BWG Pathways Prospects into 2027

BlackWhiteGold said:

Thanks @Vicious … mate we can only hope one day the club expands its content on pathways.

Unfortunately based on a reply from Shaun Mielekamp in the CEO thread, they are cautious about it not to inform other clubs who our top rated juniors are and to put too much pressure & expectation on our young stars.

I personally think that is naive & a poor attitude from the club. All clubs know who the top rated juniors are + acknowledgment of good performance by youngsters should be promoted, not kept quiet.

It looks like it’ll be up to posters like you & I and the other dozen or so regular contributors in the pathways threads, the WT Faithful lads & NBWT on Twitter to keep the pathways content flowing.

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wastedyears said:

The club's pathways and development are doing their job if players are graduating to the NRL team as consistent week-to-week first grade players. On this measure, the program has been absolute trash. Pole, Sione Fainu, and Bula are the most recent players from development (beneath reserves) grades to be playing consistent NRL for the club. Sukkar did well at the end of the season, but needs to continue to improve. Galvin and Da Silva aren't at the club, and playing regular first grade elsewhere. That's a fail on the program, not a win.

Compare that to the two GF teams who are stacked with players that came through their respective pathways systems.

So frankly, I don't really give a shit about what the club tell us about the pathways.

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Tucker said:

I agree. Our pathways are hopeless.
We identify a talented player. tell him he is a god, pay him a fortune and then fail to hold him to account. It’s not working 🤣

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BlackWhiteGold said:

This week for my series on my best 50-60 pathways prospects heading into 2027, I'm focused on our top prospects turning 21 next season.

This does not include Jared Haywood, Javon Andrews & Jack Attard who I have featured previously as NRL contracted players.

I've divided the remaining 21yo prospects into 2 categories - those who are likely to progress quickly to NSW Cup next season and then 4 others who I rate as our better top-age Jersey Flegg players next season.

NOTE: with the rumours yesterday we have signed another fullback in David Bryenton, I have grave doubts that Logan Brookes will be with us next season (however still feature he below as Bryenton is still not confirmed by club).

21yo NSW Cup prospects

Archie Duncombe – 21 – Prop
-Bustling middle forward who exudes leadership, effort & professionalism. Strong carries, can ball play & leads line speed.
-Just needs to continue to work on physical development & strength into open grade.

Xavier Tauaifaiga – 21 – Centre – Left – 2027
-Known for his effort & energy levels at centre. Good out of yardage with his leg speed & agility rather than size. Good finisher & makes decisive reads in defence.
-Needs to add some bulk to his frame for open grade. Yet to see evidence of aerial ability.

Jack Nicholas – 21 – Wing
-Strong, reasonably quick winger with good finishing skills & aerial ability in attack. Very good out of yardage & decent defensively for his current level.
-Needs to fix up some handling issues & consistency defusing high kicks. Has had a run of hamstring issues too.

Logan Brookes – 21 – Fullback
-Skilful & fast fullback with good footwork who can bust a tackle. Reasonably strong in the last line of defence and in cover. Consumate professional.
-Form dropped off over the 2nd half of the season after failed experimentation on the wing. Such a surprising drop-off.

Byron Laupepa – 21 - 2nd Row – Left
-Solid backrower without any stand-out features. Can break a tackle & offload and shows good effort & strength in defence despite being a mid-size.
-A slow-burn type for mine. Gives 100% on both sides of the ball but can be prone to an error or miss.

21yo Jersey Flegg best other top-agers

Riley Oitmann – 21 – Fullback – 2027
-Arguably the quickest player over 10m (even 40m) at the club with very fast feet. Great skills, game awareness and support play who brings effort, x-factor & smarts.
-Small in height & stature. If he can offset this by adding some bulk to his frame & strength in defensive contact, he is worth following. Prone to a bad handling error too which he needs to limit.

Sonny Edwards-Moeke – 21 - Five-Eighth
-A sharp running 5/8 in attack and very strong in defence. Versatility to play fullback & halfback if required. Reasonably quick with good game awareness.
-No stand-out weakness for mine, just needs to continue to progress all facets of his game into his final JF season.

Denzel Schaafhausen-Mino – 21 – Lock
-A member of our 2022 premiership winning Harold Matts team. A solid middle forward with good work-rate on both sides of the ball & leadership.
-In fairness, have not honed in on him this season so no glaring weaknesses but on the flip side, no outstanding features.

Luani Tuifua – 21 – Prop
-A tall, powerful & aggressive prop who can bust a tackle & bring PCMs. Played 5 games of JF this year and has qualities our club lacks.
-As a big boy, will need to work on his fitness & work-rate but brings impact on the flip side.

Next week I will feature my best 20yo Jersey Flegg bottom-agers for next season who graduated from SG Ball this year. Top of that group will be Glassie Glassie.

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Bellend said:

Glassie Glassie has a big future but like your list BWG needs to put the effort in the off season.

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boonboon said:

Funny I thought HuaHulu showed more then Glassie. Thought he was exceptional every time I watched him. Could see him in nrl next year

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BlackWhiteGold said:

This week for my series on my best 50-60 pathways prospects heading into 2027, I'm focused on our top prospects turning 20 next season.

This does not include Haemasi Makasini, Christian Taupau-Moors, Pheonix Godinet & Blake Van Drie who I have featured previously as NRL contracted players.

These guys will be bottom-agers in Jersey Flegg next season and should feature prominently in that grade. Except Glassie Glassie who I believe will play a fair bit of Cup imo.

Glassie Glassie – 20 - Centre/Wing – Left - 2028
-Powerful, skilful centre/winger with good speed, footwork & strength in contact. Strong out of yardage, can produce special moments & can hit in defence. Selected for Cook Islands in the RLWC at just 19.
-Can increase his involvement rate and has the odd lapse in concentration (hands & defence).

Filipe Huahulu – 20 – Wing - Right
-A revelation on the wing. Strong, tackle-breaking winger with very good aerial skills and decisive & strong in defence.
- Can continue to work on all aspects of his game as no glaring weaknesses.

Peter Ta'ai – 20 - Lock/Utility
-A versatile & athletic middle forward who can play on an edge in a pinch. Excellent work-rate & involvement, decent ball skills & strong on the defensive side.
-Needs to continue to work on his physical development to impact on games.

Alex Futialo – 20 - Prop
-Big, burly front rower with decent leg speed & skill. Good with post contact metres & impact.
-Fitness is the key for Alex. Needs to improve his tank so is not found out in defence under fatigue.

Kayden Kanaan – 20 - Fullback
-Speedy, elusive fullback with good support play. Regarded internally for his professionalism & toughness despite his size.
-Didn't focus a lot on him this season due to injury but from what I have seen his involvement could be higher.

Jahziah Palmer-Vaivao – 20 - Centre/Wing
-Elusive & speedy outside back with flair (including bright pink headgear) & footwork. Strong in contact and shows good decision making in defence.
-Solid in most aspects so just needs to continue to work on all areas & his physical development.

Boston Lauvao – 20 - Centre
-Big & powerful tackle-breaking centre who shows reasonable speed.
-Handling can be an issue at times & decision making in defence.

Houma Fotu – 20 - Prop
-Powerful mid-sized middle with good leg speed & post contact metres.
-Further physical development to complement his power game as well as involvement which may be a conditioning issue.

Next week I will feature my best 19yo Jersey Flegg prospects for next season - those who will be top-agers in SG Ball but graduate to Flegg very quickly (like Glassie & Huahulu did this year). That list will be led by James Lanyon.

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Jimmy Jazz said:

Thanks for all the info you provide on the pathways, as someone who is in the country and doesn't get to see the young blokes coming through it's much appreciated, haven't noticed any genuine 7s amongst your list. Are there any?

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BlackWhiteGold said:

Yep he & Glassie are my top 2 in that list.

What's encouraging I reckon about Huahulu is that he already has a big frame (height & size) but a frame that looks like it will only get more powerful with pre-seasons.

And Huahulu has a very good leap and aerial skills, now almost a pre-requisite to be an NRL winger.

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BunganHead Tiger said:

Brilliant stuff once again BWG. I particularly like the way that you identify each player as a left, right, or middle. This has become an important part of the modern day game. Today when we watch a game we can see a particular team's preference for where they want to throw the pill. We can also easily identify a team's defensive weaknesses either side of the ruck. Oh MaGoo... !

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