QLD Colts 2023
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D'Lite Full
Bill Watson (15)
Not much happening on this thread. Who are the teams to beat this year?
Rugrat
Darby Loudon (17)
Brothers have depth with 5 colts teams so selections and man management will be key to having happy teams. Happy teams are usually winning teams. Quality players at the club through recruitment and junior pathways. Expect their second and third teams to put on some big scores during season. Many of these Brothers players would be playing higher grades at other clubs like Sunnybank and Norths who are only fielding 2 colts teams. Souths look to have got off to a good start I havnt watched them yet though. West I believe have a core of quality players, UQ will be strong but seem a young team but will get better as year progresses. Sunnybank need more fitness work and depth, they started strong against Brothers but faded quickly in game. Havnt seen GPS Easts or Bond yet so leave to others to comment.
D'Lite Full
Bill Watson (15)
Thanks Rugrat.
I saw that UQ had gone down to Souths in Colts 1,2 and 3 so thought perhaps a shift was on this year. Early days.
I saw that UQ had gone down to Souths in Colts 1,2 and 3 so thought perhaps a shift was on this year. Early days.
Souths looking strong in the Colts this year. Going all the way down to Colts 4. A number of graduates from Lauries, IGS, State High and from up on the range.
Have enjoyed watching a few of trials & select games from the first two rounds of Colts 1&2. Souths, Brothers & Easts looking very strong early with Bond & SunnyBank showing some early improvement in depth this year… they just have to be able to hold it for the whole game. Will be a good season ahead with heaps of young, skilled & maturing talent across the prem colts programs atm!
Great to watch Jack playing for Scotland in the u18 six nations online, playing some great rugby!
Souths Colts have started the season strongly with all 3 Colts teams performing strongly. Colts 1 are unbeaten so far with a game in hand. However they face Easts this weekend and ladder leaders Brothers the following week, which will be a strong test for the team. The Colts 1 pack have been setting a solid platform with number 8 Dominic Thygesem, lock Jake Kurbatoff and front rower Lington Lei leading the way. Elsewhere young prop Trevor King has been promoted to Prems. In the backs Will Nason at 10 and Dre Cruz-Laban 15, both 18 years old, have been performing strongly, along with wing Riley Bierton, who has also had some time in the Prems team. Competition for spots is hot across all positions with a number of talented players biding their time in 2s and 3s.
warhorse
Alfred Walker (16)
The Colts 4 is also undefeated. The programme is working very well. Willem Johnstone started in Colts last weekend and then benched again for 1st grade.
Souths Colts 1 came up against their first speed bump this season in the form of Easts. The game was evenly balanced until Easts blew Souths out of the water in the last 15 mins of the game to record a solid 40-21 win. Easts number 9, Sam Farrar with a hattrick. U20 centre Jarrod Homan also proved a handful for the Magpies. Interestingly for Souths, their best U20 players were part of the Prems side that got the job done over Easts. Young Trevor King at tighthead played the full 80 mins with some solid scrummaging and strong carries. Unbelievable that he is only 18 in the toughest position. Next weeks game against Brothers, who are coming off a 31-0 shutout against GPS will be a huge challenge for the Magpies.
MoneyBill685
Ted Fahey (11)
Easts have a good bulk of players that won the tied premiership last year returning this year. Sam Farrar, Homan, Goldsborough, Godwin, Blake Davis all returning. Thats 5 of the backline playing again so should be strong. Beat the undefeated Souths boys on the weekend which is a good scalp.
Brothers look pretty strong though on paper. (when do they not) Dre Pakeho playing Colts 2 is an indicator that they have some good depth there this year. First year out of school though, so Colts 2 is naturally a good progression. cant expect to walk straight in.
I think GPS will be good this year. They beat Easts last week at home.
There appears to be a number of "young" players running around in colts this year. Bond have 2 x 16 year old playing 2nd Colts in Lochlan Smith (Q u16 last year) and Ryan Wildman. Wildman looks the goods and has made a few appearances off the bench in Colts 1 this season.
MoneyBill685
Ted Fahey (11)
I'm not sure what the rules are for colts but yes also saw PJ Sua (Current Terrace 1st xv) playing for easts colts 2 against bond few weeks ago.
SouthernX
John Thornett (49)
In 2020 during Covid when gps schoolboy rugby was canned. Wests had a phenomenal colts team filled with grade 12ers (which missed out to the Kalani Thomas led south’s colts)
I think this is a good proactive decision by these players having a run around in colts rugby before term 3
I think this is a good proactive decision by these players having a run around in colts rugby before term 3
MoneyBill685
Ted Fahey (11)
yeah definitely. Surprised there's not more. I guess not really pushed when they can only play a few games.
A lot of current grade 12's play in the Mal Meninga Cup (Rugby league) during the non school rugby period because there's not really a strong rugby competition they can go play.
Mal Meninga is the premiere rugby league comp for that age and a lot of traditional "union" boys get picked up by nrl scouts at these games.
SouthernX
John Thornett (49)
Interesting - I think it’s a bit deeper than that.
The traditional rugby union boys are being scouted by NRL scouts at junior rugby carnivals.
parents and clubs/agents work out a deal where they get a private school education - play schoolboy rugby one term and then they play club rugby league during term 2.
if Mabel Park HS (Slacks Creek) had a boarding house - you’d probably see a lot or NRL bound talent skip the gps school boy rugby experience all together.
MoneyBill685
Ted Fahey (11)
Yes I think you're right. I'm pretty close to the rugby league scene and what these league schools like the super 6 Mabel Park, Keebra, Wavel, Ippy state high, PBC, Marsden do is they affiliate themselves with NRL teams so they go straight from school into the nrl system. That is incredibly appealing to boys and parents and something union can't or haven't done. Even second tier schools are affiliating themselves with NRL clubs and academy systems they have in place is mind blowing.
I think that attraction of getting a private school education is definitely not as appealing as it once was. You still see guys doing it e.g Robert Toia, Tory Bath last year at Nudgee but I think that also goes back to Nudgee being more open to affiliating themselves with NRL (dolphins in Nudgee's case).
I guess this all goes back to grassroots for rugby and the lack of playing pool to select from. I know a guy from Churchie who is a scout for them and they've said that when they look to offer scholarships they are only looking at rugby union carnivals now. They don't want any league players. If that's the case, then rugby will never be looking at the best of the best players. We fast forward down the track where it seems that GPS boys are the only ones being selected for super rugby and there lies the problem.