By NEIL CADIGAN
Seagulls coach Aaron Zimmerle and his revamped squad are excited to face NRL opposition in their first tough on-field test for 2017, at Stan Sercombe Oval in Murwillumbah tomorrow (Saturday) at 5pm (NSW).
The Seagulls will field 12 newcomers to the club in the four-quarter match, several of them from an NRL system background.
Kurt Bernard, Ben Nakubuwai and Phillip Sami, who all played in the NRL’s Holden Cup competition last season (Nakubuwai with the Storm), have dropped back from the Titans into their feeder team for the match, adding strength to the squad.
Sami is a member of Queensland’s Emerging Origin under-20s squad and was the Titans’ top try-scorer last season.
Five other players were in the NRL system last year: fullback Lindon McGrady and second-rower Lamar Liolevave (Bulldogs NSW Cup), utility back Talor Walters (Storm under-20s) and back-rowers Carne Doyle-Manga (Wyong/Roosters) and Ezra Howe (Manly).
Liolevave, a Junior Kiwi in 2014-15, made his NRL debut for Wests Tigers in 2015 before switching to the Bulldogs.
Centre Peter Lee is a former Australian Rugby Sevens player who last year participated in the NRL Rookie television program.
Shane Gillham, the big prop who played for the Titans under-20s in 2015 and with Easts Tigers last season, adds size to the pack – reuniting with Ethan Price who played under-20s in 2014-15. Hooker Mackenzie Reid has also joined the club from Easts.
Doyle Manga, originally a Canberra Raiders under-20s player, was training with the Warriors up to a week and a half ago, and comes to the club on the recommendation of former Raiders recruitment officer now with the Titans, Dave Hamilton.
The squad will need all their NRL and Holden Cup experience against a Newcastle side to be led by six-match State of Origin player Trent Hodkinson and emerging NRL players like Jack Cogger, Josh King and Dylan Pythian plus seasoned forwards Micky Paea and Sam Mataora.
“I’m really glad the Knights have put a lot of experienced players in as, for us, we want to set the bar as high as we can and challenge the players,” said Seagulls coach Aaron Zimmerle.
“After all the work we have put in, let’s play the game at an over-speed.
“They’ve got a guy who was playing State of Origin a couple of years ago [Hodkinson] so it’s a chance for our guys to see the poise and control he has, and his kicking game, and hopefully that will rub off especially on our young guys.
“Effort is the primary thing I’m looking for and want to take from the game; that the work we have done at training will transfer into performance in the game.
“With the group we have, we want to establish some pride in our defence. Playing against an NRL team with players who have been identified as having ability, they are going to have some very good attacking ability, be it speed, size or a fend or ability with the ball.
“So if we can defend well against them, from that we can get belief in our systems.”
The three Titans players will have had only one training session with the team, although Bernard – who spent two seasons with Melbourne Storm’s under-20s before joining the Titans in 2016, played a couple of Intrust Super Cup games with the Seagulls last season.
Bernard and Gillham certainly add size to the pack.
‘It’s exciting to have Kurt playing; reports from those at the Titans is that it is the fittest he has been. He’s big and powerful, and surprisingly quick over a short distance,” Zimmerle said.
“Shane is a classical front-rower; he has size and a good hit and spin at the line which makes it hard for the opposition to dominate him and stop him getting a quick play the ball.
“Then we have Ethan Price who played last year and really grew into the role. Carne Doyle Manga joins the club and he is a guy who has played at Wyong and trained with the Warriors in New Zealand and we have a couple of new young guys like Ezra Howe and Lamar, so it will be a great challenge for them.
“The X Factor for is Tikiko Noki, our Fijian front rower. I had the opportunity to coach him last weekend in Sydney in the Nines and he is a dead-set wrecking ball. If he can make it through his 20-minute stint and show he has the motor to go with the power and raw aggression, he has promising times in front of him.”
Match details:
5pm NSW (4pm Qld): Tweed Heads Seagulls v Newcastle Knights
4pm (3pm Qlds): Seagulls under-16s v Murwillumbah under-16s
Entry: $10 paid at the gate.
The Seagulls squad is:
|
Talor Walters |
|
David Sheridan |
|
Tevita Folau |
|
Peter Lee |
|
Jayden Baker |
|
Sione Alofi |
|
Michael Burgess |
|
Ethan Price |
|
Sam Meskell |
|
Shane Gillham |
|
Lamar Liolevave |
|
Jackson Clarke |
|
Dane Clarke |
|
Lindon McGrady |
|
Mackenzie Reid |
|
Jordan Aiono |
|
Ezra Howe |
|
Nic Harrold |
|
Sam Carson |
|
Carne Doyle-Manga |
|
Tikiko Noke |
|
Kobi Annand |
|
Adam Barnes |
|
Kurt Bernard |
|
Phillip Sami |
|
Ben Nakubuwai |
The Knights squad is:
1. Dylan Phythian
2. Kainoa Gudgeon
3. Heath Gibbs
4. Tom Hughes
5. Chanel Mata’utia
6. Jack Cogger
7. Trent Hodkinson (c)
8. Sam Mataora
9. Tom Starling
10. Josh King
11. Braden Robson
12. Zac Hosking
13. Faitatoa Faitatoa
14. Will Pearsall
15. Mickey Paea
16. Jamayne Taunoa-Brown
17. Tyrone Amey
18. Jake Finn
19. Henry Penn
20. Dean Kouka-Smith
22. Jake McNamara
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