[ad_1]
Tune in to our new Fox League Live show on Channel 502 Monday through Friday at 6.30 p.m. and on Saturdays at 3 p.m. and on Sundays at 5 p.m.
For many teams on the side of Australian schoolboys it is the beginning of a springboard to the top grade.
Those who do this side often receive tips for continuing great things. Some win grand finals, play for their state or country, and become some of the best players in the world.
For others, however, the collegiate side may be the peak of their careers.
Watch Foxtel in an instant. Get up to speed and connect without installation or lockout contract. Sign up for Foxtel Now with a free 10-day trial. Only new clients.
Just over ten years ago, the Schoolboys side of 2009 took the side of Britain, cleaning the floor with them at 66-0 and 66-18 drubbings.
Here’s who formed the squad, who rose to stardom, and who failed to make it to the top …
1. CAMERON KING (Hooker)
King left Endeavor Sports High School and was named a series player in his NRL debut the following year with the Dragons vs. the Bunnies. He played for the Junior Kangaroos, but passed the Cowboys in 2014. He later joined Parramatta playing 22 times.
After the Eels failed to re-sign him, he headed to England to play in the second division with Featherstone.
Since returning from the UK late last year, he has signed with Cronulla. A knee injury has kept him from playing since then, but he has remained optimistic that we will not see him at the highest level.
2. JAKE FINN (Prop)
A Hunter Sports High School fixture, Finn had previously played under the age of 20 with the Newcastle Knights when he made his Schoolboys debut in 2009.
Nicknamed the refrigerator, Finn was chosen for his pointless style displayed in interstate college games.
Unfortunately, Finn was unable to kick and reach the best rating, but he played for the Knights and Bulldogs in the NSW Cup. He continued to play in the Newcastle competition, but any hope of returning to the NRL was dashed due to knee injuries.
3. JOEY LEILUA (Lock)
Like King, Leilua left Endeavor Sports High School.
Playing in the lock, Leilua would be one of the first players on this side to make his NRL debut.
At just 18 years old, he tested for the first time with the Roosters, scoring three attempts from the wing and playing in the 2010 Grand Final that year.
In 2012 it was named as a reservation for NSW on Origin I, but it never appeared. He also represented Samoa at the 2013 and 2017 World Cups after moving to Newcastle and later Canberra, where his off-putting attitude, arrogant demeanor and defensive runs made him one of the game’s most devastating hubs.
4. CHEYSE BLAIR (Center)
Blair had already signed with the roosters when he won the call of his schoolboys.
As fate would have it, unlike Leilua, he never had a chance to enter the first team. He ventured to Parramatta, where Ricky Stuart told him he was not ready to play NRL. He quickly carried sticks up to Manly, and then to Melbourne. He played in the 2016 big loss against Cronulla, and was scrapped from his 2017 win over the Cowboys.
Blair left Melbourne last year to sign a contract with Castleford in the Super League.
5. GRAIN MATE (Prop)
Groat was playing a year on this side, and would continue to do the side in 2010 with players like Jack Wighton and St Gregory Campbelltown’s schoolmate James Tedesco.
The full-bodied accessory was set out to be a superstar, but it never worked for him. He hit the ground running toward the Wests Tigers, but the wounds halted his progress.
After leaving Concord in late 2013, Groat tried his luck with the Dragons but was unable to enter the first-grade team. From there he went on to play in the English Second Division with Doncaster and Dewsbury part-time.
He returned to Australia and has bounced around the Queensland Cup, playing with the Capras, Easts Tigers and Wynumm-Manly.
6. JACK STOCKWELL (Second row)
It would take Stockwell until 2012 to make his NRL debut with the Dragons, and after that, he had a pretty tough time in the top grade.
He never played in the final for the Dragons, and was then thrown into the hornets’ nest with a move to Newcastle when they underwent their much-appreciated reconstruction and ended up with consecutive wooden spoons.
Stockwell headed north toward the Gold Coast, and success has been equally slim, finishing 14th in 2018 and cold as stone in 2019.
After not being re-signed by the Titans, Stockwell joined the Queensland Cup Burleigh.
7. JACOB MILLER (Halfback)
Another on this side that was signed with the roosters, Miller found hard-to-find opportunities.
He traded for the Wests Tigers and made his debut in the 2011 season, at just 18 years old. Miller continued to play in the lower grades for the Tigers, but was on and off the team.
He packed his bags and moved to England, where he has remained ever since. After a difficult period with Hull FC, he moved to Wakefield Trinity where he played nearly 150 games and became a fan favorite.
8. DANIEL AHSIN (Exchange)
Of all the players that make up this team, Ahsin is the one that surrounds the most mystery.
While most have played in the NRL, Super League, or NSW or Queensland Cups, Ahsin appears to have given up on the game entirely. He played for the Wests Tigers in the junior grades, but was stopped thereafter.
9. CHURCH OF AARON (Center)
Signed with the Brisbane Broncos, Whitchurch made his club debut against Cronulla in 2012, scoring an attempt on the wing after being named to the under-20 side of Queensland.
He played a handful of games thereafter, before signing for the Redcliffe Dolphins in the Queensland Cup.
Whitchurch amassed more than 150 games for the Dolphns before retiring late last year.
10. PJ ASIATA (Exchange)
Asiata passed through the youth systems of Parramatta and was a student of the Patrician Brothers in Blacktown.
He never transitioned to first grade and stopped playing.
11. JASON TAUMALOLO (Exchange)
This side of the schoolboys was Taumalolo’s first contact with representative football.
His exploits after this need no further explanation. He thrives in the Cowboys and earns a prime minister position in 2015, before narrowly closing in again in 2017. Without a doubt, the game’s best striker right now is just as important.
His move from New Zealand’s Tonga has reignited test football and that decision could be his greatest legacy.
12. MICHAEL MORGAN (Exchange)
Like Taumalolo, Morgan has become a key foothold in the Cowboys’ attack in recent years.
Playing in midfield, or eighth eighth, Morgan has racked up over 150 games for North Queensland.
He has also been a mainstay on the Queensland side in recent years, and has won 12 matches with Australia. The only player who became a full Australian international off the Schoolboys side in 2009.
13. JORDAN RANKIN (Fifth eighth)
Rankin had already made his NRL debut when he performed for the college side. At 16 years and 238 days, he became the third youngest player in Australian gaming history to play in first grade when he stepped off the bench for the Titans in 2008.
He didn’t return to the NRL for two years and when he did, he was on and off the side. He played with Miller at Hull FC, before returning to NRL with the Wests Tigers. Rankin returned to England playing with Huddersfield and then moved to Castleford, where he still plays alongside Blair.
14. MAIPELE MORSEU (Fullback)
The fullback on this talented side, Morseu turned out for the Cowboys under 20 a few years later, but that was it.
He returned to play for Cairns Brothers and was also named on the First Nations side of amateur players trained by Laurie Daley in 2017.
Since then he has been playing for Central Queensland Capras in recent seasons.
15. FALEULA FINAU (Wing)
Appointed to a New Zealand under-20s camp alongside people like Kenny Bromwich, Josh Papalii and Shaun Johnson the following year, Finau was expected to achieve the best qualification with ease.
He went to Manly after spending time with the Tigers, but never made the breakthrough.
He changed the codes, playing rugby union for the southern districts at Sydney’s Shute Shield.
Last seen playing for the second-grade team in 2017, when he suffered a double leg break.
16. HAYDON HODGE (Ala)
Canberra thought they had another gem from the bush when they signed Hodge.
Unfortunately for the Raiders, and for Hodge himself, knee injuries would prevent him from making the breakthrough he wanted.
He impressed in test games in 2014 and played for the Auckland Nines when he appeared to have left injuries behind.
After realizing that his body was not up to the rigors of the NRL after numerous surgeries, Hodge returned to playing at the amateur level in Goulborn.
17. RYAN JAMES (Second row)
James attended Palm Beach Currumbin on the Gold Coast, one of the talent factories for schoolboys every year.
The following season he made his NRL debut for the Titans and has not looked back.
James came very close to representing NSW before, along with playing for the indigenous All Stars and in 2016, he broke a record for the number of attempts scored by a forward.
Unfortunately, his last years have been cruelly wounded.
Top row (from left to right): Cameron King, Jake Finn, BJ Leilua, Cheyse Blair, Matt Groat, Jack Stockwell, Jacob Miller, Daniel Ahsin, Aaron Whitchurch.
Bottom row (from left to right): PJ Asiata, Jason Taumalolo, Michael Morgan, Jordan Rankin, Maipele Morseu, Faleula Finau, Haydon Hodge, Ryan James
AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL 2009 SCHOOLBOYS
1 Maipele Morseu (St Brendan’s College, Yeppoon), 2 Haydon Hodge (Erindale College), 3 Aaron Whitchurch (Wavell State High School), 4 Cheyse Blair (Tweed River High School), 5 Faleula Finau (Matraville Sports High School), 6 Jordan Rankin (Palm Beach Currumbin SHS), 7 Jacob Miller (Matraville Sports High School), 8 Jake Finn (Hunter Sports High School), 9 Cameron King (Endeavor Sports High School), 10 Matthew Groat (St Gregory’s College, Campbelltown), 11 Ryan James (Palm Beach Currumbin SHS), 12 Jack Stockwell (St Gregory’s College, Campbelltown), 13 Joseph Leilua (Endeavor Sports High School). Exchange: 14 PJ Asiata (Patrician Brothers College, Blacktown), 15 Daniel Ahsin (Endeavor Sports High School), 16 Jason Taumalolo (Kirwan State High School), 17 Michael Morgan (Ignatius Park College).
