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From schoolboy sensations to NRL stardom

Cowboys players Jason Taumalolo (left) Kalyn Ponga celebrate following a Cowboys win. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Roar Rookie
24th June, 2018
22

The 2014 Anglican Church Grammar School first XV was a schoolboy rugby team for the ages.

In hindsight it really was no shock that the Brisbane side cruised to an undefeated GPS premiership with an average scoreline of 50-13 – and, no, they were not all penalty goals.

While the majority of the 15 young men to pull on the blue and grey in 2014 advanced to play professional rugby union, there were three talented teens that jumped ship to cross-code rival rugby league, the first of which was young gun Brodie Croft.

The Melbourne Storm half made a name for himself right from his NRL debut in 2016. Although currently unable to crack the Melbourne powerhouse’s top 17, there is little doubt Croft is a star of the future. In his mere ten NRL appearances he has scored four tries and kicked four goals, including a matchwinning field goal against the eventual 2017 grand finalists North Queensland Cowboys.

Second is the boom Brisbane Broncos youngster Jaydn Su’A. Despite having played only 20 first-grade games since 2016, Su’A was brought into Queensland Origin camp for Game 1 2018 and will remain an excellent prospect for Kevin Walters and the Maroons in the years to come.

Steeden Rugby League Generic

(Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

Last but not least is the man who made his State of Origin debut for Queensland last night, Kalyn Ponga. Just four years ago Ponga burst onto the scene in schoolboy rugby with his trademark white headgear and notoriously deadly step.

The red-headed prodigy had a mixed final year of schooling with a potentially deadly brain infection commandeering two months of his year. A high point, however, was assisting greatly to his team’s rise to an undisputed and rare GPS premiership.

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These three NRL stars mixed with well-known rugby names such as Angus Scott-Young, Mack Mason and Liam Wright to create the unstoppable force that will go down in Queensland GPS history.

Despite the very successful poaching of these young stars, the Queensland GPS competition still remains relatively untapped territory for rugby league. This needs to change.

Not only is it a pool of talent eager for their first professional gig, but if rugby league can one day gain a stronger grip on Queensland private schools than rugby union, we go a long way to complete dominance over one of our fiercest rival codes.

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