The Border Bushrangers Under 18s completed their first season in 2016 on Saturday in Tenterfield against a strong Brothers Under 18s team who needed to win the match to make the finals in the TRL competition.
Although soundly defeated on the scoreboard 48-18 the Border Bushrangers Under 18s showed some great spirit to compete for long periods against a well drilled team that were heading towards the finals.
The players and staff would like to sincerely thank the QRL Central Division, the TRL, the Border RL, and the local clubs, their sponsors Country Club Hotel Motel and Peter Sullivan Building for supporting their efforts in their first year of the competition.
The Under 18s finished the season on 8 competition points for the season and were very competitive in a number of other close matches throughout the year.
The first year was quite challenging with the team only training together fully on one weekend at the start of the year.
There is significant momentum for the team to continue next year with many junior players from the region looking to continue to play the game they all love in 2017.
A big thankyou to Coach Peter Brannigan, Assistant Coach Rob Rashleigh, Manager Mick Jensen, First Aid Officer David Willis/Mick Jensen, Leaguesafe Officers, Peter Sullivan, Regan Sullivan, Jack Spencer, Lindsay Adams and the many other helpers throughout the year that contributed in helping these young men to grow and develop their skills in a competitive aged based competition in the TRL.
We are sure that their skills and abilities will help the Border RL clubs in coming years by bringing the next generation of players through the ranks, without having to travel to other clubs outside the district.
There were approximately 30 different Under 18 players that played throughout the season, covering all rugby league communities within the Border rugby league region, including Stanthorpe, Tenterfield, Texas, Wallangarra, Inglewood, Killarney and Millmerran, plus a player from Glen Innes.
Many of these players also backed up or played regularly with their A-Grade teams in the Border RL competition.
We hope that the TRL, Border RL, associated clubs and players will continue to support and help grow this wonderful initiative in 2017 to ensure the longevity of rugby league in the border region.
The inaugural 2016 Border Bushrangers Under 18 players included:
Tom Jensen - Stanthorpe Gremlins
Jacob Roche - Stanthorpe Gremlins
Micka Marini - Stanthorpe Gremlins
Lloyd Kisby - Stanthorpe Gremlins
Jacob Adams - Stanthorpe Gremlins
Corey Rashleigh - Stanthorpe Gremlins
Braden Carmody - Stanthorpe Gremlins
Jayden Petzler - Stanthorpe Gremlins
Regan Sullivan - Tenterfield Tigers
Zak Wilmot - Stanthorpe Gremlins
Htee Hser - Millmerran Rams
Kai Robertson - Stanthorpe Gremlins
Brad Britton - Stanthorpe Gremlins
Declan Spencer - Texas Terriers
Matthew Clothier - Tenterfield Tigers
Michael Parnell - Stanthorpe Gremlins
Nic Marsh - Stanthorpe Gremlins
Timothy Kelly-Chorley - Tenterfield Tigers
Matt De Git - Tenterfield Tigers
Zac Willis - Glen Innes
Daniel Bosnjak - Inglewood Roosters
William Poulos - Inglewood Roosters
Jacob Harding - Wallangarra Rams
Levi McGrady - Tenterfield Tigers
Jacob Grayson - Killarney Cutters
Patrick Farren-Price - Killarney Cutters
Jordan Kelly-Kilpatrick - Tenterfield Tigers
Jacc Pittis-Wilson - Tenterfield Tigers
Corey Tonkin - Tenterfield Tigers
Lochie Watson - Stanthorpe Gremlins
