he comes out the next week against the Wide Bay Bulls, who admittedly they're a bit of a team where you fill your boots on the stat sheet, um, you know, across most grades up there in Queensland, but you can only play who's in front of you. And um, yeah, Derek Rwang really filled his boots there, four tries, 260 metres, insane performance from the Ipswich Jets fullback. Um, another Ipswich Jets fullback, Jalander Groot, he was the best in host plus cup or Q Cup over the weekend. Two tries, two try assists. It was a really dominant performance from him there as they won 48 points to six. Uh so yeah, Titans fullback, he's played first grade, he's an experienced guy now in that Queensland Cup level, and he played really well on the weekend. Um, and Jackson Edgar, he put on a clinic for Penrith, he had two tries. Um, a stat that really impressed me was the three offloads that he had. Um, yeah, he was really good in this game. Um, Jackson Edgar, I actually get his full stat sheet up um so I can sort of do it a little bit of justice. Um he was so two tries, 15 runs for 170 metres, three line breaks, eight tackle breaks. Um, no, he didn't have the three offloads. That was Jesse McLean, who had five offloads in that game. That was the offload stats I was looking at. But we're um we will get back to that um when I'll talk about the New South Wales Cup a little bit later on. But yeah, Jackson Edgar, a really good performance, eight tackle breaks, two tries, three line breaks, 170 metres. Um, just an all-round really good performance. Um, he only had the one error, wasn't handling error, nothing. Um and he had um a couple of really good kick diffusals uh defensively. He was he was really sound there as well. Um, first talking point, Jersey Fleg New Zealand Warriors, they are legit. Um, the Warriors seem to have this team every single year where they're just completely dominant. New South Wales Cup last year, Howard Matthews the last two years as well. Um, their pathways are something to be really excited about at the moment. There's a lot of guys coming through the grades who I've highlighted a lot over the last couple weeks, you know, in New South Wales Cup level, Jet Cleary, Jack Thompson, Bishop Neal, all these guys coming through. Super young, super talented players with a lot of upside. Um, you know, I've highlighted Harry Ench from the Jersey Flag side. A couple of the SG ball players have come up here. Jeremiah Lamana, Joseph Ratcliffe, um, Tyson Hansen, all guys that featured in those Howard Matthews comps as well at different stages. Tyson Hansen's Hansen is under 18, he's playing Jersey Flag, and he put in a really good performance on the weekend as well. Um, he had, I think, 34 tackles in this game, got through a heap of work, so um, he was really good in that one. But Jersey Fleg the Warriors, uh, we're gonna highlight them. They lost Jack Thompson and Bishop Neal for this game, who I just spoke about then. They still won it by 40. And then you look at this team, like Tyson Hansen, great performance, highlighted him. Harry Inch, he got a try in this one, really good. Braylon Marsh has been playing really well for them in this comp. He's they signed him from the Dolphins, he was part of the under-19s um Dolphins set up last year, he played under all Q as well, which is the under-20s comp up there. Um, Jeremiah Lamana made his debut, Brandon Norris. He's been maintaining his form from last year. Very good um quality outside back there, can play centre or wing. Um, CO Kali's in this side. Don't know what is doing there, um, but he scored a try as well on the weekend. He was good. Um, yeah, 44 points to six over the Newcastle Knights, who've got a good junior setup there. Um but yeah, the they're a team that I can see them just having that really dominant year. As long as they keep most of their guys together. Like I imagine Jack Thompson will probably come back down with you know halves getting pushed down. Luke Hanson won't um be up in NRO for very long. I think Chanel Harris David is back next week. Well, Luke Luke Luke Metcalf's back this week, so New South Wales Cup. Let's actually get their New South Wales Cup um team list. I like last week. Like I said last week, I'd always be forgetting. Luke Hanson, Jack Thompson are the starting halves in New South Wales Cup. Bishop Neal's still there, but he's on the bench this time. Right. Um, I wonder what's happened with Jack Cleary. I thought he was named on the extended. Um, anyway, we'll go to their Jersey Flag lineup because that's what we're actually talking about. Um that caught me off guard. I didn't I didn't expect that to be honest. Um I didn't know Jet Cleary wasn't gonna be there. Joseph Ratcliffe at six, Harry Inch at seven, um Jeremiah Lamana playing fullback, like more two pasikala. He was playing New South Wars Cup two years ago as well. Um Brandon Norris at centres. Like this is a good team. Kahu Kappa, Desmond Laban, Tyson Hansen, that is a back row and a half. Gordon Affa joins the interchange bench. Um SG Ball will start off with that. Um actually, before we do that, we're gonna cut in with our Cyril Connell preview. Um, we've got in, um, as I said earlier, a guest for this preview. Um, Nick Tucker, a journalist up with the Korean Mail. He covers all the Southeast Queensland junior footy, does a very good job at it. I suggest you go follow him on Instagram, Nick Tucker Sports. Um, yeah, he does a very good job highlighting all the Cyril Connell, Malmaninga, um, Harvey Norman's, all those um key players from there. He covers the school boys in the off-season as well, or not in the off-season, but once that junior rep stuff is finished. Yeah, and he he's he does a really top job of that. So we'll cut to that now. Wise Man once said to me, when you go after or when you go to cover content, you go out and get the best in the game. I've gone and sought out someone who can cover the Queensland stuff a lot better than I can myself. Um, and it's career mail journalist uh Nick Tucker, Nick Tucker Sports on Instagram. Nick, mate, how are you going? Good, thank you, Jacob. Thanks for having me, mate. Great to be here. Thanks for your time. Um, what we're covering today, Sural Connell Finals. Um, you know, obviously starts a little bit earlier in the season, seven-round competition up there. Um, any talking points throughout the uh regular season or anything that um stood out to you from from the overall season so far um coming into finals?

SPEAKER_01 9:26

Um yeah, mate, it'd probably be a few things, I guess. Number one, very competitive, some like extremely good talent coming through the ranks, mate. I just it's you just can't can't comprehend it, mate. These players, you envy them sometimes, mate. The way they train, the way they play, it's outstanding. But um a few teams have separated themselves from the pack, obviously, to make that top four. You got Black Hawks, Falcons, Dells, and Winham that have made the top four. But you know, the competition's so strong that a team like Burley, who's finished eighth, that team is in itself outstanding. So, and they could beat anyone on their day. So, but from what I've seen, mate, there's some extremely good players that have come, you know, they've you know played juniors in Queensland, and there's a nice little smattering of players that have come from elsewhere, like for example, New Zealand or Melbourne and stuff like that. So, yeah, it's made for a really entertaining season, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 10:17

Yeah, 100%. Have you sort of noticed something that I've definitely noticed down here covering Howard Matthews, the last sort of I don't know, 12 to 18 months, there's a lot of up and aged kids coming through to 17s and dominating, like you know, your 16-year-old guys, the guys that are coming out of the Queensland under 15s comp, they're going into Howard Matthews and Cyril Connell, and they're um you know, dominating those competitions, they've got big body skill sets, all these extra things that you you haven't seen before. Have you noticed that up there as well?

SPEAKER_01 10:48

Uh, I think no, I think more so with Queensland, you find that the the kids that are playing in the age group, not sort of the year below, you know, they're not a 16-year-old playing in a 17. Like if they're you can tell if you're if you're in year 12 and you're playing Connell Cup, you can tell there's a difference. Um best example could be North Seville's fullback Boston now. Like he's in year 12 at Wavel, he's just got a bit of extra class about him. Whereas, but it's also a good experience for the younger players to you know be exposed to this level. Another one would be Digby Yuani from the Tigers. Like he's only like 15, but he's playing like almost two years above his level. So yeah, he had a great season. So um, I definitely think it's it's you know, the kids that are you know 17 already or turning 17, they're obviously going to be the you know the premier players, but you know, there's still lots of room for those young boys to go well.

SPEAKER_00 11:40

Yeah, 100%. All right, um, we'll get into it with the North Devils versus Sunshine Coast Falcons. That's at 12:30 on Saturday. Um, totally work where Stadium Brisbane. Which one is that? I guess. So that's the Tigers home ground.

SPEAKER_01 11:55

So it's neither of these teams their home ground, but it's a great, great turf, mate, and it's going to be a good place to watch footy, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 12:02

Um, the first guy that I wanted to talk about from the devil's side was a guy that you've already mentioned, uh Boston now. He he impressed me a fair bit. What have you liked about his game?

SPEAKER_01 12:13

Oh, well, I guess you can't really teach pace, and you some kids have footwork, and some kids have Boston now footwork, and that's just electric. So Imbroke can play, you know, and as a fullback, he he's been able to roam a bit more. So that was a good call from Coach Shane Boyd there to you know, not pigeonhole pigeonhole him on the wing there, let him let him rove on at fullback. So he I mean he's been full of confidence, and I mean he's just a very, very good natural player who's been coached up well at Wables State High. So mate, he he's lightning and he's got a good backline next to him.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

So yeah, yeah, bit a bit of points in this uh North Devil side. Points, what do you mean?

SPEAKER_01 12:50

Oh mate, yeah. They're capable of 50. They won't put it on, they won't put 50 on the Falcons. The Falcons are extremely gritty. So um, but mate, yeah, Boston's had a flying start to 2026, and we'll see a bit more of that when the Langer trophy season rolls around in the winter.

SPEAKER_00 13:06

Yeah, what about um this front row from the North Devils? A guy that played um Queensland under the 15s last year, he was the player of the tournament there. I've noticed he's just straight into the starting lineup, and I've seen some some good things from him this year. Uh Lenton Stephen Finaki, how's he going up there?

SPEAKER_01 13:23

Yeah, mate, very well. He had a disrupted start to the season with a bit of an ankle, and I think he might have been suspended for a game. But mate, he's a kid that he's not he's just someone you just want to watch. Like he is that good. Um there's no, you know, without sounding rude, he's the type of kid you go, there's no way you're 15. Like he just you'd walk into a room and go, yeah, you're definitely you've graduated. But no, he's just um, you know, he's immobile. I guess far as rugby league goes, mate, he's mobile, he's aggressive, he he knows how good he is, and that's a good thing. So we're gonna see a lot more from him, mate. Like he he's in year 11 at Wayball this year, and he he was he was the you know, I'd say the revelation of 2025. Like I hadn't heard anything of him before that, and he sort of tore up in the Walters Cup, which is the Queensland year 10 school comp. Um, obviously, as you said, went went crazy at nationals there. So him being in this team is just a trump card for North's. Like, if the Falcons didn't have a you know tough enough already trying to, you know, defend the other players, you throw in Fanaki into the mix and it's like, oh, how good we've just got to defend another wrecking ball. Like it's it's tough.

SPEAKER_00 14:32

Yeah, uh I like the point you said there about sort of his aggression and and how good he knows that he is. I think that the thing that stood out for me at nationals was both sides of the ball, the way he chased after contact, like he just goes straight at straight at his opposition forward, chase the battle on defense. He absolutely folded a few poor kids. It was like this is this is this is man against boy sort of stuff. And another thing that he sort of had in that nationals, I don't know whether you know up and age and Cyril Connell Cup, he still has this or whether they've used him in that role, but he looked to have pretty silky hands as well. Like his tip on his pre-line tip on looked really good. Yeah, his spot on.

SPEAKER_01 15:10

Like he's not a forward that is just one-dimensional. He's like you could put him in at center, right? You could put him at lock. I've you know, like he's got he's got a nice slot of hand for a big man, that's for sure. And I think at the end of uh end of 2025, you know, he got him he got him got involved with the um Tonga national team. You know, he didn't play, obviously, but like just being mixing it with the older boys, mate, and you know, you're in year ten at school, and you know, look out of place, that sort of says it all, doesn't it? So yeah, he's got a great skill set, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 15:40

Yeah, that was awesome seeing that um Tongan Kemp, just a little side note the Verhoven, um Tupac Francis, um Bryanton, like those those three guys who everybody sort of knows coming through the grades at the moment because Bryant's killing at Verhovens, and then to see a name like Lendon Fanaki put up there, I thought that was a huge rap on him, what he's done at such a young age. But um have you got anyone else in this devil's side? Um, uh one of the centers, Tane Crampton. I've I've seen a little bit of who looks like he goes all right, Cruz Molo goes all right as well. Any other guys to watch there?

SPEAKER_01 16:16

Yeah, well, I think just as a whole, mate, like their team is well-rounded. I think just you can there's a bit of a Wavel flavour to it. So Fanaki's good good mate at school, Cruz Molo, mate. Like it's not a one-man show, it's they're a nice little duo, and yeah, when they play well, they feed off each other, and they both can change a game. Like that that happened multiple times last year at Wavel. So um, I think Billy Spicer at 13, like he he's you know going along very well at Nudgy College, you know, being exposed to some really good coaching there. Um and but also his leadership's improved a lot. So I think you know, blokes like Spicer, you know, the the Fords are going to win this game, but then the fact that they can release the ball to a bloke like Eli Rao Luni at the back. Um, he's another I you know, I think he's probably in the best center in the competition, or at least close to. Um, mate, he is extremely fit, extremely, you know, skillful, um, tall, and you know, there's plenty of excitement about him, mate. So I think he's in for not only a good game, but a good year, sort of at nudgy as well.

SPEAKER_00 17:22

Yep. Keen to see how they go this weekend. Just final point on the devils, and I'll start to ask you about the Falcons. 250 points four in a six in a six-game season over 40 points a game. That's a joke. Like winner Manley Seagulls, who have seen a little bit of have put a score on a couple of sides, and they're 75 points behind the pace in terms of the best attacking side. That's a joke.

SPEAKER_01 17:48

I yeah, I didn't even see that, but I guess that's you know, it says it all about a lot of the different players. Like it says a lot about unsung heroes, too, you know. Yeah, some kids are scoring, but yeah, they've got they've got role players, they've got you know rookies on the rise, that's for sure, man. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 18:06

Um, this Falcon side, not a side I've seen a whole heap of. Um, have you got any guys here to keep a close eye on?

SPEAKER_01 18:14

Yeah, mate. This the Falcons slash Sunshine Coast in general is a very exciting sort of um space to keep an eye on. Um they've got you know, Sunny Coast is a breeding ground for rugby and for rugby league, but right now they've got uh a group of boys at Mountain Creek State High that I think are just very impressive. Um so this Falcons team has made up a lot of those boys, made up of a lot of those boys. Um I think you know the Falcons again, if they were gonna come close to the Devils, it's just gonna be a team effort. You know, no one player is gonna keep them competitive. But there is a bloke that is he has really sort of caught my eye, and I think a lot of people's eyes is the hooker, Cash Bennett. Um, for starters, what a name. You know, if your name's Cash, like that's a good starting point. But yeah, his captain, he's not a captain that's gonna be like telling his teammates, you know, you're doing this wrong, or you do this. He's the type of captain that will when you're 18 to 8 down and you need a play, he's gonna come up with it, and everyone will go, all right. Well, that's my captain, he's just done that. Um, I've got to follow suit now. So definitely a lead by actions kind of bloke who is mate, he's tough as nails, um, very good at rugby league and a very good hooker. So, mate, he he you know, he he could be the best hooker in the comp, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 19:34

Yeah, that's a huge rap. Um, I'm keen to see how he goes this weekend to follow him closely. How does this Harvey Morris go at lock? I've heard a little bit about him. Um, defensive side of the ball, really tough.

SPEAKER_01 19:46

Yeah, yeah, again, like Sunny Coast, mate, they're all tough there. So Harvey, very tall, good project player, like he's got a lot of potential. Um, he's not really one to make mistakes, and he's a very good player. So, you know, as a lock as well. So he he's named it lock, but he could play 12. He's pretty versatile. Um and he, you know, he's one of those boys, as I mentioned, that's at Mountain Creek. Like you've got other Mountain Creek kids like McCartney Magic, he's an enforcer on the rise. You got um Ty Hanara, like mate, these these players, Billy Roderick, Slater Thompson, they're all over the mate. They go very well.

SPEAKER_00 20:21

Yeah. All right. So by the sounds of it, this should be a good little matchup. Good little styles makes fight sort of a game. Falcons, Falcons sound like a really tough, gritty side, and then devils point scoring abilities off the charts. Um, any final words on that game?

SPEAKER_01 20:36

Yeah, yeah, as you said, mate, the Falcons are not going to roll over and let the Devils do what they've done to other teams this year. Like it, I think first half will be very close. It's just gonna be a matter of who can sort of go really well from sort of that 45th to the 60th minute. Um, yeah, but it should be a good matchup, mate. There's plenty of sort of if you're throwing it forward, like there's a lot of boys here that will be vying for sort of Queensland Schoolboys jerseys either this year or the next year, because there's a lot of year 11s in this in this game. So um, it's just it's just cool. It'll be a really good showcase of some of the you know rising young players in Queensland.

SPEAKER_00 21:09

Yep, yep. All right, on to the next game. I'm super excited about this matchup based on everything that I've seen um from these two teams, um, lots of standout players um from both of them as well. 3 p.m. at Jack Mansky Overlap in Townsville um on the Saturday as well. Winner Manley Seagulls versus the Blackhawks. And I guess we'll start with the minor premiers, the undefeated Winnamanly Seagulls. How impressive has this Calvin Harris Tavita been?

SPEAKER_01 21:37

Yeah, yeah, you're spot on. Um, he's been great, you know. Coming from New Zealand, you know, he's very hot. Like they started the season in 30 degree heat. So I think for him that might have been a bit of a SHIC, this is going to be tough, but took him about one game, he had a little injury, but then he came back. And to be honest, since he came back, he he's looked outstanding. Um, some of the things He's he does is like you don't really need to do it, and yet he does it and he pulls it off, sort of thing. Like you could do it, yeah, you could just do a straightforward pass sometimes, but instead he'll add a bit of flashiness to it, and it he turns you know a normal try into a highlight. So yeah, he he's going exceptionally well, but as is his you know, 5'8 Mahi Pene, who's also very, very good.

SPEAKER_00 22:22

Yeah, they both um I remember watching a game a couple of weeks ago. Can't remember who it was, I think they won 38 points to six, something like that. I cannot remember for the life of me who the team they were versing was. Might have been Burley, but um, yeah, the two halves they looked like they combined very well. They linked up on four of sort of the seven tries. Um, Calvin's running, he was a standout in that game by a country mile because he his kicking game, his defense was really good. He just looked like a well-rounded um number number seven to Calvin. But but talk to me more about this um this number six, uh, Maya Pene, because he impressed me in that game. I hadn't seen a whole lot of him outside of that.

SPEAKER_01 23:02

Yeah, oh well, so he he's another kid at Wavel, mate. So him and Calvin are both at Wavel, which is um exciting. Um Penny's older brother um Kean was the you know Wavel school captain in 2024. He also um has played a few years at the Devils and he's with the Cowboys. So there's rugby league in his blood, and he's a very good playmaker who you know he played his juniors for the Albany Creek Crushers. Um but mate, he's just a skillful little six or seven who will do, you know, like Calvin, he'll he'll score flashy tries. For example, last year in the Walters Cup, one of the finals games at Langlands, mate. He he scored an absolute insane try, just off the whim brilliance. So he's one of those black blokes like Calvin who can produce something out of nothing, which is a skill that you know you you need in a finals game, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 23:53

Yep, 100%. Um, the center, Billow Waddon, he's caught my eye a little bit. He he's had a couple of raps on him through the last couple of years. Um, how's he going this year?

SPEAKER_01 24:03

Going very well. Um, you wouldn't find someone around the competition that would, you know, not say that. Like everyone, he's revered. So he's a center that if you're coming up against him, you know you're gonna have a tough day in the office. Um, but what I like about Billow is mate, he's a player that if he got the ball, you know, often, he he he would just do a lot of damage. But the thing is, is in such a good team, he doesn't always get the ball. So instead, he'll make you know, he'll impose himself in a different way, and that's with some sledgehammer defense. Like he if he doesn't touch the ball for five minutes, he he doesn't mind, he's not gonna be a selfish sort of center, like give me the ball, give me the ball. He'll just rush up and hit, and it's never really around the neck, it's a good tackle. Yeah, um, but mate, he he's one of those kids um that you know don't come around too often where in junior footy they sort of make playing rugby uh you know unenjoyable because they score so many tries. So he did that in um like north north Queensland, you know, as a Palm Island weapon. Like he would score, I think it was there's a stat that I'm unaware of, but it's about six tries or something in a game or ten tries. He scored a ridiculous amount of tries in a season, and from there he sort of moved a wavel, and he's been you know going along nicely there. And he he was you know he's in year 12 now, but mate, he is you don't want to compare him to Cobbo, but he gives a similar vibe, just the way he operates. Um, yeah. But mate, he he's been fantastic, and I think if he can get the ball, you know, in space, you know, before game over.

SPEAKER_00 25:34

Yeah. Um, you know, I'd sort of probably the last two guys I wanted to speak about um from Winner Manley, the two front rollers, Tys Perrin and Benson Marnu, who's the skipper of this side. Um, how have they been going up front?

SPEAKER_01 25:47

Yeah, mate, they've been imposing themselves, that's for sure. I've really liked Perrin, mate. He's um and you know, the he goes to Wavel and the Wavel had uh head coach Paul Stanley, he had you know high praise for him last year because Perrin played in the Langer Cup sort of as a year 11, and he he was just you know Prince of Hard Yakka, just went hard, nothing flashy, just does his job very well. But I think this year he sort of leveled up a bit and he was gone from a really good player to you know a fabulous, you know, a fabulous forward. Like he he's had a really good season. Um, some some players will you know break a tackle, look for the offload, and force it. But he's one of those blokes that makes sure of what he does, and he's had some cracking highlights this year. I mean, and with and with Benson, mate, well, you're looking at the captain of the best team in the comp. So um that says it all really. But he he's been adding a lot of energy. Um, he doesn't you know he doesn't play 60 minutes, but when he's on there, he you know he makes his presence known. Um, he's a bit of an enforcer, mate, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 26:50

Yeah, yeah, they they've you know they impressed me in the couple of games that I've watched as well. Um that Tys Perrin looks like he's gonna be a decent player himself. Um, we'll move over to the uh Townsville Blackhawks. A couple of guys that I've followed through the Kerwin Bears system um over the last couple of years. Um, obviously, the mostly Townsville Kerwin Kerwin boys, like obviously the up north, that's where all the best talent goes. Um, I want to speak firstly about I'll work down the uh team list here. Clarvin off out wide. He looks like a threat whenever he gets the ball.

SPEAKER_01 27:27

So that's exactly it, mate. He yeah, I hadn't seen him at all before this year and sort of heard good things, you know, approaching the season. But watching him play is sort of a different thing. Like he's all he's got all the sort of the makings of a very good winger. So he's tall, he's athletic, he's tough, he's good in the air, good instincts. You know, he sort of list goes on. He's had a very good season. Um they they do this thing at the end of each year where they name like a Queensland City in a country sort of under 17s rep team. I imagine he'd be the winger of the country team. Uh I don't yeah, like he's been uh one of the best wingers in the competition. Someone that um you know, Blackhawks are actually prolific for producing good wingers. Um, they've done it you know almost every year since I've been covering the comp. So he's another one who's coming through, and I think he's not gonna stop at just a good Connell season, mate. He's gonna push right on and have a good school season and then do it again next year, and then have another good school season. And you know, he's under the nose of the Cowboys selectors and all those boys. So I mean he's he's lightning, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 28:33

Yeah, he looks like the uh full package in terms of if you're building a prototype winner, good finisher, fizz the ball out to him in open space, gone, like you're not catching him. Um, uh I want to talk about these two guys as a combination. Um, again, another Kerwin Bears um duo who I thought lit up um Queensland 15s two years ago, I want to say, and they're really good um at Kerwin last year as well in the top fight. That was Manua Down Ergun James. Um is a guy that I've followed for a few years, looks like that sort of electric, smaller body um half. Um, you know, you'd like to see him maybe put in a little bit more size, but just very zippy and tough to defend.

SPEAKER_01 29:18

Yeah, you're spot on there. You're spot on. Um, he's not going to overplay his hand, which is good for a young half, you know, when you've got this ability to, you know, when you've got a bit of X factor, but he's got a good, you know, good grasp of look, I know when to feed my backs and I know when to go myself. Um he's sort of got a knack of, by the looks of it, coming up with big plays when they matter. So, you know, we'll we'll see if that happens this weekend. But uh he's been very good this season, mate, very impressive. But gun James, it's funny, mate, it's in the name. He's a gun. Um, I I haven't seen him much. Um, but from what I've seen, mate, like there's the the the perfect center is someone that just sort of keeps going in contact, explosive. They just sort of refuse to like go to ground or die with the ball. Like he is just he keeps going, mate. Like some of the things I've seen him do on the right center have been wow, like sort of just look around and go, Oh, wow, he's still going. Or look at him, like he's literally breaking tackles, still going, still going, still going. Like, yeah, yeah. Those two boys, mate, they've had a cracking season.

SPEAKER_00 30:18

Yeah, yeah, they're two um players certainly to watch. It's gonna be a good matchup, these halves pairings. Penny versus Vita versus Dixon. It should be a good little watch there. Um, last guy that I'm um a big fan of in this Blackhawk side. Um, not to say that there's not other guns, but just a guy that I've certainly um seen enough of to be able to comment on. Malachi Martin, I think he's a really good lock forward there through the middle, got a good work rate, um, good pre-line pass. Um, and you know, he looks pretty physical through contact as well.

SPEAKER_01 30:51

Yeah, mate, you're spot on. That's exactly what he is. The Martin boys go well. Uh, his older brother Trent, very good as well. Um, and that's gonna be a bit of a key matchup, um, Martin, against Mac South. Um, you know, as you said, Malachi is a very good player, and and so is Mac. So Mac, you know, he was playing Div two under 16s last year, entered the season sort of a bit of an unknown, was tossed around sort of seven and thirteen. He's finished at number 13, and he's sort of made that jersey his own. So that's gonna be a great matchup and sort of two boys that are just getting better with you know each game.

SPEAKER_00 31:23

Yeah, yeah, this should be a cracking game. Anyone else from this game that I should be keeping an eye on?

SPEAKER_01 31:30

Oh mate, I just think um nice little battle of the fullbacks as well. Um, this is the great thing is you look at the team list and you go, wow, like there's matchups all across the park. But just looking at the work rate of both fullbacks, mate. So Barry from New Zealand, mate, he doesn't have an off-button. He's very involved as a fullback, he's always in and around the ball. Um, just a very good player who took the GPS first 15 rugby competition by storm last year, year 10 player, you know, best winger in the comp, sort of thing. So he's also and he was also you know underage playing Connell Cup last year, and he was elite. So he's just a bloke who he who also has had a very good connection with CHT, the sevens. So, you know, there could be a trial to you know involving those two boys. But um, and Fatihaki from the Black Hawks man, he's lightning, he's very dynamic. So bit of you know, X factor in the fullback race there.

SPEAKER_00 32:23

Yeah, yeah, it looks like two pretty good matchups. Um, I'm very excited to see how that's um Seagull's Black Horse game because that could be points to Lux. And then if if Falcons can you know restrict the devil's um attacking threats, that should be a cracking matchup as well. Um any final words for for for across these two? Actually, um before I get that, you cover the Harvey's 17s and 19s as well. Yeah, yeah, sure do, mate. Yeah, um, have you got any players to watch across those final series?

SPEAKER_01 33:01

Yeah, yeah. I'll just I guess I'll quickly run through them, just looking at the games now. So we've got Magpies, Blackhawks. Um, again, just exciting, mate. Like Blackhawks fullback, Carl Lucy Quero, mate. Well, she she's an absolute, she's probably star fullback of the competition. And she's coming up against a player who's also been outstanding. Um let me just have a look through here. Mummy Natty, the Magpie's half, mate, she's outstanding. Um, yeah, year 11 at Keeper Park, played last year as a year 10 and was an absolute standout. Um just classy, doesn't overplay her hand, just a very good playmaker, mate. She'll be going up against Diaz Bowen, son of Maddie Bowen. Uh sorry, son, daughter of um Maddie Bowen. Um and you know, she's got X Factor as well. So that's an exciting matchup. The Mag Ties. Um, I'm a big fan of two of their middles, son of Betham and um Kyle Bishop. Um, mate, that they were just I don't think just having a look at the team list. Bishop's not named in the the final team, but um she must be injured because she's good enough to play.

SPEAKER_00 34:01

Um I actually had a um I got a message one of the magpies you were talking about magpies front rower then. I think one of the magpies um one of the magpie's best for nine eings actually got suspended for this game, I'd I'd heard so.

SPEAKER_01 34:15

Yeah, uh if it was for the if you're talking about seven eens here, so there is a there is a seven in the prop for for the magpies, yeah. Caramitas, she's she was suspended about a month ago, so she's not playing. But yeah, she before she got suspended, she'd scored probably 10 tries, you know, fit a whole season into you know three games. But this is the thing is the magpies breeding ground for rugby league, they've got Sienna Missa who's starting a prop. She's just as mate, she's outstanding as well. So um, but on that note of the props, Macy Lars as well from the Blackhawks, younger sister of um Caden, who's sort of emerging cowboys forward. So that's gonna be a cracker, mate. But just going off to that Burley versus Clidesdows game, um, I'll just mention a few girls here as well. Two girls that have come across from Perth, Isabella and Emily of Pryor, um, fullback and wing. Um, outstanding. They I don't even say much, they'll show it when they play. Very busy, very involved, good chat, and very, very explosive. Um, but this is gonna be a great game again. Um, the Bears have actually been a very exciting team to watch this year. Yeah, um, and their prop, Olivia, a Kiwi girl, she is yeah, probably the best prop in the comp this year. Absolutely outstanding. So that's gonna be two really good games there, mate, at the Gold Coast and in Townsville.

SPEAKER_00 35:29

That's um Isabella Pryor. She was in that um, she was at Nationals last year, eh? She sort of carved up there. Yeah, I remember seeing a bit of her. She was um she was really good in that competition. All right, any final words um around Cyril Connell and Harveys?

SPEAKER_01 35:44

Connell, Harveys, oh mate, just watch out for these magpies, I guess. Um, 17s, 19s, both minor premiers. So into the into the finals, probably you know, favorites, but they wouldn't be thinking that inside. They're just you know focused on the next job, no expectation or reputation, just go hard, do the things that they've been doing the whole season. So, mate, it's just gonna be a great weekend for Queensland Junior Rugby League.

SPEAKER_00 36:08

Beautiful. All right, thanks for your time today, mate. Make sure you go follow over on Instagram, Nick Tucker Sports, follow all his work with the Career Mail as well. Um, does an awesome job covering the Queensland Juniors? A lot more detail and depth on the Queensland side of things that I just can't offer uh myself, obviously, with how much New South Wales stuff that I cover. But um, yeah, make sure you go um supporting Nick on you know all the things that he does. Thanks for your time once again, mate. Cheers. Right. A huge thank you to Nick Tucker for coming on to the show. We'll move on to SG Ball. Um Central Coast Roosters they're the first obvious talking point. Um they get their first win. I've been speaking about it over the last couple of weeks, the improvements that they've made um week on week, and you know, I didn't know if a win was coming, but I thought, you know, they were getting closer and closer to it. And then they take on the Illora Steelers who I can't get a read on that side at all. I watch them every week and go, this is a good team, this is a good team, this is a good team, and then they continue to lose tight games, and then they come up against a side that's beatable, and then they don't play all that well. But it's not about them um in this one, it's about the Central Coast Roosers and their performance. They came out of the blocks hard, they're up 20 nil at halftime. They just wanted it more, they played more physically intense, they you know controlled the middle. Their halves I thought were really good in this one. Jonathan Mansor and Jack Keenan uh really controlled the tempo. Uh, Jonathan Mansor's running game was electric. Um, Jack Keenan had a couple of really nice kicks. He his passing game was on, he set up um early early doors, he got a um good ball across to Rave Toulevu, um, who looked a really big point of difference on that edge. Um did the back roll for Central Coast, he um then went on set up Bodie Jeffries' first try. Um Bodie Jeffries, he was really good in this one as well. Three tries in Cal with the clutch moment at the end, take an intercept, um, and then go on the journey, winning them the game in that moment. 24 to 18, they had to D up and they did, uh, which was a really good effort from them. Bodie Jeffries gets the crowning moment, which is thoroughly deserved. Um, I thought Charlie Barnes was very good in the middle as well. He's been a guy who I've liked in this team for for a while now. Just a really big body, hardworking middle forward, just tough. Um yeah, he came up with a nice a couple of nice really uh a couple of good defensive efforts in this one. Um, and yeah, his running game was on, he had a line break as well. Uh so yeah, good performance there from Charlie Barnes. Is there anyone else to highlight in this game? Um yeah, like I said, um the halves very strong. Tulavu looks a big point of difference there. Um, I'll just go pull up their team list and see if there was anyone else I was forgetting. Um Finn Wilson, I thought, had a really good game as well out in the wing. He scored a try. It was a very simple try, but I thought his um aerial threat caused dramas to the um Steelers defense there at different times. I thought he had a couple of really good runs as well. Calen Cashin was a little bit hit and miss at times, but he came up with a couple of really nice moments as well. And Eli Bennett was the other one that needed to be highlighted as well. Um, he set up Jeffries two of Jeffrey's tries. Um so yeah, he was really good as well, Eli Bennett. Um move on to the Eels, who got their season back on track with a um dominant 44 to win, 44 to 44-4 win over the New Zealand Warriors. That was a tongue twister. Say that three times fast. Um, but yeah, it was Lincoln's Fletcher and Samuel L Saravi, who I thought were the two bests in this performance. Um, Chris Patrick's obviously very good. Bamblett highlighted him as well. But yeah, they were at their dominant best in this game, and they played for the full 70 minutes in this game as well, um, which I was really impressed with. Uh, I'd been sp saying it over the last couple of weeks, how they're just dipping in and out of games. They did a lot last year. I think they really responded in this one. Um, they need to put it together back to back to back weeks, um, and then into the finals. Um, then you know they're back right up in that top echelon of teams that can win the competition. Um, but yeah, I think the next team that I'm going to talk about is just continues to get better and better. Um, it is uh the uh Sydney Roosters. I just completely went to sleep then. I was trying to read through my notes at the same time. But the Sydney Roosters, I've spoken enough about how dominant they've been as a team. I just wanted to highlight Carter Marico's performance in this game. Had a couple of tries, his hitting game was on, he he ran the ball really well. Um he scored a really nice try late in the game. Uh, he's one that's put his hand right up for that New South Wales under 19s jersey. Add did Lincoln Fletcher that I just spoke about, and as did Jack Thompson, who we spoke about a little bit earlier as well, who's playing New South Wales Cup. Those three guys, I think, are locked in a very intense battle for the Seven Jersey. I think it's those three that are the top seeds for it, and I think it will be one of those three that gets it. Um Eddie Kalis as well was very good in this game. I'm gonna put his name into that origin under 19's convo as well. I think he's not as far off as what you might think. Um I thought he should have made the Australian School Boys last year, in all honesty, and the way he's played this year, he's probably been the best lock in the competition. Um, you know, another guy who I'd you know throw up as one of the best locks in the competition, only big returns this week in Jackson Coiner. I think he was there through the first three three or four rounds, was probably the the top seed for that um for that position. Troy Cody was very good as well, early doors, but in terms of consistency and playing throughout the whole season, it's been Eddie Kaylesson. I think he's a guy that um, you know, his old man obviously represented the Kiwis was uh a very good front rower for for New Zealand for some time, but um Eddie's grown up in New South Wales, he's Brows Hill Jr.'s Um I think he's a guy who could be in that New South Wales under 19 setup. Um I'm interested to see what he'd do internationality-wise. I think maybe um New Zealand following his old man's footsteps. Don't know though. Um, but yeah, he's a guy that I think would be right up there in that conversation. Um I cover off the eels well enough. Yeah, I think I did. Um Panthers versus Storm. They had a very weird outing, 44 minutes. That was um on four. And yeah, it was a bit odd that uh got called off due to lightning, and then Panthers got the win because they were up 16-14. I thought Storm really had the momentum in this game late later on in the piece. You know, Panthers got off to a really fast start, they were up 16-8 at the break. Storm then scored. Um, and then you know, it just I I just thought that the storm were getting back into this game, and then you see the lightning delay. Yeah, it was Lockheed's hill folliola that scored that try, but then you see the lightning delay, and yeah, I just I didn't feel right to me because if this game goes for 70 minutes, I think the Storm might win. But you know, Panthers really good in this contest. Um, I thought their forward pack were were the standouts in this one. Um, you know, it wasn't like the last couple of weeks or like the the season, really, it wasn't the Elijah Burve show. I thought um Buster Heinmarsh, he was my best on ground in this game. He he was really, really good out on that left edge. Um, Jet Swaddling, I thought, was really good through the middle. He got through a heap of work. He had a pretty poor error at one point. Um, but apart from that, I thought he was top class in this game. On both sides of the ball. Other key performers, I thought it was a bit hit and miss for the Panthers, really. I thought Darcy Felton was good in attack. He had a couple of really nice moments. You know, like I said, it was mostly their forward pack. Heinmarsh swaddling. A PD Tefola came up with a few huge hits. Tamarge Brown was good up front, but then he came off the field after about 15 minutes. And then obviously with the lightning delay, he didn't get to play his full stint. I think he only played about 20 minutes total. But yeah, it was yeah, it was an interesting game. I thought Kobe Floro was a handful for the storm in this game as well. With and Sholem Tyrrell is doing some good things as well, or Tyrell. Yeah, Withensholem Tyrell. Um doing some good things there. Um Dragons, they tied the game against South. They had a brave come from behind performance here. They were down 8-0, scored two tries, leveled it. Rabidos then kicked back again through Taj Alvarez, and then the Dragons ended up scoring to tie the game through Zach Woodjay, who was good. Um, in that sixth jersey, Lorima Sakuru, he was just again, he is the spark in this dragons attack. Um, I thought their edges um were good out of yardage, um, and then you know that they had their contributions when they got into attacking ball, uh, but it was mostly you know the fullback um that was creating points, um, and then obviously Woodja has that try right at the end. Uh, to put it away, I thought um for South as a little bit of a disappointing performance. Um, yeah, the completion rate was disgraceful to be honest. Um dragons, they completed really well. They they stuck tough, their outside backs got in for a heap of work, their middles um were really good as well. I like this fizzler tapu um for the dragons as well in the back row. But yeah, the what what was the rabbido's completion? 51%. Like they just did not do themselves any favors in this game. Um, they had more line breaks than the dragons, they had more attacking stats than the dragons, line breaks, tackle breaks, all that sort of stuff. But the dragons just had so much more respect for the footy. Um, the kicking game was good, they just hustled in defense, they just yeah, it all really came down to just that respect for the footy, um, realistically, for the dragons, and um they got their reward at the end. Um, you know, six and one were good. Um, and yeah, just a brave come from behind victory. I've sort of been a little bit negative on the dragons this year, but um a good performance there. Um, and then the Bulldogs Magpies was the last game I wanted to talk about. Um, Janetta Ud there or CJ Ud there. Um he scored twice in a 22-4 comeback win, ended up scoring late uh to put this game to bed. Um, it was Udair who scored that match winner as well. He had a put he put in a really good performance, he's a quality player there out in the centres. Um, Maddie Barricat, I thought, was the star of the show. His second half was very classy, um had a couple of involvements, scored a try, um, set up the match winner, had just a couple of really nice involvements, did Maddie Barricat. I've thought he's been a good player for a little while. Um his hard Matthew season was very good. He he sort of disappeared a little bit last year, played decent footy at schoolboy level, not his best footy, but he he played well enough. I'm keen to see how he goes throughout the back end of this year because he was a guy who looked like he was on a positive upward trajectory there. Um, in terms of other performances or other highlights from the uh Bulldogs, I wanted to give their fair wrap for this performance. Calvin Patterson, I thought was good in this game. Um, just another game where respect for the ball became a difference at the end. I thought early on, the uh magpies were very good in terms of um completing their sets. They got down to the Bulldogs and they scored a couple of early tries. Their first half was really dominant, but then the second half they just a couple of errors. There was back-to-back errors late in the game, which I thought really swung the momentum um towards the Bulldogs. Just yeah, just a really key thing in these junior grades. Um, if I pull up their completion rates, I'd imagine they'd both be pretty good. Like it wasn't too sloppy of a game. 80% for the Bulldogs, only five errors. Um, and yeah, 75% for the magpies, but I dare say most of their errors would have been in the second half. Um, yeah, there's one, two, um, three. I'm just scrolling through the errors and just trying to prove my point. Three errors in the final 20 minutes, four um, yeah, so four of their six errors. Yeah, six errors. Let me go down to the negative stats here. Yeah, most of the errors were in that second half, especially late. Three in the final twenty is not not good enough when you're trying to defend a late anyway. Um what else have we got? No, so that is all for SG Ball. We'll move on to Harold Matthews now. This has been one of the most all over the place recording sessions I've ever done in my life, but I think we're up to Harold Matthews now. Um Steelers, I'm gonna talk about them first. They're building into the back half of the season nicely. Um, they've now moved into a clear third behind the Panthers and Knights. Um, Panthers will talk about them in a second as well. Um, but yeah, the Steelers they put pay to the Central Coast Roosers on the weekend. Um, it was a good performance, 40 points of six. They're really starting to come together. Their halves are uh playing much better footy over the last couple of weeks. Um, Oliver Burton's at his absolute best the last couple of weeks as well. His game against the Bulldogs earned him the player of the week in Howard Matthews, and then uh his performance again over the weekend. I thought he was the best on ground there. Asher Chapman was really good at number six. He's just a Mr. Fix at Asher Chapman. He could play anywhere on the field and and be one of the best. He's played 13, he's played nine, he's played six. Don't know what his best position is, but he makes it work everywhere. Like he his performance on the weekend, his running game, you couldn't you couldn't tackle him at certain points. Um he just looked really dangerous each time he carried the footy. So um he's um building nicely this year. Um, you've obviously got you know Appia Money through the middle. It's a really good footy side, this sealer's side, and they're a side that pre-season I had right up there. Um they're a side that realistically should be competitive and should be in the in the top four based on what they did last year. And yeah, they're gonna be a threat. Um so obviously, you know, no Appi Amone this week as well. So they won 40 points to six come and it was comfortable the whole way. Um let me have a look at their team list for this week and see if Amone's back. Yeah, you can't because they're on the bye. Five teams on the bye this week. Beautiful, less footy for me to watch. Um but yeah, another guy who I thought was really good in this game, Destin Telsala. Um, I thought he was um one of the best players on the field out there in the centres. Dangerous. Every time he got the ball, he had a couple of nice um one-on-one tackles as well. Hunter Funguppo was good through the middle. Um, I really like this Fletcher Couchman as well at Locke. He's caught my eye a couple of times over the last couple of weeks, and uh I thought this was another one of his better performances as well at 13. So, yeah, an overall good performance there from the Steelers to get the W. Um, Panthers there back to their clinical best after you know the Knights disposed of them last week. They get back against the storm win 38 points to four. Their ages were really good. Monty Leo Tupu and Zach Fitzgerald had really good performances in this game. Um, Ryan Chloe, I thought, through the middle, really established and laid the platform for this win. Did the number nine um as I pull up the wrong game. Uh bear with me a second. Um the top performance is Armas Vienga, he had a double as well. He's just one of the premier players in the competition, let alone fullbacks. They actually had less possession in this game than the Panthers, 47% possession and conceded one try. Um, and scored 38. Like, that's crazy. Um but yeah, d just uh that that try that they scored, I think epitomized what this game was for them. Like they just you know, they obviously defended really well and um got into good territory more often than not, but you know, a couple errors, whatever, but you know, that they put paid on. But just throwing the footy around, it it just looked like a team that was having fun on game day. Like the the that try I went through about five or six sets of hands, offload, offload, offload, massive cutout ball over to the left, massive cutout ball back the other way, and then eventually it finds. I think Ryan Chloe was the one that ended up throwing the the big spiraling ball over to Monty Leuatupu to to score that try. It was a really exciting game to watch. It was fun, this is what it was. Like it wasn't the most you know, it wasn't 90% completion rate, dominate field position, grind the team into the dirt. It was just throw the footy around, score some points, defend when there's an error. That that's what it was, and it was a good performance there. Um, next team to talk about the Roosters. I think they've got probably the best spine in the comp. Um, they're a team that can shake it up from the bottom half of that top eight, I think. Um, Harper Boothroyd had a really good um you know return uh where he set up the try, I think. I think it might have been a Levi Scarlet that try. Um, it was late in the first half off the top of my head, but he'd had um a line break off a tap um and and went a long way with that. Um Andy Toy has improved week on week. I thought, you know, uh I'll say it now in hindsight, he had an absolute stinker against the Panthers week one, but since then he's just gotten better and better and better, he's turned into a really um really good attacking threat um out wide, and his defence has improved as well. I think that these halves, Samuel Large and Charlie Webb, you know, they can obviously do a fair bit in attack. Um, they've got those capabilities. I think defensively they've been unreal out there. Charlie Webb will smack you, and so will Samuel Large. Like they they come up with a lot of really good hits. They when when they make contact, they stick with it. It's not like I very rarely see either of them get bumped off at all. Um, so I think yeah, defensively they they they deserve a big wrap, those two. Um, as do Caleb Zara and Marquis Sando, the 9 and the 13. Just yeah, 1, 6, 7, 9, 13, again in this game, we're the best players on the field. Um the back row, I've spoken about him a fair bit. Cooper Tesserieri just continues to impress me. He's a guy that I'm keen to follow you know throughout the next however many um however many years he can go on with it. But yeah, really just a top performance. Charlie Webb looked damaging with ball in hand. Samuel Large with ball in hand wasn't you know super um you know dominant like he can be, like he has shown at different stages, but um he was able to um make an impact on the defensive side of the ball in this game. Um my next talking point was the Parameter Reals 26-10 win over the Warriors. I'm mainly going to take it speak about two players here. Um the first one's Hayden Bell through the middle. He was a clear best on ground for mine. The work rate, um, the impact with you know, not only his contact but his effort areas covering across and making try-saving tackles. Um, his running game, he he looks to make 10-15 every single uh time he carried the ball, he had some good offloads, he he was putting kicks in, he just did it all in this game, and then he filled in at number nine through the middle part of the game. Like when you've got para fans comparing a Lockford to Ray Price. I've like I can't ever say that I watch too much of Ray Price. I've watched the grand finals, and that's about it, just to know what it what it feels like to see Parramatta win a comp. But like that is huge, huge raps on a young 13, uh young number 13. Uh yeah, he's he's been unreal this year. He's probably been Parramatta's best, and and the other guy I'm going to talk about, Laura Masiasiu, he's also been one of Parramatta's best. The first couple of weeks, he he was lighting the competition up, like in that Himasi Makasini or a Paul Alamotti, you know, those freakish centres that come through, dominate their matchups, just do things that you you're not used to seeing in terms of physically dominating your opponent. In this game, he he did something at a level that I don't even really remember seeing those who do it at, and that was the defence and the try savers. Satali Fretten, who's a gun back rower, was out in the centres, marked up on Lorimer. He ten times out of ten, not a hundred times out of a hundred, nine ninety-nine out of a thousand. Satali Fretten from where he was scores that try at about the 18th or 19th minute mark. He's marked up, he's matched up with Lorimer, and he just snaps him down. Just pure power. His defence this year has really, really impressed me. They're missing him this week. I think he's playing um schoolboy rugby. But that def that level of defense that he's shown so far this season, he's an age up in this as well. So he's he's younger, and he's showing strength as if he's two years older than all these boys. Like that's that's a very, very high level that he's playing at um so far this year. Obviously, he's had those attacking moments that he had at the start of the year. He was extremely dominant through the first couple of rounds. He hasn't quite had that same um, you know, attacking dominance, but his defence has never dropped level. In fact, it's picked up many levels. Um, you know, the the defence was good through the first part of the year as well. Like even when he was contributing heavily in attack, his defence has been probably one of the best defensive centres in the comp. So um, yeah, I think he's been elite for Parramatta Lorimer. Um, last talking point on Howard Matthews. I think it's a two-horse race for player of the year. In fact, probably is a one-horse race. Um, but it's Peyton Tutto and Oliver Burton. Um, they've you know they've they've kicked away from mine. It's the only two that can probably win it. I can hear an argument for Hayden Bell, but uh I think he's probably a level below those two in terms of the output that that's been put into this particular Howard Matthews season. I think it's Peyton Tutto who's got to win it. Uh I can't see a world where um anyone else does really. Alright, New South Wales cut bit to discuss here. Um, and already over an hour total, I believe, because um Cyril Connell kick preview, 25-ish minutes for start of the podcast, 25-ish minutes and 10 minutes into this already. So um I'll try and be as quick as possible whilst also getting through all the details necessary. So in Newcastle Knights, they got up 32 to 22 over the New Zealand Warriors. Um, Kyle McCarthy was the best on ground here. He was physically very strong into contact all the time. His defense was good. Um, he had a couple of really, really nice offloads. Um, so yeah, really good performance there from Kyle McCarthy. He was probably up there with the best players of the weekend in uh New South Wales Cup, which is a huge step for him. Uh I think he's going to dominate this grade for as long as he's as he sits there with the NRL experience that he's gotten. Um both of the centres were really good, McCarthy and Wilson deCourcy. I thought he was really classy in some of his work as well in this game. So, you know, they're probably fighting it out to be the next long-term Newcastle centre. I've probably got Wilson de Coursey ahead, but McCarthy, he's been better so far this year, so I wouldn't be surprised if they go that way. Um, it was a very scrappy game overall. Um, 74% completion rate for the Knights goes back to that the team that respects the ball more generally wins the game. It was 57% for the Warriors. It was pretty poor from them. Um but when they did have good ball, it was Jet Cleary who stood up again. Um to be honest with you, I didn't see this level from Jet Cleary, to be honest. I was lining up against him in a game two years ago, Glenmore Park vs. Northwest Magpies. In in under 19s, like to go from that to maybe three years ago, however long ago it was, to he's now been probably the form player in New South Wales Cup. He's uh I don't know when I was watching him in SG Ball and and Jersey Flag and that it was just sort of like eh, he's got a good kicking game, he's a smart footballer. I just don't know if he's there is five to ten better halfbacks in his age group, but he just kept going, kept going. He's now 21-22 years old, and he's killing it New South Wales Cup this year. He he's gone to another level, Jet Clearion. Um, yeah, he is ball playing, he's footy smarts, his kicking game, all really, really good. Um, you know, his defense is is good as well. Uh he's gonna be a guy that I don't know if I saw him playing first grade two years ago. I I think he's a guy that's that's knocking that door down. He probably doesn't play this year, although Webby's already spoken about it as well. And um, I remember when he first signed with the Warriors, I was trying to calm people's expectations a little bit. Like he's not gonna go straight into that first grade side. He's a few years away. He's a few years away. Webby says as much, and the patience that they've showed with him moving him through Fleg and New South Wales Cup, it's it's really paid dividends. Um Storm vs. Jets. The Storm got up 20 points to 12. Uh the forward pack in this game were immense for the Melbourne Storm. Davy Muwale, Jack Heatherington, and Angus Hinchy were some of the best on ground. Um yeah, they just got got rolling through the middle part of the uh field. Gabriel Satrick off the back of that, his running game was super impressive. Um he had seven runs for 102 run meters, did Gabriel Satrick? So he had a really good ability to um split the line. Um, this was one of AJ's games, uh AJ Lucantonio from the uh league scene podcast. Um me and him have been doing a 3-2-1 system for New South Wales Cup. In the um Knights game, I went three to McCarthy, two to Cleary, and one to DeCourcy. In this game, I believe it was Um Trent Tolau. He got the three points, he was the best on ground. Um, and then it was um trying to remember Jack Hetherington. Got one point. I remember that, and the two points went two. I should have these written down, but I don't. Angus Hinchy got the two points. Um, so yeah, that's the wrap-up on Storm Jets. Bulldogs, they got up in a thriller over the Raiders, 28 points to 26. Um, the combination between Logan Spinks and Sean O'Sullivan was really good in this game. Um, they subsequently picked up uh points. Logan Spinx got three and Sean O'Sullivan got one. They formed a really good combo out on their edge. Um, Dane Laurie, he was good as well. He picked up points in this game for the Raiders when Kobe Black went off with a HIA. Um, he really stood up. There was a they were down 28 points to four. They really fought back and garnered heaps of momentum late in this game. Owen Paddy turned it around with a 40-20. He he's really good at those, um, as as everyone sort of knows. Um, and yeah, uh from that point, Raiders really got back into the game. Um, but yeah, it was uh Spinks and Sean O'Sullivan, the Logan Spinks and Sean O'Sullivan show for the most part. Um, Bronson Sherry versus Matt Tomoko was a great matchup as well. Um yeah, Jerry obviously scored that try early. Um he probably gets the upper hands on Tomoko in this game, but yeah, that was an unreal matchup for a New South Wales Cup game. Another one of AJ's games. Um Spinx got three, Laurie got two, and Sean O'Sullivan got one. Um, one of my games, the Rabbit Os, they got up in another very scrappy contest. I feel like I've been absolutely shafted with the games that I had to watch this week. Knights Wars was a shit fight, and as was this game, this was eyes rolling into the back of the head stuff to be honest. Um, both very low completion rates, these two sides. Uh, but the rabbitos, they won a sort of battle of attrition. Um, they're up 20 to 6 late in the game. Jack. I scored a late try, but um yeah, they just threw the middle were just better. John Rodell and Tim Johansson, I thought had really, really good games, and then that attacking spark at the end from you know them earning field position, it was Matt Dufty. 26 runs for 250 meters. He had a couple of try assists as well. I thought his passing game was elite. Um, but yeah, though those three guys were the best on ground. Um, I gave three to Dufty, two to Roddell, one to Johansson. Um, but yeah, just a pretty average game. Like, even the best from Magpie's just made too many errors. Like Mav Geyer was good defensively. Uh, I thought he was pretty average in attack, and he made two errors. Will Craig, he looked their most dangerous, but he had three errors as well. Yeah, it was yeah, just a tough, tough game to watch, to be honest. Um, but yeah, that was how that one went for mine. Uh, Dragons, they carved up the Eels 38 points to eight. Cade Reed and David Farlay, the two best dragons players on ground for mine, and Jacob Alangar, who was up there as well. Cade Reed, his kicking game was on point in this one. I thought it really dictated terms and controlled this game. Uh, I think it was the biggest difference between the two sides. David Farley had a couple of errors, um, a couple of sloppy ones, but you can forgive him when he has three tries and runs for what 290 metres or something like that. Um, he was really good in attack, was David Farleigh, and he skinned his opposite matchup all day. Um, I thought in this one the Eels lacked direction, they had no seven, it was Josh Papali. Uh, don't I wouldn't be going back to that well. Um, yeah, it was a tough watch in terms of you know, in this game, it wasn't like Dragons dominated, it was 26-0 close to half time. I think it might have been 26-0 at half time. And Barramatter had had a lot of field position. Their fifth tackle options were terrible, and then Lorenzo threw an intercept. Not sure it was totally his fault. He sort of had a uh a runner there that just let the ball go and then it bounced down, and then Jez sort of kicked it up, and um, it might have been Farley that jumped on it um and went the journey. Oh no, it was somebody else's jumped on it, and then it's gone out to Tony Rumble uh Toby Rumble, who scored two tries as well. He was good out on the wing, but yeah, but you had that play, and then Joash himself threw an intercept. That one was to David Farle. It's just like okay, automatically take those two intercepts away, it's 14-0, and then have better fifth tackle options, you might have scored a point. Or the two halves combine and have some sort of attacking promise. You might have scored points. Like late in this game, Lorenzo still showed up in this in this game. He he looked param uh he looked Parramatta's most dangerous. Um, if I look at his stats in a you know, I don't think these stats necessarily tell the story. He was, you know, he might have been Parramatta's best in a pretty poor game, um, but he probably wasn't at his best. But he he still showed up, and these stats read really really well for a beaten side. Nine runs for 70, two line break assists, a line break, five tackle breaks. Like he just kept coming at him, two offloads. Um the tries came off the back of him. His defense I thought was pretty good, although he did have a pretty rank miss at one point that led to a try. Upper after having a man of the match performance week one, he was shocking in this game, um, as was Jo Ash. There was just a couple of poor performances from key players in this game. But all credit to the Dragons, they dominated Cade Reed, got my three points, David File, two points, Jacob Alangahu one point. Um, last New South Wales Cup game, Panthers. They smacked the Roosters 38 points at 12. The Roosters, just far too many errors in this game. Um, and Jackson Edgar, he really capitalized on it. I spoke about him before he was the New South Wales Cup player of the week. Just a really dominant performance, couple of tries, um, you know, three line breaks. He just had a really top shelf performance. Um, Jesse McLean as well, he was um one of the best on grounds. He just had a blinder out there on the wing. Their back five generally was good. Gerard Lidiard had a good game, Isaac Tunger had a good game. Yeah, it was it was a really good performance. Kalane Going was very busy in this one. Um, yeah, they dominated the Roosters. Um, did the Panthers? What was the Roosters' completion rate? Because they could not hold the ball. Um team stat 68%. Yeah, so not ideal. Although, in saying that, the Panthers didn't complete it much better, they were 76%. Have a look at this for a stat sheet. Jason McLean, a try, 25 runs, 214 meters, a line breaker, line break assist, eight tackle breaks, and five offloads. That is unreal. Isaac Tungo himself had four offloads. Um, yeah, top performance from the Panthers, pretty disappointing from the Roosters, but worth noting, um Hugo Savala played as a middle in this one off the bench. I think he came on into the lock position um for 30 minutes. So that's something worth following for the Roosters. Five runs for 18. Uh one line break assist, uh, one tackle break. Not too much to read into here, but 26 tackles for only one miss. So defensively, really good in 30 minutes and got through work. So um, yeah, something worth following there. NRL debuts, rookies, all that sort of stuff. Luke Anson, he had a great debut. I spoke about it more on Instagram. I won't go too into detail, but try tries his past, all his defensive tests with flying colours. It's a good debut in my eyes. Um, Ryan Hutchinson spotted on the extended bench. Keep an eye out for that. Um, there was obviously heaps of rookies named on extended benches, but this is the first time I think I've seen Ryan Hutchinson there. Very hardworking middle forward, absolute dog through the middle, and his ball playing is really good for a big man. So a guy that I'm pretty keen on there. Um the early rookie of the year leaders, I've got Cooper Clark, Billy Phillips, and Ethan Sanders. Those three are probably the only three at the moment that um can win it based on the body of the work that they put in. Makassini, Cooper by their figure at some point. Macassini, I thought, started off pretty slow last week, but he's going to be a guy that's right there. He's played well enough, um, but the other three have just been better so far. Both sides of the ball. Billy Phillips is making a real impact on that Panthers side off the bench. Cooper Clark, same goes for him. I thought I think his defensive work has been really good. Um, he you know, they put him out in an edge and that got exposed a little bit, but I think through the middle he's making a real good impact for the storm. Um, and Ethan Sanders, you know, he he's organizing this Raider side well. Um, just a couple of things to work on there. Um, but yeah, he's been good this season as well, and obviously he had that really big moment week one. Um, they've copped two losses in a row since then. I thought his Warriors game was pretty poor, but I thought he's a little bit better against the Bulldogs. Um, and you know, he nearly had another big moment um to finish that game off there. So those three are my top three. I think I got Cooper Clark first, Ethan Sanders second, Billy Phillips third, thus far. Um, other talking point, Sam Tui Vite and Talon DeSilva, they carved up for para. I think Talon needs more minutes. I think Sam Touivati's been gonna be perfect in that 40-minute role off the bench. Tui Vite is a guy who doesn't get enough hype. He was a two-time origin on a 19s player. Um, he was a proper freak coming through the grades, and he's only 20, 21 years old at the moment. He's gonna be a guy that could develop into genuinely a top five front rower. Um I think he's gonna be a very, very, very good player for the Parramatta Reels over the next however many years he wants to stay here. And Talon DeSilver, I think he just offers a little bit more. I think it's what we're doing now is good Riley Smith first 30, get Talon on. I think he can play both of them through the middle, to be completely honest, because you know Riley Smith's work rate and his effort and his energy on defence is all going to be good, and then Talon DeSilver out at nine just just offers a little bit more in terms of your attack. He's you know, Riley Smith. I I thought he's pretty poor on the weekend, his defensive effort was good, but geez, he had some poor moments like that. He just stood still for one of those first tries that the Dragons scored. It was pretty poor, and then his service has been really inconsistent to start the year as well. I thought round two he probably had his best ever performance for Para. Um, did Riley Smith, but weeks one and three, either side of that, I thought he's had some pretty poor performances. Um, and Talon DeSilva the last two weeks has been you know one of Parramatta's best. So they're carving up there. Uh questions to wrap this show up. Thoughts on Oscar Crotty age up this year and killing it. Yeah, he is. I really liked him last year in Howard Matthews and on the wing here. He's he's doing some really good things. He's just a freakish footballer, can come up with flick passes, get up and contest high balls. He's got a really um he's like a natural footballer, like he just in instinctual, just whatever happens or whatever you know presents itself. He's just gonna try it. He's just gonna throw the ball around and offer a little bit there. So he's been really good on the wing for Manley this year in SG ball. Um, thoughts on Buster Hymars' for me. I spoke about him for Panthers v Storm earlier in the show. Um, he was really good in that game. Uh, he was my three points. Yeah, he's been killing it out in the left edge. The the right edge gets so much attention for the Panthers, and rightfully so, Berve Latu, Pekin, um, all those guys. Uh wanted to say Hunter Bell then, but I think he's been out on the left. Um, who's been their right centre? I should know that off the top of my head. I've just completely mind-blanked. But yeah, with with those guys out on the right side dominating, he hasn't gotten too much attention, but he's both sides of the ball been really good this year, um, has busted Heinmarsh. So he's a guy that I'm keen to see how he goes moving up into Flag and then Cup because I think he will make those steps up. And then the final one, I really like this question. Um, now bear in mind I don't know whether all three of these guys are Samoan. I think they are, but um, the question got sent in who's got the most potential out of these three Samoan halves? Peyton Todd, Calvin Harris DeVita, and Carta Marico. Three very, very good halves, all similar age. Mariko's the older of those three. Um Peyton Taddell is probably going to be the Harold Matthews player of the year, and I can see Calvin Harris DeVita being a Cyril Connell player of the year based on what I've seen thus far. Um, I think Tadow and Harris DeVita are at very similar levels. Um, they've got really good long kicking games, their defence is really good. Um, you know, Tado's probably got a bit more in terms of strength and um, you know, his ability through contact, whereas Calvin Harris DeVita's got a little bit more in terms of agility and ability to create. Um, Tatara's really good um running the football, and you know, he can create stuff as well, but Calvin Harris has just got that extra little bit of silk. Um, I think I don't know who I'd rank above out of those two. I really like Peyton Tatar. I'm a huge fan um of what he's done so far this year. So those two being the same age, I'll probably lean just towards Tatara, but he's they're both pretty good. And then um Carter Marico as well. We spoke about him. I think he'll be the New South Wales seven next year. He's you know, like them, really good long king game. He's a good organizational halfback. I think the other two have the potential to shift into the sixth jersey, whereas I think Carter Marico is an out-and-out halfback. Um, you know, he's been killing it an SG ball based on where they're at right now. Marico's a better footballer than the both of them. Um, in terms of potential though, that's all sky high. I it's gonna be interesting to see how some more go with with any of these halfbacks over or any of these halves over the next you know five years. It could be really promising signs for some more. Um, yeah, I'm I'm keen to see how those three progress. Um I sort of gave a soft answer. I'm probably the biggest fan of Torah out of uh Torreo out of all of them. But man, it's three very good players. Um alright, that's it. Thanks for tuning in to this long ass episode, but lots to cover. Um thanks to all of you who stuck around, and we'll see you on the next one.