Liam Higgins, Scott Dunn and Boyd Cordner

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Billy

Danny 'Bedsy' Buderus
Knights SG Ball hooker Liam Higgins, winger Scott Dunn - and Boyd Cordner - were named for the combined catholic colleges side in the australian schoolboys championships.
That's a huge shock, and i originally thought they had made a typo and meant SG Ball player Dane Cordner (who played the whole season of ball for us) - but they do mean his little brother, Boyd, who played only one game of Harold Mathews in the final round of the season when we rested several forwards.
Boyd must have had the game of his life for the northern country side in the selection trial.
Combined catholic schools haven't won the schoolboys trials since jarod Mullen tore the trials up several years ago.
 
That does seem like a bit of a shock considering SG Ball came about 9th I think. And picking a Harold Matt's player who only played once... wow thats unbelieveable!
 
It's not that big a shock for the two Ball guys - it just means they are down to the last 60 or so players in with a shot at making the aussie schoolboys side.
The 16 year old guy is the big shock. He would have outplayed about 30 other forwards, many of the Ball level players from Sydney clubs, to get this far.
 
Talking about the schoolboys team. I just found out that my Economics teacher is the manger and a selector of the Australian schoolboys team.

Pretty surprising to me.
 
Peter Mata'utia, Dane Cordner, Chris Marlbourough, and Ethan Cook have made the CHS side - and Pat Mata'utia, Jeremy Maa, Daniel Foster, Jason Savin, Kurt Warden and Gene Brown have made the CHS under 15s. (all from Hunter Sports high except Jeremy Maa who is from Merewether.)

The funny thing is that Dane Cordner and Boyd Cordner will get to play against each other for a spot in the Aussie Schoolboys.
Dane for public schools and Boyd for catholic schools.
 
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Interesting that Jeremy Maa goes to Merewether.
If you had to pick the smart kid out of a line up you probably wouldn't go straight to the giant islander kid.
 
Peter Mata'utia (wing) and Liam Higgins (hooker) (both in pic below) have been selected for NSW u18s to play Qld in SOO opener.

PeterMatautai.jpg
 
Yeh I read this about 10 minutes ago. We seem to have a good crop of young hookers coming through. Higgins would have beaten about, 10 or 12?
 
AussieKnight said:
Yeh I read this about 10 minutes ago. We seem to have a good crop of young hookers coming through. Higgins would have beaten about, 10 or 12?
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Tyne Owen was the NSW hooker last year, and Terrence Seu Seu the year before, as well as Joel Brown making the aussie schoolboys the same year.
IMO Higgins is the best ball distributor of the three, Owen is the best all round hooker - but Terrence had a lot more will to succeed that you will see in half a team of players.
Higgins can play NYC for the next two seasons, but he probably needs a good off season to be a good enough defender for that level.
 
That's crazy! And next might just be Chris Knight :lol:

I didn't think the Eels or Penrith hookers were very good. However I only watched them for the semi's. Penrith never really produce good hookers.
 
The interesting thing is that Peter Mata'utia was dropped from NYC this week to make way for by far our best under 18 player - last years Carlson medal winner Jeremy Papamau, who also played NSW u17s last year.
So Peter is the best under 18 winger in NSW, and second best at the Knights.
 
AussieKnight said:
That's crazy! And next might just be Chris Knight :lol:

I didn't think the Eels or Penrith hookers were very good. However I only watched them for the semi's. Penrith never really produce good hookers.
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The CCC v CHS game in the schoolboys selection trials will see Liam Higgins (Knights number one hooker) line up against Chris Marlborough (Knights number 2 hooker and utlity player).
 
AussieKnight said:
Any Idea where these championships are being played?
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No - but they often play them at Lyal Peacock oval at toronto with all the teams staying at Myuna bay fitness camp.
The trials take place over a weekend and you can't move for the NRL scouts.
 
Roopy said:
No - but they often play them at Lyal Peacock oval at toronto with all the teams staying at Myuna bay fitness camp.
The trials take place over a weekend and you can't move for the NRL scouts.
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Just looked and the CHS trials were at Lyle Peacock last weekend - bugger - i had nothing to do last weekend too.
 
Junior Knights pair named for Origin curtain-raiser
BY BRETT KEEBLE
30/05/2008

IT has been a big week for Knights SG Ball winger Peter Mata'Utia and hooker Liam Higgins after they were named yesterday in the NSW under-18 team to play Queensland in the Origin II curtain-raiser at Suncorp Stadium on June 11.

Mata'Utia (NSW Combined High Schools) and Higgins (NSW Combined Catholic Colleges) were also selected in their respective teams for the Australian open schoolboys championships in Darwin from July 13 to 18.


Those teams were announced after trials this week at Toronto. The Knights will be well represented in the NSWCHS and NSWCCC open and 15 years teams.


Joining Mata'Utia in the opens will be fellow Hunter Sports High School students and Knights juniors Ethan Cook, Chris Marlborough and Dane Cordner.


Higgins, the son of former Newcastle representative captain and coach Craig Higgins, is from All Saints Maitland (St Mary's Campus). Other Knights juniors in NSWCCC are Boyd Cordner (St Clare's Taree) and Scott Dunn (St Joseph's Aberdeen).


Jay Stevens, from All Saints Maitland (St Mary's) but not a Knights junior, will also represent NSWCCC at Darwin.


Hunter Sports High students Pat Mata'Utia, Jason Savin, Daniel Foster, Kurt Warden and Gene Brown, and Merewether High's Jeremy Maa will represent NSWCHS at the 15 years national titles at Wynnum from June 29 to July 4.


Brown is the younger brother of Roosters and former Knights utility Riley Brown and Knights NYC hooker Joel Brown.


Adam Clydesdale (St Joseph's Aberdeen), the grandson of former Maitland international Don "Bandy" Adams, made the NSWCCC 15 years side. One of his teammates will be Shay Padberg, a former North Sydney junior from All Saints Maitland (Lochinvar Campus). All those players, plus Knights and NSW under 16s five-eighth Tyler Sullivan, will be presented to the crowd before tonight's Knights-Warriors game at EnergyAustralia Stadium.


Knights scholarship holder Mitch Barnes, who attends Kirwan State High in Townsville, was selected in the Queensland Schools team for the open championships in Darwin.


An Australian Schoolboys team will be selected after that tournament to play two internationals against the Great Britain Academy and one against a French Schoolboys team in Australia in August.
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Herald
 
Article on Higgins

173561.jpg

Liam Higgins is getting used to playing a standard of rugby league beyond his years, but admits a packed Suncorp Stadium will test his nerves.

Higgins, 17, has been selected in the NSW under-18s State of Origin team to play the Queensland under-18s in one of two State of Origin curtain raisers.

The All Saints College, St Mary’s Campus, Maitland student made his statement to selectors with a strong SG Ball season for the Newcastle Knights, a statewide competition for all players in the under-18s age group.

This is the first junior State of Origin opportunity for Higgins and he concedes the magnitude of the event will not be lost on him.

“This is pretty much the biggest stage you can get to at our age, I’m pretty rapt,” he said.

“Everyone’s going to be pretty fired up, I’d say there will definitely be nerves.”

But it is not the first time this Raymond Terrace hooker has been thrown in the deep end and risen to the challenge.

He was recently given the call-up for Raymond Terrace’s first grade team where at 82kg, he admits he was given a brutal introduction.

“First grade was heaps more physical and heaps quicker,” he said.

“You are playing against full grown adults. I struggled a bit in the first game, but handled it better in the second.”

The NSW team was selected from all junior NRL clubs, as is the Queensland side, giving young players an opportunity to get a taste of interstate rugby league before they consider a career in the NRL.

That is exactly the plan for this rugby league devotee.

“That is the plan, to go on playing professionally if I can,” he said.

Higgins will go into the NSW camp in Sydney this weekend before flying to Brisbane on Sunday ahead of Wednesday’s match.

Maitland Mercury
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