The penultimate round of regular season action is upon us in the Eastern States! Across Victoria, New South Wales, the ACT and Queensland, we enter what will be the final month of their respective club competitions, while in WA the regular season hits the final home stretch with the last four weeks.
With the season wrapping up, we shine our spotlight on an exciting Junior Wallaby, a rock of a prop from the west, and a young gun back rower.
Tom Silk – Loose Forward (Randwick Rugby Club)
Randwick are storming forward into finals contention in the Shute Shield, as one of two sides to have locked in their finals placings.
An exciting flanker who is on the Galloping Greens roster is Tom Silk. A strong loose forward originally from Gordon with plenty of gas and a ferocious amount of power, he’s made a habit of causing plenty of havoc for oppositions.
His build has been well suited to other forms of rugby too, including having a stint in the NSW Rugby Sevens program. However, he has come into his own in the last few years, and has been a stand out player over the last few years.
With Randwick looking to sure up a finals berth this weekend against a strong Western Sydney side, expect him to make his presence known.
Meli Sifa – Prop (Nedlands Rugby Union Football Club)
Some quality forwards are running around in the WA competition, and the Force will likely have the luxury of some good pickings as they sure up their squad for next season. Nedlands sit in a precarious position on the edge of finals contention, which unfortunately matches the form they’ve had this year. While looking stellar in parts, the struggle to string games together has been their current achilles heel.
Bar Round Seventeen which saw them concede a heavy defeat to Palmyra, the last few weeks have shown promise, and a big reason for that rests on the shoulders of Taranaki stalwart, Meli Sifa. A classic front rower, Meli is a rock that anchors the Nedlands scrum, and his week on week performance consistently impresses.
Add to that, he’s an extremely strong ball carrier with plenty of explosive power and a fearless attitude, not hesitating to take ball into contact. With a tough couple of fixtures looming in the coming weeks for Nedlands, expect this side to lean on Meli even more to get them over the line.
Harry McLaughlin-Phillips – Flyhalf (Souths Magpies Rugby Union Club)
Finishing in the Sunshine State, it’s important to shout out the blossoming number of exciting fly halves coming through the ranks in the Hospital Cup. Many have gone on to representative honours, among them Tom Lynagh and Lawson Creighton.
However, now we also throw in Junior Wallabies fly half and Souths Magpies stalwart, Harry McLaughlin-Phillips. Already setting the competition alight earlier this year, McLaughin-Phillips also showcased a strong ability to direct traffic and control gameplay in the Junior Wallabies recent U20s World Championships campaign, including grabbing wins over the likes of the Baby Blacks, and salvaging a draw against England.
Harry McLaughlin-Phillips in action for the Junior Wallabies | Getty Images
Throw in a promising boot with good accuracy, and you have the makings of someone who could quickly follow in the likes of Carter Gordon’s footsteps and go on to future success at a young age.
While it is not clear when he will return to Magpies colours, his return will likely be very welcome as the Magpies sit in a tenuous position for finals as we head into the final fortnight of footy. It’s all to play for!
Who are the club players that you think are deserving of higher honours? Let us know in the comments!
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